Down On Our Luck

I’m getting close to the end of completing goal number one of my weekend projects and this has gone surprisingly fast. I found a ton of expired coupons, upcoming release paperwork and in stock printouts from 2007. Obviously, the coupons and the in stock printout from my distributor have gone in the recycle bin. I’ll be making a folder for current fliers and sales items from each distributor so I know where to find these items when I need them. That was a majority of the clutter that you saw in the picture yesterday.

Once I hit rock bottom in the mess I found a winning lottery ticket worth $2 (I know) and $1.20 which immediately into the change jar that Q has started.

I still have a Kleenex box full of personal receipts to file away somewhere, but I think I’ll just put these downstairs by the business receipts in case something is in there that shouldn’t be; I don’t want to be caught off-guard. Once this is done I should be ready to dust and get down to business with an uncluttered desk. Then I’ll be ready to get running with my next project of the weekend; going through the feeds which I subscribe to.

Obviously, if you are trying to make money online then you need to keep up on the latest tips, tricks, and trends, but when does it all become just too much? I have been going through a major case of information overload which has really hampered my productivity. There are so many ways to make money online and get your name out on the web that a person could easily spend a year, 365 days at 24/7, reading about them. The problem is, if all of my precious time is spent reading and then I’m not doing; if I’m not doing then I get nowhere. Getting nowhere is frustrating and then a self destructive cycle worsens spirals downwards and goes out of control. Information overload is standing in the way of my success and the buck is stopping here.

This weekend, my RSS inbox will be cleaned up and I’ll need to consider which feeds are valuable and worth my time. Relaxation is important also, so the two feeds that I subscribe to for entertainment will not be going away; everything else is fair game. Once that is done I’m sure reading my feeds will definitely be a productive time for me instead of a daunting task.

Cleaning and organizing my desk is next on the list. Walking up to this mess and thinking I’m going to get anything done is just crazy. All I see if a stack of reminders of unfinished business and things to get done. Not a great way be productive. Someone I know once said, “A clean desk is a sign of a crazy mind”, which I believe is true and knowing myself, the desk will never be spotless. On the other hand, there is definitely a problem with going to far to the other extreme, which is what this is.

Feel free to share your ideas.

As if I don’t already have enough to do, I started a new blog this weekend and came up with an EXCELLENT business idea yesterday.

The blog I started was originally just going to be a directory for my Squidoo Lenses, but I didn’t have the patience to learn how to use Word Press as a Content Management System. It’s on my list of things to do, just not near the top. For now it’s a blog & even though I’m not an expert, I think blogging about my Squidoo experiences will definitely help me get there. Since I’ve made it into a blog, I’ll also be featuring many other Squidoo lenses as well; it won’t be all about me! (How boring)

I will touch on my other business idea as soon as everything is up and running. I love this particular idea because it’s fresh, original, Q loves it, and Q has already offered to help me out on the sales portion. Finally, a business that he can understand and participate in. Stay tuned for more information.

As of right now, I’m in the process of looking for a new theme for our blog. The old one was just way too busy and the more I looked at it the uglier it became. Until I find a new theme, I’m going back to the standard out of the box wordpress theme in order to make things easier to read. I’ll be sticking to free themes for the time being as my budget is $0.

It has been a long time since I’ve written a blog post here at Down On Our Luck because I’ve had to devote my attention to things more profitable than this blog. Here’s my obligatory apology: “I’m Sorry”. I’ve decided that this blog will become a tool as part of my business as opposed to a business all in itself. Trying to stay on a regular posting schedule just won’t work for me. I’ll make sure to post more often, but I can’t tell you when and where. If you found me at one point through Entrecard, then you’ll have noticed that I am not the dropper that I used to be. Once again, I was devoting too much time to dropping and not enough time on the things that make me money to reach my goal.

Since my last post, I’ve decided to really focus on things that make money. I think the fact that I have a steady job has been more of a hindrance than a benefit when it comes to building my online business. There’s always that crutch that I can fall back on right now which isn’t really working for me when it comes to motivation. I haven’t done anything drastic, but I have been focusing on tools and things that bring in money.

Of course, I’ve been working on spreading the word about Big Crumbs. June 2008 has been the best ever when it comes to earning referrals for myself. So far, in June I have referred 12 people with 6 more days to go; my best month ever. My referral income for May was only $11.65, but it’s still $11.65 that I didn’t have to jump through hoops to earn. June is definitely looking up as I’m at $15.62 as of today. I have a long way to go for 1,000,000 direct referrals as I’m only at 91 right now, but if you’d like to help me out, feel free to stop by and sign up. Not only will you be helping me, but yourself as well.

Tomorrow or the next day, I’ll post about some of the new Squidoo lenses I have built over the last month. I’ve been trying some new techniques to bring more offerings to my shopping lenses. It’s taking more time for me, but I think they will pay off in the long run.

Ok, so I’m not rich from Big Crumbs yet, but I steadily get paid $12 - $25 every month. Not bad for writing a couple of blog posts and buying an ad or two on some key websites. Here is the referral breakdown for my April 2008 earnings:

If you have been following these posts, I hope you can see the potential here for some easy, passive, supplemental income for your eBay business or any other online business you may run.

I find it funny that the number one search that brings people to my Cash Back Squidoo Page is “Big Crumbs Scam”. I hope the visitor finds the page helpful enough to convince them that Big Crumbs is not a scam. It does sound too good to be true, but they really do pay and they pay when they say they do.

Watch my blog for details on a contest that I’ll be running for Big Crumbs real soon. It won’t take a ton of work to enter and I hope it will be fun for entrants as well as myself.