Make Money In The Strangest WaysWritten by Steve Gillman
The first time I heard about an old couple that went diamond hunting in parking lots, I knew there were more ways to make money than my scheming mind could imagine. By twelve years old I was taking Playboy magazines out of newspaper recycling bins to sell for a dollar each in school. I also sold ammunition to both sides in my brother's paper-wad war, so I had a taste for more unusual ways to make money. I still do. Here are some of stranger money making stories I've collected. Treasure HuntingThe old couple mentioned above can recognize sparkle of a diamond amidst pieces of glass, from a hundred feet away! Parking lots are where most diamonds pop out of there settings, due to temperature changes when people get out of their cars. Wandering mall parking lots has become their second retirement income. Treasure hunting obviously goes beyond common conception. A man in California took shag carpet from a large theater being remodeled, saving owners cost of disposal. During thirties theater was a place where wealthy went, and wealthy, like all of us, lose things, but more valuable things perhaps. When man cut up and carefully shook out old carpet, it was found to contain over $2,000 worth of precious stones, rings, and rare coins. Selling ThingsAt a campfire near a desert hot spring one winter, my wife and I met a man who sells stuffed animals on side of highway. When we saw him again, in his van full of stuffed animals, I pressed him for details. He buys used stuffed animals at thrift stores in bulk and then sells them alongside highway. Early on, he even got stores to give him animals, with agreement that he would return with money or animals next week. In some small towns he can get a vendor's permit cheaply ($18/year, for example). Otherwise he just sells until they chase him out of county. He says he hasn't been fined yet, and he claims he sold $4,000 worth his first month. I think he was exagerating, but because of him we include used stuffed animals in our flea market stands with some success. Beating The CasinoI worked at a casino for years and I saw a lot of people foolishly writing down numbers that came up on roulette wheel. Foolishly, I say, because their their theories were nonsense. Casinos will always welcome these players and even hand them pen and paper.
| | The Power of "Masterminds" Written by Heidi Richards, MS
Mastermind - Drawing from experience and knowledge of others to grow your business. A mastermind group is a group of people who meet on a regular basis to exchange ideas, seek advice of group and solicit feedback from. It is a resource center of new ideas. I have been involved in several masterminds. Most recently an online exchange between women speakers around world, which I started, and other one is an in-person meeting, which I was invited to participate in. Each of these have taken my business to a new level and I have made some wonderful friends. Highly successful mastermind groups work best when you follow these guidelines: 1. Choose people who have specialized knowledge you lack. Enlisting people with very different outlooks strengthens a mastermind group. 2. Make a time commitment and stick to it. Once a month generally works best. When you make commitment, don't allow anything except serious emergencies to interfere with your date. 3. Create an agenda to follow. This creates a sense of order during your meetings. Sample agendas might include open discussion at beginning of meeting and then focusing on individual challenges for, let's say 20 minutes each. My in-person group (of 6) focuses on one member's challenge each meeting with others offering their feedback or advice. Each member gets his or her turn to share. This is very powerful because each of us learns something from other's challenge. My online group meets in a "chat room" and we each ask a question (there are 5 of us). Then other 4 offer their responses. We meet for approximately one hour. We have open discussion at end of meeting if there is time.
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