NevBlog

Neville's Digital Surrogate Brain

Staying Organized

by

I’m currently involved with tons of different projects, and staying organized is a task all unto its own. After years of trial and error, here are my favorite ways for staying organized in different areas:

DAILY TO-DO’s:
Favorite method: Sticky Note Chain.
I’ve experimented extensively in this area, and nothing comes close to a sticky note. I’ve tried Palm Pilots and computer calendars to no end….but nothing beats the sticky note.

Instead of setting my day hour-by-hour, I just write down TASKS. This way I can easily compensate for unexpected new tasks. If I don’t finish the list, I don’t sleep.

Alternate Methods: Outlook Calendar, AT Notes.

TAXES:
Favorite Method: Binder with transparent folders in conjunction with the spending cork board and Excel. When I have a tax write off I need to remember, I put it in the binder at the end of each month. Receipts are extremely important in this area.

EXPENSES:
Favorite Method: Cork board coupled with month end closeout on Excel.
When I get a receipt or incur an expense, it goes up here. I tabulate at the end of every month the total amount. This also gives you a real time visualization of your spending habits.

EMAIL:
Favorite Method: Outlook. I used to hate Outlook for a while, then was told by a mentor to start using it. I begrudgingly did so, and now I would never leave Outlook. As much as I hated it tying all my accounts into one, I now view it as a godsend.

For example, I used to view House Of Rave emails only when I got a chance or felt like it. Now with Outlook integrating all my email accounts in one place, order problems and customer inquiries get answered almost right away instead of in hours or days. This obviously improves profit and customer satisfaction which tends to = $$$

Outlook also allows me to sort all mail into different folders for future reference. I honestly don’t know how I was running my businesses without this earlier.

Business Cards/Contacts:
If I am handed a business card, I almost always snap a picture of it with my camera. I then upload the picture to the Buinsess Cards folders on my computer. I also enter the persons information into Outlook.

My list of organizational techniques is always changing, but for now these are most efficient ways that work for me in particular!

Starting Charity Account with AdSense

by

I’ve complained about Google AdSense many times before, saying I will never put them on NevBlog. Well, that’s changed.

I have a very under-funded Charity Account with Bank of America which I recently started, and not much money has gone into it. This account automatically accumulates money every week from my main account, but relatively slowly compared to the other accounts.

Starting this Feb 1st I put a vertical Google Adsense banner on NevBlog to generate income for this new charity account. I tried to make it very un-invasive:

Leaving the ad relatively out of the way is contrary to maximizing its profit potential, but I don’t want to clutter the site.

So far the return is extremely BAD. The first day I got several thousand impressions, 8 clicks and a grand total of 38 cents. If that’s a taste of the profit to come, then I’m not sure AdSense is even worth it.

I thought this would be a painless way to increase the amount of money I give away, so hopefully the profits improve!

Monthly Expenses, Win Everyday, New Biz

by

I’ve started more aggressively tracking my monthly expenses starting this January. I utilized the help of a cork board and dry erase board to do this. Every time I incur an expense, I write it down on the dry erase board and post the receipt.

I also keep an Excel file full of my expenses and tax deductions, but the cork board is always there to stare me in the face for what I spend. For January I incurred roughly the following expenses:

I know people who pay higher monthly rents than my entire monthly expenses. These are bound to go up, especially in the investment category. Luckily, many of my investment dollars are tax deductible.

————————————

I was speaking to a mentor of mine about being more productive, and he passed down a simple phrase that was passed down to him:

For some reason, that phrase really stuck with me. He explained that, “Everyday should be a small victory.“

This means writing out all of your tasks the night before, then executing them all before you sleep the next day. If you finish everything and then some, you have won.

I used to plan out my day by hour, but it NEVER worked. I realized that everyday is different, and unexpected things always pop up, so an hourly schedule is not the best. My days are more planned out now using Microsoft Outlook Calendar and plain old sticky notes.

————————————

I had set a goal of 1-31-2006 to launch another new small business of mine. I’ve postponed that launch date for 5 more days. It should be done by then!

Parlays and Picks Small Business

by

Some of my sports obsessed friends got together and decided to start a sports picking business as a side income.

They had a common problem many people have: they had no idea where to start. I decided it would be interesting to document their progress as they develop their business:

So these guys know their sports, but not much about how to create a small web business. They started mapping out how to sell their picks, but were stumped when it came to actually implementing the page on the internet.

I helped them setup a website on my server, showed them how to use the basic functions of Macromedia Dreamweaver, insert PayPal payment buttons and how to buy and modify a webpage template from TemplateMonster.com.

Here is what they came up with: ParlaysAndPicks.com

Now this site looks pretty amateur and unprofessional. HOWEVER…..at least they got an actual working site up and running, more than what 90% of people will accomplish. Another surprising fact is they actually get orders and make money after less than a month in business. Their only “Product” is their sports picks which they send by email. Therefore there is no real overhead for their business. They can have 5 customers or 5,000 and have almost the same overhead costs.

They tried advertising with Google Adwords, but Google wouldn’t accept their ad because their site was considered a “Gambling” site. However, Yahoo allowed them to advertise, and they spent several hundred dollars getting traffic to the site through Yahoo. In return, they made more than double their investment back in just a month.

They have already proven they can make money with their micro business, now the goal is to make more. The next step is hiring a web designer to “clean up” the site and make it more professional.

I get questions everyday concerning how to start a small online business, so I think this will shed even more insight on the subject. I’ll continue to document their progress.

Review of Live Chat Programs

by

In the quest to earn more from several online businesses I am a part of, I’ve been searching for ways to improve sales & service.

A piece of software that was recommended was LivePerson. It’s actually pretty amazing. It primarily allows you to offer “Live Chat” on your website, but I’ve found its website tracking features to be more impressive.

You can view in real time exactly what a customer is doing on your website. The second they click “Add to Cart” or on a new product, you can see them doing it. The software then keeps all these statistics. It also shows you in real time how they found your site or what keyword they found your site with.

I installed LivePerson on House Of Rave and it’s pretty amazing to watch people rummage through the website. I can also see what city they are from, how long they’ve been browsing the site, if they are a returning visitor etc…

I will start offering Live Help on HoR very soon. But for now, I’ve noticed a large amount of customers find the site from the free videos and pictures, then end up browsing and buying.

If it’s videos and pictures that people want, then I’ll give them even more, perhaps even enable some sort of system to discuss and rate the vids/pics. The free demo of LivePerson helped me really see how people browse HoR.

The problem with LivePerson was the price. About $100/month for the most basic package. I did some more research and found some cheaper services….the only other one I liked was BoldChat.

BoldChat has similar software and features, but was much cheaper than LivePerson:

I’ve signed up for BoldChat, and will use it for a month to decide if it’s worth it. I ordered the full package which costs $79/month.

Hopefully integrating these systems will be one more step towards boosting HoR profits to the $5,000/month level.

Russian Wall Street Journal, Despair Poster

by

I was recently published in the Russian Wall Street Journal/Financial Times publication called Vedemosti. The reporter who did the interview, Victorya, was kind enough to send me a physical copy of the newspaper I was in:

The problem is, I have NO CLUE what it says about me! Everything is in Russian. On the other hand, I am extremely facinated by seeing my picture and not being able to read what the text says.

I will probably frame this article just for its conversation starter appeal.
I’ll also at some point translate the interview. I know the guy who writes HowToBePoor speaks Russian.

*Update: The article was translated for me.
—————————-

A website I’ve liked for some time now is Despair Inc. They sell demotivational stuff, which I think is absolutely hilarious and brilliant.

I recently bought this poster to hang over my VoIP phone which I use mainly for business purposes. The poster is so absurd that it makes me want to do the opposite.

Surprisingly, the package the poster came in was from an Austin address not very far from where I live. I’ll probably swing by their office to see what goes on there, just purely out of curiosity.

2005 In Review

by

I came out of 2005 earning around $20,000 for the year just from side projects and while still a full time student. Not too bad, but not a living wage.

I am now graduated and can concentrate full time on the game of making money.

For my own reference, here is the money I brought in for 2005:

-Online Biz – Jan. – $ 502
-Work – $ 253
-Work – $ 281
-Ebay Sale – $ 100
-Change Jar – $ 55
-Online Biz – Feb. – $ 751
-Work – $ 271
-Change Jar – $ 30
-Rebate – $ 30
-Work – $ 229
–Lottery Experiment – $ 2
-Web Design – $ 100
-Online Biz – March – $ 946
-Syntel Dividend – $ 270
-Ebay Sale – $ 218
-Ebay Sale – $ 340
–Water Experiment – $ 5
-Work – $ 246
-Work – $ 248
-Online Biz – April – $ 836
-Web Design – $ 300
–Change Jar – $ 32
-Surveys – $ 55
-Books – $ 165
–Selling Notes – $ 105
-Work – $ 297
-Online Biz – May – $ 1,024
-SYNT Dividend – $ 21
-FO Dividend – $ 6
-GE Dividend – $ 10
–Work – $ 213
-Change Jar – $ 17
–Work – $ 167
-Online Biz – June – $ 718
-FO Dividend – $ 11
–Work – $ 274
–Work – $ 261
-Online Biz – July – $ 834
–Work – $ 304
-GE Dividend – $ 10
-SYNT Dividend – $ 11
-Change Jar – $ 35
–Acco Brands – $ 183
–Work – $ 210
-Books – $ 30
-Online Biz – Aug. – $ 804
-ACCO Dividend – $ 7
–Work – $ 228
–Change Jar – $ 76
-Online Biz – Sept. – $ 654
–Selling Pixels – $ 1,350
-FO Dividend – $ 11
-SYNT Dividend – $ 11
-GE Dividend – $ 9
-Online Biz – Oct – $ 1,120
-Misc. – $ 1,000
-Birthday – $ 200
–Online Biz – Nov – $ 1,630
–Change Jar – $ 115
–Online Biz – Dec – $ 1,801
—2005 Total – $20,021

There are some dividends and interest earnings missing, but nothing significant. I also do not publicly publish income made from partnerships I have going, as that violates other people’s privacy.

I ended the year with the following in my public accounts:

-General Account – $ 3,647
-Spending Account – $ 179
-Spending Account 2 – $ 350
-Investment Account – $ 2,234
-Bill Account – $ 1,379
-Permanent Savings – $ 3,342
-Stock Portfolio Value – $ 11,016
-Roth IRA – $ 6,680
-Emigrant Direct – $ 1,002
—Total Liquid Assets – 29,829
-Credit Card Balance – $ 0
-Business Holding – $ 1,647
—Total On Hand – $ 31,476

2006 will be the year I hope to firmly establish myself….or go really broke. Either way will be quite fun and teach me a lot :-)

Before Meeting Someone…

by

Before attending a meeting with someone new or listening to a speaker, here is what I do beforehand almost every time. It really helps:

1.) Google their name. If they have a unique name, you may be in luck, but John Smith will be harder to pinpoint. Try to read about them, find their address/phone and see what they are all about.

2.) Zabasearch. If I can’t find their address or phone from Google or Yahoo People Search, I can almost ALWAYS find them by ZabaSearching their name.

3.) Lookup their address on Google Maps. Depending on the situation, you might want to see where this person lives. If they are right next to a golf course or along the water, that says something. This is just a step I enjoy doing out of curiosity.

4.) Write down facts and findings. If you are seeing a speaker, tidbits of information can formulate great questions, and show that you’ve taken further interest in the speaker than others. This is a powerful method I use to help meet prominent people.

Doing this takes only a few minutes or less and can help create a relationship that otherwise would not happen so quickly. I am always impressed and slightly flattered when people take the time to research me before meeting with them.

Graduated, Full Time Investment Vehicle Creator

by

Formerly I was: Neville Medhora, college student.

I’ve now graduated from the University of Texas:
Major: Government
Minor: Business

I am now: Neville Medhora, Investment Vehicle Creator.
Investment Vehicle Creator = Phrase I made up because I don’t like the word entrepreneur.

I will be celebrating New Year’s in Miami, FL., then return to Austin to begin my IVC adventure/career. It’s now fully up to me whether or not I succeed.

I live in a wonderful city, have roughly $30,000 in the bank, a college degree, a large arsenal of experience, a good business network, two forms of transportation, a loving family, I’m fully insured, have low monthly costs, multiple forms of reliable income, several large projects in the works and an insatiable appetite for productivity.

2006 will either be a wonderful year towards my success or a dismal failure.

The trick will simply be working hard and working smart. I’ve heard time and time again from successful people that simply outworking the other guy will get you ahead.
I can no longer say I am busy with school, meaning I have one less excuse for procrastination and unproductivity.

———————————–

Upcoming Problems & Changes:

—In 2006 I will no longer have time constraints or the structured schedule that school imposes. I will have to self discipline myself to wake up earlier, work harder and properly manage my time.

“If we do not discipline ourselves the world will do it for us.”
–William Feather (Stolen from TheKirkReport)

—Another change I didn’t anticipate was the change in my business card. I generally carry at least 3 of these on me at all times. The first order of change is creating a new email address. I was also thinking of putting an odd slogan on the card under my name such as “It rhymes with Devil,” as it helps clarify the pronunciation of my name and stands out at the same time. I’m not sure if that’s clever or just cheesy.

I was toying with the idea of getting ShowOffCards.com, business cards that portray you as a superhero. They seem to really stand out, but I think right now they are too gaudy for me:

I don’t want to spend too much time creating a new business card, as I am the one who makes the first impression, not the card….although it can help.

I will however leave the web address on the card, as I’ve found a phenomenally large amount of people I hand the card to will visit and actually read it….speaking of, I must also update that.

—Another challenge will be meeting new people. In a quest to continually expand my network of people, I now must more actively put myself in situations where I can meet new people. The college environment forces people to interact, but once taken out of that environment, the rules change. For the first time in my life I am out of school, so this should be interesting.

————————–
It’s completely up to me now whether I succeed or go down in flames. Time to get started!
-Nev

2006 Goal Setting, Other Stuff

by

Almost 2006, so it’s time to start setting goals. I made a poster board with goals and a sort of calendar to make sure I work towards those goals every month. Goals rarely get accomplished unless they are constantly kept track of.

I’ve also bought a giant cork board to thumb-tack inspirational articles right in front of my desk. I’ll start putting up quotes, articles, pictures or anything that inspires me to work harder.

—————————————-

I think a great financial move I’ve made is splitting my money into separate accounts. It really shows how much money I have for what purpose. I had too much cash sitting in my extremely low-yield permanent savings account (aka “No Risk” account), so I maxed my Roth IRA for the year by adding $2,000 to it, and threw $1,000 into an EmigrantDirect savings account.

I also recently opened up a 2nd Spending Account specifically for the holidays and larger purchases. I noticed every holiday season is much more expensive than other months, so I’ve been stashing a little money each week for a couple of months and built up around $800 for gifts and other holiday expenses.

It makes me feel good that I can buy gifts for family and friends without worrying about prices.

—————————————-

The second scooter I bought has recently been fully registered and is now actually legal to drive. Almost immediately after I bought it, I got a ticket for driving with: No insurance, No inspection and No registration.

I’ve also got two parking tickets, each $50 a piece. In relation, it takes me $3 to fill an entire tank of gas.

I’ve also been yelled at several times for cutting through standing traffic. One cop said I was a “Traffic Unit” like everyone else and couldn’t go through just because I could. I disagree. I’m not sure what kind of ticket I can get for moving through a line of traffic, but I’m willing to find out.

Despite $700+ extra dollars of additional costs (Not counting helmet, gloves etc), I have been able to easily absorb these costs thanks to my “Bills Account.”

—————————————-

Visit GoDaddy.com and see if yourname.com is available. If yes, buy it. I don’t know why, but it just seems a good idea. It costs $9 or less per year. NevilleMedhora.com redirects to my original webpage, https://www.neville1.com/. Having a website throughout the years has really helped me in many ways.