2010 -- Make your money make you Money

In this day and age, we should be thinking more and more about the ways that we can make our money make money. No more employees. not more products we need to personally be in charge of. No more products that require a hands on basis. Look at things that run themselves. Easy? NO.. worth its weight in gold..

THINK

Alturism has no place in 2010

Think this through. There's nothing that will come from the selfless desire to save the planet. The world is now built on pain and suffering. We profit from it, so we see it as a positive. That's our world.

You want to make things better, solve something. Will you really solve things for the sake of others? Or will you solve things for your own gain?

Alturism !!! DEAD

Been a while

we were working on making this blog a reality.

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MusicianSub.com

Check it out...

Focus on Designing life, not making a living..

Does that really need any more writing about? really? You don't get it? TRY !

only business needs

Focus and commitment. There's nothing we need to be successful beyond those two simple things. Make a plan, to focus and commit. Daily.

more later today

DIY SUCKS YOUR LIFE -- AND MONEY

So, DIY.. CAN GO TO HELL.. PROS SAVE YOU MONEY... I will comment time and time again about this. I spent the better part of today ATTEMPTING to make a Brochure. NEVER got it working. 6 hours to set the margin. Thing after thing.. NOPER.. What's that time worth? what could I have been doing? Maybe Distributing those GOD DAMN Brochures? FOR THE SERVICE I WANT????? PAY A PROFESSIONAL and get to what it is you DO...

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JUST SAY FUCK OFF TOO D I Y... be good at something or don't do it.. IT DOES NOT SAVE MONEY.....

There is no LUCK... it's Preparedness and Readiness

I hear all the time, people talk about being in the right place at the right time. Or, things being LUCKY. NONSENSE. We create our opportunities, and they're around us at all times. It's about being prepared and ready, at ALL TIMES. Until you're prepared and ready, DON'T leave the house, and say A WORD, about what ever the idea or project your working on is. ALWAYS be READY. ALWAYS BE PREPARED. Knowing what that means is some of the battle. Your a band, ALWAYS have a CD, and Dress as your a ROCKSTAR.. PREPARED TO TALK, and GIVE SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK!!! ALWAYS..

THERE IS NO LUCK!!!

How Marketing today is Different from yesterdays Marketing

So.. DIY.. that's all the conversation in all business circles, isn't it? Some NEW tool that helps you with CONSTANT contact. Right, that's what we need. Something that makes sure your "Customers" know what they need from you at all times. A new tool that FINDS new customers by data mining Google.. Sound familiar? OF COURSE IT DOES..

So here's the thing.. All that's really going on now-a-days, is two things.. Scams for things that cost almost nothing and do nothing. AND you have "personal" direct access to the big advertising agencies. That does not make DIY FREE... and if you don't know what your doing with it, your dead in the water.. Are things easier today?? NOT A CHANCE... are they harder? NOT A CHANCE... same same.. different names.. same ole story.. you STILL get what you pay for and you should really HIRE professionals if you care about the results.

ENOUGH SAID.. this one is simple.

Think Solitary - There's no other way in 2010

Time and Time again, I am fooled by the concept of wanting to help other people succeed at there goals. Why? What is it in my head that makes me think there's any value in that. It should ALWAYS be a trade. You can help someone succeed at there goals if there's something to be gained for you. Otherwise, you're not really helping them in the first place. They're just becoming dependant. Hard to see? YES.. but it's true. Fair and even trade for services.. FRIEND OR NOT... NEVER EVER give your services away, that only makes both the value of your services and the value of what your helping with worth EXACTLY THAT !!!

NOTHING....

Creating is not enough -- THE SAD truth of the 2000's

Today I was very sad to come to a personal epiphany. You can no longer just be creative. It doesn't matter and it wont get you ANYWHERE. YOU MUST BE OR HAVE A SALES PERSON. To get one, you must be one, or rich to start with. This is the modern day problem with the Artist. They're a dead, not dying, DEAD breed. Here's why..

ANYONE can create now, in comes Garageband, photoshop etc. and we've ALL lowered our standards. The MP'3 has done it.. No one cares about quality any longer. MP3's are TERRIBLE compared to a real CD. Yet we ALL buy 99% of our music like that. PROOF.. Today's world is, "give me it now". Make it fast and make me rich. So no longer can you get noticed being a good (talented) artist. The Market is FLOODED, and since there's an starving artist on every corner (craigslist posting board), how are the "listeners" to know you? Let me guess Facebook... surrree.. you give that a try and get back to me.

The ripple effect is insane. Nothing is quality, so the people stop buying any product, no loyalty, why should they? big corporations just repackage the same bad idea over and over. Enter, the music industry. All the same. New name, here today, gone later today.

What's the answer? Atlas Shurrged. Give up. Stop Marketing your ideas. You can create them. Use them, and enjoy them. Share with friends. STOP wasting your time with marketing. Intellectual STRIKE !!!!... READ THE BOOK.. the answers are all here.

BUY CD's.. STOP BUYING iTunes CRAP. GET A REAL TV... You seen the PICTURE Quality on these flat screen pieces of junk? I had a real GLASS Sony Trinitron until a few months ago, there's NO comparison. Now I have this "LG" GARBAGE. NOT EVEN CLOSE.. DEMAND quality. SPEND ON IT. STOP SHOPPING AT WALMART.. Give your money WISELY. YOUR America is DEAD... we are NOTHING if we're not Creative.. and we are NOT creative right now..

Think!!!! Support Quality. Support Creativity !!!!

Outsoruce as much as you can. No ones below this idea...Small or Large business

When you sit and think about the idea of outsourcing, what's the first thing that comes to mind? A call center. Then you blood pressure goes through the roof, and your head starts to hurt. Just thinking about the communications that your going to be subjected to. All for being someones customer. I know I know.. I HATE THAT TOO... So here's the thing. We can talk outsourcing in many many ways for the small or large business. To be honest, I think it's MUCH better for the one man show. For the large corporation, there's just too much structure and too many things to deal with, that there's really no choice but to have those God-for-saken scripts that drive us insane. For the one man show, this is a simple and fantastic solution.

Thinking about your day in blocks of value and worth. Now with that said, if you're generating no income with your business activities, this is not really for you.. For example, if you're making 25 dollars and hour on what ever business practices you're engaged in, your probably working your tail off for that. Which means, not thinking about new business during your prime time. Your servicing your customers. Your not doing the research and early development that got you to making money in the first place.

So stop and take 30 minutes to make a list of all the task that do not require your personal touch. Things that you feel like if you had an assistant, you could let them handle. Do you really need to be the one, that surfs the net looking for places to post an ad, for free, to your company? That's kinda a no brainer. But, if your like 90% of the world, you do just that. What about looking for somewhere that makes your products you use that can make your goods cheaper, a cheaper shipping option, lower cost CELL service? All the little research things you spend HOURS AND HOURS ON.. There's NO reason for this. You should be on the PHONE.. YES.. I SAID IT.. THE REAL BUSINESS TOOL.... THE TEL-E-PHONE.. Weird huh? Think about this.. What if there was a way to get a print out EVERY Monday morning, with 50 places that use the services you offer, with the contact and brief descriptions of what they do? Think you could make good use of that? THIS IS THE WAY TO GO.. I know we all hate the idea of outsourcing our work to places like India at the moment, with our economy in the tank, but the plain simple fact is, there just aren't people in this country that will give you the quality of the work someone in India will for a FRACTION of the dollar. If there where, I would keep every dime here. Think about it this way, no one complains about where there Jeans come from, 99% of them, ain't made in the USA sunshine,,, NOT EVEN LEVI's.. read the Label.. I was shocked. I know this concept seems so impossible and so foreign to most of us.. Think on it.

Push for giving things a TRY.. Make goals of things like, "I will try this for 1 week". Most of the outsource companies charge about 4 dollars an hour for research and CS needs.. Give it an $80.00 try. Just for the sake of understanding something NEW if for nothing else.

The last thought.. You're at your most productive when you're happy and free from worry. You will be at your most efficient when you are stressed but LEAST effective. We strive for EFFECTIVE !!!

Time to walk the dog, drink a cup of coffee, and see what goes on around you. Watch a football game, listen to music. Spend time with your loved ones. THESE are the reason you strive for business success. So make sure to take those moments along the way. The math is above.. They charge 4 and hour and you make 25. What could you do with the extra time? Can you find a way to make 12 more dollars and hour? Then your return is simple. That 50% more then you where generating before with NO time.. Now you have your time... THINK ON THIS...don't rule it out.

Knowing to let it go, When the smartest Business move is NOTHING..

There comes a time, when you see that things are starting to all encompass your day. Turn it off. Let the emailing for no reason stop. Think about how many times you send emails during a day that amount to anything? Do they give a return? OR are you really just sharing your thoughts and ideas with others that seem to be of no value to you.. But really, it takes away from the things that really do matter... Why should you check your email while your in the store? Is there really something that's that HOT a business deal in your life? Or maybe.. you should just let those emails go... Just stop answering them... STOP reading them.. Start making action, not reading about it..


"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.." -- Henry David Thoureau...

Low Fat information Diet - Practice it....

Is this not obvious? One of the major keys to success is not wasting time, and being focused. Almost one in the same. The main thing to learn, and take from this is, that reading a ton of advice columns and getting the up to the minute news on things is stealing from you. YOUR TIME. The single most important thing you have. TIME. I know, we all know that, so then practice it. Stop looking at so many Yahoo news stories.. You're not a day trader, stop checking the stock ticker every 18 seconds. THE MARKET MEANS NOTHING TO YOU. Trust me. It means nothing to ANYONE any more other then people that trade actively. Consuming useless information takes away from the one thing you're trying to achieve. Your goal.

lets just assume for a minute you have a day job, most of us do. Be HONEST with yourself. Maybe even write a log (that you keep PRIVATE) of the time you ACTUALLY spend working, vs. IMing friends, and reading useless things on Yahoo news that mean nothing or matter nothing to your life. Be honest.. I did this at my last job, and recently discussed it with a very close friend. It turns out, I was spending about 4 hours a DAY on Iming people, and reading things that were of no use to me at all.I was still able to get my job done. At least well enough to not get fired. So imagine. If I just stop wasting time on IM's, News or advice columns, holy moly.. Think on it.. I would either be the STAR employee and get a raise, or hey wait.. I could use THAT time, during the day for a goal of mine, that gets me outta the rat race. 4 hours a DAY..

Every night I got home and complained, "there's just not enough time in the day". I was one of those people asking for a 25th hour,,How lame..HOW LAME...

Try it.. Take the LOW FAT information diet, and you'll see. Pay attention to ONLY the things you need to, start letting the other stuff roll off you brain. There are only so many brain cells you have for memory that are still working up there, and only so many hours of LIFE.. Spend them wisely or at very least spend them on things you really WANT !

Parkinson's Law - Setting Goals that you WILL complete

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

There's no doubt in my mind that we are all such a victim of this. I know you have done the same thing as I have, and had a project feature creep, just because there was time. Making a mole hill into a MOUNTAIN, and then complaining about getting it done.

- Set your goals clear. CUT all the fat. Understand exactly what it is your trying to accomplish, and go for that. Leave only enough time to get that done. For example. If what your trying to do is contact a radio station and ask how you get your band on the radio, 2 hours TOPS. Don't set goals like, 2-3 days. It should take you no more then 30 minutes to locate the email and or phone numbers, write up something smart, and send it or call them. A little research up front to know what they look for. Maybe some comparative analyst of other artists? If you give yourself 2 days, what will you do? Something other then focus on the task at hand NO DOUBT.

- DO NOT SET more then 2 LARGE goals a day. There's just no way you'll focus on things that are to hard. You'll overwhelm yourself with things, and start to make excuses why you're not getting things done. At one point, this is the very Reason NOT to start things.

- Lists; MAKE THEM. Make no more then 4 hours a day worth of tasks. The rest.. SHUT DOWN THE COMPUTER.. GO OUTSIDE.. THINK.. There's NO bigger time sink then the computer... you can waste more time looking at things that you don't need and causing INFORMATION OVERLOAD.... THE NEXT BLOG... Learn it., UNDERSTAND it... STOP WASTING TIME SEARCHING FOR MEANINGLESS THINGS....TRACK YOUR TIME...

Effective not Efficient

No better lesson to learn. Is what your doing going to matter in the end result? Are the 17 things your multi-tasking on helping you really get where your trying to go? Or is a good portion of them busywork? I bet on the latter. We'll talk about multi-tasking later, but this usually results in doing nothing well and a bunch of things just ok. Focus and plan. Be effective in your mission. Just because you streamline something, or do it fast, does not mean it matters..

Evaluate your task !!!
Thinking is NOT wasting time, as a matter of a fact, it's saving time.

The bigger Goals are easier then the Small ones.

This is the simplest and strangest concept of all business models and ideas. lets talk fund raising. A million dollars is far easier to raise then $10,000. Why? Simple, the competition is so much less for the people asking for a million dollars, and the people you're no doubt asking have LARGE amounts of money. The goals are bigger and attract bigger fish. Every street corner has someone asking you to donate to something. Just 20 bucks.. Little red bucket and someone to help...

I will use a Rock band as an example. I recently was submitting a band CD for a review to magazines. I was using all the local mags. Hitting brick wall after brick wall. Thousands of bands a week are sending in their CD and Photo to the local small SF magazines. Those editors are buried and jaded to say the least. So I got the idea, lets think big. Try the Larger markets. One phone call to Rolling Stone, and I was in. Not sure the out come yet, but they answered the phone, something the SF weekly (who? exactly) would not do. RS was nice, polite, had a department that does exactly what I wanted, and was interested in talking with me. I could not believe it. To think, the impact of ONE article in Rolling Stone will be 2000 Times BIGGER then ANYTHING the SF weekly will EVER do for us, and it was that simple.

So it hit me like a ton of bricks. At 30 the world tells you to have a back up plan, to be realistic, etc. etc.. If you tell people you wanna build a CAR in your garage that will do 200mph from your own idea and with your own hands, and sell it for 600K.. They'll tell you, you're insane, and better have a back up plan. BUT, here's the interesting thing.. You know how many people are trying to BUILD that car? VERY VERY Few.. You know how many have a backup plan of working for a Porsche dealership? THOUSANDS.... It's really really eye opening when you learn to think big. Ask Big, and be confident. 99% of the world is HOPING for average and mediocrity. 1% is working for EXCELLENCE.. get the math? It's easier then you think.. THAT'S the brilliance.

Make your Money Make money -- not you making money for your money !!

One of the best concepts I've ever heard was the idea of making your dollar make you one more dollar. So, each time you spend a dollar, ask yourself is this dollar going to make me a dollar in return? Sometimes it's not so obvious. For instance, a well placed and productive business lunch will most certainly make you a dollar for dollar, and then some back. A can of soda pop, not so much.

- Concepts like Buying a home with a mortgage. This is the BIGGEST mistake a family can make.. Most people claim they're buying a house to secure their future. That's just WRONG and retarded logic. Plain and simple lack of financial literacy. When you finance a home for 400K, you will pay back about 1.2 mill all said and done. That's if you get a 30 year FIXED day ONE and NEVER refi.. Lets not even talk about maintenance.. need a roof? 30K gone. Carpets, TAXES, insurance??? NOW, NOW,, don't even start with that that LAME tax write off thing. That doesn't even come close. I could go on and on about this, but for the sake of the Blog and my day, think on this.
Spend money only when it will make you money. That is a creative question, but working for someone else only makes them rich. Working for yourself only makes you TIRED. YOUR MONEY working for you, makes you rested, happy and secure for the future. As the value the dollar changes and diminishes, your growth will go the other way. You will constantly be trading a dollar for the CURRENT dollar value.

Simple concepts: Don't finance a car. BUY ONE, your can AFFORD (maintenance is part of affording).RENT a house until you can pay cash for your home. THINK about spending on what you can afford. Live within your REAL means. Look for ways that your money makes you money..

Want an example? Of course you do, otherwise this is just another useless posting from someone that tells you nothing.

Example 1: The Stock Market. You do nothing for the gains. You invest and OTHERS do the work. RISK FREE? NEVER, NOTHING IS... Crossing the street is NOT risk free. You know what chances you have of be able to live in 2040 if you just keep your current dollars in your SAVINGS account. ZERO...!! FACT.. ZERRROOOO !!! FACT the fed post the current Dollar value and buying power in 30 years will aprx 10 cents... YOU SEE the MATH??? You better...

Example 2: Hard money loans: Lend private parties money.. Think you CAN'T Do it? This is how I personally started. Well, not started, I started buy cars at tow yards, cleaning them up and DOUBLING my money in a few days.. true story. More on that later.. HARD MONEY loans. I made my first one for 5k to a family that was in need. There was equity in there home, and they seemed very nice. Just hit hard times. Mom and Dad were smart driven people. I made 10K profit on that deal in just 2 years. Do that a few times a year.. I did nothing for that money.. I deposited the checks..

RISK: IN EVERYTHING. If someone tells you RISK free. THEY ARE LYING. You have no promise of ANYTHING. You have no idea you will wake up. FACT...!!! My Father worked for the SAME company for 32 years to wake up one day LAID OFF... DOORS CLOSE.. NO REASONS... GONE....

You think your JOB is secure? Stop reading these postings, and all finance books, your beyond help.. Go back to choose your own adventure and Harlequin.. Nothing I can do for you...

Look like what you want to be - and you will BE !!!!

Right smack dab in the beginning of the 4 hour work week, there's a section about making sure you feel good about yourself. Confidence to continue on your path. It's really true, I see it daily.
So I live in this snotty little area in the middle of the Bay Area. I have a scruffy look about me to say the least. I tend to keep my hair in some sorta Phou Hawk. Jeans are usually baggy and dragging, and all cut up on the bottom. Love me Converse shoes of color. You get the picture. Now, I have two cars. One is a lowered perfect condition Corvette convertible. Very nice ride to say the least. The other is a 1987 Toyota Corrola. I love this little car. Zippy, great on gas, SUPER easy to park and drive. Now, each morning I head to the local Peets coffee to get my morning coffee and interaction with PEOPLE, that are not inside a small little window in the right-hand corner of my screen, and they don't blink when they talk. As I pull up the over all response and FEELING is SOOOO completely different from car to car. With my image, when I get out of the Toyota people look at me as if I'm a complete loser. Which oddly makes me feel as such. I park next to the nice Benz, and the Porsche and just feel ill of myself. No confidence at ALL.. The number ONE rule of business is confidence. You must have CERTAINTY. Carry yourself with class, conviction and style. CERTAINTY.
Now- enter taking the Vette to coffee. I am instantly a hit. The older women find me nothing but interesting (trust me, I have reflective surfaces in my house, Depp is safe). People want to talk with me. I'm now interesting, and that breeds internal confidence. I FEEL like I have the answers, therefore I do. I have CERTAINTY.... Money meets money. Ideas meet ideas. If you want the answers to the business climate. Look like you fit in, and you'll meet others in that community. The Rich scoff at the poor, and would never talk to a poor person about there business. The speak with PEERS.. Looks as though you fit with them, or better, look like YOU ARE THE SHIT, and have answers THEY DON'T... Interest THEM in talking with you... THAT IS WHY.. you look like what you want !!!

Life will pay what you ask of it !!!

I was sitting wondering, what the hell is it I really want from all this. Time? Money? Both? Why is it I want the money? Happiness? Will I be happy with money? Things are cool. Like money doesn't make you have, but boats are really pretty damn fun. But, for how long. I used to say, I wanted money so I could have time. Now, I have TONS of time. 95% of my day is mine, and the part that's not, I am doing what I say I love. So whats the problem? I am not sure what I am asking of life. What is the fulfillment? What is it that will be the factor to make everything complete?

Have I ask of life what I REALLY want? I asked for time.. I GOT IT.. TONS OF IT... ALLLLL MINE.. Interesting. I don't think that was what I wanted. I wanted time to DO.....????

Ask and you shall receive... ASK SPECIFICALLY AND INTELLIGENTLY.


THINK !!!

Why I quit my last job..

Well, if we are to be honest, I didn't quit, I just stopped going. For weeks and no one said a thing. I didn't call in, no emails, nothing.. Then after a few weeks, they finally called me and asked if I was coming in.. no, no I dont think I want to. Work was really getting in the way of thinking. I know now that's the answer. Working will only make you poor enough to need to keep working. That's the plan of the bosses. You need to work, because you work.

The REAL difference between the Rich and the Poor - by rBarrett

So, as I sit and read more and more of this brilliant book for the second time, well I guess this is the NEW addition, but it's really the same with some coolio things added. It hit me like a ton of bricks. What the hell is really the difference between the rich and the poor? Is it the ideas they have? NOT A CHANCE, how many times have you gone to work for a company with some LAME ass idea, that you KNEW was going to fail and sure as shit it did. But they were a HUGE company and the owner or board members are RICH AS SHIT.. nice cars, houses, all that... what is it? Not the God damn idea... I think it's one SIMPLE thing... ACTION.. The rich are people that put ideas into action. They get an idea and then follow through. They get out there and find investors to give them money to try things. They make the ideas have a life.. Not some "Notebook business" ("trademark" Rbarret).. We, the poor, talk and talk and plan and plan. Nothing ever comes to action, nothing ever makes it past the opening line of, what are SHOULD do.....

ACTION.... NOT THE IDEAS !!! WE ARE ALL THE SAME.. IF YOU LIKE THE IDEA SO WILL 200K OTHER PEOPLE. $1.00 dollar from each, and we have a starting block... WE ARE ALL THE SAME.. people are people so why should it be...hehe...

Getting off the Wrong Train --

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -- Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize - winning Physicist.


I love looking at this in a time vs. money way. There is no doubt all we all want, is fun and happiness. So we seem to think that the way to all that is money. Money = Fun? When you ask almost anyone, the one thing they all seem to say they are looking for is more time.. Time cost almost nothing. Surroundings cost a lot. AKA, to live in Alamo is not cheap, to live in Thailand is CHEAP... to have Time is CHEAP. With Time comes thought, with thought comes time and money.

W4W...

What's the Goal?

Money making money, not US working for money.

What is the FIRST step we need to take to obtain this idea?