Unique Tactics For Using Other People's Money

Many people struggle to raise the money they need to introduce their product. But there are ways to get around that problem by using a shoestring outsourcing approach I call OPM (Other People's Money) deal making-or, if you prefer, the OPM entrepreneurial approach-because not only are most functions outsourced, but the outsource partners put up all or most of the money. I have compiled some stories of successful inventors in this newsletter to help give you some innovative approaches to consider when introducing your ideas.

Fred Culbertson

Culbertson knew from his own experience that screwdrivers often slip out of the screw head, and he decreed that what was needed was a screwdriver handle that never had to be moved from the screw head. He thought that if could just rotate the handle back, as with a socket set, screwdrivers would be easier to use. Culbertson believed that the product would be a perfect item for Sears' Craftsman tool line. The problem: Culbertson did not have the skills or money to make a polished prototype, and Sears does not typically buy from small vendors.

Still, Culbertson was not about to let such a great idea go by. He started by enlisting the aid of a machinist, who made a workable prototype; he found a company in his hometown that already sold to Sears to present the product; and then, when Sears showed some interest, Sears provided to Culbertson the names of manufacturers already supplying private-label Craftsman tools. The deal was done, and now the screwdriver is sold in all major Sears outlets. The final deal has the manufacturer supplying the private-label product for Sears with Culbertson getting a percentage of every sale both for his product idea and for his promotional efforts in stores demonstrating his new product.

Shawn Ferguson

People who act as brokers of services are one existing type of OPM entrepreneur. Ferguson was an Emergency Medical Technician who observed that many people would prefer a short CPR training course, rather than the six- to eight-week course offered by the Red Cross. Ferguson started his business by getting a local community college to offer a short course, which he or his friends taught in return for a share of the revenue. Ferguson then offered the class at a home health-care show for a small fee. The show promoted the class to attendees, and again Ferguson's friends conducted the class. Ferguson then branched out to become a full-fledged broker, setting up classes at events, trade shows, schools, businesses, and other organizations, and promoting the service to target customers. By this time, he used a group of service providers, who were EMTs working as independent contractors, to provide the training. The profit Ferguson made was the difference between his share of the class revenue and the total fees he paid to the service people who treated the class.

John Lawler

Lawler worked for an airline and felt that both the typical video screens in the front of planes and the newer embedded systems with screens had many drawbacks. First, everyone had to watch the same movie at the same time, and in the case of the big video screens, some people could not see the movie well. Also, if the movie system went out, no one could watch the movie. To top it off, the entire system was expensive. A big problem of the embedded systems with screens on each seat was that they were too expensive, costing between $ 500,000 and $ 1,000,000 to install per plane.

Lawler thought that a much better idea was just having individual movie players that could attach to the back of a seat. Players would only cost $ 200 to $ 400 each, or less than $ 100,000 for a typical plane. The individual units could operate without the cabin crew's assistance, and they could be leased to the plane. Passengers could then select the movies they wanted, and select when they wanted to start, pause, or stop a movie. The problem for Lawler was that the movie players were already invented; His idea was just to have the maker of the movie player lease them to airlines. What role and what value could he add to his project?

Lawler's solution was to create a role that licensed the movies and reprogrammed the players monthly. He took the initiative to work a deal to license movies with a major movie studio, and then he made a deal with the movie studios for a license fee that allowed him to reprogram the players every month at a nominal fee. To sweeten his deal, Lawler leased the movie players from the manufacturer, which was willing to front the equipment to Lawler because he had a lease from the airline. Lawler then offered a licensing fee, which included both the player manufacturer's fee and an additional fee for licensing the movies and reprogramming the players.

So if your product is too difficult to introduce on your own, and you can not get any help, consider the OPM plan, introducing your idea with Other People's Money. It just might work for you.

Supply And Demand And Marketing

According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc., "Technologists focus on supply but they do not understand advertising is focused on demand.

What in the world does that mean? It means not every product online is going to sell. Online retailers and marketers are not going to succeed just because they are online. Marketing is about understanding the demand of the consumer and meeting it or creating demand for a product.

This means online business people must take the time to understand the consumer. They need to develop an understanding of the consumer's thinking, motivation, and needs. Just because you develop a website and slap up some product graphics and have a checkout process using paypal does not mean you'll be selling and rolling in money.

Is there a demand for your product or service? If there is how does your product or service fulfill that demand? If there is not a demand can one be created through advertising and marketing? For some products or services you'll not be able to create demand and people will not buy simply because you provide a supply.

So what's the practical application of focusing on demand instead of supply?

1. Take the time to research your demographics

2. Consider streamlining your websites to include interactive elements that help develop an understanding of what your visitor desires.

3. You may need to develop a different marketing campaign based on whether there is
a strong demand or weak demand for what you are offering.

4. Demand can be created via a long term process of education / awareness, then branding,
then interest, then trial, then demand.

5. In a demand mindset you'll need to be more strategic, combining a campaign of both
rational information with desire oriented emotionalness

Remember, just because you supply it does not mean there is a demand for it. Take the time to study your idealized market and idealized customer profile then search them out to ascertain what their demand level is for your product or service. This will help you develop your marketing strategy. Be prepared for a long-term commitment.

My Husband Is Always Compare Me To Other Women - This Hurts Me - What Can I Do? Insights To Help

I recently heard from a wife who was being hurt by her husband's constant comparisons between her and other women. Sometimes, he compared her to her sisters, friends, coworkers, or acquaints. Other times, he compared her to complete strangers. She had been trying to ignore this for a while, but laately, it had been angering and grating on her so badly that it was very negatively affecting her marriage.

The wife said in part: "My husband compares me to everyone. And the comparisons are never favorable. I'm not as thin as my sister. A mom as our neighbor. I'm not as good a cook as his best friend's wife. I'm not as good as a lover as his old girlfriend. goes to open his mouth. At first, I used to ignore him, but this is starting to happen all of the time and become much more hurtful. with something equally as nasty. How would he like it if I compared him to other men? I would never do this because it would hurt his feelings and he's my husband. him on this, he says I'm too sensitive. It's gotten to a point where he will openly stare at other women right in front of me. uch longer I can take this. What do I do? "

After a little more clarification, it became apparent to me that the husband would make these comments and the wife would withdraw and give him the cold shoulder for a short period of time afterwards. Over time, she had learned that bringing this up would only make her husband accuse her of being over sensitive. And if she tried to snap back at him, then he would become angry and things would just get worse. So instead, she would say nothing and she would stew. This caused resentment and deteriorated their marriage. More and more, she was being avoiding spending time with her husband because of this and other problems. So this was something that I felt had to be addressed and could not be left in the hopes that it would just work itself out. In the following article, I'll offer some tips on understanding why a husband may regularly compare you to other women and how to best deal with it.

Why A Husband Might Compare His Wife To Other Women: The wife could not understand why her husband would be doing this. He did not act this way when they were dating. It was only within the past five years or so that he had begun this type of behavior. There are various reasons that a husband might act this way. Sometimes, this is their passive aggressive way of drawing your attention to something they wish was so. And, they may be saying it's about your parenting skills or your work ethic, but it is usually about something else completely.

Many men criticize you for reasons that have nothing whatsever to do with you. They are often trying to get your attention in the hopes that you will pay more attention to them or to things at home (as illegally that this sound sound.) So they will often hit you with very low blows in an attempt to push your buttons just to get a reaction.

Other times, a man will point out your perceived flaws because he is very aware of his own. Sometimes, a man's comparison of you is really driven by his own lack of self esteem or because of his own worries. Sometimes, when I speak with the men on the other side of this situation it's clear that they try to pull their wife down because they deserve her. They secretly worry that if she knew how special she really was, she would leave him so one way to make sure that this never happens is to point out her shortcomings. And sometimes men react to stress by being critical of who is most convenient.

I am not defending this behavior. I am just trying to let you know that if you are in this situation, you can be assured that these comparisons are not reflective on you. They are reflective of him and you have to decide if you want to change it, continue to live with it, or remove yourself from it. (My recommendation is to attempt to change it if you can.)

How To Handle It When Your Husband Always Compares You To Other Women: The wife in this situation did not want to walk away. She asserted that there were other redeeming qualities in her husband. But she did not want to continue to live this way either, nor did she deserve to. And each time her husband did this, it deteriorated her marriage even more. I know that she dared to confront this because it appeared to only make things worse, but ignoring it just ensures that it keeps happening.

I suggested that the next time her husband compared her to someone else, she should make a note of it and vow to bring it up at a time when things were calm. If you try to address it when you are hurting or angry, you run the risk it becoming even worse. So, when things are going well and you are calm, that is the time to address it.

I would suggest saying something to the effect of: "I need to discuss something with you that has been weighing on me. Yesterday, you compared me to (fill in the blank.) This was hurtful and unnecessary. Honestly, this happens a lot. this makes me feel like I'm not making you happy or that you wish I was different. I worry that over time, it will make me resentful. And I know that you do not mean to hurt me. So, from now on, when it happens again, I'm going to draw your attention to it and ask you what is really bothering you. "

This is just a suggestion. You can use the words that are most appropriate to your husband and your situation. But the point is to address it in a constructive way, to open the door for him to tell you what is really bothering him, and to let him know that in the future, you will address it each time it happens. This lets him know that he can no longer have a free pass to keep up the comparisons.

Sometimes, just approaching it when you are both calm can inspire open communication that allow you to get to the real root of the problem. Because the comparisons are often a good indicator that your husband is trying very hard to get your attention and this can sometimes indicate some issues in your marriage that should not be ignored.

HHO Gas Car Kits the Best Way to Increase Gas Mileage

HHO gas car kits seems to be all the rage on the internet for the best increase in gas mileage. Some people are claiming gains of 100% or more but typical claims are in around 15-40% increase.

You may have seen it on TV or in the news but one experimenter entrepreneur is running his car on HHO gas and he even uses this technology for high temperature welding you can find the videos online on popular video sharing sites. This gas is not meant to totally replace gasoline but is more like a diesel or fuel additive in the sense that it is a supplement so you end up burning less gas.

There are other benefits from this water fuel cell technology sometimes referred to as hydrogen-on-demand besides your best increase in gas mileage. You may see increases in horsepower, quieter engine and reduced emissions, think about that passing an emissions test!

HHO generator kits do not come cheap but are well worth it. You can use them on trucks, diesel engines and some people are even using them on motorcycles, tractors and riding mowers. They do not require much in the way of maintenance usually just adding a few ounces of water every month or so.

These fuel cells do not take up much room under the hood of a vehicle and if you are handy with your hands or feel comfortable working around vehicles these are easy to install. If you want to know how to make a HHO gas generator or construct a fuel cell then you can find bits and pieces of free information online to build a generator. If you want to know how to build a HHO gas car kit it is best to buy the plans and get step by step instructions.

HHO gas car kits can be better than oil or gasoline additives to increase gas mileage. When you build or do it yourself you could save money on gas but will save hundreds of dollars on the kit and replicate the system for other vehicles you own.

Play Video Games and Get Paid

I know this sounds crazy but I do it every day. Now I'm talking about being able to play your favorite games like Mario, Halo, Call of Duty, Assassin Creed Brotherhood, Madden, Gears of War or any next gen game and being able to make money. That sounds like a dream come true right?

Well if it was not possible why is the game industry so booming right now? I mean we may be in a recession but the game company profits have only been rising. It's because this is the future of entertainment. Next gen games are the only form of entertainment media where we are actually physically involved. So with all that money and profits on the rise the game companies have jobs and they are hiring. You just have to know where to look. If you do not look than you might as well just keep playing your friends. Now if your serious about making money becoming a video game tester be ready, you do get to pick your games most of the time and usually even get free games. The only drawback I suppose would be repetition. They may have you beat the same game 10 times.

The best type of testing I would have to say would be online multiplayer video games. These are always new and fresh because you're playing with live people. This is also the best field to be a game tester for because you get to hone your skills and become true true top video gamer. Then after you've made your money testing, head to a video game tournament a put your skills to the true test. I've seen Halo tournaments recently with $ 100,000 top prizes that just insane! Now people are taking the step from tester to master. Taking challenges and proving just who the top gamer is.

The Definition of Success - Its True Meaning

It is no coincidence that you find yourself reading this article. You were obviously in search of the true definition of success or you would not have clicked the article link. Your quest to define success, led you to the usual reference sites like dictionary.com or webster.com and found their definitions read something like this - having attained wealth, status, honors or the like or having a favorable termination of an attempt or endeavor . Now take a brief moment and ask yourself these three questions, basing your answers solely on the definitions that were previously stated.

1. Do I consider myself successful?
2. Do I have all the wealth, material possessions, status, or honors I desire?
3. Has the outcome of my endeavors been favorable?

Did you answer no to one or maybe all three questions? If so, are you (even for just a moment) thinking, "I guess I'm not a success; and If I'm not a success then I must be a failure." Yep, if that's what you're thinking, then you're absolutely right, a failure you are. However, do not get discouraged, success is still attainable even for the "failures" of this world.

First things first. Stop measuring your success by the typical definitions found online and in other reference materials. If you do not, you will forever see yourself as a failure. With that said, let's take a moment to learn and digest another definition of success, probably the best you'll ever hear. This definition of success is not found on any mainstream website or in any hardback dictionary. it comes from a man by the name of Earl Nightingale. Mr. Nightingale was a motivational speaker back in the 1950s / 60s and was known as the "Dean of Personal Development." He defined success this way - "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."

Wow! That's worth reading again - "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." Let's take a moment to break that definition down so that you can truly digest the true meaning of success.

Progressive - meaning to make efforts towards continuous progress.
Realization - turning something imagined into a reality.
Worthy ideal - something that warrants great merit and excellence.

Look at it this way - Success is the continuous effort of taking something of great value that you have imagined and working toward it until it ever becomes a reality. Is not that awesome! No matter what your ideal ideal is, you are a success as long as you are making continuous efforts to turn your dream, your goals, your desires into a reality. So, do not get caught up with the fact that you have not attained it yet, just stay focused, set daily goals, and before you know it, you will attain it.

To Your Success!

Top 5 Value for Money Investments

"An ideal investment is the one which reaps infinite returns for the generations to come !!"

Whenever the idea of ​​investment comes, one of the first questions that pop in our mind is whether it would reap good returns or not. Then we proceed on to probe on the risks involved, investment tenure and other prerequisites before actually investing.

In this short piece, we explore interesting, easy to plan achieve investments that would make you feel content with the returns and have lesser risks in the market with the returns touching the sky and getting more and more with the time.

1. Investing for a Skill / Education: Education is one of the most expensive investment avenues these days. Acquiring a skill, implementing it, getting well versed in it consumes a lot of time, money and concentration. When worked hard and completed, the returns can be infinite. This means that you can find work and continue on it for as long as you want to. The gains are not only in terms of monetary returns, which are consistent and are usually on a rise, but also in terms of respect, experience and chance to invest more in your family and assets.

2. Real Estate / House: A lot of old and experienced people regarding real estate as a pinnacle of investment or asset creation. Once someone starts transacting in terms of real estate, his outlook towards money is totally changed. An increase in the price of stocks, mutual funds is not as stable as that of a land or a house. Moreover, the emotional value of an asset created in real estate is remarkable.

Yes, undoably, you need to have some net worth and status before venturing into this investment class, but the returns would make sure that the hard work you have put in to create wealth through real estate is all worth it.

3. People: For any manager or a business owner, the people working under him are his prime assets. Investing wise and well in the people will pay him off illegally, irrespective of the amount invested and time consumed over that investment.

Further, versatility makes it easier to find what kind of investment can suit your people. Compropriate insurance, perks, bonuses, trips, education, skill trainings, assets, cheaper loans etc., there are numerous ways in which you can decide how do you want to invest. Investment is people earns you more loyalty (which can never have a price tag), better results, higher efficiency and several such fruits that would enhance your business or get you a promotion.

4. Creating a second income source: When you have multiple uses of the money earned, why can not there be multiple income sources. Often, a second income source seeks some amount of investment, which does annoy people as they fail to realize its need. It is quite simple to analyze it though. The current job or business you are doing has come to you at a cost, which has typically paid off via income and other tangible / intelible returns. You can create a source such as part time intuitions, blogging, baby sitting, product research etc., which give you a stable income and keep on giving more and more returns once you gain good experience. Second income source gets a further boost when you invest in acquiring a skill that in turn gets you another income source.

5. Planting Trees: Promoting Greenery in your vicinity is again an invaluable investment. A seed that nurtures into a plant, and further to a tree has a lot to give for the sunlight, water and care it receives. Interestingly, apart from sowing a seed and occasionally placing a fence around it, you do not have to spend anything at all. The sunlight is free and water requirement, even though being initially crucial, is later managed by the plant itself. Multiple returns that a single fully fledged tree gives include fresh air, fruits, wood, temperature control, shade,