An Entertaining Way to Make Money Online! (Rated R)

Since this website is about, “Our Journey to Online Fame & Fortune” we thought we should start sharing with our readers some of the other sites and projects we have been working on.

You can help with our latest case study. We are looking for your tips, suggestions, and comments to help us promote one of our more provocative websites. I addition… we would love to hear some of your ideas for creating additional revenue streams for the site as well.

We created an online business a while back that was based on an annual radio bit taken from our favorite local morning show; the Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw Show on 101KGB FM in San Diego. Every year, just after Valentine’s Day, they give the guys a chance to celebrate a holiday of their own which is known as Steak & Knobber Day, or “Valentine’s Day for Guys“. If that term offends you, this is probably a good time for you to switch to another blog for the day.

Still with us? Good. The premise of S&K Day is this; Valentine’s Day is really all about the women. Guys buy flowers, chocolates, jewelry and do the romantic dinner just for their ladies. We are expected to do this, and for the large part we go all out willingly. With Steak & Knobber Day, which takes place on March 20th each year, all we ask for in return is something we all can appreciate (and somewhat deserve): A good old fashioned steak and a well deserved knobber.

Let’s face it, we aren’t looking for a new car, or even the latest high-tech gadget that could put you back several hundred dollars. A $10 steak dinner is all it will cost you, and the second part you can do yourself for free. I guarantee you will get a compliment even if either part doesn’t turn out the way you would expect it to. We are guys, so all you really have to do is show up and we are good to go. You can burn the steak, drop it on the ground, and you will still have a satisfied customer upon completion of Part II of this little known national holiday. For the married guys out there, we are trying to get you one more other than the one you get on your Anniversary if you are lucky. Some would say that was a joke, while others would call that statistically correct.

You can help us to take Steak and Knobber Day from just a great idea and be a part of the success as we try making money online with it. How would you help to promote Steak & Knobber Day throughout the world? What merchandising ideas would you come up with? Do you find it offensive or funny? As we are both family guys, we tread a fine line with this product. We don’t want to offend anyone, or turn this into an X-Rated product. We do think it is a very funny concept, and would like it to go from a local popular holiday that is favorably practiced to a globally accepted holiday for the better of all mankind.

Visit the website at steakandknobberday.com and tell us what you think. What would you do if you were going to be making money online with the Steak & Knobber Day website? We designed several items through our Cafe Press Store, and rely on those purchases for income without having to carry any inventory.

What techniques would you use to promote your products online? How would you encourage others not only to participate, but to wear and promote your products? We are serious about this, so please include sincere comments with your opinions in the comments section. This is a family friendly website, so please refrain from explicit comments.

Making Money Online with Your Passion

At what point does a hobby become a job, and a job become a career? This is the million dollar question that a lot of people are looking for the answer to while combining their passion with a money making career. When it comes to making money online, you should take your passion and match it with a strong business model and make it profitable.

When I was a teenager, my hobby was music. I loved to listen to music, and the greater part of every dollar I made went to the local record store. For those of you under 25, we had to go into a store to purchase our music on these 12 inch vinyl discs called Records. Records gave way to the compact disc, and those gave way to Mp3’s that you can snap up from home on iTunes.

This post isn’t about music, but to some extent it is still relevant. I turned my hobby of music into a job when I became a disc jockey. For five years I made a living working in nightclubs and doing weddings and house parties. I loved what I did, and I enjoyed a great lifestyle while in my early twenties.  Suddenly, I noticed a shift in the marketplace. Night clubs started to close down due to the increase in violence, alcohol related issues, insurance rates skyrocketed, and business owners just didn’t want to take the risk of losing their hard earned gains to a potential lawsuit. I had to make a career change quickly, and back then there wasn’t any way for me to make money online. I didn’t even own a computer.

For the club DJ, this meant that there was a shrinking market with fewer jobs available. Times were changing, and I made a decision to get out of this industry and look for something with a brighter future. I could have easily stayed with it until the company eliminated my position, but what good would that have done me? I look back now, and I realize I made a good move at the right time. The three companies that I worked for have not only eliminated DJ’s from their payroll, but they are no longer in existence. I stayed in the hospitality industry which is something I knew quite well. I shifted into management and succeeded because I took my passion and found a new way to channel it. I still got to make people happy, but instead of packing a dance floor I was packing a dining room.

On the other side of the issue, having a steady source of income before you follow your hobby in the hopes that it will become your dream job or career makes a lot of sense. Pursue your dreams with a passion, and in the mean time do your research. Like the expression says; “Don’t quit your day job” until you know that you can make a living doing what you love to do. For anyone out there that is looking for the quick easy way to riches and a carefree lifestyle, I offer this one bit of sage advice: It isn’t out there.

If you are looking for a way to make money online, I would suggest you find something that you love, and work hard to make it profitable. Solve a problem, fill a need, or share your wealth of knowledge on a particular subject that people will pay you for. Sell a product that serves a purpose or meets a need or desire. This will gain you wealth, and lead to a better lifestyle. Live within your means until you are disgustingly wealthy, and then make sure you have a long term plan to protect your newly found wealth.  It goes quickly, especially if you never had an abundance of wealth to begin with.

One of my favorite sayings is this: “The man who loves what he does never works a day in his life.”  I try to live my life by this motto, and I also feel that when most people say that they have to go to work, I say that I get to go to work. See the difference?

Adding Videos Can Liven Up Your Site

Adding video to your website or blog can be a challenge, but it can also take your site to the next level. We tried to modify one of our popular features from one of our other websites by adding video content. Easier said than done, if you ask me. Although I don’t think our first effort will be winning any major awards anytime soon, we did learn a few things:

1. Not everyone should be in a video. I learned this from watching other videos, and people have often told me that I have a great face for radio (that’s the joke, get it?) I still like to talk to people, and don’t have a problem facing the camera. Remember the music artist Rick Astley? Never gonna give you up? He sold tons of records before people actually saw what he looked like (the face just didn’t match his amazing soulful voice) and his career hit the skids. Point well taken.


2. You may have a lot of information to get across, but remember to use the K.I.S.S. method when doing your presentation: Keep It Simple Stupid. If you can’t get your message across in a few words, give up (anti-Rick Astley reference).
3. Make it entertaining and you will get a positive response. My first video was packed with information, and one of my personal friends (and supporter of the website) sent me the most helpful response: You Suck.  The video didn’t capture my humorous nature, or as she put it “You weren’t yourself”.  By all means, be yourself, just don’t suck.
4. Keep it short. We tried to do a 30 second spot, and it took several hours and several takes/editing sessions to get it down to 30 seconds. Our goal is to have a continuing segment that keeps  things brief, funny, informative and worth waiting for each week.  If you build it, they will come but if you make it funny they will bring their friends too!

Have you made a video and posted it to your website/blog? There are many different ways to add video content  for free (youtube, vimeo, etc. ) or you can upgrade to premium packages that include HD (we chose to upgrade our Vimeo package and are happy with the results.)

We also use Sony Vegas Pro 8 to edit our raw footage (shot with my HD Flip Video Camera which is all too easy to transfer. I love my Flip Video! ) This sounds like another topic I can exploit in the near future, so I will just share with you what we use.  What about you? Are there some must use applications or software that you can recommend? Extreme John always has video worth watching, so hey big guy, what do you use? You don’t have to have his advertising budget to get your images out there, and that is what we want to share today.

Lee Silber – Business Spotlight Interview

Lee Silber is one of my favorite authors, because his books are innovative, entertaining, highly motivational and easy to read. The timing for this article is perfect so I can introduce his latest book “Bored Games” which will become available August 18th. Lee is not only an accomplished author, but he also owns several businesses, travels the country hosting workshops and seminars, and somehow manages to have a happy family life with his wife and two children.

I asked Lee to answer a few questions that I thought would be helpful to our readers, and here are the questions and responses. There is also a link to his website if you would like more information about his books, workshops, seminars, or to sign up for his free newsletter (This is a no-brainer!). Thanks again Lee for being our inaugural Business of the Week spotlight!

Mark: I loved your book “Rock to Riches”.  Rather than just relying on your publisher to sell the book, how affective has adding online sales been to the success of this and your other books?

Lee: Bookstores are NOT a great place to sell books, believe it or not. For one thing, there are tens of thousands of titles to choose from and they are not organized that well. Plus, they only stock certain titles. Online booksellers are a blessing for the book buyer and the bookseller because it’s easier for the book buyer to find what they need, and online booksellers “carry” more titles (which they order as needed, so they have very little risk.) For many authors this point is mute because they can’t get their books in traditional bookstores to begin with, so online booksellers are key to their success.

Mark: What creative methods have you used to add sales through your website CreativeLee.com?

Lee: I think the best button on a website is the “FREE” button. By offering something for free to capture a potential purchaser’s e-mail address you have built up good will, given them a sample of your great work, and have a way to follow-up. So many times a person has asked for and received a free sample of a book or product and turned around and placed a large order that same day.

Mark: Your products are not only informative, but they are very entertaining and highly motivational. What tips could you share with other writers/bloggers for starting a business that would be helpful?

Lee: Businesses exist for one reason and one reason only. If you were thinking to turn a profit, you would only be half right. The bottom line is the bottom line for the business owner, but for the consumer the reason they buy is because you solve a problem for them. The saying, “Find a problem and solve it” makes sense because it’s true. No matter what the product or service is, it must make someone’s life or business better. Focus on figuring out what that is and then make sure that is the emphasis in any and all marketing efforts.

Mark: CreativeLee is the perfect name to describe how you get your message across to your readers. How do you keep coming up with such one of a kind ideas?

Lee: I made a list of a hundred possible names for my business. Guess what Creative-Lee Speaking was on that list. Exactly, number one. Most of us have great ideas; we just need to trust our instincts. Confidence in your creativity is the key to coming up with clever solutions. I wanted a name that said what I did but also was memorable. I wanted a name that when I told someone what I did, they would want to know more. So far, so good.

Mark: Music is definitely a passion of yours, and it seems fitting that your book focused on Rock and Roll as the main theme. How did you gain access to so many different artists in so many different fields of music for your stories? Were there any artists that you wish you could interview, but couldn’t? Which story was your favorite?

Lee: Every time we went to a manager, publicist, or record label to request an interview with a famous rock star (Steven Tyler is a good example) we were given one excuse after another why they couldn’t do the interview. But, when we were able to name drop and say we were referred by a person who knew the rocker, we were in. It really is who you know. What’s interesting is how we overlook the obvious. Our friends and family know people who know people who can open a lot of doors. It’s worthwhile to let the people around you know what you are doing and want to do so they can help.

Mark: Let’s say I wanted to become a motivational speaker, but had no idea how to get started. What would you recommend I do to start a career similar to the path you followed?

Lee: There are three ways to build a career as a paid professional presenter. The first is write a book that becomes a best seller, or wins rave reviews in a particular field. That’s the fastest way. Another is to do something that is so amazing people want to hear about it. To make sure enough people know about your amazing story, getting your name in print and on radio and television is important. In fact, fame of any kind can lead to lucrative speaking opportunities. Finally, there are seminar companies that pay you to give talks on topics they offer. You get to travel all over the world and make money training and teaching people skills.

Mark: What do you do once you have completed writing a book? Do you jump into promotions, or move onto the next book? How much feedback to you get from your viewers? Do you use a blog or network of your peers for inspiration on your projects?

Lee: To get a book from an idea, to a book deal, to a completed manuscript, to a bookstore takes a LONG time. But that’s only the beginning. The promotional part is the most important phase. I will spend weeks just on magazine and radio interviews, in-store events, and anything else that will help get the word out. That doesn’t mean I dislike this time. In fact, I love talking up one of my titles. It takes passion to get published, and that passion carries over into promotion or publicity.

Mark: The success of Amazon’s Kindle is growing. Are your books available on this format?

Lee: This is an interesting question. Kindle could (and I say “could” because we are at a crossroads) be the next big thing. The problem for Amazon is the iPhone is so popular and can do the same thing, it’s keeping the Kindle from becoming a phase and may make it an (expensive) fad. We’ll see.

Mark: What are some of your favorite websites that you like to visit on a regular basis?

Lee: Being a writer and speaker I find information fascinating so of course Google and Wikipedia are the best.

Mark: What do you think are some of the keys that have lead to your success? I am sure our readers would really love to know this.

Lee: I’ve been asked this question a lot lately and I think I have narrowed it down to two things. The first is, finish what you start and do what you say you are going to do. So many people have great ideas, but so few follow through. If it were simply talent or intelligence that determined success, well, I would be pretty average. What I do is go for it, no matter what the odds or how hard it seems. The saying “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” is my motto. And if I didn’t have a will, there’s no way I would do something. I pick projects I am passionate about and that helps me persist even when it looks like it’s impossible.

The second thing that motivates me, and this will surprise people, is the drive to not be average. I am sure a psychologist could have a field day with this one, but the will to be the best (or at least better than most) is a powerful force when harnessed and used for greater good. I truly want to help others and make a difference, but I also have a drive to be the best author in my field, the best speaker at a conference, and the best person I can be. It works for me.

Again, we want to thank Lee for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help with our first Business Spotlight interview. Please make sure and stop by his website, “CreativeLee.com” and learn more about about him and the products and services he has to offer.

Also, if you could please leave a comment below letting us know what you think of our first interview. Did you like the format and the type of questions asked? Our plan is to personalize the questions for each interview so we can get the information our reader would like to know. Hopefully we did that here.

Our First Meetup.com Experience

I was searching for a local internet entrepreneur group in my area, and I found one called Meetup. I asked Doug if he knew anything about it, and he thought it was a networking group. It did sound interesting, so we talked our wives into letting us go out to do some research. Research usually means a few beers, so we packed up the laptop and headed out the door.

Our Meetup group was held in a quaint coffee shop (quaint meaning small) and the room was packed. The host charges a minimal fee (only $3 in our case) and he provides a one hour presentation from a well outlined series of topics. Our host was very welcoming, entertaining, and we felt like we fit right in. He wasn’t selling anything, which I liked, and Doug asked several questions during the presentation that were quickly responded to. I am the internet entrepreneur virgin, but I like to talk a lot. Doug has the knowledge and experience, but he prefers to let me handle most of the verbal duties. We work well together in this way. My motto is “Ignorance is bliss” and I usually live up to the task. Take this short story for example:

I used to go to a nightclub hypnotist with a group of friends for the entertainment of it. While I was always a willing participant during the show, my skeptical friends could not allow themselves to get hypnotized. I enjoyed being a willing volunteer rather than a witness to the volunteer’s stupidity. At the end of each show, the Hypnotist would thank his audience for attending, and especially those who allowed themselves to follow his “Power of suggestion” which is also known as hypnosis. Then he would tell us that each show is only as good as his subjects, and this is also true with each Meetup group.

Nice segue, huh? I hope I didn’t lose too many of you with my story, but it does prove a point. You get more out of life when you participate in it. I hope that by reading this article, you look up your local meetup group and give them a try. Try different topics, and you may just meet some very interesting people. That is what we are all trying to do in the first place, isn’t it? Making connections, sharing thoughts and business techniques. If you have a great idea, share it with us and our viewers.

We are definitely not the first people to mention Meetup, but we do want to share it with you and hope you give it a try. What have you got to lose? You should go in prepared with a list of questions, and also bring an open mind. You find some of the brightest things said are not the ones that you bring with you. I am usually reminded that I talk too much, and I don’t let others into the conversation. I am working on this one, really I am. My father used to tell me that God wanted me to listen and not to speak, that’s why he gave me two ears but only one mouth. So here I sit quietly, but I can type pretty fast with my two hands! Always trying to out smart the fox!

Have any of you been to a Meetup group? What was your experience? My dad also said it is nice to share, so let’s have it!

Advertise Your Business Offline with High Quality Custom Embroidered Apparel

There are tons of ways to draw traffic to your website, but the most effective form of advertising has always been from positive word of mouth. For one thing, it is free and very effective as long as it is sincere and the product lives up to your promise. You never know if someone is being paid to advertise a product (celebrity endorsements) or if they actually use the products they are promoting. I know that when I get my hands on a cool new gadget or product that I love I tell everyone about it. I think it is great to share the wealth, and once you begin doing this, you gain an incredible amount of credibility when the product backs up your promises. The next time you promote an item, your friends or clients are sure to jump on it based on your recommendation alone.

Now it is important from a branding standpoint to get your image, logo, name, etc. out there for the world to see. You know how to get your image out there online, but don’t forget to promote your business offline as well. We searched many online apparel companies to help us promote one of our blogs by using custom embroidery on our work shirts. We compared the quality of the shirts, customization of our logo, speed of processing and shipping, ease of use of their design program, and more importantly the cost of producing a quality product. We also took into consideration their customer service, follow up, and strength of their guarantee policy. We also checked with our local merchants, and compared staying local – vs. outsourcing online. We ended up with one company that stood out above the others, and that is the Queensboro Shirt Company.

What started out with a small order of a dozen polo shirts in several different colors, we were so impressed with the quality of the shirts and the value of their competitive pricing that we have since ordered t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, many different styles of polos, and the warmest fleece pullover all featuring our logo. We are walking billboards promoting our business everywhere we go. Competition is tough and you need to do everything you can to promote your business. Having a great logo is a start, but don’t be afraid to get your image everyplace you can. Hats, shirts, briefcases, notebooks, coffee mugs, water bottles and more. The more you get your image in the public’s eye, the more likely you are to get noticed.

Imagine you are at a convention, and no one knows who you are. Unless you like those “Hello, My Name Is” stickers that you write your name in with a sharpie, you are less likely to do business with any prospective clients. Now imagine you have your custom logo professionally embroidered on a stylish polo shirt, and everyone in the room knows that you are the Head Honcho from your company. Suddenly, the room is buzzing with excitement and you are at the center of that buzz. Now I am not promising that a custom logo on a shirt will make you the center of attention, but it works for me. I can tell you first hand that it is a great icebreaker when someone walks up to me in a crowd and asks me what my company is all about. That opens the door, and a great salesman will follow through until the sale is made. If I was just wearing a dress shirt and tie, would I have made that contact? I would say not.

There are a lot of online merchants that offer low cost printing or embroidery. I would compare not only the price they offer, but the quality of their work, their testimonials or customer reviews, and how long they have been in business to see if they are a worthy company or a flash in the pan business. We have ordered frequently through Queensboro (as evident by the picture of me above) and have also referred them to our business associates as well. Some orders take a while to produce, but that is a reflection of the volume of business they do. They do offer faster turnover for an additional fee, but if you are cost conscious you would be better served to plan ahead and save a little money by waiting for them to arrive through the normal production process. They stand by their work, and even after the product has been delivered, they continue to offer specials to their valued clients. They will keep you informed of new items, discontinued item deals, and more. They are a company that is in it for the long term. Stack the odds in your favor, and contact the Queensboro Shirt Company for all of your custom embroidery and printing needs. They are simply the best.