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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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Episode 2~ MAKE MORE: Should You become a surrogate mother to make money?

MY NEXT GUEST ASKED THAT WE ONLY USE HER FIRST NAME, BECAUSE SHE REALIZES IT’S A SENSITIVE SUBJECT. SHE SAYS SHE FEELS GOOD ABOUT HELPING OTHERS TO START FAMILIES AND ABOUT MAKING A LIFE-CHANGING AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR HER OWN FAMILY.
BREANA, WELCOME TO EASY MONEY.

LET’S BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING. WHY AND HOW DID YOU FIRST GET THE IDEA TO BECOME A SURROGATE?
A friend of mine had done it, so I saw the process firsthand and became interested in trying it myself. I then Googled surrogacy agencies and looked at websites and applied with Extraordinary Conceptions. Did my profile and became available and got matched fairly quickly with my first couple. Match took less than a month. Pregnant on the first try. It was very easy. Didn’t have a very close relationship with that first couple. They live in AZ. They came to the birth and visited for major ultrasounds.

WAS THIS BABY BIOLOGICALLY YOURS OR DID YOU JUST CARRY IT?
There was an egg donor and father’s sperm so biologically the baby was his and another woman’s. I just carried it. The baby was not related to me.

THAT WAS 4 YEARS AGO. AND THEN YOU SERVED AS A SURROGATE A SECOND TIME AND GAVE BIRTH LAST YEAR. HOW WAS THAT DIFFERENT?
Last year I bonded more with the couple and the baby. It was a lot harder because we bonded. Seeing her leave. This was another case with an egg donor and the father’s sperm. When I delivered the baby, they stayed with us in our house for a few months. They were from China and had to get birth certificate, passport, immunizations and they didn’t speak English. I offered to let them stay with us and she was extremely nervous to take care of a baby herself. It was hard for her in the beginning. They stayed 2 ½ months. I didn’t charge them for that. I helped feed and change the baby so there was a bigger bond when they left. I was fine after a week. It’s harder when you bond more.

MY SHOW IS CALLED EASY MONEY, SO I HAVE TO ASK, WAS IT EASY? SOMEHOW, I THINK NOT.
Hard. It is hard emotionally and physically getting pregnant. Your back hurting. But everything at the end makes it worth it. Seeing them have their baby. It makes you forget everything you went through. For me, though, now I barely remember the hard stuff. Just the good stuff. The birth and seeing the babies.

Injections are the hardest part. Preparing your body for the embryo cycle. It’s just soreness every day of your cycle. The injection is on your upper butt check. You do it every day for 30 days. Sitting down and laying on my side was painful. And the c-sections were hard. I have had 4.

AND WHAT ABOUT EMOTIONALLY? THAT HAS TO BE HARD TOO.
For me I always felt a connection and bond but it wasn’t very emotional the first time when they left. You mentally prepare yourself that you will give birth and they will take baby away. But when you go home without the baby your body has emotions. It was one to two days and then I was fine. Having my own children helped.

YOU HAVE 2 CHILDREN OF YOUR OWN. HOW DID YOU EXPLAIN YOUR PREGNANCY TO THEM?
Both my children have always been very interested in it and they have been understanding. People would say “you are going to have a sister” and they would say “no, that is Connie and Matt’s baby.” They understood, but people would get very confused. They are super understanding that she wasn’t their sister. But at birth they were so excited to hold her. Normally parents are very understanding. They allowed my sons to do that and it was good for them.

DO YOU STILL HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COUPLES YOU SERVED AS A SURROGATE FOR?
I text the first couple on the birth date. It’s a loose tie. But the second couple have visited us since those first months and my husband and I are going to visit them in their country this summer.

THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY, PERSONAL WAY TO MAKE MONEY. DID IT MAKE YOU VALUE THE MONEY YOU EARNED EVEN MORE?
It’s made me super money conscious of how I spend my money and where it goes. I check my account and credit score. Paying stuff off made me independent and don’t want to go back so we are very organized now with spreadsheets and automatic payments. Made us a lot more cautious with where our money goes.

SOME PEOPLE LISTENING ARE THINKING, I COULD NEVER GIVE BIRTH TO SOMEBODY ELSE’S BABY, NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY I MADE. EXPLAIN HOW THE MONEY HAS HELPED YOUR OWN FAMILY.
It has changed everything. I am 25 and we own a house. We would never be able to buy a house if I hadn’t done that. It made us very stable financially. With debt and being able to afford things and set up future for our kids and us. That was my main reason for doing it in the end.

ALRIGHT, NOW THE BIG QUESTION EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW: HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU MAKE AS A SURROGATE?
When I did the first time it was $35,000 as a base rate and the second time it was $50,000. You then earn extra money above and beyond that for certain things, such as having a C-section, if needed.

THAT’S REAL MONEY AND THAT’LL HAVE PEOPLE PAYING ATTENTION. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO WOMEN WHO MIGHT CONSIDER THIS?
It is a big commitment. A lot of girls think ‘I will make $40,000’ but there are a lot of medical appointments. You have to do lots of work. Legal contracts. It is a lot of work to get pregnant. It is a big commitment for a year so make sure your family is on board. And make sure your kids know what is going on. When they are more involved it makes it easier so you don’t have to explain it later on.

AND, HAVING DONE IT BOTH WAYS, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE CLOSER OR THE MORE ARMS-LENGTH RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PARENTS WHO HAVE HIRED YOU?
I enjoyed the closer relationship more, but I respect the fact that some women like to keep the relationship more arms-length.

BREANA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US HERE ON EASY MONEY. BREANA FOUND SURROGACY SO REWARDING THAT SHE NOW WORKS FOR A FIRM CALLED EXTRAORDINARY CONCEPTIONS THAT MATCHES PROSPECTIVE PARENTS WITH SURROGATES. SHE PROVIDED THE FIRM’S LIST OF REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A SURROGATE AND THAT IS OUR GUEST BLOG POST THIS WEEK.

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Episode 1~ MAKE MORE: How To Make $30,000 a Month In a Creative Career —Even Music!

GUEST: Ryan Heenan
TITLE: Fiverr Jingle Writer and Video Producer
CONNECT: www.ryanheenan.com
www.fiverr.com/customdrumloops

Q1: RYAN, DESCRIBE YOUR JOB BACK IN 2012.
I went to Berkley College of Music and studied the music business. After graduating, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. So I was teaching music in a preschool full time and giving music lessons here or there to supplement my income.

Q: AND, FORGIVE ME FOR ASKING, BUT WHAT WAS YOUR ANNUAL INCOME BACK THEN?
I was making about $30,000 as a preschool music teacher back in 2012.

Q: AND THEN ONE DAY —AND WHAT AN IMPORTANT DAY IT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE— YOUR BROTHER TOLD YOU ABOUT AN ONLINE MARKETPLACE CALLED FIVERR.COM. HOW DOES FIVERR WORK AND WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT MAKING MONEY ON FIVERR?
FIVERR.COM is a marketplace where freelancers advertise services they will do for as little as 5 dollars. Things like voiceovers, editing resumes, graphic design and, in my case, music.
When I first joined, Fiverr was a $5 platform. It had a low initial price but other things could be built in for extra money. I started trying to do drum loops, which is a drum sound that you can play over and over. They’re popular with hip hop and song writers so you don’t have to hire a drummer. This was 2012. I still haven’t sold even one! But I signed up with that handle so I still have it.

Q: SO THE DRUM LOOPS WERE A TOTAL FAIL, BUT WHAT IMPRESSES ME, AND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE, INCLUDING NON-MUSICIANS CAN LEARN FROM, IS THAT YOU KEPT REINVENTING YOURSELF UNTIL YOU DID SUCCEED. AND, BOY DID YOU! WAIT TIL YOU HEAR HOW WELL RYAN IS DOING NOW. WHAT WAS YOUR BREAKOUT SERVICE THAT FINALLY WORKED?
There were a lot of businesses asking can you write a jingle for our business. I had studied that in college. My first jingle took an hour and I got $5. But now because I have pushed through, I have a system. To write a jingle doesn’t take me long. To write it and record it – usually takes 4 to 6 minutes. That comes from lots of practice and a tight system. Each one is customized. I don’t use templates but I do reuse elements. If something is dot com I know the last two lines will be a phone number or website. There is a structure that is followed which is more efficient than if I was going to write a new artistic song from scratch each time.

Q: I KNOW YOU’VE HAD HUGE CORPORATIONS AND ODDBALL START-UPS AS JINGLE CLIENTS… CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW EXAMPLES TO INSPIRE OTHER PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WANT TO FREELANCE AS CREATIVES.

•I did a jingle for the Freakanomics podcast. They were doing an episode on products you think are good for environment that are not.

•I was in Time Magazine with Zoey Deschanel! I lead off with that so it sounds way better. Joel Stein who does the Awesome column, he got in touch with me and I thought it was a joke. He said I am doing a story about outsourcing your life. Could you make me a jingle? So I did write one for him. Line was” I sit listening to vinyl and conjuring up images of Zoey Deschanel.” Was a ukulele reference.

•Most inappropriate and funniest project was for a company called Stick a Dick. They made gigantic pink penis stickers for people who parked like a dick. You stick it on their windshield and they peeled off in tiny fragments. I wrote a jingle for that!

Q: SO YOU WERE ALREADY DOING WELL WITH JINGLES —I CAN’T WAIT TO REVEAL WHAT A NICE LIVING YOU MAKE FOR YOURSELF NOW— BUT THEN YOU PIVOTED AGAIN. AND I THINK PIVOTING TO GIVE CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON FOR OUR LISTENERS. WHAT CAME NEXT?
Next people said “can you put my jingle on YouTube?” So I learned animation and video editing platforms. Then the same buyers said “if we sent you a voice over with script could you turn it into a video?” They wanted to diversify their marketing.
I realized I could bundle music, marketing and video and built it up to doing animated jingles or white board videos with characters or visuals and also explainer videos. It’s the same idea but instead of music it’s talking.

Q: OK, SO I KEEP HINTING THAT YOU MAKE GOOD MONEY NOW. DON’T TELL US HOW MUCH YET. BUT DO TELL US HOW YOU MAKE MORE THAN 5 DOLLARS ON FIVERR. PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS NEED TO KNOW. IS IT THE VOLUME? IS IT THE FACT THAT MANY GIGS GO FOR MORE THAN $5 EVEN THOUGH THE SITE’S CALLED FIVERR? OR WHAT?
Last month I did 62 explainer videos and 49 jingles and one instrumental. Cost depends on how intricate they want to go. Sometimes I sell the full band or extras where you can build a package. One today is 30 seconds and $270. That is the whole shebang. And that will probably take me 15 minutes to do.

Q: OK, SO REMEMBER, 5 YEARS AGO, RYAN WAS MAKING $30K A YEAR AS A PRESCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER. RYAN, HOW MUCH ARE YOU MAKING NOW WRITING AND PRODUCING JINGLES AND MARKETING VIDEOS?
Now on Fiverr alone I do $30,000 a month. Within the last year it has really picked up – year 4 was over 5 figures per month consistently. I also work outside of Fiverr with local businesses in my community now. Doing all those Fiverr projects gave me the portfolio I needed to land that outside work.

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO CREATIVE PEOPLE WHO THINK IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE A LIVING DOING WHAT THEY’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT?
I have turned my passion into a business and it doesn’t feel like work. I have the freedom to travel, set my own schedule and open a business with my wife. Look for ways to take what you love doing and make it into a practical product that businesses will buy. At first I thought I would be selling Happy Birthday songs to individuals, but things took off when I created something businesses needed and wanted.

Q: OF COURSE, NOT EVERYONE LISTENING IS A MUSICIAN, BUT YOUR EXPERIENCE APPLIES TO ANYBODY WITH CREATIVE TALENTS. YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO USE THOSE CREATIVE SKILLS TO MAKE A LIVING ONLINE. YOU SAY:
Be time-efficient. Create systems to make the work easier/faster, like I did.
Create a “gateway” service. This is the one that gets people in the door. Do a good job and you can then sell them bigger projects.
Follow the 10,000 rule. To become an expert you have to devote 10,000 hours – make mistakes, learn, and then you have more clear vision.
Be patient. Tortoise and the hare. So many people get excited and go out and do it and have drum loop failure like I did. Don’t quit! Keep reinventing yourself.
You can do what others do, but do it differently. Lots of people offer jingles on Fiverr. But I would say to clients – I will have this back to you in 24 hours. That was faster than other people. That made it possible for me to get orders from clients who needed it immediately and that was different.

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