Thursday, January 8, 2009
I am officially a MILPH (pronounced MILF!)
Gift Give-Away until Jan. 31
To your wealth, health and happiness,
xx Alicia
Friday, September 26, 2008
Creative Money Technique numero uno!
Ok, here you have it - Creative Money Technique numero uno! It's something I do that generates 1500$ of income a month - with little effort.
Okay, unless you live under a rock, you have no-doubt heard that the World's economy is in a bit of a melt-down. Not everyone is worried though, like Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, and moi - because I just got creative. (You guys must know me by now - I thrive on challenges!)
With the sub-prime loan crisis, people are losing their homes by the droves. This actually creates a unique opportunity: a hot rental market (because people have been forced out of their homes and purchasing a home is more difficult) and great real estate deals (one of my clients is buying a short-sale condo in Vegas for 210K, it was valued at 550K two years ago.)
So, this Creative Money Technique is to capitalize on the former - a hot rental market!
You don't need another investment/rental property to capitalize on the hot rental market - just look no further than that spare bedroom with the boxed x-mas tree and wrapping paper, or that unfinished basement vying for some TLC.
Those SPACES are money-makers; they just don't know it yet...
Here of some examples of "thinking outside the box" and making money on SPACE...
This is called profiting from pain. The pain for Wimbledon fans = no parking. The solution = provide parking and profit.
(Why do you think bottles of H2O at Disneyland and other theme parks are like 5 bucks? They're profiting from our pain, baby!) 2. A friend rents out her spare bedroom to a business man who comes into town once a month. Interestingly enough, the business man sometimes doesn't come for months on end, or when he does it's for a day a so. He just wants a physical address to receive packages.
So my friend is getting a monthly check without anyone really being there.
3. A couple who has a large 2 bedroom house, but wanted to make better use of the space. So they particle-boarded off two extra rooms to rent out to foreign exchange students. The rent from the foreign exchange students pays 2/3rds of their mortgage.
4. A financial savvy women who will be an empty nester next fall when her last child leaves for college. Her large beautiful home in Marin is almost paid for, and she is converting her basement into a turn-key flat with a separate entrance. She will live rent-free and the rent she receives from her beautiful home will be a significant source of income.
5. One of my girlfriends, who is also a single mom, rents out her extra room to another single mom. Instead on money, her renter provides day-care and domestic duties.
6. A college student who bought a 4-bedroom house and rents out 3 of the bedrooms. Her mortgage is paid for by the rent.
These stories motivated me to simplify and cut costs. So I now rent out my extra bedroom to female Korean international students. I am completely pleased with the situation, as they provide company for me and my daughter when they are here, but most of the time they are at school or traveling on weekends.
Besides, I get a kick out of other people contributing to the mortgage bucket each month. That way I can take my extra savings and apply it to my personal goals - like living the entire summer in Europe next year.
So, you want to make money on SPACE? Here are a few steps:
1) Take inventory of where you live. Is there something - an extra bedroom, storage unit, garage - that would be more valuable rented out rather than just used as a place to store junk?
2) Take inventory of the city you live. Every city has some sort of redeeming qualities that make it sought after. Is it a college town? A tourist destination? A business center? Scenic?
Commuting difference from a major city or landmark? This is how you will market your space and find potential renters.
3) Research how much money you can charge for your offering. (Check out similar postings on craigslist, etc.)
4) Put all three together and rent it out. Cha-ching...
Ok, now you are one step closer to your vacation in the Bahamas or trekking the Himalayas...
Friday, September 19, 2008
ambition... sin or virtue??
A few weeks ago I was in LA lying out on my girlfriend's couch after a fun, yet exhaustive week at Disneyland.
"Since when has ambition become a virtue - not a sin?"
%$#*! I never knew it was a sin.
Like many people I know, I have always been ambitious. I mean, for me it's always "doing this, doing that." Going here, 'goal'ing there. Ambition is like having air in my lungs - it gives me a kick in my step, like a bit of lavender oil. Truthfully, it's been a driving force since I did my first 'bucket list' when I was in 7th grade, which read something like:
Travel around the world-
Swim the Great Barrier Reef in Australia- Be a fashion model- Be an oceanographer- Feed the children-Etc.-
So, going back to ambition. Is it a sin? Well, maybe sin-like, if I trampled over other people, small animals, and children to get to my goals, like how Tonya Harding ruffed up Nancy Kerrington on her way to Olympic Gold. (oh no she didn't! oh yes I did... brings back memories, huh?)
Sometimes I get the odd question like "did you use Rich Men to get the material for your book." (which I can totally understand some people thinking.) Of course, I say NO because after I decided to write my book, I told everyone I dated about my book. And, in almost every case, that would lead to an interesting conversation, in which my dates would give me sound bites and their advice on chapter titles... "No, you should name it this!". And it was actually one of the men I dated who encouraged me to write the book.
So I will continue being ambitious, while doing my best to keep everyone happy and adding 'good ' to the world. (and remember 'good' is relative.)
It was Dr. Wayne Dyer that said, while pointing to his mostly bald head with a few white tufts, "This is A LOT of hair in a bowl of soup."
It's all perspective, baby!!!!!
xoxoxox
Alicia
Love your emails as always!!
BTW...
Join my FB page... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562050966
Follow me on Twitter... http://twitter.com/AliciaDunams
india or bust...
It may sound like all I do is travel and date. Au Contraire mon frère …
I do work, a lot actually, but it doesn't feel like work, cause I'm doing what I love - I am a business coach, a success coach, if you will, and I help my clients take their dreams and make them a reality, by helping them focus and execute, with a whip-in-hand, take-no-prisoners, type of approach.
I started my business shortly after Goal Digger came out, as I found I had the natural inclination to motivate and charge people up, and so my business has grow exponentially.
So, one of my clients, Connie Umbenhower is currently making her dreams a reality. In four months, she has gone from Internet Technology Director to author (her book The Deity Diet comes out next month) and founder of Himalayan Boot Camp (http://www.himalayanbootcamp.com), a wellness travel company. She has also already been on TV!!
Her inaugural all-inclusive Himalayan Boot Camp will be October 25-November 1, in the foothills of the Himalayas on a 1600 acre tea plantation. She has some *screaming deals*, so check out the website for the luxurious wellness program she has created.
I will be going on this inaugural trip, and I am completely ecstatic! I think we all need cathartic travel outings, like this one, to regroup and focus on what truly matters. It gives us time to relax, focus on personal growth, but also the time to be creative in dreaming up and visualizing our life’s goals.
And I know what some of you may be thinking... "OMG, I don't have any money." "The economy is in the toilet. I just can't." “I don't have the time!" Well, that kind of thinking often times keeps you in that 'stuck mode’... maybe in a job you hate, a relationship you are not happy with, and otherwise in a deep, down dirty FUNK. Does that sound like you? Isn’t it time to get unstuck?
Since I hear these concerns often, beginning tomorrow, I will send out my 5 Creative Money Techniques to FIND and SAVE money. I say FIND because money is out there; you just need to open your eyes to receive the abundance. Look for the #1 Creative Money Technique tomorrow!
Stay tuned,
Alicia Dunams
http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/#/profile.php?id=562050966&ref=profile
Thursday, August 14, 2008
my date with an ex-pat, Part 2
the ex-pat. He is still tall, good-looking and very much an
eligible bachelor, but, alas, he is back in England, as of
yesterday. A couple of you emailed me and asked where I meet such a
fine-looking thing, and I say with a red face: Craigslist (CL).
I know, I know. Craigslist is for desperate, lonely people right?
Well, I was desperate and lonely back in England a couple months
back, after coming back from my cousin's wedding where there so
much 'love and ceremony' in the air. (Bah humbug! LOL! Just kidding!)
So, I put an ad on Craigslist - it read 'American Girl in London',
and holy moly, within minutes, I was flooded with emails from some
fantastic male candidates. I mean, I've done CL in SF one or two
times and nothing, and here I am in London getting emails from
CEOs, entrepreneurs, Hedge Fund managers, barristers, etc. (I am
surprised I didn't get something from the Prime Minister). So I was
contacted by some major heavy contenders, including my ex-pat. (I
also got a few obscene pictures and someone offering to suck my
toes... so not all good, but pretty impressive in regards to CL
standards.)
Many of you may not know this, but I have been single for three
years! Other than Mr. Rich - whom I talk about extensively in Goal
Digger - and that was anything but a regular, loving relationship.
Far from it...
So, my friends, I am ready to turn a new leave and give love a
chance, and Mr. Ex-pat may have entered into an auspicious
situation.... Alicia Dunams wanting to settle down.
OMG, say it ain't so!!
Yes, I know, I know it's been only two dates, yet I approached it a
bit differently than from other dates in the past three years: I
decided not to tell him about my book. The reason: I find that fact
about me scares men off a bit... or I can definitely say it
separates the men and the boys. Since the publishing of Goal
Digger, it seems that only older, wealthy gentlemen can handle my
sass and gumption, while younger, regular-type guys systemically
"head for the hills."
Nonetheless, after Date 2, I ended up sending him a text message
about my book, as I felt dishonest holding that fact back. So I
figured I may not hear back from him. But I did.
So, on another note, the ink is drying on my Korean publishing
deal, and in celebration I am offering a 'two-fer' deal: Two Goal
Digger books for the price of one - both autographed. Go to
http://www.goaldigger.com and enter 'two-fer' or 'two for' - they
both work, to get your books TODAY.
Also, email me with questions. And I love your feedback: I read
every last one of my emails. Keep them coming....
Follow me on
Join my FB page... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562050966
Follow me on Twitter... http://twitter.com/AliciaDunams
Regards and Kindness,
Alicia
P.S. And, as for the ex-pat, I'll keep you posted.
237 Kearny Street #174, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Monday, August 4, 2008
Men like Goal Digger too!
What you're doing is great! Even us non millionaire men can learn from this. Thanks!