What Makes Your Web Site Different?

by
16600[?]
in Lifestyle on Feb 11th, 2012
78
Queen's Necklace

Do you wonder how many thousands of web sites there are? Does the world really need another one? What makes your site different – why would a reader come your way instead of mine? What’s your value proposition?

What’s a Value Proposition?

A while back Shaun from Smart Money Finance posted a question in the Yakezie Forum “Do you know why people read your blog?”. Not too many bloggers posted a reply and I believe I know why. It is very difficult to find and stick to your value proposition. In Shaun’s words “Simply put, a customer value proposition is a short statement explaining your product and why consumers will benefit from it. It’s used in business strategy to help identify how to position companies in the marketplace.” Read More
Blogging
Lifestyle Archives »

What Makes You Happy?

Nostalgia And Great Memories

by
16600[?]
in Personal Finance on Feb 8th, 2012
109

When I was in school, I had hardly any money. Why should I have anything? I was dependent on my parents and only made $3.25 an hour cracking eggs with both hands at McDonald’s sophomore year.  Junior year, I made $4/hour stuffing envelopes as a temp.  And finally, senior year I worked moving heavy boxes for a small business that was changing offices for $3.75 an hour. Ouch, my back!

Almost every summer, I insisted on traveling overseas to either study a new language or culture, and even then, I somehow landed odd jobs. One job in particular paid a 3-month salary consisting of pastries in the morning and tea in the afternoon just to keep us awake into the night.  I worked as the clapper “ready, set, action” guy and crew hand for the first Chinese-American film JV in Beijing starring Catherine Kellner, Sarita Choudhory, Geng Le, David Wu and even Josh Lucas. These guys started at 6am and regularly finished at 10pm, 5 days a week!

COULDN’T WAIT TO WAKE UP Read More

Personal Finance Archives »

Find Your Leverage And Change Your Life

Are You Leveraging Yourself Towards a Better Tomorrow?

by
1196[?]
in Personal Finance on Feb 6th, 2012
59

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” – Archimedes

Leverage can be defined as the power to accomplish something, or a strategic advantage. We’ve heard it used in many different ways. Archimedes, assuredly, used it in a much more mechanical/mathematical sense. Financially, it’s been used as term to describe the use of funds in lending and investing. It’s been used in a social way to describe the advantage someone has over another person. But, I don’t want to talk about those usages. I have no current use for moving anything large, haven’t the funds to lend or invest in large enough amounts to warrant leverage, nor, do I have any crazy ideas of leveraging information to advantage one person over another. Instead, I want to talk about leverage in a completely different sense. Leverage as it applies to you, me, and each of us, individually.

LEVERAGE DIFFERENCES Read More

Career, Personal Development
Personal Finance Archives »

How To Profit From Facebook And Live Happily Ever After

Facebook Riches For The Outsider Looking In

by
16600[?]
in Personal Finance on Feb 3rd, 2012
57

The Facebook effect is palatable here in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Just the other night, my no-limit poker buddy who works as a product manager at Facebook said, “Sam, let’s raise the blinds from $1/$2 to $10/$20!”

“Umm, no Egor, you might wipe out my lunch money for a year with those type of stakes!” I replied.

Facebook is by far the biggest internet IPO of the century.  With the bankers looking to raise some $5 billion in new capital, valuing the company somewhere around $80-100 billion dollars, there is going to be a ton of wealth creation!  By many estimates, there will be over 1,000 newly minted multi-millionaires and a few billionaires as well.

Mark Zuckerberg, himself will be worth some $20-$30 billion, depending on valuations.  Unfortunately, not all of us work at Facebook, and not all of us managed to get into Facebook 5+ years ago, even if we did have the foresight.  As a result, we’re left to ogle at the riches and lament at yet another missed opportunity.

Don’t feel bad!  I’m here to tell you how you too can profit from Facebook and live happily ever after.

PROFITING FROM FACEBOOK THE ALTERNATIVE WAY Read More

Career, Investments
Personal Finance Archives »

My Day Job Is Not Enough

Finding Fulfillment In Many Ways

by
462[?]
in Lifestyle on Feb 1st, 2012
63

I don’t know what it is inside of me, but it’s been there since college.  It’s a tugging force that has always had me interested in working for myself someday and being the “boss.”  It all started during college when I ran a small furniture moving company with a good friend of mine.

We did it all.  Everything from advertising to the actual labor and renting U-HAUL trucks, we were out on a mission to please our clients.  We would plaster Craigslist with our ads and were hungry to make more and more money.  At the end of the day, our goal was to pay for college.  Unlike most students, I was on my own and all my tuition was up to me.

Working at a restaurant or grocery store was never going to cut it when tuition was fast approaching $8,000 per year.  I had to “go at it alone” and blaze my own trail!  Well, guess what, it worked.  I made so much money that not only did I graduate college debt free, but I was able to buy a car that I had always wanted.

That fire and drive has never left me.  I guess it’s considered the entrepreneur trait.  Ever since the furniture moving company, I have always sought out ways I could be the boss.  Although day jobs are great, they have never fully satisfied my need to be at the top of the ladder NOW. Read More

Entrepreneurship
Lifestyle Archives »

The No Excuses Approach For Achieving What You Desire

by
161[?]
in Personal Finance on Jan 30th, 2012
35

When it comes to finances I’ve heard all of the excuses in the book.

I don’t have time. I don’t have enough money. When I make more money then I’ll…
I don’t know how…

When starting a new year we like to make resolutions and set goals. Whether it’s about your finances, or lifestyle, I think it’s good to start planning for the future. But none of that thinking and planning matters if you can’t get out of your own way.

I know you don’t want to hear this, but if you listen to your excuses and let them keep you from moving toward your goals, I can guarantee that 2012 won’t be like you hope.

WHAT 50+ MILLIONAIRES TOLD ME Read More

Entrepreneurship
Personal Finance Archives »

Is This A Business Expense?

An Open Discussion On Tax Deductions And The Power Of Justification

by
16600[?]
in Personal Finance on Jan 26th, 2012
73

Someone gave me a great tip on business expenses when I asked him jokingly whether I could deduct my pet food.  He said, “Sam, everything is a business expense so long as you can justify it.”  Interesting!

I’m no accountant, but I have read hundreds of financial statements and understand the basics of maximizing revenue, minimizing costs, and thereby maximizing profits after tax.  A company’s expenses are different, depending on industry.  The Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for an individual blogger might be $0, since the individual is writing all his or her own content.  COGS is very straight forward.

It’s the operating expenses which gets a little gray.  Operating expenses are essentially all expenses that are necessary for you to make profits happen.  There are a whole set of rules of what you can and cannot deduct.  What I’d like to do is have a open discussion using an example to understand more.

AN INCOME STATEMENT SNAPSHOT Read More

Taxes
Personal Finance Archives »

Welcome Yakezie Delta Class Challengers!

Enter The Year Of The Dragon

by
16600[?]
in Personal Finance on Jan 22nd, 2012
46

Dear Yakezie Delta Challengers,

Has it been over 6 months already?  Yes it has!  Congrats on making it through the Yakezie Challenge, where you’ve each strived to develop great blogs and new friendships in our online community.

The Yakezie Challenge is open to all who desire to be a part of a collaborative community of bloggers. Once you are a Member, you will be listed on the official Yakezie Blog Network page and gain exclusive access to various Yakezie initiatives.  Our mission is to help our readers, help each other, support educational efforts through our Yakezie Writing Contest, and have a fantastic time in the process!

THE COMMUNITY IS PRIORITY Read More

Yakezie Challenge
Personal Finance Archives »
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