The Green Movement is vital to America's future

 I know, I know. Another "Living Green" article.

But before you run away, hear me out. I'm not just talking Green Living here, I'm talking Economics. I'll elaborate...
 We hear every single day how the Economy is simply not coming back. Inflation is going up, wages staying the same or going down. No opportunity, etc. But I think we're not doing the right things, or looking in the right places. This is where the Green Movement comes into play. People need to embrace it because it will save us money and make us money. First, lets talk saving money.

  The cost of living in this country is absurd. It costs an 18 year old kid no less then $750 to live on their own just in rent, yet they're living on 1200 a month. So how do we change this? We reduce costs. The number one culprit is the living space. We need to downsize. If your young, go for a Studio apartment, or 1 bedroom. When I moved out I had an online Business, even thought I was still turning a profit paying for 2 bedrooms (using my office as the 2nd) I was wasting hundreds of dollars a month for space I could use in my room. I realize this setup I'm explaining doesn't exactly sound ideal but remember, beggars can't be choosers. When you're coming up or saving there's sacrifices that need to be made.

 Consider housing alternatives. Have you ever looked into shipping container homes? They're perfect for putting your own individual stamp on the home's style, and they're much cheaper then building the traditional home. As a bonus for mother earth you're using shipping containers that would otherwise sit there and do nothing. It's a win-win for everyone. Think they're ugly? Think again.

Utilities are also a major culprit for wasting money. There's a lot of different ways people save..Lets go over a few. Water can be collected by setting up a water barrel to collect rain water. Usually people setup a gutter system right from the roof into the barrel. I've seen some people use rain water to flush their toilets as well. Energy is probably the trickiest one due to figuring out how to avoid a costly system. You can produce energy via Solar, Biomass Fuels, and plenty but even more costlier ways. If one could figure out how to construct their own solar panels I'd imagine they'd save a significant chunk of change on their system. Solar could be a beautiful thing, if it's more cost effective.

•  Home Living tips have been around for awhile now but here they are in case you needed a few:
• Clean your air ducts. Cooling/Heating is probably the most expensive cost in your electricity. Dirty Ducts will cost you a fortune (believe me, I know)
• Energy efficient Curtains. These really do help with reducing cooling costs in warm places.
• Program your thermostat
• Unplug your unused appliances

Want more Eco Living ideas? Sign up for my newsletter and I'll be posting them along with my other topics regularly.

What does a Brand represent?

I came across this video and thought I'd share. I really liked the way they described what a brand is. Check it out.

                                  
                           




                               

How do you reward your customers?

 
With so much competition in almost every area of Business, you have to be willing to do the things that make your Business stand out. When Marketing it's not just about the clicks, or the number of people that have heard about you. It's about the number of interactions. How many people really checked you out? How many talked to you and came away with a good impression? It's these type of things that will not only get you business but loyal customers as well.

  Lets be honest, any Business owner knows customers can be a picky bunch. So to keep them happy you need to do the deals and customers service that your competition does not. There's plenty of ways to do this, you have to be sure you're not making yourself lose money by providing these deals (something that happens more often then you think) and it has to be the deals that customers want. Some of my customers like extra stock in their orders, others prefer the faster shipping for a better deal, etc. These are just a couple of examples.

 When starting a new Business, meeting new clients or getting out of a slow spell, often I've found offering customers deals to be the most effective way of getting things going. You can advertise the deals on your Social Media page, your Blog, or Email Marketing (a fat email list with the right deal will bring you some serious results)

 Customer Rewards are important for gaining customers loyalty. If you haven't done so yet, give these ideas a try.

Are you putting enough information in your Marketing?

 I came across this article the other day and I thought it made a great point.

Today's consumer and especially millennials are information based. This means no matter your style of Marketing you need to inform your customers with the important details. People want to know what they're spending their money on, how it works, etc. Being vague will get you nowhere.

Why do you think people have always watched the News more than anything else on TV? Because we all want and need information. This is important to know whenever you're selling or marketing something. I remember when one of my first ecommerce websites was going nowhere in terms of sales. Customer feedback eventually told me they could not see the product clearly in pictures and this simple detail cost me a good amount of lost sales.

I've seen this same problem with clients I've worked with as well. This and lack of proper information, an inefficient layout or setup will take a lot of sales away from your business. Nowadays with everyone trying to do their own thing Online you have to stand out in every way possible. You hear all the time about connecting with the consumer. This isn't done from some magical event, it's by telling or showing the consumer the things they want to see.
Information is a valuable thing. Knowing how to use it can be the difference in deciding if you're successful or not.

Is your Strategy Sound through a Volatile Market?

 Right now the Stock Market is just as Warren Buffet described it "like being friends with a bipolar person"
I realize we're seeing levels in the S&P/DOW that we've not seen before, but clearly not everything in the economy is doing well. So far I notice retail/industry lagging behind tech. health care and even transportation. It makes sense as technology takes the lead in our everyday life, as for transportation the airline industry is really the driving force behind its great run.

I've been pointing a lot of my investing lately towards technology and health care to a lesser degree (I tend to stick with the type of stocks I know) Technology is going nowhere and it is a need just as much as transportation is these days. Health care has and always will be a need, add to rising health care costs and it's no wonder the sector is doing so well this year.

 Everyone has their own strategy but have you thought about yours lately? No matter what you know or like the Market and what it wants/needs constantly changes. You need to stay on top of this and educate yourself  about events in the economy as much as possible.

Living your life the right way

 Have you ever stepped back and thought about how you feel on a daily basis?

 As Entrepreneurs we're always so occupied with a task, project or an idea. We rarely have time to focus on the important things  in life such as ourselves or others, and when this happens those things usually get worse. I'm guilty as anyone at doing these things, no matter how unintentional it just  happens. However you have to get  control over these things or they will catch up with you to say the least.

 I admit, this past year was nuts. If I haven't been on a computer I've been in a post office or I was starting  new Business ventures. This was hectic, and I found myself aggravated constantly without ever having time to breathe. So I sat down recently and put some thought to my life  instead of just Business for a few days. I realized how unorganized I was and a few other things that needed change.

 I have realized during this time what makes an entrepreneur's life easier. Even if you have a profitable business you need it to move efficiently. Feeling like you have to walk through mud everyday to make a buck would make anyone feel like shit so to avoid this you set up the right system for whatever it is you do. You also schedule your time so you're not constantly rushing against the clock. I also suggest healthy hobbies that keep you disciplined in some way. I like to do the gym and MMA Training. When I say healthy hobbies I usually mean active ones. Most Business people are inside for too long during the day this makes us lazy, out of shape and sometimes can leave us lacking discipline if things get too cozy. It's good to give yourself a kick in the ass every now and then to keep the engine running.

 One last thing, take it easy. If you're one of those people that rush out of bed every morning slow down. Enjoy your day and see your time as quality, not quantity. Getting things in order is how you keep things under control.

The American Dream isn't dead, it's just changed

 
Ever since we have all grown up one of the things we heard the most was how it "isn't easy out there" or "times are tough"
You hear these phrases more then ever today. You heard people saying that since the day America was built to present day. So why are so many on the outside looking in? Because to accomplish the American Dream you need to be ambitious, daring, and intelligent (in some form) or literally just lucky like being born rich. If you want to  move up the ladder from the bottom you'll eventually learn America is a system, a game, call it whatever you want, But how ever you play it will determine your success.


 Building wealth in this country  through any kind of business or income venture requires knowing how to buy low and sell high, managing money and playing the tax game. Even if you're providing a service you need to be able to provide better services than the competition without too much cost while still making a good profit. Doing this by finding the right source for the products you need to sell or do your job will take some time unless you know the right people. This is one half of what you need to do. So now we'll go over those Terrific Taxes.

 Tax deductions come in many forms, research is your friend here. Find out what you can deduct and what you cannot. Capital Gains are a great way and can be done through anything like real estate, stocks, etc. these investments must be held for at least one year. Right now if you don't know how to get the most from your tax return or deductions you're pretty much giving the Government free money and in Business giving  the competition the edge. Lets say your competition is paying  25% while you're paying 35% every April come Tax time. They will pull away before you know it. That extra amount can be used in so many ways and if done correctly year after year this is a great advantage for your Business or just keeping Uncle Sam from taking all you're Taxes period. I strongly suggest learning about Taxes..And hire a damn accountant. So many small Business Owners don't do this thinking it is worth the savings. Assuming you find a reasonable accountant, the right one can easily save you thousands every year and once you start making 6 digits or more managing your life and expenses is too much, as I said save yourself some stress and hire that Accountant.

  Education is a big factor that many people don't take seriously enough. Some Entrepreneurs are lucky enough to find the right setup that nets them more then enough to make a living without the need for an education. However this is truly rare because unless you think you're truly capable of making 20+ mill. there is no true financial security in this country. So if you want to provide that for yourself you need to be able to know the right people and right things. Unless you have the right group of friends this is done by going with the right education. I'm not talking about going to some well known over priced/hyped University. Find the right place with the right program for you. You will learn what you need to know and meet the people you need to know. This is big for the present and future and can be done without being dropped into debt.  These three things could almost be called the big 3 when it comes down to it.

  

 America has no jobs. You hear this all the time. Well that's bullshit and I know from experience. How many times when you went to look were there truly no jobs, or did you not have the qualifications? You don't always need a college education, some jobs that pay decent can be had with a simple high school diploma or GED. But if you think that's gonna be done on rail road tracks, mines and factories crafting toys you're living in the old times or simply misguided. When seriously searching for a career you need to find out what the thriving industry is at the time.  You need a career that has a future, working at a dead end job does not provide you that. Find something you enjoy doing, learn it, and make a living doing it.

 Times are changing due to technology more than ever and I think a lot of Americans are left in the dust not knowing how true this really is. If you think simple building  or crafting jobs are coming back you're dreaming. You need to learn the times and get with them. In my opinion, the American Dream is the same as it's always been and those who are uninformed with how to play it will be left in the dust just as they've always been.