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EPISODE 12 ~ MAKE MORE: Make Money From Home: Check Out These Modern Home-Based Income Opportunities

As a longtime consumer reporter, when people used to ask me about work-at-home opportunities, I always cringed, because most of them were scams. So I love that, thanks to the internet, the work-at- home landscape has changed completely and not only are there legit opportunities, there are lucrative ones!

I’ve already done interviews with people who produce music and videos and write resumes and sell them on Fiverr, a woman who sells fashion on Poshmark, a guy who shoots stock photos for Snapwire, and another who teaches from home via Skillshare. If you haven’t heard those episodes, by all means, circle back to them. Great stuff if you’re looking to work for yourself from home.

But today I want to do more of a survey of several work-at- home options. Some websites connect freelancers with clients, which is a game changer and a very modern way to work at home.

Other companies actually hire employees to work from home virtually. Some even offer benefits like healthcare coverage and paid vacation. Here are several options, in alphabetical order, that I recently researched for a Washington Post piece.

First, there’s Convergys which has 3 types of home-based opportunities: customer service, sales and service, and technical support. This is one of those companies that is looking for actual employees and offers benefits.

Flexjobs is a site where companies list all sorts of jobs for freelancers to consider, many of them in somewhat technical areas like accounting, project management and engineering.

Skyword.com is an interesting one because it is looking for videographers and writers who can create content for brands. Native marketing, sponsored videos, that sort of thing.

SutherlandCloudSource.com. Ding ding! For those who like the stability of being an actual employee, this is the other of those opportunites. Sutherland has everything from entry-level jobs like call center operator to higher-level positions like business analyst and they are available to do at home.

Tutor.com is one of several sites that employee freelance tutors who are qualified to teach students and help with homework in subjects from Calculus to Zoology.

Udemy is another platform, somewhat like Skillshare, where people create and teach online courses. Classes can be technical like how to create animated graphics or homey, like how to make sourdough bread.

Wonder is for all you researchers. Wonder calls them “analysts” and assigns them to research all sorts of things for clients. The clients are real companies like Shell, PwC and Deloitte.

Zintro.com is a freelance platform for consultants. We’re talking highly specialized folks in fields like biochemistry, FDA compliance and waste water. The smart thing Zintro does is have clients deposit their payments up front to make sure consultants get paid.

And finally, we have Zirtual, which hires and trains college-educated virtual assistants. They then get assigned to assist small businesses and sole
proprietors.

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EPISODE 11 ~ MAKE MORE: Voice Over Jobs: Turn Your Natural Talents Into A Full-Time Career

What if you could make money using the voice you were born with? Do you have a sexy, sultry voice? Are you good at all kinds of accents? Voiceover work could be your vehicle. Redd Horrocks transitioned into voiceover work a few years ago and wait till you hear how well she’s doing at it.

I’ve just introduced you as a voiceover artist, but first you ran away with the circus right?

I am a former circus-production pro, a Stage manager and technician for the circus. What caused you to drop the circus act and pursue voice work?

I had capped out at the top of my career, so I started doing voice overs. I’d always done them – more as favors for friends. It was the first thing I ever did in college. A friend was doing video game creation for his final project. He asked me to come in and do narration on the main character. He had me do this action role —what it sounded like when someone fell off of a building and did all this action. It was so much fun.

You also needed the extra income, right? Necessity is the mother of invention —or reinvention in this case!

In my 20s I was in a huge amount of debt. I needed extra income and I started narrating audiobooks. I worked in theater and had a friend who was an actress and she had been approached by a company that needed someone with a British accent. I am from the southeast of England and am British. So I did two audio books. Back then I spoke exclusively in a British accent.

You can now speak in either a British OR American accent. Please tell me —in an AMERICAN accent— how you learned to do that and how it has helped your voiceover career! I generally work in an American or British accent so that’s double the clients I can attract.

So you moved into voiceover work full-time in 2014. How many projects have you done and what are they like?

I have done a total of 35,000 projects. I do 300 a week. My range is six words to 10,000 and $5 to $500. Generally just narration. I do a lot of corporate work. I record voice mails, explainer videos, educational and instructional messages, app games, elevator messages. Everything you can think of I have done. It’s very
broad.

You mentioned $5. That’s because you do most of your voiceover work over Fiverr, the freelance marketplace where many services start at $5.

How can you make a living charging so little?
The reason why this system works for me is volume. I can do a lot of work in a short period of time. Something for $5 will take me less than a minute because I’ve really figured out how to do it. I am a really good cold reader. I can read anything accurately the first time. If I can do one of those a minute and 30 in an hour. That’s a significant amount of money. My stuff is all about volume and repeat clients. A client may pay $5 for this job and that may lead to a $200 project.

So if volume is the key, how much do you work?
I am usually in studio for 4-5 hours a day. And an hour to hour and a half of administrative work. But clients are global so have to be available around the clock. I am connected. I don’t take days off. Christmas was my last day since August. Important to me to be accessible to my clients. How I make income I have. Being constantly available means I make more money. I don’t have sick days or paid time off. So I work a lot. It’s a terribly rude question, but I ask it every time: how much money are you making as a voiceover artist?

I make over six figures. It is a very good income. I have had growth every year. First year I didn’t make six figures but maintained growth rate of 20-30% per year. How meaningful has this nice living been for you?

We bought a home. Paid for our wedding in cash. My husband is able to now be a full time student – he wanted to go back to college to be an engineer. The opportunities have been massive. We have the kind of life we never thought we could have and are pursuing what we want to do. You’ve also been able to take some nice vacations. Tell us how you funded your trip to Napa.

I paid for an entire trip to Napa for a weekend once on 78 different public service announcements on herpes. Maybe not super glamorous but lucrative.

I want to share some of your advice for people interested in getting into voiceover work. First, you say client care is crucial. Explain.

The most important thing I tell people is client care, customer care is key. You have to look after your clients. They are your number one priority. If you look at it like that and strive to do better, there’s no reason someone can’t take their skill all the way. It’s about tenacity. What sort of equipment and software do people need to get started?

You don’t have to spend big money on products to get started. I had a really barebones studio when I started. I was recording in my closet. Clothes were my dampening sound! My microphone was used from Ebay. Really good mics aren’t expensive.

Don’t use massively expensive software. You can edit on Audacity. It’s free, easy and fabulous and all I need. With voiceovers it’s all about the enclosure and the mic. There can’t be any ambient noise. And finally, what about being savvy about your fees and earnings? Put the correct value on yourself and ask for more money. You want to make everyone happy but you can’t overwork yourself for a low amount. If you accept that you have value and pursue people recognizing that value you can do so much better than settling.

I think anyone these days has to be money savvy. One of the hardest things about freelancing is budgeting but if you live within your means you are fine.

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EPISODE 10 ~ MAKE MORE: Sell Stock Photos: Pictures You’ve Already Taken Could Bring In Extra Income

How would you like to make money —good money— as a photographer? It’s totally doable. Shooting stock photos is our “make more” idea for this episode. Thanks to websites that post people’s photos for sale online, selling stock photos is a way to make some extra, passive income OR transition into photography full-time, like Blake Bronstad.

Blake, you’re a professional photographer now, but you weren’t always. Tell us what you were doing just a few years ago and how photography fit into that.

I was working at a tech start-up for three or four years and photography was a hobby. While I was at that company I started doing more paid photography gigs on the side. I generally got them from friends. But during that time Snapwi.re started up. I knew one guy from Instagram who was involved in the launch and he asked me if I wanted to beta test the service before they released it. I agreed to do so. They are based in Santa Barbara, where I live, so it was easy to do.

For someone like me, not yet a professional photographer, it was a way to find little paid jobs, make a few bucks here and there before I was ready to commit to photography full time. In the beginning I didn’t get paid as much. Maybe $100 here. $75 there. Lifestyle stuff.
For those who don’t know, explain what SnapWi.re is.

Snapwi.re puts dollar amounts on photos based on the credibility of the photographer. You get points, and as I rose through the ranks of the app, my photos became more valuable.

First let’s talk about how you had all sorts of photos already on your hard drive that you uploaded to Snapwire. How did that go?
I had a large amount of photos on my computer with nowhere to put it. —Someone blowing birthday cake candles
—a table of food.
—Palm trees.

For me I shoot a lot of Southern California summery warm vibe stuff. For a number of years I just shot my friends whenever I was at a birthday party, pool, beach or traveling. Snapwi.re started to get the ball rolling. I sold a few things and realized I made a few hundred bucks with fairly little effort. I realized if I uploaded a bunch of images to the Snapwi.re platform. It created a pool of stock images that I had and then those started getting the attention of buyers.
Snapwi.re would choose the ones they thought were top shelf and put a higher
price on those. They take 50% if it’s a stock image in your portfolio or archive – low compared to other stock services. Existing images I have, I could get up to $500 for one photo.

Snapwire also does something unique, giving customers the ability to
request images they need. How is that good for you and other
photographers?

If a buyer creates a request with a specific photo need, that request can be open to the public for any photographer on the app or can be a private request. I get to keep between 70% and 80%. I’ve had jobs that pay up to $1000 an image for
specialized requests. If you have the right client it is very easy. The amount of time spent for what it pays generally is easier than other photography work I do.

At this point you started actually shooting photos just for Snapwi.re, right?
And had some pretty funny experiences?

It was pretty funny. At one point I had to put up a Craigslist ad for models and I ended up taking pictures of people I never met in weird settings – like holding up fruit or climbing on each other’s shoulders, doing cartwheels in a yard. I had someone sit on one of those toys in front of a grocery store and that picture sold.

Of course, stock photographers are always asking their friends and family to pose. How does your wife react?

My wife sometimes says…stop taking my picture. When we first started dating she would happily pose, but now I have to prove to her that it is worth it for an important client!

In 2015 you quit the start up job and became a full-time photographer. How does shooting stock photos for Snapwi.re play into that?

It’s not the largest stream of revenue for me but a large motivator. I’m a full time photographer. Snapwi.re is one of many ways I make money. Majority of income is typical photo shoots with brands. But Snapwi.re is what motivated me and pushed me into the professional realm. Gave me some momentum and a confidence boost and a little bit of income that helped me with what I had saved.

Snapwi.re has helped me become savvier. They’ve put me in touch with a couple other photo shoots in town. I’ve done corporate headshots and that’s been very helpful. Snapwi/re elped me jump ship and do what I really wanted to do full time.

How much money has you made on Snapwi.re and what kind of difference has it made in your life?

Probably about $15,000 since I started. My life is a lot better. The 9 to 5 thing is not for me. I don’t drive a Lamborghini and haven’t bought a house yet. But I am very comfortable. Live in nice city. I am married. My schedule is so flexible. Flexibility is invaluable to me. Being able to take dog to beach whenever I want.

Going on trips with friends.
You’ve got advice for aspiring stock photographers. First, you say take
lots of photos everywhere you go. Why?
Over time you realize what sells. Could be your sister or your dog. Scenes on a sailboat with friends. You start picking up what is commercially viable and sure enough these random pictures will start to make money.

I’ve heard stock photos can’t show brand names and you have to get releases from any people or properties in them. How do you handle that?
You only have to worry about legal things if the shot is of recognizable personal property at someone’s house for example. I started carrying around release forms for models and if I get a picture I think will sell, I will ask if they are willing to sign it for me. I offer to throw them a few bucks or a free headshot if it gets bought.

And finally, you point out that there is a possible tax benefit to shooting
stock photos.

Technically you can write off trips if you shoot stock photos on those trips and they get bought. I do it as much as my accountant recommends. I know my deal is sweet so don’t want to push too far but you can do that.

Interested in shooting and selling stock photos like Blake? Snapwi.re is his preferred stock photo site.

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EPISODE 9 ~ MAKE MORE: Selling on Poshmark: Which clothes sell best and make you most money

TODAY’S ‘MAKE MORE’ SEGMENT IS ABOUT SELLING CLOTHING ON POSHMARK, THE
POPULAR FASHION APP THAT IS USED BY 1 OUT OF EVERY 50 WOMEN IN AMERICA.
POSHMARK “SELLER STYLISTS” MARKET THEIR OWN SENSE OF STYLE AND ALSO CURATE
GREAT FINDS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. MY GUEST TODAY IS ONE OF POSHMARK’S BIGGEST
SUCCESS STORIES. PLEASE WELCOME JESSICA CRADDOCK TO THE EASY MONEY SHOW. HI
JESSICA!
JESSICA, EXPLAIN WHAT POSHMARK IS AND HOW YOU FIRST GOT STARTED.
Poshmark is an app for women and men too. It is a place where you can sell
designer clothes and fashion out of our own closet or things you buy to resell or boutique items. I started on Poshmark right after the app launched in 2012.
Friend downloaded thru Facebook and said she listed a purse and sold it quickly.
I graduated from a top ten law school and I was poshing my way through law
school. Throughout law school I used Poshmark to sell items from my own closet
on occasion. I’ve always been into fashion and having a hustle and making
money.

BUT THEN, SUDDENLY YOUR LIFE CHANGED. TELL US WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW THAT CAUSED YOU TO CHANGE HOW YOU APPROACHED POSHMARK.

My fiancé who worked while I was in law school, he got injured at work. It started to play a full-time role in my life when my fiancé became disabled at work. He took a cut in pay when disabled. I was left as the sole provider for the two of us.

I had sold some of my items casually and when he got hurt at work I
thought this is a good avenue for us to still be able to pay car payments. I started selling my own clothes. I had recently lost 296 pounds. So I had all kinds of clothes I held onto in various sizes. It started doing really well.

NEXT YOU CROSSED OVER FROM SELLING YOUR OWN CLOTHES TO BUYING CLOTHES TO SELL ON POSHMARK. WAS THAT A GOOD GAMBLE?

I had always been into designer fashion so I started going to stores when I ran
out of my own clothes. Lived in Chapel Hill at the time. A lot of college students and they tended to donate stuff so I would find nice designer clothes at thrift stores and local Goodwills and sell it and making a decent profit. I could buy pair of jeans for 3.79 at Goodwill and sell for $30 to $75 or upwards of $100 if really high end brand. Now I reinvest a third of my profits into buying more things to
sell.

WHY POSHMARK, AS OPPOSED TO SOMETHING LIKE EBAY THAT MAYBE
LISTENERS ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH?

The great thing is active selling versus passive selling. On Ebay it is passive
selling they list and it is out there. On Poshmark, you pull out your phone. Snap
8 pictures of the item. Brand, description and size and put a price and it’s out
there. With Poshmark if you put In time, share items, communicate with people
you can do better. Poshmark takes 20% . Higher than Ebay’s 10% but you don’t
have rules and regulations. Also, there are no returns with Poshmarks after 3
days, which really helps sellers.
SUDDENLY, THIS HAD BECOME A REAL BUSINESS FOR YOU. IN FACT
YOU NAMED IT ACQUITTED APPAREL. HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE
HAS POSHMARK MADE IN YOUR LIFE?
It saved us. We were going to have to use our credit cards for paying our car
notes and rent and it has been an amazing life changing experience for us. Now
that we are more financially secure and he is back in school and we have a
steady income we are using the posh funds to pay for our wedding and pay off
our student loans, which are pretty hefty. Jessica’s closet has transformed into a
full-time business, enabling her and her fiancé to finally pay for trips, medical
bills and everyday life expenses.

SO DO YOU THINK YOU’LL EVEN BOTHER TO USE YOUR LAW DEGREE
AND PRACTICE LAW?
I am trying to decide whether I want to be a lawyer or stick with this. I took the
bar and didn’t pass the first try. I missed it by 3 points. I will take the bar again
and pass it, but not sure if I will practice. I do enjoy what I do. I have fun with it. I
get to spend time with my family. My father almost passed away 2 years ago.
Parents will go with me to the thrift store, which I couldn’t do with a regular law
job. For me it isn’t about getting the big bucks of the corporate world. It’s more
meaningful to spend time with family.
WOW, IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING DITCHING A CAREER IN LAW, I HAVE TO
ASK, WHAT KIND OF MONEY ARE YOU MAKING SELLING FASHION ON
POSHMARK?
In 2012 until early 2014 I was doing $500 to $700 a month. Then it started
really taking off. 2015 got even better. I was making $1,000-1200 a month. Now a bad month for me is $1000. I took a break for a couple of months. I was still poshing and selling but not doing a ton of effort and I was still clearing $900-$1100 a month. If a person works at it you can do $10,000-$15,000 a month.

HOW MANY LISTINGS DO YOU HAVE, IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT KIND OF
MONEY? AND HOW DO YOU STORE ALL THOSE CLOTHES?!
I have a huge store. I have 3000 listings total – including my sold items. At any
given time I try to keep between between 900 and 1000 items online. They are all
in my house. We converted a 1500 square room in basement to a Poshmark
room. 9 z racks with inventory hanging. Organized by brand and size like in
department store. I have bins full of unlisted inventory. I have between 5000-
10,000 items that haven’t listed. My goal is to list all that by summer.
I KNOW YOU MENTOR HUNDREDS OF OTHER POSHMARK SELLERS ON
FACEBOOK, SO LET’S SHARE SOME OF YOUR ADVICE WITH PEOPLE
WHO MAY WANT TO TRY THIS. FIRST OF ALL, YOU SAY ASK FOR HELP.
Jump in feet first. Sell your own items and pay attention to veteran sellers. A lot
of us on the app are willing to help you.
YOU ALSO SAY PEOPLE NEED TO BE PATIENT.
Things can take a while to sell. Fastest sold item sold in a minute or two but
some things have sat for six months to a year. Some things are a long-term
investment.
NEXT TIP: GROW A THICK SKIN.
Learning to deal with people is important. You have to grow a thick skin because
people will drive you up the wall.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU SUGGEST PEOPLE WHO TRY SELLING ON
POSHMARK SHOULD HAVE FUN WITH IT.

Have fun with it because there are so many jobs out there you can do in life that you won’t get joy out of. To me, this is one of the things you can get joy out of and spend time with your family and take a leap of faith if it is what you are interested in doing.

AND FINALLY, YOU SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT WILL SELL.
I’ve grown a lot and that is something people have to do on their own. At the
beginning I bought cheap mall brands that are hard to sell. I am still stuck with those items. Sell your own items but also pay attention to other sellers and what is working for them.

GUEST: Jessica Craddock, Poshmark Seller Stylist
CONTACT:
Instagram: @Acquitted_Apparel
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/PoshmarkSellerTips/

Poshmark: @JCradd or Poshmark.com/closet/jcradd

GUEST BIO:
Jessica Craddock is the owner of Acquitted Apparel, a pre-loved designer
fashion boutique. Jessica is a UNC Law School graduate who has always had a
serious love of fashion. She has turned that love of fashion into a real business by giving designer clothing a second chance at a new life, an acquittal if you will.

She and her other half, Tyler, have been running Acquitted Apparel since late
2013 on Poshmark, and have saved thousands of designer clothing pieces from
their untimely demise. For Jessica, there is nothing better than helping people,
whether it is using her legal education, or saving them major money on fashion
through Poshmark. Jessica also runs a Facebook Group to empower others to
start their own Poshmark businesses called Poshmark Seller Tips. Jessica lives
in Atlanta, GA and is the mom to one grey fashion-forward kitty.

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EPISODE 8~ MAKE MORE: Go Undercover As A Mystery Shopper And Test Products, Services

TODAY in our “make more” segment WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BECOMING A MYSTERY SHOPPER. ACTUALLY, MYSTERY SHOPPING IS AN AMAZING WAY TO “MAKE” MONEY AND TO “SAVE” MONEY, SO I’M DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE UNUSUAL AND SPREADING THIS TOPIC OUT OVER BOTH SEGMENTS OF THIS SHOW. HERE TO TELL US HOW IT WORKS IS PAMELA OLMSTEAD, PRESIDENT OF THE INDEPENDENT MYSTERY SHOPPERS COALITION AND A MYSTERY SHOPPER HERSELF. PAM, WELCOME TO EASY MONEY!

FIRST OF ALL, EXPLAIN TO OUR LISTENERS, JUST IN CASE THEY DON’T KNOW, WHAT IS MYSTERY SHOPPING?
Mystery shopping is where companies hire you to test their product or service, usually without their front line employees knowing you are checking up on them.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET STARTED IN MYSTERY SHOPPING?
I was working at a school district in California and another employee came in and talked about a mystery shopping job she had that night. I said, “what is that? What do you do” She explained she would be going out to dinner with her husband and would get reimbursed for the meal and paid for a report. I said, “that sounds like something I would love to do part time.” She gave me the name of one company because she didn’t want to give me all of her contacts.

I applied to that company that night and they weren’t accepting shoppers. So I researched and saw lots of ads. Lots had fees attached. But I researched and found a company and started. That was the year 2000. I didn’t take another day off for 7 years. I worked full time and mystery shopped nights and weekends —even Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. It became an absolute addiction for me.

In 2001 I realized I was making almost as much mystery shopping as I was for the school district and I would like to be home with my daughter, who was 8 years old at that time. I wanted to pick her up from school. So I stopped working at the school and went into mystery shopping full time.

YOU MENTIONED LISTINGS WHERE PEOPLE WANTED *YOU* TO PAY TO BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER. THAT’S A SCAM I WORRY ABOUT AS A CONSUMER REPORTER. HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND LEGITIMATE MYSTERY SHOPPING WORK?

Never pay anybody anything. Mystery shopping should pay you not the other way around. We have a membership where shoppers pay $25 to become a member and get help from me and other groups. But brand new shoppers that come in I say make money first. I believe in holding up the ladder so others can climb too. I don’t believe in competition. I have neighbors I have brought into mystery shopping. There is so much work out there ,there is no reason to worry about competition and some have rotations once in a lifetime or once every six months. So find the organizations that will help you for free. We are one of them.

GIVE ME SOME EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL MYSTERY SHOPPING ASSIGNMENTS.

WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW LONG DO THEY TAKE?
It is a huge variety. The key is finding out where companies are and who to work with.

There are almost 400 companies out there and you are independent contractor. There is work for everybody. A hotel report could take 6 hours. A cruise job could take 3 days. A grocery report could take 10 to 15 minutes. A drive thru report is an easy 5 to 8 minutes. There are companies that have super easy jobs or fun jobs. I did Disney Land for several years and inside that there were 8 or 9 reports that took an hour a piece. But going in they would send me tickets to California Adventure and Disney Land.

They reimbursed us for eating and parking. There was a secret club that I got to go to. It is a lot of work but for me it is rewarding and it is an addiction. Even when people go to other jobs, the always come back.

YOU’VE HAD SOME HILARIOUS AND DRAMATIC ADVENTURES ALONG THE WAY. PLEASE SHARE!
I’ve had people chase me out of gas stations with brooms because I’m taking photos. I had people threaten to call the police on me because if a gas station isn’t in compliance, the owners don’t want that info out. They will bribe you or threaten you.
Some mystery shopping jobs involve shooting undercover video and that can be nerve wracking!

OK, SO LET ME ASK THE QUESTION EVERYBODY IS WONDERING ABOUT: HOW MUCH MONEY CAN YOU MAKE AS A MYSTERY SHOPPER?
—Individual jobs pay between ___ and ___, depending on how complicated and lengthy a job it is.

— In a good year, I do $65,000 in payments. And nearly double that in reimbursements.
*Elisabeth’s Note: Be sure to read the Episode 8 “Save More” blog for more on mystery shopping, because mystery shoppers can save 6 figures a year through reimbursements!

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EPISODE 7~ MAKE MORE: Like, 30 Percent More, BY Investing In Another State’s 529 Plan

WE’RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW YOU MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE MORE MONEY TO PAY FOR COLLEGE BY INVESTING IN AN OUT-OF- STATE 529 PLAN. OF THOSE WHO INVEST IN A 529, 80 PERCENT CHOOSE THE ONE IN THEIR OWN STATE, ACCORDING TO THE INVESTMENT COMPANY INSTITUTE, WHICH DID A STUDY. MANY PARENTS DON’T EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ELSE IS POSSIBLE.

THAT’S WHY I COVERED THIS TOPIC IN ONE OF MY WASHINGTON POST COLUMNS AND WHY I’M BRINGING IT UP HERE. YOU SEE, SOME STATE 529 PLANS FEATURE HIGHER RETURNS AND LOWER FEES THAT CAN HELP YOU SAVE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FOR COLLEGE. SOME NUMBERS FROM NERDWALLET.COM DRIVE THIS POINT HOME: IF YOU INVESTED $5,000 IN OREGON’S PLAN IN 2010, FIVE YEARS LATER YOUR ACCOUNT WOULD HAVE GROWN TO $7,714. BUT IF YOU INVESTED THE SAME $5,000 IN MICHIGAN’S PLAN, FIVE YEARS LATER YOUR ACCOUNT WOULD HAVE GROWN TO $10,017. THAT’S $2,303 MORE AND JUST ON 5- THOUSAND BUCKS OVER 5 YEARS! TO BE CLEAR, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT 529 PREPAID TUITION PLANS, WHICH ALLOW YOU TO LOCK IN TODAY’S TUITION RATES, USUALLY AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN ONE OF THE 11 STATES THAT OFFER THEM. NO, I AM TALKING ABOUT 529 SAVINGS PLANS, WHICH ARE INDIVIDUAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS THAT GROW TAX-FREE AS LONG AS YOU USE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR COLLEGE COSTS.

IT’S TOO BAD THAT BOTH TYPES OF PLAN HAVE THE TERM “529” IN THEIR NAME. THIS CAUSES A LOT OF CONFUSION AND LEAVES MANY PARENTS THINKING THEY CAN ONLY START A 529 IN THEIR OWN STATE OR USE IT TO PAY FOR IN-STATE TUITION. AND THAT’S TOTALLY WRONG! OK, SO NOW YOU KNOW YOU CAN INVEST IN AN OUT-OF- STATE 529 SAVINGS PLAN. NEXT DILEMMA: WHICH STATE DO YOU CHOOSE? HERE’S THE KEY: WEIGH ANY TAX DEDUCTIONS OFFERED BY YOUR OWN STATE FOR INVESTING IN ITS PLAN, AGAINST THE HIGHER PROFITS AND LOWER FEES THAT MAY BE POSSIBLE IN ANOTHER STATE’S PLAN. HERE ARE THE CATEGORIES —AND THE STRATEGIES— YOU SHOULD BE KEEPING IN MIND.

States that offer a tax deduction or credit for investing in their 529 plan: States: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. THE Strategy WITH THOSE 27 STATES PLUS DC IS TO Assess how valuable THEIR tax deduction really is. THERE ARE BIG DIFFERENCES. the website SavingForCollege.com SAYS a couple making $100,000 a year and PUTTING $100 a month INto their child’s in-state 529 plan would get a TAX deduction of $360 A YEAR in Indiana, but just $37 in North Dakota. If your state’s tax

deduction is worthwhile, one strategy is to invest the maximum deductible amount in its plan and also invest in another state 529 plan to take advantage of low fees and high returns. This is also a way of diversifying your portfolio. States that do not offer a tax deduction for investing in their 529 plan; States: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey and North Carolina.

NINE STATES DO NOT OFFER A TAX DEDUCTION. THE STRATEGY THEN, SINCE THERE’S NO PAYOUT FOR STAYING IN-STATE, IS TO CHOOSE A 529 SAVINGS PLAN WITH A GOOD BALANCE OF LOW FEES AND HIGH RETURNS. FEES VARY DRAMATICALLY, FROM JUST .05 PERCENT OF YOUR ACCOUNT BALANCE FOR ONE MASSACHUSETTS 529 PLAN TO 1.09

PERCENT FOR ONE ALASKA PLAN. States with no income tax, so no 529 income tax deduction: States: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. ANOTHER NINE STATES DO NOT HAVE AN INCOME TAX SO CAN’T OFFER A DEDUCTION AGAINST IT. IN THAT CASE, ONCE AGAIN, THERE IS NO MONETARY INCENTIVE FOR STAYING IN-STATE, SO YOU CAN CHOOSE A 529 SAVINGS PLAN WITH A GOOD BALANCE OF LOW FEES AND HIGH RETURNS.

States that give you a tax deduction for investing in any state’s 529: States: Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Pennsylvania.

AND FINALLY, THESE FIVE STATES WILL GIVE YOU A TAX DEDUCTION FOR INVESTING IN ANY STATE’S 529 PLAN. GOD LOVE ‘EM. IN THIS CASE, LUCKY YOU, YOU’RE GOING TO GET A TAX DEDUCTION REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU INVEST, SO PICK A STATE 529 SAVINGS PLAN WITH A GOOD BALANCE OF LOW FEES AND HIGH PROFITS. HAVING STATED ALL OF THOSE STRATEGIES, I KNOW IT’S HARD TO FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN WHETHER YOUR TAX DEDUCTION IS WORTHWHILE AND WHICH STATE 529 PLANS OFFER THE BEST BALANCE OF LOW FEES AND HIGH PROFITS. FORTUNATELY THERE ARE MANY RESOURCES ONLINE.

RATING SERVICE MORNINGSTAR RANKS 529 PLANS EITHER GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE, NEUTRAL OR NEGATIVE, BUT WITHOUT LISTING THEIR FEES OR PERFORMANCE, SO CONSIDER THIS RATING AN OVERVIEW. NERDWALLET HAS A CALCULATOR THAT ASKS YOU YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE AND THEN SUGGESTS WHETHER YOUR OWN STATE PLAN IS WORTH LOOKING AT, PLUS OTHER PLANS TO CONSIDER. I LIKE NERD WALLET’S TOOL BECAUSE IT TELLS YOU HOW ITS RECOMMENDED 529S PERFORMED OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD AND HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE IN FEES.

FINALLY, COLLEGESAVINGS.ORG OFFERS THE MOST DETAILED COMPARISON TOOL. YOU CHOOSE PLANS YOU WANT TO COMPARE AND IT MAKES A CHART FOR YOU, WITH DETAILS LIKE WHAT THEIR FEES ARE, WHETHER THE STATE MATCHES 529 CONTRIBUTIONS (A FEW STATES DO THIS FOR LOW INCOME CITIZENS.) AND ALSO MINIMUM STARTING CONTRIBUTIONS AND MAXIMUM LIFETIME CONTRIBUTIONS. IF YOUR CASHFLOW IS TIGHT, YOU MAY WANT TO CHOOSE A STGATE LIKE UTAH THAT ALLOWS YOU TO START BY INVESTING AS LITTLE AS A PENNY. BY CONTRAST, ONE NEW YORK PLAN REQUIRES $1,000 TO GET STARTED. YOU SHOULD ALSO THINK ABOUT MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTIONS PARTICULARLY IF YOU THINK YOUR CHILD WILL GO TO GRAD SCHOOL.

SOME MORE EXAMPLES: TWO OF VIRGINIA’S PLANS ALLOW YOU TO CONTRIBUTE AS MUCH AS $500,000. BUT ONE OF MICHIGAN’S 529 PLANS ONLY ALLOWS YOU TO SOCK AWAY $88,000.

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS COMPLICATED BUT THERE’S BIG MONEY AT STAKE SO IT’S WORTH DIGESTING THIS INFO. IF YOU’RE STILL WORRIED YOU WON’T GET IT RIGHT, THOUGH, RELAX, MANY 529 PLANS ALLOW ROLLOVERS, GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO TRANSFER YOUR MONEY FROM ONE 529 TO ANOTHER. PLUS, INVESTING IN ANY 529 IS BETTER THAN INVESTING IN NONE AT ALL.

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EPISODE 06~ MAKE MORE: How To earn More Than A Million Dollars Editing Resumes

TELL US WHAT YOU WERE DOING PROFESSIONALLY BACK IN 2009.

I was a recruiter. I did resumes to get my candidates jobs. I had a little side business to help with writing resumes but nothing full time. Recruiting was the full time job I did. AND THEN YOUR HUSBAND, A TECHIE, FOUND FIVERR, THE WEBSITE WHERE FREELANCERS POST GIGS THEY’LL DO FOR AS LITTLE AS 5 DOLLARS. I KNOW ABOUT FIVERR BECAUSE I’VE INTERVIEWED ONE OTHER FIVERR ENTREPRENEUR. SO YOU DECIDED TO POST A GIG. DID YOU THINK ANYTHING MUCH WOULD COME OF IT?

My husband found FIverr back in 2010 when I was recruiting. It was just something in passing. I put a gig up there and orders started coming. I was making nothing in the beginning. Maybe $5 to $15 a resume. It was low. But I had no credibility or feedback. I was just starting out.

AT FIRST YOU KEPT WORKING AS A RECRUITER AND YOUR FIVERR EARNINGS WERE SET ASIDE FOR A VERY SPECIAL PROJECT, RIGHT?

We have been trying forever to have children. We started putting money aside for an adoption. We put every penny aside for that. We were trying to save $60,000 for travel and other expenses. I Worked on people’s resumes for about a year to a year and a half on FIverr and we got the money.

YOU ADOPTED YOUR DAUGHTER IN 2013. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

Six months later my husband said “you should do this full time.” I stopped recruiting.

Starting in 2015 is when it really took off and we started focusing full time, really asking for referrals. Most of our money was made in the last 2 ½ or 3 years.

NORMALLY I WAIT UNTIL LATER IN THE INTERVIEW TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT I CAN’T STAND IT! HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE YOU MADE TO DATE EDITING RESUMES, LINKED IN PAGES AND COVER LETTERS VIA FIVERR?

We actually just crossed $1.2 million dollars on Fiverr. It’s important for people to know that you can make a million dollars. Fiverr can back that up. They earn the commission. It’s the platform they created for us. They bring in the clients and have developed an infrastructure to allow sellers like us to perform. Their customer service is amazing. You can’t start out expecting to quit your day job tomorrow but hang in there and it will happen. SO HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED?

This is all I do. This is full time. I work in my pajamas at midnight, Take a day off and take my daughter to the zoo. Our daughter Karen is 3. She is our world. My husband has always been a consultant. He quit his main job and helps me take of messages and does his programming.

It has changed our life. We now work from home. Our daughter is in day care and will go to a wonderful private school. We travel 4 to 5 times a year. That is best part. Take our computers and work from a cruise or DisneyLand. We are able to experience a lot because of this. I am forever grateful to Fiverr.

And now we have raised enough money thru Fiverr for a second adoption that we hope will be possible.

I CAN VERIFY THOSE VACATIONS BECAUSE IT WAS HARD TO REACH YOU TO ARRANGE THIS INTERVEW. BUT I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. HOW HAVE YOU MADE SO MUCH MONEY ON A SITE THAT MADE IT’S NAME BASED ON $5 SERVICES?

Now that I am established, I charge way more per gig. I got resume certifications and have credentials to back up my pricing. I will do deals for teachers and others. But resumes for most executives, those can go for $300 to $500. It depends on the client and their specific needs.

And I don’t just edit resumes any more. The services I provide are resumes, Linked in profiles, cover letters and career coaching. Also, at this point, I think 50 to 60% of our business is referrals, so that part is easier than getting new business.

HERE’S A QUESTION THAT WILL BE HELPFUL TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO EDIT RESUMES AND PEOPLE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THEIR RESUMES. PEOPLE PAY YOU GOOD MONEY FOR YOUR HELP. WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS YOU CHANGE ON PEOPLE’S RESUMES?

1. A resume needs to tell a story. Not just a list of tasks, but accomplishment-driven.
2. I create an introduction, a first paragraph that sells you, sort of the “elevator pitch” but on paper.

3. I add data and details. You should detail projects you’ve done and revenue you've created.

(To see a resume Charmaine has worked on “before” and “after,” check out the Episode 6

YouTube video, where I analyze the differences. Or click to see the “before” resume here and

“after” resume here.)

ALRIGHT, TIME TO SHARE THE WEALTH BY GIVING LISTENERS TIPS FOR HOW THEY CAN SUCCEED AT THIS LIKE YOU DID. FIRST, YOU SAY, UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER. THAT COULD APPLY TO ANY SERVICE JOB. EXPLAIN.

For example, you can promise to complete a project for a client in 3 days but then do it in two.

I THINK PEOPLE CAN ALSO LEARN FROM YOUR EXAMPLE AND GET CERTIFICATIONS THAT PROVE THEIR VALUE. WAS THIS A GAME CHANGER?

Get the training you need to be confident, charge what you’re worth and do a good job for people.

YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU STARTED PROACTIVELY ASKING FOR REFERRALS.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT SEEMING PUSHY?

When I deliver an order I will say “If you are happy with the order, please refer me onto your friends. If not, of course let me know, so I can improve the work I did for you. AND FINALLY, YOU SUGGEST GIVING PEOPLE SOMETHING FOR FREE. WHAT DO YOU GIVE AWAY YOURSELF?

I send free tips – unique job searching strategies, questions to ask during an interview and the lowdown about “Behavioral Interview questions.”

CHARMAINE POCEK, RESUME REWRITER AND CAREER COACH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING MY GUEST ON EASY MONEY! And please see Charmaine’s Guest post where she shared those same tip sheets she gives away to clients.

Guest Name: Charmaine Pocek
Guest Title: Award-Winning Resume Writer and Career Expert
Credentials: PhDc, MS, CPRW, CIEP, PRC
Guest Contact: fiverr.com/boomsa;
linkedin.com/in/charmainepocek

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EPISODE 5~ MAKE MORE: Where to sell your old electronics for the most money

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY SELLING YOUR OLD, UNWANTED ELECTRONICS. Consumer Reports points out that electronics don’t age well. so don’t be like me! hurry up! Make a plan to selL your old electronics NOW. If you want to get some money out of them, the younger the better. After that, you can donate middle-aged electronics or recycle ancient ones.

Here are several resources for selling used electronics:
first up, Amazon.com. Amazon buys a wide variety of electronics, plus CDs and video games. I did a little experiment and found their offers to be some of the most generous. they pay you with am Amazon gift card.

next, Best Buy. Best Buy offers an estimator tool online that’s intuitive and easy. plus the chain has 1,500 stores in North America, so you can easily drop off your unwanted electronics, instead of procrastinating about shipping.

3rd Gazelle. Gazelle accepts mostly Apple products. apple products are like the Lexus of the electronics world because they hold their value. one thing i like here: you can choose to be paid via check, PayPal or Amazon gift card.

4th idea: BuyBackWorld. This site buys laptops, tablets, cell phones, cameras and more. If you accept buybackworld’s offer, the site will send you a label for free shipping.

and finally, who knew, but Target takes used electronics: target has partnered with a company called Nextworth. this partnership also offers easy estimates online. you then choose whether to ship your item for free or take it to a participating Target store .

there are plenty of other websites for selling used electronics, but theses are some of my favorites. so what kind of money can you make? i can tell you that when i got estimates on MY fairly lame electronics from those overflowing bins of mine, these companies offered me a total of $172 not bad for 10 minutes worth of work!
In this week’s you tube video I take you to my basement and show you what products of mine sold, which didn’t, and how much i got for them.
if you have products that won’t sell, many charities take middle age electronics and actually put them to use by giving them to people in need. Here are some resources:

American Cell Phone Drive. This organization donates all types of used cell phones —or the proceeds—to local charities and you can even choose which charity your donation benefits.

Dell Reconnect. This partnership between Dell and Goodwill is the biggest of them all, accepting all brands of computers plus computer accessories in any condition. If they’re usable, Goodwill connects them with people who need them. If not, Dell recycles them.

eBay for Charity. Here you actually sell your used electronics, but then donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice.

or if you’ve got truly old electronics, you can still do a good deed by recycling them, so toxic components don’t end up in landfills.

Best Buy. The mega store also offers recycling options for most any kind of device with an on button. There are kiosks near store doors for small items and you can take larger things to the customer service desk.

Call2Recycle. Here’s the answer for rechargeable batteries and cell phones. Type in your zip code on their website to find a drop-off location near you.

TIA E-cycling Central. This site offers a map where you can click on your state and get a listing of recycling opportunities near you, including those offered by local cities and towns.

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Episode 4~ MAKE MORE: How To MAKE MONEY IN YOUR SLEEP BY CREATING ONLINE COURSES

TODAY WE’RE GONNA EXPLORE HOW TO “MAKE MORE” BY TEACHING ONLINE COURSES. THIS IS SOMETHING I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT DOING MYSELF, BECAUSE I LOVE THE IDEA THAT MY COURSE CAN BE OUT THERE MAKING MONEY FOR ME WHILE I’M RIDING MY BIKE OR WINE TASTING OR PLAYING WITH MY DAUGHTER. BUT… WHILE I HEMMED AND HAWED ABOUT IT, MY NEXT GUEST WENT FOR IT. HE’S NOW ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COURSE CREATORS ON SKILLSHARE.COM. PLEASE WELCOME JAKE BARTLETT TO THE EASY MONEY SHOW.

JAKE, LET’S TEE THIS UP BY DESCRIBING WHERE YOU WERE WORKING AND WHAT YOU WERE DOING BEFORE YOU STARTED TEACHING ONLINE COURSES
I graduated in 2010 and got a job with a production company in LA doing motion graphics and was there 5 years. It’s a form of animation. All done on computer. Examples are an animated logo of a product in a commercial or a video that explains how a phone app works. Kind of like a cartoon. There’s a wide range of what I can work on. I became their lead art designer/animator and jack of all trades. Anything visual that needed to be created I did.

AND THEN YOUR WIFE FOUND A WEBSITE CALLED SKILLSHARE, WHERE PEOPLE TEACH COURSES AND SHE SUGGESTED YOU CHECK IT OUT. I LOVE A GUY WHO LISTENS TO HIS WIFE. SO TELL US ABOUT THE FIRST COURSE YOU TAUGHT: WHAT WAS THE SUBJECT AND HOW DID IT DO?
First class was November 2013. It was a class on animating text. It was a successful first class. Skillshare promoted my class because it was a small category. After my first class I had 1500 followers on Skillshare. I left that class up a year. I never thought I would have anything else to offer. I thought that was all I could teach.

SO AT THIS POINT YOU WERE STILL WORKING AT THE PRODUCTION COMPANY. AND THEN SKILLSHARE ASKED YOU IF YOU COULD TEACH A SECOND COURSE. WHAT WAS THAT ONE ABOUT AND HOW DID IT DO?

To my surprise, my second class was just as much of a success. I doubled my following in a month. After that I realized I probably can do this and if I continue posting classes it could lead to a valuable source of income.

SO YOU HAD 2 COURSES ABOUT MOTION GRAPHICS AND YOU WERE ALSO FREELANCING CREATING MOTION GRAPHICS AND YOU HAD A REVELATION, RIGHT?
I realized my day job was taking away from my freelance career! I left that job in December 2014. I made it a goal to post a new class every month. It doesn’t happen consistently but that is my goal. Now I have over 20 classes.

MANY PEOPLE REALLY STRIVE AND STRUGGLE TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS ON THEIR OWN. IS THIS WORK HARD FOR YOU?
I’d say pretty easy, actually. My responsibility after I post a class is that I have to answer questions. Every class is project-based. If students want a critique on their end-of class-project I will give it —but only if they ask! 90% of the work is up front. The teaching part of it, I have a knack for explaining things clearly and concisely. The production part is probably the biggest hurdle for teachers but I have been doing that a while. I edit on Premier. It’s become easy for me.

AND NOW YOU MAKE ROUGHLY 4-THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH JUST ON SKILLSHARE —THROUGH COURSES YOU ALREADY PUT TOGETHER! WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENCE HAS THIS MADE IN YOUR LIFE?
It was the biggest factor in me quitting my job. Even if I had no other work, the money that comes from skillshare is enough. I quit my job before my wife got pregnant. I’ve been home every day of my son’s life and he is now 18 months. I have never had to spend a day away from him. My wife and I just bought our first house.

BY THE WAY, FOLKS, JAKE IS JUST 28, AND ALREADY A HOMEOWNER. LOVE IT! PEOPLE LISTENING ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO WANT TO EMULATE YOUR SUCCESS. SO, LET’S GET INTO SOME “HOW TO” ADVICE. FIRST, YOU SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK NATURALLY AND BE REAL ON CAMERA. WHY?
I used to tell anyone they could teach on Skillshare and that anyone could do this but I have seen people that don’t have such success. You need to be able to talk naturally and be real on camera. You also need to be concise. Rambling turns students off.

YOU ALSO SAY PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK COMFORTABLY INTO A MICROPHONE. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST THEY DO?
You need to be comfortable talking into a microphone, which you can do with practice. This is not something you should jump into and expect instant great results. You need to put in the time and practice. You have to get used to how your voice sounds and be able to explain things clearly.

DO YOU RECORD YOUR CLASSES AT A SKILLSHARE STUDIO OR FROM A HOME STUDIO? AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE CAN DO FROM HOME, WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL THEY NEED?
I record from a home studio. I have seen people teach successful online courses using just the built-in microphone on their computer. I myself borrowed a decent mic at first. I would suggest using a decent quality microphone, which you can get for less than $100. I later purchased software that allows me to show people the steps I am taking on my computer screen. And if you want to get really fancy you can buy a green screen and a nice video camera for recording any portions where you are on camera. You can start with low or no investment and then buy equipment as you start succeeding.

YOU SAY TO KNOW WHETHER YOUR PLATFORM PAYS MORE FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS OR THE NUMBER OF MINUTES WATCHED AND PRIORITIZE THAT. EXPLAIN.
The first couple of years Skillshare paid by enrollment so the goal was to attract as many students as possible. Shorter was better back then because students liked short courses. We took our lessons and broke them up into multiple short segments. It is multi video. Break up lesson in segments. My classes average between 45 minute and one hour 15 minutes per class. I break that up into 5 to 10 minute videos. It’s determined by the content.

Now we are paid by how long students are watching our classes. The payment is based on minutes of content watched. Today longer classes are beneficial. My wife made short classes but we are shifting to longer classes because the longer someone watches the more we make. This is a good model because if your course is high quality, people will continue watching. If it’s poor quality, they may sign up but then they won’t continue.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OFFERING COURSES ON SITES LIKE SKILLSHARE THESE DAYS. HOW CAN PEOPLE STAND OUT?
In terms of what you are teaching, you need to be an expert in it because if a student isn’t getting valuable information they wont come back to you. Quality of your content is the biggest thing. And then you have to brand yourself. My title graphics and thumbnails are all similar designs. I want you to know they are from me. Even if you’re not a graphic artist like me, it’s a good idea to have a consistent look to all of your materials.

EVERY TIME ON EASY MONEY, WE CHOOSE ONE OF OUR 3 SEGMENTS, TO EXPLORE SOME MORE THROUGH VIDEO…IDEALLY, SOMETHING WHERE THE VISUALS WILL HELP US GO DEEPER. THIS TIME, IT WAS A NO-BRAINER. YOU JUST HEARD HOW JAKE BARTLETT IS MAKING A NICE LIVING TEACHING ONLINE MOTION GRAPHICS COURSES. WELL, IT SURE WOULD BE NICE TO SEE WHAT MOTION GRAPHICS ARE —IN CASE YOU WANT TO DO THAT. AND WHAT ONLINE COURSES LOOK LIKE -IN CASE YOU WANT TO DO THAT. I”VE POSTED THE VIDEOS AT EASYMONEYSHOW.COM/04.

AND YOU CAN READ MORE OF JAKE BARTLETT’S EXPERT ADVICE FOR YOU IN THE EPISODE 4 EXCLUSIVE GUEST BLOG POST.

Guest Name: JAKE BARTLETT
Guest Title: Motion Graphics Instructor
Guest Contact:
skillshare.com/jakebartlett
jakeinmotion.com

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Episode 3~ MAKE MORE: How To MAKE Money BY RECRUITING New CO-WORKERS

TODAY I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A WAY TO “MAKE MORE” MONEY AT YOUR CURRENT JOB. I’M GOING TO FEATURE A LOT OF FREELANCERS AND ENTREPRENEURS ON EASY MONEY, BUT THERE ARE CLEVER WAYS TO MAKE MORE AT YOUR EXISTING JOB AND ONE OF THEM IS TO RECRUIT YOUR FUTURE CO-WORKERS! YES! MANY FIRMS PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES TO RECRUIT OTHER EMPLOYEES! YOU GET SOME CASH AND A COOL NEW CO-WORKER WHO YOU LIKE!
ONE FIRM THAT’S A LEADER IN PAYING BONUSES TO EMPLOYEES WHO BRING IN OTHER EMPLOYEES IS PWC, THE GLOBAL ACCOUNTING AND CONSULTING FIRM. AND ONE PERSON WHO’S A LEADER AT PWC IN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT BONUS IS JOSHUA HARTLEY. JOSH, WELCOME TO EASY MONEY!

HERE I AM HYPING THE IDEA OF MAKING SOME EXTRA MONEY BY RECRUITING GREAT CO-WORKERS TO WORK FOR YOUR COMPANY, BUT YOU SAY YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN IT FOR THE MONEY. EXPLAIN.
First and foremost I care about helping them. I will talk with you about the money aspect of it, but really, for me, it is about being there for people when they need it and helping them. I am a veteran, so maybe they are veterans and served their country or, if not, they graduated and have skills and they want to get a good job. They see openings and don’t know how to bridge the gap. It is extremely rewarding to know that you were the person that was there for them and help make it a smooth transition.

SO LET’S DOUBLE BACK AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU FIRST STARTED DOING THIS. I KNOW YOU’RE A VETERAN AND WERE INTERESTED IN HELPING OTHER VETS.
I was a marine for 7 years. I transitioned out and I had a bad transition with another company. When I came to PwC I liked the people and the culture and I started bringing other people in and wanted to bring others in. It is a military-friendly company and I wanted others to get a shot. I started working with the recruiter that brought me in. I’m very passionate about helping people get into good jobs and mostly it is focused on veterans but I help non-veterans too.

THERE IS SOME RISK IN MAKING REFERRALS THAT THE PERSON YOU RECOMMENDED WILL FAIL, THEY WON’T BE A GOOD FIT. HAVE YOU HAD THAT HAPPEN?
In one case I didn’t screen as thoroughly and took what someone told me at face value and when someone got in they didn’t have the tech skills and expertise they said they did. Usually I do a better job vetting before I refer. This person I referred in didn’t have it. We have worked with the individual and gotten them to where they need to be, but they didn’t walk in and have the ability we expected on day one. But that is the way the world is. Nobody holds it against me. Companies are usually very clear that a referral is a referral. They will do the detailed screening on their own.

HOW ARE RECRUITMENT BONUSES BENEFICIAL TO COMPANIES, AS WELL?
PwC hires thousands of professionals a year. The referral program is designed to help people leverage their network from past employment, school, military and help them find their way to PwC We hope for 50% of them to be from referrals. You are doing well if you get 30%. We hover around 40%. PwC feels there is nothing better than getting a great referral. You want a relationship of some kind, vetting up front. Your existing employee knows the qualities the firm wants in an employee.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALMOST CONSIDER THIS ANOTHER PART OF YOUR JOB. HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND AT IT?
I spend easily 10 hours a week. I went into LinkedIn and to American Corporate Partners and a few different websites and signed up to support people looking to transition to corporate America and a number of people went there looking for advice and instead of just doing that I would also give them my contact info and said let’s talk through where you should go. A number of those people came to PwC and I would help them look for the right fit. The big part for me is if you are looking to generate cash and you want to quickly generate cash it will be difficult for you. But if you find what you are good at and find a way for that to be value-generating, that is where it is fun and easy in my opinion. The old saying is true: Do something you love and the money will follow.

IN FACT, YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT BONUS AT FIRST. AT THIS POINT, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HELPED AND HOW MUCH MONEY HAS THAT BROUGHT YOU?
Almost as an after thought they said we need people so bad they are offering people $5,000 per senior associate and smaller fees for lower-level people. If you can get us people, this is what we will pay you. I started bringing people in and PwC financially rewarded me for it. At this point I have helped with the referrals of about 20 people. I would say now my bonuses total $20,000-$25,000.

LET’S GIVE SOME ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO WHAT YOU DO. YOU SAY BE GENUINE. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?
Your heart has to be in the right place. The part of it that is important to understand, if you are going to get into this it has to be genuine and has to be about finding the right fit for the person and the company. It has to be about that. If you want a quick bonus or a long haul, you have to put the people focus there.

YOU SUGGEST THAT PEOPLE FIND A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS SOLVING. EXPLAIN.
You need to find a way to generate value and that is what is important. That is how you make more money. Find a problem that needs solving. Not something that you think is a problem but something your firm thinks is a problem. Then become the solution.

YOUR ADVICE IS “GET YOURSELF OUT THERE.” WHERE? HOW?
I have had successful referrals from Facebook post, going to non-profits I work with and helping coach people there, to going and supporting people at hiring fairs. I was surprised I got a bonus on that one and they still gave it to me. You have to get yourself out there. Let people know that you work for a great company and there’s a referral program and that you want to help people get into the company. They will reach out and talk to you.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT MORE OF JOSH’S ADVICE FOR YOU, IN THE EPISODE 2 GUEST BLOG POST.

Guest Name: Joshua Hartley
Guest Title: Manager, PwC
Guest Contact: www.linkedin.com/in/jhartley518/
www.linkedin.com/in/brandondiehmrecruiting/

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