How to Teach Your Way to a Fortune

Hello Friend,

You can make money a ton of money with online education.

I recently taught a course online and received $150 for two hours of work.

Actually, there was a bit more than two hours involved because of the prep work and research. But it was still quite easy and a lot of fun.

The market for online learning is growing like wildfire.

And the best part is….

There are several ways to grab your share of the online education cash flow.

In this issue I’ll focus on becoming an online instructor…but believe me, there are a ton if ways to make money in this market.

The first thing people usually say is “I’m not qualified”.

That’s what Steve E. said to me at lunch recently at a historic deli in Camden Maine.

Steve is a high-end graphic designer.

He works for the biggest companies in his field.

Steve’s been honing his craft for more than 20 years and he’s qualified to teach and train others.

I showed him nine online instructor opportunities he could take advantage of immediately…as in the next few hours.

He checked out the opportunities, applied and sent me an email confirming two schools were interested in his services.

The Online Education Market is the Fastest Growing Segment on the Internet

The reason online education is growing so fast isn’t money.

But actually it’s the lack of it!

People are weighing the pros and cons of traditional schools versus online and distance education.

Most people have realized there’s no comparison when it comes to cost.

The cost of online education is puny when compared to what you’ll pay to attend a “traditional” school.

A Masters Degree in 14 Months…..Instead of Four Years

Online education and distance learning is changing the way people learn.

If you’re online for any amount of time each day you know it’s true.

What’s more, online education can slash the amount of time it takes to get an education.

For example, at most traditional colleges and universities it can take up to four years to earn a Master’s degree. You can earn a Master’s Degree at accredited online schools and distance learning centers in as little as 14 months.

On top of that, traditional schools require students to be in a classroom at specific times and days.

Time and physical location are irrelevant at most online schools and distance education centers. A student can work at his or her own pace!

Granted, most people go to traditional colleges and universities for more than education. Students go to college for camaraderie, sports, for a new adventure and to get away from mom and dad.

Oh…and don’t forget the parties. But let’s not go there!

Huge Demand Presents a Profit Opportunity!

Traditional colleges and universities are nervous because people are turning to the Internet for their education.

But don’t shed any tears for the “big boys.”

Colleges and universities have themselves even embraced the Internet and distance learning.

One thing colleges and universities could do is lower the cost of their courses.

The cost of a college course today is ridiculous. More than 80 percent of the tuition goes to tenured professors, administrators, management, overhead, taxes, fees, etc.

The online learning market is huge.

The demand for online teachers, instructors, and tutors is skyrocketing, according to Ken White, author of the Online Teaching Guide.

Help Wanted: Web-Savvy Entrepreneurs and Teachers!

Online education offers exciting opportunities for Web-savvy entrepreneurs and people who can teach.

I recently accepted an assignment as a guest instructor for a distance learning program called Understanding Internet Search Engines. I was paid $2,500 for about three hours of work.

Granted, most traditional colleges and universities have steep academic requirements for online instructors.

The good news is you don't have to work at top colleges and universities to make money as an online instructor. But traditional schools may be an option worth considering too.

Look….it’s simple…the way people are learning has changed.

The “classroom model” of instruction for the past 300 years is dying.

Today, you can receive instruction on your iPhone, iPad or Droid.

On top of that, online education is becoming intertwined with online gaming… much to the chagrin of “old world” tenured professors and teachers.

My oldest son was homeschooled. He received his high school diploma online, as well as his certification in four programming languages. Much of his learning came by way of online gaming!

Here are some of the biggest online colleges and schools with web-based curriculum:

•    DeVry University

•    University of Phoenix Online

•    Walden University

•    Capella University

•    ITT Tech

•    Baker College

•    AIU Online

•    University Alliance

•    The Art Institute Online

•    Keiser University eCampus

•    Jones International University

•    ECPI – College of Technology

•    Clayton College of Natural Health

•    Everest University

What is Distance Learning?

Distance learning gives people the option of earning college credits off-campus, via television, the Internet, satellite classes, web-conferencing, correspondence courses, and other means.

Today, most major colleges, universities, and technical school have distance or online learning divisions.

And hundreds of online "virtual" learning centers are being launched every month.

How to Make Money as an Online Instructor

There are basically two ways to make money as an online instructor.

•    You can apply for positions or projects at established colleges, universities, and learning centers. To do that, you submit your application to the Human Resources Department (which can usually be done at the school's website).

•    You can teach as a freelance instructor. If you decide to go with this approach, you may have to forgo some of the benefits and perks that on staff teachers usually enjoy -- but you will have more freedom and flexibility.

Do I Need Academic Qualifications?

Granted, most conventional colleges and universities require an academic background or qualifications in order to teach online courses.

But many do not!

Here’s a funny story…

A friend of mine stumbled upon an advertisement at an online college for an “Internet savvy entrepreneur with bricks and mortar expertise.”

Just for the fun of it I applied. But rather than submit my colorful academic qualifications (which are non-existent because I’m a college reject and drop-out), I submitted a powerful sales letter and a list of my dismal business failures!

But to be fair I included a brief overview of more than 30 business start-ups I launched.

On top of that, rather than submit the information online, I sent it to the appropriate person in a FedEx NextDay letter!

I was retained for the project within three days.

I realize some higher education centers, colleges, and universities require specific academic qualifications, and this doesn’t change with online instruction.

But the fact is you have (or can develop) specialized knowledge and the demand in this area is growing like wildfire!

Some online learning centers and distance learning programs compensate instructors on a "per student" basis.

For example, let’s say an online school compensates instructors $40 to $150 per student per course. And there can be anywhere from 5 to 75 students registered for each course. (Course lengths vary, but are generally from one to six weeks.)

Let’s do the math . . .

If you teach 20 courses a year (two per month, with summers off) with 32 students per course, and you are compensated $80 per student, you would earn $51,200 per year.

But let’s say you’re only willing to teach 10 courses per year, with only 20 students per course, and you only receive $50 per student. Fine – that’s still $10,000 a year doing something you love.

As you can see, this is an exciting opportunity and a great way to make a living (or a nice chunk of extra money).

More Ways to Make Money as an Online Instructor or Teacher

1. Become an online researcher.

2. Start your own online college, course search engine, or virtual learning center.

Starting an online college could be a substantial undertaking. But people are going online in droves to improve and enhance their education. And as an Internet-savvy entrepreneur, you can't afford to ignore a trend like this.

One way to launch an online college or learning center would be to specialize and target a specific niche. For example, you could start an online college that specializes in network security, encryption science, or Web development.

A course search engine also has potential. The idea is to populate a search engine with thousands of online courses from hundreds of colleges, universities, and online learning centers around the world. Students could search for a course by title, keyword, phrase, or popularity.

This search engine would be free to users. Entering into partnerships with the colleges, universities, and learning centers would generate your revenue.

You could also offer "enhanced listings and links" to those that want to be featured "foremost" in the search results. It would be similar to the Google AdWords model.

As you can see, the potential for anything involved with online and distance learning is substantial.

******* Action Plan ********

If you want a job as an online instructor at a college, university, or distance learning center, submit your application on their respective websites.

If you prefer to work as a freelance online instructor, the process is similar, but you’ll have more choices. Stop by the websites listed in this week’s issue or browse the Internet for more resources. Follow the links for online instructors.

Believe me… the demand for online education, distance learning, and edutainment has just begun. New schools are being launched every day! This market will be HUGE!

“What’s The Deal with Edutainment”?

Edutainment is the combination of “education” and “entertainment.”

Online instruction and distance learning often incorporates both of these areas into the education process.

In other words, in order to make education and instruction more entertaining colleges are integrating high definition video, PowerPoint presentations, online tutorials, TV, movie clips, texting, live Internet, and teleconferencing into the presentations.

The more you can integrate these applications and resources into your presentations the better!

Either way, online education and distance learning is a trend that’s hear to stay and a very profitable market.


Regards,

Marc Charles

“The King of Business Opportunities”

(Ed Note:  Marc Charles is referred to as "The King of Business Opportunities" ....and for good reason. He should be known as "The King of Legitimate Business Opportunities"...because he's launched, bought, sold reviewed and advised on hundreds of businesses and money making opportunities. He understands legitimate opportunities.) 

The Million Dollar Sales Idea You’ve Been Waiting For

Hello Friend, 

Running a business can be frustrating, especially an internet based one. I should know I run several. 

You read all these blogs, subscribe to all these newsletters, buy products and services and yet you’re still not making those millions of dollars they promised you could make. 

I know you are frustrated. 

Relax, because today I’m going to share with you the only thing you need to know to finally get your business to the level you want it to be at. 

Really I can tell you how to do it in just two words. These two words are a concept that I use in every single one of my businesses I create and run. 

In fact every business that’s ever become a success uses this concept to become so. McDonald’s uses it, Amazon uses it, Apple uses it, Costco uses it. 

This system works for everyone—no matter if you your business is small and struggling or big and booming. It doesn’t matter where in the spectrum your business falls, or how long you’ve been in business or what market you are selling to. It works across the board for everyone, including me. 

And after today, if you apply these two words, it will work for you. Your business will grow and so will your pockets. 

The concept isn’t hard to understand either, in fact, you’ve probably heard the two words I’m about to tell you before. But sometimes you have to go back to the time-tested lessons of the past to move forward. If you want to see more sales and more profit from your business then you need to start using a sales funnel to do so. 

Nothing about your business should be random. You shouldn’t do anything without knowing what your next step will be. Don’t send out an email or create an ad or craft a new product without having a precise reason for doing so. 

Your goal isn’t to have a business, it’s to make money, a lot of it, and to do so with as little effort as possible. Sure you can create products, advertisements and websites willy-nilly and make money doing so, but you’ll have to put in a lot more time and effort than is absolutely necessary. 

To make a lot of money and to make it as fast as possible you need to create a process for your business, a funnel if you will. This funnel will guide everyone who comes in contact with your business down a carefully crafted road to get them to become a frequent customer of yours. 

At the top of the funnel is everyone who is in your market. Anyone who has ever expressed an interest in your niche or wants to learn more is your audience. It’s your initial job to turn your audience into a lead. 

How do you turn a person who doesn’t know you from Adam into a potential buyer? With an offer that is too good to be true. 

Your initial aim is not profit. You’ll never make this concept work if you try to make money at every step along with journey. In fact at this point in the sales funnel process you will most likely be losing money. 

You must recognize that most people won’t buy from you the first time they meet you. It almost never happens. No one sees an ad on TV and immediately goes and buys the product. It doesn’t work like that, no matter how innovative or awesome the product is. 

What most people will do is take a bit of information from you, and then another and become more interested at each step. That’s why the first bite they take from you has to be good. You have to leave them wanting more so they’ll continue down the funnel. 

The first thing they see from you has to be an offer that is too good to be true. Give them something that is worth way more to them than what they are giving you. I like to offer a free report on something they are interested in, in exchange for their name and email address. 

In your business it doesn’t have to be a free report. It can be anything. But no matter what it has to provide tremendous value. Think about what irresistible bribe you can offer members of your audience to get them to give you their contact information. 

Now that you’ve got a list of potential sales leads you’ve got to turn them into new customers. 

At this point your aim still isn’t to make money from your audience. I know it seems like it should since they’ve already expressed an interest in what you have to offer, but this is where most businesses get it wrong. If you do this the right way, which I’m about to explain, you’ll be ahead of most of your competitors. 

Your goal is to turn this lead into a buyer. The fastest and easiest way is to offer them an initial product or service that is extremely affordable. Every market is different so I can’t say what is affordable for your market, but in general, your initial offer to them needs to be sold for no more than $79. $20 is better and $1 is ideal. 

Yes, you could lose money selling your product at this price. That’s fine. Remember your goal isn’t profit. It’s to turn this lead into a buyer. There is nothing more valuable than having a list of known buyers. 

Every big name business does it this way. Take Microsoft’s X-Box gaming system for example. Microsoft offers the X-Box game console to customers at a loss. They make no money selling it to you. In fact all video game companies lose money or make virtually zero profit selling you their gaming console. 

Did you think Amazon makes money selling the Kindle? No way. They lose money each e-reader they sell. But Amazon doesn’t care. They know that the more people they can convert to buyers with their initial, loss leader product has the potential to deliver major profits down the line. 

At this point you’ve got this buyer to make two transactions with you. First they gave you their contact information and then they bought a loss leader product from you. You now have a list of buyers. 

The next step in the sales funnel process is to sell them a product that you make some, but not a lot of profit on. You most likely have products or services like this for your business. You probably consider them your core group or flagship products. 

Most businesses never become successful because they make the mistake of offering these products to customers first. Like I said before if you run your business this way, you can make some money, but you’ll never get to that coveted success level you’ve always dreamed about. 

Remember none of the work your business does should be random. Your flagship products exist to get customers to become more familiar with your company and comfortable with buying from you. You are sending a message to them that you are a trustworthy brand that has a lot to offer to them. 

It’s the next step in the sales funnel where things get interesting and by interesting I mean extremely profitable. 

You’ve inevitably hear the terms up-sell and cross-sell. These are ways businesses make more money per transaction. While your flagship product may only make you a little bit of money, the up-sell or cross-sell you include with it, will make you a ton of cash. 

You’ve seen these kinds of offers a zillion times, you probably just haven’t realized it. When you put something in your cart on Amazon, the next thing they show you are all the other products people who have bought what you’ve bought have also bought. When you go to a clothing store and buy a dress, you’ve been told by the sales associate that a lot of people like a certain belt or hat to go with your item. When buying a TV from Best Buy the sales associate offers you a warranty or to have Geek Squad install it for you in your home. These are all ways companies make huge profits from you, for virtually no effort or cost. 

Think about what you could offer as an up-sell or cross-sell to your core products. What can you bundle with your offer? This is where you start to make serious money…but it doesn’t stop there. 

To make this sales funnel super successful you’ve got to do one more thing. If you do this, I promise you, you’ll see your sales numbers explode. 

After you’ve sold a customer one of your flagship products you need them to come back and buy from you again. How do you do that? 

By keeping the lines of communication open with them. You contact them regularly and frequently and not always with an offer. I like to do this through my blog posts. I send out blog posts 3 times a week. Sometimes I make them an offer to buy something and sometimes I do not. Whatever I send out though is an opportunity to keep my business in their mind. I want to be there when they decide they are ready to buy. 

Do this and you’ll not only create a new customer, you’ll create a customer for life. 


To your future and mine! 

Mark Patricks 

Train of Thought… or Apathy?

Hello Friend, 

“People wish to be settled, but only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Welcome back, my friend, to a new day. Each day offers a new chance, a rebirth. But do we take it? 

As chance would have it, last week I found myself on a commuter train returning from the big city at the end of the working day for the passengers. I’m sure you know the scenario: not a spare free seat in the house, people with their head down or glancing suspiciously at fellow passengers, the drone of the tracks, and the sway of the carriages. And an invisible cloud of impending doom over them all. 

As we zipped past a graveyard I pondered this existence, an existence that countless numbers of people endure. The same train at the same time taking them to and from the same place every day. Get home, eat, sleep, and do it all again the next day. And these are the ‘lucky’ ones who have jobs… 

I gazed around the carriage and felt genuine sympathy. With the state of the economy, they were all clinging on to this existence for dear life, I imagined. But even when times were good, and I travelled this way, I can remember that discontented look on their faces. 

And then I studied them more closely, and my sympathy for them evaporated… 

They were clearly unhappy or bored or both, and faced unprecedented challenges in the employment market. Uncertain times. Their livelihoods and existence in jeopardy, even for government workers. By any rational measure, this would be a time when they should all be working on safety nets, a ‘plan b’. I mean, if the light at the end of your tunnel is fading, doesn’t it make sense to find another light? 

But when I studied them more closely, at how they were filling this dead time on the train, what do you think they were all doing? Reading a good book? Making calls to run their new home business on the side? Typing away on creating a new marketing promo for their website? 

No. 

They were playing video games on their iPads, falling asleep, gossiping about nothing, staring out the window, etc. etc. I imagined it as a livestock carriage full of bleating lambs on the way to the slaughterhouse. 

“Hey, Mark, you cynical old goat- just last week you were saying how life needs balance!” 

Correct, and it does. BUT, this was dead time on the train. Potentially, this was a whole hour that could lead to a successful business endeavour or money-making venture, NOT out of greed, but necessity for these people. These same people probably complain that they don’t have any time to run a home business or improve their lives, but they all have time to screw around in a dead hour on the train. Just like they have time to wait in line for expensive coffee, smoke cigarettes, and get tattoos. 

My hat is off to you. Those people do not read newsletters like this one. They are skeptical of home businesses, trading systems, and generally making money. They believe it’s safer to do what they do. They never really left school- they just continued in the pattern that school taught them: show up on Monday morning and count the hours to Friday, living for weekends. A rush of euphoria on Saturday morning slowly slipping into a dark depression on Sunday evening. 

Apathy kills. We are headed into an economic tempest the likes of which hasn’t been seen in human history. Major sovereign states running out of money would have been an unthinkable at one time, but now we discuss it as if it was something normal. A single ‘app’ can put an entire industry out of business (just ask the people who make pocket calculators), and more are coming. It doesn’t matter if you work for government or not, nobody is safe. 

This shouldn’t frighten you, it should excite you. Because out of chaos comes order, and you can be a part of that new order if you resist apathy. 

Imagine if I’d have stood up on that train and made this announcement that I’m making to you now: “Yeah, so there you go. How do ya’ll like them apples?” 

How would my message have been greeted? With anger, right? But why? 

Have you ever heard of or witnessed the phenomenon of crabs in a bucket? If several live crabs are caught and thrown in a bucket headed for a restaurant, and one crabs tries to climb out, do you know what the other crabs do? 

I would like to think that they would help out. “Here you go, buddy, let me give you a ‘claw up’! Good for you for trying!” 

But sadly, this is not in the nature of animals (and humans are animals). What happens is that the rest of the crabs in the bucket pull that escaping crab back down with them. The message is quite different in reality: “Hey, who the hell do you think you are? You’re not better than me! You get back down here in the collective with us!” 

How often does this happen to you in daily life? People can’t help themselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s your dearest and closest friend, your beloved spouse, your parents, your co-workers (they’re the worst), they will all act like crabs in a bucket because that is human nature. 

And the trouble is that you (understandably) trust those people more than me. You listen to them, you are heavily influenced by their compulsive need to pull you back into the bucket. And if you lost your livelihood, they would also be pushing you to do things the same way all over again even though it led to your demise. 

My advice is, and always has been, to keep your blueprints for financialfreedom safely tucked away where nobody can see them. 

If the crabs can’t see you escaping, they won’t pull you back down. Don’t stand up on that commuter train and try to convert or help others, because they’ll shout you down: “No, you’re wrong… you stay on the zombie-train with us,” they groan, drooling, and shuffling towards you with arms reaching out for you, clutching iPads with a card game on the screen. 

You’re reading this because you’re a special kind of person. At the very least, you questioned the existence we’ve been programmed to follow. But do you take action? That’s the key. 

And how much of your INACTION or APATHY is because you can feel the other crabs in the bucket pulling you back down? Are you on the train of thought… or apathy…? 


More fun next time, 

Mark Patricks 

Is This Making You Poor?

Welcome back, friends, to this circle of sanity, this cabal of clarity, this… you get the idea: once again it’s my task to IMPROVE your existence so you may join the ranks of the rich. This is my base assumption each time we speak: that you want to be wealthy. If you don’t wish to become wealthy, then, as they say in government, I just work here…

But the rich are in the tiny minority of people, so how could little ol’ you join them? Do they have something you don’t? Do they have an unfair advantage over you?

Your suspicions are correct. The rich DO have something over you, an unfair edge. It’s not a college education (many successful people are high school dropouts). It’s not inherited wealth (most started from nothing, and often began as dirt poor).

So what edge did they have?

How can we say its all “unfair” when most rich people started from nothing and often didn’t have higher education? And so follows the inconvenient question: what’s your excuse for not joining them??

The ‘edge’ they have is mostly based in the mind, and no I’m not talking about smarts. I want to talk about two obstacles you face in this regard: thinking small and not having a coherent logic about money. First, thinking small…

Most people think in terms of ‘chump change’. They have miniscule goals when it comes to money. For modern proof of this, take a look at what people evidently want to watch on TV: reality shows about pawn shops, bidding on abandoned storage units, rummaging through mud in search of an old coin, searching through the attic in the hope of restoring something, buying stuff you don’t want with coupons and cheering about it… it’s a frenzied craze of late.

People have become obsessed with, and are celebrating, breadcrumbs on the floor of the banquet hall. We are developing into a scavenger-race like something out of a ‘Mad Max’ post-nuclear holocaust.

And while most people are playing in the dirt, the rich man plays a different game- a faster game, and he never gets his hands dirty.

All because he thinks on a different level, and because he has a coherent philosophy about money.
It’s more about a question of how you think, and on what level. If your entire day is spent obsessing about small things and ‘chump change’, you’re not getting a good return on your thoughts. As Donald Trump famously once said, “You have to think anyway, so you may as well think big.”

So I must ask you if you’re ‘big minded’… or ‘small-minded’.

If your financial goal consists of a running battle from day to day, scavenging what you can here and there like some crazed biker in Mad Max, it’s time to take stock of your situation, and most of all, your THOUGHTS. Take a ‘time out’, and evaluate where you are and where you need to be…

The rich man was once dirt poor. But back then he didn’t participate in this kind of small thinking, he wasn’t HAPPY with breadcrumbs from the banquet. He said, “Screw this! I want to get me a seat up there on the banquet table!”

So how about you?

Will you give me a big, loud, “Screw this!” too?

Picture yourself on that cold floor of the banquet hall… the smell of the roast beef… the laughter and chinking of glasses… while you fight with the other rats for that bone that just landed on the floor…

That’s your first step. You have to make a decision to think bigger, to not be content with what you have, and to actually do something about it.

You see, what most people do on the floor of the banqueting hall is find reasons why they can’t get up on the table. They’ll complain about the system or try and change it (good luck with that). They’ll pin all their hopes on winning the lottery or a self-serving politician saving them with his empty promises of throwing a little more meat on that floor.

Which brings me onto my second point: having a coherent philosophy about money…

Most people are extremely confused about money to an oxymoronic degree. On one hand they crave money, and on the other they feel wealth and wealthy people are somehow corrupt, immoral, and that ‘money is the root of all evil’. You can see this in some of the postings we get on the website. I mean, it beats the crap out of me why some people are reading a newsletter specifically about making money and then they complain about ‘the system’, capitalism, how unfair everything is, yada, yada, yada. This is pure nonsense.

That is NOT a coherent logic. You have to make a choice, because this confusion in your mind is stopping you from growing rich! So which is it? Are you here to make money? Yes? Great! If so, it’s time to clear out all that garbage in your head that’s holding you back- the cynicism, the laziness, the negativity, the confusion, and guilt you feel regarding wealth.

Look, money is indifferent to you. It’s like a beautiful and sophisticated woman who doesn’t need men, and she’s repulsed by desperation and inconsideration. She doesn’t care one way or the other what you think about her. If you want me, come and get me, she says. And if you don’t, that’s fine too, because plenty of others will if you don’t.

The guy with the balls to approach her is the one who’ll get her. Do you think she gives a hoot if you go and complain about that outcome if you didn’t approach her first?

She’s been around as long as civilization itself, and she’s here to stay. And throughout history, any time humans have tried to share her equally among the masses, she went into hiding. Just ask anyone who lives in Cuba.

The man who has a coherent philosophy about her, the man who knows what she is, accepts her as such, and respects her… he’s the one who’ll take her home.
Be discerning about what nonsense fills your head each day, because you’re exposed to a lot of anti-wealth propaganda on a daily basis, thanks to what is predominantly a covertly socialist media campaigning for a ‘fairer’ society. Most Hollywood stories are just as guilty- notice how the bad guy is the rich guy in movies, and how the dirt-poor underdog is the one with virtue and victory. And of course, Hollywood does this because most movie-goers ARE that working class ‘hero’, and it’s what the masses want to hear, it appeals to their mental coping mechanisms that justify their financial inadequacy.

Compare that to the person who lets nothing but quality information into his head, someone who reads books on growing rich instead of watching reality shows about scavenging. Which person will be wealthier in the next five years?

Don’t think all that stuff going in your mind isn’t doing anything to you! It’s the equivalent of a junk food diet slowly destroying you. Your body is a temple, and so is your mind.

On one hand you want wealth, and you KNOW that way too many rich people didn’t have a privilege over you. But on the other hand, there’s a conflict inside you based on what society and media feeds you: that wealth is corruption and rich people are evil. This all adds up to a paralyzing affliction and an incoherent philosophy regarding money that will keep you scavenging for breadcrumbs in instead of banqueting with that beautiful woman, money.

And if you truly don’t want to get up on that table, that’s fine too, as long as you get out of the way of others who do. At least you have a coherent philosophy now. Just make a decision and end the conflict in your mind. 

FIVE MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.
When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.
Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'
'It was Bob the next door neighbour,' she replies.
'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2
A priest offered a Nun a lift.
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.
The priest nearly had an accident.
After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'
The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'
'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'
Puff! She's gone.
'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'
Puff! He's gone.
'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.
A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'
The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'
'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch..
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story: Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.
While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

How to make it on the Internet

By Margarita Buenaventura (The Philippine Star) 

Art by MIKA BACANI

MANILA, Philippines - We young people can’t afford our own houses yet, but we do own a hefty amount of real estate. Online, that is. Virtually, we’ve found homes through our blogs and social media accounts; the feel of a perfectly framed Instagram post or a well-written blog post can practically give us the same cushy feelings that our beds can give. In fact, psychology professor Kristen Lindquist of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says that because we get a shot of dopamine for every like, reblog, and fave, it becomes something we crave for. You know, like cocaine but cheaper.

So it only makes sense that like our moms and titas who would basically D-I-E at the thought of their living rooms making the cover of Architectural Digest, some of us would also like our Internet enclaves and personalities to gain the kind of attention we think they deserve. Of course, managing to cultivate a retweetable Internet persona is no easy task.

To figure out just what it is that makes an Internet superstar tick, we’ve called upon the collective powers of a few of Manila’s most well-known bloggers. From fashion blog demigods to Instagram rock stars, these virtual celebrities give us some tips and tricks to wading the waters of Internet fame. Fair warning, your online real estate will never be the same again.

Rule #1: Networking helps you gain a bigger audience

A lot of people think that making connections or reaching out is a trait of a user, but a friend once described it as such: ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours.’ One example of this being, as a blogger, nobody’s going to read your blog if you don’t read other people’s blogs.

— Nina Pineda, @ninagpineda

Weapon of choice: Blogspot

Rule #2: Quality will always trump quantity

It’s not about the quantity of your followers, it’s about the kind of people who choose to listen to you.

I have 5k Twitter followers, and for a nobody like me, it’s an insane amount. But if you compare it to other internet personalities, it is not that much. But I still feel pretty proud about it because my followers are some of the funniest people I’ve met. Whenever I tweet something mildly funny/witty, almost always someone way funnier/wittier than me responds. And it makes me feel good that at least one smart-ass likes my content.

— Khaela de Leon, @khaela

Weapon of choice: Twitter

Rule #3: Deal with your haters privately

People love drama, so much so that they’d actually try and start it for you. Be the bigger person and ignore it, just don’t comment on anything publicly — and if there is an issue, hash it out with that person privately. No one else needs to know business that is between you and the other person.

— Camie Juan, @camiejuan

Weapon of choice: Wordpress

Rule #4: Your safety is a priority

Share but don’t over share. Be cautious about what you put out on the Internet for your own safety.

— Camille Co, @camilleco

Weapon of choice: Wordpress

Rule #5: ‘Thank you’ goes a long, long way

The most important thing I want people to remember is to always be nice. No matter how big you get, it is important to remember to keep your feet on the ground. Never feel entitled to be treated specially just because a lot of people know you. When someone says your work is beautiful, never forget to say “thank you.”

— Jelito de Leon, @jelitodeleon

Weapon of choice: Instagram

12 Practical Tips to Decrease Electrical Bill

By imoney 

The inflation rate reached 4.5 percent in May this year, which was considered the highest in the last two years. For someone who earns a fixed income, this means a plunge in buying power. If you think that your budgeting concern ends with the inflation rate, you have to think again. The next time you receive utility bills, try to look at your electricity bill. We won’t be surprised if you cringe at your electricity bill every month.

Though we have LPG, fuel and even charcoal as other sources of domestic energy, electricity remains the most viable. In the Philippines, electricity is the most common source of energy consumed according to the Household Energy Consumption Survey. In 2011, 21 million households made use of electricity consuming 8,134 gigawatt hours of electricity.

Despite being a third world country, the Philippines has one of the most expensive rates in electricity. In fact, if you will look at other countries, a 2,000 square foot apartment would get you around $60-70 bill every month. As for the Philippines, it is roughly around $450 or give or take around P18,000.  If you live in Manila, an 85 sq. meter apartment will consume an average of P4,840 monthly charge in electricity alone.

To understand why electricity in the Philippines costs that much, here is the rate of our electricity bill as of December 2013. The generation cost runs around P9.10/kWh, while VAT, and other expenses would run around P4.15/kwh. Why did it reach this rate? According to reports, there were a number of factors to blame. First would have to be the shutdown of the Malampaya system during its maintenance period, and the second event would have to be the shutdown of a number of power plants. This shifted Meralco to make use of alternative and more expensive source of energy to produce electricity. The question now is, how do we keep the power rates to a minimum?

Improve on your home’s airflow and insulation

One of the reasons why people spend so much money on air conditioning is because of the non-efficient design of their home. If you are going to decrease the electricity consumption of your air conditioning unit, you want to have proper insulation within your home. For instance, what is the material of your ceiling? If you are using plywood, keep in mind that the heat from your roof is easily transferred to the plywood’s thin material. For some households, they provide added insulation to allow the room to heat slower.

For those who want to make things right from the beginning of the construction phase, what about trying on some gypsum board? From the ceiling walls, the thick material of gypsum has the ability to prevent heat reaching the main floor. Also, this can also be a fire preventive addition to your home. The height of your ceiling should also be a factor. Remember that a lower ceiling height would mean heat to reach the floor easier.

Always check the energy rating of appliances before buying

Modern homes enjoy a great number of appliances. For manufacturers of appliances, they are now prioritizing the energy efficiency. Given the issue of climate change, coupled with the desire of homeowners to save money on their appliance usage, though energy efficient appliances are more expensive, this is still a more practical option in the long run. For instance, do you know that 11% of your monthly electrical bill came from your fridge? What if you could decrease its energy consumption?

Habits in ironing the clothes

Do you know that ironing your clothes all at once every week can help you save some cash? It is because of the fact that the iron consumes more energy when you are starting it. Another method that you could use to save energy is to use fabric softeners. Fabric softeners allow you to just wash and dry your clothes. This way, you decrease the piles of clothes that you have to iron, not only decreasing the workload, but also decreasing the bill.

Timer to shut down air conditioning unit

When is the best time to use the air conditioning unit in your room? Most people only use the air conditioning unit at night to fall asleep comfortably. Why not turn off the air condition unit an hour before you wake up? Most air conditioning units today have timers which you could set to how many hours should the appliance run. An hour without the air conditioning unit still allows you to enjoy a cool room. In fact, if you use the air conditioning unit every night, and go for this option, you could save as much as 30 hours worth of electricity every month.

Motion sensors

One of the most common things that happen inside the house is that we walk in a room and turn on the light, only forgetting to shut it off on our way out. If you have a walk in closet, just imagine the lights being turned on the whole time? For some offices, they install motion sensors in rooms that people rarely go to.

Lighting options

One of the things that you can have to save money on electric bills is to use LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are not energy efficient, not to mention they don’t last that long. LED lights last up to 10 times longer than the incandescent bulbs, not to mention it doesn’t produce heat that much.

Use curtains and tinted windows

If you want to keep the heat to a minimum inside the house, which would eventually decrease your air condition and electric fan use, then perhaps, you would want to have your windows tinted. If you don’t want a permanent fix on your window, then a curtain will also be a good alternative. Thick and dark colored windows prevent the heat from penetrating inside the room.

Cooking with an Induction Cooker

Imagine cooking more efficient with electricity, heat is transferred directly to kitchenware without any waste. You save money for gas bills and it will be safer to use since there are no open fires involved when cooking.

Taller fridge means less efficiency

Cold air goes down, while the hot air goes up. This concept explains why the box type fridge is more efficient than the taller ones. If you have a box type fridge, this provides better air flow in your fridge. If you can’t help but settle for tall refrigerators, it is a good idea that you turn to organizing the food properly in order to have the proper air flow. Also, don’t place meals that are still hot inside the fridge.

Save money on your computer’s electrical consumption

How many hours do we spend on PC’s and laptops? It has been a habit of many computer users to not turn off the other hardware when it is not in use. From the printers to the scanner, these are just some of the things that we don’t turn off when not in use. This contributes to the wear and tear of our gadgets, not to mention also consume electricity. For the laptops and PCs, it is also a good idea to keep the computer on hibernate mode if you just want a five minute breather from the work that you are doing.

Charge efficiently

Whether it is your tablet or your phone, you want to make sure that you only charge the gadgets when the battery is already critically low. This allows you to not consume electricity every now and then. This avoids you from plugging the charger even if there is still sufficient energy on your device. Also, remember to always unplug the charger once you are done. A charger that is plugged in is still consuming electricity, regardless if it is charging a device or not. Aside from using the chargers in a more efficient manner, you can also check the chargers operated by solar cells. As long as you have light, you can already charge your phone through these accessories.

Regular monitoring of your electric meter

It is crucial to have an idea if you are already consuming more than your average electrical consumption. Also, keep in mind that even if you have the same consumption as last month, the current rate still plays a great role to how much you are paying at the end of the month. The first thing that you need to know is to learn how to read an electric meter. If you have 2-3 meters in your home, try to have a separate sheet for each of them and monitor them separately. The cost of electricity has a different rate as your consumption spikes up. The second tip that can be useful in this scenario is to record your monthly bill. And third, you have to be updated of the current rate.

Is it possible to keep the electrical bill down? With smart planning and practical implementation of these tips, it is possible to have a breather with the rising cost of utilities, particularly that of electrical bills. You don’t need to purchase products sold in the market that claim to decrease your electrical consumption. These easy to follow steps are already enough to give you the savings that you’ve been looking for.