10 Reasons Why Being an Independent Taxi Driver Makes Sense For An Entrepreneur

Here are the 10 reasons why I believe that being a humble Independent Taxi Driver is the best Real Job you could have if you wanted to run other Micro-businesses on the side.

1. Freedom to work where you want and when you want. You could go out at Midnight on a Monday night if you so wished. This is the Key Reason why Taxi Driving fits in so well with running other businesses. You can literally fit Taxi Driving into the gaps.

2. No Boss to worry about.

3. Your "tool" is your Car. This same car can be used for alternative business purposes when not in use. You may find that it is most worthwhile to pay someone else to drive the taxi when you are not available.

4. Taxi Driving is a cash business.

5. You get out and about in your community. This leads to further opportunities landing on your lap.

6. There are relatively low barriers to entry. Without being derogatory, it is easier to become a Taxi Driver than a Pharmacist.

7. Taxi Driving is relatively good paying. Do you know any ex-Taxi Drivers? Don't get me wrong Taxi Driving won't get you a 5 Bed Mansion on the 18th Green of a Golf Course but it will keep the Wolf from the door. A driver I know brings in £50k per year despite working nowhere near a 40hr week.

8. Taxis are not going out of fashion. Woolworths came and went but Taxis are here to stay. I would say that Car Ownership has probably levelled out in the UK. Taxis will always be needed for those without a car but can't take the bus for whatever reason.

9. Overheads could be low if managed correctly. I'm assuming that the overheads for an Independent Self Employed Taxi Driver would be: Cost of the Car, Cost of running the Car, Carrier Insurance, Licenses and Permits from the Council. Of all these I am assuming that Fuel would probably be the highest. There is an easy way round this - switch to LPG. At the moment there are nice Mercedes, BMWs and Range Rovers with LPG fitted available on eBay at very reasonable prices.

10. Taxi Driving can give you a high return per hour worked. Let's take a Saturday Night dealing with a normal Taxi queue in any British town. I'm assuming that a Taxi Driver could do 12 runs from Midnight to 3am in Stirling or Alloa (and these are relatively small towns). At an average of £10 per drop this would bring in the equivalent of £40 per hour.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7480771

5 Things I've Done Today to Make Money

AMAZON

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £22.02 on 29/01/2013

http://1000moneymakers.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-i-make-100-every-month-from-amazon.html


COMPING FRENZY

101 Competitions entered. Email me if you want to start a Comping Co-op.


BETTING ARBITRAGE

Succesful Arb on the African Nations game between Burkina Faso and Gambia.

http://1000moneymakers.blogspot.com/2012/12/100-winners-in-row.html


TWITTER

Up to 3324 followers at @1000moneymakers


BLOGGING

The new Blog http://georgegallowayyoutube.blogspot.co.uk/ had well over 100 unique visitors today, and is generating cash already.

Check out "George Galloway Youtube"

http://georgegallowayyoutube.blogspot.co.uk/

My new Blog! All the latest George Galloway News and Videos plus some classics. I hope to (relatively quickly) use the content from this Blog to create a George Galloway quotes book to sell on the Kindle.

What if Kate Middleton was a traitor Spy?

   If you ever get the chance look up a guy called Chas Newkey-Burden. This man pumps out trash Celebrity biographies every few months – and they sell (why else would he keep on doing them?). Fair play to him. I doth my hat.  

   In my opinion his writing style is relatively easy to copy. If you think about it, 6 x 200pg books in 2 years means he is knocking them out at the giddy pace of one every 16 weeks – 12 pages a day. I think that he does this by spinning out a lot of the Google alerts he gets on his targets. He also writes up what he sees on screen. In my opinion of course.

   This style could be adapted to create trash fiction for sale on the Kindle. To give things a spin you'd need to take a well reported event or life and then spin a story around it - think Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

   Basically you take a well reported series of events and then build a story around them. This is easy to write as every second chapter will just be lifted from news reports. I’ll give you an example. Let’s pretend that Kate Middleton was actually a Russian Sleeper Spy. Her parents had been recruited by the KGB back in the 80’s when they lived in Jordan for 3 years (they don’t talk about that in the papers very often do they?). The deal had always been that they would try to push their children into Royal circles. Hence their eldest daughter had been sent all the way from Berkshire to study at St Andrews University (how often does that happen?). Pippa had been sent to Edinburgh as that was the other Uni that William was possibly going to attend. Isn’t it a bit strange that two Middle Class girls from rural Bucks moved so easily into the circles of the uber-rich? Not really when you consider that they had been being groomed for it since birth. Does a party planner and an Air Traffic Controller really make enough to have a 5 Bedroom house with wine cellar and private grounds in the Stockbroker belt? Remember Carole was brought up in a South London council flat. She’s went from Nelson Mandela House to Buck House in 25 years. In my story I would take all the news reports of Kate and Will’s courtship and intermingle it with the tale of a shadowy figure who threatens to expose the Middleton plot. I would have the subterfuge building up to the Wedding Day when the Blackmailer plans to spill the beans at the ceremony. For the set piece events like the announcement of the engagement or the Wedding day itself I would be using direct commentary from YouTube videos. Think Dan Brown meets David Icke.

   In a sense Nigel Tranter books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Tranter) were basically a story woven around historical facts – and he was rich enough to be living in a fantastic castle by the time of his death. The same could be said for Ian Rankin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Rankin) crime novels. A few I’ve read have clearly been based around actual events. One was clearly based on the Bible John murders. The truth is truly stranger than fiction.

#1000moneymakers

 

Great Article on Link Baiting - "101 Ways to Build Link Popularity"

http://www.seobook.com/archives/001792.shtml#comments

My Tribute to "The Takeaway Secret" - and a Money Making Opportunity!

   As someone who is vaguely involved in the Publishing Industry (I am Commercial Manager at the 10th Largest Cookery Publisher in the UK) and as someone who is massively involved in the 2nd Hand Book game (my Bedroom has more shelves than the Mitchell Library), I come across a lot of Cookery Books. Most of these grace my shelves for only a short time before selling at Amazon or Ebay. I'm not sentimental and would genuinely rather have the £1.50 in my Bank Account than the Book on the shelf. I can honestly say that the only exception to this ever has been "The Takeaway Secret" by Kenny McGovern.



   Now my rudimentary knowledge of Recipe Books would lead me to believe there are certain rules that must be obeyed:

1. It must be a hardcover and wipe-clean.
2. There must be a full colour pic for every recipe.
3. It must be for a certain food niche unless it has a Celeb on the front. For example, Jamie can get away with "30-minute Meals" but generic stuff has to be "Chicken", "Soups", "Slow Cooker".

   Kenny McGovern (@takeawaysecret) has disproved these myths and shown that good content is always the most important factor.

Why is the Book so Good?

   For me the main reason is that there is no hint of pretentiousness in it. There is no Sophie Dahl talking about how great it was running through a field of Hollyhocks when she was a kid, or Nigel Slater popping down to his local Deli to buy some Kangaroo meat for his next concoction. I get my cold meat from ASDA and I wouldn't know a Hollyhock from a Daffodil.

   Instead this book answers questions that I, as Mr. Working Class Joe Public, have always wondered. Why is Rice from the Chinky one million times better than the Rice you make at home? What is that great sauce on a Big Mac? How come my Chips are never as good as those from the Chippy even though we are both doing the same thing? All these answers and more are in this book. Even more importantly they are super easy to follow and very straightforward. The big reward is the taste though. You wont be disappointed. My kids actually think I can cook just because I've used recipes from the book. If you don't believe me then check out the 5-star Product reviews on Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0716022354/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0). The Takeaway Secret actually has more 5* Reviews than "Celebrate" by Pippa Middleton despite the fact that the Tabloid Press promoted it incessantly and seem to think she is the re-incarnation of Jesus and Gandhi in a set of leggings. The Takeaway Secret is a great book - case closed.

   Enough about the book, I also want to give a bit of praise to the author, Kenny McGovern. Having followed Kenny on Twitter via my personal account and saw how he interacts with everyone I can see that he is not in an Ivory Tower. No crusades to back (so-called) Healthy Eating in the Ghettos of Chicago or anything like that. Kenny seems to be more interested in what people have been doing with his recipes. Good stuff. It is refreshing to find an Author's Account which isn't just shameless plugging or self-advertisement (re: Ricky Gervais). From his tweets I gather he is a fan of Celtic Football Club, but nobody is perfect!

   You may be wondering why I have typed up such a glowing review of The Takeaway Secret on what is ostensibly a Money Making Blog. Well, having read a lot of books recently regarding starting your own Takeaway service my mind began thinking of the possibilities. What if I could get the equipment necessary and start selling takeaway food from my kitchen? (Following getting a green light from the Council) I could put ads on Gumtree and in the local paper offering the service. I could cook up the gear at home and then get the wife to deliver it within a certain area. If my grub was good enough I'd get return business and things would grow from there. Lovely Biscuits.

   Once I calmed down from my Buzz I asked myself - If this is such a great idea then why is Kenny McGovern not doing it himself? I know from listening to Kenny on the Fred McAulay Radio show that Kenny suffers from Agoraphobia. Therefore it could be a logical move for him to bring in some coin with a wee business along these lines.

   Therefore the opportunity is for someone with a bit of cash to get in contact with Kenny and (if he is up for it) provide the finance and advice he needs in order to get his home kitted out to Council standards and get the ball rolling with marketing. I assume Kenny lives in Glasgow therefore he has a massive number of chimney pots within his catchment area. With a minimum of 30,000 booksales under his belt and a lot of goodwill out there for him I'm sure an Investor would see a return very quickly.

   @DuncanBannatye and other Scottish Business Angels should get in there quick.

Comping Frenzy/ Complaining Update

   Spent a couple of hours comping tonight. Entered a grand total of 112 comps. Nice. That makes well over 150 comps entered this year. If you recall I managed to go straight through 2012 without a winner so I'm definitely due something in 2013.

   Elsewhere I received £2 from ASDA for complaining that their Heartburn medicine is rubbish. Little do they know that Dr. Christian Barnard couldn't cure my Heartburn never mind their tupenny hapenny guff.

   Keep up the good work

@1000moneymakers.

Dumyat - Ochil Hills - Scotland (Snow)

This local Man has made a nice, professional video. Not bad going for a One-Man Band knee deep in snow. 192 Subscribers is good going for his business - remember the 1000 True Fans principle.

How I Make £100 Every Month From Amazon Without Really Trying

How I Make £100 Every Month From Amazon Without Really Trying

   This is the simplest but yet most effective money-making system that anyone will ever show you. This is true 4-Hour Work Week material. If you like books then this is the perfect business for you. I am going to assume that you have an Ebay and Amazon account already. Here are the steps:

1)      Go to Ebay and search “books joblot”.

2)      Identify joblots within a reasonable driving distance which have a unit cost of 10p or less (5p preferably). Don’t bother with anything less than 200 unit lots. Try to identify those which have Non-Fiction rather than fiction available in the picture.

3)      Make a bid.

4)      Collect your wins and list the books individually on Amazon.

5)      Put fiction in a separate pile. Put Children’s books in a separate pile. These will be sold at Car Boot sales – or back on Ebay as Joblots.

6)      In other words we have picked out the Non-Fiction as our core lines. Store these alphabetically for easy picking.

7)      Sales will come thick and fast on Amazon. With an inventory of c 1500, I see 30 sales a month, every month.

8)      Use your profits to buy more stock.

   With a rolling inventory of around 1500 books bringing in c £100 a month, it is reasonable to assume that a 3000 unit stock would bring in £200 and a 10,000 unit inventory would bring in c. £600. The only limit is space in your house and how many books you can fit in your vehicle.

   As you scale up sales can be increased by listing on sites other than Amazon. Also, once past 40 items per month you should be stepping up to the Amazon Pro-Level.

   Eventually you may find that Amazon FBA is the right thing for you.


 

Make Money in a Fitness Niche Today

   Kettlebells are big business at the moment and I'm pretty sure that Demonbells (see video) will be a massive niche money maker within that business.

   If I were you I'd get a pic of the Demonbells and circulate it around the relevant suppliers on Ali Baba. Get a sample from the lowest quoting supplier and check them out. If they are any good I'd start selling these via the top Kettle Bell forums. I could even see these selling on Ebay.

http://www.thekettlebellconnection.com/forum/ubbthreads.php

   From my memory the biggest issue in selling Kettle Bells is the high shipping costs due to weight. This needs a bit of thought.

   Go for it and let me know how you get on.

How To Get Free Employees

   By the time you have a profitable and time-consuming small/ micro business you may well need employees to help you out. My first port of call would always be family. They are more likely to be trustworthy, there'll be intangible benefits and there is more chance that they will take over the business lock, stock and barrel in the future. You may well find that no-one is available to help you though. Families have a habit of not recognising the prophet in their own Living Room. This means you will have to look outside of the family unit. This is where you need to be extra careful as costs will rocket. Payroll is by far the biggest cost in UK business. Don't fret - I will show you how to get employees for free.

   Contact local secondary schools and Universities for students who are willing to be unpaid interns to gain work experience in your fields. If you are cheeky you could phone in asking for Interns in your Second Hand book business and then get your wife to ring up and ask for interns for your import/ export business. If the Uni says no then just go up and place a typical Uni flyer up on the Notice Boards. You will get a response. If you would rather write to your local Educational    Establishments then template letters are available on the net. Gumtree would be my next port of call with Craigslist and local classifieds following on.

   Keep the Intern to 8 hours or less a week in order to stay under the government radar. They'd have a cheek picking you up though as they are part of the great Intern rip-off themselves. What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander.

   Give credit where credit is due. If the Intern has done a good job then make sure to provide them with a letter of recommendation and quick references when requested. A good Intern becomes a good contact in the future. They may even be able to provide you with fresh eyes in your area.

   Following this little trick the next step could be to use "geo-arbitrage" to your advantage and follow the likes of Tim Ferriss into the world of Outsourcing. Stop off at "Our Man in India" and have a play. You will be amazed by the amount of tasks which can be outsourced for a very, very small fee. If you work out that your time is worth £30 per hour then outsourcing for less than this makes economic sense if it allows you to cash in elsewhere.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7470247

How to live in a 5Bed Mansion with Indoor Swimming Pool for £250 per month

How to live in a 5Bed Mansion with Indoor Swimming Pool for £250 per month

   I hope I’ve been pointing you in the direction of your home being not only where you sleep, eat and watch telly but also a useful business asset. To take the system to the max you need more than a 2-bed mid-terrace can offer. You will also need garden space, shed space and secure parking at the very minimum.

   If you can’t see yourself affording such “luxuries” then start thinking about Multi-generational living. Just 30 years ago it was not uncommon to find 3 generations in one household. Nowadays this is much rarer. It seems to have gone out of fashion. This is a shame because multi-generational living, within a large property, makes absolute sense. Let’s take a look at my own family. My Grandmother (81) lives in a 3-bed house mortgage free. My mother and my step-father live in a 3-bed house mortgage free. I have my portfolio of course but my own previous residential is a 2-bed with a £100,000 mortgage. Total value of the 3 comes to c £325,000. A quick scan of Right Move shows that I could get this Bobby Dazzler for around about the same amount of cash:

Full description:

A handsome, detached, Victorian Villa of tremendous character set within a generously proportioned walled garden which has retained a number of fine period features.

GROUND FLOOR: Vestibule, Entrance Hall, Drawing Room, Dining Room, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, Study/Bedroom 5 with en-suite WC, Utility Room.

FIRST FLOOR: Landing, Three Double Bedrooms, Single Bedroom 4, Dressing Room, Family Bathroom.

EXTERIOR: Large well stocked south facing walled garden with Summer House, Rear Garden, Single garage with dog kennel and private off street car parking.

   At the moment I pay £180pcm Council tax per month with my Mum and my Gran paying about £100 each. With my £500 per month mortgage, that makes a total layout of £880 to the man. If all 3 of us were to sell up we could buy the aforementioned 5-Bed and be looking at a monthly layout of about £500 per month (£300 mortgage/ £200 council tax).

   Land is the most important factor though as land gives you options. One of the main ideas to follow would be the construction of small holiday chalets on site. Check out The Cube (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1384635/10ft-cube-home-includes-lounge-shower-kitchen-DOUBLE-bedroom.html). These huts provide £1000 in income per year just through the feed in tariff. If you live in a remotely tourist area then I’m pretty sure you’ll get takers via Air BnB too (https://www.airbnb.co.uk/). Moody teenagers can be banished to The Cube when they reach that difficult age. Most importantly, little extras like this create space. Space = Cash if looked after and developed properly. Remember, Land is a good buy because they aren’t making any more!

   Having space could allow you to earn money from the current Foster care crisis in the UK. Years of negative publicity on the telly makes Joe Public think that any Foster child is immediately going to rape your children and steal your telly. In real life all you ever hear from actual foster carers is how rewarding a job it is. For rewarding, read “monetarily rewarding”. You don’t hear many factory workers call their job rewarding do you? In my area Foster carers are paid £350 per child per week. Imagine you took on a Brother and a Sister for a year. That’d bring in £35k+ pa. This is huge! Yes the work will be involved but it inherently fits into the System. There is no boss on your shoulder, there is a large amount of flexibility in the job and you are doing something good for society at the same time. If you are looking after some kids then they are not being looked after by some crazy paedo like Jimmy Saville and his evil ilk. Always think of it that way. Here is how desperate the authorities are:

   “AT LEAST 8,750 new foster families need to be found across the UK in the next 12 months to avoid a crisis in foster care in 2012, a leading charity has warned today (20 December).

   The new figures, published by the Fostering Network, show the scale of the challenge for fostering services as they struggle to provide the right foster homes for all the children who need them.

   The number of children in care who need foster homes has risen for five years in a row, and is continuing to rise. There is also an ageing foster carer population and around 14 per cent of the workforce retire or leave every year.

   Without these extra families, too many children will have to settle for second best. This might mean living with a foster carer who is a long way from the child’s home, school and family, or who does not have space for their brothers and sisters, or even living in residential care when fostering has been identified as the right option.

   Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: “These figures are alarming – we could be facing a real crisis when looking to provide the most appropriate care for children who cannot live with their own family.

   “All children in care need a family they can grow up with who can love them, be ambitious for them and help them achieve their potential. For a growing number, foster care is the best option.

   “By becoming a foster carer people can help the children they welcome into their homes to have the best possible opportunity of a positive future, do well at school and be successful in later life.

   “Foster carers come from all walks of life, from teachers to factory workers and builders to nurses. If you want to work with children and have the right skills to foster, then you can help make a real difference to children in your area.”

   An extra 7,100 foster carers are needed in England, 1,000 in Scotland, 550 in Wales and 100 in Northern Ireland.”

   Let me put another spin on the “Big House” idea. Last year I was flicking through Rightmove looking at the best houses in my County. One caught my eye as it had an indoor swimming pool. It was on the market for £500k (which was overpriced in my opinion). A couple of weeks back I noted that the person who bought it had listed it on the holiday cottage market (main site is holidaycottages4u.co.uk). This property was 5 bed, double garage, in quaint village. 30 mins to Edinburgh, 20 mins to Perth,20 mins to Gleneagles, 25 mins to St Andrews. I mention St Andrews as this is the sort of place a Golf Pro might rent for the week whilst participating in The Open.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-36025189.html

   Now imagine you own this place but you know you are going to be out of the country for at least a month each year. The owner of this property was renting it out for £1200 a week. Therefore 5 weeks a year would bring in £5k after the agency takes it fees. I imagine a £175k mortgage on this property (remember we have raised £325k through the sale of the various family properties) would cost a maximum of £8000 per year at today’s rates. Therefore the £5k brought in via the holiday rental market brings your total outlay down to £3000 per year. That’s £250 per month!

   In other words, by simply taking your holidays at the same time as your parents/ kids (you don’t even have to holiday together) I can put you in a 5 Bed Mansion with Swimming Pool for less than Council rent for a 2 bed! MY GOD THIS TIP ALONE IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THIS EBOOK!

   Note the Tree House to the rear. If you developed that to a habitable standard it would undoubtably rent via Air BnB. Let’s say you rent it one weekend a month for the 11 months you are at home. That’s another £550 in the bag.

   Finally, let’s not beat around the bush, the Authorities are more likely to approve your Foster Care application if you live here rather than amongst the chimney pots of Industrial Scotland. That’s how the system works.

   Don’t waste time thanking me though – just do it.

 

 

Make Money Through Selling Debt Management Leads

   It can be quite easy to make money through selling debt management leads. I have some experience in this myself.

  

Always remember that where there’s muck, there’s brass. A good example of this is that some Debt Vultures, sorry Debt Management companies will pay you if you people who are in trouble to them. This has been big business in the UK for the last few years and although the massive rush might have past there is still a viable amount of people out there who need help. By acting as the middle man you can make good cash. Here’s what I got told from a Debt Management company in Scotland:

   “We pay £200 per completed trust deed referral and for that all we need
is a name, contact number and permission to contact, we do all the
paperwork, meetings and calls with clients.
 
   1 in 3 people in Scotland are struggling with debt so there is no
doubt that you probably have several people in your network that is
suitable for a trust deed, its just a case of mentioning to people you
meet that you can help people get out of debt.
 
   If you want you could post a link to our website on your facebook page
personally recommending our company.  We dilligently track all our
leads and ask clients where they got our name from.  We have 1 guy
that has fed us 3 leads just by mentioning us on facebook.
 
   The main criteria we are looking for is individuals with £10k of
personal debt or those that are in negative equity and do not want
their home anymore, the possibilities are endless.”

   I’d probably go very laid back on this. Try to get adverts on every Gumtree site covering your general area. Also do blog posts every couple of months. If you are farming an area with a leaflet campaign then remember to do a Debt Management Leaflet now and again. Try some classified size ads in your local paper.

   The simplest but also the most underhanded way to get leads is to take a job with a debt collection company such as Moorcroft. Not only would you therefore make money through the Debt Collection side of the business (I did this and made some nice easy cash) but you can also then write to the customers offering help via the Debt Management Agency. Moorcroft are ALWAYS recruiting agents. Just google them and drop them an email.

   If you take up this opportunity you will get money but don’t bet that farm on it being quick or easy, hence my recommendation to stay pretty low key.

   The Moorcroft job will bring in cash but can be time consuming and ever so slightly dangerous (remember you would often be dealing with true scum bags). Mark yourself down for £500 from Moorcroft (easy) and £200 for Debt Management leads within a year.

 

 

Worth a try - Complaining to Tesco about the Horse Burger Fiasco! BASTARDS

    Make money from Tesco scum. I hate them. They are poisoning the populace and ripping us off. A quarter of the shop is taken up by piss poor cardboard ready meals filled full of addictive pink slime.
  
   They've had a modicum of comeuppance this week through the revelation that some of their Burgers contained Horse meat. Surprise surprise.

   Anyhow, this blog isn't about the great Food Scam, it's about making money. Try writing to them and asking for a refund. Better yet, write this in store using their envelopes and pens and just hand it in at the customer service desk:


Dear Sir,

as a regular eater of meat at Tesco I was shocked to hear that I had possibly been eating Horse Meat. I feel I can no longer trust Tesco. Frankly I want to be compensated.

Regards,

Ross Taylor
Club Card: 634004024088028925

Btw this has been a bonus week for a lady called Joanna Blythman. Her name always catches my eye when she writes in the National Press as I believe she started off as a reporter on one of my local papers. She has found a niche in writing about food standards and takes a particularly critical stance of Mr T.

23 Reasons Why Scotland is Better Than England

1. Coast with the Most – Scotland’s coastline (even without its islands) is three times larger than England’s and twice that of France and Spain, so there is a lot of it to explore!
2. Golf – The ‘Home of Golf’ is where the game was invented and some of the world’s most famous courses await, as well as hundreds of less heralded, but equally remarkable, courses that are open to all. The Ryder Cup will be in Gleneagles in 2014 too.
3. Whisky – Some countries that try to make great whisky cannot even spell it. Here is the real deal with hundreds of distilleries, many open to the public and many too which are postcard perfect and set in stunning locales. Check out Scotland’s whisky isle.
4. Adventure Sports – Whether you want to bash downhill on a mountain bike, hurl yourself off a bungee or take on the Atlantic surf in a kayak Scotland is one of the world’s top adventure playgrounds.
5. Prehistory – Forget touristy Stonehenge and head to the standing stones at the end of the world at Calanais or on Orkney or the ones that lie half forgotten in farmers’ fields around the country.
6. Fantastic Food – Forget what you have heard about stodge and deep fried Mars Bars, instead tuck into some of the world’s best seafood and beef. See our restaurant reviews.
7. Celtic Culture – The mystical old days of the Braveheart clans live on in traditional Highland Games, as well as concerts and pub sessions throughout the land.
8. Football – The real one with a round ball and no cheating by picking it up. Scots may be infamous from snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but the atmosphere at club and national games is electric.
9. The West Highland Line – Quite possibly the world’s most beautiful railway journey and we have ridden most of the other famous ones in the world so we know!
10. Wildlife – Be awestruck by huge eagles and stately stags on land and basking sharks, dolphins and even killer whales at sea.
11. Seven Cities – Scotland’s seven cities – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Stirling and new city Perth- all have their own charms and each is worth a trip on its own.
12. The Festival – Not just the biggest Arts’ festival in Scotland, but the biggest on the planet!
13. World Class Engineering – Scottish engineering is famous around the world, highlights in Scotland range from the epic Forth Bridge to the jaw dropping Falkirk Wheel.
14. Mountains – Masses of them. Scotland boasts 283 Munros (peaks over 3,000ft/914m) and myriad other mountains and hills.
15. Tartan – We invented the lovely chequered stuff. No, you won’t find tartan paint here, but tartan everything else.
16. Kilts – The ladies tend to love them and guys love wearing them so what is not to like? Try one on or just admire them in all their swishy glory.
17. Monsters – Good old Nessie is world famous, but she also has a sister, Morag, in Loch Morar so you can bag two monsters in one trip.
18. Music – Everyone from Big Country and Simple Minds through to Franz Ferdinand and Belle and Sebastian hails from Scotland. Rod Stewart would like to, but mercifully doesn’t.
19. Literary talents – From Robert Burns, Scotland’s Shakespeare and author of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and to literary giant Sir Walter Scott through to avant garde modern geniuses Irvine Welsh and Alistair Gray Scotland overflows with talent.
20. World Heritage – Scotland is home to an impressive five UNESCO World Heritage sites – Edinburgh’s Old and New Town, Orkney’s Prehistoric Sites, Hadrian’s Wall, St. Kilda and New Lanark.
21. Brave – Disney-Pixar’s big 2012 blockbuster is unmistakable set in Scotland so you can tour the locations from Dunnottar Castle to Glen Affric. See our Brave guide for more.
22. Hogmanay – The biggest night of the year for 2013 is already designated it’s last, an event that for many pagan leaning Scots is more important than Christmas these days and what a party Edinburgh puts on. See our guide.
23. It’s the Year of Natural Scotland – The Scottish Government and Visit Scotland have designated 2013 the Year of Natural Scotland to celebrate this unique country of 283 mountains over 3,000ft and 800 islands, with its bountiful wildlife from sea eagles to killer whales.

http://www.insiderscotland.com/23-reasons-you-must-visit-scotland-in-2013/

Make Money From Dead Men's Clothes

   It is a simple rule of business that specialists will always pay a little extra. Dieters pay a premium, lovers of organic food pay a premium, Sports car drivers pay 10p extra for their petrol. In any walk of life if you take a sidestep from the mainstream you will find a plethora of business opportunities waiting to be opened up.

   I'm a Big Man and I'm out of shape. I take a 20inch collar, a 50 chest and a 44 waist. I'm 6 foot tall but only have a 29inch inside leg (which is really weird). I take a size 12 shoe. My trousers are either extremely tight when the belt is around my belly or really loose when the belt is not around my belly. There is no happy medium. I'd like to buy my clothes in Tesco but I am just beyond their maximum range. This means I have to go to Gent's outfitters for my clothes and man do they add a surcharge! One shop in Northampton was charging £8 for a big pair of really naff Y-Fronts. There is money to be had in outsized clothes, mark my words.

   To run this business I would simply buy up all the outsized Men's Clothing (I do not have a clue about Women's Clothing) that I could find for pennies at jumble sales, classified ads etc. I would hang then up on a clothes rail at home and then list them on eBay with good quality photos on each free listing day. I'd mark the price up to guarantee that any sale netted me a couple of quid after postage and fees. I'm not greedy. I can guarantee you that there is a market for this. The business could be grown by sending out a promotional flyer for your off-eBay Outsized clothes site (thereby saving you fees on future sales). I'd also use this business to promote a charity aspect and ask customers if they would like to donate any of their old outsized clothes back to you. A virtuous circle if ever there was one. Mark yourself down for £20 profit in Y1 and remember to give a fiver to charity. Any freebie you get sent which is not good enough to sell should be traded in at Cash for Clothes (not got one of them near you? Then you're posh!). Target £1 profit from these guys per year.


How to Sell Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories on eBay (How to Sell Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories on Ebay)

A Quick Way to Make Money via the Kindle by Sharbing

   Did you know that there is currently no Kindle books on Sharbing? If you have any sharbing experience then you need to type it up and load it onto the Kindle ASAP. Amazon talk you through everything you need to do. Just click the "Self Publish with Us" option at the bottom of the home page. You don't need to go through War and Peace. Just do a quick chapter on how to prepare (and include your Betfair referral code). Do a chapter on the Maths behind sharbing. Do a chapter on the actual procedure and rules and then do a summary of your successes. I'm sure 9 out of 10 sharbers could do this better than me.

   A business cliche is "Find a need and fill it". Someone needs to do a Sharbing Kindle book now! At the moment the only relatively close title I can find is:



But this is too cheesy and American to be counted as competition.

Get off your arse and make cash now! You could write the book in just a couple of hours and have it bringing you in cash within a couple of days!

By the way, my Betfair referral code is VC6F3UGNL

I am loving my Kindle

Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi

I can't tell you how much I am loving my Kindle. Before using it I thought it was going to be a bit unnatural and clumsy. In reality it is even better than paper as it is so light. I can also increase the font size so it is like reading a large print book. Even better is the range of titles which are available on Amazon for free. I've been reading mine in bed every night for the last two weeks and I've not even had to recharge the battery.

The kindle is the future. I need to cash in!

Easy Amazon Money

£30 odd quid back this week, with £80 still sitting in the escrow bank.

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £32.00 on 15/01/2013

Do you want to destroy someone? Revenge is my business

Want to make someone's life a misery?


Email me with the Person's name, address and a brief summary of the situation.



I know 100+ legal methods which will annoy, frustrate, exasperate and create problems for your target.



This service is not cheap - do not reply if you want this for free.

My Predictions for 2013

1. Inflation will increase (in real terms - the figures might be doctored to show little change) and this will manifest itself through greater food bills, electricity bills etc.

2. Mortgage companies will continue their long thaw back towards high LTV mortgages.

3. War will continue to escalate and spread in the Middle East.

4. The Royal Baby will own the Newspaper front pages for a good month.

5. If the child is a boy, watch what happens with Prince Harry. He would then be surplus to requirements.

6. The invasion (and it will be an invasion) of Romanians and Bulgarians at the end of this year will cause a boom in the English housing market.

7. The next step on the European agenda is for Turkey and Russia to join the EU.

8. Quantitative Easing will continue under the spotlight. I think that interest rates will remain low. This consequently means that banks will continue to rake in massive profits.

9. The government will continue little cuts here and there where it suits their agenda (help the rich/ keep the poor down).

10. The Pensions crisis has been off the agenda for a while. Before long it'll be back and used for futher manipulation.

Interesting article on Warrior Forum

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-internet-marketing-discussion-forum/738230-some-general-guidelines-tips-about-making-money-forum.html

I saw some more garbage on the forum today that is compelling me to make a few ramblings here and let the forum know how I feel on some things. Please understand I am not going for perfection here or editing my post ten times, just telling you how I feel.

You need to be cautious on this forum. I know the mods do an excellent job of policing it, and you can see sticky posts as far as the rules, etc. But when you see an offer that looks too good to be true, you better do your homework...

Let's talk about coaching. I have a coaching program so I can relate.

Everyone and their brother and sister on the forum now are coaches. They take different angles: one goes towards the newbie marketer, one goes for the more experienced marketing person. I have seen coaching programs that charge $5000 or more, even ten thousand, telling you that you will make five figures a month in a year and offering no money back guarantee. Both types of programs are run by very good salesmen, who know how to talk to you to get you to buy.

Here's a word of advice: look at the reviews. I won't, but i can show you coaches who charge 500 bucks for a membership site with email support, and not one person has made money on the thread. Not one. yet, they bump it and keep selling. Why? Because people are looking for the magic bullet. My advice is to look for coaching on a specific method that has not only gotten the OP money, but his students vouch for him and show you proof. Period. All other coaching, don't waste your time or money.

I paid a well known warrior for coaching over the summer, 2k dollars. After three weeks and nothing was getting done, working, or happening, I asked for my money back. I got roughly 50% of it back, and was told that things he did that i could have outsourced on fiverr for 10 bucks were worth 1000 dollars. So just to warn you: even the well known warriors can hit you up with a bunk coaching program so be cautious.

Look for a coach with a solid reputation, and somebody that can teach you very specific things that will make you money. Make sure their students will tell you the coach is worth it.

I just paid for a coaching program in December which has been a real deal. I really didn't need the coaching, but the guy is honest and provides value, as well as methods that work to make money. So it was way worth it. His students went on and on about him in a positive manner. That's the kind of coaching you want.

THE JV SECTION

I have been scammed in the past on the JV section as have a lot of us. The mods have done an excellent job of keeping track of things there now, and less of it is happening, but be cautious.

There are guys posting ads for "jv" there, that are nothing but opportunities for them to make money. For example, a common one is posting a chance to mail their list with an offer and they take a cut. When in reality, they will write you and tell you that they don't like the offer, but you can pay them 100 bucks for a soload. there are a choice few warriors i would even consider paying money for a solo ad on. IF someone tells you this from a jv thread, report the post. Posting solo ads in the jv section or ANYTHING for sale is prohibited. search the classified forum and you will find well reviewed, highly affordable solos that work well.

Most of the offers on the JV forum are now legit, but everyone will get their ad approved then change it up. IF ANYBODY offers you ANYTHING that costs money on the jv forum, run like the wind.

Making money
By far and away the easiest way to make money online is to sell services. You know how to do something? Great. Sell it as a service. You don't know how to do something? That's great too. Get somebody to do it for you, and mark it up.

This of course requires work: I used to do my own seo services but i found a competent team to do them for me now. They do it the way I tell them to, and i pay them. It took me time and work and money to find the right workers, and a ton of time to perfect my system.

If you go and learn how to do something marketing related, you can make a killing. Offer some free review copies right here on the forum and you'll start to get clientele after you work at it.

Post ads on craigslist and backpage about your service. Send them to a professional looking website and watch the orders come in. Provide a great service, then build your buyers list. Your buyers will buy from you again and again.

Product creation
Product creation is another great way to make money. I'm not talking about here on the forum per-sea, as so much of what you will buy is someone's work that has been repurposed and sold as their own. All it takes apparently is a good sales page a number of affiliates that like their earnings per click and you can sell just about anything...lol

here's an idea. Do you know about something? write a book about it. make a wso about it and offer PLR rights. "how to train your dog PLR"...there are a number of warriors who do this and make a killing. Keep releasing PLR after PLR...include website templates and sales pages...just an idea...


I guess that's all on my rant for today. making money doesn't have to be hard as long as you know what you're doing and have a plan. The sooner you realize that there is no magic bullet to making money, the better off you'll be. Everyone in this game seems to be in it for themselves...gurus come out with a product and offer a commission. They make a great sales page. the affiliates don't even review the product and just send their lists in droves to buy it.

All I'm saying is try to look at things through your customers' eyes. provide something of true value and help somebody, and get paid for it.


I sincerely hope someone can get something out of my little rant today

and I'm out.

Matt

More Amazon Cash in my Pocket

   Will do a full breakdown soon. £88 sitting in the pot so I expect January to go through the £100 level. Only hitch is that I have had to put my listings on "holiday" as I am working away from home this week.

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £33.25 on 08/01/2013

If you are a new reader and want to know more about my Amazon system then just get in touch. Since starting back on Amazon back on 29th May 2012 I have brought in £538. During this period I've laid out a couple of hundred quid on postage and roughly £40 on stock. That gives me £300 profit for a business which takes up very little time - and is enjoyable too.

I'm walkin, yes indeed, I'm talkin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpi040KbI88

Success!

I'm happy to announce that I hit the target of 365 miles of walks last year. The rules were it had to be a proper walk - shuffling round work, the house or shops didn't count.

I did roughly 117 miles around my little village, 31 miles in the Ochil Hills, 46 miles around Northampton (mostly the Racecourse), 29 miles at Gartmorn Dam and 17 miles around Edinburgh.

All good fun and 365 miles more than I would've done if I hadn't set myself that little challenge. Looking back over the diary I had so many Non-walking days that I know a much higher target would be possible.

In 2013 I've set the target of 400 miles but I may increase this on review. As well as clocking up the miles I'd also like to do more of the Ochils this year. In 2012 I only managed Dumyat, Myreton, Ben Cleuch and Dollar Law. This year I want to at least get The Nebit and a few more under my belt.

Wish me luck.

Reply from Fresh Start Scotland

Hi Ross,

Happy New Year, I hope 2013 is your best year yet.

Thanks for your email, I have been thinking about how we can work
together in a way that benefits each other.

Your proposal is a good one but I think the level of training that
would be required would outweigh the leads we have in that area.
Also, we have a rep that covers that area at the moment and although
he travels from Glasgow the volume of leads in that area would not
justify a standalone rep.

We pay £200 per completed trust deed referral and for that all we need
is a name, contact number and permission to contact, we do all the
paperwork, meetings and calls with clients.

1 in 3 people in Scotland are struggling with debt so there is no
doubt that you probably have several people in your network that is
suitable for a trust deed, its just a case of mentioning to people you
meet that you can help people get out of debt.

If you want you could post a link to our website on your facebook page
personally recommending our company.  We dilligently track all our
leads and ask clients where they got our name from.  We have 1 guy
that has fed us 3 leads just by mentioning us on facebook.

The main criterial we are looking for is individuals with £10k of
personal debt or those that are in negative equity and do not want
their home anymore, the possibilities are endless.

We have a letting agent that has given us 3 landlord cases and a
tenant who were all suitable.

Feel free to get in touch and let me know your thoughts

Best Regards

Classic Mispelt Sign

From my local Kebab Shop:

Great Article on Book Reviews..........

http://totorus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/how-to-write-good-book-review.html

Intro:

Reading a good book is like eating a good meal: it elicits a reaction of happiness and pleasure. As soon as you take that last bite of literature you smile ear to ear. The same thing can be said of an awful book and likewise an awful meal (here’s looking at you Top Ramen). If you’re capable of making it through the entire novel you’re left with a horrible taste in your mouth. You’ve consumed something that did not agree with you. In these situations, good or bad, it is simple human nature to tell others how you feel. If you have read something that warrants discussion, chances are you will discuss it. And it is impossible not to become a critic at this moment.

Easy, Easy, Easy.............

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £24.89 on 01/01/2013


I'll need to get my recent cash chalked up.