Today at Techie Youth I learned how to create and sell digital art for a profit. Selling digital art does not require nearly as much expertise as other technological crafts. Anyone, regardless of artistic background has a shot in the field of digital arts. It is a fun way to learn and grow as an artist while also making some income on the side. However, if you plan to make profit from selling digital art, you must put in lots of time, effort, and dedication to make your artwork stand out to your target audience. Digital arts is not limited to drawing and sketching. There are various ways to generate digital artwork. For example, if you like editing and photography, you can retouch and manipulate images and photos as well as utilize filters to make them stand out. You can trace images and color them to make a beautiful colorful art piece, or you can even do video art. There are also several ways in which digital arts can deliver their work to the customers. The artwork can be printed out and sent to customers directly or it can be electronically transferred to the customer. Selling printed art typically have a higher earning margin than selling art delivered electronically. Digital artists also have a variety of softwares to choose from to create their art. These softwares include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, Inkscape, GIMP, Keira, and Paint.net. Another outlet to earn income through computer designed products is fashion. Fashion is a universal interest and being able to combine elements of technology and fashion can really make your designs stand out. Fashion designers can either use their artwork on traditional clothing through processes such as screen printing and bleach drawing or they can add lights and sparkles by utilizing computer programs and circuits. Many designers and engineer use CADs to get a realistic view of their products before actually investing and creating them. This helps them visualize how the product may turn out and whether or not it’s what they’ve imagined for it to look like. Wearables are also growing in popularity with fashion trends such as tech wear gaining more traction. Wearables are clothing, jewelry, or any accessories that have an added electronic element to it. Wearables typically require the use of circuits, LEDs, and programming.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to repurpose old electronic items that are no longer in use into new functioning products. Old electronics usually get thrown out and ends up as waste, hence it is more environmentally friendly to repurpose these old electronics. Aside being environmentally conscious, repurposing old technology is fairly inexpensive. Because many of the equipment used in this retrofit is unwanted electronics, they tend to go for very cheap or even free. The purpose of repurposing is not to spend and try to earn a profit out of it but rather to put use into something unwanted to decrease the amount of electronic waste we are putting out. You can find unwanted old technology through donations, Craigslist, garage sales, or even in the trash. Although retrofitting is quite inexpensive, it does take some basic knowledge about electronics and circuit building to get started. It would be advised for individuals to educate themselves on at least the basic components of electronics and building circuits before they get into retrofitting technology. Retrofitting also requires individuals to take safety precautions due to working with high voltage and electronically powered objects. Not take the correct precautions can cause short wiring and electrocution. To utilize old technology, first see if the product works when plugged in. If it works look into the market to see the demand for a product that it can be repurposed into. For example, if you have an old television, you can either retrofit it into a more modern yet vintage version of a television or repurpose it into a whole other product. Even if the old technology does not work, it may contain parts that are valuable and in demand. Or you can use the parts of a non working machine for retrofitting a working machine. Conversely, if not a single part of the machine works, see if you can repurpose the shell of the machine into something creative and useful. Some ways to go about retrofitting old technology is through salvaging, upcycling, and repurposing.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to build and sell robotic products. Robotic products refers to projects created from functional objects that can be put together in order to create something that works like a machine. Robotic products can be interacted with manually or through programmable microcontrollers. Some robotic products require background in engineering or computer sciences, however, there are many that are beginner friendly. When using electronic parts and connecting electrically powered objects, you must be very careful and take precautions due to high voltage. One way to make money from robot products is to create your own functional object out of smaller components. Raspberry pi and Arduino both sell programmable prototyping boards that you can power your project and with. Both Raspberry pi and Arduino have user-friendly boards that are less expensive than brand name circuit boards. Along with the circuit board, you will need some other components to interact with the board in order to build a functional project. Some project ideas that can be replicated using an Arduino board include a blink LED, a push button to turn on and off a LED, a potentiometer to control the resistance of a LED, a fade LED to control the brightness and intensity of an LED, etc. Beginner projects using a Raspberry pi are similar to the ones using Arduino, they include adding a button, controlling LED lights, and building an alarmed motion sensor. You can find electronic kits to kick start your project on sites like eBay, Adafruit, Mouser Electronics, RobotDyn, etc. Another way to earn a profit from robotic products is to sell kits that can replicate a project. If you find building robotic products and coming with new ideas on how to be creative with electronic parts, you may find an electronic engineering career to be a fit for you.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about laser cutting and how I can earn money from it. Laser cutting can be used to make both 3D and 2D objects by cutting into a specific material and putting together the laser-cut parts using glue or adhesives. Laser cutting can also be used to engrave specific items such as pendants, coasters, or jewelry. Before getting started on laser cutting software, you should plan out your design by first assembling it with paper or cardstock. This allows you to get a sense of how your design will pan out. Also, determine the laser cutting software and service you plan to use based on your design. Some software is geared more towards specific areas of laser-cutting. Similar to a 3D printing business, you can outsource your designs to a laser-cutting company to cut down initial start-up costs. Two companies that you can outsource your laser-cut designs to are Ponoko and Sculpteo. You may also utilize makerspaces to use shared equipment to print out your designs. Buying your own laser cutter can be very expensive, especially with all the other equipment needed to run a laser-cutting business. It should be advised to get your own laser cutter once your business has been quite established and has earned enough revenue for your company to purchase and own a laser cutter without any financial issues. There are plenty of software packages available for laser cutting. These packages are provided by Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD, Inkscape, LibreCAD, and CorelDraw. Adobe Illustrator is geared more toward 2D vector drawings while AutoCAD is geared more toward 3D rendering. Inkscape is a free-to-use software for vector drawing. LibreCAD is an open-source 2D CAD software. Lastly, CorelDraw focuses on graphical designs and applications.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about outsourcing 3D print jobs to cut costs. Last week I learned about the various programs I could use to create 3D or 2D designs for 3D printing; however, designing the product and printing it may take some time and effort, especially if my company is just starting out. Hence, a way to cut down the initial costs is to outsource my 3D prints to a third-party company to save some time. Since 3D printing can require hours and is costly, outsourcing can be a helpful way to lift the weight off of start-up companies and eliminate troubleshooting errors. Once the company becomes more established and grows its customer base, then they can think about printing the designs themselves. When outsourcing your 3D designs, there are two different types of printing services. There are primarily 3D printing services (additive manufacturing) and on-demand manufacturing platforms (additive and subtractive manufacturing). Additive services only provide 3D printing while on-demand manufacturing provides 3D printing, laser engravings, CNC milling, etc. Some of the top services that focus on 3D printing include Beamler, Kraftwurx, i.Materialise, Shapeways, and Sculpteo. Some services that provide on-demand manufacturing include Fictiv, 3Diligent, Hubs, 3ERP, and Protolabs. Treatstock is a site that finds individuals that own 3D printers that are willing to manufacture your 3D designs for a potentially lower cost. CraftCloud and 3DCompare are sites that allow you to upload your 3D design, get quick quotes, and compare prices to get the best pricing fit for you. Once you feel like you have enough to invest in your own 3D printer, you may utilize it to cut down on outsourcing fees and reduce the per-unit costs of printing your designs. You may also offer to help manufacture other designers' designs to earn a bit more profit.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about three more 3D printing software applications. I learned about Autodesk Meshmixer, AutoCAD by Autodesk, and Solidworks. Of the three Solidworks is considered the more challenging one to learn. AutoCAD is one of the more pricey 3D printing programs. Meshmixer is fun and easy to use because it gives individuals a block of clay to sculpt. Meshmixer is also a free program. Despite its ease of use, Meshmixer contains several tools to meet the needs of your 3D printing. Some of its tools include drag and drop functions for mesh mixing, 3D sculpting and surface stamping, 3D patterns and lattices, hollowing, remeshing, mesh smoothing, mirroring, etc. In my opinion for individuals that are just starting 3D printing, I feel like Meshmixer, TinkerCAD, and Blender would be better options because they are free programs. These free programs allow companies and individuals to test the waters before investing in a costly 3D printing service such as AutoCAD. AutoCAD allows its users to create both 2D and 3D designs but charges an annual cost of over $1500. The program allows for drawing comparisons, blocks, scheduler, etc. Lastly, Solidworks is the more challenging of the three programs I learned about today. Its features include a cloud connection, powerful parametric modeling, an online community, and a full online design with no need for downloads. Solidworks charges $99 a year or $9.99 a month for its services.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about starting a technological business and selling computer-designed products. Setting up a technological business is very similar to setting up a brick-and-mortar store. Both need to calculate the amount put into creating the products and advertising and subtract costs from revenue. Selling computer-designed products is an easy way to earn income as it requires minimal skills. Some skills required to sell computer-generated products include reading, writing, technological skills, and math. Individuals might also want to gain some marketing and advertising skills if they want to get their products out to a larger audience. Selling computer-designed products online is similar to selling any other products online. The first step is to choose a product to sell and learn how to create it. Next is to open an e-commerce store where you can sell your product. The next steps are just to ensure to have inventory, complete and take orders, provide customer services, purchase tools and materials, create new products, and market your brand. Before investing in the business, you must brainstorm and plan how you're going to run your business and whether the business is going to succeed based on similar businesses. The brainstorming process must include identifying the need of the business, risk analysis, and inspiration. The planning process should include project descriptions, a list of tools and consumables needed to create and sell the product, skills needed, a sale channel, and budget costs. I also learned about 3D printing. One way to sell a computer-generated product is through 3D printing. In order to do 3D printing, one must learn to use software specific to the task, purchase materials needed to create the designs, as well as have a customer base to purchase the product. Two software applications I learned about today for 3D printing are TinkerCad and Blender. Both software is free to use. TinderCad can be used for simple designs and is very beginner friendly. Blender is geared more towards curvy and blobby shapes. Blender is also used as an art and game development software.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about Snapchat and how I can use the app to earn a profit. Snapchat is an image and video-sharing media application that allows its users to snap and send pictures and videos to friends and followers that disappear after a certain time. Some trending niches on Snapchat are beauty, fitness, and gadgets. Similar to other social media applications, one must rely on quality content and views to promote their brands. With no content and no viewers, there will be no brand promotion. Hence, before even deciding to sell a good or service, snap chatters must identify their target audience and analyze the content that they will be posting to promote their product and/or services. To get more views and followers make sure to invite contacts and share your Snapcode to get your brand out to more people, create viral content using filters and AR, create engaging content, and stay active. You can profit from Snapchat by becoming a Snapchat influencer, enabling Snap ads, creating your own Geofilters or lenses, and through affiliate marketing. After learning about earning on Snapchat, I combined everything I learned in the social themes unit and applied it to the end of the unit assignment. The assignment had me create a community group, build my following, and share my experiences at Techie Youth through postings. I chose to do this through Pinterest as I recently created a business account on the site to grow my photography. I created a small ad and a posting describing the focus of Techie Youth and my experience with the program.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how I can make revenue on two social media applications, Twitter and Pinterest. Twitter allows individuals to share ("tweet") news and media. Similar to previous media apps that I learned about through Techie Youth such as Facebook and Instagram, Twitter users are encouraged to create niche accounts if they're looking to earn a profit from the app. Creating niche accounts, allows the user or brand to target a more specific and defined audience. The trending niche topics for Twitter are slightly different compared to apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok's trending niches include health, beauty, cooking, and lifestyle while Twitter focuses more on world news, sports, and celebrities (as well as health). Like other social media apps, in order to make revenue on Twitter, one must grow their account by tweeting frequently, posting during peak hours, using visual aids, hashtagging, and engaging with other tweeters. Individuals can make money on Twitter through sponsored tweets, affiliation, and monetizing their presence. Another app that users can earn extra profit from is Pinterest. Pinterest is an image-sharing social media app that allows its users to share ideas and interests through pins and boards. Trending niches on Pinterest include home decor, fashion, travel, and quotes. In order to succeed in making a profit on Pinterest, one should have at least 10-15 boards, utilize high-quality visuals, and use keywords. Pinners can earn money on Pinterest by selling their product that relates to the theme of their Pinterest profile, creating paid courses, monetizing their knowledge, and using affiliates.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to gain followers and earn profit through TikTok. TikTok is one of the largest video-sharing platforms and many individuals use the app to build their brand by gaining a loyal following. Similar to other social media apps such as Instagram, TikTok pages work best when focused on a specific niche and creating content that is curated towards that niche. One goal of nearly all TikTok creators is to get their video on the "For You Page" which is the page that shows up once you open the app, videos on the For You Page usually gain more likes and interactions amongst TikTok users. Popular niches on TikTok include fitness, comedy, music, and memes. In order to bring in more followers, creators should create an eye-catching profile, choose a niche that they're interested in, post high-quality videos, create engaging videos/content, participate in trends, etc. In order to earn a profit on TikTok, one must earn sponsorships and brand deals, sell products, or use TikTok ads. Another application that is widely popular, especially in China, is WeChat. WeChat is a super-app that incorporates online banking, e-commerce, instant messaging, video calling, and more into one app. It is a very convenient and effective way for individuals to go about their daily routines using only one app. Individuals can also earn a profit from WeChat by selling knowledge, products, and services through WeChat's in-app stores. One of the biggest social media applications is Facebook. Facebook allows its users to create groups curated towards specific niches such as beauty, fitness, and cooking. Facebook groups can be public, closed, or secret. To earn revenue from Facebook, one must build a Facebook page/group and engage the audience in order to earn brand deals and sponsorships or become affiliate marketers for programs such as Rakuten Marketing Affiliates and Amazon affiliate marketing.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to earn revenue on the side through Instagram. I can earn a profit by growing and marketing my business on Instagram. I can do this by including my business email, website, and other social media sites on my Instagram page to promote more traffic flow for my company. I can also partner with influencers and brands to reach a larger audience and promote my brand. Websites like Fohr, Grapevine, and indaHash allow businesses to partner with influencers and brands to promote a business's products or services. Businesses can also buy followers, interactions, and shoutouts from sites like buysellshoutouts.com and plughype.com. An Instagram page with a larger following and more interactions usually does better in the market. Another way to earn revenue through Instagram is by buying niche pages at wholesale prices, flipping them, and reselling them at retail value on sites like fameswap.com. Owners of niche pages that are not being monetized and are not doing well are often willing to sell their pages for a small profit to individuals looking to flip the pages. The individuals that buy these pages by them at wholesale price and flip them by continuously posting and engaging the target audience as well as monetizing the niche page by selling merchandise, offering services, partnering with influencers and/or brands, or through affiliated marketing. These individuals then decide whether they want to keep this niche page and continue promoting it or resell it at retail price. Either way, flipping these niche pages ensures that a profit is being made. This method is very similar to that of real estate where agencies buy a run-down property, put the time and effort into remodeling it, and then sell it at a price that covers the cost of buying and remodeling the property, hence making revenue. The idea of flipping niche pages is quite interesting because I never knew there was a market for that before learning it through Techie Youth.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about Twitter advertising. I learned that similar to Instagram and Facebook, there are various methods of advertising on Twitter and several ways to make a profit from the app. Some ways of advertistising include promoted tweets, promoted accounts, and promoted trends. These promoted content simply means that they are sponsored and paid to be displayed by the advertiser. In order to advertise on Twitter, one must have a Twitter ad account and choose the objective for advertising. You can earn money on Twitter through ads, sponsored tweets, affiliate marketing, and selling your own product. It is also advised that before attempting to advertise and make profit, you should decide on a niche that appeals to a target audience of your interest. The same goes for social media theme pages including that of Instagram niche pages. A niche page is a theme page focused on one specific topic. Topics such as health, beauty, and travel are popular niches on Instagram. It is also important to learn how to edit photos in order to make the images of your niche page more coherent and aesthetic. Another important tip is to continuously engage with your target audience and followers as well as post regularly.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about Facebook ads and Instagram ads. I learned about the requirements for advertising on Facebook and tips to make my ad more effective. In order to advertise on Facebook, you might need a Facebook business account and the Facebook Business Manager. There are also various types of advertising techniques on Facebook including image ads, video ads, poll ads, carousel ads, slideshow ads, etc. Each method of advertising may appeal to different types of advertising. For example, for online shopping, companies may prefer to utilize collection or instant experience ads due to their visual appeal and ease of access. There are many ways to make profit from Facebook besides advertising products and services. Fan subscriptions, affiliated links/ sponsorships, stars, and paid online events can all be used to make a profit on the social media app. Another application that supports advertising is Instagram. Similar to Facebook, in order to advertise on Instagram, you must have a business account. Instagram also has several advertising methods that are very similar to those of Facebook (image, collections, stories, carousel). By advertising on Instagram, you can reach out to a target audience that may help to expand your brand and you can make a profit from individuals who purchase your products from the ads on your Instagram business account. Hashtags are also very useful assets to make your post accessible to the target audience because it groups topics together using the crosshatch symbol (#). By simply clicking on a hashtag, you can find posts about a specific topic or product that you're interested in. Hashtags also allow individuals to see what topics or products are trending.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about patents. Patents are intellectual property that excludes others from selling, making, or using the invention created by the owner. Patents do not generate income. In order for a patent to make profit, the owner has to market and sell the invention themselves, license the patent for use by others, or sell the patent. Marketing and selling the product by the owner themselves would generate the most profit, however, it may be the longest and more difficult route of the three. This would be very rewarding if the invention ends up being successful. Licensing a patent generates passive income as the owners/ creators are not the ones directly selling the product. However, the owner of the product earns a royal fee for each product that sells by one of their licensed patents. Selling a patents is a way to make fast but short lived profit. A patent may be sold for $1000 but it may have the potential to earn more than that in the long run. An affiliation is when a company pays individuals or other companies a commission in order to generate more sells and interest in their products and/or services.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about different ways to trade, sell, and buy intangibles which include trading and selling digital collectible cards, cryptocurrency, and selling copyrights and trademarks. I learned that you can make a profit by selling more sought after digital sports trading cards in platforms like ebay. However, pulling more exclusive cards from applications such as Topps BUNT is rare and often costly. Hence to make a profit from trading cards and collectibles, one must have a fairly high budget and be willing to test their luck. Similar concepts can be said for cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is a fairly new and growing way to make passive income and is a form of investment for the future. However, with great possibilities and opportunities comes great risks. Because cryptocurrency is a fairly new idea and concept, it has not been fully tested yet and no one really knows which direction cryptocurrency may head in the near future. Cost and value of cryptocurrency also varies greatly and is somewhat unpredictable. One way to protect ones work is by copyrighting and trademarking. Copyright and trademarking your work ensures that others can not use it without consent or permission from the original creator. It's a way to protect an individual's invention, artwork, music, etc so that no one can take or steal the work and use it as their own. If someone infringes on these copyrighted and trademarked works, they can be sued for great sums of money.
Today at Techie Youth I learned what a business model is and how to create an effective business model. A business model is a business plan that deals with making a profit by identifying a target audience, expenses, marketing, and revenue. A business model would be considered effective when the company's revenue exceeds its expenses. A business has to take into account pricing and costs in its business model. Higher consumer prices and lower inventory costs will be the most ideal to ensure a greater gross income. There are several types of business models including direct sales, franchising, advertising-based, brick and mortar, as well as combination models. I also learned about earning income by buying and selling domain names. You can make a profit from domain names by selling them for a set price, through an auction, and customer offers. However, there are several risks from investing in domains. Some risks include liquidity, subjectivity, and legality. Domain names may be difficult to sell because the right buyer does not come often. Some sellers do not sell their domains for months or even years. The prices of domain names also vary a lot depending on the domain and seller. On the legal side, domains that are too close to a trademarked name may result in a lawsuit. Hence, with the rewards of selling a domain name comes the risks of owning unsold ones for a prolonged period.
Today at Techie Youth I learned what email marketing is and how important it is to utilize consumer emails to effectively run my own business. Email marketing is divided into categories that include pop-ups and opt-ins, referral programs, sponsorships, user-generated content, partnerships, etc. I learned that each of these techniques are ways to get potential customers to share and provide their emails so that I can build an audience for my product and advertise my company's sales and business to a target audience. On this note, there are also many methods of effective advertising which include referrals, social media, organic and paid searches, and emails. I learned that in order to determine whether my advertising is effective, I'd have to look at the advertising metrics. In Google, the advertising metrics takes into account the total site traffic, bounce rate, page value, impressions, clicks, etc. These components all go into determining how effective my advertising is. Today I also learned what a sales funnel is. A sales funnel is the steps that an individual takes to become a customer. It is important to understand my sales funnel when running my own business because I would want to see what draws customers in and what causes customers to leave and then change my business model accordingly to ensure a higher conversion rate and lower retention rate. Lastly, I learned that subscription-based and membership sites can be very effective in monetizing a skill or knowledge. There are many types of membership models which include a continual model, an all-in-one model, fixed term, freemium model, etc. The most common ones I've seen are the freemium model and all-in-one models.
Today at Techie Youth I continued to learn the various methods to earn money online by creating and selling goods and assets. Yesterday I learned about creating and selling e-books, webinars, online courses, podcasts, and stock photos. Today, I learned about creating and selling video games, video game assets, WordPress themes, music, and social media AR filters. There are many ways to go about creating video games and being a developer of a hit video game can earn you lots of money. However, many companies and developers have to start small as indie game developers. It isn't until their game has reached a level of potential with a large player base and consistent updates that it starts earning more income. I was also surprised to discover the website Itch.io from today's lesson because it does not require developers to set a price for their game, it is mainly a site game developers use to test their potential for their developed games. I like the idea of this site because it creates a community of game developers and game enthusiasts to both create and test out completed games and games that are still in development for no cost at all. Therefore, if a game fails, there are fewer repercussions as opposed to sites that make developers pay a fee to host their games and take a percentage of the revenue. I also had no idea that companies and developers can sell their video game assets. It was interesting to see that game assets can be sold in packs or individually and be used by other people for a small price. Today's lesson was also very informative because I learned a bit of coding from the WordPress themes category and I have never been taught or learned to code before, hence it was very informative to be to learn something new like that as a skill for the future. The AR filters were also pretty interesting as it creates a fun and learning-fueled method to earn potential income.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to earn income online by creating digital merchandise to sell online. Products and services such as e-books, webinars, online courses, podcasts, and stock photos can all be sold online to earn income. However, in order to sell these products and services online, I have to put work into creating them. I cannot simply sell someone else's e-book or photography and expect to earn income from that. I have to be able to publish my own e-book, record my own podcast, create my own lesson plan, and take my own photos in order to make an earning by selling them. Hence today's lesson was very informative because it lead me through several processes such as formatting and publishing my own e-book. It also provided helpful tips such as which sites or applications would work best for my e-book, podcast, online courses, and stock videos. It provided the pros and cons and even the financial aspects and potential earnings from some of the sites. One digital good that really appealed to me was selling stock photos. I really like photography and tend to take pictures whenever I go. Before today's lesson, I did not know that I can earn money from selling my photographs to a stock photo company (albeit not much earnings/ income). Now maybe in the future I can create a stock photo portfolio and try to profit off my photographs.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to look for good employees by determining my management style for my business and how my personality can play a part in how I manage employees. My leadership style can play a big part in my management style because I can lead with more fear by playing bad cop in my business or I can lead with more understanding and tough love by playing good cop. For me, I feel like I would manage my company as a good cop more so than a bad cop because I'm very empathetic and tend to be less confrontational and more timid and understanding. I also learned the difference between termination and getting fired from a job. Termination is when the company no longer sees any profit in paying an employee for the amount of work that they are getting done. This usually happens to underachieving and lazy employees. Firing is when a company has to remove an employee because of legal reasons, the employee may have broke company conduct or violated a law within the company. A layoff is when a company can no longer pay for an employee's position; layoffs are not the employees' fault. Today I also learned about niche websites and how to build and earn income from one. I learned that the more specific the topic, the more effective the site will be because it targets a more specific group of audience and yields less competition.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about business branding as well as funding for start-ups. For branding, I learned that it is very important to make sure the business name and domain name are not taken by other businesses and to ensure that you're not infringing on a trademarked name. I also learned that it's important to have an email designated for the business. Company slogans can also be utilized but are not necessary. Mission statements are short summaries that describe the company's goals. A strong mission statement can encourage customers to support the company and convince potential employees that stand for the same cause to work for the company. I also learned that company logos are important because they are a visual representation of the business. There are platforms that allow companies to create free logos such as Wix Logo Maker. Companies can also hire individuals to create a logo for their company. Websites are also very important for a business and Wix provides a free website builder that businesses can use to create their own company website. Lastly, funding for a new business or start-up is important because without proper funding, a new business might have a difficult time supporting the financial needs for the company to work effectively.
Today at Techie Youth I learned a little more about the steps to take before launching a business such as observing competition and looking for potential partners and cofounders. It is beneficial to look at businesses that may be competition so that you can see how to differentiate your business from others. It may also be good to look for partners before starting a business, especially if you are not skilled in a specific area. In a lot of business models, three individuals partner up; one of them takes care of product, service, or software production, another takes care of design and ensuring the final product is effective and the last individual would be in charge marketing and advertising the product or service. I also learned about the different types of business entities such as sole proprietorship, corporations, and nonprofits. I learned about the pros and cons of each one by examining taxation processes and liability.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned the best and most effective ways to turn my idea and innovations into a working startup business. I learned that there are a lot of small components that go into starting a business. The most effective way to start a business is to plan first and to take into account things like identifying the business model. The business model should include what the product or service can provide for its target audience or consumers. The business model should also try to identify the risks and potential of the startup by looking at competition and trends within that specific sector. Before putting actual work into starting the business, an entrepreneur should ask for advice and present their business models to friends, family, other business owners, or business coaches to see if their business would be a good fit. Entrepreneurs also have to take into account profit models and revenue streams when planning out their business. In order to make a profit, the revenue has to be more than the expenses. The expenses should include the amount needed to pay employees, rent or buy machines and equipment, rent or lease the space needed to operate the business, utilities, etc. It is often best to utilize various different revenue models instead of just focusing on one.
Today at Techie Youth I learned what entrepreneurship is and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who takes calculated risks to start and/or manage a business endeavor and work independently. Entrepreneurs are leaders, not followers; therefore, they have to have or learn to develop leadership skills that they can apply to their business model. These leadership skills include communication, adaptability, public speaking, management, etc. These skills are important skills for entrepreneurs because they need to be able to manage both themselves and anyone else on their team. Since entrepreneurs are not followers and do not work under someone else, they do not often have a specific task that they have to handle, instead, entrepreneurs have to look into every aspect of their business to ensure that everything is going according to plan. Entrepreneurship is difficult and can be risky but in the long run, with lots of passion, commitment, and connections, it can make a lot. Aside from the wealth, entrepreneurship almost always guarantees more freedom and flexibility for an individual because they are working for themselves, not someone else. If the business is online, they are able to work while traveling too. Hence, entrepreneurship may be a difficult and risky step that requires many skills, however, it will be a rewarding experience if lots of work and passion is put into it.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to effectively manage my time, stress, and day-to-day productivity. I learned the value of my time and how to invest time to better myself by learning new skills or making money off of my free time. Time is an important asset that even the most successful and wealthy individuals can not buy back. It is valuable and sometimes time is worth more than money. In order to succeed or d better with time management, one must learn skills such as organization, prioritization, setting achievable goals, and planning ahead. I also learned that along with time management, we also have to make sure we use our time productively and effectively. Instead of spending time watching television or playing video games, we can instead learn a new skill that can help us further advance our knowledge. Or, if we really enjoy playing video games, there is always a way to make money doing what we love. For example, I can get paid to test video games, I can participate in competitive gaming, or I can stream my gaming on sites like twitch for passive income. I also learned that it is important to plan for tomorrow today. By spending a few minutes to plan for the next day, I can ensure that I stay on track and complete what needs to be completed without getting sidetracked. Today, I also learned the importance of having role models and mentors. I learned that role models are individuals we look up to and admire. Mentors are individuals that we can interpret as our role models but they also help guide us through the path we are seeking to accomplish by offering their own professional experience and expertise. It is important to have a mentor because sometimes we get lost or wander off the wrong track and a mentor can guide us back on track and lead us in the right direction. They also help to answer our questions and concerns.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about scams that can occur when job searching and how sometimes potential employees can be plotting to scam a desperate business. Scams can go both ways. A "business" can scam job seekers by taking their personal information or asking for a payment in return for a desirable job position, however, after giving personal information or a required payment, that "business" may not offer a job at all to the job seekers. This may include executive job offers. Vice versa, "job seekers" may try to scam businesses that are desperately looking to fill a job position by asking for a full payment upfront and then not actually showing up for the job. Hence job seekers and businesses alike have to be aware of scammers. I also learned the importance of networking with individuals in order to build connections for future potential job opportunities. I learned about effective networking as well as what not to do when attempting to network with others. Lastly, today I learned about the importance of both physical and mental well-being. I learned about exercising and good mental health and take us a long way in approving ourselves and our relationships with others.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to search and request remote job offers from companies and how to work effectively and efficiently in these remote positions. I also learned about how I should ask company managers and recruiters about their remote positions if I intend to work remotely. I realized through today's lessons, that there are many differences and similarities between working on-site and remotely. For example, when working on-site, coworkers and bosses are able to pop into your cubicle or office whenever they have a question or are checking on task statuses; however, in a remote job setting, that's not possible. Hence, remote employees have to utilize a variety of different online programs and applications to ensure that each and every remote member gets their task done to ensure quality completion of a team project. Remote employees may use applications such as Dropbox and Google Drive to save and share documents with other members of the team. They may use Basecamp or Trello to keep up to date with task progress from each member of the team and to ensure that project deadlines are being met. Remote employees also have to utilize video chat and messaging applications to ensure effective communication between team members. A lot of the small things that go into a remote job may not be required in an office setting, hence, to ensure productivity and effective communication, remote employees have to put in a little more effort to reach out when they have questions or just to spend a little time to get to know each other as a team.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about several methods that I can get paid through. I learned about debit cards, checking and savings accounts. how to write a check, and how to receive payments through credit cards in my own business. One thing I found interesting was the different ways that I can accept credit card payments from clients. I had no idea that there were such things as payment service providers and merchant accounts. I found this to be interesting because I've always wanted to open my own small business and the one aspect that piques my curiosity and understanding is how exactly I charge and accept payments from clients/ customers. Aside from learning how to get paid, I also learned about resume and cover letter skills that would help in my job search process.
Today at Techie Youth I learned that there are various job positions that allow me to work remotely and be my own boss. I learned that travel and work do not have to be separate and there are ways in which people make money while traveling. For example, there's travel vlogging, travel photography and writing, and digital nomadism. I learned that there are pros and cons to working remotely. Some pros are that I get to work on my own schedule without having to worry about sticking to the usual 9-5 jobs, I get to save time on the commute, get to work in the comfort of my own living space, and have more time to myself, and allow time to travel and work simultaneously. One specific area that really interests me is travel vlogging and travel photography. These two areas specifically interested me because I've always loved taking photos and videoing the places I visit as a form of keepsake and for memories. However, I never thought about making money on the side by sharing my adventures with others. Someday I would really like to have a travel vlog channel on Youtube or a travel photography page on Instagram to document my adventures and maybe earn some money on the side.