I love being self-employed, and from time to time I’ve fantasized about either opening my own store or getting a franchise of some cool, underrated chain (Three Dog Bakery, hello), but I never really knew where to look for information about these kinds of opportunities.
Enter Franchise Gator, a website with a totally weird name but a very useful purpose. Essentially, it lets you browse available franchises by location, the amount of liquid capital you need, and industry/sub-industry. Very cool.
For example, I’m looking through Ohio listings right now, and some tech place called NERD FORCE! is looking for franchisers. It would be better if it was Nerd Herd, though, right (Chuck needs to come back with its new season already)?
Baskin-Robbins also needs franchisers… and I sorely hope someone with $100,000 in liquid capital will jump on this, because Columbus sorely needs one! Seriously, I don’t know of any Baskin-Robbins in this state, even. It sucks.
For the record, the cheapest franchises looking for Ohioans are vending machine companies at around $9,000 required LC; the most expensive is something called Austin Grill, needing $500,000. I’m so amused by looking through these listings for some reason!
I have a desktop computer, and while I definitely prefer it that way (owning laptops has never worked out well for me - they either get stolen or break in some exclusive-to-laptops way, or… both - yes, i’ve had a busted laptop stolen, haha) I can’t deny the irrefutable fact that sometimes, laptops are just handier. For vacations, when you’re moving large distances and your desktop is all packed, or any other set of circumstances that pop up that require you to have a computer or internet access without having your normal, at-home computer at the ready.
So I thought it was really clever when I came across this website offering laptop rentals (though they offer quite a bit more - desktops are also available, as is a lot of various audiovisual equipment, flat screen/big screen televisions for the big game (a WAY better idea than buying one on credit and returning one the next day, which I’ve seen some people do… ew) and even VIDEO WALLS and computer kiosks). You have to fill out a form with valid contact info to get a quote, and since I don’t actually need to rent a laptop right this moment, I didn’t want to waste their time, so I’m not exactly sure of the prices… but I still thought it was a really cool, useful idea & service that some people might be interested in. If anyone does rent from them, shoot me a comment here and let me know how it went.
I checked my e-mail for the first time in about a week, and I had TWO messages asking for me to post again talking about my experiences with Payday Loans. So, this post goes out to you two & anyone else who is still curious about what exactly these sort of services entail.
Honestly, I think the easiest way for me to explain is by walking you through how to get one in the first place - and the first step is to find a reputable lender, for example this Payday Loans website. Once you’ve thoroughly read their website and gone over their terms carefully, fill out their online application. Make sure you also check out your individual state’s laws about these kinds of services (they can be found here, at the State Licensed Cash Advances info page). The nice thing about this website in particular is that you can apply 24/7 - so if you realize that you’re about to be broke at 11PM on a Sunday night, you can still put your application through right then & there.
You’ll receive an answer within a few moments, and since your credit score isn’t a factor, even if you’ve got debt/bad credit you CAN still use these services & get approved. You’ll be told how much money they can lend you (basically, they won’t lend you more than you can pay back realistically), and once you accept the deal (ie, you pay the money back within a certain time frame with a certain amount of interest on top) your money will show up in your bank account within a day or two via direct deposit.
Paying back the money that you’ve borrowed is pretty simple - you can pay it either via direct deposit (have it taken out automatically on your next pay day) or online through their website. In my experience, their customer service department is really friendly and helpful, so if you end up needing an extension or more money, don’t be afraid to ask - these companies basically exist to help you, after all. Just stay honest with them and don’t borrow more than you can afford in the long run, and these types of services can be a really great way to help dig yourself out of a temporary financial hole.
Hope that helped - if anyone has any more questions, feel free to comment & I’ll respond ASAP!
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m looking to become much more financially savvy & responsible. Not that I’m in huge debt or anything, but I often feel rather clueless about the whole realm of personal finance. It probably stems from the fact that I grew up EXTREMELY sheltered and really wasn’t even allowed to have any money or a checking account until I graduated from high school - I opened my first bank account (with disastrous results - avoid the Bank One in Flagstaff at all costs, y’all - I would deposit my paychecks and had a few of them NEVER SHOW UP in my account… um, what) when I left for college. So yeah, I never really had anyone explain to me a good way to manage money other than my mother’s attitude of “credit cards are EVIL, never get one!!!!”.
Thankfully for me - and others like me - there are helpful websites out there that can aid the financially clueless in our quest for understanding the mystery that is credit cards. Services like the website Your Credit Network have been an incredible resource when it comes to figuring out exactly how credit cards work, which cards are good for those of us just starting out, and how to apply for said cards instantaneously & online. I just wanted to pass it on in case any of y’all are as mystified by the whole world of credit & finances as I am. Hope it helps!
Watching the girls from this cycle of America’s Next Top Model tool around in their crazy SUV/limo hybrid (or whatever you’d call it) got me wondering to exactly how much a ride like that would cost you. I actually managed to find the Dallas limo website, which offers the same sort of services: they have a fleet that includes everything from a minibus, to the Hummer SUV limos, to stretch limousines, to the more normal sedans & minivans. Crazy! I guess you can rent them in cities all across the United States, for any number of reasons, but I couldn’t find a solid quote to help me figure out exactly how much Tyra must’ve been forking out for the girls’ transportation. I guess if you want to talk price, you have to either fill out the “instant quote” form with all your info, or just call them. I’m not trying to piss anyone off by submitting fake information, so I guess I’ll just keep wondering for now. Let me know if any of y’all have an idea of how much this kind of thing costs, I’m weirdly curious!
A lot of people are always really surprised when they find out that I’ve actually used pay day loan services before - it seems like the general consensus is that any cash advance service (other than credit cards, obviously) is too good to be true, and thus a scam. Obviously, always do your research first - a quick Google of ANY online merchant should always be a prerequisite to giving them your information, in my opinion - but know that many of these services are completely legit and employ people who actually WANT to help you. I actually got into a financial bind about a year ago (one of my pets had a violent allergic reaction to their flea medication and racked up some SERIOUS vet bills - so um, yeah, don’t ever use BioSpot, okay?) and I ended up borrowing some money from an online cash advance website. Not only did they completely save my butt, but everything was extremely straightforward and easy. Yeah, you have to pay them back the amount you borrowed plus a service fee, but in my case it wasn’t even that bad - like $15 on top of the money I’d borrowed.
I was talking to one of my friends about my experience with this, and it dawned on me that a lot of people could probably use the knowledge that not only do these kind of services exist, they actually work… and work well. Obviously, you don’t want to end up reliant on borrowing - it’s the same principle as avoiding credit card debt, don’t spend money frivolously and only borrow when it’s necessary - but if you use these services smartly and at the appropriate times, they’re fantastic. Especially for young people like me who may be in college or living check to check; if an emergency pops up and you don’t have family to bail you out, cash advance loans are seriously amazing. So I just wanted to put my experience out there, so that some of you reading who may end up in a financial scrape would know that many of these places ARE good, reliable places to turn for help when you’re in need.
I don’t know how many of you run your own business, but if you’re in the market for a good logo design website, you’re in luck. I found this website earlier, while I was toying with the idea of getting business cards made up for one of my other websites to leave in relevant stores as a kind of viral marketing tool (and to enter those free lunch drawings you always see, ha). I had a LOT of fun playing around with the various customizations that LogoYes offers. Seriously, they have countless design styles and pre-made logos for you to choose from - everything from a bowl of nuts to an atom to the cute pink Hawaiian lei that I ended up choosing for my own card mock-up. You can see the design that I came up with below (click to enlarge the image):
I love it! Obviously, I edited out my real information, but the basic idea and look remains the same. The entire process took me a whopping two and a half minutes, and the generator was impressively easy to use without limiting your creativity at all. There were literally thousands of variations for me to choose from… typeface, colors, alignment, creatives, overall style, layout, and on and on and on. You really can create almost anything you have pictured in your head with this website, which is why I’m so excited about it - as most of you know, I make my living running websites, and new ways to find traffic and word-of-mouth advertising is HUGE in my industry. I’m planning on making these business cards for each of my websites to help in offline promotions… and I have high hopes about the potential of this marketing tactic.
Sorry to nerd out on y’all a bit (I really am a total marketing/advertising geek), but this kind of stuff makes me feel all motivated… like I’m on my way to becoming a mini web mogul, with the aid of my amazing personalized business cards, haha. But I figured I should pass on the info, in case any of the other webmasters/business owners that read POSHVICE (I know there’s a few of you out there) want to try this out as well. Thank me later!
For someone as hopelessly addicted to online shopping as I am, you can be sure that I’ve investigated quite a few of those “rewards for shopping” programs - whether it’s a website or a specific credit card. Right now, I’m trying to save up for a trip to Las Vegas with my boyfriend - we want to celebrate my birthday there this year. So I’ve been poking around the web, looking for a service that’ll help me with scoring some free air miles while letting me shop for spring fashion, woman clothes, and/or sexy shoes… I mean, what’s the point of getting air miles & going to Vegas if I don’t look cute while I’m there, right?
I found the Air Miles Shops website earlier this evening, and after browsing it for awhile… I’m really impressed. They’ve got a program set up where you can earn air miles for shopping at TONS of different online stores - including personal favorites of mine like Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, Bluefly, and Amazon. Considering that I do the bulk of my shopping online and order from Amazon and Sephora like it’s my job (Amazon multiple times a month and Sephora once or twice every month or so), this is a really cool find & will greatly help me towards my goal of getting to play in Vegas this summer!
Sometimes it really blows my mind that I’m not a kid anymore - I remember how old twenty-three used to seem when I was in high school, and I sort of figured I’d have it all together by then. Now here I am at twenty-three years old, and it still surprises me when I catch myself doing the things I always classed as 100% grown-up… adult issues that I thought it would have to be “forever” until I really had to actively think about.
What prompted this train of thought? I was just surfing and checking out life insurance quotes - since I am, in fact, my household’s primary breadwinner, it dawned on me the other day that life insurance may not be such a bad thing to look into. Of course, I’m hoping to life a long and full life - but things happen. I may only be in my twenties, but I can name at least five people that were my age when they died. It’s very sobering to think about.
So yeah, life insurance. I realized that I actually knew NOTHING about it other than the fact that it existed, and that’s really not very financially responsible of me. As I’ve noted in a few of my other posts, I’m really trying to become good with money and have all my bases covered… whether it’s by building credit, consolidating debt, or looking into life insurance.
Hopefully I didn’t depress anybody too much - I just felt that this was an important topic, and I know that many of my readers are in my age group… do any of you have life insurance? How much do you pay? When did you decide it was time to get it, or if you don’t have it already, when are you planning on getting it, if ever? I’m just really curious as to what the norm is.
I am completely & utterly hooked on the Science channel, and I just watched an episode of Download:Internet that was both incredibly interesting and inspiring. I’ve always loved even the concept of doing business online - I remember, back when the internet was newer and most homes - like mine, at the time - actually didn’t have it, I’d play with Word to make faux websites for my imaginary e-commerce business. My mom thought it was kind of embarassing, but when relatives would come over, there I’d be, showing them my internet business mock-ups.
So after watching this documentary, I decided to sit down and research a bit about what exactly it takes to launch a successful, smooth-running e-shop. I’ve been browsing around a bit now for shopping cart software, and I have to say that the one I find the most promising is definitely Ashop Commerce. Head over to their website and you can check out the full, live demo of both the storefront and admin areas - it seems really easy to set up, and also very customer-friendly. With features like inventory control, the ability to create coupon codes and bulk discounts, as well as all kinds of helpful sales/customer behavior reporting… it really seems like Ashop has put together a really comprehensive piece of software. Color me impressed. I’m also really into the fact that they have online live chat support - I always prefer being able to IM a customer service rep over waiting on hold & burning through cell phone minutes!
Whether or not I’ll ever achieve my dream of becoming a internet commerce superpower remains to be seen… but one thing’s for sure: when I need shopping cart software, I’ll know exactly where to turn.
It’s not necessarily that I have bad credit, but I’m stuck in the same sort of hole that most young people are: no credit. And unfortunately, almost no credit card companies seem to be willing to take a chance on a twenty-something girl with little to no credit history… which puts me in that endless cycle of “I can’t get a credit card because I don’t have any credit history. I don’t have any credit history because I can’t get a credit card. I can’t get a credit card because I don’t have any credit history….” and on, and on, and on.
So, thank the Shopping Gods for websites like Bad Credit Offers. This website was a HUGE help when it comes to looking for credit card bad credit offers - which, of course, also tend to welcome those like me with hardly any credit at all.
The Bad Credit Offers website has a few categories: they offer a list of credit cards that people with poor/no credit can be accepted for, as well as services that help repair bad credit, ways to check your credit online, and help with home, auto, and personal loans. This website is a DEFINITE bookmark if you’re a shopaholic like me, even more so if you’re young, lacking credit, or have some past credit mistakes haunting you. So go check it out - you can thank me later!
Yes, you read that right. It’s really true; I signed up at Goozex Video Game Trading and within a week received a copy of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance for my GameCube. The game was in great condition and I didn’t have to pay a cent. Since then, I’ve become positively addicted to Goozex’s amazing trading system.
Here’s how it works: for a limited time, when you sign up, Goozex will give you 100 points free. Game trading at Goozex is done with points, and 100 points equals many low-demand games. To give you an idea: Burnout is 100 points; Perfect Dark Zero is 150 points; Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is 250 points, Oblivion Game Of The Year Bundle is 850 points, and Mass Effect is 1000 points. In other words, 100 points can get you a really quality game - no Hello Kitty Island Adventure crap-tastic games that nobody wants. The higher point values tend to be reserved for brand-new games, or games with a really high demand/availability ratio.
The best part is that with Goozex, you trade games for points - but you don’t receive your points until person you’re trading with reports the game as received. This all but eliminates scammers; if you don’t send what you say you’re going to send, you don’t get your points. The end. At this point I’ve traded about ten games, and each experience has been wonderful and easy.
I can’t recommend Goozex enough, so quit reading this and hurry over and register to grab your 100 Free Goozex Points.
You’ve probably noticed a change of tone & writing style at Posh Vice the past few days; the reason being, I was having trouble being inspired to write a sort of bland, basic post every few days about a certain product. It’s just not how I talk - I tend to write best in a sort of conversational, anecdotal style, so be ready for a more intimate feeling to my blog posts as well as - hopefully - more frequent updates. I’m going to make the blog more personal; because what’s easier than talking about myself, right?
The other different you’ve probably noticed is that a few paid posts popping up here and there. Don’t worry, Posh Vice won’t be completely overtaken by blog advertising; as it stands, I’ve resolved to only blog for money when the topic is something I actually feel like I can write about and care about.
The newest advertise on blogs website that I’m trying out is Smorty - it was recommended to me by my good friend Jaimee over at Mod Gerl. The premise is simple: you submit their blog, they review it, and you’re notified of paid blog opportunities that fit with your website’s content and theme. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a glowing review (you’re not giving up your freedom of speech or opinion, here), the main thing for them is linking to the sponsor with certain keywords and getting the word out about the company. A combination of viral and word-of-mouth marketing, if you will.
I’m very excited to try Smorty out on Posh Vice, and if you have a blog that you think would lend itself well to paid posts, I encourage you to sign up as well.
Here’s something I “stumbled upon” earlier today and thought was kinda cool - a charity that lets you donate more than just your old clothes or trinkets. Car Angel allows you to donate your old car, boat, RV, or even a house or a plane (whoa) in order to help them further their cause of helping the homeless, supporting single mothers, and both treating and preventing drug addiction. One of the ways that they use your car donation is to help create anti-drug and educational children’s videos. Press play on the video below to see an example!
If you’re internet-savvy enough to be reading a blog dedicated to web finds, you probably have a blog - or have at least thought about starting one. With an ever-growing community of readers and authors, it can be very gratifying to send your thoughts soaring into cyberspace. We all have our own thoughts & opinions; why not share them? Why not review that new movie, restaurant, or product? Even better, why not get paid for doing so?
Services like Blogsvertise are taking the internet community by storm lately. The idea is simple and easy: monetize your blog by writing posts about certain products, websites, or services; get paid for providing word-of-mouth advertising. Don’t worry, your reviews & posts aren’t required to be sycophantic shilling, either. The Blogsvertise FAQ clearly states that you can write both positive and negative reviews about your assigned topic; no squashing your freedom of speech here.
I’ve been pointed towards websites like Blogsvertise by quite a few of my fellow webmasters, and I’m currently in the application process. Here’s hoping that I get approved and can start getting paid for what I love - running my mouth on the internet!
