Bolton Draw! 31/12/11

Infographics

   I've always been a fan of those Educational posters you get for Kids Bedrooms. Maps of the World, Kings and Queens of Britain - that sort of thing.

   I think that there could be a market for poster (A0) size prints of some useful Infographics for Adults. I think the best way to test this would be to get about fifteen from the Public Domain and then sell them through a Shopify Storefront. You could use Lulu.com or some other such site to kncok them up meaning no inventory to hold. Worth a try.

Maximising my Betfair profits with a Kitchen timer

  
I think I need to change my tactics on Betfair. For the rest of this season I'm going to mark out all my prime betting periods in the diary (EPL games 65 minute mark to the end) and then only access Betfair at these points. When I log in I'll start a Kitchen timer and give myself 25 mins to get in and get out.

   It all starts tomorrow at 4.25pm.

Backing the draw to a level win

   You often hear about people backing each Premier League team to draw until such time as the draw comes up. I myself have been tempted to do this on numerous occasions. Perhaps it is lucky that I haven't done it this year, where bu the 30th of December, Bolton Wanderers are yet to draw a game (P18 W4 L14).

   Here's the thing though: If I had backed every team to draw to make a level £100 each, would I still be in profit overall despite Bolton's long run? By my reckoning, you'd have to be putting £19.4k on your next bet. If you'd won £95 on every other English League team drawing then you'd currently be sitting on a pot of £8740.

   Also, is it now time to start backing Bolton to draw? Surely they can't go the whole season without one? Overall, are there more draws in the second half of the season or more in the first half?

   There are more questions than answers.

2012 Actions - Walking

   All being well (will explain later), I should be able to do a lot more walking in 2012. I am extremely out of shape at the moment but I feel that walking is the key to getting myself back in shape. My plan is to use the garmin GPS system I just purchased in order to build walking routes of .5 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles and 13 miles (half marathon). I can then use these to build up over time before eventually adding in extras such as ankle weights, vest weights, sauna suits and nordic poles. I can also change the terrain from flat to hilly. My target is to do 365 miles of set walks within the calendar year of 2012!

Here is an extract from wikipedia on the health benefits of walking:

Health benefits of walkingMain article: Physical exercise


Sustained walking sessions for a minimum period of thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week, with the correct walking posture,[5][6] reduces health risks and has various overall health benefits,[7] such as reducing the chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression.[8] Life expectancy is also increased even for individuals suffering from obesity or high blood pressure. Walking also increases bone health, especially strengthening the hip bone, and lowering the more harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and raises the more useful good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Studies have found that walking can also prevent dementia and Alzheimer's.[17]

...... and what has this got to do with money-making? Everything. When you are out on a walk your mind can concentrate on whatever you want it to. You can discuss ideas with friends or focus on opportunities you see.

The Big Red Balls

  

I bet if you were a farmer who had a spare piece of land, and you did nothing else but set up the Big Red Balls (as per Total Wipeout) and got a Licquor License you'd have tons of corporate bookings.

Article from The Economic Times on Extreme Scrimping.......

NEW YORK: On Monday, the day after Christmas, TLC's cameras were cruising Forever 21, Lane Bryant and GameStop stores in Florida and California for an episode of recession-era entertainment: " Extreme Couponing."


At this penny-pinching moment in American history, this reality show about moms (and a few dads) who compulsively clip coupons and stockpile free stuff is a breakout hit for TLC, the cable channel formerly best known for Kate Gosselin. So the channel is trying to make the most of it, filming holiday specials and conceiving two spinoffs that will be shown this week.

The first, "Extreme Couponing: All-Stars," is a series that has its premiere on Tuesday, about people competing to save the most money on their groceries. The second, " Extreme Cheapskates," is a special on Wednesday, about people who barter, dumpster-dive and forage for free goods and services. If the special receives good ratings, it too could become a series.

"We feel like we've identified a brand-new genre, which is 'found money,"' said Amy Winter, the general manager of TLC.

As mundane as it may seem, watching "Extreme Couponing" can be addicting, just like couponing. Viewers root for the shoppers, whose stories of economic hardship and shopping salvation are told in 15-minute increments.

"It's doing two things at once," said Matt Sharp, an executive producer. "It's tapping into the unbelievable, yet it's also relatable."

Almost everyone goes to the supermarket, but almost no one takes home $600 worth of groceries for a nickel. Yet it's an appealing idea, especially at a time of high unemployment and consumer malaise.

"If you had put this show on before the economy took that downturn, I'm not sure that it would have resonated the way that it did," Winter said.

The show's formation follows the recent timeline of the economy. After the financial crisis in 2008, as households cut back on spending, a few television stations and newspapers ran features about fanatical coupon cutters. Some were professionals, like Susan Samtur, who had been writing books and articles about couponing for decades and whose pointers were suddenly back in vogue.

"Her weekly grocery bill you'll have to see to believe," said Kris Van Cleave of WJLA, a Washington-area TV station, when he interviewed Samtur in April 2009. With her coupons and rebates filed by category, she saved $144.11 on a trip with Van Cleave, paying just $9.43 for a week's worth of groceries. CNN picked up the WJLA report, and Sharp sent the video to a colleague at his production company, Sharp Entertainment. "There's a show here," Sharp wrote in an email. "Something in EXTREME CHEAPLIVING."

The idea percolated, and in 2010 there were other news reports that "further piqued our interest," he said in an interview. An article in The Wall Street Journal that Marchcalled coupon clipping "the newest extreme sport." ABC's "Nightline" pitted two shoppers against each other in an "extreme couponing" competition.

"The last time I purchased toilet paper at the store was in 2007," Nathan Engels, a founder of a couponing website, boasted on "Nightline."

TLC ordered one hour of "Extreme Couponing" from Sharp's company and showed it at the end of December last year.

Call me Jeffrey Archer!

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Skipraker.com is already happening!

  
I couldn't believe my eyes when I found this website:

http://garbagescout.com/

It seems that my vision of Skipraker.com is already happening in Manhattan!

Reindeer

How about this?

Get yourself half a dozen Reindeer. Get yourself down to numerous town centres on the run up to Christmas. Dress up as Santa and have a few little helpers shaking the bucket for donations.

I'll wager you'll bring in at least £100 a session tax free. Get 12 dates in before Christmas and you've brought in £1200 for the family purse.

How much does it cost to keep a Reindeer?

(............ and how much will you get from the Butcher's for the beasts after Christmas?)

Not one for me because I hate animals.

Lifehacker

   Just finished reading the lifehacker book. Here is what caught my eye:

• Dash through tasks with a timer.
• The trusted trio of email management.
• Set up a morning dash.
• Map your time.
• Block and disable bandwidth hogs.
• Filter low priority messages.
• Split your work amongst multiple desktops.

Tax doesn't have to be taxing............

   Just finished reading "101 Ways to Pay Less Tax".

Now imagine I was self employed, I could offset against my income:

• cost of goods bought for resale.
• cleaning.                 (£20 per week/ £1000 per year)
• postage.                 (£250 per year)
• stationery.              (£100 per year)
• relevant books and magazines.
• security expenditure.
• business proportion of telephone, lighting, heating, cleaning and insurance. (£150 per year)
• business proportion of rent and council tax.          (£1000 per year)
• reasonable pay for your spouse.          (£7200 per year)
• hotel and travelling expenses on business trips.
• whole cost of running your own car if used wholly for business.          (£2500 per year)
• the interest on overdrafts and loans for business purposes.          (£1200 per year)
• business insurance.          (£150 per year)
• repairs and maintenance of equipment and premises.          (£500 per year)

Now assume as I was self employed, rented a £700pcm house (10% business use) with £150pcm Council Tax. I employ my spouse as a PA and use a vehicle wholly for business purposes. I bring in £2000 per month.

   I make that roughly £14k that could be offset against tax quite legitimately (so long as all the above had the paperwork to cover them off). Of the £10k left over, roughly £7500 is covered by my personal allowance. This means that only £2500 would be taxable, giving me an annual tax bill of £500.

   At the moment I pay more than that every month!!!

Betfair Update

Betting Profit & Loss

Cricket: £0.73
Darts: £36.22
Golf: £1.90
Horse Racing: £41.33
Soccer: £52.59
Special Bets: £30.86
Tote:
Total P&L: £163.63



It's been a good week on Betfair so far this week.

Unusual Business Idea - Sexy Photo Shoots

   I read a brilliant article through the week regarding the weird internet searches people have been doing this year whilst they look for gifts for their partner. One that priced my attention was "sexy photo shoots" and to tell you the truth, in a world where people pay good money to put their feet in a bowl full of Tadpoles, I think that Sexy photo shoots as a gift could be a real winner in the years to come.

   Here is what I would do:

* Get yourself some office space.
* Advertise online, Gumtree etc.
* Get yourself a good camera.
* Copy the pricing and package offered by some other firm.

   Bob's your Uncle. If you do a couple of these you'll have paid for the cost of the camera - and you'll have free porn! Double Bubble!

Wee County Crimewatch

   Quick website idea. Take a small city or a wee county such as Clackmannanshire. Type up all the cases which are reported in the Courts section of the local paper ONLY WHEN A GUILTY VERDICT has been found. Get nice clean photos of the guilty and display them online. Add maps showing where crimes have occurred, and ALSO add different maps that show the last known address of the guilty.

   Keep this totally anonymous. Add Google Adwords selling stuff like Security measures etc.

   Bob's your Uncle, your your own area's answer to Nick Ross.

Another good night on Betfair.....

Betting Profit & Loss


Ross Taylor 05-Dec-2011 22:14
Soccer: £21.97
Tote:
Total P&L: £21.97

That makes me up £140 for the week. Wish every week was like this.

Haunted Hotel

   Love the idea of having a haunted hotel which has a curfew where the doors are locked, meals by candlelight, storytelling in front of the fire and then ghostly happenings through the night.

I need help with some Maths.........

   Okay. The odds of flipping a coin and getting the desired result are 50/50, so if someone offers you 10/11 you should tell them too bolt - but if someone offers you 11/10 you should snatch their hand off because over time your guaranteed a profit.

    Applying that logic to the UK National Lottery means that once the Jackpot goes above £14M then you should dive in as you are getting a "value" bet (are you?), but that doesn't give us the full story does it? I say that because the £1 bet we are placing when we buy a lottery ticket, is actually a multiple. We have a series of 3-folds, 4-folds, 5-folds and the big Jackpot bet. I don't know how many bets we have in total, but perhaps only 12p or so from the quid is going towards the Jackpot. Does that mean our "tipping point", when the bet becomes value, is therefore reached long before the Jackpot gets up to £14M?????

   Secondly, how does the Maths apply to the (formerly) Tote Jackpot. In recent months we've seen this rise to several hundred thousand. At what stage does that bet become value?

   Any help would be gratefully appreciated! Tim Harford and the "More or Less" team - are you reading this?

Business idea for the Wee County

Letter to the Alloa Advertiser 4.12.11:

Re your story:


"THE new £10m Diageo Cooperage in Cambus was officially opened by His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, on Monday.

He visited the innovative new cooperage and received a tour of the site, which houses state-of-the-art technology, before speaking to a range of coopers.

On declaring it open HRH - who has a long-standing interest in coopering and is an Honorary Member of the Incorporation of Coopers - said he was delighted to be there and had enjoyed a great experience throughout the day.

He was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire, the Rt Hon George Reid, who has strong links to the industry.

Full story in the Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser, Wednesday 30 November 2011"

An enterprising sort in the county should take the old barrels from the distillery to make one-man saunas. Some firms in North America are making a fortune from this:

http://www.saunabarrel.ca/
Kind regards,
Ross Taylor
(Sauchie)

Good weekend on Betfair so far

Betting Profit & Loss
Ross Taylor 04-Dec-2011 18:05


Horse Racing: -£7.72
Soccer: £76.86
Special Bets: £7.88
Tote:
Total P&L: £77.02