Working at Blockbuster seems like it would be a pretty cool after school job, doesn’t it? Of course, any job requires hard work from its employees, but who doesn’t love to have the latest dirt on when their favorite movies are coming out?

How old do I have to be to work at Blockbuster?

Most chain stores that spread across multiple states have just set a company wide minimum age that complies with all of these states’ requirements. Blockbuster is one of those stores. In order to work here, you must be at least eighteen years old.

What Blockbuster looks for in an employee:

Besides the age requirement, Blockbuster is looking for a few other qualities in their employees.

• You must love movies! First and foremost, you must share a passion for cinema. One of the perks of working at Blockbuster is that you receive free movie rentals. More importantly, you are also going to have customers who ask your opinion or input on certain movies. Plus, having a passion for your job always makes work more enjoyable.

• Great communication skills! A customer may ask for your help looking for a certain movie or they may ask for you recommendations if they are sure what they would like to see for that particular night.

• Lively energy! Everyone gets tired, and it can be frustrating to deal with customers. In addition to maintain a cheerful front in front of customers, you must also be willing to demonstrate the same front and respectfulness towards your coworkers. A winning smile never hurts either!

• A willingness to be a team player! There are many different jobs that need doing within a store. One day you may be asked to work up front as a cashier. Another day, you may be asked to sort and restock movies in the back. A willingness in doing whatever is asked of you will assist you in getting ahead in your job.

What you may be asked to do at Blockbuster:

• Cashier

• Stocking movies

• Cleaning the store

• Offering assistance to customers by asking them if they need help with their purchases

Things to consider when applying to Blockbuster:

There are so many benefits!

• Free movie and game rentals! What is not to love about that?

• In store discounts

• Flexible schedules

• 401K plans

• Tuition assistance for college

• Insurance coverage

How do I apply at Blockbuster?

The most preferable method for applying to a job at Blockbuster is in person. This allows the manager to meet with you and form a positive impression about who you are. To locate a store near you, you can use the company’s online store locator.

However, you can also apply to Blockbuster online. Blockbuster maintains a pool of prospective employees. If a position at a store near you becomes available, they will have your application already on file.

You can also become a fan of Blockbuster online on Facebook to keep up with all of the latest happenings.

Good luck in your job search!

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When we think of college, we often think only of the United States. However there are colleges across the planet, in every country and each country has its own statistics for how many people enroll in college. Generally, the number of people who enroll in college in their lifetimes is a good indication of just how developed the country is. The more developed countries with a higher standard of living have a larger college enrollment than those that are developing with a low standard of living.

First of all, college enrollment is going up. Roughly 57 percent of the young people on earth go to college, which is a whopping 20 percent increase over just 10 years ago.

Here is some information on what what is college enrollment like around the world.

Greece ranks the highest with 68 percent of its young people pursuing higher education. In fact Greece ranks a full 23 percent above the next highest, which is Belgium with 45 percent. The United States comes in third with 41 percent. The next highest is France and Ireland, who both have 38 percent to round out the top five. Canada comes in sixth with 36 percent, followed by Spain with 35 percent. Australia takes the number eight spot with 34 percent of its young people in post-secondary schools, while the United Kingdom and New Zealand round out the top ten with 33 percent and 31 percent respectively.

We will not go over the countries that have zero percent of their young people in higher education because there are several of them. The worst is Iceland with one percent. Denmark is a bit better with three percent, and Italy and Switzerland are in the bottom four with four and six percent. Germany rounds out the bottom five with either percent. The next five lowest are Sweden with 12 percent, Turkey with 13 percent, Norway with 13 percent, Mexico with 14 percent and Austria with 14 percent.

It should be noted that this is based on a per capita rate and does not mean that not everyone goes to college. This is simply the percentage of young people who go to college following high school. Some wait a few years before they go to college, especially in Europe.

photo credits: flickr.com/photos/29238644@N05/

The catering business is said to be one of the many home-based businesses that is so fun as it is financially rewarding. If you love dealing with people and events, love planning, and much more, love cooking – then this might be a business model that you should consider. A catering business always has room for growth, and you will never run out of ideas on how to improve on it – you can start really small by attending to private birthday parties, romantic anniversary dinners or or even small reunion gatherings. Then later on when you have much more experience, manpower and equipment, you can serve company parties, sports team homecomings, or even wedding receptions. If you are a person who can handle stress, has a lot of perseverance and stamina, and can creatively find solutions to problems, then this might be the job for you. Hard work will surely be needed, and sometimes it will stretch the limits of your patience, but in the end, it is one of the businesses that pays extremely well.

How to Start a Catering Business in Your Spare Time as a College Student

Step 1: Consider Your Skills and Your Chosen Cuisine
Do you know how to cook? Do you make your own recipes? If you think you’re more than capable in the kitchen, assess what kinds of food can you cook, course by course. Are you better at making breakfasts than full meals? Do you prefer cooking than baking? Take these into consideration. Do not force yourself to put out products that you might not be good at. If making cakes and pastries is not your forte, then it’s likely that you won’t be offering that on your menu. Also consider the cuisine of your food – will you be cooking All American style? Are you more knowledgeable on Asian recipes? Before you begin catering, you must first know what you can offer.

Step 2: Decide on Your Location
Where do you live? Do you have the necessary equipment in able to do some catering? Do you have a kitchen that will fully support your needs? If you are at home then cooking up a lot of food will not be a problem. However, if you live in a dorm, or sharing a room with another, where will you be cooking? Consider renting a restaurant kitchen or borrowing a friend’s kitchen on the days that you will be catering. Also consider storage – sometimes you need to prepare ingredients ahead of schedule. Do you have room to store these as well? Another thing to think about is if you are welcome to potential clients coming to visit your place. Find an area where you can receive them like a good host should, and where you can meet with them to discuss their requests.

Step 3: Get the Necessary Permits
Call your local health department and ask about any rules and regulations regarding catering. If you need to get a permit, do so. They will also probably ask to inspect where you will be working, and give you any certification or business license that you need. Make sure that your place of business is clean and hygienic.

Step 4: Choose Your Niche and Plan the Menu
Catering to a certain market will make your job easier. Don’t try to serve everyone and everything all at once. It is best to start small where you can control what you do and you can predict the results. Since you will be doing this in your spare time, you can consider, for example, catering to school org meetings, pool parties or private birthday celebrations. Mostly you will be dealing with snacks, appetizers, finger foods and heavy meals that are simple to make. Plan a menu that you can show to potential clients. Make several that they can choose from.

Step 5: Invest on Ingredients and Other Cooking Materials
Between getting permits and making sure that you have the necessary equipment to be able to cater, you are looking at around $500-$1,000 as an investment. Make sure that you have this financial security with you before you begin to do anything else. If you don’t have the budget then you might need to start in something really small, like baking brownies or cookies instead of full meals.

Step 6: Pricing
List down everything that is considered as an expense: materials used for cooking, materials used for packaging your food, any advertising costs (it would be better if you can market yourself offline for free) that you incurred to promote your business, electricity, water and other utilities expense, gas for travel if you will be delivering the food, etc. Then add a percentage of what you want to earn on top of that. The end result is what you should charge your clients. People who go into the catering business can earn as much as $200,000 annually if they take it seriously enough or if they live in a big city where demands are high. Small catering businesses or those who work part-time can earn as much as $50,000 per year even if they live in a small town. However, don’t let the numbers fool you – there will be a lot of expenses for this kind of business so be ready to shell out some money before you can even begin to think about earning them.

Some unique catering niches if you don’t want to do the usual:

• Boxed lunches for companies
• Breakfast catering
• Wedding receptions
• After parties
• Self catering and accommodation
• Smoked salmon catering (appetizers only)
• Dessert catering

More tips and advice:
What kind of caterer do you want to be?

10 Catering Business Success Tips

How to Market Your Catering Business

One of the perils of marketing your business is the complete lack of funds but the immediate need to get your brand out there. If you’re on a shoestring budget it’s even more difficult because you can’t go the traditional way of advertising, like how big companies do it. Nevertheless, the beauty of being born in this day and age means there are a lot more resources available to us. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we should maximize this opportunity called the Internet. The power is indeed at the tips of our fingers: in cyberspace, there are millions of people willing to listen, who will come flocking to you if you only know how to use it right.

So to those who are asking, “Where can I advertise my business for free?“, here are some ideas:

1. Your own blog or website. Build a website with a nice design and great content. Showcase your business and create a blog where you can discuss the brand and the products in detail. Having your own website is similar to claiming your own space in the world wide web, where you are free to do what you want, and you can receive new visitors.
2. Blog directories. Think of it as the yellow pages for blogs. Blog directories help in driving more traffic to your site – if you use the right keywords and tags, more people will be able to find you. See: 20 Essential Blog Directories to Submit Your Blog To.
3. Forums and message boards. Interact with a lot of people, join threads and express your opinion in topics you are interested in. Better yet, find forums that are business-centric or are related to your business. Network with other entrepreneurs. And most importantly, put a signature to all of your posts. This signature should consist of a link that refers to your website.
4. Your social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace – these are great places to advertise your business for free. Put a link to your website in the links or bio section. Talk about your products when you can. Complete your profile, write interesting things not only about your business but yourself as well, and connect with others.
5. Other people’s blogs. Find people who are willing to do a link exchange, meaning, you’ll link back to their blog if they link to yours, too. You can either put a section for links in a sidebar, or you can link to them in specific posts that you write. Linking to other people means your blog post will appear in their site, too, and hopefully the audience from that site will come to yours.
6. Search engines. If you submit your blog to search engines, you will have a higher chance to appear in first page of results whenever people use some keywords to search for something. Of course, there are those who really pay to make their site the #1 result that appears – but if you know some SEO tactics, then you wouldn’t have to pay a single cent! Just make sure that you always use the proper keywords in your blog.
7. Answer sites like Yahoo Answers. Answer questions that you are an expert in, or are related to your business, then link back to your website  as your resource.
8. Social bookmarking sites like Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Reddit, etc. They work in similar to blog directories.
9. Press release directories. Announce and share details about your new business. Include contact information. Submit your press release to free directories.
10. Mailing lists. There are a lot of mailing lists for different interests – sign up under a topic that is related to your business, or, better yet, create your own mailing list where people can subscribe to. Keep the subscribers updated by sending fresh content.

Do you know how to write a resume? Writing a resume can sometimes be a sore spot among job seekers because, let’s admit it – it’s boring, and it can be a chore. You know you have to write it in order to inform future employers about your experience and skills – but what do you write about when it’s your first time ever to get a job? How do you impress someone when you haven’t been around for very long, much more have an extensive career to speak of? How do you write a resume that gets the job?

If you’re still in college but are actively looking for a job, then you know how much it sucks to have an empty resume. What do you put there? It’s not like they give you a master’s degree for wielding lightsabers. Or a doctorate in air guitar. Or even an associate’s degree in beer pong. How do you present yourself as an eager undergrad (or even fresh grad), ready to be a young professional?

Keep in mind that a resume is a necessity. It provides information not only about past job experiences, but also of your education and skills. Look at it as an investment: by taking the time to craft the perfect resume, that piece of paper will become your potential gateway towards a great future someday.

How to Write a Resume That Gets The Job

Step 1: Research, Research, Research
Before you write your resume, there is research. When you finally decide what type of job you want to get, it is very important to find out more about the industry which it belongs to. Industry information gives you an idea of the type of people who have that kind of job, the range of salary you can get, and even sample resumes. As a college student or recent graduate, your best foot forward is to focus on your educational background, exemplary extra-curricular activities, school awards, thesis projects and skill set. Read more about what employers are looking for and expecting from college students. Find out if the industry you’ve chosen is “friendly” towards young people, or if you are bound to work in an environment where it’s hard to find someone your age to relate to.

Step 2: Come Up with A Job Objective
What is your career goal? What do you want to do in a job? What are you expecting out of it? A job objective describes to an employer what you are looking for. If your description matches what they are able and capable of giving you, then you’re one step closer towards getting an interview. A job objective is usually the first thing that you put in your resume after you have listed your personal information. It is a statement, must be direct to the point, honest but not demanding. Make sure that you sound professional, and you use the proper business terms.

DON’T: To work in a big office and to be paid big bucks.
DO: To collaborate with a creative team and work on projects that stretch the limits of imagination

DON’T: To have a boss that teaches me new stuff
DO: To learn from dynamic mentors and maximize management skills and training experience

Something even shorter and simpler:
“To obtain the position as a [job] in [company] and work in a challenging environment”
“To obtain a [job department] position that is intriguing and challenging and has potential for personal growth and development”

Step 3: Write the Perfect Resume
a. Bio and contact information: Use your full given name. Indicate your birth date and age. Give a phone number where you can be reached. Make sure that you provide a professional-looking email address where employers can reach you. Create a separate email account if you have to, and refrain from using cute handles – your name is enough for a username. Provide a link to an online portfolio or website if you like.
b. Job objective: Remember KISS – Keep It Short and Simple.
c. Education: Since you are still in college or you have just graduated, this is an important part of your resume. Indicate the full name of your school, years studied, your GPA, and your major and minor (if any). If you have taken extra classes somewhere, and you think it’s an important detail about you and related to the job you are applying for, put it in. For example, if you are applying as a photographer and have a literature degree, but have taken serious classes in a photography school, then it matters and should be included in your resume.
d. Employment: Include this if you have previous jobs before that you think are relevant, like freelance writer for a magazine (include publication details) or part-time German language tutor (if you’re applying as a translator). Also include the dates when you had these jobs (when you started and when it ended). If you did volunteer work, you can put that, too. However, do remember to edit yourself. Your future employer doesn’t need to know everything, especially if it has nothing to do with the job. If you are applying for the position as an account executive, it hardly matters that you got paid to walk the neighbor’s dogs last year. But if you are looking to become a swim instructor, then that lifeguard gig you’ve been doing for the past three summers might count.
e. School orgs and activities: If you are part of an organization, or have several notable extra-curricular activities, write them down. It is particularly enticing to employers if you have been a leader or held high positions, have started a club, hosted events, spearheaded projects, and more.
f. Honors and awards: Whether they’re academic, given by the community or from sports, they matter. Also include any scholarships, contests won and other achievements.
g. Skills: This is where you indicate whatever you’re good at: writing, designing, public speech, programming, if you speak any languages, etc. This is also where you put what software programs you are proficient in, like Microsoft Office (if you know all programs, else just put individually what you know, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, etc.
h. Interests: This is a more personal part of the resume. Not everyone puts it because sometimes the job you’re applying for doesn’t call for it, and sometimes people fear it’s unprofessional. Use your judgment – there’s nothing wrong with letting your future employer know what interests you, because it makes you more personable and interesting, but sometimes too much information can not lead to good things, too. So be witty enough to be interesting but prudent enough to still keep it in taste. For example, your interests could be: “art, literature, history and culture.”
i. References: Since you don’t have much experience yet, you will need references whom potential employers can call to verify not only your identity but your character. Usually two to three references are enough. Make sure that you inform these people and ask their permission. Also let them know once you’ve passed your resume somewhere, so they can prepare in case they get a call. Choose people who know you but can give a professional opinion and recommendation of you, like a respected professor, a co-fellow at a writer’s workshop, a student leader you’ve worked with at your organization, or your former boss. Refrain from getting a family member.

Step 4: Tailor and Polish
Now that you have written your resume, it is now time to review and edit. Again, remember the KISS rule: keep it short and simple. An ideal resume consists of one page only. This is because there are a lot of people who pass their resumes – employers do not have time to sift through everything. If you don’t catch their interest from the get-go, then a second or third page full of your achievements won’t matter. Be specific. Show that you are not just passing a generic resume – customize it according to the company whom you will be giving it to. Remember that your resume should highlight why you would be the perfect candidate for the job, so only put info that is relevant. Check for grammatical errors and typos – simple errors can turn off a reader fast. Use action verbs. Do not use “I” or “me” or “my”.

Step 5: Use a Clean Design
Make use of white space. Use simple, clear font. Serif fonts are ideal, like Times New Roman. Font sizes should be around 10-12. Avoid excessive formatting. Print on white paper. Prepare an electronic version (save as .RTF if possible) in case you are asked to submit it online.

Some entry level sample resumes (for new graduates or those who are currently in college):

More?
How To Write a Resume

Resumes for New Graduates

More often than not, simple is best. But, if you are feeling creative and daring, here are some who took the risk and thought outside the box:
- 30 Artistic and Creative Résumés
- 36 Beautiful Resume Ideas That Work

A good resume separates you from hundreds of application letters on the desk. It gets you noticed and transfers you from the ‘Rejects’ to the ‘Has Potential’ pile. A great resume gets you one foot in the door. It gets you an interview. An excellent resume gets employers excited, and they can’t wait to call you in to say, “You’re Hired.” Where do you want to belong?

Previously we have talked about how to make a website and consequently, make money from it. These days the internet has a lot of things to offer, especially to college students who want to make extra money from home. After you have got yourself a nice laptop where you can work to your heart’s content, what step should you take next?

Try freelancing. It’s a nice way of earning money without the restrictions of answering to the boss, because YOU ARE THE BOSS. You can set your own time and your own pace, and you can find clients on your own. The flexibility offers you much freedom to be creative and explore your skills, because you can pick projects that interest you. You have the power of choice, because you can select a project based purely on creative merit and not just because you needed the money. With freelancing, you can balance both earning money and having fun while doing it.

What are the skills needed to be a freelancer? These days you can get just about any job if you have any of the skills below:

• writing
• graphic design
• web design
• web programming
• videographer
• photographer
• computer programming
• translator or transcriptionist

Here are a few sites that will help you on how to make extra money from home:

1. oDesk.com – oDesk is a great freelancing site because it offers stability on both the provider’s side and the buyer’s side. The provider (you) and the buyer (client) can agree on either hourly rates or fixed rates per project, and oDesk monitors the collecting of payment very thoroughly. Any payment fees are charged to the buyer, which is great. You can also download a software that tracks your current activity – it takes screen shots of your desktop as you work and sends them to the buyer so he can be assured that you are indeed working. As a provider you can put up a profile where you build your reputation – buyers rate you at the end of each project, and you can also rate the buyer back so other providers will know if he’s a good client or not.oDesk – Changing how the world works:
   
2. eLance.com – Works similar to the one above. As a provider you are charged a fee if you want to be on the site, so it might not be for you if you don’t have the money just yet. But it is one of the universally recognized freelance sites, so a lot of buyers go here to post job openings. Maybe if you are a true professional with your skills you can charge a higher rate than other beginners.How eLance works:
   
3. Guru.com – This site offers a lot of categories not only to web programmers but to others who have different skills as well like business consulting an administrative support.Web credibility of Guru.com:
   
4. GetAFreelancer.com – A lot of graphic designers and computer programmers are here. It is quite popular because once you sign up you are offered a debit MasterCard that you can use for your daily activities. It can be used at stores or ATM or even for online purchases. Providers here are only given a certain number of times when you can bid on projects. That means, if you use up your quota for this month then you won’t be able to apply for any more until the next month. You can remedy this situation by becoming a Gold member, but that means you have to pay. It’s only worth it if you plan on being very active on this site and if you are pursuing freelancing full-time.GetAFreelancer sample:
   
5. ScriptLance.com – A popular place for web designers, web developers and computer programmers. The only downside here is that competition is very fierce. More often than not it becomes a battle of who has the lowest rate, and of course, buyers always go for providers who charge much lower. If you are a beginner and just looking to start somewhere without the demands of a portfolio, you can start here and charge a low rate in exchange for building future content for your resume. However, if you are already established and know how much your work is worth, you might find difficulty in getting projects because buyers will think you are too “expensive.”Make money with ScriptLance:
   
6. Rent-a-Coder.com – Also popular among coders everywhere. This site is known for putting project fees in an escrow account. The money wouldn’t be released until after the project is finished. This gives assurance to programmers that they will be paid for sure, however, if the project is big and the timeline is a duration of weeks or months, you won’t get the money right away, unlike in other sites where the payment can be given in milestones or increments.Outsourcing with Rent-A-Coder:
   
7. Project Spring – A great place where web masters and programmers meet. Web masters need programmers who can code their project, while programmers live and breathe to code beautiful programs. So, it seems to be a match made in geek heaven. Posting projects and bidding on them is free. You can also have a “Service Store” where your previous works are displayed.
8. OnForce – This site is different in the sense that it offers services for computer repair. So if you have the skills to repair the computer, then this might be the site for you. Buyers are looking for providers who know cable and infrastructure, system upgrades, warranty services, hardware fixes and more.Using OnForce:
   
9. WritingBids.com – A site focused solely on freelance providers who are writers, editors, proofreaders and researchers. Buyers post different writing jobs from resume writing to ghost writing to writing for a grant, PR, web content and blogging.
10. DesignQuote.net – If you are a graphic designer then you might enjoy this site. Buyers are invited to post their projects and get free quotes from designers. Common projects are usually logo design, web design and graphic design. If you are a provider you can browse projects, find something you think you might like, then submit your bid. If the buyer chooses you then you get to proceed with the project.

Finally: some tips to help you out as you plan to embark on a career of freelancing:

How to Bid for Jobs Online

How to Set Up and Use PayPal to Get Paid for Freelance Jobs

Time Management Tips for Freelancers

We hope you find all of these useful. And when you have finally established yourself as a great designer, writer or programmer, do try to market yourself online so you can get more jobs in future!

Whether you’re living on your own, got a room at the dorm, or are still back home, the problem of money is a big one, especially while you’re in college. You need money in order to buy the things you need, you also need money in order to enjoy college life as a whole and have fun.

Which is why we have continually encouraged our readers to start earning money on their own either by getting part-time jobs or starting your own businesses. And at college, one of the many ideal business models is a cleaning business, because you already have an immediate clientele: college students who don’t want to take up the chore of cleaning their own space because they are too busy doing other things. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or so they say, and we think it’s a great idea to do this.

So how to start a cleaning business when you’re in college? First, you need to decide what kind of cleaning do you want to do or are comfortable with. Some variations of a cleaning business are the following:

• Window cleaning. Your job is to keep windows clean. It might sound simple at first – but it actually involves an element of risk because of the surface (glass) and its placement (those who live several stories high). The surface area that needs cleaning also varies – some windows are made from floor to ceiling, while others are so tiny, you wonder how you’ll be able to clean it. The good new is, window cleaning is a tedious job that not a lot of people are keen on doing, and it pays well enough (an average of $300-500 a day if you’re a professional). Remember that you might not just need cleaning supplies but probably a ladder, tools that enable a far reach, etc. You might not actually score college students but landlords, building administrators and property owners.
• Household cleaning. This is the regular overhaul of cleaning. This includes sweeping, dusting, wiping the furniture and glass surfaces, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming. If you go into this business, make sure that you interview first the homeowner and get to know them in terms of how they clean their house and if they have any rules to go by. Cleaning is a relative term to many people, so make sure that you ask them what specifically do they want cleaned. Do they expect you to take out the trash? Do they also need you to do the dishes? Clean the pet cages? Water the plants? Restock their own cleaning supplies and hygiene products (i.e. toilet paper, dishwashing liquid)?
• Outdoor cleaning. This may involve shoveling snow, raking leaves, hosing and washing down the driveway, cleaning the gutters, cleaning the roofs and pipes, etc.
• Laundry services. This may involve cleaning and washing of clothes, putting them in the dryer, having them pressed or dry-cleaned, etc. This is more complicated than other cleaning businesses because you need to invest on industrial washing machines and laundry cleaning products.

Some tips:

• Give an estimate before accepting a job. You need to assess how the room or house looks, and how dirty it is, and figure out how long it will take you to clean them. Never underestimate for fear of charging too high – it’s better to be able to give a discount later rather than charge an additional fee because you extended your hours.
• Write up an agreement or contract before proceeding. It may sound like a simple task or chore, but there are a lot of security risks involved. You need to protect yourself against unwanted accusations like jewelry gone missing, or a stereo component that kibitzed because it was inserted in the wrong electrical socket, or allergic reactions to the cleaning materials you used -  a home is different for everyone so make sure that you will not be held liable for any damage.
• Clarify a cleaning schedule. Some clients would just want you to clean on a one-time basis, while others would request that you clean several times a week. Also make sure that they give you access by having a duplicate key or having someone to let you in whenever you go there to clean.
• Create cleaning packages. The better way to handle the pricing for your business is to have packages. You can modify them as you wish but it’s better to have a base where you can set the prices. For example, people who hire you to clean dorm rooms can afford considerably less than those who own a house.
• Before accepting a job, hand out a survey asking the people who live there if they have any allergies, if they prefer that you don’t enter certain rooms or don’t touch certain things, etc.
• Buy only the best cleaning products and those that are trusted brands in the market. List everything that you use and put them in a brochure, so you can show it to potential clients.
• Wear protective clothing like aprons, gloves, hair nets, and even face masks, if need be.
• Advertise, advertise, advertise. Make sure that you have a business card and a website. Find free ways to drive traffic to your site to minimize your expenses. Do word-of-mouth marketing.

I stand by my fierce belief that young entrepreneurs can change the world. We have so much to offer and the world has the resources for our taking. Merging innovation and creativity with the advanced technology of the 21st century can only lead to something amazing. I found this article that I would like to share with you – the ideas are fresh and awe-inspiring, and sometimes, very simple, too, you can’t help but say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” These young entrepreneurs have the tenacity to bring something new to our world, to be observants of everyday life and find something unique in the very common and banal. Read more about their cool inventions and products of imagination:

How would you like to crack open a lobster claw harvested from your own personal trap? With John and Brendan Ready’s Catch a Piece of Maine, customers can order the ingredients of a night’s lobster feast for $250, or rent their own traps for an entire season. A season’s rental includes a private lobsterman who fishes your trap and keeps you updated on its catches. For every lobster caught, customers earn a credit in their online lobster accounts, which are redeemable for the real thing. Included in the nearly $3,000 price tag is the opportunity to come abroad the ship for a day and watch your lobsterman in action.

Behold the fleet at the Gotham Dream Cars garage — including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis. Rides like the Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG and the Porsche 911 GT3 can be yours for less than $900 a day, while the Saleen S7, a street-legal race car, will cost about $4,000.

The Hundreds has become one of the most sought-after skateboard and lifestyle brands around — available online, at its Los Angeles and San Francisco storefronts, and in 450 other stores around the world. The company also carries a complete line of denim, sweaters, and caps. But despite the growing popularity, some of the products are highly limited, so once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

In less than a year, Meraki’s WiFi routers have spread free Internet access from Cambridge, Mass. — where co-founders John Bicket and Sanjit Biswas developed the technology as a graduate project at MIT — to neighborhoods in San Francisco and entire villages in India. In all, the company has helped create networks in more than 100 countries around the world. Bicket and Biswas describe Meraki as a company “whose mission is to bring affordable Internet access to the next billion people worldwide.”

Calling herself a lingerie connoisseur and her inventory a collection, Claire Chambers has “decorated” Journelle with high-end brands by designers from all over the world, featuring simple cottons tops and exquisite lace bottoms from Araks, Elle MacPherson, Huit, Julianne, Simone Perele, and Mimi Holliday.

Whether you need to move a busted refrigerator or empty an entire attic, these guys are up for the job. Just some of the rare finds they’ve come across in four years of cleaning out garages and basements include baseballs autographed by Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, a Civil War-era rifle, and a collection of vintage Playboy magazines.

Not sure if you’ve sobered up enough to get behind the wheel? This breathalyzer manufactured by KHN Solutions and designed to fit into your pocket, will reveal your blood alcohol content instantly without having to blow into a mouthpiece. The product sells to hospitals, businesses, and law enforcement units, but founder and CEO Keith Nothacker says the breathalyzer is most popular with consumers and should be as commonplace as carrying around a cell phone. The units are sold online and have appeared on episodes of CSI: Miami and the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters.

The brainchild of Aaron Patzer, Mint.com is a free, Web-based financial management tool designed to give users a clear analysis of their spending habits without having to waste hours on tedious data entry. Users simply enter any bank, credit card, and investment accounts and Mint.com automatically pulls transactional information from more than 7,000 financial institutions to reveal an individual’s personal financial status. Users can view categorical breakdowns of where their money is spent and set specific budgets. Patzer, who got the idea after many wasted hours using traditional financial management software, wanted the product to be as user-friendly as possible. Thanks to its auto-update function, users never have to re-enter any data.

Phreesia’s wireless touchscreen tablet has taken the place of clipboards in thousands of doctors’ office waiting rooms across the country. The PhreesiaPad allows patients to electronically fill out their information and sign privacy forms, providing staff with fully legible information and saving them the time of manual data entry. Doctors can customize the questions that their patients answer on the PhreesiaPad and choose the kind of targeted health content that is seen. Since the pad helps doctors electronically organize patient files, the information can also be easily accessed from outside the office.

Featuring six bottles of wine — one from each continent — this diverse gift pack is one of Bottlenotes’ most popular. Appropriate for the wine novices and enthusiasts alike, this selection is a perfect way to sample bottles from some of the best wine-producing regions in the world. Billed as the Match.com of the wine industry, Bottlenotes makes specific wine recommendations to members based on preferences submitted in their personal taste profile. Members then have the option to sign up for any of the Bottlenotes’ various wine clubs where shipments are also customized based on personal taste. The site allows members to keep track of wines they’ve tried and exchange reviews with other members of the Bottlenotes wine community.

[To read more ideas, check out the source here.]

I hope this has inspired you to come up with something new yourself, or just go out there and know that you have the power to be just as successful, if you put your mind to it.

If you are a photographer, or are interested in photography, and have a decent camera to take pictures with, then you might consider selling your work as a way to earn some extra money. With the accessibility of the internet and social media, it’s much easier now to find avenues where you can make profit off something that you are good at.

There are several ways on how you can make money selling photographs:

1. Offering your services to other businesses. There are a lot of businesses out there who are in need of a photographer but don’t know where to find one. Your skill can be greatly appreciated by store owners who need to have photos of their products so they can sell them better.
   • eBay – Try scouting around eBay for sellers or stores that are quite successful but whose photos of products need a bit of work. You can contact them directly and introduce yourself, then offer to take photos of their products for free.
   • Craigslist – You can post an ad selling your services. A great of getting potential clients is to find a niche, like concentrate on offering photography for those who are selling their used cars, or houses, etc.
2. Market yourself online. There are many ways of connecting with a lot of people online. Create an effective online presence so that people will get to know you and what you have to offer.
3. Sell stock photography. Take photos of objects, portraits of people, situations in different subjects, or even come up with a theme and photograph objects related to that. For example, birthday theme: you would have to take individual photos of a cake, candles, balloons, paper hats, etc. Then you can sell these individually to stock photography websites. There are a lot of websites and company out there who use stock photography in their everyday activities, especially if they need photos for documents, blogs, online articles. Even CNN and popular magazines make use of stock photography. You just have to make sure that you take photos of subjects that are quite common and popular. Here are some places where you can make money selling your photographs:
   • iStockphoto – You would need to sign up for an account first, then submit 3 original samples of your work. After you are accepted as a contributor, then you are now ready to sell your stock. Files are licensed two ways: pay-as-you-go, where you earn your royalty based on the net value of the credits used to download your image, and by subscriptions, where iStockphoto pays you based on how much of the subscriber’s daily limit was used to download your file. The price also depends on what size your image is available in (bigger resolution, bigger pay). You can earn royalty from $0.30-$7.50 per image.
   • Dreamstime – You will need to sign up for an account, upload samples, and wait to be approved. You will start at the first level. The more your photos get downloaded, the higher your level is going to be. Each level increase also amounts to your photo being sold at a higher price. Dreamstime boasts of being the company to award the highest royalty to photographers in the industry, so you might want to check this site out. You can earn at a range of $0.38-$10.63 per image. If you provide more formats for the photo, the royalty for the largest size available will be doubled, and if you provide it in TIFF format they will give you 150%.
   • Shutterstock – You can earn $0.25 per image download of your photo. If you can refer stock buyers, you will get 20% of their subscription price. If you can refer other photographers to submit their work, you can earn $.03 per image download of their photo.
   • 123 Royalty Free – You will earn 50% of the price of the photo downloaded. (For example, an image in ultra high resolution is priced around $3.) If the person who downloaded your image has a standing subscription, you will earn $0.36 per download.
   • Imagekind – Imagekind buys and sells high-end framed artwork. So you can sell not only your photography but your art as well. If you sign up for a free account you get to have 3 galleries where you can showcase your work. You are going to be the one to set the price to how much you want to sell your work, and Imagekind gets 5% framing commission.
   • Bigstock – You earn $0.50-$3.00 per download of your image. If you sign up for their special licensing program you can increase your profits to a range of $2.50-$60 per download.
   • Photostock Plus – You can set your own prices, and you will earn 85% commission on all sales minus a 3.25% processing fee.
   • Can Stock Photo – You get 50% commission for guest & member purchases (price range of photos sold is $2-$10), and $0.25 for subscription sales. Also, if you refer another photographer, you have a chance of earning $5 for every 50 photos he/she sells.
   • Cluster Shot – You decide how much to price your photos. Any sale you make, the money is yours. However, at the end of the month, Cluster Shot will bill you 12% of all your sales.
   • Crestock – You will be paid a commission every time your image is sold, however, they didn’t mention for how much. Once you make 100 sales, you automatically get 30% commission.

If you plan on being a full-time stock photographer, this may be a profitable gig for you. One stock photographer, Yuri Arcus, makes as much as $300/day selling his images alone! Just remember that you not only need good equipment, but talent as well. You need to take good photos and have a great concept for each shot. Browse different websites and see what kind of images sell, and what topics are hot in discussions and need lots of images of.

Good luck!

People are always looking for college student money making ideas and this blog is full of them. One idea that a friend of mine came up with is making money writing resumes for all the people she knows that are graduating from college and entering the job market. This is how she spent her summer basically milking this money making idea.

Having a professional resume or CV is critical for today’s job hunters.  With the struggling economy and high unemployment rates there is more competition for jobs than ever before.  A professionally written resume increases the chances of getting an interview.  Recruiters say hiring is based 70% on presentation and 30% on education/skills of applicant.  Summer is a good time for college students to make money doing this because of all the people that graduate around the summer months.

Remember presentation – 70% of landing the job; strut your stuff!  So here’s how you can make the most of this college student money making idea writing killer resumes for other college students and others. First, if you’re not good at writing a good resume, well, this is the time when you could learn.  Also, there are all kinds of  resume generators that you can use to just crank out amazing resumes. You should also learn how to write amazing cover letters to go along with the resumes that you’ll be writing for people. And at the very least, you can use a cover letter generator for this too, like my friend did.

To get your business going, you should make several sample resumes and laminate them letting clients see what they are paying for and allow them to choose different layouts and fonts.  Check out this site http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101043371033.aspx for basic and occupation specific resume/CV templates.  Offer a choice of resume paper.  Papers come in a variety of textures such as linen, parchment, and bamboo; colors are equally as important traditional choices include white, ivory, grey, and blue-grey.

How much can you earn generating resumes will vary on your location, do a little research for specific costs in your area.  Here are some ideas to get you going.  A $50 package includes a basic resume printed and delivered in plastic cover with a cover letter; all items saved to a CD so owner can update as needed.  A $75 package contains an occupation-specific resume printed and delivered in a plastic cover, a cover letter, a thank you letter, a reference list, and all items saved to CD.  The $100 package is the previous package plus a one page executive summary/biography.  An additional service you may choose to offer for an additional fee or incorporate into your package prices is to post the resume to online job sites for the client, a few examples www.monster.com, www.careerbuilder.com, and www.headhunters.com.

You will want to promote your business; the most common ways of doing so would be using fliers or brochures, business cards, and word of mouth advertising.  You can print out the fliers and business cards from your PC –the necessary stationary is available at office supply stores.  Invest in advertising by having fliers and cards printed for you; people give professional materials more consideration.

Hang fliers at the student union, bulletin boards around campus, and place on windshields of parked cars; post your flier on bulletin boards at local businesses in the community which you live.  Try running ads in the local or college newspaper, use free online classifieds like www.classifieds.myspace.com, www.webclassifieds.us, and www.craigslist.org to increase your target market.  If you want to globally expand your service area, there are online freelance services you can join (some charge a fee) to scout out resume writing opportunities.  Some of the freelance communities I am familiar with are http://jobs.freelanceswitch.com, www.guru.com, and www.getafreelancer.com.

To further attract clients, offer student discounts.  Referral plans are a great resource as well; you pay people a small token, say $5, for each referral that turns into a paying customer.  There are lots of college student money making ideas that you can come up with and this is just one of them. All you need to do is get your creative juices flowing and I ‘m sure you can come up with some ideas of your own.