BUSINESS IDEAS

BUYING PROJECTS
1.  Buy low on Alibaba, sell high on Amazon.

2.  Estate Sales.
3.  Buy and sell automobiles.  You'll need to learn a lot about this.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS
1.  Shoot photographs of RVs and high end cars, and create beautiful ad on Craigslist.
     a.  RV Dealers here, here, here, and here. 
     b.  High-end Auto Dealers: Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Maserati, Bentley, and others.
2.  Sell your photos at ShutterStock. 

CREATIVE PROJECTS
1.  Create apps with Zapable.com. 
2.  Complete jobs at FreeLancer.
3.  Build a portfolio of PowerPoint presentations.

WRITING PROJECTS

1.  Write short novels. 
2.  Write resumes.

E-COMMERCE PROJECTS

1.  Create e-commerce sites for local businesses. 

Outsource.com is the fastest growing online freelance website today! We have thousands of small businesses looking to find and hire talented freelancers. If you provide any design services and are looking for extra work, then we have clients ready to hire you.

And other off-line and online projects recommended by Bill Myers.

TYPE OF WORK NEEDED:

- Graphics
- Logos
- Websites

- Mobile Apps
- UI/UX: User Interface & User Experience.  User Interface is very specific.  It involves everything designed into an information device with which a human being may interact--including display screen, keyboard, mouse, light pen, the appearance of a desktop, illuminated characters, help messages, and how an application program or a Web site invites a visitor, and so forth.  Okay, this was helpful.  You can design pages and email lists from AWeber or MailChimp for emotion, something fun and cute that will not offend but only incite and massage the heart.   
- Presentations in PowerPoint.
- Marketing Materials

- Video Production

7.  Complete jobs at Freelancer.

8.  

This is a better option for appliance classes.  He charges $147, which is a lot less than the local adult school or trade school options.   

There's always education.  Always. Classes I want to take are here.  See this list for times, dates, and fees.

MACHINIST  

Through a grant from the Alcoa Corporation students will be able to learn and operate a Header Machine. This machine produces rivets and fasteners for the Aerospace and Military Industry.

Start Date:  December 1, 2015 to February 25, 2016.
Location:  La Puente High School, Room 215.
Cost:  $50 plus $18 insurance.
Course Days/Hours:  Tuedays & Thursdays from 3:15 to 8:45, and Fridays, 4 to 6:30.  _______________________________________________________________________

MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION (Welder)

Start Date:  January 11 to May 25, 2016.
Location:  Willow Center.  14101 East Nelson Avenue, La Puente, CA 91746.  Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 8am to 7pm; Fridays, 8am to 4pm.  Call 626-934-2801.
Cost:  $886
Course Days/Hours:  M-W, 5 to 9:30pm

Call: (626) 934-2935. Learn oxyacetylene gas cutting, shielded metal arc, gas tungsten arc & flux core welding. Short term MIG & TIG/SMAW courses available. (870 hours, takes 3 to 4 semesters to complete.)
Cost: Total costs $886 (includes registration $500, supplies $200, insurance $18 and book $168). Students provide their own helmet, gloves, welding jacket & boots from an outside vendor with approval of the instructor.

_______________________________________________________________________

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES 

Start Date:  
Location:  Willow Center
Cost:  $739.
Course Days/Hours:  M-F, 8am to 2:30pm.

Class room and valuable repair shop experience. NATEF Certified Modules. (Total hours: 1,080. Takes 4 sessions to complete.)
Cost: $739 (includes registration $495/session, materials $75, insurance $18, books $144 and goggles $7).

Session III: January 11 - March 11, 2016
Session IV: March 14 - May 27, 2016

_______________________________________________________________________

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ENERGY & UTILITIES
[Major Appliance Service & Repair]

Start Date: January 11, 2016 to May 25, 2016.
Location:  Willow Center.
Cost:  Two Costs:
1)  Day Class Cost is $858 per semester.  This includes registration, $700, materials, $100, insurance, $18, and books, $40.  Two semesters to complete.  
2)  Evening Class Cost: $343 per semester.  This includes registration, $275, materials, $50, and insurance, $18.  (216 hours per semester.  Takes approximately 4 semesters to complete.  Partners with Whirlpol & Maytag, Kitchen Aide, Sears, Best Buy, Coast Appliances parts, Reliable Parts, and K-W Samsung.
Course Days/Hours:  M-Thursday, 8am to 2:30pm.  And MW, 6-9pm.

Theory and practical training for job entry including refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, microwave ovens, and stoves. Learn to read wiring diagrams and sequence charts for appliance electrical diagnoses. Prepare for the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) Type 1 certification test, to work with refrigeration systems of 5 lbs. or less. Call: (626) 934-2936 (Total hours: 870.)  

Here is a list of average salaries for Heating, Air Conditioning, & Refrigeration Mechanic.  Average start is $40k.  

For Appliance Repair Services, contact 626-934-2936.

Appraisal Dates & Times (Includes Counseling)
Tuesdays	Hours	Wednesdays	Hours	Thursdays	Hours
January 12	9-12	January 20	9-12	January 14	9-12
January 19	9-12	January 13	3-6pm	Jan. 21	9-12
January 26	9-12	January 20	3-6pm	Jan. 28	9-12
February 2	9-12	January 27	3-6pm	Feb. 4	1-4pm
February 9	9-12	March 9	3-6pm	Feb. 11	1-4pm
February 16	9-12	April 20	3-6pm	Feb. 25	1-4pm
March 11	9-12	May 11	3-6pm	March 17	1-4pm
March 29	9-12			April 14	1-4pm
Orientation Day Testing Schedule
January 20	9-12 & 3-6pm
May 4	9-12 & 1-4pm

Here is another option for Trade Schools.  InterCoast Colleges.

2235 East Garvey North, West Covina, 91791.  888-718-8282.  Or 626-337-6800.  I called at 8:58 to ask about start dates.  Reception said that she doesn't have that information, but that someone who can answer that will be in at 9am, a whole two minutes away.  Bizarre that she couldn't tell me a start date.  What's the point of having a receptionist?

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING JOBS

Start here.

How to Market to Clients You Cannot Meet

I though that this podcast was worth the time to listen to.  He offers specific, put-your-nose-to-the-grindstone approaches that could be productive.  But who knows?  He reassures his audience that this is the way to go.  Give a listen.  It's an interview of Ed Gandia by host Tess Whitty.  Tess is with MarketingTipsforTranslators.

Ed started out with a candy store in his garage.  

In this episode he and Tess discuss a marketing strategy that was mentioned by Joanne Archambault as working very well for her in episode 17, How to market your translation services to clients you cannot meet. This strategy is called “Warm email prospecting program” and was developed by Ed Gandia, a very successful freelance coach, trainer, copywriter, author and entrepreneur. I am sure you will find his tips very useful.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• What warm email prospecting is and what it is not
• How warm email prospecting is different from sending a sales letter
• Why we should avoid the “direct mail” approach
• The most important element of a successful email message to a prospect
• How to implement warm email prospecting
• Examples of warm email prospecting emails

Useful links related to this episode:

Warm Email Prospecting Program

The Wealthy Freelancer – the book

International Freelancers Academy

The Smarter Freelancing Podcast

High Income Business Writing Podcast

He basically reviews what a "Warm Email" is.  He branded it as "Warm email prospecting program."  It's the opposite of cold-calling.  Who innovative :-/.

It's not mass email.  It's not copy and paste email.  It's also about relevance.  And there's a very specific reason or match between you, your value, your brand and their concerns and organization.  Message has to be handcrafted to get better results.  The more crafted and targeted you are, the better the response rate.  A lot going on when you've received a warm email.  

What's the difference between sales letter and direct email approach.  A Direct Mail has its place.  Everyone is getting the same message.  You know that it's advertising, you know that it is marketing.  Tendency is about formula prospecting.  Resist the temptation to mass create these things.  Goal is not efficiency but peronalization and relevance.  

Most important of a successful email message?  Ed has templates as well. By far the most important thing is a meaningful connection.  It's the BRIDGE--it's the hey, I came across your website this morning, I noticed that you're doing this, or you're heading in this direction, here's what I do and here is why it is tied to what I noticed about you.  It's a conncetion between what I offer and what I noticed about you.  Here's a page on my website that tells you a little bit about me.  Should we connect?

Meaningful connection should be in the subject line.

One organization writes a lot of white papers.  You write white papers. The subject line could be "The Recent White Papers on Your Website." Prospect, Partner, Whomever.  Once you open up, you have to continue that point.  You can't start on a sales pitch.  Don't want to give too much away in the subject line, but just tease your reader.  Give them enough to show them that it is relevant.  Purpose of Subject Line is to get them to open up the email.

Steps & Types of Emails: 3 Ways, Research Each one of them. Backdoor Approach
1.  Routine Prospecting.  Carve out time each week, read trade magazines/websites of your target industry or niche.  We should stay on top of it.  This is part of your prospecting.  You're looking for potential ideas--expanding, moving, someone's getting a lot of press, anything that would cause a client to need a "translator."  What are the triggers that signal these events.  A couple of hours is more than enough.  Come up with 1, 2 or 3 potential targets. Dig in their website and research; see if you can uncover a little more.  Get their email address.  Two hours a day.
2.  Ad Hock Prospecting.  We don't plan for.  You get a newsletter from one of your target industries and you get an idea.  Look for ideas that signify potentials for your service.
3.  Hotlist Prospecting.  Creating a list of 10 to 20 dream clients that you would love to work for in your career.  You're digging a little deeper to find meaningful connections.  This is a longer term effort, say 12 to 24 months.  Send multiple emails.  

How to get the email address for people you've never met.  How do you get that contact person to contact.  Several strategies for doing this.  Most involve detective work.  Don't buy or rent a list.  Look for needs and possibilities first, and then dig deep.  Use LinkedIn and Google.  LinkedIn to find the name and title.  It has an advanced search feature.  Click on Advanced "company" and so forth.  For the email, go to Google.  Searche their name and the word "email."  Search for very specific terms.  Their name and email address on the web in PDF or PowerPoint presentation, and you can find it.   Don't send it to generic departmental

Jane Smith under parentheses.  And then @ ABCCo.com.  Or, try a Star *ABC.com.  Or guess, Jane.Smith.  How would her email address be presented? Find the associated search terms that would precede her email address.

So if I don't find it, I can jigsaw.com.  Datebase put together by all of us. It's called https://connect.data.com.  It's current because it's user maintained.  

Samples of what to say in the email?  Sure.  She's talking about templates. Less significant connection.  Recent White Paers on Your Website.  Body could read: 

Hi Jennifer, I've come across your website a few times over the years because I do a lot of work in the corporate health and welfare area.  I come across you site this morning, I noticed that you write a lot of white papers.  Do you have an internal resource for this or do you hire an outside professional?  I ask because I am a business writer who focuses on white papers, ebooks, and long form reports.  Beacuse of my expeience in th wellness field, I may be able to get these reports done faster and more cost effectively.  Here's some samples of my work. Should we connect?

125 words or less.  Force yourself with this limit.  The shorter, the higher the chances that someone will read it.

Event goer:  Has to do with a show or event.

Subject:  Warm leads at the Nikka Show.

Subject Line: Warm Leads at Nikka Show.  “Event—goer”

Hi, Sam.  

I saw that you’re going to be exhibiting at the Nikka show in October. I’m writing because I’ve worked with companies like ___________ and ____________ and __________ to turn more of their booth visitors into warm leads and customers.  Here is a link to a case study that showcases how I did this for ____________  at the IEC show last years.  Would you be interested in scheduling a 20-minute discovery call to see how I may be able to provide you with similar results at Nikka this year.  You can reach by email or at the number below.    

Check this out: marketing tips for Realtors.

Marketing tips for Small Business.

Yes, that is the headline - here is the copy:

Tom'sToys, Boats, RV's & Trucks is now offering RV rental. We are looking for people with great credit that would like to own a motorhome, but know they wouldn't use it all the time. Our program allows you to purchase the motorhome and we will rent it out when your not using it. Our motorhomes rent out for $1495 to $1895 a week. We pay you 75% and we keep 25% for doing the service. So our average payment will be $550-$700 a month. So if we only rent your unit for one week a month year round you have a double payment made each time.

We only do this for our customers, in new units (warranty), we have commercial renters insurance (you pay for but it covers both of us and the renter could pay to cover themselves or they provide coverage), roadside coverage. This really is no difference from a rental property, but maintenance is minimal as it is new, we only rent it out while under warranty, after that you either drop out or trade in for another new one that someone else is paying for. The huge advantage of this type of rental unit is that it is ONLY DEPRECIATED FOR 5 YEARS. Residential rentals-29 years, Commercial 39 years. Now you must consult your accountant for the whole calculation because you won't be able to depreciate your personal use, but you can still write off the interest as your second home. 

So you set your schedule and then we list the rest of the weeks that it is available. Remember everyone has different travel plans, so we do weekends-minimum 3 days, weeks and discounted monthly. We actually have one going to florida for 3 months and it will pay for the entire year and unfortunately I don't have time to use it this time of year, so it works out great. 

Most people who buy motorhomes don't use them, then they are stuck in a 20 year loan to get the payment down and it does it more harm sitting around then being used. Here is an investment opportunity that can allow you to maximize your asset for your self and financially not be a burden.

Edison
Tire Company
Auto mechanics.
Construction?  Not at my age.

eCommerce
Sales Letters & Packages to companies in neighborhood.  20% of all businesses might be interested. Know each business.

1)  Who its customers are.
2)


Selling on Amazon
1) products.
2) services.

create a sales page for the product and set up a marketing campaign for it.

"Become a copy cub."

Dear Mike,

Bob Bly here. This week, I'm giving you my take on how to make it as a freelance copywriter today.

On Monday, I gave you the three key items to freelance writing success. And yesterday, I pointed out the two kinds of competitors you'll face.

One group is the old pros … senior copywriters, many of them A-level and the rest solid B-level, with much more experience and better credentials – a large client list, great testimonials, good track record of results – than you may have. And I gave youmy key strategy for succeeding despite the existence of this heavyweight competition.

The second type of competition comes from newbie copywriters. And no matter where you are in your career, this big group of newbie copywriters represents competition for you.

If you're an old pro like me, the large pool of newbies gives clients a cheaper alternative to hiring you, putting downward pressure on fees.

If you're a newbie copywriter, how do you compete against other newbies with training, skill level, and experience as good as or better than yours?

Here are a few strategies that can help you win work and beat out your competition …

To begin with, as already discussed this week, be a specialist, not a generalist.

Specialists are more in demand and command higher fees. They have an easier time getting assignments and have fewer competitors than generalists.

To be a specialist, you must pick a niche, marketing yourself as a specialist in that niche, and master the subject matter.

Become a copy cub.

A limited number of senior copywriters (and I am not among them) hire junior copywriters in some fashion to work with them. These juniors are called "copy cubs," a term I find demeaning, but no one asked me. (To be fair, junior newspaper reports used to be called "cub reporters.")

Becoming a copy cub to a big-name, A-list copywriter can accelerate your career in several ways. First, it's great training – one of the best ways to accelerate your progress as a high-performance copywriter.

Second, you build a track record and a portfolio you can use to sell yourself to other clients. Caveat: some senior copywriters require their cubs to keep the relationship confidential and do not allow them to present samples or results as their own.

Get a staff job.

Get a staff position as a copywriter at a top company in your niche.

If you want to write financial copy, there's no better preparation than to become a staff copywriter at Agora.

If you want to write for high-tech, a job as a writer with Microsoft or Dell would be good starting points.

For social media? Facebook is the place to be.

I worked as a staff copywriter for big corporations for a few years before going freelance, and it was a beneficial apprenticeship for me.

The Claude Hopkins secret.

Legendary copywriter Claude Hopkins said the reason he earned more than twice as much as any other copywriter of the day was that he worked more than twice as hard and long.

Putting your nose to the grindstone can place you in an income bracket your fellow copywriters would envy. I became a millionaire while still in my 30s, all from my writing. And I still work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Tell me in the comments which strategy you plan to use to get ahead of your competition.

And then tomorrow, I'll share what I think is the most important thing you should be focusing on to be a successful freelance copywriter.

Stay tuned …

To your success,

Bob Bly
Independent Copywriter, Consultant, and Author

I have interviewed 100s of people in last 4 years and have some typical questions - but the set is pretty large.

Well, 5 is a pretty small number. But if I have to interview 1000 people for their programing abilities and I can only make a set of 5 questions (and assuming they are given a written test all at once), then it will contain the following questions:

Excel uses column names like A, B,C ... AA, AB, AC up to infinite. Write a function to convert the column name to its column index and vice versa.

Software is built around components and components have dependencies with each other. Write a function to calculate the compile sequence for a component X, given list of all components and their dependencies. (identify your own input format).

You are given a complete binary tree. We are augmenting the datastructure to include a pointer *next in node structure. It is supposed to point to the node at the right. Write code to populate all next pointers. What if it is not a complete binary tree?

Implement auto-complete like in the browser search bar.

Check if a given tree is a BST.

First question is more of an 'adhoc' question but it basically tests the programmer's mathematics and warms up.

Second question revolves around recursion and graphs (its essentially topological sort question).

Third question is related to trees and recursion (or stack) and identifying edge cases.

Fourth question is both a design question and DS/Algo question with a lot to talk about (even if they know I am going to ask this question, there is no way to win without being smart).

Fifth question: 95% fresh grads get it wrong because of its devilish simplicity. Its merely not good enough to do it like we do inorder/postorder traversal. Think deep.

Obviously, apart from the code of solution itself, I'm expecting time/space complexity and alternate methods to all these questions - but these are usually discussed in the interview.

If you can solve these questions, I'll definitely hire you (after a cultural check, of course.) Now you know how to win my heart.

Can Your Job Be Summarized in a Manual?

Gary North explains that he ". . . really liked [Seth Godin's] chapter on résumés. He says that résumés are dead ends. They are scanned by software today. Nobody gets a decent job because of a good résumé. Résumés are pro forma. Hiring is not based on finding the best résumé. He says your career performance must be your résumé. Your website must be your résumé. You have to have something that you can put in a personal letter that is so powerful that nobody looks at your résumé. If you rely on a résumé, you might as well pack it in now."

North writes, "Now white-collar workers are going to face this kind of competition. So, Godin is correct: you have to be able to perform at such a level that a piece of software cannot compete against you. You should master software, not be replaced by it. You should use the software to become a top-flight performer. But you had better be beyond the next programmer's ability to write a program that will do whatever it is that you do.

If there is a job manual, the programmer has a target. He knows what is required. All he has to do is produce software that will enable some low-level employee to do the work that a more expensive employee has been doing. If there is a manual, there is an opportunity for a programmer to make a lot of money. There is also a way for the employer to cut expenses by buying a piece of software and training a low-salary employee to use it." 

Gary North ends by explaining that "Above all, you must make certain that whatever it is you do cannot be summarized in a manual."

How to Achieve Customer Loyalty

Gary North has an answer:

1. Top-flight performance -- far above the closest competitor.

2. Systematic innovation.

3. Re-selling constantly: "We're the best--here's why."

4. Customer service.

5. A systematic program of word-of-mouth.

6. Participation in the group, e.g., Harley Owners Group (HOG).

Shadoe Stevens from Federated!!!

I enjoy these Shadoe Stevens commercials more today than I did when they ran back in the early 80s. 

Can't Get a Job? Start a Business.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-grads-start-a-business-if-you-cant-find-a-job-2015-05-20

Start your own business. If you can’t get a job, think of a market niche and start your own business. With the Internet, it’s easier than ever before, and there’s nothing like the satisfaction of being your own boss. One eminent economist I know quit his day job and started Bagel Day, a company in Spencerville, Md., that delivers bagels once a week to offices in the Washington, D.C., area. He never looked back and earned a chapter in “Freakonomics.”

Also: The states with the most job openings for college graduates

Check the licensing requirements before you start. Some states require them for certain occupations — designed to keep out new entrants such as yourself. If you don’t live in Florida, Nevada, Louisiana or the District of Columbia, which require a license, you could start an interior-design business. If you don’t live in Louisiana, you could start a florist business. You can become a tree trimmer without a license in 40 states.

With promising new sharing-economy services, you can either work full time for yourself, or supplement your income by working flexible, part-time hours. Have a car? Why not drive for ride-sharing companies such as Uber or Lyft for a few hours on your commute home. Wondering what to do with that spare bedroom in your new apartment? Airbnb allows you to rent that out to travelers to help you pay your rent. Did your mother teach you how to cook a family favorite? You can earn money by cooking meals for others in your community on Feastly or EatWith.

The advantage of starting your own business is that you are your own boss, and you can set your own schedule. You don’t have to worry about dress. You can keep all net income. The disadvantage is that when there is no net income, you don’t have a salary. Minimum-wage requirements don’t apply to the self-employed: The Labor Department is not going to arrest you for paying yourself too little.

Grads, you’re starting at a disadvantage. America is in fiscal trouble and you’re being asked to shoulder the burden. You’re being asked to pay for retirement programs that might not be there when you retire, and higher health-insurance premiums to subsidize those who often have higher incomes and wealth. About three-quarters of you have college loans, and in 2014, total debt per borrower was $27,000, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

Still, you have to move forward. If you follow my five tips, you will get a first job, and then a better one. Email me (with correct grammar and spelling) and let me know how it’s worked out for you.

Bob Bly on Not Doing It Yourself . . . 

Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: It's no secret that whether around the house or in my business, I am no fan of do-it-yourself. From tax return preparation to web site design, I would much rather hire a professional -- for several reasons. First, the pro will do it much better than I would. If they could not, I would hire someone else who could. Second, the pro will do it faster than I can, because she has done it dozens or hundreds of times before. Third, using the pro saves me time and actually makes me money by allowing me to focus on my core business activities: researching, writing, and thinking for my clients. The late, great direct mail guru Dick Benson had a similar attitude. He said to do only what you do best in-house, and outsource everything else. When freelance copywriters ask me what software or templates to use in building their web sites, I tell them, "Stop wasting your time and hire a professional web site designer!" My go-to web designer (see my P.S.) tells clients who come to her after trying to design their own site themselves the following story: "When we bought our first house, we had a minor leak, and my husband went to Home Depot and bought, in his words, a 'Mamma wrench.' The thing was huge. "After the flood was cleaned up, the plumber said to him, 'I love guys like you.'" Amy and I had a similar situation. We hired JL, a lanky, gray-haired tile guy who had 40 years of experience to retile our bathroom. Amy started to tell him the 'right' way to tile based on an episode of This Old House she had watched. JL turned to her and said kindly, "Miss, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." The experienced vendor has been doing the task you need done for years or decades. What gives you the illusion that you can do it as well or as fast? I haven't mowed grass or raked leaves on our lawn in decades. The reason is simple arithmetic: I earn per hour 10 times what my leaf guy charges. Every hour I pay him $25, I can be at my desk earning $250 or more per hour. Also, raking leaves bores the bejesus out of me, as do bookkeeping, tax preparation, programming (and I have forgotten most of my FORTRAN and BASIC), and a dozen other tasks. Outsourcing helps me avoid boredom and have fun doing what I love to do, which is writing. Sincerely, Bob Bly P.S. This is my go-to vendor for web site design (not for my info product landing pages, which Filipino Web Masters does for me, but for company web sites for my clients): www.WebDevelopersStudio.com

Bob Bly Copywriter / Consultant 31 Cheyenne Dr. Montville, NJ 07045 Phone 973-263-0562 Fax 973-263-0613 www.bly.com