A Buck A Day!

I remember hearing a few weeks ago that Diller would consider selling Ask.com (formally AskJeeves.com) I immediately thought of 2 suitors Microsoft (Bing) and Aol.com.

Both companies have made deals to increase their reach. Microsoft is making a deal with Yahoo and Aol purchased Bebo. Aol will be out of TWX soon and will need some kind of growth since its ISP business is all but dead.

Both companies need and want ask.com for its amazing content and reach of 'eyeballs'. Ask.com (IACI) has over 50 different branded companies. Most are in the top 5 websites for their niche. Some even have branched out into TV, the CollegeHumor series for one. They also have evite, citysearch, match.com, and zwinky. All of these properties could be expanded on their own or added to an existing property from the potential suitors. Some could even be spun off for a quick return of a portion of the purchase price.


Microsoft has not been the .com darling, they have literally thrown Billions of dollars at the internet with not much to show for it. Aol will always be tainted concerning its failed merger with Time Warner.

Curently, IACI trades at about $19/share with a market cap of $2.25 Billion. I can see Aol or Microsoft making a bid of $25 per share or $3.3 Billion for the entire company and walking away with a nice internet trophy.'

What are your thoughts?

I am long MSFT. I hold no positions in IACI or Time Warner AOL

I wanted to write articles about a Large Department Store that I work for. I sent an email asking permission and the response I received was a bit cloudy.

They said that they strongly preferred that I did not becuase I am employed by them but they also said that they could not hamper my free speech. The lady that called me was very polite and nice but said it would be better for everyone if I passed on articles about them.

Is you life worth $20. Secrets about Cell phone brain tumors they don’t want you to know.
http://www.20dollars.weebly.com/

The Business of a Rock Band
I am not talking about the game, but an actual rock band. Not the hugely commercialized U2 but the indie bands that are still making the circuit on their home turf. They are big in their circles but relatively unknown in others.
The other day (9/19/09) was my birthday and a friend of mine (Nick R.) knew a band from his home town was coming into town. I am not a “rock” type but I had no plans and decided to go. I paid my $3 cover and settled in at a table with my friends. It is a typical club with 3 different areas so patrons can visit the area that best suits them.
Right out of the gate I feel sorry for this band because they are competing with the last night of a huge event that pulls in over $20 Million a year. There were approximately 30 people total in this section of the club. Next to the stage was their “merch” , that’s what they call their tupperware box of t-shirts and their pile of 6 CD’s they sell to help pay for coming to town.
For the “gig” the band will be paid a flat rate for coming in and playing 2 sets of music. They will sell a few shirts and a few CD’s. (I bought an autographed shirt and a CD) Usually the band will make more off of the “merch” sales than the actual “gig”.
Before the band started to play, my friends and I had a chance to sit down with the band outside. I started asking questions about their website, sources of income, future plans, and tours. The poor guys looked as if I was talking greek. Being a serial entreprenuer, I wanted to know the business side of the band where you can tell they live for the music.
Their income comes from iTunes, CD Sales, Shirt Sales, and Paying gigs. (Side note, I thought it was a myth, but clubs still pay bands in beer, I thought those days were gone!) One thing that impressed me is that at the end of their show they asked fans to join their MySpace account! Good! They also gave a plug for their website, again Good! They are trying to connect with their fans, because without fans, they don’t have a business.
When I got home (about 1AM) I checked out their website and social network accounts. Their website is really clean with links to all of their social connections.
· I would like to see a link to an online store where they can sell their “merch”. They also have a “look” where they all dress in suits with ties when they perform. Great idea but they should have branded ties that they could sell. Its their trademark look, run with it. Not only ties in their online store but their CD’s, different shirts ie long sleeve…short sleeve…colors. At the gig they only had black one & a whiteone. They could also sell keychains, they are cheap and something that every person could use, you cant wear their shirts to work but you can have their keychain in your pocket at work, a constant reminder to check their website to see upcoming concert dates.
· A link directly to iTunes so customers can buy their songs, same for Amazon music and Zune music.
· I did notice that they have a youtube account with a music video on it. They need to have more postings on their, everytime they go in to a radio station for an interview, it needs to be taped and posted on youtube. Keep it fresh.
· Twitter. They have a twitter account and link to it from their homepage, they need the widget from twitter on there so people can follow with just one click and see what is on the band’s mind. Tweet often, especiall a few days before the show and in between sets of a show. At the time of writing this they had 20 followers, in contrast I have over 19,000 followers. They can do better.
· A calendar. A calender with 12 different pictures of them but it already has some of their performance dates filled in for the person that purchases their calendar. This could be done using a print-on-demand company. This would also be a great tool to give to promoters and to venues that you play at. Every other month in the calendar, there would be the contact information so people could get in contact with them. Make sure the pictures are set for the type of fan base you want to attract.
· Adbrite. I would like to see a few banners on their website, that way everytime someone visits their site they get some ad dollars.
· A biography. Write a small paperback book about the band, each member, stories from the road, etc….. This could be done through Blurb.com POD. They could keep a few for sale at their shows but most would be sold through their online store. This could be done every year so that you always have something fresh so sell.
· Play more dates. I believe that a band has to constantly looking for the next gig, not hoping someone will call, but actively searching. Call all of the colleges within driving distance. See if you can play there every semester and sell “merch”. Many artist have started out by playing at colleges. You could play during the halftime show at a football game or even a basketball game. What a great way to expand your audience that might not come to a concert.
· Fundraisers. Call local charities and say that you would like to perform a concert. Lets say you charge $15 per ticket. The Charity gets to keep $10 from each ticket! The charity gets to raise money without cost to them, you have people out selling concert tickets on your behalf, and you still get to sell “merch”. They could also link to your website from their website increasing shoppers to your store.
· Free Advertising. Everytime you have a concert, submit the information to your local community calendar. This could be done online also via craigslist.com and Duperoo.com. Pass out flyers at locations where your fans hangout.
· An email Mailing List. Everytime you play a show, you need to let all of your fans know. The fans you bring into a venue the more money you can charge the next time you play there. Also send them an email showing off your new wares in your online store. Be sparingly with your emails so that they don’t label you as SPAM but frequently enough that they stay connected with you.
· A Brochure. Have the brochure at all of your gigs. Give them to patrons. If needs to have your website information, social network information, contact info for people that want you to play a special show for them, and a short bio about your band. List any awards you may have won or articles that you have been in. Also if you have opened for any big names or played at any really neat venues.
· CD’s. At the time of this article, the band was getting ready to into the studio to record another album. Great! Keep the music Fresh. But also don’t be scared to put out a Christmas album or if your music is Rock, how about a Halloween album? Do this every 3 years of so.
· Expand. Get your music on the shelves of larger companies. Online is great, but try Hastings or BestBuy. Tell the Store manager that you will perform a free concert in the parking lot if they will stock your CD’s and let you sell “merch” on the day of the concert.

The Band is www.LameOnline.com drop them a line, listen to their music on myspace and let them know that "Thomas" sent you there. Thanks for reading and please comment if you want!

Here is my To Do List for this week....

Get Duperoo.com redesigned and everything connected

Become a contributor to SeekingAlpha.com

Sell Stuff out of the Garage to pay for the new Kindle DX, it looks really cool!

These are just my opinions and the do not correlate with any other company or individuals.

I think that the bailouts were handled incorrectly by 2 of the big 3 automakers. Ford got it right, they asked for a line of credit but haven't used it. I really admire Ford right now, and I was able to get double up through their stock! GM is just wanting more money without giving us affordable innovation. Come on, the Volt for $40,000! It should be about $25,000. GM should also spin off some of its brands instead of selling them. That way they can still profit from the brands in a good economy, stream line production, and keep suppliers open. Chrysler just makes me made....and I love my DODGE! They were taken over by Cerberus, but instead of Cerberus putting its own money into the company, they are asking for the governments help. The U.S. should ask for actual shares of the company, and to help stimulate the economy split those share and give them to every legally registered American. They can in turn sell or keep the shares, giving Americans money to spend on other items or it could help them start building a nest egg for the future. If we owned stock in a company we would also be more prone to buy vehicles from those companies!

There, I just fixed the auto industry. Whats next?

I just finished edit and uploading my photo book. It is a coffee table book of interesting pictures that I have taken around my home town.

You can buy yours today!

pics

simple everyday pic...

By thomas r. jowers

Book Preview

Nothing gives you that feeling deep in the pit of your stomach like seeing your new iphone in the bottom of the washing machine. Thats what I saw 2 weeks ago. So I quickly went online and researched places to repair it. Well, I found a place and sent off my phone, I got a call and the repair was nearly as much as a new phone. So, I decided to just buy a new iphone. I went about 10 days without my connection to the outside world.

Well I am also raising money to expand my advertising company. I am planning on buying on some hardware that will take my company from just online advertising to online advertising and guerrilla advertising on the ground. I am really excited about this and need to raise about $2500 dollars for the hardware. I already have some items on ebay and will probably get a loan for the rest, or I can make due with $1000 to get started, then scale up from there.

Check out my items for the next 7 days on ebay buy doing an advanced search for items from seller BuyGreatOnline.

I have been working on a new website for my online empire. I will unveil it as soon as it is ready. I have also been promoting my classifieds/auctions/banner exchange/directory/ppc website on ebay. Last month was able to gain 3 new members. This month I am setting a goal of 10.

Things have changed since I last expressed my opinion on what aquisitions Microsoft should make and what direction they need to move in. Some of what I said to do has actually happened while a few things have not yet materialized. If you remember we were acting like we had the same amount of that was spent on the aquantive deal. So here is what I think should happen since everything has changed.

Twitter: $525 Million I had first thought that this company was worth only about 50 million, but this site has garnered much press and could radically change the face of search as we know it.

Digg: $70 Million I believe that this site would go great with the new KUMO portal that is about to be launched.

AdBrite $125 Million Since I first wrote this blog entry, they have added another 10,000 websites to their que! They are growing at a huge clip.

MentalFloss $2 million With magazine shuttering all over the country I think that they need to add this as a pure cool factor. Since Microsoft's clothing line SoftWear taking off, this would be a great venue to sell more clothes and get free advertising for upcoming games and software.

TheStreet.com $80 Million This is cheaper than last time because their stock price has fallen considerably. But this site has memberships and would make a great finance destination for their new KUMO portal. Plus TheStreet.com own Promotions.com another advertising company.

Skype $1 Billion Microsoft should take this off of Ebay's hands and roll it up into some of its business bundles. Also with the economy in the tank, Microsoft could scale this up because everyone wants a good deal on phone calls.

Looksmart, Miva, and iRobot $310 Million Microsoft should buy all of these 3 companies because robots will be HUGE in the future and Microsoft needs to write the software and the robots. Looksmart and Miva are just a way to gain more advertisers for adcenter.

I am extremely happy that Microsoft has started to push its "Surface" commputers into other venues other than bars and AT&T stores. I still think that Microsoft should build an upscale computer that people would take notice of. Like how Apple started doing years ago, but these would be more expensive than Apple and come preloaded with all Microsoft Applications.

Disclaimer, I own stock in Microsoft, AT&T, and TheStreet.com

I took the free personality test at eHarmony.com and this is the results that I received. I think they hold true, but hopefully some of my friends will chime in on the comment section and we will see if eHarmony was correct. * Everytime you see the word 'you' they are actually talking about me. I really like the results because it gives you a negative response and a positive response.

My interactions with other People:

Fair
Considered
Collaborative
Responsive
Sensible
Diplomatic
Contemplative
Indulgent
Rational

You are important. So are other people, especially if they are in trouble. You have a tender heart, but you know how to establish and keep personal boundaries. You are empathetic and compassionate, but you also believe that it's best if people solve their own problems and learn to take care of themselves, if they are able.You are deeply moved by the needs of others, but you know that if you don't take good care of yourself, you'll wind up being of no use to anyone. So yours is a thoughtful compassion. You strive to be fair and sensible, taking care of others while also taking care of yourself.When someone really is in trouble, you like to collaborate with them toward a solution; they do their part, you do yours. You consider carefully, and respond in a sensible way; they do their part, and together you move through the difficulty. You seldom act impulsively; rather, when a problem arises, you take your time to think through the situation. This contemplative quality usually means that you'll arrive at a diplomatic solution, one that's fair for the other person and also fair to you. It's frequently a win/win situation. Negative: For people who are ruled by tender-hearted compassion, your more diplomatic response to problems might seem too cool, too focused on fairness and not filled enough with sympathy and selflessness. For them, when someone's life is on fire, what is needed is not collaboration but rescue. And the person who experiences their life on fire may resent the time you take to contemplate. "I need you, and I need you NOW! This isn't about fairness, it's about the fire." "All deliberate speed" may seem too deliberate and not fast enough, either to the more compassionate or to people in genuine trouble. At the other end of the spectrum of compassion, those who believe people should take care of themselves may find even your thoughtful sympathies too soft. They expect people, themselves included, to work their own way out of trouble. They are convinced that the helping hand you lend just fosters dependence and is not good for the development of character, either in you or in the person you assist. Positive: Many people, perhaps the majority, will come to appreciate your balance as a compassionate person. The more they get to know you, the more they will admire your thoughtful compassion for others and its compliment in the sensible ways you take good care of yourself. Those whom you help will appreciate the way you leave them with their dignity by expecting them to collaborate in their own rescue. Those who are more tender-hearted will find in you a balance they lack; when they've run out of energy because they fail to take good care of themselves, you will still have enough compassion left to lift others out of trouble. Even the tough-hearted, those who believe people should solve their own problems, might come to admire your tenderness which they don't find in themselves. So the people you help will be grateful, and the people who see your balance between self and others will admire you. Certainly, balanced is not bad at all as a way to be known among your friends.

My Openness:
Like someone who can sleep comfortably on either side of the bed, you are equally at home with ideas and beliefs that you have held for a long time and with new ways of thinking and believing that grow out of your intellectual curiosity. Your sense of who you are and what your place is in the world around you rests on values and principles that are the solid ground you walk upon. You've tested them, they work for you, and much of the time you are content to trust them, that is, until some provocative new idea slips in from a conversation, book or some flight of your active imagination. "Hmmmm. What's this. Never thought of it before." And off you go, exploring. Since you love to learn, you've always been teachable; you absorb new information, which means you are well-educated in things that matter to you. Sometimes your intellectual exploring will lead you back to where you started; the "next new thing" proves too shallow or impractical to you. But once in a while a new idea or belief will dislodge you from the ground you've stood upon; it is so compelling and persuasive that you step away from the tried-and-true and embrace this notion that is brand new to you. Because you hold both solid beliefs and are open to new ideas, you are accepting of other people and other ways of thinking and believing. You are flexible enough to listen to something new and different, or something outside of your comfort zone; if it works for you, you'll take it in, and if not, you'll let it go. In this sense, you know who you are: you are neither closed-minded nor wildly open-minded, but walk somewhere near the middle of the intellectual road. Negative: Not everyone will be thrilled by your flexible, middle-of-the-road ways of thinking and believing. A few people are so taken with flights of imagination into whatever is new that they might find your commitment to long-standing values and beliefs too confining, if not too boring. Oh well; so be it. They'll just have to be in free-flight without you. Others are content with the ideas that have served them and their culture well; they're not excited by the prospect of moving on. And some people are afraid of new ways of thinking because they are somewhat fragile; they have trouble maintaining their current worlds and don't want someone like you, for instance pushing out the edges of their intellectual cosmos. So don't be surprised if your solid values sometimes make people distrust you as an explorer, or if your flexible and open mind sometimes gets you criticized by people who walk away from the very same explorations that you find refreshing. Positive: Many others will find you trustworthy and therefore an attractive companion on the intellectual journey. They will appreciate the combination in you of open-mindedness and a commitment to the tried-and-true. In an intellectual climate sometimes dominated by the extremes of either wild innovation or dug-in traditionalism, your moderate views and your proper acceptance of a wide range of possibilities will be a distinctive and refreshing quality. Because you join your curiosity to strong foundational ideas and beliefs and practical solutions to problems, people will trust your occasional explorations into new territories to be reliable, and not "something new for newness sake". You are accepting of others, flexible in your own intellectual commitments, well-informed in areas that matter to you, and comfortably aware of who you are and where you stand. This combination will make you a desirable companion on the intellectual journey for many, many people.

My Emotional Stability:
In some ways, you've got the best of emotional worlds. When emotions rise up from inside you or are brought forth from a conversation by a friend, you know how to engage them. You deal with sadness, fear, joy, anger - whatever comes up - in ways that are perceptive and flexible. You can adapt to whatever level of emotion is appropriate to the moment. At other times, you are able to cope with your emotions in a more reserved manner. Because you are aware of what does and does not make emotional sense in a particular situation, you will decide when it is an appropriate time to express your emotions and when it would be best to keep them to yourself.All of this gives you a rich emotional life. You are free to express your passions about certain subjects with appropriate people. But you are also emotionally adaptable; if the conversation needs to be more cerebral, you'll keep it "in your head" and talk calmly through whatever issue is on the table. This emotional awareness serves you well. You seldom get in over your head, either by opening up to the wrong person or by triggering in someone else's emotions they may not be able to deal with. Negative: When it comes to dealing with emotions we all meet some people with whom we don't match well. You bring a balanced approach to your emotional life. As such, those who are at the extremes are most likely to have a negative reaction to you. Those who live in their emotions may feel you tend to "live in your head" while those who go through life as an emotional rock may feel that you are a bit too "touchy feely" for their approach.And of course it is always possible that because you do balance your emotional approach to life you may misread others - we all do at times. So there have undoubtedly been those times when you have misread cues and stayed in your head with someone who hoped for a more open emotional approach or you may have opened up emotionally with someone who keeps their emotions bottled up. But these things happen and since you do have a good balance of being in touch with your emotions and not being overly impacted by emotional swings, you undoubtedly are able to adapt.Another potential problem is that as people get to know you well, they will discover that you have a great balance between emotional expression and emotional control. If they don't have this balance they may wind up envying you. They can't express feelings as well as you, or they are too often out of emotional control and resent you for your ability to cope so well with the very emotions that may trip them up. Postive: Many people will be grateful to find a friend like you who can stay in control when emotions verge on chaos, but who can also go into the tangle of emotions when it is safe and appropriate to do so. Because of your ability to engage them at whatever level they are comfortable, to adapt to whatever changes in emotion emerge in the conversation, and to cope so well with all of it - well, they'll be very glad they found a person like you. You may, in fact, wind up as something of an emotional mentor. Your awareness of the emotional temperature of a situation, your ability to adapt to either heat or cold, and your ability to cope with whatever winds up happening in the conversation could be models for them to follow as they come to terms with their own emotional worlds.

Work Ethic:
When you take on a task at work or at home, you are reliable; you get the job done. In an organized way, you define the goal, lay out a plan, figure how long the task will take, and get to work "solid and dependable you".But and this is important you're not a slave to the plan. You're committed to it, but not chained to it; the connection is more casual and informal. You know that sometimes "the best laid plans" fall off the tracks; when this happens, you clean up the train wreck and start over, undeterred. Though not happening often, when plans change, you're okay with it. In fact, sometimes you change the plan. It's too nice of a Saturday to finish organizing the garage. Let's go for a bike ride instead. True, the next rainy Saturday will likely find you back in the garage, but for now the work can wait. What an interesting combination of qualities in you're organized, but casual; solid, but compliant; and dependable, but informal. At home and at work, people know they can rely on you. You take great satisfaction in knowing that people think of you as disciplined and responsible, but you also know that you have something of a free spirit in you, and when this spirit moves you, off you go, following the impulse of the moment. You are rightly proud of your work ethic, but you also enjoy your willingness to lay the tools down, crank up the music and play like a child. Negative: Some people live like Marines: duty-bound, disciplined and driven. To these people you might seem uncommitted; where they would never leave work for play or change plans in the middle of their life's forced march, you let the circumstance sway you and move in a different direction, and they don't understand. Others live like kites on a string, attached by thin threads to the solid ground of responsibility and are blown about by every gust of impulse or imagination. To these people you might seem too cowardly, like you'll flirt with your impulses but never give in fully, play on a Saturday but never blow of the entire work-week to "follow your bliss".While these Marines and kite-flyers might look down on you for your combination of focus and flexibility, others might be envious. They can't free themselves from a sense that they're not doing enough, or from the equally frustrating feeling that they're not free enough. And here you are with your accomplishments and your pleasures, getting the job done but also getting your hair blown back as you run with the wind. As far as these people are concerned, you're lucky you've got the best of both of the worlds in which they feel they fail. Positive: What a great life you have, and a great attitude to boot. You know when to buckle down and push ahead to get the job done, and you do it well. You know when to lay the tools of your trade aside, grab your kite and head for the meadow where you can run with the wind. Many people will see and admire in you this lovely combination of a person who can focus, but who is flexible enough to know when to let the spirit move you in some new and livelier direction. It's a life they aspire to, and they delight in seeing it played out in your life. They may ask your advice and turn you into a mentor of the full and balanced experience. They will want to know how you do it, what the costs are, and if you get frightened that you're not working hard enough or playing often enough. They may make you think about your own life more than you have, so you can share it with those who want to emulate this balance between flexibility and focus. They may be correct, lucky you!

My Personality:
People light you up. In conversations, planning meetings or almost any social situation, you bring your energy and your friendly, outgoing personality into these engagements with other people, and you come away pumped up. You can hardly wait for the next event, as long as other people will be there. And you're good at it. You know how to communicate. You listen well, the first rule of good communication, and then, when it's your turn, you talk vigorously and with animation; in your uninhibited way you give all that you've got to the encounter. In situations where you feel very safe, when you know and trust the people you're with, you can be very kindhearted and unrestrained. You let your affection for and pleasure in being with others flow freely. You're wide open And when you get back this same kind of unrestrained warmth, you are deeply satisfied. Because you are so friendly and full of life, these are among your favorite moments. Negative: As much as you like being with other people, not everyone will like being with you. Hard to believe, but your gregarious and warm manner is not everyone's cup of tea. Some people are more cautious than you in personal encounters; others think the work place should be more formal, more impersonal than is comfortable for you. Still others, who may want more of the spotlight, will find you too much to compete with once you get your lively and outgoing self in motion. Here's another word of caution. You've been at this warm and open way of relating for a while, but for some people it's a brand new experience. They may be protecting something inside themselves, some fear or guilt or shame, or some private part of their story that they're not yet ready to share. Your openness might threaten them, and they'll take a step back and be reluctant the next time to engage you in the kind of exchange you find so easy and satisfying but they find so dangerous. Positive: Many people, most probably, will be glad to be in the room you're in. At work you make the environment livelier and the banter more interesting, so the time moves swiftly and the experience is a happier one. At home you keep everyone connected because you engage each of them in the conversational action, and as a result they are more connected as well with one another. You make home a warmer and more interesting place for everyone who lives there. You might also be helpful to some people. There are those who need to talk but aren't very good at it. They don't know how to begin the kind of conversation that would allow them to share whatever is in their personal stories that they'd like or need to talk about. You could make that easier for them with your way with words. Some people just need an example and a little encouragement to come out of their shell and get into the greater fun and personal connectedness that will make their lives so much more satisfying. Again, you might be just the right person to make that happen for them. So almost everyone will be glad to be with you, you make life more interesting for those you live and work with, and you could help some of your friends who need just a little encouragement to open up and find in themselves the kinds of energetic and warm connections that you thrive on. Not that you are a pushover; in fact, you are often quite assertive. In taking care of yourself you also make sure that others are engaged and energized.

It is amazing how reliant on technology we are. For example, think of how many times in a day you use a gadget or computer or phone.

Let's take my day so far for example. Today I woke up via my alarm clock. Checked my email on my laptop before even getting out of bed via wireless Internet. I then checked my text messages on my iphone. I then preceded to text a few messages to people. I ate breakfast, but before I could I had to enter the meal into my iphone because I have a calorie counting app on there, (yep, I'm Dieting). After getting ready for class and eating, I made a quick stop to blackboard via my desktop computer to make sure I had finished my homework for the upcoming day.
I then left home in my truck to drive the 20 miles to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Tx. Instead of listening to my radio, I chose to listen to my Zune 80 that I had downloaded music to the night before from watching the Grammy's. Got to my first class, Chemistry, had to use my Texas Instruments calculator to solve a few word problems. During my 1 hour break in between my Chemistry class and Spanish II class I again checked blackboard via my laptop to make sure hadn't been cancelled and that I had done that homework (glad I checked because I hadn't finished) I had to use my iphone translator app to help with a few new vocab words. Went to class early, sat for 15 minutes listening to my Zune and playing pool on my iphone. After Spanish I have 1 hour till my Genetics class. Again, made good use of my calculator.
I then made my way to Hastings Book Store Coffee Shop where I sit now to type this blog (and drink a White Chocolate Mocha). I am wasting time until I go to work at 6PM. I have my iphone sitting beside me at the bar just in case I get a phone call or a text message. Here at Hastings I am using the internet via Xanadoo wireless. I over heard the coffee shop manager negotiating a deal to sell desserts from a local restaurant owner. (A large markup is involved! I heard the exact deal!)
When I get to work in a bit, I will log in to my company's secure intranet and check my corporate email....(excuse me, just got an email with a possible job offer, looks good ;-)) Once I check the email and answer the emails from my higher ups, I will check out my stores online website (I am in charge of online sales for our store) for sales. I will then check reports for our outside sales department, (yep... I'm in charge of that too)
If I am able to land the job interview that I just received, I will use my TomTom to get to that location because I don't know the streets too well here.
I am sure there were many other instances where I used gadgets today or will use today, but my brain is hurting and I am excited about a possible new job interview!!!!!!

Many of the items I used today weren't even around 10 years ago. Look how far we've come and how far we have to go! Have a Great Day!

Getting back to my roots. Starting soon I will start talking about stocks, ways to make extra money, debt reduction, and many other things. I will no longer posts my monetary accounts on here due to that I am selling and buying ETF's way to much to keep up with on this blog. But I would like to give some insights on why I am doing this. I will also disclose all holdings that I have if I talk about a company that is public.

Thanks and let's make some money!

Tax Time is here and you need to be ready when you walk into tax office. This year I changed companies. Let me tell you why:

Last year I walked into the office and waited 3 hours to get the lady to do my taxes. The lady was extremely nice but during small talk I learned that she had just finished her training to be able to do my taxes. Now due to my businesses, job, stocks, dividends, college, and interest on savings accounts and personal loans that I collect, my tax return does seem to be a little more intensive then the normal person's return. While this lady was doing my return I could see the computer screen and I noticed that she had said that I had a 'gain' on sell of stock, I knew that I had taken a loss last year, I called her on it and she said that she was right and I was looking at it wrong. So I said fine, whatever, we'll see. That day lasted about 4 hours, that included 3 hours waiting and cost about $200. About 2 weeks later I received a letter from the IRS, stating that there were some irregularities on my return and that it would be advised for me to check into it. Well I went back to the tax office to get it checked out, waited an hour so that I could talk to the same lady that did my taxes so she would be familiar with my account. She had no idea, so she asked the gentlemen in the next cubicle, he said that my taxes were done completely wrong!!!!! So the manager came out and did my taxes for me again, this took about another 2 hours, when it was time for me to leave, I started to walk out the door the manager stopped me and told me that I needed to pay for his services. I HAD TO PAY ANOTHER $150!!!!! I had to pay because they messed up! Needless to say I will never use them again or recommend them.

So this past summer I was fortunate enough to land a paid internship at Enterprise Rent a Car. On one of the pick ups that we do, I met the owner of a large tax chain. I told him about my ordeal and he told me to come to one of his office and he would take care of me. So I got all of my information together and went today (I had time because classes were cancelled due to ice, but they didn't broadcast it on radio or TV, till I had already left the house, so I arrived to an empty college) I literally did not have to wait to get someone to do my taxes. It took about 30 minutes, as I was signing papers and disclosures, he grabbed my huge stack of papers and receipts and started to work. At the end of the 30 minutes he took my check ($208) and walked to the back, he came back with a $20 bill and said 'Thank You, we appreciate your business.' That means a lot to me. I will be writing them a very nice letter and will make sure that the boss knows that his associate that did my taxes was very polite and professional! (but before I do I will wait 2 weeks to make sure I don't get a letter from the IRS this year!)

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Check back thursday, I will be writing about my new website!

Since the economy is not at the top of its game right now, the best thing I feel like I can do would be to get a second job. A few months ago I looked into some Work-At-Home enterprises and found them to be scams. (envelope stuffing)

Getting a second job will be tough since I already have a job in retail (which we all know a retail job takes away your weekends) and I go to school full time. I also own my own small online business that is in the middle of being restructured and downsized in some areas.

I have had some luck fillinf out surveys online, really just from one company. ACOP.com I have done surveys for them and I have been paid (by check) up to $10 per survey, but most have been $4 for a few minutes work, that's not half bad, but not enough to brag about. I might do 2 per month.

So I have decided that I will try to find an online job, like tutoring or something, as soon as I find something out I will post!

I have another blog that is dedicated to the running of my online ventures, As of the new year I will be combining it with this blog.

The economic slowdown finally hit Abilene, Texas. Many of our retail stores have DRASTICALLY cut the amount of people working and the hours they work. I have personally not been affected yet, but I might soon. I want everyone that reads this to spruce up their resume at this time. To your resume I want everyone to add relevent accomplishments and generally just make it more up to date. If you are in School/College ask someone from the Career department to check over it for you.

I also wanted to add something to my New Year's Resolution list.

I want to take at least 12 online business/marketing courses this year. I think these will look great on my resume.

I also want to find a job or get a promotion that pays at least $15 per hour! That would be a 23% pay raise to what I make now.

Also, I am getting ready to file my taxes for last year. I am still waiting on my two employers from last year to send me my W2's, if you attended college last year, wait on them to send some paperwork for you too. I forgot last year and had to get my taxes re-done, and it costs a pretty penny.