Monday, January 13, 2014
Minor to majors leagues...
To properly introduce the process of starting my online venture, I have to come to terms with the bitter lesson I learned in Chile. After the keynote speakers were finished, we started on the meat of the workshops, with presentations on banking, second passports, tax reporting, and investing in specific counties like Chile and Mongolia.
While the dread was on-going, the realization came suddenly, probably on the last day. I knew I didn't belong. I knew my being there was borderline farce. Not including unhappy and skepticalwives spouses, I was the least prepared person attending. What was missing was not money, per se; it was the entrepreneurial mindset. I was, and am, an employee first, second, third, and last. I'm a wise-ass worker bee, and a happy one at that. I didn't have the slightest idea on how to "add value" or to open my own business, or anything else like that. I was sick to my stomach by the end of the last day, left a few minutes early, grabbed a cab, and high-tailed to the airport. I read a book on my Kindle, and flew home. Was the trip a waste of time? Of course not, but it needs to be more than just a learning experience.
I've toyed with the idea of starting an online business since I first read the Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. I've detailed a lot of my thinking on the topic, but I was always too afraid and overwhelmed by the process to do more than talk. I simply didn't feel organized enough to attempt it, and I didn't know where to begin.
Aside from my fear, there was also an undercurrent of ignorance. The various business books available are only partially helpful. Many books concentrate on finding your niche, or monetizing your passion, or writing a book about your field of expertise, etc. There are two problems with this; first, I have no passions. Second, and far more important, I cannot accept outside payment for my financial aid knowledge; the County would be... displeased. So many of the books, while good reads, didn't have enough actionable information to be useful. Some business knowledge was assumed, for almost all the books, so I knew I'd need to learn commerce from the ground up. After all my research (and we're talking about PhD levels of digging), I felt the best course of action was to start small by selling items on EBay.
Before even getting to this point, most of the books and websites and podcasts mention a preliminary step prior to listing in earnest. You need to buy items first, and for two reasons. One is to generate positive feedback on your EBay account, vitally important to assuring buyers. The other is to learn what works and what doesn't when it comes to listing your items and sending them. Now, few people just decide to list items on EBay without having purchased anything first, but paying attention to the above details another story.
This is where the title comes in. Most people only buy from EBay, but you can always make a few extra dollars by selling excess stuff from deep within your closets. The learning curve is sharp, especially for those with little to no customer service experience, but the risk is small.
Assuming you start with your own stuff, we can call this the lowest level of the minor leagues, say The Florida Gulf Coast Rookie League. You toil on a small, part-time basis and hope to make enough to satisfy whatever short-term financial or experiential goals you have. The important thing to remember in this phase is that you will make mistakes. That's what the minor leagues are for, a training ground. You're toiling on the fringes of EBay, and for many people, this is as far as they go. The best part of this stage is that you already used the items in question, got value from them, and you already know how much they're worth. It's pure profit from crap otherwise collecting dust.
For those not turned off at the outset (which seems to be fairly common), after a few successful (and, just a importantly, unsuccessful) listings, you can use the experience to find sell-able items from thrift stores, flea markets, tag sales, etc. Of all the sources of information I've found, http://ebayscavengers.blogspot.com/ is by far the best place to get started. Following the example given, you can make a fairly nice side income selling shoes, jackets, sweaters, etc. The owners of the site find their goods at thrift shops, tag sales, flea markets, and the like. They've even repurposed things people threw away, which is a fancy way of saying they've dumpster dived; an activity I highly support. Just as you make money in real estate when you buy the property, you make money this way when you buy the item you wish to list. It's the only price point you control. You're not alone in this task, incidentally. EBay itself has plenty of guides to help you, as well as forums where sellers will answer your questions, as well as various websites, such as the podcast above.
The next levels are still the minor leagues, and I say that because you need to work at it like job, and you won't make enough money in one given year to retire. At this point, you're better at finding, pricing, listing, and shipping items, as well as resolving complaints, all the while making more money.
Right now I'm still in the buying as training phase. After only my second purchase on EBay (first since 2006), I've already learned a valuable lesson: always include the tracking number in when corresponding with your customers.
Looking beyond buying, I'm lucky I live in such a wealthy area. We have tons of thrift stores, such as the Greenwich Thrift Store, which has designer brand bags, shoes, dresses, suits, fur coats, Tiffany lamps, new televisions, and high-end furniture. Also, the stuff people throw away around here would make the Third world jealous. I've covered this before, and I'm going back there again.
While the dread was on-going, the realization came suddenly, probably on the last day. I knew I didn't belong. I knew my being there was borderline farce. Not including unhappy and skeptical
I've toyed with the idea of starting an online business since I first read the Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. I've detailed a lot of my thinking on the topic, but I was always too afraid and overwhelmed by the process to do more than talk. I simply didn't feel organized enough to attempt it, and I didn't know where to begin.
Aside from my fear, there was also an undercurrent of ignorance. The various business books available are only partially helpful. Many books concentrate on finding your niche, or monetizing your passion, or writing a book about your field of expertise, etc. There are two problems with this; first, I have no passions. Second, and far more important, I cannot accept outside payment for my financial aid knowledge; the County would be... displeased. So many of the books, while good reads, didn't have enough actionable information to be useful. Some business knowledge was assumed, for almost all the books, so I knew I'd need to learn commerce from the ground up. After all my research (and we're talking about PhD levels of digging), I felt the best course of action was to start small by selling items on EBay.
Before even getting to this point, most of the books and websites and podcasts mention a preliminary step prior to listing in earnest. You need to buy items first, and for two reasons. One is to generate positive feedback on your EBay account, vitally important to assuring buyers. The other is to learn what works and what doesn't when it comes to listing your items and sending them. Now, few people just decide to list items on EBay without having purchased anything first, but paying attention to the above details another story.
This is where the title comes in. Most people only buy from EBay, but you can always make a few extra dollars by selling excess stuff from deep within your closets. The learning curve is sharp, especially for those with little to no customer service experience, but the risk is small.
Assuming you start with your own stuff, we can call this the lowest level of the minor leagues, say The Florida Gulf Coast Rookie League. You toil on a small, part-time basis and hope to make enough to satisfy whatever short-term financial or experiential goals you have. The important thing to remember in this phase is that you will make mistakes. That's what the minor leagues are for, a training ground. You're toiling on the fringes of EBay, and for many people, this is as far as they go. The best part of this stage is that you already used the items in question, got value from them, and you already know how much they're worth. It's pure profit from crap otherwise collecting dust.
For those not turned off at the outset (which seems to be fairly common), after a few successful (and, just a importantly, unsuccessful) listings, you can use the experience to find sell-able items from thrift stores, flea markets, tag sales, etc. Of all the sources of information I've found, http://ebayscavengers.blogspot.com/ is by far the best place to get started. Following the example given, you can make a fairly nice side income selling shoes, jackets, sweaters, etc. The owners of the site find their goods at thrift shops, tag sales, flea markets, and the like. They've even repurposed things people threw away, which is a fancy way of saying they've dumpster dived; an activity I highly support. Just as you make money in real estate when you buy the property, you make money this way when you buy the item you wish to list. It's the only price point you control. You're not alone in this task, incidentally. EBay itself has plenty of guides to help you, as well as forums where sellers will answer your questions, as well as various websites, such as the podcast above.
The next levels are still the minor leagues, and I say that because you need to work at it like job, and you won't make enough money in one given year to retire. At this point, you're better at finding, pricing, listing, and shipping items, as well as resolving complaints, all the while making more money.
Right now I'm still in the buying as training phase. After only my second purchase on EBay (first since 2006), I've already learned a valuable lesson: always include the tracking number in when corresponding with your customers.
Looking beyond buying, I'm lucky I live in such a wealthy area. We have tons of thrift stores, such as the Greenwich Thrift Store, which has designer brand bags, shoes, dresses, suits, fur coats, Tiffany lamps, new televisions, and high-end furniture. Also, the stuff people throw away around here would make the Third world jealous. I've covered this before, and I'm going back there again.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Goals for the year...
There's an unspoken question I've asked myself when preparing for hard times, and it's what approach to take. Fight or flight: do I stay in the USA and wait out the coming collapse or do I flee the scene of the crime(s)? There's something else unspoken at work, and I heard it in Chile. The expat and expats in training believe the hard times will affect other parts of the world less than they will in America. I feel there is some truth to this. The conventional wisdom states that China had a better time of it because of the silver standard during the Great Depression as an oft-mentioned example, and there are nations where banks are solvent, and the population is more productive and younger (and, hopefully, desperate to learn English). Nevertheless, all the nations of the world, so interdependent in this age, will be affected by this, so that's not my main concern. I don't fear hard times so much as I fear the average American's and the American government's reaction to them. I don't feel that I can hide my way through this coming turmoil, and shouldn't want to do so anyway. There will be opportunity through all of this, but not in the USA, with far too much debt, entitlement programs, and over-capacity that needs to be eliminated. Higher Ed has as much over-capacity as any industry, so I include myself in that statement. Soon, I will be either obsolete or irrelevant. I've stated these beliefs in earlier posts, so let's not belabor the point. The answer is then flight, and almost all of the work I did in 2013 dealt with expatriating, and with good reason.
Nevertheless, I had an epiphany of sorts. Preparing only on the one side and utterly ignoring the other is wrong. I say this because I did all the heavy lifting I felt I could in 2013, but very little to show for it. I just turned 43, and the clock is ticking. Also, there's at least some chance I could meet someone, and I doubt many women here in Westchester are as eager to leave the USA as I am. So, with this in mind, I will try to be a little more balanced in my efforts. To wit the list below is listed in chronological order, and the approach each goal will fulfill: fight, flight, both, or none. Note the list is in the order in which I begin working toward these goals, not when they'll be completed.
1) Upgrade my appliances. An odd place to start, no? Well, it is in chronological order. I could hit Sears or Home Depot right now; slap the credit card on the counter; arrange delivery and set up, and have a new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. Few things will make me happier than getting out of the Man-cave. If I could remember to take measurements of the items in question, I'd have done this already. Approach: Both.
2) Hitting the gym. Amorphous goals are rarely completed, so I have to define this a bit better than just some blanket statement. I'll go this weekend, and come Monday 1/6/2014, the Spring registration kicks into gear, and I will be working like a lunatic once more. I can't work the insane OT like 2010, but I'll still make plenty of extra money. I even spoke to my Warcraft guild and let them know I'll be scarce. With that comes an opening to hit the gym after work to reduce the stress and lose more weight. It seems like I have the psychological space to do this, if that makes any sense. The goal is to hit the gym after work 2-3 times a week, probably Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as once on the weekends. Approach: Both.
3) Getting an ESL class. The class would be on going, but getting the assignment begins on Monday. I don't know why I didn't teach last semester other than some hesitation to push the issue, but that resistance is gone. I enjoy teaching, and I'll certainly enjoy the extra money. If the college doesn't work out, I'll try EF and Berlitz. Approach: Technically both, since the extra money and different work experience will help in all my efforts, but flight much more than fight.
4) Completing an FBI background check. The is where the list gets interesting. For a myriad of reasons, but one in particular, this is needed. The timeline is long, similar to teaching the ESL class, but the process needs to begin next week. I'll print out the application on Monday and get my fingerprints done next week. I'll get the paperwork in 6-8 weeks. Approach: Flight, as if that wasn't obvious.
5) I'll know by then end of the week if I'm teaching or not. If I'm not, then I'll volunteer at the ELI as it's convenient and I will sign up for a few Cont. Ed. courses come Friday 01/10/14, since they're free. The ones I'm most interested in are First Aid & CPR (which should be easy for me, since I know them already), even potentially upgrading to EMT certification. I'll also check out any entrepreneurial classes, and perhaps most importantly, Spanish classes. Approach: Both, with a slight tilt towards flight if I take Spanish classes.
6) Open an EBay store. This is another lengthy process more than worthy of its own post, and I'll work on that after this never-ending essay is completed. To sell on EBay, you need to buy on EBay, so that's first. In fact, I'll so buy something now. I'll begin this... right now. Approach: Both.
6) Pay off debt. Again, vague declarations are rarely completed, so let's take that noble pursuit and convert it into bite-sized pieces. Now that the credit card is paid and my monthly expenses are lower thanks to the Corolla, I can dedicate myself to finishing paying off the remaining retirement loans. Add to this the overtime I'll be earning, 3 of the 4 loans remaining will be gone by summer. The start will occur with the Jan. 30th check, as I'll need to pay bills earlier than normal due to a quirk in the calendar. Approach: Both, with a nod to fight.
The above list is merely for January, if you can believe it. Of course, these won't be completed in January. With that I'll stop and begin another post.
Nevertheless, I had an epiphany of sorts. Preparing only on the one side and utterly ignoring the other is wrong. I say this because I did all the heavy lifting I felt I could in 2013, but very little to show for it. I just turned 43, and the clock is ticking. Also, there's at least some chance I could meet someone, and I doubt many women here in Westchester are as eager to leave the USA as I am. So, with this in mind, I will try to be a little more balanced in my efforts. To wit the list below is listed in chronological order, and the approach each goal will fulfill: fight, flight, both, or none. Note the list is in the order in which I begin working toward these goals, not when they'll be completed.
1) Upgrade my appliances. An odd place to start, no? Well, it is in chronological order. I could hit Sears or Home Depot right now; slap the credit card on the counter; arrange delivery and set up, and have a new dishwasher, stove, and fridge. Few things will make me happier than getting out of the Man-cave. If I could remember to take measurements of the items in question, I'd have done this already. Approach: Both.
2) Hitting the gym. Amorphous goals are rarely completed, so I have to define this a bit better than just some blanket statement. I'll go this weekend, and come Monday 1/6/2014, the Spring registration kicks into gear, and I will be working like a lunatic once more. I can't work the insane OT like 2010, but I'll still make plenty of extra money. I even spoke to my Warcraft guild and let them know I'll be scarce. With that comes an opening to hit the gym after work to reduce the stress and lose more weight. It seems like I have the psychological space to do this, if that makes any sense. The goal is to hit the gym after work 2-3 times a week, probably Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as once on the weekends. Approach: Both.
3) Getting an ESL class. The class would be on going, but getting the assignment begins on Monday. I don't know why I didn't teach last semester other than some hesitation to push the issue, but that resistance is gone. I enjoy teaching, and I'll certainly enjoy the extra money. If the college doesn't work out, I'll try EF and Berlitz. Approach: Technically both, since the extra money and different work experience will help in all my efforts, but flight much more than fight.
4) Completing an FBI background check. The is where the list gets interesting. For a myriad of reasons, but one in particular, this is needed. The timeline is long, similar to teaching the ESL class, but the process needs to begin next week. I'll print out the application on Monday and get my fingerprints done next week. I'll get the paperwork in 6-8 weeks. Approach: Flight, as if that wasn't obvious.
5) I'll know by then end of the week if I'm teaching or not. If I'm not, then I'll volunteer at the ELI as it's convenient and I will sign up for a few Cont. Ed. courses come Friday 01/10/14, since they're free. The ones I'm most interested in are First Aid & CPR (which should be easy for me, since I know them already), even potentially upgrading to EMT certification. I'll also check out any entrepreneurial classes, and perhaps most importantly, Spanish classes. Approach: Both, with a slight tilt towards flight if I take Spanish classes.
6) Open an EBay store. This is another lengthy process more than worthy of its own post, and I'll work on that after this never-ending essay is completed. To sell on EBay, you need to buy on EBay, so that's first. In fact, I'll so buy something now. I'll begin this... right now. Approach: Both.
6) Pay off debt. Again, vague declarations are rarely completed, so let's take that noble pursuit and convert it into bite-sized pieces. Now that the credit card is paid and my monthly expenses are lower thanks to the Corolla, I can dedicate myself to finishing paying off the remaining retirement loans. Add to this the overtime I'll be earning, 3 of the 4 loans remaining will be gone by summer. The start will occur with the Jan. 30th check, as I'll need to pay bills earlier than normal due to a quirk in the calendar. Approach: Both, with a nod to fight.
The above list is merely for January, if you can believe it. Of course, these won't be completed in January. With that I'll stop and begin another post.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
A moment to reflect...
2014 is shaping up to be an interesting year. After a long
conversation with Scott, I again realized that there is little holding me to
Westchester save my job. My family ties are here, but that's an oblique
way of saying I'm close with my brother, and that's about it. My not
being here wouldn't change that. My mom is another story, with her
recent behavior so atrocious I cannot stand the thought of spending time
with her. My friends are all here, save a few in Miami Beach, but that
was the case when I left in 1994. It's pretty much the same people from
back then, and we're still friends today.
This is a long way of saying that baring any romantic coupling, if and when the job goes, I would follow suit. Note this doesn't mean quitting, getting fired, or getting laid off. That would require too much work on the college's part for the last two, and the first option isn't going to happen under present circumstances. There are other options I could take, but that another post I'll never publish. No, I'm convinced the college will fight a war of attrition, with retirements not being replaced. That wouldn't affect me. The most likely scenario affecting me is the loss of faculty status. I've often wondered about this, and it turns out my suspicions were not far-fetched. Some among the teaching faculty feels counselors are... over-titled. Lest anyone believe this change is impossible, it turns out there's precedence, as the CUNY system changed its counselors into CSEA staff members. What this meant for one's salary, benefits, and vacation is, at the moment, unknown. It's worth investigating. If I were to have my salary slashed in half, and most of my vacation taken away, I would then have carte-blanche to seek greener pastures IF (and only if), I prepare now.
Added to this is the eventuality of the economic system unwinding its leverage and placing the USA in a bitter depression. I say this as academic statement rather than an experiential one; it is true because there are always depressions, booms, busts, and economic flat-lining. This doesn't give the sentence a predictive quality and can be called an empty truism that merely sounds pithy.
To avoid that we need to give the above declaration a timeline. First. we need to define our terms. Where I use the term collapse, Neil Strauss used the term the snap. Both involve the loss of social constraints, and of economic disaster. The problem with both terms is that it implies a bifurcated reality: peace and prosperity in one moment and near civil war and poverty in the next. Even the LA riots were somewhat predicable, if you understood the racial resentment bubbling just below the surface. Really, we both planning for when the systemic problems already present in society affect us personally.
So, the collapse I am expecting is already occurring, but how long until I am personally affected? I venture my guess by harkening back to Chile. As the government to presently constructed, I'll give it two years, maybe three. However, governments do not stay static, unless you live in North Korea. So asking myself the same question, what would be the timeline if the GOP lost the House in November? The answer for me is three years with an outside shot at four, but for my Chilean associates, 18 months. Why the difference? As I work in the public sector, the Democrats running the show would mean more money sent to colleges, but the pain and the crash would be much messier. Community colleges are counter cyclical, so I'd get more business the worse things got. until the system itself crashes. If the GOP took the Senate in 2014, I'll still go with two years, but I wouldn't expect three.
Armed with that timeline (which, importantly, doesn't need to be perfectly accurate; it just needs to motivate me), the next the guiding philosophy I'll take to determine what goals I'll have.
This is a long way of saying that baring any romantic coupling, if and when the job goes, I would follow suit. Note this doesn't mean quitting, getting fired, or getting laid off. That would require too much work on the college's part for the last two, and the first option isn't going to happen under present circumstances. There are other options I could take, but that another post I'll never publish. No, I'm convinced the college will fight a war of attrition, with retirements not being replaced. That wouldn't affect me. The most likely scenario affecting me is the loss of faculty status. I've often wondered about this, and it turns out my suspicions were not far-fetched. Some among the teaching faculty feels counselors are... over-titled. Lest anyone believe this change is impossible, it turns out there's precedence, as the CUNY system changed its counselors into CSEA staff members. What this meant for one's salary, benefits, and vacation is, at the moment, unknown. It's worth investigating. If I were to have my salary slashed in half, and most of my vacation taken away, I would then have carte-blanche to seek greener pastures IF (and only if), I prepare now.
Added to this is the eventuality of the economic system unwinding its leverage and placing the USA in a bitter depression. I say this as academic statement rather than an experiential one; it is true because there are always depressions, booms, busts, and economic flat-lining. This doesn't give the sentence a predictive quality and can be called an empty truism that merely sounds pithy.
To avoid that we need to give the above declaration a timeline. First. we need to define our terms. Where I use the term collapse, Neil Strauss used the term the snap. Both involve the loss of social constraints, and of economic disaster. The problem with both terms is that it implies a bifurcated reality: peace and prosperity in one moment and near civil war and poverty in the next. Even the LA riots were somewhat predicable, if you understood the racial resentment bubbling just below the surface. Really, we both planning for when the systemic problems already present in society affect us personally.
So, the collapse I am expecting is already occurring, but how long until I am personally affected? I venture my guess by harkening back to Chile. As the government to presently constructed, I'll give it two years, maybe three. However, governments do not stay static, unless you live in North Korea. So asking myself the same question, what would be the timeline if the GOP lost the House in November? The answer for me is three years with an outside shot at four, but for my Chilean associates, 18 months. Why the difference? As I work in the public sector, the Democrats running the show would mean more money sent to colleges, but the pain and the crash would be much messier. Community colleges are counter cyclical, so I'd get more business the worse things got. until the system itself crashes. If the GOP took the Senate in 2014, I'll still go with two years, but I wouldn't expect three.
Armed with that timeline (which, importantly, doesn't need to be perfectly accurate; it just needs to motivate me), the next the guiding philosophy I'll take to determine what goals I'll have.
