Nevada leads nation in private sector job growth

Nevada has reclaimed the top spot in the nation for rate of private sector job growth, marking a dramatic turnaround from the depths of decline during the economic recession, the governor's office announced Thursday.

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State gaming authorities OK skill-based slot machine regulations

Nevada casinos will soon offer slot machines that could mix "Blazing 7s" with "Space invaders."

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Periscope Adds Profile Pages For The Web

Twitter-owned video streaming app gives broadcasters a landing page for the desktop.

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Amazon Points Retailers To Shopify As It Nears The End Of Its E-Commerce Platform

Named an Amazon preferred partner, Shopify is rolling out new integrations for Amazon web store owners.

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New company touts $100M for Vegas-Victorville express train

A newly formed Chinese-American partnership said Thursday it has raised $100 million to help build a long-awaited high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Southern California.

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Not Just Ads, iOS 9 Content Blockers Can Also Block Analytics

A look at the broader implications for marketing data if content blockers are widely adopted in iOS 9.

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Snickers Rolls Out New “Hunger Bars” Packaging With Hunger Emergency Hotline Video

The Mars candy brand takes a page from Coca Cola by offering 21 different packaging choices related to it's "You're Not You When You're Hungry," campaign, with each wrapper representing a different "symptom" of hunger.

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How I’ve Made Over $1,097,757 From Blogging

Interested in starting a blog? Get The Easy Start Blogging Toolkit Here

What do you picture when you think of a blog?

Someone’s personal online diary? Pictures of the family dog?

Rants about how there aren’t enough In-N-Out Burger locations? Actually, that last one might make for a good blog post.

I remember when I thought of blogging as a side hobby – not a serious money-making machine.

Granted, for some people that’s all blogging is: a side hobby that they like working on in their free time.

I really had no idea that you could make so much money from running a blog.

I’d like to take you on a journey. It’s a journey about how I started a blog with very little experience and turned it into a money-making machine. But you know what the best part is? I get to help people with something I’m passionate about: finances. If you’re curious as to how I made over $1,000,000 blogging (and continue to make money from my blog every single month), this article is for you.

Believe me, if I can do all this stuff, you can too. A few short years ago I wasn’t a blogging genius. You don’t have to be either.

I’ll start off explaining why I wanted to start a blog in the first place (it wasn’t about making money directly from blogging). Then I’ll show you how I got my blog all set up.

After that I’ll reveal how I found some success in reaching my goals. We’ll talk about Google, WordPress, and some of the content that has produced results. Finally, I’ll get into how I make money now. Fasten your seat belts, people. We’re going to cover several years in one epic blog post.

Why Start the Blog?

I wanted to start a blog to get clients and educate others. I really didn’t focus on the possibility that the blog could stand on its own and make money.

Client Acquisition

I’m a financial advisor who built a firm from scratch: Alliance Wealth Management. I wanted another way to bring clients into my firm, and I thought blogging would be a good way to do it. Thankfully, that turned out to be true. Several of my clients found my practice through the blog.

Education of Others

I also thought it would be an interesting and intriguing way to educate others. I never imagined the reach that I would have with my blog. At the time of this writing, my blog has surpassed over 9.3 million unique visitors. Crazy, I know. It turns out that blogging is a great way not only to reach clients for your business, but also to reach out and educate others.

The vast majority of my readers aren’t clients of Alliance Wealth Management – and that’s totally fine! My goal is to help as many people as possible. If they decide they’d like to hire me, awesome. If not, I’m cool with that too.

Unexpected Potential Rewards

Many unexpected opportunities came my way because of my commitment to blogging. I had no idea this would happen when I started. If I had known in the beginning, I probably would have been even more motivated (if that’s even possible – I’m already a self-starter). If you’re thinking about starting a blog yourself, remember that there will probably be rewards you can’t even see coming right now. Let that motivate you to press on.

How I Got My Blog Set Up

Imagine knowing nothing about building a car. You don’t know where to source the parts from, how the pieces go together, or which tools you’ll need to build the car. What should you do to get started? Answer: Hire the right people. Since I knew nothing about blogging, I had to hire someone to help me out. There are a bunch of freelancers and businesses who can help you get started blogging. I don’t recommend starting without help at first. You’ll probably make several mistakes or run into roadblocks.

Hiring a Local Web Design Firm

Initially, I started working with a local web design firm. They got me set up on a platform called Joomla and I paid $500 to get the blog going. This was in 2008 and WordPress was the direction I wanted to go, but my web design company didn’t know how to use WordPress and I was too intimidated to learn how to do it on my own. For the first several months, I stuck with Joomla and absolutely hated it. Blogs, just in case you don’t know, are made up of several components.

At the core of what you see on the screen is a whole bunch of binary code. This binary code is the foundation for many different computing languages. Some of these languages stack on top of each other until you have the graphical interface you see on the screen. The deeper you go in the code, the more complex the work becomes.  

Heck, just trying to explain is complicated! Thankfully, there are many programs available to simplify the process of blogging. No longer do you have to know HTML or CSS to start your blog. While I still hire help for design work, there are a few blog building blocks I can use on my own. The first I started to learn was WordPress.

WordPress

After getting frustrated with my web design company, I bit the bullet and bought a premium theme named Thesis for right around $67 and began my training with WordPress. Think of WordPress as the main engine for your blog. It’s the thing that helps you categorize blog posts, tag blog posts, and even write blog posts.

Instead of writing HTML, I can use the included visual editor that helps me create the formatting I need for my blog posts. A WordPress theme adds structure to your blog. Thesis was a very popular theme (and still is) that allowed me to customize much of the look and feel of my website. Today, you can find a number of great themes for WordPress.

Logos

I then hired another blogger I met online to do my logo, Pete from LogosForWebsites.com, and after paying him $40 for the logo, I was set. There are number of ways to design your own logo if you want to save the money. You can use a simple word processor like Word or Pages to create your logo. You can also you presentation software like PowerPoint or Keynote.

One of my favorite places is Fiverr.com where you can purchase a variety of freelance services for $5 or more. I decided to hire out my logo work because I wanted something that looked professional. If you want the extra edge in your blogging business, have your logo professionally done like I did.

I feel comfortable with my choice. Here’s how my blog looked after the switch to WordPress with my new logo:

Early Successes

As with anything in life, it’s important to have some early successes to stay motivated. Thankfully, I had a few of them in the form of media opportunities.

Media

I launched the blog in July of 2008 and for the first several months, I really didn’t have a lot of success. A major success included getting onto a local media station which was an ABC affiliate: WSIL-TV3.

I was able to get featured in the local regional newspaper The Southern Illinoisan. I even got a contact from CNBC about possibly being on one of their TV shows that eventually ended up going nowhere. Even though these opportunities weren’t nearly as great as some of them to come, they kept me motivated and encouraged.

Guest Posting

One way I started building the digital highways to my blog was through the use of guest posting. Guest posting involves writing an article for someone else’s website. Some websites have pretty strict guidelines on the content they’d like to see, and others are more lax.

Nevertheless, I started guest posting on several websites and started to make a name for myself in the financial blogging community.

Guest posting is an important part of blogging because not only does it help get your name out there, it can be the means by which you build links to your blog. Many bloggers will allow you to link a few times to relevant content on your blog from the article you’re writing for them. These are called “backlinks.” The more backlinks you have, the better.

Not only does this allow people to find your website, it can also help boost your article rankings in search engines such as Google. Read on to discover my first big success and how guest posting was an important part of it.

My First Big Success

After accomplishing a few small goals, I finally had my first big success. But it didn’t come to me in a dream. I had to research and educate myself.

Educating Myself

I asked some people in the financial blogging community what I should do to start getting clients for my business. Ryan from CashMoneyLife.com showed me exactly what to do. Remember, when you first start out blogging, it’s critical that you learn from someone who has experience. Don’t try to do this stuff on your own in the beginning. It can really help to find a mentor to help you navigate the online world. If you’re wanting to start your own blog, and you’ve never worked online before, this is a must. Don’t go it alone!

Landing Pages

I was told that I needed to design a separate landing page for my blog that targeted the keywords in the URL. Here’s what I chose: http://ift.tt/1iSNzDX

I built the landing page with the Thesis theme, so that was pretty easy. I included a video and a little bit about myself and my services.  Here’s how the landing page looked in the beginning:

But now I needed to drive traffic to my landing page. How? Through guest posting, of course! You can find the list of all the guest posts I wrote for this landing page by reading my related post at SmartPassiveIncome.com.

After awhile, I started getting traffic to the landing page and converted a visitor who ended up becoming my largest client generating over $30,000 per year in fees to my firm. I hit the jackpot. And they weren’t the only client that I’ve acquired through the blog.  Dozens of people have become clients because of discovering my blog.  

In addition, I’ve had numerous people referred to me from other clients, CPA’s, attorneys and they always send them to my blog first so they check me out. Keep in mind, this was indirect business income from my blog. I also made money directly from ads on my blog, and I’d like to share with you how I did that next.

Introducing Google AdSense

When I first started my blog, I knew nothing about the capabilities of actually making money from online advertising. I was clueless. The first thing I did was start with Google AdSense.

What’s Google AdSense?

For those that are not familiar, according to Google, Google AdSense is a “flexible, hassle-free way to earn revenue online.” You’ll get paid for displaying targeted Google ads on your blog. You can even customize ads to match your website’s design, track your success, and best of all, it’s free.

There are other ad networks that pay you to display ads, but Google AdSense is probably one of the easiest to implement on your blog. Once you design your ads (color, size, type of ads displayed), you will get access to code that you can copy and paste into your blog.

Google AdSense Results

I launched Google AdSense around March of 2009 , during which I didn’t even make a couple hundred dollars, and then it grew significantly. In December 2009, I was able to make $3,118.20. In total in 2009, I made $14,870.84.

January 2010 (Plus Annual Earnings)

Google AdSense was amazing – I was able to make $4,392.74 in January of 2010. Keep in mind, I never thought I could make any money from my blog so to make that extra $4,000 was huge.  In 2010, I was able to make an additional $32,592.88 “on the side” with Adsense.

Google Panda Hits

For those not familiar with the online world, Google controls just about everything – at least it seems. Not only do they have web search, but they have:

• Google Chrome (a web browser)

 

 

• Google Maps

• Google Domains

• YouTube

• Books

• News

• Google Play

• Google Earth

• Google Finance (pretty cool way to track your investments)

• and a whole bunch more!

    The list goes on and on, so when Google changes something, it affects a lot of people. Well, I was one of those people when they unleashed one of their notorious algorithm updates.

Algorithm Updates

Every so often, Google will release what are referred to as “algorithm updates” that affect search results. What that means is, if somebody were to search for women’s dress shoes, the number one listing might be Nordstrom. If Nordstrom were doing something illegal that was making their site rank number one and Google found that out, they would be banished from the first page – otherwise known as blacklisted.

Instead of finding Nordstrom number one, you wouldn’t find them at all. For any online business that is dependent on search, that can cripple, if not put a company completely out of business. Although I wasn’t doing anything that was “illegal” or otherwise known as “blackhat” in the online world, I got hit by one of Google’s first algorithm updates called Google Panda. Why they like zoo animals, I don’t know. But just like the kid’s film Kung Fu Panda, I felt like I got karate chopped. Prior to the Google Panda update, I was getting right around 100,000 visitors a month to my site. On April 11th, 2011, when my site got hit, my traffic dropped 70% overnight as you can see in the graph below. Yowsers! That hurt.

I remember talking to a lot of other personal finance bloggers and I wasn’t the only one that got hit. It seemed like Google went on a rampage for a lot of sites and there really was no reason explaining why. I had spent years and years writing content, building backlinks, and all for what seemed to be nothing. I can remember I even went through a slight case of depression and almost considered the thought of stopping my blog.

I Was Still Helping People Despite the Crash

After taking a bit of a hiatus, I regrouped and reminded myself why I started the blog in the first place. Yes, it was to grow my financial planning practice, but something bigger and more meaningful had emerged: I was helping people. I was getting emails such as this:

Hi Jeff, I thought I would quickly write to you after just receiving this email. I am attending SIU online for accounting and live in northern Chicago. I also happen to be a single mom of two beautiful boys. I went through some of the hardest years of my life these past seven years, trying to keep my head above water and taking care of my kids. I went from making $65k a year to making $22k with two children in tow. I lived off of food stamps and had debt of $22k to take care of as well. I bought nothing. I went dumpster diving, bought storage units, and took anything free that I could find in order to resell for money to pay my bills.

Getting a job for a few years was impossible. I had been in the restaurant industry for over 15 years and the hours are late and often go into the early morning. I couldn’t find anyone to watch my kids. Other jobs paid minimum wage which barely covered the cost of what I had to pay for childcare so I opted to find other resources to pay the bills. Things have since changed. I was able to get my feet on the ground – slightly.

I am currently employed full-time and I make my own schedule, no more late nights. I am still in debt, still trying to work my way out, and after finding your blog I feel the fire lit in my life to really make things work. After living the way I had over the past seven years, and knowing other single moms go through the very same thing as I have, my desire in life is to give back to them – to help them with their finances. As I was searching ways to get hired as a financial advisor your video popped up on my screen.

I had been going from studying to searching and I think it was the grace of God that I stumbled across your video. I decided to watch. I thought it was informative and figured I should check out your blog. That’s when my life and mind shifted. Your blog has educated me in so many ways. I have tools such as YNAB, Betterment, Credit Karma, and the countless others you provided that are my arsenal to attack my financial life like I’ve never done before. I eagerly look forward to reading your blog every day and listen to your podcasts.

Even though my financial situation is still in dire straights, I’m not contemplating bankruptcy – I’m contemplating the next step to financial freedom. I cleared out my IRA years ago in order to keep up with the bills (bad move I know but I was desperate). Now that I’m 40 I’ve been so depressed thinking I needed to put a lump sum into an IRA in order to have one and never having that lump sum.

After reading and listening to you, I feel free to add a small amount monthly and help it to grow over time! I honestly cannot thank you enough for your knowledge, for putting it out there for the world to read. I have done the Dave Ramsey envelope system and failed. I’ve read countless books on finance and have failed. For the first time, I don’t feel like I can fail! There are a ton of single parents out there, often many living on low income – they are the ones that are going to be suffering during their retirement years because of the lack of planning, insufficient funds, and stress of trying to manage a family without a partner. Hopefully one day I can give to them as you have given to me.

Thank you again and again and again! I pray for God to bless you as you continue in your work and know that you are making a difference! [ – An Excited Fan ]

I got emails like this all the time so I knew I was making a difference; not to mention, I was also getting clients.

The Rebound

Once I got refocused and re-energized, I decided to say, “Screw Google, I’m going to get my mojo back so I did what I did when I first started my blog.” I started guest posting more and I started writing for other sites. I can’t remember exactly, but I remember I wrote for Equifax.com and USNews.com. I also started doing a lot more videos for YouTube. Furthermore, I focused on producing good content.

Prior to Google Panda, I was publishing almost once a week with your typical crappy 500-word post that really had no substance. I decided that had to change – I wanted to start putting more quality stuff in there. I started by coming up with some financial movements . . . .

Financial Movements Galore

I was also the leader in several blog movements; the Roth IRA Movement, the Life Insurance Movement, and the Debt Movement. Each of these movements involved helping others reach important financial goals like saving for retirement, protecting income, and eliminating the overwhelming burden of debt. For example, the Roth IRA Movement involved over 140 bloggers (yep, you read that right) doing their part to promote savings. It all started when I was asked to speak at my Alma Mater.

I polled the soon-to-be graduating seniors (about 50 to 60 of them) and not one of them knew about the Roth IRA. Absolutely shocking! I knew I had to do something and the movement was born. These movements put my name even more on the map amongst those in the personal finance blogging community, and also was able to generate tons and tons of backlinks to my site.

Right this very moment, I’d like you to start thinking about your passions. How can you turn your passions into a movement to promote your cause? You can really start a movement. Really, really!

The Rebound 2.0

Relentless in not wanting to go through another Google Panda or whatever zoo animal update that they’re on now, I decided to step up my game.

Podcasts

I started the Good Financial Cents Podcasts. Podcasts are amazing because they allow people to consume information just about any time they want. They could be driving, working out, taking a hike – you name it!

In my podcast I cover a number of different financial topics ranging from how to protect your investments in retirement to warning signs you need to fire your financial advisor. Some podcasts, though, are just for fun. For example, I’ve been told that I look like The Rock (Dwayne Johnson, just in case you’re not aware).

So, I did a podcast about the life lessons I learned from The Rock. Fun, fun! Another fun one included how to silence your haters. I know, how can a likable guy like me have haters? It’s happened. But did I stop there? Of course not! My rebound 2.0 packed even more punches . . . .

Epic Posts

I started writing even longer posts – sometimes between 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 words. This article has over 4,000 words. Derek Halpern at SocialTriggers.com absolutely loves epic content. He advises creating content that is awesome, not because you have to stick to a schedule, but because you actually have something great to say.

It makes sense. Yes, it takes quite a bit of time to put together these epic posts, but boy is it worth it. Take, for example, my article on 100 ways to make $100 fast. Who wouldn’t want to make $100 fast? This, my friends, is a title worthy of clicking. List posts are fantastic and scream: “There’s something here for you, because there are so many tips in this one it’s unfathomable that you can’t get something useful out of this article.”

Images

I focused on using quality images that were worthy enough to be on Pinterest boards. I paid very close attention to detail in my images because images are a huge factor when it comes to if a reader will click or not. There are some great websites out there for stock photography. I buy all my images from DepositPhotos.com. They have an annual deal with AppSumo for crazy cheap. It’s like $29 for 100 high resolution images. That’s a killer deal. There are some websites that offer free photos but you better make sure you read the licenses.

Many of these free sites just don’t have the quality that I’m after (or the licensing terms I desire) so I just stick with paid photos. But you’re probably asking how we edit our images. Good question. After I’m done finding the proper images for the website, I send them over to my wife. We’ve used free tools like Canva.com to edit. Today, we use free apps such as WordSwag and Phonto on our iPhones. iPhones? Yes, iPhones. Actually, we find it to be a lot of fun to create images using these apps. We can do it in our free time wherever we happen to be at the moment.

Syndicating Content

Syndicating content is an amazing way to get your voice out there – and that’s exactly what I did. Syndicating means to broadcast information across many venues simultaneously. That means you write once, then you get that work published multiple times at different websites. This is huge. I started looking for websites where they offered syndication and soon found a few.

After I became a contributor for a few of these websites, more were likely to bring me on board – and they did. Pat Flynn once talked about being “everywhere.” While syndication doesn’t really get you everywhere online, it sure helps!

Because of syndication, I was able to get some of my blog post contributions on sites such as Time.com, Money.com, USAToday.com, ABC.com, and a variety of others. I also became a contributor for bigger sites such as DailyFinance.com, Forbes.com, and Investopedia.com who were also contributing to USNews.com and MarketWatch.com.

How I Make Money From Blogging Now

Google AdSense, while once the majority of my online revenue, now has actually become one of my lowest sources of income.  For example, Media.net is what I’m currently using in place of Adsense.  Here’s a look at how they have performed this year:

Affiliate Marketing

I have other advertising networks that I use now. I also have affiliate revenue from places such as Scottrade.com, Betterment.com, or CapitalOne360.com (affiliate links).

I also get paid for advertising on the banners of my website. Here’s a screenshot of one of my affiliate partners, Commission Junction: And, I generate tons of leads from those seeking to buy term life insurance.

Sponsored Posts

Occasionally, I’ll have a sponsored post that can pay anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. Many times, content advertisers reach out to me with an offer. It’s amazing. It’s important that if you’re going to do a sponsored post on your website that you add a disclaimer. You should always make readers aware that a post is a sponsored post, as sponsored posts have the potential to sway some people’s opinions or lead them to make statements they otherwise wouldn’t make. Now here’s the thing: I never publish content that I don’t believe in. I would never recommend anything to anyone if I wouldn’t actually do it of my own volition. Sponsored posts are nice because they bring in some money, but I must approve of the message before it’s going up on my site. Period.

Speaking Fees

I’m able to generate speaking fees, the highest of which was $15,000. It’s amazing how many opportunities arose just because I started this blog.

Now Clients For My Firm

This was my initial goal with the blog and that hasn’t changed. With over 300,000 people visiting my site each month I acquire new leads everyday (usually 20-30 that join my email list). What’s beautiful with the blog is that I’m not limited to people in my local area. I’ve been able to talk to people all over the U.S. and the world. One of my clients is stationed in Japan!

Start Your Own Blog

Listen, I went from knowing nothing about blogging to making over $1,000,000 in far less than a decade. If I can do it, you can too. When I started my blog, I had absolutely no idea it could generate this much money. I think you’d agree this is serious money. Like I said earlier, I started the blog to get some clients. I did that, but I also make a lot of money every month directly from my work on the blog – a huge bonus. I want you to consider something. I want you to consider starting your own blog. Whether you’re a financial advisor like me or you have some other passion, try starting a blog! Sure, it will take you some time to start making money blogging, but I know you can do it if you put in the time, energy, and passion required.

Interested in starting a blog? Get The Easy Start Blogging Toolkit Here

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MGM Resorts donates $1 million to national African American History Museum

MGM Resorts International has donated $1 million to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture to support construction of the 19th museum in Washington, D.C.

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Marketing Day: Twitter’s Branded Emoji, Google Sues SEO Firm & Pinterest Reaches 100M Users

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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From Pirate Joe’s to Fake Fashion: Would You Start a Pirate Business?

Are you a good pirate or a bad pirate?

Selling fake Rolex watches on the street is clearly illegal, and might land you in jail. Monetizing pirated videos on your YouTube channel, from the anonymity of a bedroom or coffee shop, might be safer, but it’s still illegal.

But some profitable pirate businesses might be able to stay on the right side of the law.

Of course, you could be walking a fine line, so the question is: Would you consider trying any of the following pirate businesses?

1. Pirate Joe’s

Michael Hallatt calls his store in Vancouver, British Columbia, “Pirate Joe’s,” and says it’s an “unaffiliated unauthorized reseller of Trader Joe’s products.”

It’s extremely popular with fans of Trader Joe’s products, but because there are no TJ’s stores in Canada, he buys his inventory — at retail — in the U.S. He adds labels with the necessary ingredient and nutrition information to comply with Canadian law.

To Trader Joe’s, he is a pirate. When I first called, Hallatt was “undercover” on a shopping expedition in the U.S. and had to end the call to avoid detection. He later told me he was probably OK because, “My hair is longer and I let my beard grow big.” He regularly uses disguises.

But he can’t take too many chances, so he also uses a crew of shoppers who load up on $300 to $500 in products at a time. In this way, he can sometimes purchase “$4,000 to $5,000 in inventory in an hour.” He pays shoppers based on how much they buy, and sometimes hires them using Craigslist ads.

Hallatt originally called his company “Transylvania Trading” and ran it from an old Romanian bakery. By the time TJ’s started sending private investigators, he decided it was time to let the name reflect the reality.

If they discover him shopping, Trader Joe’s will kick him out of their stores. Whether that’s legal or not, and whether or not he can continue to sell TJ’s products, is a court matter now.

Trader Joe’s sued Hallatt for, among other things, “unfair competition” — an odd charge considering he buys everything from the company’s stores at retail prices. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, but Trader Joe’s appealed the decision, and it’s now up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Hallatt thinks there’s a 60 to 70% chance of the decision being upheld, but in the long ru,n he feels the odds are “100% that we’ll prevail if it’s further litigated,” adding that what he’s doing “is legal and it’s not hurting Trader Joe’s in any way.”

Meanwhile, Pirate Joe’s is as busy as ever. Customers are happy to have their favorite Trader Joe’s products, even if they do cost more by the time Hallatt purchases them at retail and marks them up for sale in Vancouver. So the pirate raids south of the border continue.

Want your own pirate retail business in up north? You might start by checking out a list of retailers who haven’t yet come to Canada. But have an attorney ready to help you fend off the lawsuits.

2. Pirated Perfumes

You’ve probably seen more than one perfume knockoff. It looks like Chanel No. 5, but if you look closer, the bottle says something like, “If you like Chanel No. 5, you’ll love this perfume.”

Whether these pirated perfumes are legal or not depends on just how close the makers come to deceiving the buyer.

When one seller of knockoff perfumes asked the lawyers at Avvo.com if he could put “Inspired by Calvin Klein,” on his bottles, opinions differed. One attorney said, “Yes, you can, and you may spend thousands or more trying to defend against trademark lawsuits.” Another added that “There is no ‘good’ way to infringe.”

But one lawyer said you can “replicate the scent of a non-patented, famous perfume,” sell it in any form you want and even put the brand name on the packaging of the imitation version, as long as you do it in accordance with trademark law. He, along with just about everyone who answered, recommended hiring a trademark attorney to make sure you do it right.

If you do decide to be a perfume pirate, and you’re not afraid of being sued, you can find recipes for famous perfumes online.

3. Pirated Gold Mines

Jim Blanning was a “land pirate” in Pitkin County, Colorado.

He found mining claims held by corporations that had long since closed down (there were many of them!), then filed paperwork to form new corporations with the same name, reports Outside magazine. As he put it, this “resuscitated” the corporation so he could take control of the claim. He then sold the land his corporation “owned,” pocketing the cash.

Alas, this piracy was not quite legal, and ultimately Blanning was in trouble for many illegal activities, including bank robbery.

However, he also acquired some mining claims through less questionable channels. For example, he found heirs to old mining claims around Aspen and bought them out for a few hundred dollars each. He then sold the land for a profit.

A more ingenious strategy started with a careful reading of the 1872 Mining Act. The law says counties have to properly advertise sales of mining claims, and auction them off annually at a specified time. When Blanning found out some counties hadn’t properly followed the rules, he legally laid claim to the land involved.

If you want to look for your own opportunities to become a land pirate, you can find the text of the 1872 Mining Act online.

4. Fashion Piracy

No, you can’t sell a fake Gucci handbag legally — at least, not if you use the logo and other trademarks. On the other hand, you might be able to make or sell a very similar product if you just leave out the trademark infringement.

It’s all about the distinction between a counterfeit and a knockoff. Counterfeiting is illegal, but according to TheFashionLaw.com, “Knockoffs are distinct from counterfeits, and design piracy is not actually illegal.” At least, not in the U.S.

There’s some debate as where the line falls between legal and illegal. Some experts say if you make an imitation of a popular handbag or dress without using any logos or other trademarked designs, it’s probably legal.

Others say even if you don’t use a logo or other trademarked feature, creating too much confusion in the consumer’s mind could get you sued for trademark infringement.

Of course, being sued can be costly, even if you win the case. So there’s your warning if you decide to become a fashion pirate.

Your Turn: Which, if any, of these pirate businesses would you consider trying? Have you heard of other pirate businesses?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

The post From Pirate Joe’s to Fake Fashion: Would You Start a Pirate Business? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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With #ShareaCoke, Twitter Unleashes First Branded Custom Emoji

Twitter gives Coca-Cola the first crack at using the internet's playful shorthand for brand promotion on the network.

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Google Sues SEO Firm For Making False Partnership Claims In Illegal Robocalls

After demanding the false claims and robocalls stop more than a year ago, Google brings legal action against the agency.

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How to Find Affordable Wedding Invitations

The invitation is such an important part of every wedding. It sets the tone for your whole ceremony and reception weeks in advance — so you want to make sure to get it right.

Unfortunately, like most things that have to do with weddings, the prices for invitations can be completely unreasonable. With tons of different options from engraved letters to hand calligraphy and custom stamps, it’s no wonder some brides find themselves spending $500 or more just to ask their guests to come to their party.

While some couples might have the budget for such extras, the truth is that you can find absolutely gorgeous wedding invitations that are still affordable — especially if you’re willing to do a little bit of the printing and assembly yourself.

My mom actually printed out each and every one of my wedding invitations on her home printer, and she added a little red bow to each one because I saw an upscale version with a red bow that I loved (but was way out of my price range).

We spent under $100 to make 200 invitations, and that was five years ago — there are many, many more options now, and I’ve selected some of my favorites to share with you below.

• Related: 20 Ideas for a Frugal (Not Cheap) Wedding on a Budget

Tips for Selecting Wedding Invitations

Before deciding on wedding invitations, there are a few things you should do first:

• Know your guest list: Before you even look at wedding invitations, your first step is to figure out how many people you’re inviting. This is because most online companies offer bulk pricing: The more invitations you buy, the cheaper each wedding invitation will be.
• Price compare: There are so many places to buy wedding invitations these days, from handmade sellers on Etsy all the way to mass-produced invitations at big box stores. Price compare everywhere, and stay open minded — because you never know where you’ll find that perfect piece of paper.
• Read reviews: I saw many invitations that looked great in the photos but were rated poorly in the reviews, either because the seller wasn’t prompt when problems arose or the paper quality just wasn’t the best.
• Get a sample: This, above anything, is the most important tip I can give you. Although we’re featuring affordable wedding invitations from top-rated and trusted companies below, you don’t want to order 200 invitations only to find out that you don’t like the color up close, you can’t read the type, or you misspelled your own name (oh, I bet it’s happened a time or two)! So, order a sample and make sure you like how it looks and feels when it comes in.

Affordable Wedding Invitations

To help you find the most beautiful but affordable wedding invitations for your event, we’ve searched for some great options to fit any wedding budget. Worry not: Even if money’s tight, there are still some elegant ways to invite others to your party.

All the affordable invitation options below were selected for their high quality, great reviews, and affordability, ranging from completely free to about $240:

Option 1: Email Your Invitation

Cost: Free, baby!

It’s becoming more and more common to email invitations, saving not just on stationary but postage as well. Using a site like Paperless Post, you can actually send out your invitations completely free. Many of their invitations are actually quite beautiful, like this one, and out of all the options on this list, it’s the best priced of them all: 100% free.

Keep in mind that many of their designs are offered digitally and in print — so you could still send a printed invitation to your prim-and-proper grandparents while sending an email invitation to your more understanding friends, saving at least some money.

Option 2: The Elegant Dot

Cost: $17.97 for 50 invitations, plus ink

Many people overlook big-box stores for invitations, blindly bypassing them in favor of high-end stationery stores that “specialize” in wedding invitations. You can actually buy wedding invitations and print them at home though.

I love this invitation from Wal-Mart, and at only $17.97 for 50 of them, you can afford to mess up a few as you practice with your printer.

Option 3: Follow My Lead

Cost: $18.58 for 100 invitations, plus ink

These simple, bordered invitations are an extremely close match to the invitations I used for my own wedding — maybe even the exact ones. Don’t just take my word for it, though, as they have several five-star reviews on Amazon.

What I love most about these blank wedding invitations is that you can really dress them up. They start out simple and elegant, but then you can add a bow or a pinch of color somewhere else to really make them shine.

Option 4: Pressed Flowers

Cost: $44 for 100 invitations, plus ink

Wedding invitations that come with a sleeve elevate the whole package and give your guests a little something to untie and open after they’ve opened the envelope. This little extra step makes the invitation seem much more expensive than it actually is.

This set from Amazon comes highly rated by over 300 users. You have to print them yourself, but the real pressed flowers and great price make this one a winner.

Option 5: A More Casual Vibe

Cost: $60-$90 for 100 invitations

If you’re looking for a more casual vibe for your wedding — maybe something rustic, whimsical, or outdoorsy — you’ll love the gorgeous selection of invitations offered by VistaPrint that are only around $6-$9 for a pack of 10.

Option 6: Illustrated Watercolor

Cost: $168 for 100 invitations

For the artsy couple, go beyond the simple background and fonts and select something truly unique, like these cards featuring an original watercolor illustration of the Boston skyline (other options include Chicago and San Francisco).

Any type of illustrated invitation will set you back a bit more than your typical big-box store print-outs, but paying a little extra can give your event that personalized touch.

Option 7: Match Your Wedding Colors

Cost: $138 (with 20% discount) for 100 invitations

Not only does David’s Bridal offer affordable wedding dresses — they also have a line of invitations too. What I love best about this company is that you can search invitations by your wedding colors so everything coordinates. This is far better than sorting through invitation after invitation like you have to do on many other websites, because you can essentially filter out any colors you know you’re not going to like.

I also love that they are constantly running sales, so if the price on these invitations doesn’t match the one you see here, keep checking for 20%-off deals.

Option 8: Foil-Stamped

Cost: $229 for 100 invitations

If you have a little more wiggle room in your budget, you can upgrade your invitations while still purchasing affordable ones. While $229 might not seem affordable, keep in mind that engraved invitations from a boutique invitation store could set you back hundreds more. Adding a little extra glitz like foil helps set your invitations apart while still keeping them within your budget.

Option 9: Support Graphic Artists

Cost: $234 and up for 100 invitations

The website Minted is lovely because they offer wedding invitations designed by independent graphic artists around the world. They have some stunning designs — like this one... and this one… or this one.

Because they’re created by individual artists, they are the most expensive on this list — but still an affordable and original option for a wedding with an overall budget in the $10,000 range.

Other Ways to Save on Wedding Invitations

In addition to purchasing some of the affordable options above, there are even more ways to save on wedding invitations. Here are some examples:

Use Coupons

Using coupons is a great way to save more on already affordable invitations. There are a few ways you can use coupons, but the most effective one is to closely follow the websites and vendors that you’re considering for your wedding invitations.

For example, if you want someone on Etsy to create your invitations, make sure to follow their Facebook page if they have one or check in on their shop from time to time. Most small shops will offer sales and coupon codes leading up to the holidays.

The same goes for larger online retailers. Sign up to be on their mailing lists. Many larger companies offer a certain percentage off your first order just for becoming a member of their mailing list. Combine coupon codes with sales to find the absolute best deals and get your wedding invitations cheap.

Ask for Invitations as Gifts

Do you have an aunt who’s amazing at calligraphy? If so, ask her to address your envelopes and response cards as a gift. Do you have a friend or cousin who is a graphic designer? Ask him or her to design your invitation so you can easily upload the file to a free or blank template at an online retailer. Graphic designers can also create personalized wedding logos that can really add an upscale touch to your event.

Additionally, when you’re engaged, people will constantly ask you what you want as a wedding gift. Instead of telling them you want those fancy salt and pepper shakers, ask if they would buy you a book of stamps to help with mailing your invitations. (Postage adds up!) I personally would much rather buy a couple something useful to help with their wedding costs than to buy them another kitchen gadget they don’t need or already have.

Barter

If you have a skill that you can trade for wedding invitations, by all means reach out and offer to barter with a wedding vendor. For example, can you babysit in exchange for having someone do your calligraphy? Can you cut and style hair for someone who will design and print invitations for you? Can you offer any type of consulting, coaching, or organizing help to someone who is skilled with graphic design?

To get the most out of bartering, sit down with your fiance and make a list of the skills both of you have, whether they involve laptops or landscaping. Then, make a list of people who can help with different aspects of your invitations, including friends, families, and vendors you find locally and online.

Reach out to them with a courteous email, and outline what you want to trade. Sign an agreement or contract so it’s official and more than just a handshake. After all, you don’t want to risk your wedding invitations not going out because a barter fell through.

Add a Touch of Elbow Grease

Like anything else, you can save money on wedding invitations by doing some of the work yourself. Adding custom touches and flourishes to standard-issue invitations can make them beautiful and unique, and may cost no more than a couple spools of ribbon and a free Saturday.

Similarly, the key to purchasing affordable wedding invitations is to plan. First, shop around and see what wedding invitations cost in your area. Then, compare prices online. Look for coupons and sales at both big-box stores and online shops, and diligently monitor prices.

And keep an open mind. Remember, I got my wedding invitations at Wal-Mart! I looked all over for a simple white wedding invitation with a border, and the ones I liked the best were there! (For the record, there are many more options now than there were five years ago.)

A Final Note

Finally, it’s worth remembering that while wedding invitations set the tone for your event, they’re also something most people will throw away once it’s over. Concentrate more on giving your guests a great experience at your actual wedding and reception, and worry less about the piece of paper they will eventually toss in the recycling bin.

Did you find affordable invitations for your wedding? Did you buy them or make them yourself?  

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Pinterest Says It Has 100 Million Monthly Active Users

It's the first time Pinterest has released monthly user figures. The company continues to make the case that its audience is uniquely receptive to marketing.

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