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Military Money: How to Start a Business While Still on Active Duty

Military Money: How to Start a Business While Still on


Military Money: How to Start a Business While Still on Active Duty

Military service is a noble profession. Every year about 150,000 people enlist in the military and their families effectively become a “military family”

However, just like regular families, there are times when military families may find it difficult to make ends meet.

If you have been looking for ways to supplement your military income. The good news is there are many ways you can do that. The only concern is that you should find a business venture that suits your particular lifestyle and needs.

Here are some ideas for supplementing your military money.

1. Become a Freelancer

One of the best ways you can make money is by becoming a freelancer. If you are creative then you are in demand. If you can edit videos, do graphic design or even write blog posts then more than ever businesses and services are looking for your help.

You can advertise your services on Craigslist, or bid for projects on freelancing sites. However, you can also send cold emails to businesses to find out if they are interested in your services.

If you craft your cold emails correctly and personalize them towards the companies needs, you will find that some people will respond to you.

If you take the cold email approach, make sure you set up a website with a portfolio and at the very least a Facebook page. Businesses want to find out more about you before they commit.

You can also network with other military families and veterans who have started businesses via this website.

2. Try Virtual Assisting

If you can compose emails, do web research, data entry and manage schedules then someone out there needs your help.

There are two approaches you can take to get your business started, you can sign up for a company that hires virtual assistants or you can launch out on your own.

Create a website about your services and advertise on social media to increase your traffic.

3. Become a Youtuber To Supplement Your Military Money

Becoming a YouTuber is big business these days. There are several ways to approach YouTubing, you can become a daily vlogger who vlogs about your life, you can create information videos or you can use your creative skills to make video tutorials.

The best thing is that it is easy to get started on YouTube. Most cell phones have great cameras these days that record video and capture audio quite well, so there is no need to buy equipment in the beginning.

Post regularly and start advertising your YouTube channel on other social media platforms.

Once you get a certain amount of views, you can monetize your videos with ads. When you have a certain amount of subscribers businesses will start contacting you or you can contact them about sponsoring your videos for a price. In fact, sponsorship is the way most successful YouTubers make the most money.

Final Thoughts

Supplementing your military money with a business venture is not very difficult these days with the advent of online second jobs. It is easy to make money in your free time as long as you are willing to do so.

Choosing the right business is the most important thing. Once you have done so, you will be well on your way to successfully supplementing your income.

If you would like more information about how to market your business as well as other lifestyle tips please visit our blog.

Business

5 Tips to Make More Money Online

5 Tips to Make More Money Online

 

Writing Income Down This Month? Try These 5 Tips to Make More Money Online

Writing is a labor of love.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always pay the bills. Even the earnings of professional authors sometimes fall below minimum wage.

If you’re struggling to make enough money through writing alone, there are other ways to top your income and make more money online. In this post, we’ll give you 5 of the best ones.

How to Make More Money Online

Use these resources to fill any gaps in your online income.

1. Sell Items Online

eBay has always been an excellent platform for selling products online.

You can use it to sell unwanted items you have laying around the house, or even start your own eBay business.

If you have any designer clothes that you no longer wear, use Joli Closet to sell them at a high price.

Creative types can make items to sell on Etsy, too. The website generates around 440 million dollars every year. Create an account and get a slice of that revenue for yourself.

2. Use Fiverr and Upwork

If you’re not getting enough work from your current clients, Fiverr and Upwork are excellent places to find new ones.

On these sites, you can pick up jobs quickly, packing your paycheck just in time for payday.

You only have to create a profile and pitch your services at a reasonable price. Competition is high, so make your profile as unique as possible.

3. Teach English

Teaching English as a second language isn’t just for backpackers and graduate students. You can do it online from home, too.

You don’t have to be a qualified teacher. Most online teaching companies only require you to complete a TEFL course, which you can do in just three weeks.

There’s minimal preparation involved; the teaching company provides all the materials for you. All you need to do is connect to your students via Skype (or a similar platform), and guide them through the lesson.

4. Complete Surveys

Plenty of marketing companies offer money to complete surveys.

It’s quick and easy, and all you have to do is answer questions. You have to make sure you do it honestly, though. These companies value quality feedback. If you only click through surveys without thinking, you could be banned.

5. Use Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is a ‘market for human intelligence,’ created by Amazon.

Both businesses and individuals can pay you to perform simple tasks. The idea is that humans can carry out these tasks more quickly and efficiently than computers can.

These tasks can involve research, data entry, finding images for blogs, translation, and more. Take a look at what Mechanical Turk has to offer and find something for you.

Increase Your Productivity

When you’re a writer, productivity is everything.

It’s the key to your income. Any time you spend procrastinating or waiting around will eventually become a drain on your wallet.

By increasing your productivity, you can not only make more money online but also free up more time to do the things you enjoy. To find out how to do that, read our post on productivity hacks for writers.

Entertainment

How to Submit Music to Blogs (and Start Making Money)

How to Submit Music to Blogs (and Start Making Money)


How to Submit Music to Blogs (and Start Making Money)

It’s a great time to be alive for music lovers everywhere. We have access to an infinite library of different artists and genres to choose from thanks to the internet.

However, for those independent artists who are trying to get their name and music out into the world, the competition can be fierce. So, how do developing artists stand out and keep themselves from being drowned in a sea of emails and mixtapes?

Well, it takes hard work and strategic planning, but it’s possible to get the attention you’re seeking through a simple and organized approach. If you are choosing to submit music to blogs with a high traffic rate, below are a few things to keep in mind when you decide to reach out.

Solidify Your Brand

Before you decide to put yourself out there, it’s important to have a full understanding of who you are as an artist. Branding is a crucial piece in making yourself memorable.

Branding yourself is a lot like putting together a puzzle that represents your artistic identity. Putting together certain pieces such as a certain font, color scheme, symbol, sound, style, or personality can cohesively create a theme in your music and artistry.

A solidified brand will show music blogs that you’re serious about making music your career. The confidence you have in knowing who you are and how to professionally represent yourself will help you stay clear of the dreaded email trash bin. And hopefully, you’ll get a positive response.

Research Before You Submit

After you’re confident in how you represent yourself to your audience, it is important to put in some extensive research before you submit music to blogs.

Reaching out to a website that promotes only rappers when you are a wedding band, such as David Rothstein Music, is completely irrational, right? Well, it happens all the time. That’s why it is important to make sure you’re not wasting your time and energy on a website or blog that doesn’t reach out to the same demographic as you.

Before committing to sending your art to someone, you should look for certain things they promote, the most important being genre. Once you’ve decided that the music blog you’re interested in is right for you, then you can move forward with trying to get their undivided attention.

Create a Sales Pitch

After you have decided to submit music to blogs that feel like a right fit for you, it is then time to work on a simple, yet professional email that will help you sell yourself to the reader/listener.

The first thing you will want to focus on is the music, of course. You will want to give a brief introduction to the song(s) with the title, an educated comparison on who/what it sounds like based on your musical inspirations, and the story behind the song(s).

Once the music has been presented, it is a good idea to give a story of yourself as an artist. For instance, you may want to include a little bit about where you came from, your musical background, any amazing opportunities you have had, who inspires you the most, and why you were drawn to music as a career path.

Giving insight into your creative background allows the blog to personify the artist behind the email address and put a personality to the music they’re listening to. The artistry of music is all about the heart, soul, and story. If you have a captivating sales pitch that includes all of those, then you’re sure to stand out from the crowd.

However, when you are writing your sales pitch, be careful to not write a novel. Yes, the reader/listener is interested in who you are as an artist, but they also have a lot of submissions to sift through. Telling them about how you wrote your first song when you were five because your dog died will be completely irrelevant to who you are as an artist today.

Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it unique. Keep it relevant to who you are today.

Sending the Right Format

When you submit music to blogs that may have an interest in promoting you, it’s extremely important to know what kind of format they will accept your music in. You will look pretty foolish and get a first class ticket to the trash bin if you send music in a format that they can’t play or don’t accept.

Depending on the type of website or blog you are reaching out to, there are many different formats that could be accepted. They may have it listed on their website, but if you’re unsure, it would probably be a smart decision to shoot them a quick email asking to clarify the types of formats they accept just to be on the safe side.

Here are some different formats different outlets will accept:

Radio

  • Hardcopy CDs
  • MP3s
  • EPKs with download links

Blogs

  • Embedded music player
  • Videos
  • CDs
  • Digital Press Kits

Festivals

  • Digital press kits
  • CDs
  • Hardcopy press kits

Record Labels/Producers

  • CDs
  • Press kits
  • Videos
  • Streaming links

Taking the Risk

Making the decision to submit music to blogs is a huge step for any aspiring artist. Once you have a solid confidence in your artistry and branding, then the only thing left to do is take the plunge in getting your name out there.

Even if you don’t receive any feedback from the first few times you make a submission, don’t give up! Take each refusal as a chance to improve your approach. Any famous musician you know of today had been turned down many times before the right person found them.

The music industry is all about hard work, making connections, and taking risks. The story you submit in your sales pitch could be the beginning of a much longer fairytale if you play your cards right.

Consider this article as an outline for your success. Take suggestions, take risks, and always stay true to your music. And if you have a music blog yourself, be sure to check out our tips on how to promote it to your fans.

Business

How to Make a Gaming Website That Makes Money

How to Make a Gaming Website That Makes Money


How to Make a Gaming Website That Makes Money

If you’re a gaming enthusiast thinking about monetizing your passion, you’re only a few simple steps away from making it a reality.

Playing games has long been a favorite past-time for millions of people. And in today’s digital world, making money from this hobby is easier than ever. All you need is a simple website and enough gaming knowledge that you can share with your readers.

Gaming websites are a great way to do what you love without taking up too much of your time.

No matter what your level of expertise is, providing genuine value to your visitors will surely set you apart from other similar websites.

But do you know how to make a gaming website that’ll bring you passive income? Read on to find out.

How to Make A Gaming Website That Makes Money

Write Compelling and Useful Content

The best, most efficient way to get your website noticed and visited is to write quality blog posts. The articles have to be valuable for the readers and solve a certain problem.

You can do reviews of your favorite games, write pieces about the gaming industry or guides and walkthroughs.

If you’re offering free games on your website, consider making some of them paid, i.e. players would need to buy a code in order to access them.

Finally, pay special attention to the SEO aspect of your website if you want to rank well on Google.

Use YouTube Advertising

YouTube is the most popular broadcasting platform in the world. And as a gaming aficionado, you’re in the perfect position to use it to monetize your website through their special gaming section.

For instance, for every article, review or guide you post, make a short video to accompany it. Include actual footage of the game or step by step instructions.

Many people also like to watch gamers play, so you can record yourself playing your favorite games and make money in the process.

Sign Up for Affiliate Marketing Programs

If you’re posting reviews of gaming products on your website, this is a great way to add some affiliate links.

The most popular affiliate program is Amazon’s, but you can sign up for others of your liking.

So, whenever you review something like the best router for ps4, you’ll add affiliate links for all the routers mentioned. And if someone clicks on the links and/or buys the product, you’ll get a commission.

Create and Sell a Digital Product

If you have in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry or niche, you can make money by creating and selling a digital product.

This can be an audio book, an ebook or a course on a certain topic. Though most of the information can be found on the internet for free, you’re gathering it in one place and giving your readers instant access.

Bottom Line

Now that you’ve learned how to make a gaming website, it’s time to test it and see if it makes money.

If you’re patient and follow our advice, you’ll be making your first dollars in no time.

Over to you – do you have any tips on monetizing your gaming website? Let us know in the comments below!