Apple brings back Civil War games to App Store

Less than two days ago, the company told affected game developers that the apps were pulled for containing images of the Confederate flag “used in offensive and mean-spirited ways,” according to Andrew Mulholland of HexWar Games.

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‘Real estate investment is such a middle-class past time’

WITH housing affordability the most pressing matter for most Australians, is it time we looked outside the box?

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Artificial turf takes root in Las Vegas yards, businesses

Manufacturers and installers say artificial grass is growing more popular with each passing year as an option for residential yards, commercial landscapes and school athletic fields.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1IivXuQ

Judge rebuffs Molycorp’s request to borrow $44 million

Molycorp Inc. failed to get approval from a U.S. Bankruptcy judge on Friday to borrow about $44 million at the rare-earth producer’s first bankruptcy hearing.

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7 Entrepreneurs Who Turned Fun Ideas Into Innovative Businesses

This post brought to you by HP Matter. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Penny Hoarder.

What’s the Idea Economy? And more importantly, how can you use it to make a buck?

Well, every business starts with an idea. Sometimes, this idea comes as a way to solve a problem — the selfie stick, for example, solved the problem of how to take long-range selfies. Other times, the idea is just for fun. What if candles smelled like fresh pizza instead of fresh linen?

When you work in the Idea Economy, you take ideas, add innovation and create money-making opportunities. These businesses are often disruptive, which is a fancy way of saying they change the way we do things, like how so many city-dwellers now use Uber instead of taxis. You surprise, delight and provide something people didn’t even know they wanted.

We write about a lot of interesting and fun ways to earn extra money, but today we’re going to take a closer look at the Idea Economy, and how to turn an idea into a business. HP Matters has a new video series, Welcome to the Idea Economy, that’s all about the path from idea to business, so use that — and this post — as your guide and inspiration.

As Meg Whitman, CEO at HP, put it, “[In the Idea Economy,] success is defined by the ability to turn ideas into value faster than your competition.”

Here’s our big question for you: what’s your idea, and how can you turn it into a money-making business?

Inspiring Example #1: Selfie Sticks

The words “selfie stick” are now part of everyone’s vocabulary, so it’s hard to remember that it was only 2014 when Good Morning America dubbed Selfie on a Stick the “hottest 2014 holiday gift.”

Selfie on a Stick was launched by Jacqueline Verdier and Dominic Suszanski after they saw a few tourists using a selfie stick while traveling in Asia. When the duo couldn’t find a selfie stick available for purchase, they decided to make their own — and the selfie stick business was born. They solved their own problem, and helped a lot of us solve ours.

Takeaway: What everyday problem do you think needs solving? Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #2: Pet Detectives

What do you do when your dog gets lost? Put the pet detectives on the case! Pet detectives explore your neighborhood and use everything from trained dogs to forensic tools to find your pet and bring your furry friend home.

Takeaway: What special skills do you have that can help others solve problems? Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #3: Man Cans

You don’t need to be a business genius to have a great idea. You don’t even need to be in high school. When Hart Main was 13, he launched Man Cans, which are — you guessed it — those pizza-scented candles we mentioned earlier. Some of them also smell like bacon.

Main’s idea was born when he got tired of his sister’s “girly-scented” candles. He wanted a candle that smelled like something he enjoyed, and so he began making candles out of the home kitchen and turned his pizza-scented candle idea into a business.

Takeaway: What everyday object do you wish were shaped/smelled/flavored the way you like? Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #4: Renting Chickens

There are a lot of would-be urban farmers out there, dreaming of putting a flock of chickens in their backyard. Tyler Phillips and Diana Samata of Rent a Coop gives these people a chance to check out the chicken farming life without having to fully commit to a brood of their own.

Yes, Rent a Coop lets you rent chickens, to test out whether you want to make a full investment in backyard farming. This is only one of the multiple chicken rental services out there, by the way.

Takeaway: What hobby or life experience would you like to “rent before you buy?” Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #5: Crossy Road

HP Matters’ Welcome to the Idea Economy notes that new technology is often a huge part of turning an ordinary idea into a successful business. When Matt Hall created the popular app Crossy Road, he used technology to create a game that delighted and entertained users — and earned the app developers $10 million in its first 90 days.

Hall modeled Crossy Road after other successful apps such as Flappy Bird. He and his development team studied other popular apps to figure out what features brought in the most users, and added similar features — like unlockable characters — to their own game. This focus on “what makes a game fun” helped make Crossy Bird a hit.

Takeaway: How can you entertain and delight people? Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #6: Comic Book Reselling

Technology also helped Carl Forrest turn what would otherwise be an ordinary comic book reselling project into a business that brought in cash. Forrest used data analytics to identify the most valuable comic books — such as Avengers #55, which featured the first appearance of Ultron — and focused his comic reselling strategy on these high-profit issues.

Forrest also built his own relationship-management system to keep track of his best customers and let them know when he had added new comics to his collection. Without his data analytics and CRM system, Forrest’s comic reselling project might have been an ordinary side hustle. With technology, it became a business.

Takeaway: Can you use technology to improve an everyday side hustle? Maybe that’s your idea.

Inspiring Example #7: Hangover Helpers

When you think “hangover helper,” you probably think of drinking a bottle of Gatorade. But the Hangover Helpers took that idea a step further, creating a business that provides not only Gatorade, but also breakfast burritos and housecleaning services to hungover party hosts. They’re like your own Fairy Godmothers showing up the morning after the ball.

The Hangover Helpers business works because it provides a service that helps people — and, at $20 per person, keeps the service affordable to those who need it most.

Takeaway: How can you help people improve their lives? Maybe that’s your idea.

Are you inspired yet? Don’t forget to check out HP Matters’ Idea Economy and Disruption for more inspiration and ideas. We’ve got the trailer (Watch Now).

Your Turn: Have you ever thought about starting an Idea Economy business? Which of these examples most gets those gears turning in your head?

The post 7 Entrepreneurs Who Turned Fun Ideas Into Innovative Businesses appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Sell Books on Amazon? How to Cash In on Their New Payment Rules

If you’re an author of a 200-page book, should you get paid twice as much as the author of a 100-page book?

How about if people only read the first 10 pages or your book? Should you only be paid for those 10 pages of value? Amazon thinks so, and they’re changing some of their payment terms as of July 1.

Now, authors who participate in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) and Kindle Unlimited (KU) will be paid according to the number of pages their readers view instead of earning money for each download. If you’ve published or are thinking about publishing an ebook through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, here’s what you should expect — and how to maximize your profits.

Who Will Be Affected?

The changes only affect books in KOLL and KU, both part of KDP Select, a special segment of the platform where authors promise to sell their books exclusively through Amazon. So if you’ve published through regular KDP and also sell your books through other online platforms, you don’t have to worry about these changes.

How Does It Work?

Writers with books in KDP Select used to earn a portion of each month’s pool of cash (called the KDP Select Global Fund) based on the number of readers who downloaded their books through KOLL and KU. Under the new system, earnings will be determined by the author’s share of total pages read that month, according to Amazon.

Since readers can change font size and other characteristics on their Kindles, Amazon developed a system to keep the playing field level. The company will determine payouts based on the Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count, a system that analyzes each book’s text using a common font, line spacing, line height and other factors in order to fairly determine how many pages are in each book.

The new system will also include a “pages read” statistic in participating authors’ Sales Dashboard reports so they can keep an eye on how many pages in their books readers are actually viewing.

Amazon said this change is in response to author feedback and requests for payouts to be aligned with the length of each book and how much content readers actually view. Some felt that authors of short books were unfairly gaming the system by receiving payment for each download. Many authors even broke their books up into several books in order to cash in as much as possible.

However, as children’s book author A.J. Cosmo points out, not all short books are written as cash grabs. His stories, such as My Babysitter is a Monster and The Monster That Ate Our Keys, are bedtime stories aimed at young readers, and as such are only 20-25 pages long.

How to Cash In on the Changes

If you’re an Amazon author who participates in KDP Select, it makes sense to tweak your business and writing plans to maximize your profit potential. These techniques can help you increase your bottom line while keeping your readers happy, engaged and hopefully coming back for more from their favorite author.

Write Longer Books

Since you’ll be paid for each page read, it makes sense to offer more content. The trick is to make sure this is high-quality content so people keep reading. You could write a 2,000 page book, but if people get bored on the fifth page, you won’t make any extra money from the hulking manuscript.

Bulking up your books and adding more content can increase value for your readers and it can also increase your payments. It also cuts down on expenses such as cover design and formatting, since you might publish one long book rather than three or four shorter ones.

Update and Bulk Up Your Nonfiction Titles

While adding new chapters can harm the flow of a fictional story and be quite difficult, many nonfiction books can benefit from updates.

If you have one or more nonfiction titles on Amazon, consider adding an update and releasing a new edition. Additional chapters, new content, more information about existing content, case studies or real life examples could bulk up your title while creating quality content that readers will enjoy.

Create a Prologue or Epilogue for Fiction Titles

While it’s pretty difficult to increase the length of a novel once you have your story down, why not consider adding a prologue or epilogue? Let your readers have further insight into your characters and the story.

Or offer a behind-the-scenes peek, Q&A with the author or any other little extras you think readers will appreciate. This will add more pages to your book, build your brand and further engage readers.

Consider providing the new chapters as a freebie to repeat customers to increase reader engagement with your brand and refresh their memories about your story. Then, when your next book comes out, your series will be fresh on their minds.

Write Engaging Content

This is a no-brainer and should be your most important goal. The more engaging your content, the more people will cruise straight through your book.

Every author wants their masterpiece to be a page turner that people stay up all night reading because they just can’t put it down. And, if you’re participating in one of these Amazon programs, that can also earn you some extra cash.

Consider Switching Platforms

Some authors are prepared to move to other platforms if KDP Select isn’t bringing in the profits they’re used to.

“I imagine that writers who see a big negative drop on earnings will switch to one of the many competitor platforms that have emerged recently or focus on places like Google Books, iTunes or many other platforms that will be more suited for their particular needs,” said author Eder Holguin, who writes books about business and his entrepreneurial journey.

Your Turn: Do you have a book in KDP Select? What do you think about the changes?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post Sell Books on Amazon? How to Cash In on Their New Payment Rules appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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10 Ways Retirees Spend Their Newfound Free Time

Here is how the flow of your day changes in retirement.

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Marketing Day: Early .Sucks Domain Registrants, Facebook Updates Video Insights & More

Here’s our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Big Brands, Sports Teams, Celebrities & Tech Companies Among 3,400+ Early .sucks Domain Registrants

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon & Salesforce all bought .sucks domains. So did the NFL, Taylor Swift and a couple of the guys in Metallica.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Nevada saw major gain in taxable sales in April

Sales of tangible goods increased 5.5 percent year-over-year in the month, to $4.12 billion.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1TSn8fR

Las Vegas sets tourist visitor record in May

Las Vegas visitor totals in May increased almost 5 percent with special events making the month a record for tourist volume

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Datameer Releases Multi-Channel Analytics Application

New martech tool integrates with Salesforce, Marketo, Google Analytics and digital ads and provides a unified analysis of marketing efforts.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Facebook Updates Video Insights To Give Overall View Of Performance

Now Page admins will be able to better measure how their videos are resonating with the Facebook audience.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Choosing the Right Images for Your Ads- July 14 Webcast

A picture is worth a thousand words

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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21 Travel Hacking Blogs That Will Help You Fly Around the World for Free

How would you like to fly around the world… for free?

Regular people, just like you and me, do this every day; they’re called travel hackers.

If you’ve started travel hacking and are eager to learn more, it’s time to turn to the wide world of frequent flyer bloggers. They keep their ears to the ground to find you the best and latest in airline promotions and deals.

Since many of them share similar content, we recommend finding the bloggers whose voices and writing styles suit you best, then following them via RSS, email or social media so you don’t miss a beat.

Here are 21 top frequent flyer blogs for you to choose from:

1. Extra Pack of Peanuts

Travis and Heather Sherry are the brains behind the fun-loving Extra Pack of Peanuts. More than your average blog, they offer a ton of frequent flyer resources including an ebook, podcast and ecourse.

Post you’ll like: The 6 Myths of Frequent Flyer Miles

2. FrequentFlier

Having been in the travel industry for almost 25 years, Tim Winship knows his stuff. Lucky for us, he shares tons of insider knowledge about both the industry and its rewards at FrequentFlier.

Post you’ll like: How to Choose a Program

3. Frugal Travel Guy

Rick Ingersoll is one of the best-known names in the frequent flyer business. He founded Frugal Travel Guy back in 2007, and it’s now a veritable encyclopedia of travel hacking tips and tricks.

Post you’ll like: How Your Good Credit Can Help You Travel for Free

4. Johnny Jet

Johnny Jet’s blog isn’t just a frequent flyer blog; it lists tips and tricks for all aspects of travel. We always love his weekly recommendations for travel apps, websites and products — and we think you will, too.

Post you’ll like: 12 Ways to Find Cheap Flights

5. Loyalty Traveler

Though Ric Garrido’s blog may be more about hotel rewards, he writes often enough about flying that he definitely warrants inclusion on this list. That being said, once you have your flights covered — turn to Loyalty Traveler to figure out where to stay!

Post you’ll like: Airfare Deals

6. Mighty Travels

How Torsten and Salina find the killer deals they do is a mystery to me. They share them all on MightyTravels — but keep in mind that many are only good for a short window of time. (So be sure to follow them on Twitter or sign up for their newsletter!)

Post you’ll like: Which websites allow a 24-hour free cancellation for airline tickets?

7. Million Mile Secrets

Because of their commitment to honesty and integrity, Daraius and Emily’s Million Mile Secrets is one of our favorite blogs on the list. They always share the best deal with their readers — whether they earn a commission or not.

Post you’ll like: 40+ Powerful Ways to Complete Your Credit Card Minimum Spending Requirements

8. MileValue

Scott Grimmer is a 27-year-old who’s had a beer on every inhabited continent. Want to do the same? Then check out MileValue, and perhaps even book him for a free credit card consultation.

Post you’ll like: Anatomy of an Award

9. Mommy Points

If you’re a parent who would like to show your child the beauty of the world, then Summer Hull is your girl, er, mom. On Mommy Points, she discusses traveling the world with kids by using miles and points.

Post you’ll like: How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Flight

10. Nomadic Matt

Matt Kepnes, better known as Nomadic Matt, is one of the most famous travel bloggers around. He shares tons of tips for traveling cheaply, including how to best use frequent flyer miles.

Post you’ll like: The Ultimate Guide to Traveling When You Have No Money

11. Noob Traveler

The team at Noob Traveler, headed by Geoff Whitman, offers lots of information on the travel rewards world, and is a great spot for — you guessed it — noobs.

Post you’ll like: What to Do If You’re Not Approved for a Card

12. One Mile at a Time

One of our favorites on the list, Ben Schlapping (aka “Lucky”) has been blogging at One Mile at a Time since 2008. He’s an excellent writer who’s always up on the latest trends and deals; we also love reading his trip reports about jaunts to far-flung locales.

Post you’ll like: How Alliances Work

13. PointChaser

Ariana Arghandewal’s blog PointChaser is clear and helpful for beginners. We especially like her monthly “Points and Miles Checklist,” where she outlines what you should be doing each month to maximize your earning.

Post you’ll like: Travel Hacking While Living Abroad

14. The Art of Non-Conformity

Though pigeonholing Chris Guillebeau’s wonderful site as a frequent flyer blog would be unfair and untrue, The Art of Non-Conformity often has valuable insights on the more philosophical side of earning points and miles. He’s also part of the team behind the Travel Hacking Cartel, an insider community of strategies and offers.

Post you’ll like: How Much Does It Cost to Visit Every Country in the World?

15. The Cranky Flier

Brett Snyder has been obsessed with everything planes since he was a kid. That’s his focus at The Cranky Flier, and his fresh and funny blog is a great place to learn about his passion.

Post you’ll like: Don’t Be Afraid to Use Your Miles

16. The Points Guy

The Points Guy is one of the most famous and well-respected frequent flyer blogs around, and for good reason. Brian Kelly and his team offer comprehensive, well-researched information for everyone from beginners to experts.

Post you’ll like: Avoiding ATM Withdrawal Fees When Traveling Abroad

17. Travel Codex

Experienced travel junkies may remember Scott Mackenzie’s blog Hack My Trip — last year, he renamed it Travel Codex and added a community forum. Though the name changed, the content hasn’t; it’s still good as ever!

Post you’ll like: How to Plan a Successful Itinerary to Europe

18. Travel Is Free

Though Drew and Caroline’s blog has always been helpful, they recently took it to another level by publishing all the expenses they incur while traveling full time. Not only that, but Travel Is Free is great for beginners because it’s easy to navigate and chock full of resources and infographics.

Post you’ll like: What Are Airline Stopovers and Open Jaws? [Infographic]

19. TripHackr

Having hacked his way through 80+ countries, Clint is definitely an expert when it comes to affordable travel. We appreciate how he uses TripHackr as a platform for discussing both travel rewards and creative ways to spend less money on travel.

Post you’ll like: How to Hack a Flight

20. View from the Wing

In this case, we’re saving one of the best for one of the last. Gary Leff’s View from the Wing is an authority on travel rewards, and you’ll always find clear and up-to-date frequent flyer news here.

Post you’ll like: Why Award Tickets Are a Better Use of Miles Than Upgrades

21. Well Traveled Mile

Rand Shoaf learned to maximize credit card deals in college, and he now shares his tips with the world at Well Traveled Mile. He offers an array of resources that are helpful to those just starting out with miles and points.

Post you’ll like: Airline Award Chart Comparison

Your Turn: What are your favorite frequent flyer blogs? Who did we miss?

Want to learn more about earning frequent flyer points? Join the Travel Hacking Cartel, a community of expert travel hackers.

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Susan Shain (@Susan_Shain) is a freelance writer and travel blogger who is always seeking adventure on a budget.

The post 21 Travel Hacking Blogs That Will Help You Fly Around the World for Free appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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5 On-Demand Services That Can Make Your Life Easier

From massages to parking, just about everything is on demand these days.


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Mobile Video Views Jump 100% YoY In Q1 2015, Up 367% Since 2013 [Report]

Video advertising platform Ooyala says smartphone video plays are outpacing tablets four-to-one.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Honda’s “Random Acts of Helpfulness” Surprise Deserving Dads on Father’s Day

A Southern California dealers' group solicits nominations via social media, then showers the lucky fathers with gifts.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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How to Get Your First 1000 Followers on Pinterest

Although there isn’t much talk about Pinterest these days, it doesn’t mean you should ignore it. It’s actually one of the highest converting social sites on the web… especially for e-commerce related products.

But how do you get started on Pinterest? Well, to get you off and running, I’ve decided to create an infographic that breaks down how to get your first 1,000 followers on Pinterest.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:

Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

Conclusion

If you aren’t on Pinterest, you are missing out. Brands are spending big money to advertise their products on Pinterest, and if you can grow your accounts, you’ll be able to cash in on some of that ad spend.

More importantly, if you have your own business, Pinterest is a great place to promote it, especially if you are selling tangible goods.

How else can you get your first 1,000 followers?

Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):

Courtesy of: Quick Sprout

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Google Addresses Fat Finger Ad Clicks On Mobile

It just got harder to make accidental ad clicks on your phone.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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5 Steps To Jump-Starting Your Programmatic Strategy

How do you unleash the benefits of programmatic advertising? Columnist Melody Gambino offers some key steps to get you started.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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The Daniel Norris Code for Success

Photo: Daniel Norris via Twitter

“Research the things you love. Gain knowledge. It’s valuable.”
– Daniel Norris

What would you do if you were suddenly given $2 million?

You’d pay your taxes, of course. You’d probably pay off any debts that you had. You might buy a nice home to live in and refresh your vehicles. You might sock some away for your children’s education and maybe some for retirement. Maybe you’d go on a few nice vacations.

After all that, you wouldn’t have too much left. Life would go on as normal, albeit easier without any car payments or house payments or anything like that, and you’d have some nice memories.

Daniel Norris is a 22 year old pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays who, as of this writing, is pitching for their top minor league team in Buffalo. (I mentioned him in a Reader Mailbag a few months ago when he was in spring training and pointed readers to this ESPN article for more details.)

When Daniel Norris graduated from high school in 2011, he was drafted by Toronto in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft. Upon signing with the team, he was awarded a $2 million signing bonus.

What did Daniel Norris do with this money? He bought a used 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia van/camper, then invested the rest of his money – a little over $1 million. He set up that money to give himself a small monthly living stipend of just $800, enough for a single guy living out of a camper to feed himself and occasionally repair the camper, and left the rest to grow in investments. Although his finances aren’t public, the S&P 500 is up more than 65% since the beginning of 2012; by almost any measure his investments have almost assuredly grown well beyond that initial amount.

Since then, he’s risen through the minor leagues and signed several endorsement deals, including one with Nike, and that money goes into his investments as well.

So, yes, this guy is a young millionaire baseball player who lives out of a camper on only $800 a month (plus, presumably, any travel stipends given by his team).

“Be kind. Be courteous. Love others and be happy. It’s that simple.”
– Daniel Norris

The obvious question that most people ask when hearing this is what exactly does a millionaire living in a camper do with his or her time? Well, here’s how Daniel spends his time, aside from the time spent pitching, training, and dealing with the other issues of being a top professional baseball player.

He seeks solitude. He spends a lot of his time alone, exploring places on his own because they interest him. This often involves finding solitary places in nature, like an empty beach or a national park, and just exploring on his own. This doesn’t mean avoiding other people, but it does afford the freedom of just going wherever he wants to go.

He reads voraciously. He spends significant time reading books of all kinds, seeming to prefer hardcover books.

He spends a ton of time outdoors. Part of the reason he lives in a camper is that he rarely wants to be indoors except when sleeping. He’d rather be exploring.

He writes in his journal. Daniel keeps a “thought journal” in his camper where he writes down his thoughts on the things that he’s reading and the places he’s exploring.

He visits new places. He spent his first offseason in Nicaragua, staying in hostels and riding around on a rented motorcycle, just to explore the country. He explored a bit of the jungle as well as the abundance of coastal areas in the country.

What are his after-baseball goals? In his own words, “What I’ll do, if baseball goes well, is I’ll become even more of an ambassador for the things I really care about,” which seem to include nature conservation, energy conservation, and environmentalism.

“Where else can you be as free as yourself in the middle of nowhere, or in the middle of the ocean, or on the peak of a mountain? Adventure is freedom.”
– Daniel Norris

Like many of you, when I read Daniel’s story, I couldn’t help but feel that, on some level, it was a bit… extreme. If I were single, I suppose I would strongly think about liquidating all of my stuff and living like that, but it’s so far from where my life is right now that it almost seems like another world.

Because of that, it’s easy for me to want to criticize and find holes in how he lives. What if his camper, which seems to be on its last legs, fails? What if his baseball career collapses? What things in life is he missing out on? Why not just buy a house and a reliable car and have a stable and steady life?

But here’s the reality of it: rather than using his money to live a life that conforms to everyone else, he’s able to use his money to live a life exactly like he wants to live it. He doesn’t have to use a dime of his money to conform to what anyone else wants or thinks. He has the money to live his life his own way.

In the end, that’s the very goal of financial freedom. It gives you the power to live life based on what you think is right and wrong and what you think is enjoyable and not enjoyable and what you think is fulfilling and not fulfilling.

Financial independence means you’re no longer reliant on an employer in order to maintain your lifestyle in any way. It means you’re no longer reliant on a professional network or keeping up professional appearances. It means you no longer have to keep working at a job where you feel like you morally have to cut any corners, nor does it mean that you have to spend your time on any task you really don’t want to do.

Instead, it means you can spend every single moment of your life doing what it is you want to do. If you want to live in a popup camper and follow your favorite band around the country on tour, you can do that. If you want to move to Kenya for six months to teach children how to read and speak English, you can do that. If you want to live in a national park for the summer while reading and hiking every single day, you can do that.

(To be honest, spending a summer in a national park living out of a tent with minimal items for survival, a few pens and notebooks in a waterproof bag, and a pile of books on an e-reader with a solar powered charger sounds amazing to me.)

For many, the journey to get there sounds dreadful, though. It means choosing to live on far less than you earn while still being challenged by the need to earn a healthy living. You’ve got to spend a lot less than you earn for quite a while to be able to pull this dream off.

Here’s the thing: Start doing these things now. What’s keeping you from throwing out your television set and spending your free time reading and writing down thoughts in a thought journal? What’s keeping you from spending weeks in the summer living in a tent? What’s keeping you from spending most of your spare time working for a cool charity? What’s keeping you from the things you dream about spending your spare time on?

The only person that’s keeping you from those things right now is you.

The best part? Most of those radical life shifts also involve a huge reduction in expenses. That makes it far, far easier to live on less than you earn, and thus makes it far, far easier to reach a point where you can throw away the remaining obstructions in your life and live it the way you want to live.

It all starts with you. You don’t have to do what everyone else around you does. You don’t have to be what everyone else around you expects you to be.

Instead, you are free to find your own paths and your own answers in life – and it’s likely that many of those paths are far more interesting and exciting than the one that you’re on.

As for me? I think today is a good day to start minimizing a little, so I’m going to take the rest of the day and start clearing out my stuff with the hopes of eventually clearing out my time as well.

The take home message: stop worrying about what other people thing and do what you think is best for you. You’ll always find yourself in a better place.

Good luck!

The post The Daniel Norris Code for Success appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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How to Make Money Dog Sitting With Rover

If you enjoy taking care of animals, you could easily earn an extra few hundred dollars each month dog sitting through Rover.com. Photo: Rover.com via Facebook

Just because someone owns a dog doesn’t mean they never want to travel again, but it’s not always practical to take the pupper on a seven-hour flight with layovers.

That’s part of the reason the pet sitting industry brought in $332 million in revenue at 720,000 households nationally in 2014, according to Pet Sitters International. That’s a whole lot of money for an industry that is service-oriented and based entirely on discretionary income. However, many say that the growth in this industry is just beginning.

“Pet sitting is an ever-growing industry,” PSI President and Founder Patti Moran said in a press release. “As PSI’s survey indicates, professional pet-care services are in high demand and pet sitting is a viable career option with significant earning potential.”

In other words, the pet sitting industry is still far from reaching its peak – both in a provider sense and in terms of need. And as more and more people become aware of existing pet sitting services and have the extra income to spend, the industry is expected to expand even more.

After all, a calm, private home is often preferable to a kennel environment, and some owners may even want a sitter to stay at their house so their dog doesn’t have to leave the comfort of his familiar surroundings.

That’s good news for dogs who need loving care while their owners are away, but even better news for anyone interested in earning a side income in this field. If you love animals and have a safe and secure home, it makes sense to consider dog sitting on the side. But, is it really that easy, or that lucrative?

Introducing Rover.com

If you’ve considered becoming a dog sitter, you may have wondered where to find a steady supply of dog-sitting jobs. Maybe you’ve even thought of starting your own dog-sitting business – putting up flyers, perhaps, or posting ads on Craigslist or your neighborhood bulletin. Those are all good ways to get started, but there’s another option for anyone considering a part-time or full-time job as a pet sitter: Rover.com.

If you’ve never heard of Rover, it’s a bit like the babysitting site Care.com – but for pets. Here’s how it works: By signing up as a dog sitter through Rover, you’ll be connected to a nationwide network of pet owners in need of caring providers who offer boarding, pet sitting, or dog walking.

Each opportunity is different: Some pet owners may want you to keep and care for their dog in your own home while they’re away on vacation, while others may want someone who can stay at their house, where their pet’s most comfortable — essentially pet sitting and house sitting at the same time.

Watching dogs in your home means you’ll need to provide a comfortable and loving environment, feed and walk them multiple times a day, and cater to any other specific needs, whether administering medication or grooming. Sitters are also encouraged to send photo updates to their pets’ owners each day to ease their minds.

To sign up as a sitter, you need to submit a formal application (references help, if you have them) and create a profile on the site. Rover’s standards are strict, and the screening process is thorough: Only about a third of applicants are accepted into the program, according to the company.

When you create your profile, include your rates (e.g., $25 a night), your availability, and photos of yourself or your family, your own pets if you have any, and the space your canine guests will be staying in. You can also specify what sizes or types of pets you’re willing to watch and whether there will be other animals in the home. It’s free to list your services, and you can accept or reject any request.

Rover offers convenient features for the dog owners on the other side of the equation, too. If you’re looking to hire a dog sitter, simply go to Rover.com and browse available sitters by your ZIP code and travel dates. You can read profiles and reviews of sitters in your neighborhood and contact them for a face-to-face meeting or phone call. According to Rover.com, every stay booked on Rover comes with peace of mind – including premium insurance, 24/7 emergency support, and photo updates.

How to Make Money Dog Sitting

If you love animals and would like a way to earn some extra money on the side, pet sitting might just be the perfect fit for you. After all, no extensive training or certifications are required. The main qualifications to be a pet sitter are simply loving animals, being reliable, and caring for them in a safe, loving environment.

But how much money can you make? To find out, we asked the staff of Rover.

According to Kristen Forecki, director of operations at Rover.com, earning potential in this field largely depends on whether you want to watch dogs full-time or part-time – and how many animals you’re able to care for each month.

“We have many sitters that treat Rover as a full-time job, including a few that make six figures annually as a Rover sitter. However, the majority of our sitters treat this as a part-time role,” explains Forecki.

Part-time dog sitters and walkers often use sitting “as a fun and rewarding way to supplement their income, pay down their rent, save for a vacation, buy a car, or to pay vet bills for their own dog,” Forecki says.

Furthermore, the main reason incomes through Rover vary so much is the fact that sitters are able to set their own rates and choose their own schedules. Just like most part-time or flexible gigs, sitters that use the site are free to work as little or as much as they want.

Still, the earning potential is there for people who are willing to work a few weeks per month at minimum. According to Forecki, sitters that treat Rover like a part-time job and take two or three dogs for two weeks out of the month earn an average of $3,300 per month. In case you don’t want to do the math, that’s almost $40,000 per year for part-time work in or near your home.

And if you don’t mind branching out to other pets, you can make a living watching nearly any type of animal through Rover. The site has arranged pet sitting for all kinds of animals including goats, lizards, birds, turtles, and fish.

How Does Rover Protect Its Consumers?

Leaving your dog at a kennel is enough of a guilt trip. How do pet owners know they’re leaving their furry friends in good hands when they use a site like Rover?

Rover offers a range of protections meant to shelter site users from fraud and general abuse of the system. In order to run a tight ship with as little room for error as possible, the Rover platform offers complimentary insurance for all services booked through Rover, as well as access to 24/7 vet consultation and partnerships. Meanwhile, Rover’s mobile app makes it easy for sitters to share photos with pet parents who are eager to keep an eye on their companions.

Rover’s application process is also thorough enough to weed out the vast majority of sitters who might pose a problem. According to Rover, a qualified sitter approval team reviews every sitter application and rates it based on sitter experience and references. Background checks are also offered.

Meanwhile, as with more established sharing economy services such as Uber and Airbnb, sitters on Rover are also rated by the Rover community after a service is performed. That way, pet parents are able to compare experiences and share useful information with one another.

• Related: How to Make Money Using Airbnb

Rover also recommends sitters and pet owners get acquainted ahead of time by meeting in a public place before booking. Since dog sitting is a uniquely local service, this is actually fairly easy for most users to accomplish.

Can You Earn Money Pet Sitting Through Rover.com?

If you love animals and have a safe place to care for them, pet sitting might be the perfect side job for you. To find out if you qualify to pet sit for Rover.com, however, you’ll need to fill out an application and submit a wide range of information to verify your identity and level of skill.

Once you finish the application and receive approval, you simply need to create a profile that explains who you are, what services you offer and for how much (check other sitters in your neighborhood to get a feel for pricing), and update your calendar with your availability. After that, you set your own schedule and work as little or as much as you like.

Rover.com takes care of all client payments and invoices and makes payments electronically in order to speed up the process. In exchange for access to the Rover.com network, the site takes a 15% cut of your earnings. Rover not only provides the network, it also gives you all the tools you need to build a successful full- or part-time dog-sitting business and continually advertises to help you get more clients.

That way, you can focus your energy on the most important aspect of the job – loving the dogs, lizards, and cats in your care.

To learn more or get started, head on over to Rover.com.

Have you ever considered pet sitting or dog walking on the side? 

The post How to Make Money Dog Sitting With Rover appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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