Odd Jobs: Professional Dog-Poop Remover

By Eric Spitznagel

 

Jacob D’Aniello, co-founder and chief executive officer of DoodyCalls, can imagine only one scenario in which his business could fail. “If one day, everybody in the world woke up and decided they loved picking up dog poop,” he says grimly. “If it suddenly became everybody’s favorite recreational activity, that would be a terrible day for us.”

The Modest Billionaire

SUZANNE JORDAN BROWN

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Hobby Lobby Founder David Green (The Becket Fund)

Editor's Note: With Hobby Lobby hitting headlines recently because of its lawsuit against the HHS mandate, Charisma wanted to share this article from 2005. It highlights Founder David Green, who believes God has blessed his business so he can share his money with others.

Could you pick a billionaire out of a crowd of ordinary folks? Probably not this guy.

David Green, listed by Forbes magazine in 2004 as the world's 514th richest person, doesn't fit the tycoon stereotype in the least.

The man who runs an empire of successful businesses, including the fast-growing Hobby Lobby arts and crafts store chain, is soft-spoken and appears almost shy. When on the job he often wears khakis and a sport shirt instead of a power suit. His office isn't plush and full of gadgets but simple and comparatively small, yet it sits on a corner of Green's mammoth 3-million-square-foot company headquarters.

But it's not his obvious disregard for luxurious living, or even his quiet, unassuming manner that makes Green a stark contrast to those living the typical lifestyle of the rich and famous. What he counts as valuable makes this man a misfit in the cutthroat world of business.

Green has eternity in mind.

We Are Already Blessed. Three mighty steps to abundance that Peter followed.

Luke 5:1-11 (KJV) And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him

Listen to the Word.

"And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship."

Let Jesus teach you how to live, how to act. How to run your life and your business.

Listen to Jesus.

"nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net"

No matter what you have tried in life, no matter what you have in life, no matter what you are facing in life, do as the Lord leads and your life will be blessed.

Paul Milligan: From Poverty to Prosperity

Successful business entrepreneur and the Director of Charis Bible College's School of Business, Paul Milligan. (Click to enlarge)

Paul Milligan watched his dad, DeLoyd Milligan, work hard to provide and gain financial security and stability for his family. Having been raised during the Great Depression and having served in World War II, his father was determined to give his son the foundation he would need to succeed in life. DeLoyd's motivation stemmed from living a life that was either trying to starve him to death or kill him in war.

Paul’s dad instilled the idea that financial security came from discipline and hard work, two things DeLoyd demonstrated his entire life. He taught Paul that working for a good company, giving more than was expected and retiring with enough money to live comfortably should be his goal in life. Paul became keenly aware of his dad’s need to see him succeed. In fact, by the time he was fourteen, Paul’s dad had helped him land an afterschool job at a Western Auto Store. When Paul graduated Salutatorian of his high school class, his dad was thrilled that Paul was on the right path.

Paul sharing a message in 2004, at a church in Lincoln, England.
(Click to enlarge)True to his values and work ethic, DeLoyd retired in 1985 after working in sales for over thirty years. Needless to say, in 1988, when Paul announced that he would be quitting his stable and secure job as the Vice President of a large company to start a new business, Global Technical Service, Inc., his dad was thoroughly disappointed. It wasn’t easy for Paul to go against everything his dad had taught him, but he had begun to receive new revelation from God in the area of finances.

Paul married his wife, Patsy, in July, 1974. The couple lived paycheck to paycheck for years, until Paul heard Andrew and some other radio ministers, who began to build his faith for Paul and his wife, Patsy.
(Click to enlarge)financial freedom. He started seeking God diligently about how He wanted him to manage money. He and Patsy were attending at Baptist church in Arlington, Texas; a church that did not embrace what Paul was learning from Andrew.

Paul remembers being impacted by Andrew’s teaching and became convicted to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “I was very conflicted over this [baptism] at this time, but there was such an anointing on Andrew’s teaching, I knew it was God.” Knowing that his wife would not approve, Paul waited until he was home alone to attempt to receive the baptism. He got down on his knees in his living room and prayed, but nothing seemed to happen. Paul was not sure whether or not he had received the baptism.
Paul and Andrew. The two first met in the late 1980's. (Click to enlarge)That night, however, things changed. “I literally sat, bolt upright in bed, at about 2 a.m., speaking in tongues—scared my poor wife to death,” Paul shared.

Paul continued to gain revelation of God’s will to prosper His people. Over the past 25 years, as he applied what the Lord showed him, he has purchased or started a total of fourteen businesses. “It was in about 1984 that we began to live the plan God had shown us for debt free stewardship and giving according to his Word. We give thanks to God for revealing to us, at a relatively young age, how to be prosperous according to His plan for our lives,” said Paul.

Andrew invited Paul to be part of AWM's Board of Directors in 2002. (Click to enlarge)

The fruit of Paul’s business ventures are a clear indication to others of his revelation of the Word of God. In 1996, Andrew had known Paul for nearly eight years and was familiar with his success. He asked Paul to review the financial state of Andrew Wommack Ministries. Paul agreed and he helped restructure the ministry's accounting system. His efforts helped Andrew establish solid financial systems within the ministry. In 2002, Andrew asked Paul to join the AWM Board of Directors.

After retiring from business, Paul stepped into full-time ministry. Here he ministers to a group of pastors in Viet Nam. (Click to enlarge)In 2004, after 35 years, Paul retired from the business world, and he moved right into full-time ministry. Paul established Lifewalk International in 2003, the mission of which is to deliver teaching about godly stewardship and financial prosperity and to encourage the Body of Christ to produce wealth to establish the Covenant of God on earth. Paul has ministered in 15 countries, and spent extensive time in Kenya establishing a business school. Paul’s work in Kenya has been so successful that the church, with which he works, built a two-story engineered building that will seat 6500 people, a new bible college and several other facilities that bless the community.

Paul's ministry, LifeWalk International, helped build Word of Faith Church in Kiambu, Kenya. (Click to enlarge)In 2011, Paul accepted a position as the Director of Charis Bible College's School of Business in Colorado Springs. “We are blessed with some incredibly talented and committed students and I genuinely love every one that God has sent,” Paul said. He went on to share his vision for the business students, “My vision for the school is a big one. I believe that God has called an army of business people to create wealth to establish his covenant in the earth through giving to ministries like AWM. I see the day that we have many students of the business school operating by God’s principles in the marketplace, producing wealth and returning seed to AWM to continue the incredible work of this ministry. My desire is that Andrew’s teaching LifeWalk also helped Word of Faith build a Bible college next to the church. It can be seen here during the construction phase. The project is now complete. (Click to enlarge)wash over the earth and that multitudes are brought into the Kingdom of God, saved, healed, delivered, restored and prosperous. This vision requires money and producing wealth is what God has called me to do.”

Paul recalled a conversation he had with his dad before he died in 2002: “My dad asked me if I remembered his objection to me quitting my job to start Global. I said, ‘Sure Dad, I remember; you were very disappointed in me at the time.’ He then said he wanted me to know that he was wrong and that what I had accomplished by starting my own company had changed our family forever,” said Paul.

Paul and his wife Patsy (center), and their family—forever changed by the Word of God. (Click to enlarge)Through his son, DeLoyd Milligan learned that God wanted him and his family to be financially free, not just financially secure. Paul once had to make a tough decision to go against what his dad had taught him, and trust God. Today he has committed his life to making sure others learn the same principles he learned. From beginnings rooted in poverty, Paul and his dad lived to experience prosperity beyond their wildest expectation.

Through building businesses, through ministry and through his own personal life, Paul has seen the faithfulness of God’s provision. His testimony and teaching continue to inspire and give hope to a generation that Paul hopes will one day change how the world views financial prosperity and stewardship.

http://news.awmi.net/

The Happiest Jobs in America

By Jacquelyn Smith | Forbes

When you think of a cheerful job, you probably don't think of loan officer, warehouse manager, or accountant. But it turns out these are some of the happiest careers in America, according to online jobs site Careerbliss.com.

CareerBliss compiled a list of the 20 happiest jobs based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012. Employees were asked to rate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including one's relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work one does on a daily basis.

The employees valued each factor on a five-point scale, and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness at work. The numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent, and then sorted by job title to find which occupations had the happiest workers. A minimum of 50 employee reviews was required to be considered for CareerBliss' 20 Happiest Jobs in America, and executive level jobs, like chief executive, were excluded from the study.

"Since we tend to spend more waking hours working than doing anything else, our work happiness is a huge factor in our overall happiness," says CareerBliss' chief executive, Heidi Golledge. "Nearly every person has a desire to feel valued and content, and a workplace or a career that provides that for its employees is key to not only happiness for the employees but the long-term success of the business."

The happiest job of all isn't kindergarten teacher or dentist. It's software quality assurance engineer. Professionals with this job title are typically involved in the entire software development process to ensure the quality of the final product. This can include processes such as requirements gathering and documentation, source code control, code review, change management, configuration management, release management, and the actual testing of the software, explains Matt Miller, chief technology officer at CareerBliss.

With an index score of 4.24, software quality assurance engineers said they are more than satisfied with the people they work with and the company they work for. They're also fairly content with their daily tasks and bosses.

These professionals "typically make between $85,000 and $100,000 a year in salary and are the gatekeepers for releasing high quality software products," Miller says. Organizations generally will not allow software to be released until it has been fully tested and approved by their software quality assurance group, he adds.

Golledge says, "In past studies, we have noted that the long hours and intense demands on software engineers' time caused them to rank as less than happy. However, we are happy to report that software quality assurance engineers feel rewarded at work, as they are typically the last stop before software goes live and correctly feel that they are an integral part of the job being done at the company."

Tied for the second most blissful job is executive chef and property manager; both earned an index score of 4.15. Executive chefs, also known as chefs de cuisine or head cooks, do everything from menu creation and staff training to ordering and purchasing inventory. They cite the work that they do and the people they work with as the main drivers of their happiness.

Property managers plan, direct, or coordinate the selling, buying, leasing, or governance activities of real estate properties, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers in this profession are most satisfied with the people they work with and the work that they do.

"Many of the happiest jobs have some component with working with people," Golledge says. "Folks who work with others tend to rate their happiness higher on our site."

Bank teller and warehouse manager round out the top five happiest jobs in America, with index scores of 4.14 and 4.13, respectively.

"The roles that we did not expect to see were teller, accountant and financial analyst," she says. "Even though all three of these positions ranked low on compensation, they all ranked very high on 'the company you work for' and 'the people you work with.' Clearly, working with likeminded folks who share a love for calculators and numbers drive their happiness."

A few support roles, like customer service reps and administrative assistants, also made the list. Why? "Through our research we have seen that many people who take on these roles are typically happy supporting or servicing other people, and are therefore fulfilled in their jobs."

Golledge adds, "We have also noticed that happiness definitely does not align with pay, and once someone's basic needs are met, the additional money on the job is a nice perk but is not what drives employee happiness."

CareerBliss also found that many people appreciate their jobs more in a down economy. "As the job market is improving every day, we see that employees are looking to evaluate if they are happy in their current position and if their company is providing the type of culture they identify with," Golledge says. "This year will be a very important year for employers as employees look at a possible career or job change to improve their satisfaction at work."

Here is a list of the top 10 Happiest Jobs In America, based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012.
1. Software Quality Assurance Engineer
Score: 4.24

2. (tie) Executive Chef
Score: 4.15 

2. (tie) Property Manager
Score: 4.15

4. Teller
Score: 4.14

5. Warehouse Manager
Score: 4.13

6. Administrative Assistant
Score: 4.11

7. Customer Service Representative
Score: 4.06

8. Accountant
Score: 4.05

9. (tie) Systems Engineer
Score: 4.01

9. (tie) Construction Manager
Score: 4.01 

Click here for the full slideshow of The Happiest Jobs in America.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-happiest-jobs-in-america.html;_ylt=Asjb48dUSxVg60duCpXH6PAX34dG;_

Guiding The House women are to guide the house

by Erin Joyce

With more than 400 million active visitors, Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking site out there. And while the site is known for the casual social aspect, many users also use it as a professional networking tool. With that kind of reach, Facebook can be a valuable tool for connecting to former and current colleagues, clients and potential employers. In fact, surveys suggest that approximately 30% of employers are using Facebook to screen potential employees – even more than those who check LinkedIn, a strictly professional social networking site. Don't make these Facebook faux-pas – they might cost you a great opportunity.

The Temple Courts: Shake Us Up, Lord!

Dr. Ray Pritchard

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).

Jesus would not put up with some things.

We have seen over and over again his compassion for the hurting and his outreach to the forgotten. He cares for those the world forgets.

5 People Who Turned $1,000 Into $1 Million

By James Clear | U.S.News & World Report LP 

Most millionaires are self-made millionaires, but becoming one is something that still seems out of reach for most people.

In many cases, we dismiss the idea of building a million-dollar business because, well, you need a lot of money for that, right? You've got to spend money to make money, don't you?

As it turns out, you don't really have to spend that much.

I spent the last few weeks interviewing dozens of millionaire entrepreneurs. Many of these individuals started businesses with less than $1,000 and are now earning more than $1 million per year in revenue. All of them bootstrapped their own business with no outside cash and a minimal capital investment from their own bank account. Here is a brief primer on bootstrapping a business.

So how does one start with very little money and turn that into $1 million per year? Here are five stories of regular people building million-dollar businesses.

PostcardMania. Joy Gendusa was a freelancer who wanted to buy some postcards to advertise her business. She was shocked by the unnecessary fees she had to pay just to get some postcards made, so she decided to start her own postcard business with a friendly price structure for customers. PostcardMania was born.

Gendusa started the company with no capital investment and used the money from the first customer to pay the printer for her first postcards. In the early days, the payment schedule was tight. She had to get money from the customers and use that cash to pay her printer, but she kept bringing in new business and eventually built up a little bit of cash.

As PostcardMania continued to grow, Gendusa noticed customers asking for other services. They would say things like, "Who built your website?" or "Can you do email marketing too?" So PostcardMania started branching into those areas as well. Today, the company offers all sorts of advertising and marketing for its clients and makes close to $20 million per year.

The success of PostcardMania is a direct result of the sales and marketing techniques Gendusa used to get her company off the ground. Here are more tips and tricks for effective sales and marketing.

Blue Buddha Boutique. Rebeca Mojica went to a Renaissance Festival and noticed a unique metal belt made from chainmaille rings. After searching for something similar, she couldn't find the belts anywhere and decided to try and make her own.

Mojica spent $20 on that first set of rings and sold a few belts to a friends and family. However, it wasn't until she started teaching other people how to make the belts that she really saw the potential for a business.

Mojica began teaching chainmaille classes and decided to sell the rings and pliers needed to make the belts to her students. She made $300 the first time she sold the supplies. Soon after, Blue Buddha Boutique was born and it rapidly became one of the top sellers of chainmaille jewelry supplies. Blue Buddha Boutique now has 13 employees and is set to break the million dollar mark in 2012.

FIELD Beef Jerky. Matt Levey, Tom Donigan, and Scott Fiesinger were three friends who went on a ski trip together and couldn't stop talking about the homemade beef jerky they picked up in the mountains.

For a few years they would playfully say, "We should make our own beef jerky and sell it!" Eventually the trio decided to talk with grocery-store managers and owners about their idea.

The founders asked the grocery stores if they liked the idea of a natural, organic beef jerky made from quality meat. The response was unanimous: Every store owner wanted something that fit the description, but they couldn't find it anywhere.

After spending a little money playing with different recipes and figuring out how to package and ship the jerky to grocery stores, the three friends formed a new company called FIELD Beef Jerky.

In the early days, the owners took orders themselves and delivered them to grocery stores in New York City on their bicycles. After a few months of hustling around the city, their product was picked up by a distributor and has since exploded in popularity. FIELD Beef Jerky is now available in more than 600 locations nationwide and is starting to gain traction in major chains like Wegmans. The company is on pace to break $1 million in 2012.

M&E Painting. Matt Shoup worked as a painter during the summers in college. When he was let go from his job his financial services job a few years later, he decided to start a painting business.

Starting with just $100, Shoup woke up the next day and went door to door in his neighborhood, knocking on houses that looked like they could use a paint job. He enlisted a few friends for help and M&E Painting made more than $500,000 in that first year. Seven years later, the company has more than 4,000 customers and makes between $1.5 and $2.5 million every year.

Stories like this one beg the question: Should you quit your job to follow your dreams?

AddressTwo. Nick Carter used to run a marketing consulting agency. When a client came to him and asked if they could figure out a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for his company, Carter decided to build their own software solution. Carter used the money from that first client to finance the creation of AddressTwo and soon after, selling the software became his primary business.

Using a growth method that Carter calls "customer capital," he added features to the software when new clients were willing to pay for an addition. Slowly, the software improved and gained more customers. Today, Carter has built a successful CRM software that serves more than 500 businesses every month without any outside funding or large investment.

How can you get started? One of the common themes I noticed in my interviews with successful entrepreneurs was that they have the ability to decide. Simply put, most people want to work for themselves, but few people decide to take that first step.

If you're looking for ways to make that first step easier, you can ease into working for yourself by freelancing. For example, here are 7 ways to earn an extra $1,000 this month.

Building a million-dollar business from scratch isn't easy, but it is possible.

James Clear is the founder of PassivePanda.com, a website that teaches you the skills you need to know to work for yourself. Join Passive Panda's free newsletter for fresh ideas on earning more money.

5 Tips for Turning Passion into Profit

By Nellie Akalp for GalTime.com

You can do it! Turn your passion into a PROFIT.Is your New Year's resolution to start a business? Is your dream to be your own boss? Do you have a passion you'd love to turn into profit?

If so, do you know your next step? After all, a resolution isn't much without implementation. And deciding to start a business is one of the biggest resolutions out there.

After working with countless entrepreneurs over the years, there are some essential lessons I've learned from some of the most successful small business leaders out there. Here are 5 tips for turning passion into profit:

1. It's not just about you 

You've heard the saying, "Do what you love and the money will follow." That's not exactly the case. Yes, passion is important. But in order to turn your passion into a profitable business, you've got to fill a need that others are looking for. Think about this for a moment. The market isn't necessarily concerned if you are fulfilling a lifelong dream. Customers spend money on products and services that fulfill their needs or their own desires. Focus on how your passion can make a difference to others-- that's the key to success.
2. Focus on your end goal, and not the obstacle 

Too often people don't execute on their ideas of fear ⎯ fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of what others will say. If you have a great idea (even a good idea), then make it happen. Don't be afraid of how it will all turn out. Just execute. In business, like in life, there are valuable lessons to be learned in each failure. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." Still not convinced? Think of it this way: by never trying, you've failed right from the start.

3. Balance your "Day Job"
If you currently have a full-time or part-time job, it can be a smart idea to continue working while you get started on your new business. Many administrative and planning tasks ⎯ such as writing up a business plan, picking a business and domain name, getting your logo, website and other marketing materials in place ⎯ can all be done before you leave your day job. While this plan may make for some very busy months, you'll benefit from beginning your business from a position of strength.

4. Start small - get creative for funding 

If you don't have access to tons of capital, you probably shouldn't consider launching a manufacturing company with lots of overhead and expensive product inventory. However, it's more than possible to start a business with just a small investment ⎯ for example, service-based businesses or virtual ones (like blogging or freelance editing). Be realistic about your financing, and remember it's okay to start small! Look for creative ways to fund your business, such as working out of your home, bartering with vendors, and leveraging social media for your marketing.

5. Surround yourself with support
The journey of turning your idea into reality can be long and difficult. Stay motivated by surrounding yourself with positive people who believe in your vision. In some cases, this could be family or friends who will remind you of your potential when times are tough. You can also join a formal networking or entrepreneur group that meets on a weekly or monthly basis. Participating in a professional group gives you a chance to see and learn from the success of other entrepreneurs, share business models, and success secrets.

Most importantly, don't forget to celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how small. As a small business owner, you've got an exiting journey ahead of you; don't forget to enjoy the ride!

http://shine.yahoo.com/power-your-future