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One Minute Odd Job Tip

The guy that sticks with it is the one who succeeds. The sticking-with-something is often the hardest part of any success story. The reality of any venture is that getting the idea and dreaming about it coming to success is very exciting and fun, but then the day-to-day tasks of making it happen become a reality — but there are always tasks involved that are not something we enjoy. In this issue, let’s explore some practical ways to keep going until we have some success. . .

>>> NEXT WEEK: Start something new, something really really new!

Strictly Business:

Over the years I’ve had dozens of business ideas. Some I’ve pursued to success, while some never made it past a random thought. And a bunch of ideas were attempted with varying degrees of success or failure.

That’s the nature of being an entrepreneur. Basically, if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. You won’t necessarily fail, but you’ll also never succeed.

It takes some guts to step out and try something new. Some people don’t have the where-with-all to do that, either because of fear, pride, laziness or whatever — they’re just afraid to take the risk.

So, who really is the risktaker? Is it the person who steps out and risks time, money, community ridicule or embarrassment, or is it the person who just fits into the program and does what is expected of him? Is it the person who goes to the accepted “normal” job?

In farming, there’s the saying that, “you can take the boy off the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy.” I grew up on a farm, and am still today always interested in farming — and especially cows. To me, cows are the best people. Anyway, while I was in my early 20s and contracting floors, I wanted to do something in agriculture, someday… One day I was on a job in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and I met a nice 80-year-old man.

I was talking to him about the farm I grew up on, and he started talking about his childhood on his farm. We really made a connection. What really made an impact on me was that he said that he always wanted to get back there, to the farm. But here I was looking at this 80+ year old man, and we both knew that he was never going back to the farm.

I realized that the time is never “perfect” for doing something. And sometimes you just have to do it!

Shortly after that we started our natural beef business and raised Highland cattle, yes, those cute fluffy cows. We have many fond memories of those years and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

But really, how can you keep going, when your new idea hasn’t started bringing in the money to continue? Some of it is pure determination and willpower, but that can’t be all of it — because that’s exhausting. At some point you’ll probably be strongly tempted to give up.

My observation is that keeping going is a measure of balance. Also surrounding yourself with people who have the same vision of success and are supportive.

If you have those things, make sure that you enjoy your successes!

When I sold floorcovering in California, I gave out Ethel M Chocolates as gifts to my clients when they signed. I also gave a box to myself as a reward. I was single at the time, and I would show up at different friends’ homes, friends who were supportive of what I was doing, and share that box of candy with them.

This celebration of success — even small successes! — helped me to get through the less-than-pleasant aspects of the business.

As for balance, “there is a time to work and a time to rest.” When we had our bio-hazard remediation business, at one point, it literally took over our home. There was no way to get away from work. In a sense we no longer had a home — our place of security and tranquility.

One Friday night, to get away from everything we decided to go to a neighboring town for pizza. On the way we drove through this other little town and I saw an abandoned building with a For Sale sign on it. The For Sale sign was from the county. Strange, yes, but it made me curious.

I did know a little history of the building. It had been a gas station whose fuel tanks had leaked and poisoned the water in the community. A very bad situation.

So on Monday morning, I went in to the county offices and talked to someone at the courthouse about the property. It was a very favorable situation in many ways. One was that the county would finance the property over 5 years with VERY favorable terms.

But there was that environmental hazard situation that I wanted no part of.

I told them I would buy the building if they would release me of any liability for the environmental damage. They produced a document to do that and I wrote a check for about $500 and immediately owned the property.

It worked out great! It was about 2 miles from our home, so it was far enough away that it took a little effort to “go to work”, but close enough that it was convenient. And we had our home back.

Another thing that I’ve found that keeps us going through the tough times of growing a business is taking to heart the service that we’re providing to our fellow man.

Money is only motivating to a point, but making a difference in peoples’ lives will do more to motivate.

Walter Williams used to say that if you make good money, “You’re being paid for serving your fellow man well.” There’s a great deal of peace-of-mind and satisfaction in doing that — more motivation than money can ever give.

If you have an idea and want to pursue it, think seriously about what you want out of your life. Decide if you’re willing to make the sacrifices to make your life what you want it to be.

Decide for yourself what the greater risk is, pursuing something new or just going with the flow.

Some Odd Jobs You May Never Have Considered:

Number 1 — Road Kill Clean-Up — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

This would be an on-call, 24/7 type of job. What it involves is that if someone sees some roadkill and they report it to the police (or other government entity), then the police would call you. Then you go pick it up and dispose of it.

In order to do this, you're probably going to need a strong stomach and the ability to work independently. An understanding of the local wildlife might be helpful too.

It seems to me that a truck would be useful, and depending on what wildlife is in your area, maybe even a winch on your truck. Where we lived in northern Minnesota, it was not unusual for bears to be hit on the road. Bears can be quite heavy! Even a big buck deer isn’t something that you can probably pick up and throw into a truck.

You, of course, will need to do your due diligence on potential licensing and permitting that may be required. Law enforcement may be helpful with that. (Stop in at your local police station and pick their brains!) You would also need to look into what kind of liability insurance might be needed.

Number 2 — Mink Farm — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

This one may dovetail into number 1 for this week. I’ll explain later if you haven’t made the connection.

I don’t know a lot about this one, but many years ago I did do some research on farming mink myself. One requirement is that you do need to live in a cold climate in order for the pelts to be good, thick fur.

It does take some infrastructure. In other words, you’d need to build the mink pens and have facilities for feeding them. As I remember the research that I did, the mink farmer actually ground up fresh meat to feed the mink. This is the dovetail — depending on what law enforcement would require you to do with the roadkill that you picked up, it could be a feed source for the mink farm.

Number 3 — Graffiti Clean-Up — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

This one may also be complimentary to number 1 for this week, since your source of work might be from law enforcement or at least the municipality. You could also be hired by private businesses to remove graffiti that may have been sprayed on their buildings.

I would also look into whether this may be covered by property insurance. If it is, then you’d have a better chance of landing paying gigs.

What this involves is professionally cleaning and restoring public places by removing unauthorized graffiti using specialized techniques and products. We’ve seen, according to some Youtube videos, that there may be the potential of charging upwards of $500 to remove graffiti that takes about 45 minutes or an hour of work. As always YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Do your own research and charge what’s realistic, but don’t sell yourself short. More on that later.

Number 4 — Lawn Care — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

This one is pretty self-explanatory. You’re going to be mowing lawns and weed-whacking. Believe it or not, there are lawn care businesses out there that make 10s of millions of dollars a year, and a lot of them started off as tiny operations, with just a few lawns around the neighborhood.

Most lawn care services out there charge about $1 per minute or $60 per hour, depending on the area and type of neighborhood.

Obviously, you're going to need some basic lawn care tools. You can either rent or buy these for a few hundred dollars. And yes, it's a pretty solid market. Definitely this is a great way to make some extra money on the side, or develop into a full-time gig.

Don’t just dismiss this one. When I was growing up there was a kid I went to school with who came from a somewhat troubled family. He didn’t let that affect him, though. When he was about 12, he took the family’s push-mower out and found lawns to mow.

Now, this was in a town with a population of about 500, so how many lawns were there in town? Maybe 150, give or take. Well, after a years of hustling this little venture, he bought himself a new push-mower, a riding mower and a little trailer that he pulled around behind his riding mower. He had a great little business.

When he turned 16 years old, he had $16,000 in the bank and was pondering whether or not to buy a brand new black Trans-Am, cash.

A humble lawn business can be a great way to make some decent money with a little effort.

This Week’s Quotes:

"They can't collect legal taxes from illegal money." 

— Al Capone

"Don't be humble. You're not that great."

— Golda Meir

A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.

— Doug Larson

Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than by money.

— Robert Jackson

Estimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day, expressed in M&Ms: 250

— Harper's Index

A Book for Success — I’ve just started reading 10x is Easier than 2x by Dan Sullivan. The idea of the book is that it’s easier to make ten times the improvement than just double it.

Like I said, I’m only a little ways into the book, but the opening is very interesting. The author goes into detail about how Michelangelo researched anatomy for his art, particularly his sculptures. Michelangelo did not do “just enough” to be a little better than other artists, but he went to what many would call “extreme” measures to make his sculptures exceptional. Obviously, his “extreme” research paid off for him!

The current gig I’m on takes a great deal of my time and energy so I will be slow reading this book, but will keep you updated.

Humor — Snarfy Puns:”

• I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

• Police were called to a daycare, where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

• Did you hear about the guy whose left side was cut off? He’s all right now.

• The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.

• To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

• When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

• A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

• A thief fell in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

• Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.

• We'll never run out of math teachers, because they always multiply.

• When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A.

• The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.

• The geologist discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.

• The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

• If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.

• A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

• A backward poet writes inverse.

• With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

• When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.

• A calendar's days are numbered.

• A boiled egg is hard to beat.

• He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

• A plateau is a high form of flattery.

Some Random Final Thoughts—

I just wanted to talk a little bit about how to charge for services. Often, at least with me, I won’t charge enough for my expertise and time. This then becomes a problem in keeping a business’ doors open.

Some hidden costs that are forgotten when bidding or charging would be things like taxes, income tax, of course, but also self-employment taxes. You want to take these into account because self-employment taxes can be a real killer if you don’t include them. (Self-employment taxes are the self-employed person’s share of Social Security and Medicare.)l

Also, vehicle and equipment maintenance and depreciation. You really want to take into account everything, both direct and indirect, that may be involved in keeping your business going.

While I don’t think it’s a good idea to base prices on your competition, it may be good to at least check your competitor and see if you’re even close. If your prices are way low compared to another company in your business, that could be an indicator that you’re missing some hidden expenses.

Also, if you’re prospecting for business, just having lower prices won’t necessarily help you. If your prices are significantly lower, this may even hurt your chances of landing a job since your prospect may actually think you’re not doing quality work.

In short, if you don’t value yourself and your service, why would a potential paying customer?

¹ CashFlow Quadrant references the book, Cashflow Quadrants by Robert Kiyosaki. In a nutshell, there are four sources of income — “E” Employee, “S” Self-Employed, “B” Business and “I” Investor. We reference these quadrants at the beginning of each of the jobs we talk about in Odd Job Tips Newsletter. To see more about this concept, refer to this issue of this newsletter.

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