P. T. Barnum's "The Art of Money Getting"

"Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience."

It could have been written in the 21 Century.  The proverbs still ring true.  The advice still applies.  The financial problems we face remain the same.  The common sense is still beneficial.  P. T. Barnum starts off his essay with the words:  "The road to wealth is, as Dr. Franklin turyly says, 'as plain as the road to the mill.'"

Barnum goes on to explain how if we only expend less than we earn, we will be keep our finances in check.  Avoid debt because debt strips you of your self-respect.

At the same time, we shouldn't take our "meanness" to extreme, citing the example of a woman who refused to burn a candle in the evening and limited her knowledge because she couldn't see to read.  The same woman spent money on ribbons and furbelows instead.  She was "saving at the spigot and wasting at the bunghole".  Similarly, a man bought a penny herring for his family, then hired a coach and four to take it home.  

You need to make more money than you spend, advises P. T. Barnum.  Wear your clothes a little longer; eat plainer food.  "[There is] more satisfaction in rational saving than in irrational spending."

Even in 19th Century Britain, there was a "keep up with the Joneses'" mentality.  "It is the fear of what Mrs. Grundy may say that keeps the noses of many worthy families to the grindstones."  He warns that you won't get ahead if you let vanity take over.

Ironically, prosperity can be more of an ordeal than adversity.  Remember the proverb "Easy come, easy go".  Money that is easily made can just as easily disappear.  Beware of get-rich-quick schemes. "Never have anything to do with an unlucky man or place."

Realize that good health leads to happiness.  Many are in poor health due to their own addictions:  tobacco, alcohol, etc.  Addictions not only hurt your health but also your pocketbook.  They lead to "lassitude neutralizing energies so essential to success in business".

Know your business and do it with all your might.  Use the best tools.  Persevere:  do not give up easily.  At the same time, do not get above your business.

"Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience."  In the 19th Century, nine out of ten rich men in America started with nothing.  John Jacob Astor, a poor farm boy, amassed a fortune of $20 million.  Alfred Vanderbilt, who used to row a boat between Staten Island and New York City, accumulated $50 million.  Stephen Girard, a poor cabin boy, made $9 million.

A proverb states that there is no royal road to learning; the same is true of wealth.  Let hope predominate on the road to success.  Do not have too many irons in the fire at one time.  Read the newspaper to stay abreast of current events.  Advertise your business.  Be polite to your customers (the customer is always right).  Be charitable.  Don't blab.  Preserve your integrity.  

Note:  P. T. Barnum was known for his ownership of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.  Jumbo the Elephant was one of the circus' biggest attractions.  Barnum was also mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut as well as a member of the House of Representatives.  At Barnum's death, his estate was worth $8.5 million.

http://www.riseandgrind.com/2012/11/28/art-of-money-getting/

Eights Steps to Becoming a $100,000 a Year Freelance Writer

"But if you want to consistently make $100,000 a year as a freelance writer, you need to avoid the poverty mentality that holds so many writers back from earning a high income.  A doorman in New York City earns around $30,000 annually.  If an unskilled laborer can make $30,000 just for opening a door, surely you can earn $50,000 to 100,000 for your skills." (Michelle Ruberg)

So, you want to make a living at freelance writing.  Is it possible?  Or will you just be another starving artist trying to make ends meet?  According to Michelle Ruberg, author of the Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Articles, it is possible.  You first have to distinguish the act of writing from the business of writing.  Robert Bly decided to become a freelance writer in 1982.  For the first two years, he struggled, but he kept tapping away at his typewriter.  By the third year, he was raking in $100,000 a year and he's never looked back,  Read about his experience in his book Getting Started as a Freelance Writer.

Here are Michelle Ruberg's eight steps to follow to become a lucrative freelance writer:

1.  Get serious about money

As Michelle Ruberg states:  "But if you want to consistently make $100,000 a year as a freelance writer, you need to avoid the poverty mentality that holds so many writers back from earning a high income.  A doorman in New York City earns around $30,000 annually.  If an unskilled laborer can make $30,000 just for opening a door, surely you can earn $50,000 to $100,000 for your skills." 

2.  Set daily revenue goals

Imagine you set a goal of $100,000 per year.  That's $2000 per week or $400 per day (for a 5-day week).  Keep in mind that some days you will be sending out query letters or participating in self-promotion.  However, on average you should be earning $400 per day.

3.  Value your time

Time is money.  Make a timeline.  Figure out how much you will be paid per hour rather than per word or per assignment.  Keeping in mind the $400 per day figure, aim to make $50 per hour.  Remember that you get paid to write, research and interview.  If you can find someone to do the other tasks better and for a cheaper fee, do it.  Time is precious; it's a non-renewable resource.

4.  Be more productive

Rise an hour early to work uninterrupted.  Nancy Flynn, author of The $100,000 Writer (http://www.amazon.com/The-100-Writer-Nancy-Flynn/dp/1580622658), avoids meetings and uses the telephone or e-mail instead.

5.  Nix Writer's Block

Write daily to ensure a constant flow.  If you do encounter writer's block, make sure you have many projects about various subjects on the go.  If you're stuck on a headline, set it aside to work on another article.  If all else fails, go for a walk to clear the cobwebs from your head.

6.  Get Paid More

Don't haggle over nickels and dimes.  Rather than asking for a five cent a word pay raise, target the high paying magazines to start with.  It will be much easier to meet your $400 per day quota if you are paid $2000 per assignment rather than $200 per assignment.

7.  Create a demand

Try to remain busy most of the time.  The way to do this is to specialize.  For example, write about subjects like gardening, waste water management or investment.  Specialize in format by writing only how to articles, children's articles or online venues.  The more in demand you are, the more money you will earn.  If your demand exceeds your supply, you will eventually be able to pick and choose your assignments.

8.  Get repeat business

When you get repeat assignments you become familiar with your client and organization.  A working relationship develops which saves both you and your client time.  Michelle Ruberg recommends three tips towards achieving this goal:  give each job your best effort; provide excellent customer service; and ask the editor for another assignment (ask and you shall receive).

Above all, believe that you can do it!

theskilledscribe.com

Sacrifice: Part of Success

"To forfeit something for something else considered to have greater value." 

(American Heritage Dictionary)

Society preaches that we can have our cake and eat it too.  We see headlines like "Get ripped without long workouts!" and "Get rich without having to work hard!" and "Loose 20 pounds and eat what you want!" and "Buy a house and pay nothing down!"  The message is that we can reach our goals without giving up anything else.  It comes as no surprise, then, that the United States has a credit card debt of $886 billion!

As Frederick Douglass once said:  "A man,at times, gets something for nothing, but it will, in his hands, amount to nothing."  If you don't work to earn your fortune, you don't appreciate it nearly as much.  With every goal comes sacrifice.  If you want to become a doctor, you must give up time with your family and friends to put in the necessary hours at medical school.  If you want to become a blockbuster actor, you must give up your anonymity for fame.  If you want to become a proficient writer, you must knuckle down and write daily, rather than watching television or shopping at the mall.

Take the story of Le Van Vu.  He belonged to a successful family in North Vietnam who, in the early 1960's, owned one third of the real estate.  His father was killed by the Communists, forcing he and his mother to flee to South Vietnam.  Le worked hard in school and became a lawyer.  Capitalizing on the increasing American presence in the South by the mid-1960's, Le became a successful builder. However, on a trip to the North, Le was captured and imprisoned.

After three years, Le made a daring escape and returned to the South and his family.  He started a fishing company, soon becoming the largest canner in South Vietnam.  However, with the Communists threatening to invade, Le made a decision:  he and his wife decided to leave Vietnam. 

In exchange for all of the gold he owned, Le sought passage to the Phillipines.  In only two years, he developped the fishing industry in his new country.  

However, the Van Vu's ultimate goal was to go to America.  On the trip across the Atlantic, Le became demoralized at the thought of starting over yet again.  He was about to jump overboard when his wife stopped him, promising to help him along the journey.  His wife's encouragement was all that he needed.  

They arrived in Houston, Texas with no money and no knowledge of English.  Le's cousin invited them to work at his bakery during the day and they took English courses at night.  The cousin offered to sell him the bakery once he came up with the $30,000 down payment.  Le knew that if he rented an apartment, it would take him forever to come up with the money.  So he and his wife lived in the back of the bakery for two years, surviving on a diet of baked goods and taking sponge baths in the mall's washroom.  

After two years, Le presented his cousin with a cheque for $30,000.  Now he owned the bakery.  But he wasn't ready to move into an apartment just yet.  He and his wife continued to live in the back of the bakery until they could come up with the $90,000 balance they owed Le's cousin.  Finally, after another year of sponge baths and baked goods, Le made good on his promise, presenting his cousin with a cheque for the remainder of the loan; he owned the bakery free and clear.

Twenty years later, at the publishing of his story in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Le Van Vu was a millionaire many times over.  For the entire story, read 2.  "Willing to Pay the Price", Chicken Soup for the Soul (1993) at http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/36237/willing-to-pay-the-price. 

Source:  www.theartofmanliness.com

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Professional Blogging for Dummies

At Ollie's Discount Store in Niagara Falls, New York, I bought a copy of Professional Blogging for Dummies for only $6.99 (regular $29.99).  While I have had a blog for three and a half years, I thought it was about time I learned how to be a professional blogger, to make money at my blog.

I was happy to learn that I am already doing some things right.  I post regularly and frequently.  If I can't post, then I save the date and catch up later on.  I always include photographs or pictures in my posts.  Another thing I have been doing lately is listing previous posts which connect with a current post, almost like cross references.  I also have my five most popular posts listed on my home page. Recently, I started including tags in my posts to encourage backlinks.

Here are some things I can do to expand my reader audience.  Firstly, I can provide a link to other blogs, called a blogroll.  That way, I will get fellow bloggers aware of my blog and hopefully invite reader comments.  I can become a regular follower of other blogs and make comments on their posts. I can also link to Youtube for a sound bite occasionally.

I like the author's suggestion of categorizing my blogposts.  It makes it more reader friendly.  That way, I increase the likelihood of a reader reading more than just the current post.  

Of course, to make money, I can sign up with Google Adsense which I am in the process of doing. There are also freelance writing opportunities online for bloggers like Hubpages.

The author, Susan Getgood, also mentions how to monitor and measure the success of your blog, called Google analytics or metrics:  how many people read your blog (page views); how engaged they are with your blog ex. read one post, read multiple posts; how people find your site ex. search keywords; which are your most popular posts.  As the author states:

"Understand though that even a little bit of attention to your metrics can reap big rewards.  Just keep the importance of your metrics in perspective.  After all, you're a blogger, not a calculator."

So, look out fellow professional bloggers, here I come!

To read author Susan Getgood's blog "Marketing Roadmaps" visit:
http://getgood.com/roadmaps/

To order a book, visit:
http://www.amazon.ca/Professional-Blogging-Dummies-Susan-Getgood/dp/0470601795

http://www.amazon.ca/Professional-Blogging-Dummies-Susan-Getgood/dp/0470601795