A great new feature from Kayak let’s you see where you can fly for a certain amount of money? I can see this inspiring a lot of trips to places people might never have thought of before. I love it!
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Posts by author:
Michael Davis
One of our readers, Tom, asked:
“Can anyone recommend a legitimate home based business that you can actually live on?”
MY ANSWER:
Hi Tom,
Technology is making it easier every day for a lot of people to work from home. Personally, I run a graphic design business. 10 years ago we had an office in San Diego, clients in San Diego and employees from San Diego. Now, with broadband Internet so widely available we closed the office, have clients all over the country and designers from Baltimore to Buenos Aires.
The easiest way is to create a business where you work with your brain, not your hands. It’s much easier to be home based or even mobile. However, there are a lot of people who have created product based businesses that outsource production and fulfillment.
Finally, don’t get stuck thinking you need to pick ONE business to support yourself. While I make the majority of our income from my design business, I also make money doing photography, Mac consulting, some investments and of course Family Hack. I really enjoy the variety too. It makes life interesting and I’m always learning new things.
Of course, technology doesn’t always have to play a part. Last year, a friend of mine lost his SysAdmin job. Instead of looking for another job, he and his wife decided to make a change. They moved to a less expensive house about 30 minutes outside of town. It sits on several acres that they’ve turned into a “farmette”. They grow their own produce, and raise chickens (and eggs) for sale at the farmers markets. They also opened a dance studio nearby that teaches kids and adults. You can see more info at Sweet Dog Farm and Dance Barn.
Good Luck,
Michael
Tom replied with:
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the response. Although I’m still employed with a solid company I’m looking for ways to transition to a home based business. As a first timer I have found it difficult to work through the legitimate vs sites that just want you to fund something that may or may not work.
Once again, thanks for the response.
Regards,
Tom
MY FOLLOW UP REPLY:
Hi Tom,
I agree. The filtering is tough. There is so much get rich BS in the work at home industry. You might want to read Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek
. There is a fair amount of hyperbole, but also some good info on how to set up businesses that are scalable and less location based. Don’t let the title put you off, It’s just for marketing. The book isn’t about getting lazy. It’s about working smart.
Another idea is to start a business that can use your “solid company” as a first client/customer. I did that when I first started. I worked in a corporate art department. I left only after I knew they would be my first client. It was essentially the same job. The only difference was I did it from home, they weren’t locked in to paying me and I invoiced instead of getting a paycheck. In return I got the freedom and over the next couple of years added new clients.
Being inside the company gives you great access to seeing what they might need. If you can find a way to fill that need you can create a new business for yourself with very little risk. You essentially have a deal before you leap.
Good Luck,
Michael
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Hannah and I recently did a guest lecture at the University of Virginia. In this 10 minute excerpt, I swear a little, make fun of Bono, and probably piss off small retail shop owners. Deal with it. It’s the truth.
TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
Best types of business for a mobile lifestyle? Products are better than services. I tend to do a whole bunch of service businesses, but products are better than services, because a product you make it once and sell it a bunch of times and every time it makes money. A service? You or somebody you hire, which a lot of times is the case in my case, has to actually be there.
So, as much as you may think that being a rock star or a movie star might be a really great life. When U2 showed up down here and put on their little tootie fruity show? Bono had to show up and sing. When you pay your money and go and see U2. Four guys had to fly in from Ireland, put on their little shiny pants and get up there and flop around, but every time they sell a CD they don’t have to do that. It’s a very different model, products versus a service.
The internet is better than physical. If you’re going to sell something, sell it on the internet. Don’t sell it physically. Physically you have to show up and stand around. Physical retail establishments blow my mind. The idea that you have to show up every day at a place kills your mobility right away — you’ve got to open the door at 9:30 and close it at 9:30 (or whatever) and the whole time you’re just standing around just in case someone might want to buy a latte. Just in case. Two hours in the middle of the day, no one comes in? Guess what? You’re still standing there, or somebody you hire is still standing there. It’s just bad for mobility to have some sort of physical storefront or any kind of place that you physically have to go.
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My Mom whooped another common sense kitchen tip on us recently. So, I turned the video camera on her and had her show us how she keeps grilled shrimp moist and steady on a skewer.
Finally, be sure to soak your wooden skewers in water before you skewer your shriimp. It keeps them from bursting into flames.
BTW, do I get any points for not making any lame “shrimp on the barbie” jokes?
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Special guests Susie, Jack (and Hannah) help me demonstrate how a damp paper towel can change your life. Well, maybe not change your life, but it will help keep that flexible cutting board from creeping off to Nova Scotia.
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Commencement speeches suck. Then, there is this one. Speaking at a high school graduation, comedian/actor Patton Oswalt recounted being told about the “Five Environments”. Continue reading…
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Traveling the world sans pants just got a lot cooler. Google’s Street View has always been a great way to see panoramas of streets from all over the world. Today they’ve added some great improvements.
Instead of having to inch along streets using those evil forward and backward arrows, you can now use their spiffy new “pancake” to get around. Check out this short video to get the lowdown.
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Problem: Kids put sticker everywhere and they can be difficult to remove.
Solution: Get out the hair-dryer … apply heat to the sticker … after heating up the sticker — it will then easily pull off (without leaving much residue). The remaining residue can be removed by using a touch of lighter fluid on a rag.
Warning: Once the culprit realizes his/her sticker is gone, they will seize the opportunity to put a new sticker in its place. If this happens — repeat the ’solution’ (you may find yourself hopelessly in an endless loop). Consider yourself plugged Greg.
via Gregory M Brettell of Reno, NV
Greg kindly asked us to shamelessly plug a Memorial Day tribute he created featuring original music.
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TR McCormick of Dillingham, Alaska shared this useful tip:
If you lose anything on a floor and cannot find it. Use a flashlight down on the floor sideways. This causes the object to leave a shadow and you’ll find it right away.
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Place a large coffee mug that is 1/2 full of water in your dirty microwave oven. Bring to a rolling boil, then let it sit in the closed microwave for 10-15 minutes. Wipe clean with a paper towel.
UPDATE: Some readers have warned of the possibility that microwaves can overheat water which can explode and cause burns. Here’s what Snopes.com has to say on the matter:
Yes, water can “explode” in the fashion described above. However, it takes near perfect conditions to bring this about, thus “exploding water” is not something the average hot beverage drinker who would otherwise now be eyeing his microwave with trepidation need fear. Odds are, you’ll go through life without ever viewing this phenomenon first-hand, and if you’re one of the rare few who does get to see it, you will likely not be harmed by the experience (that would take your standing right over the cup at the instant it happened, and the liquid’s bolting up and hitting your skin).
Nuff said.
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