Warning: This is a Big Dog Update

So far I've made an easy 47 points in apps alone with Big Dog Rewards, and it just keeps getting better. The next app game I decided to install and try out was, Castle Clash. It is a fairly fun game if you like strategy games, but for those who are not a big fan of game apps, there are also videos you can watch.

I'm thinking a video will be the way I earn points for today. The points for videos are not as much as game apps, but every little bit counts in my opinion.

For those who are following me in the Big Dog Rewards Journey, how are you liking the app? Is it worth using in your opinion?

There's Still a Big Dog in My Cell Phone and Now I'm Starting to Wonder Why

Initially, Big Dog Rewards seemed like a good cell phone application for making a little extra cash. Yet as I write this, I have not seen my points unlock, which is suppose to happen when a user reaches 100. I met my 100 points goal on the very first day I started using this app, and still no points.

Now to be fair, I haven't tried to install any of the apps you can make points from. Maybe that is the reason my points haven't been unlocked?

I will give it one more try and post another review in the next week or so. For those of you who did follow my Big Dog Rewards journey by joining with me, did your points unlock for you? I would love to hear your experience with this phone app.

WARNING: There Might Be a Big Dog in Your Cell Phone

It's a dog eat dog world literally when it cones to the various ways you can make money on the web. Yet technology is a never-ending process that is always changing, and with it cones new ways, new opportunities for work-at-home moms.

Today's online companies have taken advantage of cell phone technology because more and more people rely on them, more often than we really should.

We can practically schedule our entire lives and live on our cell phones. We use them for everything, and I really do mean everything!

So, with this knowledge, companies like Big Dog Rewards are offering mobile users a way to make a little extra money without even having to be at home. It's actually very genius because you can make money anywhere life takes you.

Big Dog Rewards is a cell phone application that allows you to accumulate points, which can then be turned into cash and sent to your PayPal account.

Earning points looks fairly simple and most ways to earn won't cost you anything. I'm actually just getting started with this program, so as I use it more and more, I'll post updates. I've already earned 50 points just for signing up.

There are two ways you can earn points. You can:

Invite others to be a part of Big Dog Rewards

Install applications on your mobile phone

Once you earn enough points you can redeem them for cash. For example:

200 points = $1
450 points = $3
650 points = $5

Now keep in mind, Big Dog Rewards won't make you rich overnight, nor do they claim to. Most of the apps you'll be installing on your phone give you 10 points on average. There are however, plenty of apps to choose from.

Many of the apps are games, so this is a perfect program for teens with pre-paid phones looking for a little spending cash, or gamers who wouldn't mind getting paid for playing free games.

One of the games I saw was the CANDY CRUSH game everyone seems to love, so the games are not ones that are unheard of.

One thing I do want to be straightforward about. I signed up with Big Dog Rewards a few days ago and have yet to see my points for signing up, post to my account. But, I'm thinking maybe it takes them a week to clear everything? We will see.

Still, I am hearing a lot of positive information about them, so I believe it's worth a shot.

If you would like to follow me on this entrepreneur journey, you'll need my invite code.

To get started, go to: http://bit.ly/bigdogrewardsapp and use my invite code: theinsanewriter

Happy People Are Dying

Happy people are a dying breed. I see it around me on a daily basis. No one expects the world to be in a good mood 24/7, but when you're in a bad mood all of the time, something is very wrong.

Sometimes it can be a personal reason for the unhappiness while other times it may be a business related issue. Either way it can affect everyone around you, more so when finances are a concern.

A writing business like mine is especially a concern. I strive to do the best work I can in writing because I don't ever want an unhappy client.

Now that's not saying you must do the impossible because there are limits. For example, I had a client try to request 30, 600 word articles all on the same subject due the very day she demanded them with a pay rate of $2.00 for all of them. I kindly told her I'd have to decline at such a short notice and very little pay. She was not happy at all and told me she would never refer me for work. Well, that was okay because I'm doing fine without it.

Situations like the example above are different, but when you have a customer purchase a defect item or buy something that didnt come with instructions and you refuse to explain how that product works, "It's Easier to Sponsor a Happy Customer - http://t.co/IXWJFOBHkE" rather than have an unhappy one who leaves your business and tells others about their experience.

Remember, happy customers means repeat business.

Home Isn't Always Where the Heart is

I was going to title this post, "Home isn't Always Where the Heart is", but then I realized my heart isn't in the right place. It isn't at home. But that's another post.

Then after writing this post, I realized it does somewhat fit, so I'm keeping the title.

My concern is this. My hometown where I grew up just keeps getting worst. Straight to the point, they're greedy and what do they have to show for it?

Why not take that greed and make the town a better place to live. Promote your farmers market. Promote your library, your downtown businesses.

I know of a business that would do great with just a little rearranging and cleaning. Instead it just looks like a junk store right now. I could even help! Where's the love for your town people? Where's the love?

The Things I've Learned Along the Way

Being a writer doesn't require me to spend a lot of money if any, to gain clients, but at one time I wanted to open up a nightclub which meant big bucks.

Unfortunately I didn't have a major source of cash to spare and then when I was told I qualified for a business loan I was led to disapointment as in I didn't qualify all in one day.

So I took a desperate measure and talked to a friend about becoming a partner in the nightclub business. Big,big mistake.

Before I knew it my partner was trying to call all of the shots,including hiring others of his choice only. It became very frustrating to the point I decided a nightclub just wasn't worth it after all. And the friendship eventually crumbled.

Today I'm my own boss and who knows, maybe some day I'll open a bookstore or smoothie shop on an island somewhere, but for now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can with helpful blog posts like, "Questions to Ask Yourself Before Entering Into a Partnership - http://t.co/aEAfwrqNdb"

But I'm sure there's still a lot more to learn!

The PR Campaign in My Dreams!

Lately I've been making a to-do list on a daily basis. I found that when I do this I'm able to complete my tasks much more efficiently. One of the tasks that I've been meaning to accomplish is creating a PR campaign. I've been doing a lot of research on press release and I found that it seems to be much more effective than traditional marketing. One of the most important things that I discovered about creating a PR campaign is to start locally in my own hometown of Independence, Kansas.

A while back I was talking to one of the ladies who is in charge of our local library and because she had learned that I'm a writer, she offered to promote my novel at the library when I do finally publish it. I believe it's a great start in creating an effective PR campaign.

However, I live in a small town, and I'm sure that there are many other women who've wondered if they can create an effective PR campaign locally when they live in a small community. While in my opinion, the answer is definitely yes! In addition to my local library, we have a bookstore, a hallmark card shop, a coffee shop, and many other small businesses who would be very willing to help promote my novel. So you see it's certainly not impossible to work in a small community when creating an effective PR campaign.

Another great idea is to talk to your local non-profit organizations that are in the same category as what ever product you are trying to promote. For example one of the non-profit organizations in my hometown that I am a part of is an organization called Equality for Southeast Kansas which supports those who have been discriminated against or have been simply outcasted because they are different. And a good example of promoting a product for this type of organization could easily be as simple as a book about self-esteem.

Keep in mind however, that simply promoting a product is not enough. One of the best ways to get people interested in what you are trying to offer or have to say, is to simply tell people you're story. And by telling people your story, I'm talking about how your product came about. But if you don't really have a reason behind your product, you could just offer a simple message behind your product.

I know for me my story is a simple as I've always wanted to be a writer, even at a very early age. I found that writing stories was an escape for me throughout my school years when I was an outcast because of my shyness and my family. In fact, I loved writing so much, that I would write during my other classes when I was actually supposed to be doing my work. I could go on about my love for writing, but I think you get the idea.

So my next goal at least for me and I hope for you as well if you haven't done so already, is to create a press release! I hope you'll join me on this quest to accomplish the next step in creating our dreams and goals!


Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. You can email her at silent_beautie@yahoo.com She can also be found on Twitter @theinsanewriter.



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Customers Are Not Stupid

Businesses really need to understand that customers are not stupid. And arguing them will get you nowhere. Recently, I had an experience with this firsthand at a local fast food restaurant. I had ordered a kid’s meal that automatically came with a drink. One of the kids wanted a different drink that was not included in the meal options. The cashier explains that they would have to charge full price for the different drink. Since it was not a part of the options that was fine with me. However, here’s where I got really irritated.

She said because we ordered the different drink, she would remove the drink that came with the kid’s meal. I asked if that would mean the meal would ring up cheaper. Her response was, no. So I said, then we’ll just keep the drink since it’s a part of the kid’s meal and we would just order the additional drink. She started arguing, saying again, that she would remove the drink that comes with the meal.

I said, there’s no point since were paying for both drinks. The cashier continued to argue and insisted she would remove the drink. I finally said nevermind, we won’t be ordering the additional drink. I could have talked to the manager on-duty however, she was standing right next to the cashier during the entire conversation, so I would assume it would have been pointless.

I’m not really sure why the cashier was so insistent that we couldn’t have both drinks since we would be paying for them both in the first place. I can only guess that her register was short and she was looking for a way to make up for the money or, she thought she could win brownie points with the business if she saved them product inventory, but made them extra money at the same time. I know the owner of the business, if he saw the situation, the cashier would have been in really hot water, as well as the manager, who by the way, was snappy with her employees.

This is not a way to run a business, folks. Customers are not stupid, and even if you know you’re in the right as a business and your customer has made a mistake, you don’t act like they’re stupid. You lose customers that way and you lose money! And if you want happy customers, treat your employees with respect!

Managers may be higher ranking, but that doesn’t give them the right to treat their employees like they are the scum of the earth or children. A good business knows this, does yours?

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. You can email her at silent_beautie@yahoo.com She can also be found on Twitter @theinsanewriter.


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Profiting From Flipping

As odd as it may seem, I actually love remodeling. In fact, I've considered buying homes at cheap prices and flipping them for a profit. But when you have so many great products for the home to choose from like for example, Kohler kitchen sinks, it's hard not to want to spend a lot of money, which of course can create a loss for profit if you're not careful.

So I think the really nice products should be saved for my own home for now. And of course right now, I can't even consider doing anything of that, but who knows... maybe someday!

Out of curiosity, do you have any hobbies that you have considered turning into a business or have already turned into one?

Promoting Myself Unshamelessly

eventually when I can afford to do so, I'd like to be self-employed again with my own business. And of course when I do, I'll need to promote my business if I want to get the word out. Of on the easiest ways to promote any business is with an online printing company.

It's easy because it allows you to print business cards, postcards, brochures or anything you need to help promote your business. So, I'm thinking I could easily promote my writing with something like that and spread the word about The Insane Writer.

And it would be better than writing out my information on the back of a postcard like I did over Halloween.lol

Have You Ever Noticed

Today at work I was actually a little surprised to see a nice carefully packed, package. And when it comes to being in business, believe it or not, packaging is extremely important. When you send a customer a package that has been carefully packaged, it shows that you care about your customer and want the best for him or her.

If you just throw together a package that is a mess, it shows you're just out to make a buck and you don't care about anything else but that.

So, when it comes to packaging presentation, what's your opinion? Do you or don't you?




Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. You can email her at silent_beautie@yahoo.com She can also be found on Twitter @theinsanewriter and you visit her official website at www.theinsanewriter.com.WomenFreebies.com - Enter to Win Royal Secret II Perfume

Run a Business Right and You Won't Regret it

Why is it that some businesses choose to run their business only when they feel like it and only if it suites their needs. A customer is always important because they're who you're going to make your money off of.

I cannot count how many times lately my other half has complained about businesses and their lack of respect for customers and I honestly don't blame him! It's ridiculous when you're interested in a product and the business just doesn't care whether you're served or not.

I wonder if it has something to do with this economy to the point that businesses believe they aren't going to make enough so why bother. Okay if it's true, why bother running your business in the first place?




Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. You can email her at silent_beautie@yahoo.com She can also be found on Twitter @theinsanewriter and you visit her official website at www.theinsanewriter.com.WomenFreebies.com - Enter to Win Royal Secret II Perfume

My Biggest Fear

With the economy the way it is, my biggest fear is that many of the online and even some offline companies who aren't feeling the crunch, will take advantage of the situation and pay out less to their employees just to keep more money in their pockets. Now I'm not saying that all companies will do that, but I'm very sure there are some that will do it.

Remember when the gas prices went on the rise and Bush had to threaten some gas companies who raised their prices more then necessary? I know of one gas company in the town of Coffeyville, Kansas who was threatened by other companies because he refused to take advantage of customers, so they bought their gas from him which in return pissed off the other companies. That was before Bush found out what many of those companies were doing at that time.

So I'm willing to bet many businesses will be taking advantage of the economy's situation and use the opportunity to pay as less as possible to their employees because they know that right now people are willing to work for so much less than what they're really worth. Such a sad, sad world we live in.

Getting People to Listen to Your Business Ideas

I was recently introduced to Magnetic Sponsoring. Usually when I hear anything about Market Leveraging, I ignore it. Why? Because most simply don't work. But, the biggest reason they don't work is because people really don't follow through. Not the business offering their ideas, but the person using them.

Most people want immediate results or they want miracles where they don't have to do any of the work. Sorry, but life just doesn't work that way. And yes, some of you are probably thinking (or saying aloud!), She don't know shit! Well, I was one of those miracle-immediate results expecting people! So I know shit, thank you very much! I walked through life with blinders on and I'm slowing taking those blinders off.

What amazed me is Magnetic Sponsoring isn't a ridiculous $100 or more like most programs. I paid a simple $19.95 for it (really a friend paid). Now I didn't buy the program on purpose. I also didn't go looking for them. I was actually asked to help a friend and that's how I find out about the program. So far I'm still learning about it, thanks to that friend.

I'm also not asking you to go buy the program. If you want to check it out, feel free, if not, then don't. This program is still new to me, so I'm not going to bullshit anyone into getting the program. What I am going to do is post about my experiences with this program in the future. I am hoping with this program I will learn a lot about online business and be able to improve my earnings. It's a goal many of us have and I know many of us don't have money to splurge, so I'm sharing my results for free.

Credit Cards vs Money Orders and Checks

One of the things I've been seriously wondering about is whether to look into some form of credit
card processing since I do all of my work online. If I ever open an online business shop, I make just do that. I know it's faster than someone sending a money order or check and so much safer for both paying customers and myself.

I mean think about it? What customer is going to want to order a product and then send a check or money order and hope that he sees his product in return? And how am I to know that the check is trustworthy? I'd have to wait 30 days at least for the check to clear and the customer would have to wait just as long to receive his/her product. It would be an inconvenience for both of us. Using a form of credit card processing is so much easier and faster and in my opinion, the only way to go.

Please Note: This is a paid post and is sponsored by MerchantAcceptance and Payperpost.

Can You Afford a Nice Business Suit in this Economy

With the economy the way it is and companies having to shut their doors, I often wonder what will happen to my cousin who works as a loan officer in a bank. The last I knew, he was doing okay, but I also know there was a time when he was barely staying afloat. That was when he first started, however.

Back then he always needed business suits for work. He's a jeans and t-shirts kinda guy, so the man did not own a suit in his wardrobe.lol But, before the economy went downhill, I'm pretty sure he was to the point where he could pick out a suit and have it designed to his specific needs, like what MySuitNY.com allows customers to do.

I think their Made to Measure suits are great because not every guy is created equal. Some guys have broad shoulders while other guys have very long arms or a thicker middle. Plus I think it's great that you can design your own suit. You can choose the fabric, the style, everything! Now why can't they do that for women???



The great part about MySuitNY.com is that they know their stuff. They've been in the retail industry for over 40 years! So whether you work at a bank like my cousin or your a CEO if a company who has no choice, but to wear nice business suits on a daily basis, MySuitNY has you covered! HA! Pun intended!


Please Note: This is a paid post and is sponsord by MySuitNY and Payperpost.

Property For Sale in Connecticut

I have a friend who lived and worked in the state of Connecticut. From what I have been told, Connecticut is a beautiful state to live in. Business is also great there. Right now there seems to be plenty of opportunities for businesses to expand in the beautiful state of Connecticut.

MySquareFeet online offers businesses a fantastic way to search for office space in the state of Connecticut. You can search for properties, find a broker or even add a real estate property if you're looking to sell in that area.

Even if you're not looking for property in Connecticut, MySquareFeet offers several other states you can search through as well.

Check out MySquareFeet and their link: office space Connecticut

Free USB Braclet For Your Business.

I love free stuff, especially when the item is worth the effort.... And this item is definitely worth the effort. It's a Free 2 GB USB bracelet. I must give credit to Steven Truong for this find.

The company giving away the USB bracelet is, Interop Ability. Keep in mind that when you check out this free item, they do ask for company info, so if you're not self-employed, you may want to skip out on this offer. Also, if you're worried about Junk mail or too many solicited phone calls, you might want to give them a junk email address and screen your calls. But please remember, they're giving this item away for a moment of your time.

A Quick Update: This comes from Steven Truong under comments. Thank You Steven.

-"I do want to note that this is sponsored by Microsoft and Novell and that if you don't have a company and it requires one, you can actually use your name since sole proprietorships can operate under individual names for business."

Promoting with a Calendar

In the future I've thought about taking the idea of my work as a free-lance writer and promoting myself for the whole world to see. Or promoting myself as an author when I do finally publish that novel. In order to do something like that, I'm going to need help and something that will catch the attention of my clients/readers.

I believe custom printed calendars can be an excellent way to promote a business and or name. I don't know anyone who doesn't have at least one calendar in their house. I know we have about 4 or 5 with different local businesses on them.

Blueberry Brands custom printed calendars offers an easy way to promote any business at a reasonable price. Some as low as 89 cents per a calendar. Looking for a specific theme? Blueberry Brands offers a variety of calendar themes to suit even the pickiest person. Yep, that'd be me!

I was even thinking.... It might be kind of neat to send these out as a thank you for weddings or other special events. Families or the Bride and Groom can put their info and a special message on the calendar. Newlyweds could even go one step further and purchase the scenic calenders as a reminder of "We're on Our Honeymoon." to family members. Maybe even visit those scenic views.

There are so many possibilities for these custom printed calendars!

Online or Offline Business? What Do You Think?

Eventually I would like to be able to open my own business. Whether it will be locally owned or online, I'm not sure. One thing I know is for sure. If I plan to open a business online, I'll need a way for customers to complete their purchases on my website.

Most may think it's easy. Unfortunately, unless you're knowledgeable in running a website business, it's easier said than done. In order for customers to complete a purchase, I will need some form of a shopping cart to create my online store with. And since I'm not very knowledgeable with all of the Shopping cart software available on the market today, it gets pretty confusing.

I was just checking out AShop Commerce. They specialize in things like ecommerce software (aka: Shopping cart software). AShop Commerce offers an easy way to create my very own online store. With their affordable ecommerce software, I can create an online store without the need of installation whatsoever. I like that idea.

I've also noticed that they offer a 10-day free trial just in case I decide I hate the idea of an online store or shopping cart program. They offer all of the major credit cards to my customers, including paypal, which is very convenient for me.... and they have live support. Live support might not mean much to some people, but believe me, after the insane day I had today, live support sounds heavenly!

Hmm, so maybe an online store wouldn't be a bad idea in the near future. What do you think?