Sabrina The Movie

In the new version of the movie Sabrina, Sabrina's dad's profession is a limo driver for a wealthy investor. He chose this profession because he loved to read. He read during the time spent waiting to drive his client from place to place. In my mind this made him extremely successful. He found a way to follow his passion and make money.

If you haven't noticed I have been on a "follow your passion" streak lately. I truly believe that the only path to happiness is to love what you do everyday. I also feel that you can find a way to make that passion profitable. Everyone was put here for a purpose. When parents force their children into a career that is not their passion it makes that child's soul weep.

My passion from the time I was 13 or 14 was what is now known as flipping houses. I can remember walking down the street and deciding how I would change or improve the look of every house. I don't know where this came from other than I was just born with it. I started earning money by cutting my teeth working for a non-profit fixing up dilapitated houses and then went on my own. I especially loved the old Victorian houses with all the great natural old growth woodwork.

Some people don't know what their passion is, but if you start thinking about it something will hit you. Keep asking yourself, "What is my passion" and before you know it viola!

You Don't Have To Earn A Lot To Become Wealthy

I took care of a 95 year old woman in the late nineties. She never had a salary of more than $8,000 per year during her working life. But she studied the stock market. She died with a million dollars in net worth.

She also was extremely frugal. When I met her I thought she was very poor. But she was so comfortable in her own skin she didn't need a lot of materialistic things to keep her satisfied. She also loved to read.

If you love to read or surf the web, all of the answers to everything discovered so far are at your fingertips. You can learn how to manage real estate, invest in stocks, start a side business, you get the point. Most importantly follow your passion and believe in yourself even if people around you don't.

Side Jobs

In the contracting business they call them side jobs. They are the jobs contractors take besides their nine-to-five. Mostly smaller, get it done in a couple of hours type work like changing out a water heater or patching a hole in the wall.

What's your side job? What can you do on the side for a few extra dollars? Do you have a riding lawn mower and a way to tow it? You may be able to start a lawn mowing or snow plowing sider. Can you bake or decorate cakes? I know a woman who started a cake decorating school for kids in her very own kitchen that she does on a Saturday afternoon. What a great idea for a kid's birthday party!

I know a guy who does car repair, oil changes, tire repair and changes in his pole barn mostly on Saturdays. I have watched his business grow through word of mouth. Remember, advertise on Craigslist. It is effective and CHEAP because it's FREEEEE!!!

What is your passion? What gift can you give the world and make some egg and butter money from?

Clutching Money

A couple of weeks ago we did a fund raiser at a craft fair. Boy people are clutching their money. We made a couple hundred dollars, but for the amount of people that went through there, it should have been a lot more.

So my theory of targeting necessities instead of the frivolous extras as your product or products seems relevant more than ever. Move down to the bottom on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, drink, shelter, air, warmth, sex, sleep. Tap some ideas from those categories.

There is a trend toward family and relationships instead of stuff in society now. I remember my grandma's stories of the depression. She said over and over that they didn't have much but they were happy. I have heard that from other people that lived during the depression too. I think we have found in this country that we can do without as much hyper-consumption and are rediscovering each other in the process.

As you read through the list food, drink, shelter, air, warmth, sex, and sleep, think of something you can sell or make in each category. Then relate it to the feeling of family and relationships while selling it.

"If you ever get a job I'll kill you!"

Well we're doing it. My ten year old daughter is researching buying some layers and selling eggs in our very urban neighborhood. I told her if she ever gets a job I'll kill her, meaning I want her to run her own businesses. This is a great introduction to how to keep books and budget. There will be problems to solve. Marketing to contemplate. She has an idea of the type of bird she wants. Now she will have to research. I will keep you posted.