I know I tend to start a lot of posts like this, but there's an old saying. Unfortunately this one I can't repeat verbatim as this is a PG blog, so I will paraphrase it a little. "Stuff happens." Stuff, of course, refers to all sorts of negative things that can pop up in your day to day life. And if stuff can happen in your daily life, stuff will...

I’m sure most of us have been in the situation I’m about to describe. You’re low on money and it’s about time for all your bills to come due. You’ve got just enough to scrape by and get everything paid, but you’re leaving yourself just a little short for a while. You make an executive decision to let a bill or two slide into the next month so you’ve got...

There is a line from the original Star Wars film Episode IV: A New Hope, spoken by Harrison Ford’s character Han Solo to Mark Hamil’s Luke Skywalker during a pitched battle in space. While not one of the most memorable or quoted lines in the film, it is a solid piece of life advice that has applications in many different ways, including business. The line is “Don’t get cocky, kid.” Cockiness is...

It's as inevitable as death and taxes: everyone reading this has, at one point or another, had to call in to a company's customer service line. You know the drill - get bounced around an automated system, push 1 for English, and eventually you wind up with a bored, disinterested representative on the line who doesn’t answer your questions, ignores some of your issues, and isn't paid enough to care...

Any retirement professional can tell you that you need to invest your earnings in order to retire in comfort. They might tell you to look at bonds – debt issued by corporations or municipalities – and shares of stock, which are pieces of individual companies that entitle you to a portion of the profits (known as dividends). And it’s true – investing is essential to stay ahead of the curve....

In my last post, I touched on how to choose potential business opportunities after exploring your many options. The flip side of that equation, however, is just as important. While you'll certainly want to try your hand at many different things to maximize your earning potential, discover your most enjoyable tasks, and get yourself the largest possible piece of PIE, it’s important to remember not to overextend yourself. The temptation...

There are millions - perhaps even billions - of business opportunities out there, in just about every industry you can imagine (and some that are yet to be imagined). With so many options, there's no reason why you should settle for working in an industry that doesn't suit you. It's not the middle ages - you've got more options than farmer or blacksmith. But how do you decide which one...

Recently, I talked about the importance of following up or, failing that, of letting it go and not feeling guilty. But that does leave a pretty important question unanswered: with whom, exactly, are you supposed to follow up? Me, of course! Well, ok, not just me. When you're in business for yourself, you're always on the prowl (so to speak) for new networking opportunities, and that means you'll want to...

It would be difficult to select a single action or attribute and consider it the one, most important tool to master. You could make a case for the importance of mastering your online presence, for building your team, or for taking the time to learn from more experienced mentors, just to name a few. The simple fact is, however, none of these is the single most important weapon in your arsenal -...

If you've been following this blog for a while, there's a good chance that you've received a lot of helpful advice, and hopefully put it to work making you money. First of all, congratulations! I'm glad to have been able to lend a helping hand on your road to personal independent earnings. You making money all on your own with no boss telling you what to do makes me happy....