Amazon New HQ2--Good or Bad?

Hello readers!

Unless you live in a very closed off bubble, everyone has heard of Amazon, and many are Prime Subscribers. Over the past year, Amazon has been on a massive search around the country to expand their headquarters. Amazon announced that the two lucky winning cities to host are Arlington, VA and Queens, NY, meanwhile, Nashville, Tennessee will host a smaller campus.

There has been a range of feedback of enthusiasm to criticism from both the public arena as well as private citizens. During my studies in marketing, one of the largest factors in business success is location, location, location. Did I mention location?

I live right outside of DC, specifically Tysons Corner, aka NOVA (Northern Virginia) so I can only credibly speak of the new Arlington location. NOVA is known for great, but very competitive employment opportunities, real estate (albeit resulting in a hugely expensive area to reside) and of course all of the tourist and historical attractions that come in correlation to our nations capitol. All of the benefits of living in the area, along with travelers enjoying the attractions, however, brings one major inconvenience and headache: traffic.

Now that Amazon is coming to Arlington, the increase in traffic congestion is at least one of the front runners of concerns. My personal reaction: what is a little more traffic when we are all used to it? Our very own Governor, Ralph Northam is enthusiastic about the business opportunities Amazon's empire can bring: jobs, education and more. Watch his reaction here.

Aside from traffic, other concerns brought forth is the cost to tax payers; remember how I mentioned the enormous cost it is to live in NOVA? Well this business deal can bring a high cost in operating expenses, resulting in potential hikes to tax payers.

I'm personally cautiously optimistic about the location being in my neck of the woods; I don't want a hike in money taken out of my paycheck to pay for this, but the benefits outweigh the traffic that I'm already used to.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Stormy Daniels: My take on "Full Disclosure"

Hello Readers!

I recently finished Stormy Daniels' newly published book Full Disclosure. I admit, I was very interested in reading her publication to hear about all the juicy details on her encounter and alleged affair with Donald Trump. Her critics will say that she published this book simply for the publicity and sales, however, she seems genuine and very detailed in her recollection of events. There are two things Stormy made very clear: she loathes being called a liar, and her approach to handling this scandal was to protect her daughter and husband.

Michael Avenatti opened the book with a ringing endorsement of his client. We have similar viewpoints of Stormy; regardless of her chosen career path, she seems to be a genuine career professional and woman.

Daniels opened her book with details of her childhood and life. She had a very complicated and abused childhood; both her parents didn't provide a stable upbringing; which you can say prepared her to be the tough cookie she is today. No spoilers will be included, but as a child, she endured abuse and situations no little girl should ever be exposed to.

One stable force in her life is her love of horses. Through her own work ethic and work schedule, she was able to buy/adopt her favorite and loyal horse, Jade. Though Jade is no longer with her, she feels at home and happy whenever she is able to bond and ride horses.

Stormy got her start in the stripper/porn industry by working at a club called "Cinnamons." She proved herself to be a professional as she learned the tactics of the industry, offering variations of services (writer, director, actress, etc.) When her superiors doubted her talents,  she only proved them wrong with completed project samples.

Her career is what got her introduced to Donald Trump. She was making a work appearance at Mr. Trumps golf properties and then one thing lead to another, by his persistent initiation...you can read the book to find out the details ;)

All of the events resulting from their encounter and Mr. Trump declaring his candidacy, covering it up, and more, created a living hell for her.

I personally believe her, but to each their own. I wish nothing but the best for Stormy Daniels and hope she has a happy and successful life and continues killing it with her career.

I recommend this book to anyone curious about the whole controversy; its a good, read, and funny!

Get your copy here!

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Custom Made T-Shirts--Bonfire

Hello everyone!

I recently came across a website for making custom made attire, www.bonfire.com. The website provides everything you need, they do take a base cost as they provide you with all the material you need.

The first shirt I have had in mind for a long time, I just didn't know how to design it. Its based on a baby and a daddy both drinking their own versions of their bottle. The front shows a baby with his/her bottle and a dad with a beer bottle, and says "Bottoms Up." The back says how they both love their bottles.

Click here to order!

The second shirt is about channeling your inner strength and spreading your wings like a butterfly. Comes in 3 different colors, red, blue, black. 

Click here to order!

The third design I've completed thus is all about choosing kindness. This design is available in t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Order here!

I would immensely appreciate your support! I would love to make custom designs for anyone interested, or if you'd like to design your own shirts, please visit this link here.

Kylie Jenner--Social Media Self Made Billionaire.

Hello!

On the cover of the upcoming issue of "Forbes" magazine, Kylie Jenner is the youngest to date self-made billionaire. For anyone who watches ABC's "The View" there were differing viewpoints on how much work Kylie Jenner put into making her business successful vs her success handed to her. Meghan Mccain talked about how she definitely benefited from her father's political career, however, in order to prove that she deserves her career success, she had to work 12 times harder.

My thoughts.

Whatever your viewpoint, everyone knows who the Kardashian family is; they have their own family brand business, along with individual businesses the Kardashian "kids" own and run. Kylie Jenner, I'm confident, is a very hard working business owner, however,  her customers/fans are mostly from her social media. It wasn't hard for her to gain a very large social media following; in her interview with "Forbes", Kylie talked about how social media is her selling tool. She gained her following being a Kardashian daughter, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it has been an easy tool to reach her customers, resulting in instant sales.

Marketing your brand is hands down one of the hardest aspects to making a business successful and strong. I am a very active social media user, as social media has expanded from simply being a personal networking tool, it is now the brilliant and convenient  digital marketing venue most, if not all businesses utilize to drive sales and promote products and services. This is how Kylie Jenner has been successful, her social media gives direct marketing of all her products. If an unknown like myself were to sell similar cosmetics that to what Kylie Jenner is producing, who would have more success, me or Kylie Jenner? The answer is obvious. Unless I became a worldwide known name, Kylie Jenner of course is going to be much more successful. This isn't a bad thing, just the predicted and most logical outcome.

As an aspiring entrepreneur, I look up to any and all self made successful business owners; receiving aide is great, keeping the success is where the true hard work comes into. You need to have a product that people want and will purchase, with client loyalty. Some people have a lot of ease with creating their brand, starting with an established and known name, while others really do start from the ground up.

I would love thoughts on this; are Kylie Jenner, and any other individual with an established name have an easier time and success in making a brand work vs people who start out with nothing?

Check out the article from "Forbes" here.

Thanks for reading, and I would LOVE for you to subscribe, its free!

Xo,

Amanda

Caretaker: It's not Just a Job, Its Love

Hello everyone,

This post is a very personal one, but one that I feel many will be able to relate to. I debated about writing about this for a while, was it too personal, should I stick to more career, and upbeat topics? No. Every now and then I like to reflect about personal things in my life, and this one has been going on for about three years.

I am one of the primary caretakers for an aging parent. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it sucks. By this, I don't mean they are a burden, I mean it sucks to see a family member you love so dearly, struggling with their health, especially aging problems.

About three years ago, my parent said to me and my family "you don't know what's coming." I sure as hell didn't. I thought they meant something in society, politically, anything but what actually has come about. Although not officially diagnosed, my parent is resembling symptoms very similar to Dementia/Alzheimer's disease, along with other health problems from pre-existing conditions. Let me say its hard. There are some days where I can not do a damn thing right, everything is wrong. Even small tasks such as vacuuming the carpet upsets them, because it's too loud. Small things, large things, it doesn't matter, I am wrong.

I really have to keep my patience in line, because to me, what I am doing is perfectly normal and an every day activity, but to them, its not. That's one of the problems with these diseases, not thinking clearly. It is very scary, the patient once had total control of everything, and now their mind is slipping, its very very hard. All I want to do is help, but yet, I feel like a failure when my efforts aren't enough.

My situation is a bit unique. I am a young adult, who lives at home with both mom and dad. I live in a very expensive real estate area. For some, they would say, "why haven't you moved out of your parent's house, and have your own life and career."

Well for those people, I all I have to say is this; assisted living and nursing homes are damn expensive.  I know what my parent needs at this time, and although some days I want to crack, I have the patience to deal with them. Some nursing home and assisted living places I'm sure are wonderful, others aren't. I could never live with myself if I didn't do everything humanly possible to make their life as easy as possible, even if it takes some sacrifice right now, so be it. I am called names, I am told how I am crazy, one moment, I get an immense thank you for my efforts, and then a moment later, its the exact opposite.

This message is for all the caretakers out there; you can do it. I am, and even though I don't feel that I get much appreciation in return, I know the reward is there; I get that much more time with my parent. It's worth the frustration and tears.

Thanks for reading,

Xo,

Amanda

Employment Websites

Hello everyone!

So I’ve been pondering about what to talk, what is of interest, informative and worth the read? Well one topic that I’ve been doing a lot of research on is employment websites.

Back in the day, most people looked for jobs in newspapers, and other print materials vs the now multitude of websites available. The hard part is knowing which sites are credible, have legit employment opportunities, all of that fun stuff. Another major difficulty in finding the perfect job is the accuracy in the job description made available.

Let me clarify.

I have viewed hundreds of jobs, and two of which I was employed by weren’t 100% honest in their job descriptions. To protect identity, I’m not going to identify the employers but I will say what happened. One employer is a small family owned business. The job description and interview process described working part time hours, an estimated 20-25 hours per week, with a few weekends involved. I had no problem with that. I also had a set schedule of working early afternoon until closings. Within the first month, I realized that wasn’t the case. Over the total time working working for this small business, I had a total of 4 weekends off. Additionally, I was never informed that I would be working opening to close on Saturday’s (closed for business on Sundays.) During the interview process, they mentioned that certain times of the year would be more demanding than others, as does happen with most places of employment. What did they didn’t mention was for those weeks where it’s incredibly busy, you have no set schedule. They could change your schedule around at anytime, and you must adhere to it, unless a previous arrangement was made.

Before I get anyone saying how I was lucky to be employed, that is not my reason for explaining this. I was never informed of this information until AFTER signing my employment agreement papers. Employers need to be upfront with all of their expectations in the job description and interview process. To back this statement, I attended a job hiring seminar, teaching the tips and techniques of landing that perfect job; one of the key concepts was about how job descriptions are only maybe 80% truthful. Additionally, many times, a candidate might be perfectly qualified for the position, however, if another candidate is personally recommended through networking connections, their resume is bumped to the very top of the bundle, giving that particular person a much higher advantage of obtaining the position. Fair right?

This isn’t meant to be a complaining post, but rather constructive criticism for employers. As employees, we want to know exactly what is expected of us at the beginning of the initial application, transitioning into interview process, if granted, to know it will be a good match for both employee and employer. Communication is key, and the only way to ensure that business relationship is professional.

I would love to hear any thoughts you readers have.

Thanks for reading!

Xo,

Amanda

Starting an Online Business

Hello readers!

I want to bring about a topic or a rather large topic that is near and dear to my heart.....

Starting an online business....ahem....!

I have had a passion for being an entrepreneur; I have always loved the idea of being my own boss. I completed an internet marketing class my senior year of high school; it really opened my eyes to what the internet was capable of. Keep in mind, when I took this class, the internet had definitely been around for quite some time, but the concept of actually conducting business online through different marketing strategies was a growing concept that has developed into our digital world.

When people say they have an online business, there are several facets to that statement, as the sky is the limit. There are many different online businesses: major companies like Amazon not only is the massive empire that it is, but adding on to its revenue with individuals who make side income or more from selling as an individual or professional seller.

There are pros and cons to selling on Amazon: the pro as a professional seller is that you have access to many different resources, however, there is a $39.99 fee each month. That fee isn’t a lot if you are consistently selling which in return brings you a ROI. One of the cons that I do not like about selling on Amazon is the very specific product information you need for data input. I have very gently used items that are still in excellent "like new" condition, but because I don’t have exact information needed (UPC); so the chances of selling that item becomes much more cumbersome. Don’t let me take away motivation from becoming a seller, I’m always striving to learn information and have success with selling on Amazon, currently though, as an individual seller which does not require any high monthly fees.

Another aspect of Amazon which I really do love is its affiliate marketing program. For those who aren’t familiar, affiliate marketing is when a user advertises a product or service and when a customer purchases from the associated link provided, the individual providing the link receives a small commission percentage from the sale.

So.... I’m going to plug my own affiliate link. My family LOVES these Nugo Slim protein bars, they are vegan and gluten free for people with dietary sensitivities. They are low in sugar, high in protein and fiber and come in differing flavors. Get them, they’re good! And to make them sound even better, they are dipped in dark chocolate, so what’s not to love about them? Yum!

Everyone knows about Ebay. I'll be honest, I really thought Ebay wasn't going to stick around after Amazon became what it is today. Upon further research, Ebay appears to be much more user friendly for sellers like me who are getting started and are selling personal items as an individual seller vs an established business. There aren't as many restrictions and listing inventory is a lot easier. Check out my listings page here!

Moving on to another aspect of online businesses; rebate selling apps with an accompanying website. There are a variety of selling apps you can download to your phone/use the website to sell your own personal items. I have used the Poshmark app and website to sell my own gently used, like new items. Poshmark allows you to sell clothes, shoes, accessories and more. They do take a commission around 30%, which covers your shipping label. Visit my personal Poshmark account here!

Facebook, is always updating their software and user interaction capabilities; they added a new feature last year called the marketplace which allows for users to sell items as well. The inventory categories are endless, and it appears thus far there are no selling fees, which is great! My personal Facebook selling place is here, check it out!

As you can see, there are a variety of different ways to sell exclusively online from your own personal inventory of items taking up space in your house that will be a treasure to someone else. Thanks for reading and hope you find some treasures from my various sites.

Xo,

Amanda