Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Book Update
Interest in my book has been picking up quickly! If you're around a TV tomorrow from 1-2pm, tune in to Fox news. You'll see me chatting about some of the odder jobs included in the book. In a week or so Odd Jobs should be popping up in Kinkos stores, so keep your eyes out. Also check out this article from the Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/investing/bal-bz.ym.ambrose10jul10,1,4545287.column. If you have trouble with that link it's in the Los Angeles Times, too: http://www.latimes.com/business/investing/tips/bal-bz.ym.ambrose10jul10,1,2659726.column?coll=la-utilities-investor.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Fantasy Broker
What You Do: Make people’s dreams come true. That’s right, basically be a paid fairy godmother. Whatever your client asks for—a day performing live with a circus, a skydiving adventure in the Himalayas, a jail visit with Paris Hilton—you make it happen.
What You Get: A small request, such as a picnic for two in the park with champagne and strawberries (yes, there are people who don’t have the motivation or desire to set up such a simple event themselves) might earn you a couple hundred dollars, while a more elaborate fantasy can cost clients thousands. It all depends how many hours it takes to arrange the details, plus the costs for insurance (on riskier fantasies), flights, food, celebrity appointments, or whatever is involved.
What You Need: The more connections you have, the better. You’ll need to make all sorts of arrangements relatively quickly, and knowing someone in the field (whatever the field happens to be—airlines, performers, sports) makes that much easier. It’s also helpful to have some law background, so you know if a person’s request is legal or not.
Sites to Check Out:
- http://www.trivia-library.com/a/business-in-the-us-odd-and-bizarre-jobs-fantasy-broker.htm - Another description of this job.
- http://www.wish.org/ - This is a much more charitable and less gratuitous version of the same concept. The Make-a-Wish Foundation is a non-profit, and they're really good at making dreams come true. I'm sure you could learn a thing or two from their techniques.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Odd Job of the Week
Golf Caddie
Here in the Northeast spring has finally really arrived. The trees are flowering, the grass is turning green . . . and the golfers are hauling out their clubs and hitting the courses. There are almost 27 million golfers in America according to Sports Marketing Surveys, and a lot of them pay good money so they don’t have to lug their clubs, interrupt the game to go find a cold drink, remember to bring their own sunscreen—all the things you could do for them!
What You Do: Follow a golfer around the course handing him or her appropriate clubs, a golf towel, or a drink, helping with yardages, etc.
What You Need: Knowledge of golf is certainly helpful, but how much you need to know will depend on who your client is. If you’re assisting a pro, you’ll want to be able to help him or her with shot selections, course information, and know all the rules of the game. For recreational golfers, you may only need a friendly, helpful attitude and two arms to carry some clubs.
What You Get: Tiger Woods’ caddy purportedly gets between 5% and 10% of Woods’ earnings, plus about $1,000/month salary, which would be around $750,000 last year. Caddies at a local club can expect $20-$40 per round (rounds typically last 2-3 hours if the golfer is playing alone).
Sites to Check Out:
http://www.caddychicks.com/ If you’re female and attractive sign up here to become a Caddy Chick.
http://www.golfonline.com/ This site includes all things golf-related.
Here in the Northeast spring has finally really arrived. The trees are flowering, the grass is turning green . . . and the golfers are hauling out their clubs and hitting the courses. There are almost 27 million golfers in America according to Sports Marketing Surveys, and a lot of them pay good money so they don’t have to lug their clubs, interrupt the game to go find a cold drink, remember to bring their own sunscreen—all the things you could do for them!
What You Do: Follow a golfer around the course handing him or her appropriate clubs, a golf towel, or a drink, helping with yardages, etc.
What You Need: Knowledge of golf is certainly helpful, but how much you need to know will depend on who your client is. If you’re assisting a pro, you’ll want to be able to help him or her with shot selections, course information, and know all the rules of the game. For recreational golfers, you may only need a friendly, helpful attitude and two arms to carry some clubs.
What You Get: Tiger Woods’ caddy purportedly gets between 5% and 10% of Woods’ earnings, plus about $1,000/month salary, which would be around $750,000 last year. Caddies at a local club can expect $20-$40 per round (rounds typically last 2-3 hours if the golfer is playing alone).
Sites to Check Out:
http://www.caddychicks.com/ If you’re female and attractive sign up here to become a Caddy Chick.
http://www.golfonline.com/ This site includes all things golf-related.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
It's out!
Monday night I wandered into the Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center, walked up to the information desk, and asked if they had a book by the title Odd Jobs. I felt like some sort of undercover spy, though of course I didn't really have to work at not being recognized. The glory of being a first-time published author is mostly a very private sort of glory-- the kind that sends a surge of excitement through your innards but that doesn't require shaded sunglasses or a team of body guards. It's not like I have a flock of fans chasing me with the book in one hand and a pen in the other begging for my autograph. Actually, that sounds kind of nice . . . where are you, fan club?
Anyway, I waited not so patiently as the young man clicked away at his keyboard. "It's by Gehring," I said. "G-E-H. . . I'm not sure if it's out yet or not." He was quiet (except for the clacking) for long enough that I was sure he couldn't find anything about it. Maybe he would say there was no record of the book, was I sure that was the title? Maybe Barnes & Noble had changed their mind and they weren't buying any copies after all. . .
Suddenly he wheeled around and started walking away. He stopped after a few paces, turned back, and jerked his head for me to follow. Around a shelf, down an aisle, and. . . there it was! I wanted to hug him, to grab a copy and run around the store hollering "It's out! This is my book and it's out! I spent every night for months writing this and now it's here!" Instead I just thanked him, picked it up, flipped through it, turned the stack to face outwards so they'd be more obvious (sorry B&N employees. . . this probably drives you crazy), and walked away.
So that's that. The book is out. Ask at your local bookstore to see if they have it yet. And when you find it, let me know what you think!
Anyway, I waited not so patiently as the young man clicked away at his keyboard. "It's by Gehring," I said. "G-E-H. . . I'm not sure if it's out yet or not." He was quiet (except for the clacking) for long enough that I was sure he couldn't find anything about it. Maybe he would say there was no record of the book, was I sure that was the title? Maybe Barnes & Noble had changed their mind and they weren't buying any copies after all. . .
Suddenly he wheeled around and started walking away. He stopped after a few paces, turned back, and jerked his head for me to follow. Around a shelf, down an aisle, and. . . there it was! I wanted to hug him, to grab a copy and run around the store hollering "It's out! This is my book and it's out! I spent every night for months writing this and now it's here!" Instead I just thanked him, picked it up, flipped through it, turned the stack to face outwards so they'd be more obvious (sorry B&N employees. . . this probably drives you crazy), and walked away.
So that's that. The book is out. Ask at your local bookstore to see if they have it yet. And when you find it, let me know what you think!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Odd Job of the Week
The Job of Your Dreams!
What You Do: Whatever you want! That's right. Extreme mountain climbing, researching wildlife in Antarctica, ranching in New Mexico... this is your chance to dream up something really crazy and outrageous and, perhaps, actually get to do it. "Delaying the Real World" is sponsoring a contest for folks who want to escape the nine-to-five grind. Write a detailed and exciting proposal of what adventure you'd like to embark on for a chance to win the money to do it.
What You Get: $3,500 (if you win)
Qualifications:
You must be age 21-29, and write a darn good proposal.
Site to Check Out:
http://www.delayingtherealworld.com/fellowship07/index.html
Good luck!
What You Do: Whatever you want! That's right. Extreme mountain climbing, researching wildlife in Antarctica, ranching in New Mexico... this is your chance to dream up something really crazy and outrageous and, perhaps, actually get to do it. "Delaying the Real World" is sponsoring a contest for folks who want to escape the nine-to-five grind. Write a detailed and exciting proposal of what adventure you'd like to embark on for a chance to win the money to do it.
What You Get: $3,500 (if you win)
Qualifications:
You must be age 21-29, and write a darn good proposal.
Site to Check Out:
http://www.delayingtherealworld.com/fellowship07/index.html
Good luck!
Friday, March 9, 2007
Tax Woes
So, for the record, the folks who say doing taxes are easy are not the same people who have five or six jobs in three or four states, some of which took out taxes, and most of which didn't. There are a lot of really good things about being a freelance, odd job type. Taxes are not one of them.
First of all, you need a table that's bigger than your whole apartment just to spread out all the forms. By the way, where did they come up with all those titles? 1099s, W-2s, C schedules or whatever they are. . . couldn't they at least name them something that relates to their purpose, like "Freelancer Form," "Normal People Form," "So Poor You're Trying to Count Your Toothpaste as a Write Off Form?" (Hey why not? Pleasant breath is essential for many jobs.)
Secondly, while everyone else is planning the trip to Hawaii they'll take as soon as they get their returns, you're filling out yet another 1099 and realizing that the rest of your pathetic savings will go to the government so they can afford to pay those people who come up with the bad names.
Anyway, my sanity saver has been http://www.taxact.com/. I won't say it makes taxes easy. But it helps. And it's cheap-- filing for federal is free and it's less than $15 to file for each state. Give it a try.
First of all, you need a table that's bigger than your whole apartment just to spread out all the forms. By the way, where did they come up with all those titles? 1099s, W-2s, C schedules or whatever they are. . . couldn't they at least name them something that relates to their purpose, like "Freelancer Form," "Normal People Form," "So Poor You're Trying to Count Your Toothpaste as a Write Off Form?" (Hey why not? Pleasant breath is essential for many jobs.)
Secondly, while everyone else is planning the trip to Hawaii they'll take as soon as they get their returns, you're filling out yet another 1099 and realizing that the rest of your pathetic savings will go to the government so they can afford to pay those people who come up with the bad names.
Anyway, my sanity saver has been http://www.taxact.com/. I won't say it makes taxes easy. But it helps. And it's cheap-- filing for federal is free and it's less than $15 to file for each state. Give it a try.
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