A few months ago I came across a smartphone app called MobileXpression. It offered the opportunity to generate a sideline income by sharing some details of your mobile phone usage.
The company behind MobileXpression conducts research on mobile internet use. On their website they say:
The goal of MobileXpression is to develop a better understanding of the trends and patterns affecting the mobile Internet. Just as television uses ratings to determine which programs are the highest rated and most watched, MobileXpression uses the knowledge of its members’ mobile Internet habits to determine the popularity and importance of various mobile web sites and applications. Companies can then use this market research to make informed decisions regarding their mobile marketing strategies.
In exchange for letting MobileXpression access your mobile phone data, the company offers incentives. In the US these include a range of vouchers, but as a UK user the only one I have ever been offered is for Amazon UK. Amazon gift vouchers are almost as good as cash, of course, so I am perfectly happy with this š
UK users of MobileXpression receive a Ā£5 Amazon voucher by email after using the app for just one week. After that you are allocated 2 ‘credits’ every week you remain a member. Once you have 20 you can exchange them for a Ā£20 Amazon voucher.
This has been working well for me, and I have now accrued over Ā£100 worth of Amazon vouchers for very little effort. The only problem occurred on one occasion when there was a delay in issuing my voucher. I raised a support ticket about this via the app, and the voucher duly arrived a few days later.
Pros and Cons
Based on my experience using the app, here’s my list of pros and cons for MobileXpression.
PROS
Rewards arrive reliably.
Anyone can join (you don’t have to be a heavy mobile internet user).
Once the app is set up, there is little else to do (just log in occasionally to claim your credits).
Amazon vouchers are a good reward and can be used to fund a huge range of purchases
MobileXpression will have access to data about your smartphone usage, although they say they don’t monitor your calls.
Some people have reported that the app slows down their phone, although I haven’t noticed this myself.
Summing Up
Overall, I have been very happy with MobileXpression. Clearly nobody is going to get rich from it, but based on my experience it can provide a regular source of hassle-free, passive income in the form of Amazon vouchers.
If you have a suitable phone and aren’t too concerned about the privacy aspect of having your usage monitored, I therefore recommend giving it a go. The app is available for both Android (in Google’s Play Store) and iOS for iPhone.
If you have any comments or questions about MobileXpression, as always, please do post them below.
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Iāve discussed matched betting a few times on Pounds and Sense. Despite the name it’s not gambling but a genuine way of making a risk-free sideline income.
Matched betting involves (legally) taking advantage of bookmaker special offers. By doing this you can generate a guaranteed profit for no risk, regardless of how the event/s you are betting on pan out.
Although itās not essential to subscribe to a matched betting advisory service, if you are new to betting in particular it is highly advisable. There are various services, the best known of which include Profit Accumulator and Odds Monkey. Today, however, I want to look at a rival service called Profit Squad, which has its own unique set of tools and features, and in my view is especially suitable for people who already have some knowledge of matched betting. That being said, it also has all the advice, tools and information someone new to matched betting would require.
Profit Squad were kind enough to give me complimentary membership of their service so I could see what they have to offer. Here’s what I found…
First Impressions
Profit Squad is now owned by the same company that runs MatchedBets.com (which I reviewed here), so you may not be surprised that there are some similarities in appearance between the sites. While MatchedBets.com has a rather garish colour scheme, however, Profit Squad (see below) is more restrained. Personally I prefer this, as it makes the site look more professional, as well as being more readable.
As you will see, the main navigation menu is at the top right of the screen. If you hover the cursor over Offers or Tools, a sub-menu will appear. Itās all quite logical and intuitive.
As with all matched betting advisory services, the site is organized into a number of sections. The main ones are listed below:
Training
Offers
Tools
Calendar
Forum
Iāll look at each of these in a bit more detail below.
Training
This is (of course) the training area of Profit Squad, and is the place where new matched bettors should start. It is neatly and attractively set out. There are 22 articles here, covering everything from how to get started in matched betting to reload offers and advanced strategies (including online casinos)..
The articles consist mainly of text and screen captures, with videos also used in some cases. I found the articles clear and well written. While I am already familiar with the basics of matched betting, I found some of the articles (e.g. on each-way dutching and how to profit from online slots) genuinely eye-opening.
Offers
This is divided into sub-sections, including:
New Customer Offers
Existing Customer Offers
Accumulator Offers
Free Bet Clubs
Horse Racing Offers
Casino Offers
Advanced Casino Offers
These are all pretty self-explanatory. In New Customer Offers, for example, all such offers are listed in order of expected profit, the highest first (see below).
Clicking on Instructions takes you to detailed instructions on how to apply the offer. These generally include a short video plus written instructions. Again, I thought these were very clear, and I like the way the key points of each offer are set out in checklist form at the top of the page.
Offer Calendar
This is a feature of Profit Squad I really like. Just by visiting the Calendar page you can see all the dayās recommended offers, along with the expected profit and a link to full instructions for doing them.
Odds Matcher
Of course, every matched betting service needs an odds-matching tool, which helps you find the best bets for matched betting offers. Here’s a capture of the one provided by Profit Squad.
As you would expect, you can filter results according to sport, odds (minimum or maximum), start time, odds percentage, liquidity available at the exchange, and so on.
One feature I particularly like is that odds are shown in real time, so you donāt have to keep refreshing the screen. This also avoids the situation that can occur using other odds matching software (e.g. on Profit Accumulator) where the information frequently lags behind, so you think you have found a great match only to discover it has already gone.
Acca Backers
As mentioned in this blog post a few months ago, accumulator offers are a particular favourite of mine. These are where you take advantage of bookmakersā offers to refund your stake if one leg of your accumulator loses. This gives punters an in-built edge and means they should enjoy steady profits so long as they back and lay appropriately.
Profit Squad’s accumulator software offers four different ways to make money from accumulator offers: Lay Sequential, Lay at Start, Lay With Lock-In, and No Lay. All four methods are explained in the Training area, mentioned earlier. This is more advanced than other platformsā accumulator tools, which typically only offer three options.
As you may have noticed, with Profit Squad by default you see all four types of offer listed according to their expected value (average profit generated). However, if you prefer one particular type of acca (e.g. Lay With Lock In, which I prefer personally) you can set the filter to show only this type.
Horse Racing Matcher
This tool is provided for use with horse racing offers, e.g. your money back if your horse is second to the SP favourite. By careful backing and laying you can generate a good return when a refund is triggered and a small qualifying loss otherwise, hopefully producing steady profits overall.
As you will see, the Horse Racing Matcher is still in Beta at the time of writing, but appears to be working well. As with the Odds Matcher and Acca Backers, the odds in this software tool automatically update when they fluctuate on betting exchange and bookmaker sites.
Calculator
This is another standard feature on matched betting advisory service sites, but the one offered by Profit Squad is undeniably impressive. Although it looks simple at first sight (see below), it is actually a very powerful tool.
As well as standard matched betting calculations for qualifying bets and free bets, you can use it to calculate bonus on win, bonus on loss, enhanced odds as free bets, and several more. Pretty much any bonus situation is therefore covered. You can also use the calculator to work out what to do in the event of incomplete lays, and if you want to overlay or underlay a bet.
Forum
Likewise, every matched betting service needs a forum, where members can ask questions, share offers and opportunities, or just discuss anything matched betting related (or otherwise).
The Profit Squad forum (see below) is neatly set out and works well. It isnāt as busy as some forums, e.g. the one owned by the market-leading Profit Accumulator. There is plenty of good content, though, and staff are usually around to assist as required.
In addition to the forum, Profit Squad has a discord chatroom for members, which is great for discussing opportunities in real time.
Other Features
Profit Squad has a range of other features as well. If I tried to list them all this review would be at least double its already excessive length!
One tool I should definitely mention, however, is the Each Way Dutching Calculator. Each way dutching is a method of backing multiple or all runners in a horse race (or other event) with different bookmakers at their best prices. With suitable races this method can be more profitable than standard backing and laying, and it is also generally less hassle. Full information about how to use the Calculator is included in the training area, of course.
Another thing I should mention is that Profit Squad tracks all your betting activity automatically. It keeps a record of your profits and bet details, and displays them in your account. This makes it easy to see how you are doing overall, and does away with the need to maintain your own spreadsheets (although personally I still like to do this).
One final comment is that the site is fully mobile optimized ā so if you like to bet on your smartphone, you should find using Profit Squad a pleasanter experience than with some rival services.
Pricing
Joining Profit Squad currently costs Ā£15 a month. That is cheaper than most other matched betting advisory services, e.g. Profit Accumulator currently charge Ā£17.99 a month. They don’t have a free trial offer like some other services, but for just Ā£1 you can get a 14-day trial giving you full, unlimited access to the service. In many ways this is a better deal than the free limited membership offered by other services, as you can do as many bookmaker offers as you like (or can fit in) during your 14-day membership.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I have been very impressed with Profit Squad. It offers high-quality matched betting training, and a comprehensive range of software tools, tips and information..
In my view it is particularly suitable for people who may already have some experience in matched betting, who are now looking for more advanced strategies to keep the money rolling in.
Profit Squad is particularly strong on online casino strategies, including slots, roulette and blackjack. I know from my membership of various matched betting Facebook groups that this is now a very popular approach among experienced matched bettors who have exhausted the bookmaker welcome offers. There are some risk-free casino offers, and others that may not be risk-free but have a positive ev (expected value). That means by the law of averages if you do these offers you will make a long-term profit, but will likely suffer some day-to-day losses. This is all covered in detail in the training, of course.
Profit Squad also have some of the best matched betting software tools I have seen, covering pretty much the entire range of bookmaker welcome and reload offers and more besides. About the only drawback I can see with it compared with a service such as Profit Accumulator is that the forum isn’t as active, but of course this is likely to change in future as more members join the service.
If you are thinking of giving matched betting a go – or are looking for an alternative advisory service featuring more advanced strategies – I strongly recommend checking out Profit Squad. They are adding new tools and features all the time, and joining now will ensure you have access to them at no extra cost. In any event, the 14-day trial for Ā£1 is basically a risk-free opportunity to see everything they have to offer. Do just one risk-free offer during this time and you should cover your Ā£1 outlay multiple times over.
As always, if you have any queries about Profit Squad or matched betting generally, please do post them below.
Disclosure: This review includes tracked affiliate links. If you click through and sign up with Profit Squad, I will receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the service you receive (or the price you are charged) in any way.
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Some of you may know that for more years than I care to remember I made my living as a freelance writer. Nowadays I am semi-retired but still take on writing work from time to time, alongside running this blog, of course!
I know many people are interested in freelance writing, and it often appeals to older/retired people, as you can do it part-time and it doesn’t require any expensive tools or equipment. Writing is also something you can do even if you have health issues or disabilities.
So today I thought I would share a few of my top tips about freelance writing for money, based on my years of experience. To be clear, I am talking mainly here about writing for editors and other clients, rather than books or ebooks (which I previously covered in this post about books and this one about ebooks).
I hope this article may be of interest to younger people, as well as my core readership of over-50s.
1. Donāt Worry About Not Knowing Everything
When I was starting my writing career, I worried a lot about what I didnāt know.
Every time I came across a word I hadnāt seen before, rather than view it as an opportunity to learn something new, I took it as a further sign that my vocabulary wasnāt wide enough to succeed as a writer. (In fact, I now realise that while having a good vocabulary is definitely an asset, you could go through an entire writing career without ever knowing the meaning of palimpsest, clepsydra, ursine, and many moreā¦)
It wasnāt just vocabulary either. I worried that I didnāt know whether I should use ātowardā or ātowardsā, āforeverā or āfor everā, ācontinuousā or ācontinualā, and many more. And I could waste a whole morning agonizing over whether I should use a dash or a colon in my opening paragraph.
What I realise now is that most of these things matter little. Quite often, either choice will be acceptable. My advice to a new writer today would be to get a good dictionary and style guide, and refer to these whenever youāre in doubt. But if youāre still not sure, just make your best guess and move on. The chances are that whatever you choose, your editor will change it anyway!
Our American friends have a very good expression for this: Donāt sweat the small stuff.
2. Specialize
There are lots of other would-be freelance writers out there, so you need to do whatever you can to make yourself stand out. For me, anyway, that has meant specializing.
Specializing has all sorts of advantages for a freelance writer. If you are regarded as an āexpertā in your field, editors and publishers will turn to you when they need a writer on the subject in question. In addition, because of your perceived expertise, you may be able to charge a higher rate than an āordinaryā freelance.
Donāt just stop at one specialism, though. Try to develop a number. My specialist subjects over the years have included self-employment, advertising and PR, careers, the Internet, gambling for profit, popular psychology, English grammar, writing for profit, personal finance, and several more. At least then, if there is a fall in demand for one of your specialisms, you have other strings to your bow.
My advice to a new writer would be to start with an area you know a lot about, or have a particular interest in, and make it your business to become an āexpertā in that field. Write a few articles about it, perhaps for low-paying markets when youāre getting started. Once you have published some work on your specialism, people will start to regard you as an expert in it, and more work is likely to follow. By researching more articles and talking to ārealā experts, you will build up your store of knowledge, until you really are something of an expert in your chosen field. Itās worked for me, anyway
3. Donāt Take Criticism Too Seriously
Donāt get me wrong, Iām not saying you shouldnāt listen to constructive feedback on your work. However, you should evaluate it carefully and be prepared to reject it if you donāt agree with it.
Remember that judgements about quality (or otherwise) are often subjective. Thereās a story I tell in my CD course Write Any Book in Under 28 Days (more info here if you’re interested) about a time when I regularly wrote careers information articles for a large UK publishing house. These were basically four-page articles about different jobs.
I submitted my articles to one particular editor at the publishing house. Invariably they came back to me covered in red ink, with insertions, deletions and transpositions all over the place. I tried to learn from her comments and improve, but still every time the articles came back changed almost beyond recognition. She still put the edited articles through, but I honestly felt like a schoolboy whose report card read, āCould do betterā.
Then I got a new editor ā a man this time, as it happens. I submitted my latest article to him, and waited for it to come back to me covered in red ink as usual. And waited. And waited. So eventually I phoned him up and asked what had happened to my article. āOh that,ā he said, sounding surprised I had even mentioned it. āIt was fine, so I put it through for publication.ā
The truth is that in writing, as in life, everyone has different views of what is good and what is bad. So listen to criticism by all means, but try to evaluate it objectively, and always feel free to reject it if you think itās wrong. And never, ever, take criticism personally.
4. Put Yourself About
However good a writer you are, no publisher or editor is going to beat a path to your door. Especially when you are starting out, you must be prepared to send off torrents of query letters, emails, book proposals, and so on. I first connected with one of my longest-standing clients, Lagoon Games, after I replied to an advertisement they placed in the Guardian newspaper twenty years ago. I am still working with Lagoon today, incidentally.
Put yourself about in the flesh too. Join your local writersā circle, go on writersā courses and conferences, volunteer to give talks, and run classes in adult education. In the online world, set up a writing homepage and/or a blog, and join at least one writers forum. And sign up at social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. All of this will help raise your profile as a writer, and make it more likely that potential clients will get in touch with you.
And also under this heading Iād add, build up your network of useful contacts. These can come from all sorts of places: fellow writers you meet, proofreaders and editors you work with, folk you meet on courses, people you interview for articles, people you connect with via online services such as Twitter, and so on. Many of the new writing opportunities that have come my way over the years did so as a result of networking.
5. Don’t Rely Solely on the Internet
Don’t get me wrong, the net is a wonderful thing, and there are lots of great resources on it for writers. However, there was no internet at all when I was starting out, and it didn’t hold me back!
If I was starting today, one thing I would certainly do is approach potential clients directly offering my services, including local companies, agencies and organizations. I would also read the job ads in newspapers and magazines, not only looking for writing jobs, but for businesses who are hiring in the fields of information management, PR, and so forth. They might well be in need of freelance writing assistance as well, and a speculative application could turn up a regular source of writing work. Again, this is a strategy that has worked well for me in the past.
6. Be Reliable
This is one of the most important qualities any client needs in a writer. He (or she) wants to be confident that you will deliver your article (or whatever) by the agreed deadline. If the deadline arrives and your article doesnāt, it can create all sorts of headaches for them.
If you can see youāre going to have problems meeting a deadline, therefore, DONāT just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Tell your client. Given sufficient notice they may be able to make alternative arrangements, e.g. bringing another article forward and postponing yours till next month. But if you donāt tell them in advance, it may be too late for this. Donāt then expect them to offer you any work in future.
7. Be Available
Clients sometimes need to contact writers at short notice, e.g. to check a fact or request a partial rewrite. You donāt have to be always just a phone call away (though that wonāt hurt), but it should be possible for an editor to contact you by some means and get a reply within 24 hours. Always aim to have your mobile with you, therefore, and check this and your email regularly, preferably at least twice a day.
And if youāre going away on holiday for more than a day or two, itās a courtesy to let the editor know, especially if you have just sent them some work!
8. Donāt Argue
OK, this one is a bit controversial. If you disagree with a client’s decision, you can say so. But donāt push it. At the end of the day, itās her neck on the block, not yours, if she publishes your article and it goes down like a lead balloon with her readers.
Hereās an example from my own experience. In my capacity as a newsletter editor I was pitched an idea by a semi-regular contributor. Normally I liked his ideas, but for various reasons I couldnāt use this one, so I turned it down with a polite explanation. I then received a long, aggrieved email telling me quite forcibly that I was wrong and he was right, concluding with words to the effect, āI think I know our readership by now.ā As you might guess, I didnāt commission many more articles from him after thatā¦
9. Be Friendly but Professional
Itās good to build relationships with clients and editors. Over a period of time you will inevitably get to know one another quite well, and genuine friendships often result.
However, remember that the client is also – in effect ā your employer, so itās important to remain professional in all your dealings with them. Donāt assume that because āJohnā or āMaryā is your buddy, they wonāt mind if you palm them off with inferior work or take other liberties with them.
Another example here (all names changed to protect those concerned). A few years ago one of my regular clients, a guy Iāll call Phil, was looking for an additional freelance writer. I recommended a woman named Clare to him, whom Iād worked with on a couple of projects.
All seemed to go well at first, and then I heard that he had dropped Clare quite suddenly. As I knew Phil pretty well, I asked him what had happened. He was a bit reticent at first, but then he told me, āWeāre a family company, Nick, and we choose the people we work with very carefully.ā
A little more probing finally revealed that he had been on the phone to Clare one day, and she casually dropped the F-bomb into their conversation two or three times. Phil hadnāt said anything to her at the time, but I guess he was a bit shocked by this. Anyway, he decided that he couldnāt work with her any more.
I must admit, I donāt know why Clare did this. Maybe she wanted to show she was āone of the boysā, or maybe sheād just been watching too many Hollywood movies. In any event, it was exactly the wrong tack to take with Phil, who abhors bad language in any form. And so it cost Clare the opportunity of a continuing source of well-paid work.
Thatās perhaps an extreme example, but it does illustrate an important point. A good, friendly relationship between writer and editor/client can be very rewarding for both parties, but you should never let it become an excuse for behaving unprofessionally.
10. Be Enthusiastic!
One final thing experience (mine and other peopleās) has taught me is that enthusiasm will carry you a long way as a writer. Iām sure itās true in other fields as well, but clients generally are more inclined to hire writers who are enthusiastic about their work rather than those who seem simply to be going through the motions.
Obviously, you DO need in addition the writing skills and other qualities to deliver a good job. Without enthusiasm, however, you will probably never get the chance to demonstrate that you have these skills and qualities.
Look at it this way. If a client gets two applications, one from someone who is relatively inexperienced but brimming with enthusiasm and ideas, the other from someone with an impressive CV who sounds as though they could barely be bothered to get of bed this morning, nine times out of ten itās the writer with the enthusiasm who will get the gig, even if they may not have as much experience. Itās human nature that we all respond better to people who radiate a positive attitude themselves.
So before sending off an application for any writing job, ask yourself honestly: Do I really sound as if I want this job? Do I appear excited by the prospect of working with this company? Can the client see that I am bursting with ideas and raring to do a good job for her? Or, conversely, does my application sound half-hearted? Does it sound as though I donāt really expect to get the job, and donāt much care one way or the other? If the latter is the case, hit āDeleteā and start again. You MUST, MUST, MUST convey enthusiasm in all your applications and proposals!
I do hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any comments or questions – or any other useful tips for new writers – feel free to add them below as comments.
Happy writing!
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Today I am pleased to bring you a guest post from Cora Harrison, a UK blogger and vlogger (video blogger) whose website is called The Mini Millionaire.
Cora is a successful ‘comper’ who (as revealed below) has won over Ā£20,000 worth of prizes from free-to-enter consumer competitions. In her article she explains how anyone can follow in her footsteps and shares her top tips and resources.
Over to Cora, then…
Twenty years ago my dad, a former miner, spent most of his night shifts listening to the radio answering tie-breaker questions. He won a number of prizes, his favourite of which was a cash lump sum that allowed him to purchase a greenhouse for our garden.
Twenty years later and in my young adulthood Iāve found myself with the same hobby of entering competitions to win prizes. Albeit, things are slightly different now. Thatās of course due to the internet, which has seen radio and postal competitions decline in favour of email and web-based competitions ā after all, this is a marketing promotion for businesses, and they are interested in creating product awareness and getting you to buy their product.
While Iāve only been a true ācomperā for the past three years, Iāve managed to win upwards of Ā£20,000 worth of prizes, including a television, a number of nights and weekends away, a family trip to Universal Studios in Florida, a games console, and much, much moreā¦
Today I want to present a basic introduction to what I believe to be one of the greatest hobbies ever – comping!
Where To Find Competitions
Finding competitions has been made much easier since the birth of the internet. Thatās thanks to database websites listing competitions, the answers to any questions asked, prizes on offer, closing dates, etc.
As well as checking these websites regularly, I also subscribe to Compers News. For Ā£4.95 a month I get a monthly magazine posted direct to my door with a directory of great competitions, news articles from the world of comping, and an online forum providing me with connections to people who share the same interests as me.
How To Enter Competitions
There are a number of different ways in which competitions can be entered. Prior to the internet the main ways were phone calls and the post. And while these methods of entry still exist, they are much less common now.
Instead, as I mentioned in the introduction, youāll find many more competitions that are online based. They may require you to sign up for a free account for a website, for example, or even to comment via your social media account.
My favourites are known as ācreative competitionsā. These often require you to make or design something. They can sometimes require a specific skill and take longer to enter than other competitions due to the effort required. But of course this has the effect of reducing the number of competing entries, and gives you the opportunity to use your skills to give your chances of success a big boost.
Hereās my girlfriend’s entry to a recent competition hosted by British Heart Foundation charity shops. This required you to use your sewing skills to upcycle an item of clothing from the store.
Unfortunately, she didnāt win the top prize of a European break for two. However, she had a fantastic time creating the outfit!
Hints and Tips
Now we know where to find competitions and how to enter them, I want to set out some basic hints and tips that should help you to enjoy your new found hobby of comping.
1. Only Enter Competitions For Prizes You Want To Win
Believe me when I say that there are thousands upon thousands of prizes available to win in the UK alone each and every month from competitions. And while some people choose to enter the competition regardless of the prize, Iād advise you to focus instead on a couple of items youād like to win and enter those competitions specifically.
Spending more time on one entry rather than rushing through to enter as many competitions as possible is certainly going to increase your chances of winning those prizes you really want.
2. Donāt Get Discouraged
Itās easy to get discouraged in comping when you havenāt won a prize in a while. However, remember that everyone goes through a dry spell and absolutely any competition win is a great blessing.
Keep entering competitions for the prizes you want to win even when youāre feeling discouraged, though. Youāre only going to win a prize if you enter the competition.
3. Get Creative With Your Entries
As I mentioned earlier, getting creative with your entries is a great way to extend this hobby into other areas of your life. Weāve created some fantastic photo entries, built forts from cardboard boxes, baked cakes, sewn outfits. You name it!
4. Hold āComping Daysā With Friends And Family Members
Comping doesnāt have to be a lonely hobby. There are a number of comping clubs scattered across the UK and some national events hosted by the community. Even if you canāt attend one of the events in person get active within the online comping community in one of the many forums or Facebook groups.
Even consider having ācomping daysā with your friends and family members. There are competitions exclusively for children that require them to be creative for a chance to win prizes. So consider getting some competitions for the children (or grandchildren) to do the next time they visit, for all the family to join in with.
Many thanks to Cora Harrison (pictured, right) for some great tips and resources.
When I was younger I entered quite a few competitions and won various prizes, including a crate of beer for devising a slogan for a brewing company. I also won third prize in a local radio competition where the top prize was a luxury Mediterranean cruise. Sadly, the third prize was just a leather passport holder and a book of travel tips. So near yet so far!
I do nevertheless think comping is a great sideline earner/hobby for older people. Age or disability are no barriers, and the costs are minimal. You can do it from the comfort of your home with the aid of the internet. It can help keep your grey cells active, and the lure of cash and prizes is hard to resist. So why not check out the resources in the article, including Cora’s own Mini Millionaire site, of course.
Good luck, and happy comping!
As always, if you have any questions about this article, for Cora or myself, please do post them below. And if you have any comping success stories or helpful hints and tips, do share them also!
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Today I have a guest post for you from my fellow money blogger Perry Wilson,Ā who blogs at Stupid is the Norm.
Perry has some important advice for anyone over fifty who thinks they have left it too late to boost their income in later life.
Over to Perry then…
Okay. So youāre in your 50s, and while youāre not yet in retirement, if you stand on your tip-toes you can see it from where you are now.
Youāve definitely got more years behind you than you have in front of you. Maybe thinking āshould have stuck in at schoolā? Or āI really screwed upā? āItās too late now?’
Correct to the first two, wrong to the last one.
Letās say youāre 55. Average mortality age for males is 79.4, and females 83.1. So, you have another 25 or so years left.
25 years. Hmm. If we go back 25 years, youād only be 30 years old. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 30-year-old self?
Youād advise yourself to do things differently, wouldnāt you? Thatās good, because it means youāre taking responsibility for your current position. Itās an empowering admission because it puts the power of change in YOUR hands. Itās down to you. Master of your own destiny, and all that stuff.
Now, return to the present. You have (on average) 25 years left. There LITERALLY is no time to waste, and tinkering around at the edges is insufficient. You need to take āmassive actionā (as Tony Robbins would say).
You have to put any pride to one side and do something extraordinary. Work more hours. Try something different. Something unfamiliar. Doing the same thing, something familiar, will get you what to have now – and itās not enough.
I have a friend who decided to work eight hours overtime per week. Thatās equivalent to a 20% pay rise. Extra money which he now invests.
I have another friend who delivers takeaways two evenings per week and makes a whopping Ā£160 per week cash (and a free supper each night). An extra income of Ā£8300 pa!
I do matched betting which regularly makes me Ā£200 per week for half an hour’s work per day.
Be an Uber driver. Sell stuff on eBay. Start a blog and monetize it. Massive action.
Alternatively, do nothing. To do or not to do? That is the question. (Thanks, William).
Thinking and planning are important. But itās action that changes things. Nothing changes until you take action.
Doing nothing is what normal people do. But thatās not you. If youāre still reading this it means youāre extraordinary. Different. Deserving of better.
Act now.
Donāt be Stupid and donāt be Normal.
Many thanks to Perry for some cogent advice. Do check out his Stupid is the Norm blog for more ideas and inspiration.
I agree absolutely with Perry that it’s never too late to boost your income, whether you are in your fifties, sixties, seventies, or older.
Indeed, there is a lot to be said for creating additional income streams whatever your age. For one thing, the extra cash can help boost quality of life for you and your loved ones. But beyond that, having an extra income source makes you less reliant on your salary or pension, and gives you additional options. It can also help keep your brain sharp and flexible, and provide the opportunity to be creative, meet new people, and learn new skills (or apply old ones).
On Pounds and Sense I regularly feature sideline-earning opportunities such as those mentioned by Perry, and many others too. No matter what your age or background, there are ‘side hustles’ (to use the modern vernacular) you really can make a start on today.
As always, if you have any comments or questions – for me or for Perry – please do post them below.
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TaskRabbit puts people who need various sorts of chore performed in touch with those who have the time and skills to do them (for a fee, of course). The company calls the people who work via its platform ātaskersā.
A huge range of skills are required, including gardening, flat-pack furniture assembly, household repairs, parcel delivery, cleaning, moving and packing, pet sitting, laundry and ironing, event staffing, and many more. Clients can even hire taskers to queue up for them at product launches, buy theatre tickets, and so on.
Once a tasker has been hired they go and do the job, with payment handled automatically through TaskRabbit. The company takes 30% of the fee charged, with the remainder going to the tasker.
How Do You Become a Tasker?
As mentioned above, currently you have to live in or near London, Birmingham, Bristol or Manchester.
Beyond that, you need to be 18 or over in the UK and able to offer some of the types of skill listed on theĀ TaskRabbit website. In practice the great majority of people should be able to do at least one of these.
You need to have a UK bank account and credit card, and must also have a smartphone. Tasks are allocated and managed via the TaskRabbit app, which is available for both Android and Apple iOS.
If you meet these requirements – and can provide some sort of personal identification – you can apply via the TaskRabbit website. Once your application is approved, you can expect an invitation to a two-hour orientation session where the TaskRabbit system is explained in detail and any questions can be answered.
After that, it is simply a matter of downloading the app, looking for tasks you can do in your area, and applying for them.
TaskRabbit Pros and Cons
Clearly nobody is going to get rich working as a tasker. You will be paid an hourly rate, which for many jobs is likely to be little more than the national minimum wage. You will be competing against other taskers for jobs, which can have the effect of pushing rates down.
In addition, your status will be that of a self-employed contractor. That means you wonāt be eligible for holiday pay or sick pay, or any of the other benefits employees routinely enjoy (although this may change in future). Neither is there any guarantee you will have paying work from one week to the next.
For all those reasons,Ā TaskRabbit is unlikely to be a good choice if you need a full-time income. On the other hand, it does have the big benefit of flexibility. You can work at times convenient to you, perhaps to supplement other earnings or save towards a holiday or other major purchase.
Another attraction of TaskRabbit is the variety of the work. Every task is different, and brings with it the opportunity to meet new people and do new things. This can be a welcome contrast for those whose normal jobs may be monotonous and/or solitary.
TaskRabbit can be a great resource for self-employed people, to provide income when other work is scarce. It can also be a good option for those with health problems and/or caring responsibilities who are unable to do a full-time job. Retired and semi-retired people ā which of course includes many Pounds and Sense readers – can also supplement their income this way.
And finally, TaskRabbit can open doors for tradesmen/women looking for new clients. You might, for example, tackle a small repair job and mention to the client that you are also available for bigger projects if the need arises in future. Be sure you have a good supply of business cards to hand out!
As already mentioned, TaskRabbit is only available in certain cities. There are, though, many other opportunities in the gig economy if this type of opportunity interests you. Some of these such as Viewber I have talked about in previous posts on Pounds and Sense. Another is Deliveroo, which offers the chance to earn a sideline income delivering meals for restaurants and takeaways. You can learn more about Deliveroo here if you wish.
Summing up, TaskRabbit offers anyone the opportunity to earn extra income doing small jobs of all kinds. If that sounds like something that might interest you, visit the TaskRabbit website for further information and to sign up.
As ever, if you have any comments or questions about TaskRabbit, please do post them below.
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If you enjoy social media and want to make some extra income, offering social media management services to local businesses is well worth considering.
Itās easy to do from home, fitting the work in around your other commitments. You can start part-time and (if you wish) go up to full-time as you build your client base.
Age is no barrier, so long as you have a lively, inquiring mind. And all you really need to get started is a computer with a reliable internet connection.
Who Needs This Service?
Short answer – practically every business!
Nowadays social media is huge. Customers increasingly expect businesses to have a social media presence. If they donāt, it may even be seen by some people as suggesting they have something to hide.
Social media is also a great tool for businesses wanting to attract new clients by harnessing the power of personal recommendation. After all, what would you be more likely to act on? An ad at the bottom of page 37 of your local paper or an enthusiastic Facebook post by a friend about the great meal they enjoyed last night at a local restaurant?
Your average business owner will know this, but in many cases they wonāt have the time or expertise to do it themselves. And thatās where you can come in, as a freelance social media manager.
What Does the Work Involve?
You will normally start by agreeing a social media strategy with your client, based on what they want to achieve. You will then set up social media accounts on their behalf (assuming they donāt have these already) and post regularly on them.
Posts will typically include some promotional posts on behalf of the business, along with news, tips and advice, photos, and humorous items. You might also set up (and run) contests, giveaways, and so on.
You will monitor clientsā accounts, responding to any comments made or questions asked, and try to generate activity and engagement from readers. This will help ensure that the posts concerned get liked, seen and shared by more people.
You can also offer to run social media advertising for clients, generally using Facebook. Of course, you would pass on the cost of this to clients or include it in the fee you charge them (see below).
What Skills Do You Need?
If youāre an enthusiastic social media user, youāre half-way there already!
Clearly you will need a good grasp of how social media works and first-hand experience with the main platforms. The most important is Facebook, with Twitter not far behind.
For businesses whose work can be depicted visually (designers, builders, hairdressers, and so on) Instagram and Pinterest may be important too, while LinkedIn can be relevant for professional and business-to-business services.
While you donāt need to be Shakespeare, you should be a competent writer, able to create content in a chatty, friendly style that is also appropriate to the image your client wants to project. A good visual design sense helps a lot as well.
And finally, you should have the ability to be diplomatic with visitors to your clientsā social media pages, especially when they post complaints. Pouring oil on troubled waters can be an important aspect of the job, though in some cases (e.g. dealing with trolls) you may need to be firm and decisive as well.
What Should You Charge?
In this field itās normal to charge a monthly fee. You can offer various levels of service and charge accordingly.
To give you an idea, Oxfordshire-based agency Social Sidekick offers a basic service (which they call The Small Package) for Ā£200 a month plus VAT, as follows:
No fixed term contract
7 unique posts per week
Up to 2 social platforms managed
Ā£10 per month on Facebook advertising (included within monthly fee)
Monthly report
Basic strategy
Social media resources pack
Account manager
At the other end of the scale, this is what they offer for Ā£380 a month plus VAT in The Big Package.
No fixed term contract
14 unique posts per week
Up to 4 social platforms managed
Ā£40 per month on Facebook advertising (included within monthly fee)
Monthly report
Social media strategy
Social media resources pack
Account manager
To get more ideas about fees and services, I recommend searching on Google for āSocial Media Management Servicesā. This should bring up a list of companies and individuals in this field, and advertisements for such companies as well. Spend some time comparing what they charge and what they offer in return.
Finding Clients
To operate successfully as a freelance social media manager you will need a blog or website and a strong social media presence yourself.
Itās then a matter of advertising your service through local media and/or contacting businesses directly to offer your services.
You can use traditional mailshots, telemarketing or emails to contact potential clients. Email Marketing Robot is a service I have used for the latter purpose myself and recommend. You can try it out free of charge via the website.
Another good strategy would be Facebook advertising. Facebook lets you target ads very precisely, based on geographical area and the profiles and interests of the people in question. Of course, your Facebook ads should look smart and professional, as this is one of the services you will most likely be offering to your clients.
In Conclusion
Social media management is an enjoyable and lucrative business to get into. You need only a handful of clients to make a substantial income, and they will go on on paying you month after month if they are happy with your service.
And while in this article I have focused on local businesses, as the actual work is done online there is no reason you couldnāt branch out nationally or even internationally as well.
With the seemingly endless rise of social media, demand for this type of service can only continue to grow in the years ahead. In my view, there has never been a better time than now for setting up a social media management service.
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In my last post I talked about how to make money using Instagram. Today Iām spotlighting another opportunity to make money with social media, this time using the popular Pinterest platform.
As you probably know, Pinterest is a pinboard-style social networking and publishing service. Users create boards where they share things they like from around the web, with everything represented through images (known as āpinsā).
The boards are effectively photo collages ā though you can (and should) add written descriptions as well.
The visual appeal of Pinterest is probably what caused its rapid growth and made it the fastest-ever website to reach 10 million visitors per month (there are now over 200 million active monthly users). It may also help to explain the particular popularity of the site among female web users.
From a marketing angle, however, the big attraction of Pinterest is that every pin can include a link back to your (or any) website.
If you run any sort of business, therefore, Pinterest is great for driving traffic to your blog or website. You can also use it to make money in other ways, e.g. affiliate marketing and sponsorship.
Opening an Account
If you donāt have a Pinterest account already, creating one is easy (and free). Just visit the Pinterest website, enter your email and password, and click on Continue. Alternatively you can register using your Facebook or Google account, by clicking on the relevant button.
Pinterest will then take you through configuring your account. You will need to provide a username. This must be unique, but you can change it later if you wish.
Creating your first board is then simply a matter of clicking on Create Board on your homepage and giving it a suitable name. You can have up to 500 boards in a Pinterest account, but to keep things manageable itās best to have no more than a dozen initially.
For money-making purposes itās best to have a broad theme for your account and a more specific focus for each board. For example, you could have an account dedicated to vegetarian cookery with boards devoted to starters, soups, casseroles, curries, cheese dishes, desserts, and so on.
Driving Traffic
Just like Instagram, which I discussed a few weeks ago, your first priority with Pinterest should be to build your follower count.
Your aim should be to create a large group of followers who engage regularly with you on the site. This will help attract potential sponsors and be advantageous if you aim to make money in other ways as well.
Here are nine tips to get the ball rolling…
As with other social networks like Twitter and Facebook, you can follow other Pinterest users. Search for other people in your niche and follow them. They will automatically be alerted that you are doing this, and many will follow you back.
You can also ārepinā updates from other members (just like retweeting on Twitter). Again, this will automatically alert the person you repinned.
Another good technique is adding hashtags to your descriptions, such as #fashiontips. Hashtags are used for searches on Pinterest ā so someone searching using āfashiontipsā would see your pin in their search results.
Commenting is also allowed on Pinterest, so use this to your advantage. Leave comments or questions on pins you like. The user concerned will see this, and is quite likely to check out your boards and start interacting with you. If you canāt think of anything to say, just click on āLikeā and again the board owner will be notified.
Link your Pinterest account to your Twitter and Facebook accounts from your Pinterest homepage. Then any time you add a new pin, you can easily link to it from these two sites as well.
Aim to have a minimum of five different boards, with at least five pins on each of them. This will ensure that when someone visits your Pinterest homepage, it looks busy and active. Any less than this will leave āemptyā boards and pins on display, which is a big turnoff for visitors.
Add new pins regularly, ideally two or three a day. Once you get into the habit this only takes a few moments.
Aim to create original, eye-catching images for your pins. This will help ensure they stand out from everyone elseās. You can use the online image-editing platforms Canva or PicMonkey (my personal favourite!) to help create such images.
One great way to make money is through sponsorship. This is where a company pays you to have their branding on your boards and/or individual pins.
Clearly you canāt expect to attract sponsors with only a handful of followers, but you donāt need massive numbers either. Roughly speaking, once you have 1000 Pinterest followers, especially if they are regularly engaging with you, companies may be interested in sponsoring you.
One popular (and free) platform for monetizing your account via sponsorship is Loop88. This site puts āpinnersā in touch with brands operating in the same niche. If a brand is interested in working with you they will send you a brief with details of what they want and what they are willing to pay you. In general, the more followers you have, the bigger the fee you can expect.
As mentioned last time, once you have 5000 followers you can also apply to be listed on Grapevine. This is a marketplace for content creators (also referred to as āinfluencersā) to earn potentially large sums working with household brands on campaigns.
It’s also well worth joining Facebook groups such as Influencer Opportunities, where requests for sponsored posts on Pinterest and other platforms are regularly posted. Opportunities are also posted on Twitter, where you should follow relevant hashtags such as #prrequest, #Pinterest, #influencers and #bloggerswanted.
Affiliate Marketing
As well as sponsored posts, you can make money through affiliate marketing. This involves encouraging people to click through to a merchantās website and getting commission on any purchases they make there.
For a while Pinterest banned affiliate links. but now they allow them again. You can therefore include links taking visitors directly to a merchant partnerās sales site (though you should disclose that you are using an affiliate link by putting #affiliate or similar in the description). Alternatively you could link from Pinterest to your own blog or website, and use affiliate links there.
Awin is one popular affiliate marketing platform and Shareasale is another. You could also use affiliate links from Amazon. The latter has the advantage that if someone visits Amazon via your link, you will get commission on every purchase they make while visiting the store.
Pinterest is also great for publicizing any other business you may have, especially if itās easy to represent visually. And it can be a valuable resource for promoting other sideline ventures, such as Kindle e-book writing and publishing.
Finally, you can advertise your Pinterest account as part of a package combined with Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to companies wanting to run wide-ranging social media campaigns. This type of cross-platform sponsorship deal is where the really big money lies.
Good luck, and happy pinning!
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Today Iām sharing a method of making money online that is truly open to anyone.
You can start this on a shoestring budget. No special skills are needed (beyond a little imagination). You can do it part-time to fit around your work and other commitments, and the potential earnings are unlimited.
Iām talking about designing and selling clothes and other products, from tee-shirts to tote bags, hoodies to coffee mugs. By designing I mean coming up with slogans and/or graphics to adorn these products that will appeal to a particular target market.
This opportunity has been opened up by web-based companies that allow you to design and sell your products online. They provide all the back-end services, including taking payments and fulfilling orders. They charge you a set fee for this, which is covered from the fee paid by your customer. You charge your customers a bit more, and your profit is (of course) the difference between the two.
Clearly, you wonāt make a fortune from a single sale. You can only charge what the market will bear, so your profit will typically be no more than a few pounds per item. Nonetheless, if you come up with a popular design, it may sell hundreds or even thousands of times. Even if you are only making Ā£2.50 per product, that could mean thousands of pounds flooding into your bank account for little or no extra work.
Selling on Teespring
Teespring is one of the best-known (and longest running) companies in this field. I have used their service myself and recommend it as a good place to start. The site is US-based and by default prices are shown in dollars, but you can easily sell to a UK audience as well.
As the name suggests, Teespring started off as a site for making tee-shirts, but you can now have your designs printed on a growing range of other products. These include sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags, coffee mugs, and even socks and leggings.
Anyone can join Teespring free of charge and use the powerful design tools on the website. There are lots of stock images and fonts available, and in general itās all pretty intuitive. Itās well worth having a play on the site to see what you can come up with.
As for the financial side, TeeSpring uses a crowdfunding model. The way it works is that you set up a ācampaignā for your shirt (or other product). This involves setting a target figure for total sales and a target period for this to be achieved (between 3 and 21 days). Only if you actually generate this number of orders before your deadline will payment be taken and the products printed and dispatched.
You might therefore think the target should be set as low as possible and in some ways youād be right. However, the drawback with this is that the unit cost per item is higher with small numbers, so your profit per sale will be lower. The higher you set your goal, by contrast, the more money you will make per sale, as long as you do actually achieve your target. Most people set a target between 10 and 50, and for your first campaign itās probably best to aim for the lower end of that range.
To give you some idea about what is selling well on Teespring, take a look at the TeeView website. This lists the current top-selling Teespring designs. At the time of writing the number one design (which is nothing special in my opinion) has sold over 17,000 copies!
Of course, Teespring isnāt the only company in this business. Others you may want to check out include CafePress, Zazzle and Spreadshirt. You can apply your designs to a huge range of products on all these sites, and they work in UK pounds rather than US dollars.
Or if you just want to focus on tee-shirts, the UK-based Teemill is worth a look. They have a number of cutting-edge features, including same-day shipping, custom packaging including your own logo (for premium members only) and a handwritten āthank youā note with every order.
Top Tips
Donāt try to create designs that appeal to everyone. Target a specific niche such as nurses, football fans, cat-lovers or gamers, and try to come up with something that will grab them.
Look for trending topics using social media and tools such as Google Trends. These subjects are often ripe for a product idea.
Donāt rely on the sites to sell your products for you when starting out. To prime the pump itās well worth spending a few pounds on Facebook advertising. This can be very cost-effective, as it allows you to precision target people in your chosen niche.
Spread the word about your designs by other means too, including blogging, online forums, social bookmarking sites such as Reddit, and your own social media accounts.
But if your product still doesnāt fly off the virtual shelves, donāt be too depressed. Cut your losses and try something else. Even big retailers such as Next and Marks & Spencer donāt hit the bullseye every time.
I hope in this post to have opened your eyes to the money-making potential in online product design. Itās quick and easy to do, and the risks are small. So why not sign up today at Teespring or one of the other sites mentioned and start work on your first best-seller?
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Iāve discussed matched betting a few times on this blog. To recap, itās a way of making risk-free (and tax-free) cash by taking advantage of bookmaker special offers and promotions.
The summer is typically a quiet time for matched betting, but come next month all that is going to change. I am, of course, talking about the World Cup in Russia, which kicks off on June 14, 2018.
To be clear, you donāt have to be a big football fan to look forward to this. No, the reason to anticipate the World Cup so keenly is the host of money-making opportunities it will present for matched bettors.
For one thing, the bookies will be pulling out all the stops to attract new clients and get current and former clients back onside. I expect to see a torrent of offers on the World Cup in the next few weeks, followed by many more during the month the tournament is running. All of this gives the potential to generate substantial risk-free profits by applying matched betting principles.
Finding the best opportunities and calculating the required stakes isnāt easy if you are working alone, especially if time is at a premium. I therefore recommend signing up with my favourite matched betting advisory service, Profit Accumulator. I will talk about this in more detail later on. But let’s start with some tips and advice on making the most of the money-making opportunities the tournament presents…
Preparing for Russia 2018
First and foremost, plan ahead. Once the tournament starts there will be a hectic daily schedule, so arm yourself with a planner (all the main daily and Sunday newspapers will publish one) and do as much preparation as you can beforehand.
If you are already involved in matched betting, or planning to start, one key requirement is to ensure you have as much money as possible in your exchange/s, so you can lay bets as required. My favourite exchange is Smarkets for its low commission fees, but the best-known is (of course) Betfair.
Here are a few more tips for making the most of Russia 2018 with matched betting…
Keep a close eye on your email and SMS, as many good offers are sent by bookmakers this way. Some of the best offers are sent to selected customers only and not advertised on bookie websites or available generally.
It’s also good to check out weekly bet clubs. An example is the Sky Bet Club. This is available every week. If you bet a total of Ā£25.00 across any sport in any market with odds of evens or above before midnight on Sunday, Sky Bet will give you a Ā£5.00 free bet before 7 pm on Monday to use on any sport. By applying matched betting principles you should be able to make a risk-free profit of around Ā£3 from this every week.
Refund offers are popular with bookmakers at the moment and should be good money-makers in the World Cup. These vary but generally involve getting a refund if a certain event or outcome happens, e.g. the crossbar is hit during a game or a match ends as a 0-0 draw. The normal way to play these is to back and lay the relevant market. If the trigger event then occurs you will get your stake refunded by the bookie and also win at the exchange, for a good net profit. If it doesn’t, you will make a (very) small loss.
Price boosts are another easy money maker. If a bookmaker boosts the price of a certain outcome, you may be able to lay it for shorter odds at an exchange and guarantee yourself a net profit.
2 Up (various bookmakers) and 4 Means More (William Hill) are two more good opportunities for football bettors – though they work best if you can bet during the match itself, so you can trade out if in profit. Like refunds, these opportunities don’t always pay out, and if not you will make a small loss. Unlike refunds, however, you can generally do them even if you are gubbed (banned from offers). And there is no maximum stake, so winnings can be substantial. I shan’t go into any more detail in this post, but you can find out more about 2 Up here and 4 Means More here.
If you belong to a matched betting advisory service such as Profit Accumulator, look out for the regular emails they send out with information about offers on the day in question.
More About Profit Accumulator
Profit Accumulator is the marched betting advisory service I use myself and recommend to others. It is suitable both for those brand new to matched betting and for experienced matched bettors.
You can join PA free initially and they will provide details of two bookmaker offers you can take advantage of straight away. These should make you around Ā£45 in net profit. If you wish to proceed further, you can then pay to become a Platinum member and get access to the full range of offers and services. These include an odds-matching tool and calculator for finding profitable bets to use with bookmaker offers and maximizing your returns from them.
A further advantage of joining Profit Accumulator is that you get access to the busy members-only forum, where you can get any questions you may have answered by more experienced members and/or the team behind PA.
If you think matched betting may be for you, I therefore highly recommend that you click through to the Profit Accumulator website to see what they offer and sign up for the free trial. By joining today you will be perfectly placed to take advantage of the flood of bookmaker offers likely to appear in the next few weeks.
As ever, if you have any questions or comments about matched betting or Profit Accumulator, please do post them below.
Disclosure: As well as being a member of Profit Accumulator I am also an affiliate for them. If you join and become a paying member after following any of the links in this post, I will receive a commission for introducing you. This does not affect in any way the cost of the service to you or the benefits you receive.
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