I love taking photographs; I have been taking photos since my days in college. Photography is defined as the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures. The good thing about photography, everyone can take a picture even if you have not used a camera before.
I think all of us have taken a photo before. The world of photography has changed since the instant camera was developed. With a digital camera, you can take a not so good shot and perfect it using a variety of software tools. Best of all, pictures can be printed on quality paper on your printer or at a store kiosk for just a few cents per picture.
Technology has created memory cards much like the flash drive storage medium to file and save pictures for sharing on the Internet. You can easily upload pictures from the memory card to your friends, family and a blog or website if you have one.
Today I will be sharing with you how you can use photography to make some extra cash. In this article I will show you how as a newbie or novice photographer you can start making some cool cash, with your digital camera or mobile phone camera.
How you can Earn Money with Digital Photographs
Stock photography is one of the best ways to break into the online digital photography market. You can sell your photos to others who need pictures for websites, newsletters, magazines and e-zines and other media. Have you browsed through the Web lately? Many of the photos look the same. Your photos can add a new flavor to what is currently being offered. There is never any harm in seeing how your images will be perceived.
First, understand how the stock photography business works. On these sites, customers can purchase pictures or lease them for a certain amount of time. On some sites, photos are free to use when signing an agreement of use and including a link back to the site.
As a photographer, you will make more money if your photos are leased as opposed to being sold. The one time sale may net you some cash but the lease will provide a continuous source of income. Many people can pay to lease the photograph at one time. Through the leasing process, your work will be viewed by a large audience.
Start by researching current stock photography sites. Find one that offers the leasing option to customers and also has an easy-to-navigate site. Begin here and test the waters with your work. Now, all you need to do is produce some quality work. Look at other stock photographs. What do they have in common? Are the pictures clear? Can you make out all of the features of the photo? At the least, your photographs need to be clear with the subjects in the foreground.
Another consideration is the type of digital photos you are trying to sell. More of the same that already exists won’t be received well. The stock photography companies are out to make money too. Don’t be afraid to try some new ideas for holiday photos or for everyday photos. They will let you know what does and does not sell.
In the meantime, create a website or blog with links to the stock photography sites featuring your work. This will send more people to view your photographs and may lead to other opportunities in the future.Some popular stock photo sites are as follows:
To your success!!!!
As human beings, we all have dreams; we have ambitions, we aspire to be successful in all spheres of life. These are natural human feelings. However, most of our dreams and aspirations are unrealized as we do not act upon them. May be you have tried once to pursue your dream and experienced some form of setback and you gladly accepted failure as inevitable. This is not the way to go. Remember what the mind conceives, it will surely come to pass. Remove the word ‘impossible’ from your vocabulary, as nothing is impossible to achieve under the sun.
Mark Twain said ‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started’. Procrastination is a thief of time. It is human nature to procrastinate, but it is a terrible thing to have a dream and not do anything about it. Many people have excellent ideas, but fail to take action. Theodore Roosevelt said ‘It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.’
Many people are languishing in their current status because of fear to follow their dreams. It is human nature to be afraid of the unknown, especially when it affects your comfort zone. It takes great courage and effort to start any type of business. Great entrepreneurs and innovators recorded in the annals of history had great dreams and worked on their dreams to achieve success which is evident today. If they had not worked hard to realize these dreams and aspirations the world would have never seen any of these inventions and innovations.
There is story I always recite every time I talk about following and accomplishing our dreams. A close ally of mine from my days in high school Douglas, was a gifted artist, Douglas could draw anything imaginable. In school he scoped all accolades for his drawing skills. After school he went on to enroll at an art school in Harare where he graduated with distinctions.
I recall talking to Douglas soon after he had won a scholarship to do his masters in the US. Then he was working as a part time lecturer at a private college Harare. He said to me, ‘you know I have been thinking of establishing a school of Art for the past three years…..I interrupted and asked him why he had not started the college? Without mincing his words he said ‘ you see, this venture is BIG, I need so much money to start this school. Where on earth am I going to get the money I need as a start up? You know banks are very difficult to approach’. He went on and on, telling me how impossible it was for him to realize his dream.
I asked him another question, ‘but Douglas, have you ever tried approaching a bank or individual people to come in as Joint Venture partners? He gave me an emphatic no, and justified why he had not thought about this route of funding. As Douglas narrated his story, every time he mentioned an obstacle his voice radiated in agreement. My friend had already succumbed to failure before he had even tried.
Douglas’s problem is similar to millions of people who have brilliant ideas but have been sitting on their laurels without taking any action to actualize their dreams. Just imagine if Larry and Sergey of Google had not taken action to actualize their dream, what could have happened to Google?. The world would have been deprived of a search engine that has redefined and brought great innovation and empowerment to millions of people worldwide.
Over the years I have read broadly about success principles that are followed by men and women who are living their dreams. Below I have profiled some of these principles which you can effortlessly follow and move towards realizing your cherished dream.
Take Action
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You need to take action and start working on your dream. Start small and grow gradually. Remember you don’t need money to start actualizing your dream. What you need is drive and passion to follow your dream. Don’t let fear and ill advice distract your thought process. Keep your eye on the ball. Michael Friedsam said ‘Concentrate on finding your goal, then concentrate on reaching it.”
Fear is an enemy of progress
Fear is defined as being afraid of the unknown. If it’s raising capital that has been impeding on your success there are several ways to raise money apart from borrowing from a bank. Honestly I don’t know why people waste their time approaching banks for funding when they know they don’t have collateral to cede against their loan. As a start up banks are not the right place to look for capital. You can raise capital through your personal savings, contributions from friends, parents and Joint Venture partners.
Live and cherish your vision everyday
In order to remain focused, you need to visualize everyday what your venture would be like once it is set up. Every day you need to set aside time to reflect on the dream to keep it alive in your heart. When Sam Walton the founder of the biggest retail chain in the world, started Wal-Mart, he had a vision of building the biggest grocery chain in the United States. But when he started, he started with a small grocery store. Although he started small, he never at once lost sight on his goal of ‘ building the biggest grocery chain in America’. Today Wal-Mart is the biggest Supermarket chain in the world employing millions of people worldwide.
Proper planning and conscious effort can take you far in realizing your dreams. Dennis Green said, ‘The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.
Wishing you success in all your endearvors!!!!
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is probably one of the most influential books ever written on entrepreneurship. One thing I liked about this book is the author’s ability to clearly show readers how to evolve from being an ordinary thinker to being a master thinker. I have read this book more than ten times since I came across it. Every time I read it my mind is refreshed and energized.
If you study all wealthy people you know of, there are some stark similarities in their behavior which makes them a unique group of people. In my pursuit to become a successful entrepreneur, I study and follow a couple of wealthy entrepreneurs who are my role models. As a passionate real estate investor, I have been following the unprecedented rise of Donald Trump founder of the Trump Organization in the US. Donald’s story is a remarkable; it’s pretty similar to that of Steve Job the Apple CEO. Donald’s fortunes plummeted to zero when the real estate market experienced a downturn. He was publicly declared bankrupt in the 90s.
Despite this set back Donald did not sit back and mourn over his predicaments. He worked hard to resurrect from the depths of oblivion. By late 90s, Donald’s financial fortunes improved greatly due to his business acumen, focus and diligence.
The Trump Organization operates a property portfolio worth billions of dollars worldwide. Donald Trump’s empire is synonymous with exquisite and signature properties across the US, Europe and Asia. Donald is a shrewd businessman and excellent negotiator, who has managed to seal very attractive deals. I have read many books authored by this gentleman. I am looking forward to reading his latest book ‘The America we deserve’.
I will share with you some lessons I have learnt from studying this remarkable gentleman, which I hope will be very useful for you irrespective of the nature of your business. The law of entrepreneurship cuts across all spectrums.
Always define your business’s core values
Donald has mastered the art of defining the core values of his brand and leveraging his brand equity to appeal to a wide customer base. This has made his brand connect with his target customers.
Model a brand around your lifestyle
Donald has been so successful in large part because he has managed to build a lifestyle brand around the luxurious and successful life that he lives and most people aspire to. He works hard to cultivate the image, and he uses it to expand into new business lines and find new areas to venture into. From his real estate developments to his casinos and books, his new ventures are selected to dovetail with his core image.
Have a distinct line of business
The Trump name is synonymous with exquisite real estate developments. Donald Trump has done an excellent job promoting the idea that he owns properties around the world.
Form strategic partnerships
Most of the buildings bearing the Trump brand overseas are not wholly owned by Donald Trump. After going experiencing bankruptcy and the ups and downs of the real estate market, Donald learned to spread his risk by forming strategic alliances with other investors. He puts his name and his image to work while keeping his costs and exposure low. For example properties like Trump World, in Seoul, have licensed his name but aren’t owned by him. He gets a fee for lending out his name, makes sure there’s quality control and gets great marketing out of having another big Trump-branded property in the marketplace.
Persistence
The real estate market is a volatile market, which is very unpredictable. Donald showed great persistence in his pursuit to excellence. Having lost everything, he managed a dramatic comeback. Donald has credited his success to patience and persistence over long periods of time to wait out market fluctuations. Persistence is very important a virtue for success in every endeavor.
Negotiation
Donald Trump is regarded as one of the best negotiators alive. He is known for his shrewd negotiating skills which have seen him landing juicy deals in the corporate world. Donald advises businessmen to always do it face-to-face. In this era of telephones, teleconference, and video conference, Donald suggests that if it’s an important negotiation, you should do it face-to-face, so that you can read the other person’s body language.
Middle men
Donald is not a fan of middle men who do not add value and who extract outsized returns. In one of his books, Donald tells the story of how he “goes around” a broker on a billion dollar deal where he was losing a negotiation and flew to Dubai to deal directly with the principal and struck a great deal.
In most cases businesses lose a lot of money to these middlemen, who do not add value to the business. I agree with Donald in by-passing the middleman and going it alone.
So here you go, I hope you learnt one or two things from the ‘Don’s business style. If you have not read any of Donald trump’s books click here: Amazon books
To your Success!!
Have you wondered at what makes one man achieve desires of his heart, accomplishing, earning, increasing his wealth and his happiness, while another man never gets started? What is it that gives one man personal power, but leaves another powerless and ineffective? What makes one man stand out to defy all odds and see his way through any problem, find his path over stormy waters of life to the fulfillment of his dearest dreams, while another man struggles and fails dismally?
The difference between these men is the way they view their failures. It is important to note that when defeat comes, you have to accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound; it means you have to re-strategize, and start your journey towards your coveted goal. If you give up before your goal has been reached, you are a ‘quitter.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson said ‘Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail’. Always think about the bigger picture every time you stumble on obstacles. When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place. This will surely catapult you to greater heights and give you the impetus you so deserve to reach your goal.
Motivation is key to any entrepreneurial dream. I think you have heard about Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple Inc. Apple incorporated is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company’s best-known hardware products include the Macintosh computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Steve’s life story is a great inspiration. It’s a story that shows that if you belive in yourself no matter how many times you fall you will surely rise. You can watch his story here: steve jobs.
Rudy Ruettiger said ”Never Quit. “Don’t ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn’t quitting. If you quit you’ll regret it forever.”
To your eternal success
There are millions of articles written about the best advice that can be given to a budding entrepreneur. However, in order to give the best advice, I think it is important to first understand what defines an entrepreneur. My definition of an entrepreneur is someone who habitually creates and innovates to build something of recognized value around identified opportunities.
Peter F. Drucker summed it up when he said, ‘most of what you hear about entrepreneurship is all wrong. It’s not magic; it’s not mysterious; and it has nothing to do with genes. It’s a discipline and, like any discipline, it can be learned.” I totally concur with Peter Drucker; anybody can be an entrepreneur if you have the passion of serving mankind. Entrepreneurship is a discipline which can be learnt if you have the desire to excel. Below are some anecdotes that can guide you to realize your dreams:
Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Follow your dreams, take that first step towards your success. To your success!!!
I want to share with you an inspiring and thought provoking story about a man who has fought adversity rising against all odds to achieve great things in life. This is a story of encouragement, a story of a man who found favor in the eyes of God. This is a story of a man from Australia called Nick Vujicic a man who was born without limbs.This is his life story in his own words. Be inspired.
Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around a friend; no hands to hold the ones you love; no fingers to experience touch; no way to lift or carry things. How much more difficult would life be if you were living without arms and hands? Or what about legs? Imagine if instead of no arms, you had no legs. No ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand. Now put both of those scenarios together… no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life?
Meet Nick Vujicic, pronounced ‘Vooy-cheech’. Born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia, without any medical explanation or warning, Nicholas Vujicic came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Imagine the shock his parents felt when they saw their first-born brand new baby boy for the first time, only to find he was what the world would consider imperfect and abnormal. A limbless son was not what nurse Dushka Vujicic, and her husband Pastor Boris Vujicic had been expecting. How would their son live a normal happy life? What could he ever do or become when living with such a massive disability? Little did they or anyone else know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. God uses Nick to touch lives and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to people across the globe.
Throughout his childhood, Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and adolescence such as bullying and self-esteem issues; but also struggled with depression and loneliness. He constantly questioned why he was different than all the other kids surrounding him; why he was the one born without arms and legs. He wondered what the purpose behind his life was, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as the strength and passion he has for life can be credited to his faith in God. His family, friends and the many people he has encountered along the way have also encouraged him.
After school, Nick went on with further study and obtained a double Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning from Griffith University in Logan, Australia. By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfill his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope. “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.” Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we each encounter in our lives, and that our attitude towards those struggles, along with our faith and trust in the Lord can be the keys to overcoming the challenges we face.
Now at 27 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the President of an international non-profit organization; Life without Limbs, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”
The moral of this story is that with God everything is possible. The bible says ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given unto you.’ Brothers and sisters lets live a life of purpose and strive to achieve our goals. Remember, whatever, you set your mind to achieve, you will definitely achieve it.
To your success!!!
Culled from http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-nick
August is a special month, the name originated from a Latin word meaning ‘great or magnificent’. August means Augustus Caesar’s month. Augustus Caesar completed the calendar reform started by Julius Caesar and also named the eighth month after himself. For those of you who read history, Augustus became the first emperor of Rome after Julius was assassinated in 44 BC. Why am I talking about all this, you may be wondering. Yes, today I am starting a series of wealth empowerment articles which will catapult you start something small starting from your home. I will share with you some ideas on how you can easily make some money selling customized jerseys.
As we all know football is the biggest sport in the world today. There are millions of people who watch and support various teams all over the world. Football is a multi-billion business. Looking at the recently concluded world cup in South Africa it is estimated FIFA is likely to pocket profits in excess of $2.5bn (£1.7bn). So you see that football is a gold mine which you too can participate in. Bu the question is how do you have a piece of this pie? The answer lies in the simple truth about entrepreneurship. ‘the has to be a problem for any business idea to suffice. Once there is a problem or need, then be the first to offer a solution.
Here lies the opportunity
As you know every sports team want to have their own visual identity, and wearing jerseys is one of the manifestations of this desire. Do you agree that fans also identify their favorite sports teams through these jerseys? If you said yes, then this is your chance to take advantage of the opportunity. I will guide you in starting a customized jerseys business starting from your home. Sports teams can customize their uniforms according to their own specifications.
Wearing logos and jerseys are a part of their visual identity and they are recognized with these trademarks. Similarly supporters of these teams also crave for close association with their team. Supporters do this by wearing a replica of their team’s jerseys. There are several team jerseys littered on the market, however, it’s not all the jerseys that are made of quality materials. So there is great potential for you to provide customized team jerseys in your locality.
In order to appeal to majority of customers, you need to offer personalized jerseys, which can be printed according to the customer’s preference. For more information on how you can get started on this business feel free to request for our step by step guide which will literally take you by hand through the stormy waters of startup hurdles. The guide covers the following topics:
All the above information is contained in the Guide ‘How to start a personalized jersey business’. contact us through the online feedback form. Wishing you all the best in your endearvours.
Positive thinking is expecting, talking and visualizing with certainty what you want to achieve, as an accomplished fact. I like the saying ‘whatever, the mind conceives, it can surely achieve it..’ Of late i have been engrossed in a huge real estate project which is so dear to me. During initial planning phase, i had a brain storming session with my business partners over some critical funding issues. We were pondering the best funding options available for the project. During the course of this discussion, there were diverse views with regards which financing option was the best and so forth. As the discussion progressed i recall my close ally, out of the blue saying’ but guys, are we going to pull this project through’. Given the magnitude of this project, who is going to give us such an amount of money? We are up coming entrepreneurs, are the finance houses going to give us audience?
I was taken aback by my partner’s sudden change of heart over a matter we had over flogged. From conception we were all motivated by one thing – to pull off the project at any cost. We knew our shortcomings and had discussed these in detail. We had agreed on alternative financing options if the ones we were targeting did not materialize. Now my closest buddy was beginning to develop feet of clay……I looked him direct in the face and said ‘hey man, are you doubting our ability to successfully implement this project?’…he looked sheepishly and said noooo, its not like am doubting anything, i am just thinking like a human being, man this project is no small feat.’ Again he echoed his statement of doubt.
What i deduced from my partner’s feelings on this particular day was lack of focus and belief in oneself. He was seeing unsurmountable obstacles instead of opportunities. Impossibility was what he could see instead of avenues where we could use to get the project off the ground. These feelings are what separates entrepreneurs from wanna bes. If you are to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship, you need to develop and think positively.
Positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts, that create and focus energy into reality. To bring into creation a positive outcome, which you see as a benefit to yourself or others.This thought process is a powerful gift endowed to us by the almighty, which unfortunately many of us do not use for our benefit. Those who have effectively used this feelings are what we call successful people in different spheres of life.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of courage and determination to overcome adversity. Watch out for part two of this article as i will share in detail the traits of successful entrepreneurs.
