Adnan at Blogtrepreneur put in some good work recently to create a list of 101 Essential Blogging Resources.
The list covers topics such as:
*domain registrars
*hosting
*content management systems
*communication
*research
*customization
*statistics
*creating posts
*rankings
*monetizing
…and many more!
It is a great list that everyone should check out no matter what stage of the blogging game you are in from newbie to pro.
101 Essential Blogging Resources @ Blogtrepreneur
May 25th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Blogging AdSense / AdWords Search Engine Optimization Monetizing Websites
I was just wondering if anyone has been having problems viewing the Dorm Room Biz website in Internet Explorer? I use Firefox whenever possible and for most of my web development layout testing, so I just happened to notice that the right side bar in IE is way down at the very bottom below the posts.
Has this been happening for a while?
Are you seeing any other problems?
PLEASE let me know! We are moving the site around and I will also be working on a new design for the blog to launch in the next month or so.
Please leave some comments with your problems or thoughts about the overall design for the future!
May 24th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Website Updates / News
You may encounter some possible down time this afternoon/evening if you are trying to access Dorm Room Biz. We are going to be moving the website to a new host and the domain setting changes will have to propagate through the net.
So, if you can’t access the main website for a little bit, do not worry, it will be back.
Thanks,
Chris
May 21st, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Website Updates / News
Here is the first idea that I like from the Small Business Opportunities magazine – sunglass sales.
Sunglasses have become much more than a way to battle the sun’s strong rays. They are a veritable fashion accessory and men, women, teens and even children own more than one pair. It’s a $2 billion-plus industry and there is plenty of room for you to join the boom!
You can buy great looking sunglasses at rock-bottom prices and resell them to your customers for a very nice profit. You can sell the sunglass products at fairs, flea markets, from carts and kiosks, and even in parking lots at sports events on at the beach.
All you need is a resource from whom you can purchase your inventory and here are two you should contact for more information.
Solar Sunglasses is a resource for your budding sunglass enterprise. They offer quantity discounts and high0profit potential for their items. If you already have space rented in a mall or shopping district, these products will sell right from your cart. You can check their website at www.solarsunglasses.net to learn more or call the company at 877-765-2732 to receive information.
The company has extensive inventory and products for every age group. The company also offers great merchandising tools such as a cart that can fit in any mini-van. See the website for details and to check out the easy ordering system. The products are shipped immediately; the start up package is $99
For only $99 you can get the start up package which includes: 32 pairs of sunglasses from the most popular styles and 2 nice display cases for counter tops and tables. You can spend some more and go with two other packages as well. Special #2 $250: 10 dozen sunglasses plus a display rack. Special #3 $300: 12 dozen sunglasses plus a counter top display rack.
The problem with selling sunglasses is finding the right location. Most malls either have a store like the Sunglass Hut or a kiosk cart selling them. So what do you do? Look for other options.
If you are a college student, see if you can sell them on campus. From doing some research, I know some schools require you to be a business and pay a fee or percentage of sales to the school for selling on their property. The way to battle this would be to try and link the sales to a fundraiser for a club or organization. Say that the profits are going to the club or they are being split a certain way.
Most universities also have an off-campus bookstore. At the beginning of the fall semester, our off-campus bookstore has a company who comes and does a HUGE poster sale. Maybe yours does something like this too. Your target market is already there, see if you can tag on and sell your sunglasses as well. Again, you may have to pay some fee or percentage, but it could be worth it!
If reaching your market doesn’t work that way, look into flea markets, festivals, carnivals, concerts, or any event that drawls attention from the local community. Talk to your local Chamber of Commerce about possible events and seeing if it is possible.
Overall, I like the idea and for a small investment for the start up package to give it a test run, there could be some money to be made! I would add this venture to my list of things to try out!
Other resources for wholesale sunglasses include:
-Lipopsun (www.lipopsun.com)
-Any Wholesale Sunglasses (www.anywholesalesunglasses.com)
May 16th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Business Ideas Entrepreneurship
As young student entrepreneurs, the summer season is the time to get down to business! That also means it is money making time!
Here are a couple tips for business success this summer:
Make a Plan
Without a plan of what you want to do, you will not be able to accomplish your goals for the next few months. Take some time and figure out what you want to do (your goals) and put a timeline together. Many entrepreneurs need deadlines to be able to finish something, so if you want to redesign your website, put a launch date with it; if you want to gain more clients, set deadlines.
Stick To The Plan
There is no use in making a plan if you are not going to stick to it. This is pretty simple, so I won’t spend time dwelling on the importance of it.
Find a Balance
Find a balance between your business ventures and your life (family, friends, fun, etc). It is important for you to realize that if you work in corporate American after you leave college, you may get no more than 2 weeks of vacation a year, so enjoy your summer and vacation time while you have it and do stuff you enjoy – hanging out with friends and having fun, spending time with family, etc.
Keep Records
Be sure to keep records of what you do with your business. Keep track of all your expenses and revenues, whether that is in excel or through bookkeeping software. Keeping track of your financials is not only important for your business if you are officially registered with your state, but it is important to also help you gauge how you are doing on reaching your goals.
Besides your financials, keep track of your clients and conversations you have with them, the work you may be doing, or any developments you are making. All of these will help you see how you are progressing on reaching your goals and having success over the summer.
Just be sure to have fun no matter what you are working on this summer. If you can have fun, love what you are doing, and find a balance, you will be successful! Keep up the good work and be sure to share your successes with everyone else!
What are your goals for the summer?
May 15th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Blogging Motivation Entrepreneurship
I just came across a great site a little while ago from Young Go Getter called Tweak! The site is for a podcast all about the small stuff involved in your life and business.
From the about page:
Tweak! is a podcast created specifically for the creative entrepreneur by a creative entrepreneur. Each episode we discuss topics related to living the oh so wonderful life of a freelance creative type. Whether you’re doing work on the side or going full time with your freelancing, let Tweak! offer tidbits of advice that help push you toward success.
I just listened to the current podcasts (7 total) and enjoyed what I have heard and will be sure to listen in as more come out.
If you are looking for little bits of great information on project management, web design pricing, and anything about working on your own, I would recommend you check out Tweak! and the great podcasts that Josh has put together.
May 15th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Business Ideas Blogging Marketing Motivation Entrepreneurship
In the latest edition of the Small Business Opportunities magazine, there was a feature spotlighting 15 different winning money-making ideas that could be started for under $500. After reading through the ideas, I found some of them good ideas that young entrepreneurs or college students could start.
So over the next week or so, I’ll feature about one business idea a day and also give my input and thoughts about it and how I would work the opportunities.
Here are a couple that will be featured:
*sunglass sales
*custom teas
*home inventory
*gift baskets
So, look forward to some great ideas for your next venture coming soon!
May 14th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Business Ideas Entrepreneurship
This past week I was supposed to be laying on the beach at the Outer Banks in North Carolina working on my tan, but the weather turned on us and we came home early. From Sunday to Tuesday, the winds were constantly at about 30 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph.
So, naturally, we decided to come home since the remainder of the week didn’t look much more promising with thunderstorms in the forecast.
Here are a couple quick pictures of the ocean to show how rough it was.
It was still a nice change to just relax around the beach house and not worry about anything except for where we were going to go for lunch or dinner! After getting back home on Wednesday we just hung out and laid low without doing much else. It was a good rest period, but now I am ready to get back to work…as you will see with some upcoming posts.
Until then…stay focused!
May 14th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Website Updates / News
So I final had my last exam yesterday, Thursday, so I am officially done with my Junior year of college and I couldn’t be more happy. The school year was full of long and hard classes and also some great accomplishments and milestones.
I am happy it is over, but that also means that I only have one more year of college left before “going into the real world.” Man I want to stay in college forever! Oh well, the time will come to graduate and we will see what happens from there!
With the summer soon approaching…tomorrow for me, I will have a lot more time to post and work on the website as well as my other projects including Virginia Hiker. So be sure to keep a look out for more new fresh content coming to Dorm Room Biz soon!!
May 3rd, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Website Updates / News Blogging
A couple months ago I launched a niche celebrity fan website called TheRavenSymone.com. The main purpose was to look at the ability to create small 5 page niche websites, throw some AdSense code on them, and let them roll. I wanted to do a little review of how that went.
SEO Work
I didn’t do much SEO work at all with the site. I added in the keywords and search phrases, but that was it. Besides a few links to other sites and incoming links, all traffic must be coming from either direct type ins or search engine results. I would like to get some more links to the site, and also optimize it some more with more keyword usage in the content to help it grow some.
AdSense Revenues
So the real reason that the site was started was to make a little money off of it and I have. In the time that the site launched to date, TheRavenSymone.com has earned about $32.00. The start was a little quick with clicks, which came from showing the website on places like Young Go Getter but the earnings slowed down. Now they have picked up again, bringing in anywhere from 25 cents to $1.0 a day.
Other Revenue Sources
I haven’t had the chance to do it yet, but I want to apply to Text Link Ads for the site and see if it will get accepted. By adding TLA to the site, it could easily bring in some larger revenue numbers.
Future Plans
*Continue developing the website: edit content to be more keyword dense, add more pictures, and get more links
*Add Text Link Ads
*Advertise the website more, look into purchasing some AdWords to get sponsored links and more exposure.
Was it successful? I’d say so. I have made my money back from the domain name and then some.
Would I do it again? Of course! I am hoping to develop a couple more similar websites during the summer while I am home. My goal is to launch 2-4 of these similar sites within the first month of summer (May to June). If each website would be able to bring in just a dollar a day, say for 4 websites, that’s about $120 a month. This could turn into a solid passive income stream if I can continue to develop the websites.
If anyone else is taking this approach to building a portfolio of websites and earning some money, I would love to hear your experiences. What have you been doing that works? What problems have you faced?
April 27th, 2007
Chris
Filed under: Blogging Monetizing Websites Project Updates
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