101 Summer Home Preps

Summer is an excellent time to take care of the myriad things that come with being responsible for your home. Here's a list to get you started:

1. Know where your gas shut off is, how to access it, how to shut off the gas if needed, and have a wrench near by to do so.
2. Know where your water main shut off is, how to access it, how to shut it off, and have the tools near by to do so.
3. Know where your electrical panel is, how to access it, and how to shut off the main power to your house.
4. Have your chimney cleaned.
5. Have your furnace serviced.
6. Have the roof cleaned (and in our area, de-mossed).
7. Clean your home's siding and paint if needed.
8. Power wash your deck and make any necessary repairs.
9. Power wash your concrete/driveway/walkways.
10. Change the batteries in your smoke detectors.
11. Wash your windows inside and out.
12. Check your window screens/screen doors and make any repairs that are needed.
13. Check your water filters and change them if necessary.
14. If you have well water, have the water tested for purity.
15. Check your storm windows/storm shutters and make sure they are in good repair.
16. Rotate your stored gasoline.
17. Clean the gutters.
18. Landscape your yard.
19. Make a drawing of your garden so you can rotate your crops next year.
20. Make a water collection barrel/clean out your current barrel.
21. If sediment is prone to build up in your hot water tank, clean it out.
22. Test your home for radon.
23. Do any renovations you can afford (new appliances, carpet/flooring, etc.).
24. Clean the lint out of your dryer vent.
25. Flush/clean the drains in your home.
26. Check/repair weather stripping around your doors/windows.
27. Make sure the numbers on your house are visible.
28. Fix any leaks in your faucets/toilets.
29. Install a carbon monoxide detector.
30. Clean out your freezer and rotate the food.
31. Check the screens in your attic/crawl space and make sure there are no holes that would let creatures invade your home.
32. Re-key all of your locks.
33. Change your furnace filter.
34. Change the filter in your range hood.
35. Clean the condenser coils in your refrigerator.
36. Check to make sure your fire extinguishers are fully charged.
37. Test your GFI (ground fault interrupter) switches to make sure they work properly.
38. Sanitize your recycle bins/garbage cans.
39. Sanitize your sink garbage disposal.
40. Maintain (lube, etc) your garage door opener system.
41. Inspect caulking around the tub/shower/tiles and make any needed repairs.
42. Inspect your home's foundation for cracks/signs of movement.
43. Earthquake-proof your home (tie down the hot water tank, bolt large furniture to the wall, etc).
44. Check the base of your toilets for any movement/leaks. Replace the wax rings if necessary.
45. Check all stairs and railings; make repairs if necessary.
46. Check your sump pump to make sure it is working properly.
47. Test your security system.
48. Test your fire escape plan.
49. Dust all fan systems (ceiling fans, bathroom fan vents, etc).
50. Clean out your sheds/outbuildings.
51. Have your air conditioning system serviced.
52. Have your HVAC ducts cleaned.
53. Update your home inventory.
54. Clean/organize the garage.
55. Trim/cut down trees near your home that may fall during a storm.
56. Get rid of any nests (wasp nests, rodent nests, etc).
57. Insulate your hot water tank set the temperature to 120 degrees.
58. Check any masonry on your home (chimney, facade) for mortar that needs repair.
59. If you have a septic tank, have it serviced.
60. Have your main line drain inspected.
61. Check your attic and basement insulation; make any repairs if needed.
62. Check for signs of rodent or insect infestation and treat appropriately.
63. Clear the area around your home/yard to help prevent wild fire.
64. Do annual maintenance on your pool/hot tub.
65. Flush your downspouts and make sure your exterior drainage system is clear and functioning.
66. Check for any signs of dry rot and fix if necessary.
67. Check for water links around faucets, the dishwasher, washing machine connections, and water line to refrigerator ice maker; fix if necessary.
68. Replace faucets (sink and shower) with low flow heads.
69. Lubricate any squeaky hinges.
70. Clean the oil/car fluids from your garage floor and driveway.
71. If your wood pile is next to the house or outbuildings, move it to prevent insect damage.
72. Clean your oven and under the burners.
73. Insulate if necessary (ie: add more insulation in the attic, basement, insulate around outlets, etc).
74. Replace any faulty electrical outlets.
75. Check/maintain portable humidifiers/air conditioners.
76. Clean/sanitize your dishwasher and clothes washer.
77. Kid proof your home (ie: make sure you don't have window blind cords that could strangle a child, lock up poisons and medications, etc).
78. Elder-proof your home (ie: remove tripping hazards, put frequently used items where they are easy to get to, etc).
79. Check all electrical cords for wear/damage and replace if necessary.
80. Clear debris from drainage ditches, culverts, and/or the covers of city sewer drains.
81. Deep clean carpet and rugs.
82. Check for trees/plants whose roots could cause damage to walkways/pipes and remove.
83. Rotate all of your stored food and water.
84. Check the driveway and walkways for signs of shifting or deterioration; fix if necessary.
85. Check retaining walls/bulkheads and repair if necessary.
86. Have your wood stove cleaned and inspected.
87. "Bug bomb" your home if necessary.
88. Clean the tracks of your sliding glass doors and sliding windows.
89. Make sure your home tool area is organized and you have all the tools/equipment/supplies to make basic repairs on your home.
90. Make sure that all exterior lighting is in working order.
91. Check all hoses (exterior water hoses, washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator) for wear; replace if necessary.
92. Insulate basement pipes and exterior pipes.
93. Check the attic for adequate ventilation.
94. Make sure the surge protectors on sensitive electronics are in working order.
95. Ensure your pet kennels are secure (no holes dug under the fence, etc).
96. Ensure any outdoor hazards (pool, hot tub, trampoline, etc) are in an area that can be secured; make sure the locks are in working order.
97. Test/maintain your generator.
98. Check the timers on your interior lights to make sure they are set properly.
99. See if your local electric company will conduct a free energy audit on your home.
100. If the location of your home safe/gun safe are known to many, move them.
101. Make sure your home insurance coverage is adequate.

Are You Being Tracked? You Might Be Suprised

Here's some random ways you might be tracked and not even know it:

• Your location can be tracked via the IMEI number of your cell. Changing the sim card won't matter.
• Anything you copy on a copy machine these days has an "invisible" code that prints onto every copy you make; it's called the Machine Identification Code.
• I have heard that each digital photo that is taken is imprinted with an invisible code so that a photo can be tracked back to the camera that was used to take it which can then be tracked back to the purchaser through their product registration with the manufacturer. (I am still looking for a link about this).
• And then there is Kameraflage.
• Of course there are numerous ways your computer can be used to spy on you.
• Cell phones, GPS devices, iPods, and other devices which have a GPS system can be used to track your movements. Here's more info on this.
• Here's 10 Everyday Items Hackers Are Targeting Right Now
• And 10 Spy Tricks
• For the latest security and technology tips, check out Bruce Schneier's blog.

10 Insanely Useful Preparedness Items

Here's ten things you should always have on hand in the event of an emergency:

1. Duct Tape. I could elaborate but someone already has written a book about the many hundreds of uses for duct tape.
2. A thumb drive. Many uses...carry your files with you, transfer files to someone else, carry computer programs on it as well.
3. Zipties. Good for securing the zippers of your luggage, handcuffing someone, and many other things.
4. A smart phone. Either a Droid or iPhone can give you a platform for hundreds of useful apps in addition to phone service and internet access.
5. A pocket knife. I have carried one with me since my granddad gave me my first knife at about 10 years old. Dozens of uses.
6. Access to the internet. There is literally nothing you can't learn if you have access to the internet.
7. Floss. I carry a flat thing of Glide floss with me at all times. Aside from its original purpose this can be used for sewing, tying things up, for a snare...the list is long.
8. Cash. I have known places that won't take checks or credit cards but have yet to run into any business/person where cash can't be used as a negotiable instrument.
9. Bleach. Can be used for its usual purpose (when washing clothes), to purify water, for cleaning and sanitizing, and can even be used to make a bomb...
10. Matches or a lighter. Fire is a pretty basic preparedness item.

Fail: Tales of a Recent Disaster

A client had a recent system failure that points out a bundle of things that all organizations (and us regular people too) need to remember:

• You don't always see a disaster coming. The organization was well prepared for a weather emergency, an earthquake, or a staffing shortage but when a contractor pulled the wrong set of wires and set off a small fire, all of their communications systems went dead. Dead dead. It wasn't a pretty scene from what I understand.
• Their emergency manager was nowhere to be found when the disaster struck. I realize that people take time off, maybe leave for an appointment, and in most positions this isn't such a big deal but I prefer my emergency managers to be a type A, always in control, and always connected to their cell phone 24/7 even if they are in the middle of a root canal kind of person.
• The emergency manager problem would have been less of an issue if an entire team had been properly trained to handle any emergency that may happen. Some companies think that if they have an emergency manager, they are read for a disaster. People being, well, people, there is a chance that no matter how dedicated your emergency manager is, he may not be available when a disaster happens which is why emergency preparedness needs to be in the job description of EVERY employee and why an entire team needs to be ready to respond to a disaster.
• Communications is almost always a huge problem no matter what kind of disaster occurs. In this case, it was the problem. Imagine an organization where timely communication is critical. Now imagine that all phones, computers, and servers are down and the link to the back up generators was also blown. People are spread out in buildings all over a campus and they have no idea what is happening, when it will be fixed, or what to do. Big problem.
• Lesson learned: emergency radios need to be in the places where they will be used during a disaster. In this case, all of the radios were in a storage locker and there was quite a delay in getting them to the various buildings/stations where they could be used. The thinking was that radios left around would walk away, be forgotten, or otherwise not be used. Their new thinking is that radios will be pre-positioned in a similar fashion to fire suppression gear which is secured behind a "break glass bar to access cabinet" system.
• Lesson learned: Everyone had cell phones which could theoretically be used in the event of a disaster, however the cell phone numbers to other departments and staff were on a list...in the computers which were now out of commission due to the server system and electrical system being dead.
• All records in this organization were on computer. Basically all data, files, records, and other critical information are stored digitally in a warehouse of servers which were rendered useless. They went back to writing information by hand, somewhat, but there was no way to check critical information which for this organization could have resulted in very bad outcomes. A back-up system of your data is important. A way to access this information when your back-up system is toast is more important.
• They thought they had doubly redundant and triply redundant communication systems that went something like land lines, e-mail notification, and overhead paging. None of these systems worked due to the nature of the disaster. In this case, a quadruply redundant communication system would have been useful. You can't have enough back-up plans.
• When planning for a disaster, you need to have plans for outages of short duration, medium duration, and long-term duration. In this case, landlines were up in an hour or so, power was restored in a few hours, but the servers were down for nearly a full day.

Overall, this organization learned a lot from this incident which I am sure will be neatly typed up in an after action report. What will stay with them long after the report is gathering dust on a shelf, however, is the fact that written plans are nice but once they get written they are put aside and are pretty much "out of sight, out of mind". The annual disaster exercise is only slightly better in that once a year the staff gets to "pretend" there is a disaster, which, useful as drills and exercises are, they leave out a whole bunch of stuff that happens in real life disaster situations. What I hope they will take away from this situation is that preparedness is a thing that needs to be done on a daily basis by ALL employees.

How can this be done? If you only use radios once a year during an exercise, there is a pretty good possibility that people won't know how to use them when a real disaster happens so why not use radios, if only for a check in, once a week and include all departments? If your staff will be expected to be on duty 24/7 if needed right after a disaster, do you do random inspections on a regular basis to ensure that they have their emergency bag (change of clothes, toiletries, food, and water) immediately available to them? If there is special equipment that may need to be used during a disaster, does your staff practice with the equipment regularly (ie: once a month, not once a year)? Preparedness is not a one-time thing. It is an ongoing process subject to refinement after each actual disaster.

Review: Skip College: Go Into Business for Yourself

I just received the e-book "Skip College: Go Into Business for Yourself" from author JJ Luna which came about because of this post. I took a glance at the book and figured I would read the entire book on the plane tomorrow. Then I read the first chapter...then I noticed I was already 25 pages into the tome...then I decided to keep reading...then I noticed that it was 2am...and I was almost through with the book. Then I finished the book. So, while it is creeping up on 3am, I wanted to write this review while the material was still fresh in my mind. Here's the high points:

• It came in e-book form. This is a good thing. No going to the library, getting on the waiting list, and waiting. No ordering it on Amazon and waiting for the UPS driver to bring it to my door. No going to the bookstore and hunting for it among the shelves. It was instantaneously delivered to my email. Super convenient.
• The e-book didn't disappoint. I was already sold on Mr Luna's self employment theories when I read his first book, How to Be Invisible. Reading this book just reinforced my initial theory that his ideas have significant merit and that everyone can learn something from what he writes about.
• The book covers basic theories of self employment which each person needs to put into practice for themselves. This is also a good thing. There is no such thing as "follow these ten steps explicitly and you will be successful." If someone promises you such a thing you need to run the other way because there are so many variables that having the basic theories down pat are far more valuable than following the same exact path as someone else.
• The book delves into a number of other areas that are marginally related to self employment but mostly related to personal responsibility which is the bedrock of any successful life IMHO. Things like keeping your word, not complicating your business or your life unnecessarily, living within your means, carrying cash, etc. Good stuff.
• The first sentence of Chapter 1 is like a splash of cold water. "For the majority of today's high school graduates, going on to college is an unjustifiable waste of time and money." Wow. It may be true but few people have the guts to state such a "heretical" idea. Obviously with such a bold statement, you want to read more. Throughout the book, he proves this point.
• I don't know whether to consider this serendipitous or not but just this week, I received my acceptance letter to a local university. Similar to Mr Luna who dropped out of college after three years, I also dropped out of college many years ago. I probably have more community college credits than one would think possible simply because I take classes that interest me or that I feel would be useful, however, I never did go back to college to actually finish a degree. I do, however, work mostly with people who have at minimum Masters degrees, mostly, these people are well-respected PhDs. Kind of intimidating. So a couple of months ago I felt the need to actually "finish college". If I am directing people with PhDs, shouldn't I at least have some kind of degree? I though so, which is why I was pretty much focused on going back to college, graduating, and getting the piece of paper that would make me "official". I'm not sure if it is because I have been up for more than 20 hours, or because if I look at the situation logically--I have been successfully self employed for more than 20 years--I am seriously having second thoughts about my need for a degree. This may be the tipping point for not getting a degree. In that case, this e-book just saved me approximately $9000 which I was prepared to write a check for in the next few weeks.
• I liked the tone of the book. As I was reading thorough it, thoughts of my grandfather kept popping into my mind. Although Mr Luna is a couple of decades younger than my grandfather, the things he writes about in his book--everything from reminiscing about being a fire lookout to carrying cash to take care of any problem that may arise to reading voraciously to coming up with clever ways to make money--reminded me of my grandfather. This is exactly the advice he gave so many years ago and if I would have just PAID ATTENTION, the information would have saved me untold grief and many, many, many thousands of dollars.
• Overall, I recommend this book for people who are deciding whether or not to go to college or if you are older and considering the possibility of starting your own business. I also suggest everyone read 'How to Be Invisible' as well.

If you need some more convincing about the "value" of a degree, here's some links:

• A couple with $700,000 in student loan debt (apparently they became doctors but can't do simple math)


• Law degree can't guarantee job offer.


• Top 10 Reasons Why College Graduates Can't Find a Job


• A Degree Doesn't Mean a Job


• Alumna Sues College Because She Hasn't Found a Job (which just goes to show that you can have a degree and no common sense)

If I had a quarter for every college graduate who whined about not being able to get a job even though they have a degree, like somehow having a piece of paper entitles them to a job...

10 Steps to Handling a Disaster

Handling any disaster takes a few things--a clear mind, a decisive plan of action, and, a swift response. A checklist helps too. Here it is.

1. What happened? Ascertain as quickly as possible what the nature of the disaster is. If it is an earthquake, you are going to know rather quickly. If it is your company on the verge of bankruptcy, it may be a slowly unfolding thing. If it is an active shooter, again, you will figure this out quickly. If it is a viral pandemic, you may get a bit of notice. You need to get a good idea of what you are dealing with so that you can move to step two.
2. What immediate action is necessary? In an earthquake, you will need to dust yourself off and get to a safe place. If you have an inkling that your employer is on shaky financial ground, you don't need to react this very moment but you will need to develop a plan. Quickly. If you are in a mall and hear gunshots, you need to react quickly and effectively.
3. Is everyone else OK? Once you take care of your immediate safety needs, make sure everyone else in your family/workplace/vicinity is OK. Basic first aid, CPR, and barking orders may be necessary.
4. Do you stay or go? After your immediate survival needs are met, you need to decide if you stay where you are or go. If you can stay where you are (preferably at home), you will want to sit tight. If you must evacuate, you will need a plan. Where will you go? How will you get there? What will you take with you? What is your back-up plan?
5. Provision of supplies is your next task. If you are home, hopefully you will not need to go anywhere to get anything. Hopefully you will have plenty of the basics--water, food, shelter--stored in your home. If you are evacuating, you will need to bring these supplies with you. If you did not plan ahead...well, you will be out at Walmart with a horde of other unprepared people. Good luck.
6. Communications is right up here in the top ten things you need to do ASAP. You want both incoming communications and outgoing communications (TV, radio, internet, cell phone, HAM radio, land line, etc) so that you can get continual updates on the disaster situation and so that you can contact friends/family/other important people either to reassure them you are OK or ask for help.
7. Determine your 24 and 72 hour plan; subject to change of course. Depending on the type of disaster, you will need to determine what to do for the next day or three. You want to keep yourself and family/friends/pets fed, watered, warm, dry, and safe. This may be as simple as holing up at home in front of the fireplace for a few days (in the case of a winter storm), creating a safe room (in the event of a chemical spill when you can't evacuate), setting up camp in your back yard (in the event of an earthquake), or doing some radical stuff like holding a garage sale/eBaying stuff/Craigslisting stuff to bulk up your emergency fund (in the event your company may go under).
8. Make a long-term plan if necessary. Sometimes disasters don't resolve within a short period of time (think Hurricane Katrina, think 9/11, think the tsunami, think a fire that guts your entire home) and you need to plan for a longer term response to the disaster. Will you need to resettle? Will you need to find a long term source of water and/or food? Will safety soon be a problem because of the marauding hordes? How will your income-producing abilities be impacted?
9. Go into recovery mode. Clean up, replenish and restock your supplies, get that new job, file your insurance claims...depending on the disaster you just faced, there will be a recovery phase in which you try to get your life back to "normal".
10. The after action review. After the dust has settled and things have returned to whatever normal is, you will want to review what happened, analyze what worked and what didn't work, and note how to address the issues that didn't work in the event of a future disaster.

Obviously each disaster will be different and your response to the different types of disasters will entail a range of responses but the basic format above will give you some idea of how to respond to whatever may happen.

Y B Norml?

While pondering what to post today, I came across the following things. First, the phrase in the title to this post was splashed across a guy's computer screen and second, these photos came through in a link from a friend with a caption that David had been in America for two years and was now being returned to Italy--which do you think was the "before" America picture and which was the "after" America picture? Sad commentary on America huh?
So in America, there are a lot of things that are considered "normal". Unfortunately "normal" is fat, broke, sick, and stressed out. The following things are considered "normal". If you see yourself in any of these points, I challenge you to change and NOT be normal.

• Broke
• No savings
• Maxed out credit cards
• Overweight
• Obese
• Relying on the government (food stamps, welfare, unemployment)
• Relying on an employer for how much you can earn, if you can stay home sick, if you can go on vacation, which health insurance if any you can have, etc.
• Eating junk food
• Addicted to caffeine
• Addicted to other mood enhancers (drugs, alcohol, food, shopping, etc)
• Practically immobile (no exercise at all)
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Depression/mood disorders
• Feeling entitled
• Relying on the industrial food complex to tell you what to eat (mostly subsidized refined grains and sugars, very little fruits, vegetables, and whole grains)
• Enamored with status and "what other people think about them"
• Disconnected from friends and family
• Used to being treated disrespectfully (especially by their kids) but make excuses for their behaviour
• Afraid of lots of things (their boss, the possibility of the loss of their job, what others think about them, bill collectors, et al)
• Stressed. A lot. Like just this side of going postal stressed.
• Think that education ends at high school...or sooner
• Not prepared...they think the government will save them

You get the idea. Basically if the crowd is doing something, you want to run, not walk, the other direction. Some people may find themselves in every single point, others may have none of these things, but I think most of us (myself included) resemble some of these remarks. I'm trying to change this. Personal responsibility is the watchword of the day (actually of every day) and my new mantra is "y b norml?"

Why I Like to Use Cash Only

• Exhibit A
• Exhibit B
• Exhibit C
• Exhibit D
• Exhibit E

Reader's Question: Becoming Self Employed

I'm sick of the rat race and working for "the man". I could care less about being wealthy, but would love the freedom of working for myself. Question is...how the heck do you manage to do it? Do I just start a blog, get the readers and go from there? I have no college education, which isn't as important nowadays as some people think. I have no trade, per say. I can work hard and do a good job. If you show me how to do something, I do it. And usually after a while I'm doing it better and more efficient than the other workers. How does this translate into a work from home/own my own business scenario? I'm not a salesman. I don't have any particularly amazing skills or talents to draw from. I play a little guitar, but I'm not a musician. I can fill a sketch book with some decent sketches, but I'm no artist. I know the basics of html, but I'm no computer guru. Do you make money off your blog or site? How exactly does that work? How do you get advertisers? I thought I'd take a stab in the dark and ask someone who's opinion I've really came to admire in the past year. Any word of advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and keep up the good work! J

I think a lot of people are feeling just like J. I've felt like J. After many years of being self employed (after having some pretty crap jobs like everyone else), here's what I have learned:

#1--You need to be as debt free as possible before you strike out on your own. If you have a $100,000 job and a $100,000 lifestyle, transitioning over to self employment will be exponentially more difficult because you will NEED to earn $100,000 immediately. Most self employment gigs take a while to build up to that level. So if you are deep in debt, take six jobs and get your debts paid off NOW. Resource: Dave Ramsey
#2--Blogs, most blogs anyway, do not make much money. This blog makes maybe $100 a month through Google Adsense (note to readers, feel free to click through the ads on the site which will give me an extra fraction of a cent). So this is basically a hobby for me. There is potential to monetize the site more but my regular business takes up much of my time and it generates a good steady income which I kind of like. Resource: Read this article.
#3--If you are self employed you are three things: a salesperson, a business person, and a person who provides X (your actual business whether you are a writer, widget builder, carpet installer, etc). You need to be well educated and practice all three of these things. I am not a salesperson by nature either, but it was still a skill I needed to develop. When your business has grown to the point that you can afford to hire a salesperson to sell your services/products and a business adviser/tax accountant/lawyer then you can slack off in these areas a bit.
#4--You don't have to be the best at anything (although it helps) but you do have to have a reason that people will pay you for what you do. I was in Chicago last week and there were quite a few people who would go down into the subway tubes, put out a bucket, and start singing or playing their instruments. They all made some money from this endeavour and I am guessing the ones who were good made more. So you don't have to be Mariah Carey to start a singing career. Just start!
#5--If you don't know where to start, solve someone's problem. Years ago when websites were new, I worked in an office and told the boss, hey you need a website. At the time I got some website design software and was playing around with it and found that I could put something up that resembled a website. I told the guy that if he gave me $200 I could set him up a nice website. I was in no way a website designer but I did see a problem (his business didn't have a domain name, website, or any idea how to do such things) and I offered to fix it for him (with a small fee for myself). By today's standards that site was a train wreck but it fixed his problem and he was quite happy with it (and has since hired real web designers to improve the site). I no longer do websites (CSS, Drupal...ayayay) but at the time, I took the opportunity to develop some basic skills that I could sell. Since then, this little jaunt into self employment has spring boarded me into a business that works with government contracts, critical infrastructure, occasionally the medical field, etc. It is just like selling your first skill/product to someone but on a larger scale (note, you develop the ability to sell your services/product to bigger and bigger players the more you practice).
#6--I would say "do what you love" but sometimes these things don't pay the bills. So, do what you like that can earn you an income. Or take what you love and figure out a way to monetize it.
#7--You have to just start. So many people say "I wish I was self employed like you". But that is as far as they get. They don't even actually try to be self employed. If you walk next door and offer to mow the neighbor's yard for $25 and he says yes, ta da...you are self employed. It takes balls to start such an endeavour (what will people think of me, what if I am not good enough, what if I fail) but if you let all of this stop you, you will never be self employed. Do something, anything (legal and ethical of course), that will allow you to sell your skills/services the first time and you will probably be hooked. Even making $10 is a start. Then you analyze the sale and figure out how to do it again in a better way so that you can earn more money.
#8--Employees are a pain in the ass. I've had employees and while most were great, some weren't and the overall deal with employees is that they are expensive and needy and there is a whole lot of laws governing their existence. I don't have the time or patience for that. So now all of my employees are contractors like I am. They work hard, pay their own taxes, and are really quite dependable.
#9--If you are self employed, you need to be good (continual study in your field is a must and you don't directly get paid for this although it will pay off in the success of your business), you need to be dependable, a self starter, produce an excellent product, meet your deadlines...and all the other stuff that you are supposed to be as an employee. When you are doing business for yourself, you can't slide in some of these areas like you would be able to do as an employee, however.
#10--Pay your taxes in full and on time! Most new business owners forget this part until the IRS is knocking on their door. You won't have an employer to do this for you so take 25% of every dime you earn and put it aside to pay your taxes. Don't touch it for emergencies, don't touch it for the vacation you have planned...it belongs to the IRS and they will make sure they get it.
#11--You are now financially responsible for yourself. You won't have an employer to pay your taxes (see #10), pay your medical insurance, set up your 401k, give you sick leave, et al. You need to plan these things into the prices that you charge, you need to be responsible for setting up these things and maintaining/paying them in a timely fashion, and you need to make contingency plans should something bad like and illness or a car wreck, happen to you.
#12--I am a fan of multiple streams of income. Working at one job for one client would bore me to death (it would also irk the IRS since it would kind of counter the fact that you are your own business and not an employee). Which is why my business has many clients and many ongoing projects. I may pick up a client for one short term project and never see them again or I may keep one client for years and do lots of projects for them. I also make a bit from this website, do some freelance writing which brings in some money, had rental properties which I have since gotten out of..in short, the more sources of income you have, the more secure you are.
#13--Read this guy's books. I read the original 'How to Be Invisible' book some years ago and it seemed to cover self employment in about one paragraph and it was crystal clear about the entire process. Now I see he has another book about skipping college and going into business for yourself which, while I haven't read it yet, probably does an excellent job of covering the topic based on his last book.
#14--Random stuff: take some gigs on CraigsList, have a garage sale, eBay stuff, offer to trade your skill for a friend's skill, go downtown and sing on a street corner, challenge yourself to do something that you have always wanted to do but were too afraid "of what others would think"...once you start doing things to break out of the little box you have been wedged into, you will a) find stuff that you like to do better than other stuff, b) enjoy the fact that you can earn your own income without a boss, c) develop your salesmanship skills, and d) learn to take risks which is what business is all about.
#15--Start small. Don't spend more than $500 to get your new venture off the ground. Some of your ideas are going to crash and burn and I would rather than happen with your monthly spending money than have you risk your entire 401k.

The bottom line is that everyone is good at something. I hope J will take his natural skills, brush up on them a bit, then monetize the Hell out of them and make some cash. Developing his business from there will be the easy part, getting started is often the most difficult.

Here's some more blogs/websites from people who have decided to be self employed. Notice how they have a blog but they earn their income from doing other things like writing e-books, giving conferences, etc.

• Johnny B Truant
• Art of Nonconformity
• Penelope Trunk
• Joe McNally
• Adventure Doc
• Simple Dollar

Questions from a Reader: Tools

What would be the top ten tools you would recommend? B.P.

This list really depends on where you are and what you do. More than once I fell under the spell of the Craftsman Tool department and ended up with a complete auto mechanics set (I don't work on cars), a complete woodworkers tool set (I don't work on wood either), and other random assorted cool gadgets that caught my eye and led to visions of stuff I could do if I had the right tool set. Then I figured out that if I am not actually doing the thing now, it isn't likely that I will be doing it in the future.

I have sold and gifted quite a few tools that looked pretty impressive in the store but which I had no actual use for. Lesson learned. Expensively. So now my tool bench consists of the tools that I actually need for day to day use. I don't buy things that I rarely use (like a power washer) because the gardener can bring his own or I can simply rent the device if I really need it. I no longer have a winch on my truck and a chainsaw in the back because I no longer live in a rural, mountainous area that sometimes required clearing your own road if you wanted to pass by. A bolo (machete) is nice, but unless you are clearing jungle overgrowth, there really is no need for one.

So in a nutshell, start with the basic tools below that any average homeowner/apartment dweller may need, then expand as you do work that requires specialized tools (ie: you do a plumbing project, rewire the garage, paint a spare bedroom, build a garden shed, etc).

1. Set of screw drivers (you don't need a 32 piece set...just buy a small, medium, and large version of both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers).


2. Hammer


3. Breaker bar (also known as a pry bar)


4. Set of wrenches/pliers (needle nose pliers, crescent wrench, slotted pliers, etc)


5. Hacksaw


6. Level


7. Drill and set of drill bits


8. Ladder


9. Utility knife


10. Measuring tape

The three basic rules of tool ownership:

#1 Buy only the tools you need and actually use

#2 Buy quality tools not crap from the dollar store

#3 Build up your tool collection slowly. If you are 20 years old and think you should have a workshop that rivals your grandfather's, don't. Tools are usually collected over many years in just the way described above. You start with the basics, then decide to clean your gutters (add 25' ladder to your collection), the next year you plant a garden (add hoe and shovel), in a couple of years your garden now takes up an acre (add rototiller). You get the idea.

100 Things Challenge: Survivalist Edition

For quite a while, the 100 Things Challenge has been floating around the web. A guy named Dave challenged himself and others to live with only 100 things, and whether you reduce the stuff in your home to 100 things or you live a location-independent lifestyle and carry all 100 things on your back, the idea is to have no more than 100 things that you absolutely need to survive. Since I have been traveling so much over the past month or so, I really think this is doable because I have been living out of my backpack and still find that I don't use everything I have packed for my trips.
If I was going travel, or for survivalist purposes, I was going to bug out, here are the 100 things I would absolutely want to carry with me:

1. A good bag to carry my stuff in
2. Water
3. Food
4. Tent
5. Sleeping bag
6. Sleeping pad
7. Portable stove and fuel
8. Mess kit
9. Utensils
10. Flashlight
11. First aid kit
12. Toiletry kit (soap, shampoo, comb, razor, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, suntan lotion, floss, mirror, nail file/clippers, lip balm)
13. Office bag (wallet, id, passport, important papers or copies, pen, paper, contact list)
14. Duct tape
15. Matches/lighter
16. Toilet paper
17. Tissue
18. WetWipes
19. Knife
20. Firearm/ammo
21. Sneakers
22. Flip flops
23. Underware/t shirts/socks
24. Pants
25. Shirts (short sleeve, long sleeve)
26. Fleece jacket
27. Rain jacket/pants
28. Hat/bandana
29. Personal stuff (glasses, dentures, hearing aids, feminine hygiene, etc)
30. Laptop or netbook
31. Camera
32. Memory cards
33. Thumb drive
34. Cell phone
35. iPod or iTouch
36. Plastic bags (big black trash bag, assortment of ziplock bags)
37. Sunglasses
38. Sewing/repair kit (including rubber bands, safety pins)
39. Watch
40. Daypack
41. Playing cards
42. Medications
43. Vitamins
44. Money
45. Scissors
46. Swim shorts
47. Towel
48. Wash cloth
49. Bleach
50. Water filter
51. Book
52. 550 paracord
53. Battery charger
54. Extra batteries
55. Whistle
56. Space blanket
57. Radio
58. Compass
59. Fishing line and hooks
60. Magnifying glass
61. Gloves
62. .....

Well, I tried to get up to 100 items and maybe by breaking out each part of the first aid or toiletry kit I would get there but the bottom line is that you can survive on not much stuff. I try to keep the stuff that I carry to a minimum because, well, I have to carry the stuff and I would rather be light and fast instead of bogged down and hyperventilating halfway up the trail. Plus, in an emergency survival situation, you may have to move quickly, you may have to hide or defend your stuff, you may only be able to bring one bag with you...there are a number of reasons why it just makes sense to bring the basics and skip all of the extraneous junk.