Cosplaying is an exciting opportunity that allows us to dress up and be a different person for a day.
It challenges your creativity, especially if you are on a tight budget and cannot spend £450 for the garb.
Although it is typically done during the Halloween, most cosplayers give their best shot during events like Comic-Con. Let us take a look at some of the most interesting must-have props in your cosplay wardrobe.
1. Lord of the Rings
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien and popularized in movies in the early 2000s, there is no denying that the Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest stories ever told.
And because it is a trilogy, the film has spawned many characters that you can choose from.
It has an extensive list of heroes and villains. You can dress up like Frodo or Gandalf. You can take the mantle of Aragorn, the true king of the human race. If you want to be menacing, dress up like Smeagol or an orc.
2. Star Wars
Undoubtedly the most iconic science fiction of all time, Disney Star Wars will never be erased from pop culture. After all, who in the world does not recognize Darth Vader?
You can design your own light saber or buy ready-made ones. If you want to dress up like a Wookie, there is no shortage of Chewbacca costume sets in the market, including masks with built-in sound systems that mimic his groans.
These masks have mouths that move as you move yours, making Chewbacca noises in sync with your mouth’s opening.
3. Dragon Ball Z
Son Goku is probably the only superhero who can stand toe to toe against Superman. Both are from planets whose atmosphere gave them immeasurable powers.
Dragon Ball Z has a list of exciting male and female characters that are easy to replicate. You just need the right clothing and hair color.
Admittedly, the challenge for most Dragon Ball Z cosplayers is the hair and skin color. It has villains whose skin color is either pink or green.
And the hair style will significantly require a wig, especially so if you are going to be a Super Saiyan.
4. Mortal Kombat
From ninjas to alien monsters, this video game has it all. And over the 20 years of Mortal Kombat’s existence, it has produced a huge list of iconic martial arts champions and antagonists.
You can select a character that best fits your persona—from soldiers like the Cage family to enchanted beings like Raiden and Shang Tsung.
You can also take the form of voluptuous characters like Kitana, Mileena, and Jade. If you want something more exotic, dress up like a ninja in the frame of Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
5. Game of Thrones
Relive your favorite story arcs from a TV series that swept the world. Game of Thrones is definitely one story that will stay in mainstream cosplay activities for a long time.
Bring back medieval realism to your party. Be a queen for a day in the form of Cersei Lannister, or be a tribe leader in the form of Khal Drogo.
Game of Thrones is a perfect example of synergy at work. It produced something bigger than what each artist can bring to the table. As a cosplayer, you can help make it stay alive in the hearts of fans by keeping it as one of your must-have costumes.
Conclusion
With appropriate talent and resources, you can bring to life your favorite characters and be actually them for a day. The cosplaying community is huge and has never been more popular.
If you have trouble choosing or creating your costume, there are cosplay groups that can provide the help you need.
This site contains affiliate links to some products. I receive a small commission to buy coffee from purchases made through these links.
Earning an extra $1,000 per month as a side hustle may sound like a tall order, but it isn’t—thousands of freelancers are doing it. The trick to achieving the thousand-dollar goal is breaking it down into achievable chunks.
First, determine the number of hours of free time you can dedicate freelancing each week, then determine the rate you need to charge each hour to hit $1,000.
Take a look at the example breakdowns below to earn $1,000 a month:
1 hour of work per day at $50 per hour X 20 days = $1,000
2 hours of work per day at $25 per hour X 20 days = $1,000
1 hour of work per day at $70 per hour X 13 days = $1,000
1 hour of work per day at $100 per hour X 10 days = $1,000
Once you have determined the amount of time and rate required, you can start thinking about the skills and actions you need to execute to earn $1,000 per month.
Let’s walk through our list of the top 7 ways to earn $1,000 per month.
1. Blogging with Bluehost
Blogging is one of the easiest ways to make $1,000 a month online. However, the fruits of your labor do not come right after your effort.
Experts claim that you have to post at least 50 blog contents before Google finally ranks you. With 50 articles, your blog site should have enough material to drive traffic. By this time, you are ready to monetize it.
The easiest way to monetize blogging is through ads. You can use Google AdSense, or other advertising syndicates, to earn money.
Advertisers pay you through what is called CPM or cost per mille. CM refers to 1,000 views of the ad. If the value of the CPM is $15, you get paid $15 per 1,000 views of the ad.
Your blog has to generate traffic of at least 60,000 monthly page views to make$1,000 a month. This target is achievable, provided that you provide valuable and unique content, coupled with the right SEO strategy.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,050
2. Videography and Animation
Videography requires a particular skill. Coupled with advanced tools, you can create an animation that people could use in their YouTube channels.
Here are some examples of what you can offer:
Video editing
Basic animation
Motion graphics
Stop motion clips
Intro and outro videos
The cost of video services ranges between $30 and $3,500. Simple intro and outro videos that take you an hour to make can fetch you $30, but commercial-quality videos that last 30 seconds or more cost thousands of dollars.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,500
3. Be an SEO Expert
Search Engine Optimization is the twin of content marketing. Search engines will never find content without proper SEO application.
To make it work, you need to invest in an SEO tool. In that tool, you plug in your client’s niche keyword and then wait for the software to provide you with the appropriate SEO keywords. You submit this report to your client to earn money.
You may be thinking: why would they pay you if this is so easy?
SEO tools cost about $47 per month. Clients do not want to pay for that because they do not need the software to run their business. And this is where you come in. You can charge clients $5 per project. You pay the $47 monthly fee, but your client only pays $5 when he needs SEO service.
It takes only 10 minutes to complete one SEO project, which means you need to spend roughly 33 hours per month to make $1,000.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,000
Visit SEMRUSH
4. Building Websites
There are two types of websites: e-commerce and blog. In this service, you build the website according to your client’s specification.
The minimum rate is $300 for a simple website, which you can build using tools like Shopify, WordPress, BlueHost, WooCommerce, Wix, and so much more.
You do need to learn how to code to build these websites. However, you need to be very specific about this to set your client’s expectations.
At a rate of $300 per project, you only need four clients a month to earn $1,000.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,200
Visit WordPress
5. Create Mobile Apps
All companies today need an app for their business. An app is easier to use on mobile and customers would have a better experience using an app than navigating a website or software.
Apps can be simple or complicated. There are apps that do nothing but provide information, much like what an eBook does, and there are apps that can perform complicated functions.
The minimum you can charge for a simple app is $200, which you can complete in less than two days if you are good at it. For complicated apps that would take you two weeks, you can charge as much as $1,500.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,500
6. Self-Improvement Services
Surely, you have a skill that you can share and get paid for.
There are many people out there who need guidance, and you can offer coaching and mentorship services to help them grow and become a better version of themselves.
Here are some examples:
Voice lessons
Painting
Photography
Health and nutrition
Astrology and other forms of reading
For these services, you charge your client by the hour. The average you can charge is $20 per hour, and you can do this for at least two hours per work day, and full time on one week end.
There are many business owners who do not want to use stock photos. They want something unique, and they are willing to pay for it.
As a model, you can charge $20 for two photos per product. Clients will send you their products, and you need to take a good photo of you while holding the items.
This is really easy to do, as you only have to take your shots at home or locations within your neighborhood. Some clients prefer that you take the shot with a green screen behind, and they will take care of the editing.
Average Potential Earnings: $1,200
Be a FREELANCER on FIVERR!
Summary
Now that you know how to make $1,000 a month online, the next step is to take action.
Earning your first $1,000 per month is an exciting journey. As you are starting out, you would be ecstatic to see your first order. You can build your website to promote your services or offer them in freelance marketplaces.
If you are just starting, offer your services in freelance platforms. Satisfy customers, accumulate positive feedback, and build a reputation. Soon, clients will be knocking on your door, and you do not have to bid on projects anymore.
People always say that the perfect guy is always already taken. What many fail to understand and realize is that they simply have to lift the curtain of standards from their eyes to see what’s real.
Men often display behaviors that women may take for granted—behaviors that truly display undying love and affection. The list can go on and on, so we will only take a look at the most important ones.
1. He finds time for you
Any guy who truly cares about you will find moments with you as a reward, not an obligation. If he loves you, he will go out of his way to find time to be with you, even if it means he has to cancel other commitments.
2. He is eager to meet your friends and family
A man knows that getting into a relationship means he has to accept your world. If a man loves you, he must be inclined to share your social life and accept your circle of friends. After all, he understands that your friends and family are integral to your emotional well-being.
3. He accepts you for what you are
Over the years, our health will deteriorate. Your skin will sag and you will develop wrinkles. It is also not unusual to gain weight over time. Regardless of your physical condition, a man who loves you will never find you disgusting or gross.
4. He respects you
Any man who does not understand the value of your privacy and dignity has no respect for you. To him, you are nothing more than flesh. If a man truly loves you, he will understand that your phone is yours to keep. He will not cause you pain through verbal assaults.
5. He values your feelings
You have your own fears and loathing to a diverse number of things. If your man is truly in love with you, he will respect how you feel about certain issues and activities. He will not insist on doing or talking about things that he wants simply because it pleases him.
6. He shares your goals
Insecurity has little to do with the success in a relationship. He must understand that we all live only one life and we all have only one shot at our goals. He must support you in this and travel the same journey with you, even at the cost of his own ambitions.
7. He doesn’t tire of you
Living together for so many years eventually leads to fatigue. A man who deeply cares about you will put up with your inconsistencies, your habits, and your mistakes. There is nothing in this planet that would put out the fire of his unwavering love for you.
8. He will forgive anything
People make bad decisions. And many of these decisions can wreck a relationship. A man whose heart is bound to you can forgive you, no matter how you wronged him. This is the ultimate sacrifice that a man can do for you—forgive and forget your error at the cost of what he thinks is justice.
9. He listens to you
Your day is just as important as his. Your experiences, opinion, and your sentiments are of equal footing with his ideas. A man with unquestionable adoration about you will listen to whatever you have to say, no matter how trivial. He will try to understand where you are coming from and try to make compromises.
10. He is honest with you
He will never play you for a fool if he loves you. He values trust and he knows that this is earned. If he really cares about you, he knows that you deserve nothing less than his integrity and loyalty.
11. He values your freedom
You are a human being and you are entitled to making choices. A man who knows this and loves you will not get in your way to stop you from doing the things that you love. He will understand that these are important to fill whatever void are there in your heart.
Summary
No man is perfect. But what needs to be done is to see him for what he is according to his actions. If you see these behaviors in your guy, you know that he breathes and lives his life for you.
Hemp has a colorful history in the United States of America. It is a wonder that people view hemp as something akin to evil, despite the fact that it has served the American country for more than a hundred years.
But what is hemp and how did it find itself here?
Early beginnings
Hemp is a plant native to the Asian region. Archaeological evidence points to hemp as a plant first cultivated in what we now know as mainland China and Taiwan, and that hemp has been used in these countries as far back as 8,000 years BCE.
Artifacts show that hemp was first used for its fiber, primarily for cords. The seeds were used for oil and food. Over the years, hemp spread throughout the globe, and discoveries show us that ancient religions referred to hemp as sacred grass.
Hemp was part of daily life, until it found its way in America in 1606.
The American hemp industry
By this time, American farmers aggressively cultivated hemp, and it supplied the country with enough materials to manufacture oil, yarn, paper, and ropes
By the 1700s, farmers were required to grow it to ensure there was an adequate supply. The Declaration of Independence was written in hemp paper.
Hemp was a widely accepted crop, and its products were used everywhere. Even Abraham Lincoln used hemp seed oil to light his lamps.
Hemp’s reputation grew over time, and was experimented on for other purposes. By 1916, it was official that hemp produces 4x more paper per acre than trees.
By 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act put a blow on hemp farmers. It made little financial sense to plant hemp. A year later, a magazine called Popular Mechanics published an article enumerating the 25,000 different uses pf hemp.
Even Henry Ford created a car body made with hemp fiber. It proved to be ten times stronger than steel!
But those who were opposed to it, especially oligarchs whose businesses were crippled by the hemp industry, won the battle. The last commercial hemp was planted in 1957, and it was finally banned as a Schedule 1 substance in 1970.
The Awakening of America
After more than 50 years, two licenses were issued to farmers to cultivate hemp again in North Dakota. Seven years later, President Barack Obama signed the farm bill. This bill allowed research institutions to farm hemp and study its uses and effects.
By 2015, the U.S. Congress reviewed the Industrial Hemp Farming Act. This is the first of several attempts of hemp lobbyists to make hemp legal again.
The lobbying was a success, and a year later, a farm in Colorado received the first Organic Certification from the USDA for its hemp variety.
By 2018, after several amendments and failed attempt to legalize hemp, President Donald Trump signed the new bill, which removes hemp and all its derivatives from the list found in the Controlled Substances Act.
What is in it for us?
Today, hemp is a growing industry, and America no longer has to import hemp and its derivatives from Asia and other countries.
As American farmers can now grow hemp, we can also expect more companies to develop products with it. Hemp grows fast and is ready for harvest in as short as four months.
The plant has more than 50,000 uses, and we can manufacture paper and even biodegradable plastic from it. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that can give jobs to many people.
The end result is an America that is once more least dependent on other countries. The hemp industry is going to reduce waste, remove the need to kill trees for paper, and will allow many pharmaceutical companies to create medicines from CBD oil.
At one point or another, you may have Googled “finding a car wash near me.” Understandably, a professional car wash company can really do a better job than doing it yourself.
But what different car wash companies are out there, and how should you make the right decision to choose the best ones?
Today, you will learn about the different types of car wash services, including washing your own car at home, how to find the nearest car wash, the pros and cons for each type, and how to spot red flags when shopping for a car wash service online.
The Hand Car Wash
This is usually done by your neighbors, like teenagers who want to earn money, or in locations where all the services are manual. There are many car wash companies that do not invest in machinery, and they employ individuals paid by the hour to wash cars.
This, of course, is labor-intensive and also more costly than machine-wash services. Typically, you only do this if you have no time to wash your car yourself.
The thing with a hand car wash is that you can either get amazing results or terrible results. It all depends on the experience and expertise of the service provider.
Hand car wash requires manual labor and the skill of a human being, unlike a robot that is programmed jet water out of nozzles while brushes swirl.
To find the nearest hand car wash, you also have to drive around the city.
If you ever find a service provider who has a proven traction of giving great results, then by all means go for it. If you do it on your own, you would have to spend roughly two hours or more just to get the same squeaky clean results.
Here are the pros and cons of manual car wash services:
Pros:
Does not waste your own time
High-quality results if done by professionals
Little to no damage to your car paint
Cons:
High cost of labor
Takes a while to get done as humans are not faster than machines
Again, the cost of this service is premium because you are paying the laborers by the hour.
In exchange, you get the right value for your money because the cleaning is done manually. All nooks and crevices of your car will be checked, and you run little to no risk of damaging your car paint.
The DIY Car Wash
This is pretty much what a lot of car owners do. They wash their cars in their garage on a weekend. This is by far the cheapest of all car washes, if taken at face value. After all, you just have to buy soap and wax, and then you are good to go.
What many people do not realize is that this has an indirect cost, most especially so if you are the kind of person who is paid according to his time, like a freelancer.
Instead of you working, you spend time washing your car, and that time spent means you are not earning money when you could have completed one project already.
On another hand, you may have just the weekend to spend with your family. And if you spend two to four hours washing and waxing your car, that time is lost. Instead of enjoying a great weekend with your kinds, you end up using half of your day with your car.
What materials are needed to wash your car? Take a look below at the list:
Car soap – you can buy this in general and DIY stores. You buy these things by the bottle, and you can chose the one you like at the cost you feel comfortable with.
Wash Mitts – you cannot use the same cloth you use to wipe your dishes; car paints are fragile, and can easily get scratched if you use the wrong cloth. Use a sponge to apply the soap, but use microfiber cloth to wipe the car dry.
Pressurized hose – while you can do away with buckets, good luck to the amount of time you would spend washing and rinsing your car. You need to buy a hose with adequate pressure to rinse your car. The pressure will also push away the soot and grime. Without a hose, you will have to scrub the dirt yourself.
If you think about it, the process is fairly simple. The steps are as follows:
Rinse the car
Wash the soot and grime
Apply car wash soap
Rinse it again
Dry it with a non-scratch cloth
Apply wax
Buff it
All these steps take time. A car may look small, but if you start working on it, you begin to realize that it has a massive size. After all, it can fit at least five people, right?
Now, here is the problem: most car owners do not know how to wash their cars properly. For one, did you know that you should not leave your car to dry under the sun? If you do, you will get what we call sun spots.
Sun spots are dried circles of water on the car paint. And if you have these, prepare to shell out some money to have a professional remove them. Your other option is to wash it again, but this time under a shaded area so the water does not form mineral deposits and dry up quickly.
The same thing goes with waxing a car. There are many techniques in wax application that the product manual will not tell you.
Let us take a look at the pros and cons of DIY car wash.
Pros:
Low-cost solution to car washing
You are in control; any damage is your liability
Cons:
You may not be an expert and you can damage your car
Too time-consuming
You have to buy equipment; again, you need time to go to the car store to buy them
Labor-intensive, especially if you do not have a pressurized hose
So, is doing DIY car wash a great idea? It is entirely up to you. There are car owners who have done this their whole life. But of course, one cannot expect the same quality with a car wash that is done by a professional.
The Drive-Through Car Wash
This is a car wash system where you stay inside your car. You drive through a tunnel where machines and robots jet water and soap your vehicle. In the process, big cylinders rotate to brush your car to get rid of debris.
As you get out, your car gets rinsed, and you are good to go.
Now, the drive-through car wash is probably the biggest robot you will ever see in your day-to-day life. It is a complex system that is capable of washing big and small cars.
But how does it work? Let us see the components of a drive-through car wash. While it has thousands of parts, let us only take a look at the big ones.
Conveyor belt – this is located at the plate where your car sits. It is the thing that moves your car forward as the washing procedure goes. The conveyor belt can hold up to 30 tons.
Brushes – these are the giant brushes that rotate 90 times a minute; these are the things responsible for soaping your car and removing the soot and grime.
Rinsing Jets – there are 40 of these in a typical drive-through car wash; these nozzles have controlled pressure and jet about 25 gallons of water ever minute
Dryers – these are the things that make your car dry before you complete the process; these dyers blast air at about 90 miles per hour. Typically, there are eight of these in a drive-through car wash
By the time all these components are done with their work, the car is dry, and you are ready to leave.
And did you know that all of these processes get completed in as little as three minutes?
Now, what should you do if you decide to opt for this type of car wash? Here is a simple tutorial:
Pay at the station
Select the service you want; pay for wax if you want
Get your car in the tunnel
Line up the front wheels as directed by the system
Go on neutral or park
Do not step on the brake; do not activate the hand brake
Close all the windows and lock your doors
Let the conveyor take you forward
Stay in your car at all times
A drive-through car wash is a tornado of hot water and soap. You should never step out of your car or you will scald yourself.
Here are the pros and cons of a drive-through car wash:
Pros:
Really fast; you get in and out within three minutes
Low-cost compared to hiring a laborer to wash your car
Highly accessible and convenient; most gas stations have car wash facilities
Cons:
Cleaning is superficial; the nooks and crannies are not clean
The inside of your car and its engines are not cleaned
Some brushes can damage your car paint
If you are not looking for through cleaning and you are really short of time, then the drive-through car wash is the best option or you. It is affordable, does a decent job, and it is really fast.
The Self-Serve Car Wash
A self-service car wash system is a station where you do the washing yourself. The company provides you with the equipment and an area to wash your car.
You pay for the soap and wax, or you can bring your own, and you use the company’s equipment to wash your car.
This is ideal for individuals who have no garage where they can wash a car. Or those who do not want to buy a pressurized water system.
Well, how come some people have no garage? There are car owners who live in condominium units. They have a parking space, but they are not allowed to wash their cars in that space.
Here are the pros and cons of using a self-service car wash system.
Pros:
You get to clean the car yourself
Expect quality based on your skill
You can buy the materials you need at the station only as needed
Cons:
Time-consuming
You need to travel to a self-service station
Car may not be as clean as it should be
This is also much more affordable than hiring a laborer, but more costly than a drive-through.
A self-service car wash company gives you the opportunity to clean your car if you live in an area where washing it is not possible.
As far the results are concerned, there is really no telling because it is completely up to you.
The Mobile Car Wash
Finally, we have arrived at the best option—a mobile car wash system.
What is it?
As the name implies, a mobile car wash system is a provider where they roam around the streets, or you can call them so they can come to your area and clean your car.
A mobile car wash is a combination of manual and robotic services. Typically, the service comes in a large van.
In it are the water tank and the equipment like the pressure washer. A professional cleaning team comes with the service, and they will clean the car for you.
Basically, it is a combination of a hand car wash and the DIY car wash options. You call the services of a mobile car wash company to your home, and they do it in your garage.
How does it work?
Depending on your location, you can have your car washed in your garage or on the street, provided that your neighbors will not complain. If doing it under the sun, you should not worry because these experts know what to do with water or sun spots.
They have the right solutions for removing stains without damaging your car paint. Also, these experts will also clean the inside of your car. Your upholstery will smell and look new.
Mobile car wash companies also offer auto detailing, which is good because you no longer have to visit another car garage to get this done for you.
What are the pros and cons of a mobile car wash?
Pros:
High-quality car wash service
Your car is clean inside and outside
No need to watch over them; save time
No need to visit a gas station or a manual car wash service station
Cons:
You have to wait until they arrive so you better schedule it ahead
Can cost a lot of money since you are paying for gas, equipment, and labor
A mobile car wash is the best option for you if you are not short on budget. You will get premium car wash service with very little risk of damaging your car paint or upholstery.
It is a great choice if you want to spend the weekend with your family, or while you have to work while someone is washing your car.
Why should you choose a mobile car wash provider?
Let us go into detail why a mobile car wash provider is your best option.
Customized services – mobile car wash companies know that it is not only car wash that you are after. Sometimes, you also need auto-detailing, and they are prepared to that for you. Even if you did not mention this service over the phone, and you just changed your mind, they have the tools and skills to get this done.
Cost-effective – choose a mobile car wash company that offers a reasonable price for its services. If you your drive-through car wash companies, the prices are fixed. With a mobile car wash, you have an opportunity to make a deal and settle on a price that you are comfortable with.
Advanced Scheduling – don’t you just hate it when you go to a car wash station only to find out that it is full? With a mobile car wash company, you do not have to wait in line and waste time. Just pick a spot on your calendar and the mobile car wash company will come.
Get it done regularly – since the mobile car wash company will go to your house, you can expect your car to be cleaned regularly. One issue with car maintenance is that we are just too tired to drive or to wash our cars. With a mobile car wash company, just have a regular schedule and they will do the work.
A mobile car wash company offers flexibility not just in terms of price, but also in terms of time. They have a van that is complete with equipment, and they will come you instead of you coming to them.
If you think about it in terms of food, you do not have to slice meat and vegetables, cook and clean the stove. Just make a phone call and the food should at your door in a matter of hours.
How do You Choose a Car Wash Provider?
Now that you know the different types of service providers, it is time to give you a tutorial on how to choose the right provider.
Below are some tips that will help you make wise decisions about your car and your money.
Materials Used Before you even get the services of a car wash provider, you need to call in and ask what types of chemicals are used.
There are many chemical-heavy supplies out there that really do wonders in cleaning, but what you do not know is that they also erode your car paint over time.
These chemicals are also bad for the environment. They end up in sewers and the ocean where fish eat them.
Go for car wash providers that use organic materials. They are safe for your car pain and coat, and they are also safe for the environment.
Pricing and Services If possible, choose a car wash company that provides a balance between the price and the services. It is best to only choose those who offer a complete package.
Once in a while, you need to clean the inside of your car, which is something that drive-through car wash systems cannot do, but mobile car wash providers can.
Ask carefully about what you are paying for. Does it include wax, do they blow dry the car or do they wipe it?
Here are some the questions you should ask to help you decide:
Are the solutions organic?
Do they use different solutions on different parts of the car such as tires, mags, body, and upholstery?
D they apply coat protector; if not, do they apply wax?
Do they offer rust protection?
Do they offer auto detailing?
Do not be afraid to ask. As a customer, you need to know what you are paying for.
Water Management There are car wash companies that recycle water. The water goes back to the tank and the same water is used to wash other cars.
Surely, you do not want this. That water is already tainted with soot and grime, and can damage your car.
This is not completely illegal, as laws dictate that reused water must go through standard water treatment. This is done to help conserve water.
The thing is, does the car wash company comply with these laws?
Fresh water is still the best for your car. It is not like you are contributing to the water shortage, but if you are ok with recycled water, just make sure that the company has a license and that you can verify that it is compliant.
Summary
Your car is one of the most expensive things you will buy. As such, proper care is required. With proper care comes a cost.
You do not have to spend a fortune to clean your car, but make sure you choose the right company to do it for you. If you think you are skilled to do it yourself, then by all means wash your car.
But if you think a professional can do better, then choose a mobile car wash company. The services are great, the costs are reasonable, and you do not have to leave your house.
A showflat is newly-built housing unit that is dressed up for selling purposes. As expected, it is aesthetically grandeur because it is packed with furniture, décor, and lighting, all of which are most pleasing to the eye.
But you have to be warned. Not everything you see on display is exactly the same with what you will get. Here are five things you need to consider before visiting one.
Investigate the Developer
A house is a serious investment. But too many times, people make purchases without investigating about the background of the real estate developer. In a show gallery, everything will look fantastic.
Sadly, you are not likely to get the same quality of unit once the developers hand you the keys. The worst that can happen is for the project to come to a standstill because of lack of funding.
Know as much as you can about the developer’s background, its leaders, past projects, legal compliance, and whether the clients who bought the properties are happy.
Find the Exact Location of the Units
Not all show suites are located where the actual units are. This makes sense because it is too dangerous for people to visit a gallery while the construction is ongoing.
Most shows are placed in the heart of the city. One would think that this is where the unit is also being built.
Find out the exact address of the house or condominium unit. Visit the neighborhood and determine how close you are to life’s necessities.
Things you may want to look for are the unit’s proximity to the following:
Market or grocery
School
Police, fire, and hospitals
Transportation hubs
Determine Your Buying Power
It will not make sense to visit a showflat if you have no idea how much money you have to make a purchase. You are not even in a position to negotiate.
One of the things you need to do before a visit is to identify how much money you can loan from a bank if you are financing the purchase.
You also need to know how much down payment is expected of you. Determine the annual interest charges and do the math.
This is important so you can make a smart decision about your money and not be carried away with your impulses.
Get the Floor Layout
A show gallery is often misleading, not because the real estate agent and developers are lying but because the interior designs are done well.
Get the floor lay out from your broker before you even visit the house. This should tell you the measurement of each room and their respective locations.
You must know that the layout always makes the house look big. Get one that has measurements and mimic these measurements in your own backyard. If you do, you will have a tangible idea how big the rooms are going to be.
Ask Yourself If It Is the Right Kind of Unit
Not everyone is made to live in a condo. And some love nothing more than to be in it. All real estate brokers have a reason to complement your desires. But at the end of the day, the kind of house you are buying must match your intents.
Before you even visit a showflat, determine if that unit will serve your purposes. If you are merely purchasing the unit as an investment, then it may be worth your while to go and visit, provided you have done a good investigation about your possible financial returns.
If your dream is to buy a grounded property, then it does not make sense going to a show gallery that is dedicated to condominium units.
Summary
Purchasing a house requires more than money and desire. You need to be smart about your decisions. And the only way to do this is by being prepared before you even visit the show. Do your due diligence and it will pay off.
Beds have evolved so much over the history of mankind. From straw to animal hide, we now have memory foam. As the term implies, it “remembers” the contour of your body.
It was first specifically designed for people suffering from back problems and scoliosis. Today, memory foam mattresses is a must-have if you want to have a good night’s sleep.
Let us discuss each one and help you decide if this is the right bed for you.
Comfort Equals Uninterrupted Sleep
Contrary to what many people believe, a short sleep time is never healthy. Some people claim that as long as you slept deep enough, you should be alright.
The truth is that you need long hours of uninterrupted sleep to get your body fully rested. While you are asleep, your cells repair themselves, and they multiply.
With a memory foam mattress in India, you achieve long hours of uninterrupted sleep because of the comfort it has to offer. You will no longer toss and turn or wake up at night with a sweat.
Adjusts to Body Heat and Temperature
The technology of the memory foam makes it possible to adjust to your body’s temperature. Because of this, it has the capability to change its shape according to your body. As your body temperature rises, the mattress become softer.
So what happens?
The bed cradles you like a baby, like it was designed for you and you only. With that said, you can say goodbye to a stiff neck in the morning. You can also forget about the back pains you get every waking day.
REM stands for rapid eye movement. It is an indicator that a person is in deep slumber, which is the ideal state when you are sleeping.
During REM, your eyes move rapidly in different directions, and dreams happen in this state. Sleep specialists know that this phase of sleep has something to do with the development of your memory, your mood, and learning.
Without comfort, it would be difficult to achieve this. But with memory foam, you will wake up rejuvenated, full of energy, and ready to face a bright new day.
Keeps You Free of Allergy
A mattress that has been used for a few years accumulate dirt, grime, and bacteria. This will sound gross, but you need to know that old beds harbor between 100,000 to 1 million dust mites.
This is the reason you wake up with sores, and you would never know where these sores came from.
If you buy mattress online in India, get the memory foam because they are made of polyurethane. It is a material that prevents dust mites from making your bed a home. As such, there will be no allergens that would accumulate in the bed.
Conclusion
Invest in a memory foam mattress in India today. It is one of the best things you can buy with your money, and it is completely worth it. Sleep is crucial to your well-being, and it all starts with a good bed.
Do you have investing beliefs and an ultimate purpose?
Many investors have not asked themselves this question and the lack of answer has clouded their judgement.
Several times over the last hundreds years, we have seen market crashes, declines in interest rates, lower oil prices, and staggering precious metal prices.
When these things happened, investors panicked and started looking for gurus.
When all things are going wrong, many investors believe that there is someone out there who can predict when businesses will be good, when stock markets will fall, when interest rates will rise, and so on.
They end up following the herd or taking advice from people who have very little credibility and it is not unusual that they lose all of their lifetime’s savings.
So far, many people have not learned from the stock market crash of 1978, the dot com bubble in 1999, and the real estate bubble in 2008.
If there is really such a person who can make the right decision for your money, it is you and no one else. In this book, we will share basic principles about investing, why it is important to invest, and tips how you, the individual investor, can make sound decisions about your money.
The Miracle of Compound Interest
You may have heard or read what Sir Albert Einstein said about compounding: “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.”
Too many people do not realize how compound interest adds to their burden of debt. This is especially so for those who purchase on credit and fail to pay their bills on time. But what exactly is compounding and how is it calculated?
Compounding is a type of calculation in which the accumulated interests are added to the principal to calculate the current increase in interest. In a simple interest arrangement, you only pay the interest plus the principal.
In addition, the number of years that a principal and its interests are compounded substantially affects the end value.
Supposed you borrow $100 with a 10% interest on a simple interest arrangement, you only owe $110 in total. This you will divide by the number of years you have to pay, say 10 years, which results to $11 per year amortization.
In compound interest, you add the 10% on top of the $110 for the following year, which results to an additional of $11. This totals to $121. The next year, take 10% of $121 and add that to $121 and that is the total you owe.
This usually happens when you pay late on your bills. Your remaining balance, including interests accumulated, will be multiplied to the current interest rate and will be summed up to get the final amount of what you owe.
If you reverse this situation and you are on the receiving end of the equation, you will financially prosper provided you have enough patience to wait.
This is the power of compounded interest that one earns when investing long term. The longer you allow your money to compound, the greater the return.
If you save $10,000 today and it earns 10% interest per year, your total money would be $11,000 by the end of year one.
By the end of year two, your money will earn another $1100 ($11,000 x 10%). This gives you a total of $12,100 in only two years. By the end of the tenth year, your money will be worth $25,937!
To further understand its power, please see the table below demonstrating the difference between simple and compound interest investments.
As you can see, a simple interest only doubled your money in ten years. But the compounding increased your money by more than 150%
How to Determine Your Risk Tolerance
Peter Lynch, one of the most renowned investors and fund managers in the world, once said that you should never invest money that you cannot afford to lose for at least 10 years.
This is based on the reality that all investments have the likelihood to default or be lost. All investments have accompanying risks, albeit they vary in gravity.
Some are low risk like deposit accounts and government treasury bonds; some are medium risk like corporate bonds, and some are high risk like stocks and futures.
Identifying your risk tolerance will allow you to make an informed decision on which type of investment vehicle to take. It allows you to view worst-case scenarios and prepares you how you would react to them.
Determine Your Time Frame
The first question to answer is how much time do you have to invest? Better yet, how long is your horizon to invest?
Younger individuals have longer periods ahead of them and can take high risk investments. People who are nearing retirement do not have a decade to invest and are much better off in low to medium risk investment platforms.
To answer this better, determine how soon you will need the money. If the money you have now is something you need to use within five years, your risk tolerance is relatively short and you are best suited for conservative investment portfolios.
If you do not need the money for at least ten years, an aggressive portfolio will fit you nicely.
Determine Your Risk Capital
Before you can answer this, you need to understand your net worth. Simply put, this is your personal equity. Your equity is calculated as your total assets minus your total liabilities.
Risk capital, on the other hand, is the amount of money you are initially investing. This money is something you do not need at the moment.
Think of it as money that will not be available in the near future. Consider it gone, if you will. This means that you should never invest emergency funds and money you need to pay for the rent or education.
If you have a high net worth, then it is also safe to assume that you can increase your risk capital and vice versa.
The problem is that those who have low risk capital and low net worth are usually lured into riskier investment programs because they want to earn bigger and quicker. It is unfortunate that it is the same people who usually lose.
Determine Your Financial Objectives
Although many think that the obvious answer is to earn money, there is much to be said than this. You need to have a specific purpose other than earning.
Are you saving for your children’s college education, a house, a car, or for retirement? Having a conclusive response to this will help you gain insight on your investment horizon and risk capital.
The assumption is that the money you are investing now is supposedly the money you are saving for the purpose mentioned above.
For example, let us assume you are trying to save $200,000 for a house and you want to reach this in 10 years. Ask yourself, how much of that money are you willing to risk now? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?
The key here is to fully understand that the money you invest is what you should consider as disposable income. It may disappear. So if you cannot bear to imagine losing ten grand, your risk tolerance is low and this will guide you in deciding whether to take low, medium, or high risk investment portfolios.
How and Why Automate Investment Contributions
It has always been said that successful savers are those who pay themselves first. This is easier said than done.
The common mindset of many people is to pay bills first, enjoy second, and whatever is left is the savings, which usually is none.
To invest successfully, you need a shift in your mindset. You need to start believing that every payday, the first thing you need to chuck off your check is your investment requirement. Then you live off if whatever is left. Below are the benefits of an automated investment contribution.
Dollar Cost Averaging Defined
It is the mindful and meticulous method of studying stocks and bonds and other investment vehicles that puts investors at high risk.
Time and time again, professionals have proven that there is no way you can time the market. In addition, changing decisions every so often is very likely to distract you from your original goals.
Dollar cost averaging can save you this agony by setting up an automatic payment arrangement with the financial institution who facilitates your investment.
Every payday, a fixed amount is taken off your salary and this is added to your portfolio, regardless of the condition of the economy, the market, or the interest rates of bonds.
The benefit of dollar cost averaging is that it disciplines you to contribute regularly, thus removing self-sabotage from the picture. It also reduces your risk by allowing your money to buy shares of mutual funds at a lower cost when the market is down.
How to Automate Your Investments
If your employer offers 401K, this is a good start. Money is taken off your paycheck on a regular basis. If there is none, you can choose to open a Roth IRA and contribute every payday.
Another set-up is to enrol in mutual funds. There are many companies that offer low capital funds with low monthly subscription rates.
These companies will invest money on your behalf and as the time progresses, the value of your investment will also grow. Some banks can set-up an auto-debit process tied up to your checking or savings account.
You can also use digital products like eTORO. The wonderful thing about this account is that you can actually copy the trades of people who are successful in the stock market.
With eTORO, can see how much these people have earned, and you can create a portfolio that is based on their choices.
Essentially, they will do the thinking for you. All you have to do is to invest money. Now, if they lose, you lose. If they make huge amounts of money, you will also do.
The Most Popular Investment Options
Investment is probably one of those terms that is overused and misused. Today, people refer to their luxuries as investments, such as cars and expensive home theatre systems.
Investments are those that appreciate in value. These are things that generate money and anything that does not produce both is considered an asset but not an investments. Below we will discuss the most popular form of investments available to retail investors.
Stocks
The first type of an ownership investment is stocks. A stock is tangible certificate that you own a portion of a company. When a corporation or a business needs money basically splits its ownership into shares.
Let us say that a business needs $1000 in capital, it may split its shares into 1000 pieces, each costing $1. You as an investor buy these stocks in the premise that the company will do well and become profitable.
If you buy 100 shares in the previous example, you own 10% of the company and this entitles you to 10% for every penny earned, also called dividend.
You can own stocks or shares in a private or public company but it is a lot easier to acquire stocks in publicly listed companies.
These companies are those who needed to raise billions of dollars to either expand, fund research, or pay off debt. Publicly listed companies are found in the stock market and purchasing their shares is done through registered brokers.
The benefit of buying publicly traded stocks is its liquidity. You can buy these shares today and sell them tomorrow. Private stocks are less liquid because you need to find somebody who is interested to buy your shares. The stock market, however, has millions of potential buyers and potential sellers at any given time.
The way you earn through stock is through capital appreciation or dividends. Dividends are usually paid annually when the company had a good year.
The downside in this is if the company incurred losses, you will not be paid anything. Capital appreciation happens when people are interested to buy shares from you at a higher price than what you bought it for.
This happens when the company has performed significantly well and is financially strong. Stocks have outperformed many investment portfolios in the history of time. This is also the riskiest of all investments because prices fluctuate every second.
Bonds
A bond is a debt. Bonds are issued by investors either to the government or private entities who need money but do not want to borrow from the bank due to high interests.
In essence, you are acting as the lender. Since you are not likely to have $500 million to lend, you issue bonds in denominations along with retail investors.
All the money is pooled until enough is accumulated to lend to a specific entity. In return, companies pay an annual interest to you until such time that the date of bond maturity is reached and you are paid in full.
There is still a risk involved here because some companies may go bankrupt and default on their debts. It is widely believed that government bonds are the safest because the government is not likely to go bankrupt.
All it has to do is to print more money. Compared to stocks, bonds are less risky because corporations are graded based on their credit worthiness.
This means that you have full confidence in lending a corporation based on its history of paying its debts.
Bonds are ideal for individuals nearing retirement so the individual can live off a fixed income—through interest of the bond. This is also an ideal investment vehicle for those who do not have a long-term horizon for investing. Typically, bonds are issued with maturity dates of up to five years.
The counterpart of bonds in stocks is mutual funds in which investor money is pooled to buy large blocks of stocks in the market.
Certificate of Deposits
Pretty much, this is your regular savings accounts with a twist. Also called as CD or time deposit, you cannot withdraw your money for a specific period of time. In return, the bank will pay you a higher interest rate.
Gold, Precious Metals
Gold is one of those metals that the earth cannot produce. Whatever gold we have on earth right now is the only gold we will ever have. This rarity is what makes it so expensive. Add to that the costs of labor and processing. In the same lines with gold are silver and copper.
REITS or Real Investment Trust Funds
This is a combination of stocks and real estate. In this form of investment, you do not buy your own real estate property.
What you buy are shares of companies who have real estate properties that they are renting out. So essentially, you are buying a part of the property which will appreciate in value overtime.
Venture Capital and Lending
Being a venture capitalist simply means being a financier. You are funding projects or businesses and in return, you get a share of the profit. In most cases, venture capitalists become partners of the business they funded.
Lending, on the other hand, is giving your money to people on credit and interest. This is different from bonds because in most cases, you do not really assess the borrower’s capacity to pay.
In bonds, the companies borrowing money are rated by third party credit rating agencies. Today, there are peer to peer organizations like Lending Club and Prosper who accept money for lending on behalf of investors.
These organizations pool investors’ money to lend to people and interests are paid out once the borrowers pay their obligation.
How to Determine the Right Investment Options
By this time, we would assume that you are done assessing your risk tolerance and you understand the different risks associated with each type of investment.
To sum up the previous two chapters, if your risk tolerance is higher and your investing horizon is longer, you are best suited for stocks and equities.
On the other hand, if your risk tolerance is lower and you have a short time horizon for investing, you are better off with bonds.
The next step is to determine whether you are a conservative or an aggressive investor. Look at the high level definitions below and determine where you belong. It is possible to be in between.
Conservative Aggressive
Has shorter time horizon Has longer time horizon
Has lower risk tolerance Has higher risk tolerance
Financially unstable Financially stable
Now that you have indentified which bracket you belong to, look at the recommendations below on how you will allocate your funds.
Conservative Mix
If you rated yourself as very conservative, the recommended portfolio for you is to allocate:
20% in domestic stocks
50% bonds
30% short term investments
This type of mix allows you to enjoy stable and steadier performance of your investment with a little room for growth.
Balanced Mix
This is ideal if you are not very conservative but somehow on the way to aggressive. This balanced portfolio is perfect if you are looking for opportunities for growth and you can tolerate minor fluctuations in your investment.
45% domestic stocks
5% foreign stocks
40% bonds
10% short term investments
Growth Mix
This is a type of portfolio recommended for individuals who are not that aggressive but as not as conservative either. These are individual who have a minimum of 10 years to invest and have moderate risk capital.
They are financially stable and the money they invest now are not needed near term. This is appropriate if you prefer growth and if you can tolerate significant volatility in your portfolio.
60% domestic stocks
10% foreign stocks
25% bonds
5% short term investments
Aggressive Growth Mix
This is most appropriate if you have a long term horizon and a huge amount of money to risk. An aggressive portfolio is designed for those who have very strong inclination for growth and can tolerate huge and sudden movements in their portfolio.
70% domestic stocks
15% foreign stocks
15% bonds
Remember, you need to assess yourself carefully, most especially your time horizon and risk capital, before picking the type of portfolio for you. A mistake in your self-assessment can prove to be very financially devastating move.
How to Take Advantage of P2P Lending
In the previous chapters, we touched on peer to peer lending as a type of investment. Here we will dabble a little bit into it to understand how it works and we will compare two of the leading peer to peer lending companies in existence today.
Peer-to-peer lending or P2P lending is basically a crowd funding activity, supported by unrelated people, called peers, the aim of which is to lend money to those in need without going through the traditional lending companies or banks. The lending typically takes place online after applicants have passed credit checks.
The main advantage to the borrower is lower interest rates. Banks and financial institutions typically charge 10% while P2Ps charge below that.
From a lender’s perspective, the returns are higher than bonds but this is also riskier because the borrowers also have a likelihood of defaulting.
Today, there are two leading P2P Lending companies: LENDINGCLUB.COM and PROSPERITY.COM.
As an investor, you can utilize these companies to grow you money by lending your funds to them at an interest and allowing their fund managers to allocate the money to approved borrowers. Below is a comparison of the two.
Investment automation refers to investors’ capability to allow either P2P companies to invest on their behalf.
The investors will deposit money and the company will take care of distributing it to borrowers. Manual investing, on the other hand, refers to the investors’ capability to select a specific borrower based on his profile, credit rating, and interest rate.
TWO PASSIVE INCOME STREAMS
The last chapter of this book will provide two simple yet ignored ideas to generate passive income on top of your investments.
Many people believe that investing is a great way to earn passive income upon retirement. However, you have to realize that to raise $1000 in per month, you should have at least invested $250,000, assuming that it generates 5% annual return on a regular basis.
This is a feat to achieve so we are listing other ways for you to earn without any heavy involvement.
Real Estate
Perhaps this is the most profitable of all and the easiest to understand. All you have to do is to buy a property and rent it out. Just like any business, investing in real estate has its complications. You need to carefully assess and do the math if you can make a profit.
Calculate your mortgage and tax liabilities annually and check if the property can be rented higher than that amount. Add to this the expenses you will incur for repairs. The difference between this and what the tenant will pay annually is your take.
Affiliate Marketing
This is a type of marketing that requires a lot of hard work before it flies. You need to build a website and post contents that people will be reading and coming back to.
Later on, once you have built an audience, you can enrol in affiliate marketing services and add their links or banners to your site.
Whenever a person clicks on the link and makes a purchase, you are entitled to a commission. Average in the industry is 20% of the product cost.
You can learn more about affiliate marketing from my other posts as shown below:
While affiliate marketing is simple, it is not easy. Many people fail because they have false expectations. But if you just work hard enough, you can earn as much as $100,000 per month with little to no investment.
The truth is, many who have tried this failed because they did it without the guidance of a mentor. You will succeed if you invest in your affiliate marketing knowledge. Pay for a course and get support from the experts.
Summary
As you can see, there are many ways that you can invest money. A vast majority of these are passive, but they still require hard work. As far as I am concerned, affiliate marketing is the one that has the least risk.
Affiliate marketing requires very little capital, not more than $100, but it can yield more than $100,000 over time.
FREE PROGRAM FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO EARN RECURRING AFFILIATE COMMISSIONS.
My second best recommendation is for people to copy what other successful traders are doing. With this approach, you can choose traders who have a long history of success in investing. To be able to do this, you need a free social media trading software, like eTORO.
Choose how you want to invest, and decide if you want an active participation or a passive one.
The internet has opened limitless possibilities for employment. Today, many people no longer have to work in an office. They can work comfortably at home and they are not limited with only one or two types of work.
Better yet, students who are in high school or even college can help their parents make ends meet by freelancing.
There are hundreds of things you can do after your classes to make money. While the road to success may be bumpy at first, a bright person like you can certainly adjust and make it through.
Depending on your skill level, you can earn hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.
Although online jobs for students cannot fully match an office or a day job salary, what you will earn is significant enough to contribute to your daily needs while you are in school.
And who knows, maybe you can turn this into a full-time source of income if you are really good at it.
I will not talk to you about affiliate marketing or dropshipping. Neither will I talk about creating apps or building an online business.
But if you are interested, here is my suggested reading:
What I want to focus on are jobs where you do not have to spend a lot of money or time to get paid. I will focus on jobs where you get paid because of your effort and output.
Certainly, you need laptops and tools like software, which you may already have in your computer. If you cannot invest in these, I really have to tell you that there is no such thing as free lunch.
No, you cannot make a lot money with only a smartphone. Any person who tells you otherwise is either a lying nut job, or someone who wants you to enroll in a course.
But you do need a laptop or a desktop. You cannot perform online work without this.
So, shall we begin?
1. Graphic Design
Graphic arts come in all sorts of expertise level. Even if you are not at a god-like level, yet you have to ability to create calling cards, logos, and simple infographics, you can earn money on the side.
How much will you earn?
On average, graphic artists are paid $30 per hour. You can earn more money if you try to bill for the entire project. What happens is regardless of the length of time you worked for it, you will be paid a fixed amount.
While professional freelancers can charge anywhere from $150 to $1,000 for one logo, you are just starting out so you cannot complete with these prices. You are better off pricing your skills at a reasonable rate.
For graphic arts and all succeeding jobs, your best bet is to find competitors, and then view their samples. All online freelancers have a portfolio, so check these out and ask yourself if you can do that, or if you can do better.
Then, investigate how much your competitors are charging, and then find yourself a middle ground. Price your service the right way, and clients will come your way.
2. Video Creation or Video Editing
This is the craze now. There are millions of people who want to build an online channel, yet they do not know how to create videos.
There are those who record videos, then pay freelancers to record an audio, mostly a script. Now, these guys do not know how to put that video and the audio together to create a coherent show.
If you know how to do this, then you can make money. There are also many clients out there who are looking for 3D animation, white board animation, and so much more.
Now, there are many free software out there, like Active Presenter. The thing with free software, however, is that they have a watermark on the video, which your clients will not want.
If you are already a skilled video editor, I would recommend that you upgrade and start using a professional tool like Camtasia, as this is one of the most used video editors that YouTubers use.
Another option you have is ViddyOze. It is a 3D animation tool that allows you to create cool videos for your clients.
ANIMATION SOFTWARE
3. Web Developer
No, you no longer need to learn how to code to be able to build a website, yet there are people who either have no time or simply have no technical skills to build one.
And this is where you come in. You can build dropshipping stores for your clients with Shopify, or build them a blog using WordPress.
To start this kind of business, you should of course know how to operate the web builder tools. You can charge $500 for a single project, or even $1,000, and it is up to you if you want to charge extra for the web content, like the content of About Us, Privacy, Terms & Conditions, and other pages.
If you do not know how to write, you can work with other freelancers who are in the writing niche. Order the required content from them, without your client knowing, and just charge everything from your client.
The trick here is that you should charge not just your fee, but also the money that it takes for the website subscription to happen.
For example, Shopify or WordPress may charge $120 per year. You should let the client pay for that, and only hand you over the credentials for Shopify or WordPress so you can build the website.
4. SEO Expert
There are many free SEO tools out there, like the ones from Neil Patel. In this service, it is completely up to you to choose what specific area of SEO you want to focus on.
You can help clients choose the right keywords to use to rank their articles, or you can do a complete website overhaul with SEO.
Know that you cannot offer this service without the right tools. The thing is, these tools have a cost. You do not have to buy them up front, but it all depends on the level of your SEO skills and what services you want to offer.
For a simple SEO keyword research, you can charge as much as $10 and not spend a dime. There are free SEO tools out there, like Google Trends and Google Ads, that can provide you with keyword suggestions, inclusive of monthly search volume and price competition.
What I personally use is Answer the Public. It is a keyword research tool that tells you what people in the internet are asking about a particular keyword. These key phrases are actual search words and terms used by people all over the world.
If you are ready to move to a higher level of service, you need a powerful tool. These tools require monthly subscription, but you can easily get a return on your investment.
Why?
If a client needs SEO, he will not buy an SEO tool. After all, that is just an added cost for his business. Instead, he will look for a person with that SEO tool, and then pay that person for the SEO service.
Think of your tool as a bus or a car. A person may not be able to afford a bus, but you can. This person is riding your bus as needed, and then pay you the fare, only as needed. You, however, will get paid regularly by passengers, and the bus you bought will pay for itself.
My two favorite tools are SEM Rush and Answer the Public. SEM Rush has a complete SEO tool. You can do keyword search, website check, SERP, rankings, and so much more.
It also has content marketing platform, which you can use for added services, plus PPC and SMM tools to know how your competitors are performing.
Answer the Public is free, but the service is limited. The free version works great only for amateur bloggers, but not for pros. The software, however, can be upgraded, and I prefer the upgraded one for my SEO needs.
5. Virtual Assistant
There are dozens of work you can do as a virtual assistant. You can do data entry, product descriptions, calendar management, and so much more.
The rate that you can charge depends on the how hard the job is, but it is usually paid per hour. The least amount you can receive here is $5, but as you grow and improve your skill, you can charge up to $20 per hour.
Usually, the clients here look for people who can commit specific hours per day. So, if you found a client who pays $20 per hour at four hours per day, you would roughly receive $1,600 for 20 days of work.
6. Audio Transcription
In audio transcription, you will listen to a sound recording and write what was said. Many people think that in this job, the only thing you do is to transcribe audio from doctors and lawyers. This is not true.
If you watch movies with sub-titles, the person who created that sub-title is a transcriptionist. Many You Tubers also use the service of a transcriptionist so they can put a sub-title option in their videos.
This job is in demand so video creators can provide content to dead audiences. The smallest amount of money you can charge is $5 for each minute of audio. What this means is that for a 15 minute audio, you can make as much as $5 X 15 = $75!
7. Freelance Content Writer
Writing has many facets. You can write for bloggers who do not have the time to write for their websites. A vast majority of your clients here will be affiliate marketers who want to provide content to their audiences.
All websites need content. And content is something that you can provide. Websites will need fresh articles every now so often and you will never run out of clients who will need your writing expertise.
Millions of people read these articles and they are voracious for more information.
In addition, website owners are in a race to rank high on search engines. And what makes them rank high in these search engines in the relevance of their website’s content to the keywords that an online surfer typed in the search box.
Writing for the web is not limited to articles and web content. Some clients need eBooks, resource materials, technical instructions, and many more.
And speaking of eBooks, there is a tool you can use to create eBooks, without you actually having to write something. This tool is called Sqribble.
Sqribble lets you create an eBook from its own library. All you need to do is to choose a cover page, change the name of the author, and then sell it. You can choose from many niches to serve different clientele.
You can also put a URL of the text, and this will be converted into an eBook.
This, of course, is not a free tool. It is a serious investment that will pay off in two ways:
Write eBooks for clients
Write ebooks and sell them on book stores online
If you choose to go this path, your work is pretty much cut out for you.
To start looking for clients to write for, look for websites that act as a mediator between clients and workers.
What these websites do is to allow employers to post what they need to get done. Freelancers place a bid and the winning bidder gets the job. All you have to do after you have been paid is to pay the website a small fee for its services.
8. Copywriting
Copywriting is the art of selling in written form. Any kind of advertisement you have seen is a copy. This includes words written on brochures, landing pages, white papers, and so much more.
The main goal of copywriting is to convince the reader to buy. And you will need a different skill set for this. Once you develop your skills in content writing, you can now branch out to copywriting.
Copywriting can fetch you a lot more money than content writing, as writers can charge $100 per piece. Besides, your clients in this niche are businesses and companies that have a huge budget for advertising, not bloggers.
It can take years for you to be a copy writer, but you can speed up your learning if you take a course. Start by looking for free copywriting materials and courses, and then upgrade later on to the paid courses.
If you have been a content writer for a while, it is best that your arm yourself with the right skills set and take the course now. Once the course is over, you can start offering this service online, and product amazing results for your clients.
9. Voiceover Work
In this job, you will read scripts that clients give you. The way you charge is by the number of words. Most professional voiceover specialists charge $150 for 100 words, and beginners charge anywhere between $10 and $50 per 100 words.
To do this, you need a good recorder, a microphone and a room that will serve as your studio. You can start with your phone, but make sure you have a good microphone.
The clients you are looking for here are those who release videos. They will attach your voiceover to the video. The end product is something like a TV show that has a narrator.
This gig is best coupled with video editing service. You can create a package for both service, and charge a smaller fee that will make a client happy, without necessarily undercutting your prices.
If you ever combine these two services, you do not need a separate recorder if you are already using Camtasia or ViddyOze. But again, these two software are not free.
10. English Tutor
If you speak English, there are many clients out there who need your help. Find clients from China, Japan, and other countries where English is not their second language.
You can do this in two ways.
The first one is to submit bids in freelance sites like Fiverr, and the second one is to design an English tutorial course.
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English is such a big subject matter that you can cover a lot in it. You can focus on grammar, pronunciation, written English, and a whole lot more.
If you are going to tutor somebody, you can charge as much as $20 per hour of work. But of course, you need to prepare a course curriculum after you have discussed with your client what he needs.
In this case, the only thing you need is a stable internet connection and Skype, or any chat app that allows video calls.
Many clients who need an English tutor buy this service for their children, as they know that these kids will move to an English-speaking country one day.
For e-courses, you do not have to teach English live. You can pre-record your materials, and then upload them. The next thing to do is to either promote your course via paid ads, or wait until somebody finds the course online and enrolls.
You can use a tool like Teachable as your online course platform. For as littles $29, you can up-upload a course and have unlimited number of students.
With Teachable, you can even offer people a commission if they successfully referred students to your course. The site will also take care of charging your clients, and then pay out your funds into your account.
The e-course is a great passive income, and you are in the position to price the course the way you want. Many short courses today sell for $20. Just imagine of you have sold 1,000 of that in one year, you have $20,000 for only a little investment of your time and recording tools.
For e-courses, they have to be professional, so the free video editors and recorders will not do it. Again, my recommendation is Camtasia for screencast recording, and ViddyOze for animations.
11. Social Media Marketing
The last one on our list is social media marketing, a job where your duty is to engage people in different social media platforms.
You can only do this if you know a little about graphic design. Your main duty is to post on your client’s social media account, and make sure that your posts are so good that they will have more followers.
You can charge by the hour or by the project. Social media marketing can cost anywhere between $45 and $2,000 per project.
Again, your duty is to manage your client’s social media accounts. You have to respond to the comments, engage followers, look for other social media groups where you can promote the brad, and many more.
A Last Piece of Advice
These 11 jobs that we mentioned do not require that you wait too long to see the results of your work.
The thing is, you have to invest on your tools to be able to make money.
Can you imagine how a photographer will make money if he has no camera? This is how freelancing works. Whatever you choose, you need a laptop and another tool so you can deliver high-quality products and services
Also, another mistake that many freelancers make is that they go to freelance marketplaces and offer their services without knowing who their competitors are.
If you are decided to do an online job, my recommendation is that you buy a service from a freelancer who offers a similar service as yours.
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After doing your research and putting a price for your service, find someone like you. Buy his service, and then check the quality of this work.
If that freelancer has great feedback, then you know that you can deliver the same kind of quality and earn a good reputation, too.
And better yet? You can offer something more, or something better, and crush that competition.
As far as where to find jobs is concerned, my recommendation is Fiverr if you are starting out. It is not true that you can only charge $5 here. You are free to price your services.
I like it because it is not overpopulated like Freelancer, a place where everybody is driving down their prices just to get clients. Also, it has no stupid rules like UpWork does.
In UpWork, you get charged a currency for every bid you make. Once this currency is out, you have to buy more so you can bid more.
In Fiverr, membership is free, and bidding is free. You only pay 20% of the project cost once you are paid.
Again, choose one or a few services that you can combine. Invest in the right tools, find clients, deliver top-notch service, and you will earn more money that you can imagine.
Many freelancers who succeeded left their day jobs over time, like me. However, I will not advocate that you leave school. Finish a degree if you can, as this serves as a great backup if the gig economy becomes bad.
I have been interviewed a dozen times in the 14 years that I worked innt eh corporate world.
And I have interviewed hundreds of applicants, too.
I have to admit that I asked the same asinine questions when I was starting out to hire and promote employees.
Over the years, I realized that these questions have no relevance whatsoever as far as my profession is concerned.
Here are the three foolish questions that most of use have been asked at one time in our careers.
What is your greatest weakness?
This is so cliché. I do not ask this question during interviews anymore. I know fully well that candidates prepare answers for this and I will only hear any of these three:
A completely irrelevant answer—candidate says “I am not an expert in MS Excel…” but the job he is applying for does not involve MS Excel.
A sugarcoated answer—candidate says “I take a lot of effort to determine what to prioritize. As a result, some tasks may be compromised…” This means the applicant does not get the job done on time.
A weakness that is spun into something positive—candidate says “I am very detail-oriented and this causes me to work long hours…”
If you are asked this question, then you are in a tight spot. Perhaps the interviewer wants to see how you react under pressure. As far as I am concerned, my weaknesses are not your business. I came to the interview to sell my service, not to destroy my reputation.
To the Interviewer:
A better way to find out about a person’s weakness is to ask straightforward questions.
Have you done a report like this?
Can you describe this specific task in detail?
To the Interviewee:
Answers like “I do not have a weakness” or “I cannot think of one” will only diss your Interviewer. Your best option is to choose an answer from the three examples above. You can also tell the interviewer that your weakness is chocolate or Starbucks. Perhaps it is her weakness, too.
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Wait, my crystal ball is cloudy at the moment. Whenever I hire a plumber or a carpenter to do some repairs at home, I do not ask him, “Mr. Plumber, where do you see yourself in five years?”
Do you?
I say: “The toilet is clogged. That is my problem. Can you fix it? What is your plan? What tools do you need—wire, pump, or straw?”
To the Interviewer:
Answers to questions like this will give you nothing more than superficial visions of the applicant’s future. Sometimes, you get a glimpse of the applicant’s dreams or ambitions but nonetheless, I do not think there is any answer to this question that will relate to the applicant’s ability to perform his duties.
To the Interviewee:
This question is a trap. Do not say things like “I will go abroad in two years” or “my petition for the US is due in six months.” You will not get hired. Say that you want to stay in the same company or industry for many years and you will work hard to advance the company’s business interests.
I am a cheetah. See how fast I can run? Bolt to the door and do not come back. Seriously, this question should only be asked if the basic requirements for the job are creativity and imagination. Or perhaps you are looking for people who have specific characteristics—fun-loving, adventurous, etc… Otherwise, this should be banned from the corporate world.
Other variants of this dumb question:
Why is a manhole round and not square?
How many cell towers are there from your house to the office?
If you were a tree, how tall would you be?
What pet are you?
If you were a singer, who would you be?
Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
If you were a superhero, who would you be?
To the Interviewer:
Do not ask this question. Please.
To the Interviewee:
Oh yes. You will be asked this question and you are expected to provide a professional and smart answer. Say something like, “I am a horse. I am strong; I can carry heavy loads and travel great distances to achieve business goals.”
Summary
There are many more dum-dum interview questions like these and it is not likely that you can prepare for all of them.
Just make sure that your answers are not offensive and that that you try to relate your answers to the job.
If you are not sure, just say “I haven’t really thought about that.” It is better to say you are not sure than provide answers that may hurt your interview assessment.
Be a copywriter. No interviews. No dumb questions. Just write for a living.
