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confusedwitch · 3 years

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Witch-Related Books to Grab off Amazon: Masterpost Part 1

First off, I'll be sectioning this into different parts based off of what type of witch you are/want to be/want more info on, or what practices you wanna add to your craft :)

Green Witch/Magick Herbalism (a classic):

The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock - $9.69 (Hardcover): This book had incredible reviews on amazon, and a lot of the written reviews said that the book wasn't specific to a religion and didn't try to push a religion on you, which is so wonderful because not everyone wants to be religious with their craft.

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz - $25.19 (Hardcover) $18.99 (Paperback): Again, stunning reviews, just a less popular book. This book isn't about general stuff, but instead it's more focused on mother nature and the useage of plants (non-herbal as well, so your houseplants might be mentioned too), which is great if you wanna center your practice around Gaia and the healing energies of the earth.

Herb Magick: An Introduction to Magickal Herbalism and Spells by Patti Wigington - $14.99 (Paperback): here's a review from a verified person- it explained this book WAY better than I ever could:

The focus of this book is on the folkloric and magical uses of herbs, rather than medicinal applications. It provides a few traditional uses of herbs, but the overall theme is knowledge of the plants and their associations, and incorporating them in your spiritual workings. This is an Introductory to Magical Herbalism.

The author's spiritual practice is rooted in traditional American and European Folk Magic. She is a licensed Pagan Clergy and is the founder of Clan Of The Stone Circle, a Celtic Pagan Tradition. (Funny, anything Celtic has been pulling my attention feelers lately, no wonder why I loved this book.) Her spells are derived/based upon the traditional folk magic practices of Western Europe and the British Isles, and the author's own experiences. They are positive spells for magical intentions of healing, love, prosperity, and protection. Baneful or negative workings with herbs are NOT used in this book.

The aesthetic of this book has my little, beginner herbalist heart gushing! The blue, green, and yellow earthy tones and hues used were perfect for the topic of herbs! The cover is GORGEOUS! It's so pretty and flowery, the illustrated pictures of the herbs were extremely helpful because I had never seen some of the plants before. This will make future identification much easier for me!

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham - $16.43 (Paperback): A couple reviews describe it as being in a cookbook format, and overall an amazing book, like most of Scott Cunningham's other works. Apparently the Amazon shipping was literal trash for a bunch of people and they essentially left the book loose inside the box to bang around and get all sorts of messed up :((

The Witch's Herbal Apothecary by Marysia Miernowska - $18.69 (Paperback): Described by reviewers as the PERFECT book for recipes and rituals, even one of Marysia's personal students spoke very highly of her, saying that she's the real deal. Other reviews state the book as being very beginner friendly, and beautifully written and illustrated :))

Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch's Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual, and Healing by Amy Blackthorn - $15.79 (Paperback): again, phenomenal reviews, just a lesser-known book. Again, here's a review from someone who explained the book a bit better than I could:

This book is way more than I thought it would be. I thought it would be like a dictionary - you look up the essential oil and get the definition. It is that but it's also got a few introductory chapters about oils and products and rituals to give you a nice and concise overview of a lot of things you might need to know as a novice. I also like the way you can reference different oils in alpha order but also look up your purpose and find the oil you need.

From the looks of it, this book is specifically about Essential Oils. Is that still Green Witchery?? Lol I'm not sure, but i felt like it should go in this category.

Kitchen Witch (another classic):

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews by Amy Blackthorn - $14.49 (Hardcover): this is mainly a book of recipes for drinks and cocktails and stuff. There was one review complaining about how it didn't have correspondences, meanwhile the book is literally described as being a recipe book? It's an AMAZING book if you enjoy/want to start making homemade elixirs and cocktails :))

The Natural Witch's Cookbook: 100 Magickal, Healing Recipes, and Herbal Remedies to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit by Lisanna Wallace - $20.69 (hardcover): This is again just a book of recipes, and the reviews are really good. Here's one of them:

I wanted to write the review as soon as I got the book. I was not expecting this book to be so fantastic. The recipes are very nutritious and the names are very inventive, but I could see that before I tried the recipes. I held off on writing the review until I tasted a few of the recipes. Even my kids were very happy with the flavors of these recipes. They are mostly easy to make and they are very delicious. Be aware though that the food can only be as great as the quality of the ingredients that you get. These are not recipes that call for complicated or fancy ingredients, or even a lot of ingredients. As a result, you have to use the best that you can find/afford to get the best results you can. I did not use expensive ingredients, but everything I used was very fresh and it does make a difference on the outcome. Overall, the book have some great recipes, easy to follow and the end result does look like the ones on the picture.

The Book of Kitchen Witchery by Cerridwen Greenleaf - $12.89 (Paperback):

I am so pleased with this book. It’s so magical and warm. Sometimes the new age genre can be a little too technical or focus too much on religion or putting down particular religions... this was not like that. There are so many lovely tips and easy spells and recipes that are kept fairly light so you can make them your own. The book just makes me happy, it has an energy to it that goes right along with it’s artsy illustrations and at-a-glance format. This will be a great reference. Very grateful to everyone who made this book possible.

A former editor said that there were a few editing mistakes, but nothing too crazy. If that's one of your pet peeves, just beware when buying this book lol (btw the editor still have a 4 star review because they said the book is still very good)

Potions, Elixirs & Brews by Anaïs Alexandre - $12.79 (Hardcover): I just had to include both of these amazing reviews, since both said what the other review did not.

This book is so gorgeous and everything I have been looking for in regards to potions. I love her writing style and the way the book looks. Highly informative and I can feel her good intentions behind the book. She is very intelligent. I respect her and I am inspired by her! I found her by chance looking up books for potions, she also has Instagram! Very grateful, amazing book thank you:-) so happy to be the first comment:p excited to see what else amazing things come from Anais!

And

I adore this book. The art and setup is simplistic and beautiful. There is a system that tells you exactly how difficult each potion will be to make, whether or not it’s alcoholic, and what is the ideal season to make it in. The instructions are clear, the preliminary information is well done, and there’s even a section for brewing large batches which I LOVE. The weight of the book is nice and it feels of good quality. The papers are glossy and, I haven’t yet, but I feel like it won’t be a disaster If you get some of your creation on it. The book is separated into types of potions depending on your intent. This is a perfect book for anyone new to making potions or is interested in a magickal recipe book!

The Witches Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Madara - $35 (Hardcover): This book actually isn't out yet, but it'll be released on October 26th of this year (2021). It looks promising, which is why I put it on the list, and for that much money, it better be good lol

Lunar/Moon/Astrology Witch:

The Complete Guide to Astrology by Louise Edington - $9.49 (Paperback) $22.99 (Hardcover): There's amazing reviews on this book, and one of them said that she's been researching astrology for 23 years!! Here's the review in it's entirety:

I've been a student of Astrology for the past 23 years now, and have read most of the books on this subject that are considered foundational. Many guides to astrology that I page through in a bookstore are fine, but covering information I already know. What I so appreciated about Edington's new book is that she brings a new angle to even the basics of Astrology. Her book feels like a fresh update, more appropriate to our current time in terms of language and sensibility. There are no "evil" aspects or transits in Edington's view, no dark warnings of disaster; her evolutionary perspective encourages us to see the opportunity in even the most challenging times, what can be learned, what can be accomplished. As she says in her book, she doesn't look at the natal chart as something fixed, unchanging, rather a "blueprint rich in meaning and possibility."

I also admired Edington's extensive knowledge of the stories behind the names and symbology used in Astrology: sharing her interpretations of them, how they are useful, how they can be limiting. Concepts I thought I already understood have been unpacked in greater depth by the author, so that I see deeper layers.

This text is beautifully written, well-organized, offering a fresh update, as well as a deeper dive than many astrology texts. This book is an invaluable resource I'll be returning to, and consulting, with appreciation.

Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want by Diane Ahlquist - $11.35 (Paperback): This book is a bit older fashioned in the sense that it's VERY heteronormative, we're talking about love magick SPECIFICALLY for men and all about being a father, and a section of love magick SPECIFICALLY for women and being a mother. So if this gets on your nerves, then i wouldn't recommend this book. Other than that, the reviews are very good and they describe the book as being a must-have for lunar witches.

The Complete Book of Moon Spells by Michael Herkes - $13.49 (Paperback): Yes, this book was written by a man. If that's something that might make you not want to purchase, please look at this and also keep in mind that SO MANY of the most highly esteemed witches of the world ARE MEN. So if you wanna be closed off and refuse their help and their knowledge, go ahead sis, I'm not stopping you.

He's most definitely not just "some guy". Aside from that, this book has very good reviews. Some people called it "fluffy" and a bit less serious then they anticipated, but it's very good for beginner witches who are finally wanting to start doing spells. Here's a review.

In this book you explore ways to conjure the mysterious power of the moon to manifest your intentions to achieve abundance and balance in your life! Each chapter is devoted to one of the eight phases of the moon and includes various spells, tarot spreads, crystal grids and potions that reflect that phase of the moon!

This is an overall amazing book if you want to build a foundation of learning about the history of the moon, astrology, cycles & phases, ritual tools, crystals, herbs, and essential oils- as well as the moon spells and rituals.

This is one of my new favorite books! I feel so connected to the moon and this book is a great reference for learning the best rituals and spells to use for the different moon phases and energies surrounding them! It’s easy to follow and the lunar rituals, mystical spells and magical drinks are so vibrant, creative and helpful in my spiritual journey. I’d recommend this book to anyone that loves the moon like I do.

Moon Magic: A Handbooks of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies by Aurora Kane - $19.99 (Hardcover, although there's only three left when I'm looking at it) $9.99 (Kindle):

One review said that the book much surpassed their expectations, and another review said this:

I absolutely adore this book.

If you're just a beginner and want to understand the different moon phases, this is the book to get.

The information inside was extremely helpful without being overly complicated.

Well worth the money spent.

Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by DK - $14.59 (Hardcover):

I saw this in store and was immediately drawn to it's beautiful and shiny cover! But when I open it, the inside is just as beautiful! I love looking through the pages. I would say it is a very good basic astrology book, but I have another one that gives much more detail. I like this one for more of a quick reference kind of book. It's more of a bullet point style book, where it gives little tidbits instead of paragraphs going in depth. (Though some pages do have paragraphs) BUT, it covers just about everything including all the houses, moon signs, and ascending signs. It covers everything, but it just covers he tip of the iceberg. (In my opinion) I still absolutely recommend it!

Apparently this book is also available in Barnes and Noble, so if you have access to one, you might wanna look there for the book before purchasing off of Amazon :)

Misc Books (General):

The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change Your Life by Ambrosia Hawthorn - $10.19 (Paperback) $20.69 (Hardcover):

This book... It's a very good spell book, and is true in the spells it contains, but MY biggest problem with it is that it's V E R Y Wiccan, and seems almost preachy about the "Threefold Law" and what they like to call "karma". Choosing not to do dark magick is PERFECTLY FINE and being Wiccan is totally okay! But don't be like Christianity and rub it in people's faces, dude. The book talks about how you can ONLY practice "love and light". Other than that, this book is AMAZING and rated literally 5 stars with over 11K reviews. If you lean more Wiccan, by ALL means, buy this spellbook. It's the one for you.

Practical Magic for Beginners by Maggie Haseman - $13.49 (Paperback)

This book is fantastic for the witch who wants to learn more about her craft but doesn't know where to start. Each subject is broken down into easy to absorb bits of wisdom without being overwhelming. A great jumping off place to decide where to dive in deep next.

This book is very comprehensive, and is a great reference guide for beginner witches, or witches looking to add another book to their collection.

Candle Magic For Beginners by Mystic Dylan - $10.86 (Paperback) $21.99 (Spiral bound)

This book is a must have for anyone looking to deepen their connection with the magical element of fire, ritual, and spell work through candle magic! Dylan not only teaches you how to use candle magic for things such as protection, abundance, love, healing, and more, but takes you through the fascinating history of the power of fire & how to properly charge, cleanse, and consecrate your candles to begin manifesting your deepest desires!!! Overall, the book is beautifully written with gorgeous illustration and will hook you from the start!!!!!!!

This book is perfect for beginners to candle magick, or beginners to the craft in general. I personally LOVE candle magic because I've always been attracted to fire. I could void out and just stare at a flame for hours on end lol

Crystals for Beginners by Karen Frazier - $8.99 (Paperback) $20.95 (Spiral bound)

Absolutely love this book!! It’s so informative! I am a beginner and this book explains a lot. Everything a beginner would need to know about crystals is in this book. I am so pleased with it. Best purchase of the week! Definitely worth it. The author explains crystals, chakras and energy so enthusiastically and in a way that is easy to understand. At the end of the book, is a “resources” page with all the websites, books and apps that the Author recommends.

Again, very beginner friendly, but this time it's not spells, it's crystals and such. I've personally been wanting this book for AGES

The Crystal Bible Series by Judy Hall - $38.99 (Volume 1-3 shrink-wrapped set, paperback):

This is my first purchase of the three-part series by Judy Hall. Volume 1 covers over 200 crystals! I can already tell you I'll be purchasing volumes 2 and 3 (each of which cover 200+ MORE crystals/stones, not included in volume 1) I love how each crystal description includes photos to further help in identification. I also appreciate that rarity and sources were included. Information about the spiritual and physical impacts of crystals on the body is in there as well! This book is loaded with a lot of great information and is the perfect quick reference. It's also small and fits easily in my hand. I highly recommend it for beginners.

This is a review from just the first book, and it's from a verified hauler/buyer :)) these aren't exactly newbie friendly, and some people say they're a bit harder to understand.

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notebooknebula · 4 years

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Tim Bratz - Building Legacy Wealth Through Apartments & Commercial Real ...

https://www.jayconner.com/tim-bratz-building-legacy-wealth-through-apartments-commercial-real-estate-investments/

Building Legacy Wealth Through Apartments & Commercial Real Estate Investments.

Legacy Wealth Holdings is a trailblazer in the commercial real estate investment world. We are headquartered in Cleveland OH and invest in apartment buildings nationwide by joint venturing with local operators and passive lenders. Our investment strategy is simple: only invest for cash flow, only buy at wholesale prices, and create (never speculate) appreciation through value-add improvements and sweat equity.

Legacy Wealth Holdings was launched in 2009 as a socially conscious real estate investment company. Founder Tim Bratz was drawn to real estate because he saw the long term benefits of a solid investment.

Tim began his career in the competitive New York City real estate market working as a broker leasing ground floor retail units. Here, he saw the true potential of real estate to transform lives. Although Tim was limited in means, he spent his time reading, attending workshops, and networking with accomplished entrepreneurs learning that being resourceful was the ultimate path to becoming successful.

With this knowledge, Tim embarked on building his real estate company in Charleston, South Carolina, where he had relocated in search of a better quality of life. Arriving in 2008, after the real estate bubble burst, Tim quickly adapted and using a credit card, increased his limit and then wrote himself a balance transfer check to acquire the cheapest property he could find.

Armed with his personal investment and plenty of sweat equity, Tim transformed a rundown duplex and turned a profit on his first deal. He then took those proceeds and reinvested them, while seeking private capital to expand his growing company.

Today, Tim still uses this formula for success, which all starts with being resourceful and having the right mindset. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jay Conner (00:02): Well, hello there! And welcome to another episode of Real Estate Investing with Jay Conner. I’m Jay Conner, your host. Also known as The Private Money Authority. And here on the show, we talk about all things that relate to real estate investing. Single family houses, commercial deals, self storage, land, small apartments, big apartments, flipping, rent to own, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. We also talk about how to get your deals funded without relying on local banks or mortgage companies. How to sell houses fast. How to automate your business. To where you’re running your business and your business isn’t running you. And I have fantastic guests here on the show. Today is no exception. But before I introduce my guest today, I’ve got a free gift for you to check out. And that is if you’re looking for more funding for your deals, particularly here in the midst of COVID-19 and you don’t want to rely on banks, mortgage companies, or any kind of traditional funding, then I have got an on demand, free training for you right now on the internet.

Jay Conner (01:14): It’s only about 60 minutes long, but this training will show you the five easy and quick steps to get the funding for your real estate deals. Again, without relying on your, any of your own money, your own credit, et cetera. So you, after the show, you can check it out at www.JayConner.com/MoneyPodcast. That’s JayConner.com/MoneyPodcast. Well, my special guest today began his career in real estate in the competitive New York city. Can you believe real estate market? And he was working as a broker leasing these ground floor retail units. Well, in that experience, he saw and learned the true potential of real estate that can really transform lives. Now, although he was limited in his means and the amount of money that he had available to him at the time, he spent his time reading, attending seminars, networking, and hanging around very accomplished entrepreneurs, which by the way, is good advice for all of us.

Jay Conner (02:23): And he was learning that being resourceful was the ultimate path to becoming successful. What do you mean by resourceful? He’s going to tell us. So with his knowledge he embarked on building his real estate company and empire in Charleston, South Carolina, where he had relocated in search of a better quality of life. Now he got in Charleston back in 2008. Wow! After the real estate bubble had burst and he quickly adapted and he was using a credit card, increased his credit card limit, and then wrote himself a balanced transfer check to acquire the cheapest property he could find. We’re going to get him to tell us that story about how in the world he was able to use a credit card to buy his first house at only 23 years old. Well, anyway, armed with his personal investment and a lot of sweat equity. He transformed a rundown duplex and turned a profit on his first deal. Then he took those proceeds, reinvested them, and while seeking private capital to expand his growing company. Well, my special guest is the CEO and founder of Legacy Wealth Holdings, which was a real estate investment company that acquires and transforms distressed apartment buildings into high yield assets for their own portfolio. So with that folks, I’m so excited to have as my guest today, my friend, fellow mastermind member and real estate investor, Mr. Tim Bratz. Welcome to the show, Tim!

Tim Bratz (03:56): Hey, I appreciate you having me here, Jay! Excited to be here, man. I always looked up to you and I’m super pumped to be here and be chatting with you and sharing some knowledge with your audience. So appreciate you having me, man.

Jay Conner (04:08): Absolutely. Well, I’m so excited to have you on, because I mean, in just a few short years, you’ve got such a wide variety of experience. You have put your portfolio. I mean, my lands! Your current portfolio exceeds 4,000 units and is North with a valuation of about more than $350 million, Right?

Tim Bratz (04:32): That is correct. It’s kind of crazy. Right?

Jay Conner (04:35): So I’m not going to ask my questions in logical sequence. I’m just going to do stream of consciousness with you. How long did it take from you starting in commercial, doing commercial deals to going to a portfolio of 4,000 units? I mean, is that a 10 year stretch? Is that a five year stretch? What is that?

Tim Bratz (04:59): First started studying real estate and learning about it in 2005 when I was in college. I became a real estate agent 2009 or a 2007. Invested in my first property in 2009. Bought my first apartment building at the end of 2012. And it was an eight unit building.

Jay Conner (05:17): Wow. You answered my question. That’s fast!

Tim Bratz (05:21): Since I bought my first apartment.

Jay Conner (05:23): Yeah. And now you’ve got 4,000 doors or units, right? Yeah. That is amazing! So let’s start with, let’s start with your journey. Tell us your story of getting into real estate and how it has progressed your journey. And how has it grown.

Tim Bratz (05:44): Yeah, I think we all want it to go faster than it usually does. Right? And that was not any different in my case. I was going through college 2003 to 2007 when the market was going crazy before and everybody’s making money in real estate. And I was a money motivated kid at the age of 20 years old. So I had one of these painting companies in the summer rent a bunch of crews with my friends. We did a bunch of landscaping also. And then I interned for one of the largest home builders in the country and just realize I wanted to be a real estate investor, but I thought everybody got started in real estate and owning real estate by becoming a real estate agent. And so I’m from Cleveland, Ohio originally, but I moved out to New York city cause my brother was living out there at the time.

Tim Bratz (06:23): And after college I got my real estate license and I started brokering just like you had mentioned in the opening. Commercial and retail offices and retail spaces in Manhattan. And I, listen, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just kinda like doing the labor of going and finding, you know businesses that wanted to expand and then handing them off to somebody who knew what they were doing or finding a landlord who wanted to lease their space and then handed them off to somebody that they knew it was doing in our brokerage firms. So I was just really the workhorse, right? And so I knew enough that when I closed my first deal, it took about eight, nine months to close it. And it was 400 square feet.

Tim Bratz (07:06): And we signed a lease for $10,000 a month on this retail space. 12 year lease term, 4% annual increases. And I started doing the math and I’m like, Holy cow, this landlord’s gonna make almost $2 million from doing something once. And they’re gonna get paid on it for the next 12 years. Like I’m on the wrong side of the coin. I need to be owning real estate instead of brokering it. And so I moved down to Charleston, South Carolina for better quality of life and some good weather. And when I got down there is when the market crashed and everything was crumbling. And I was going through all these courses and seminars and learning as much as I possibly could. And when I was right, when I was about to pull the trigger on buying something that, you know, the market crumbles and I was like, I just showed up to the party and everybody’s leaving.

Tim Bratz (07:50): Right? And so nonetheless, nobody was giving money to a punk 23 year old kid. Who’d never done a deal before in the worst housing economy ever. And I had to get creative. And I think a lot of people say, Hey, I can’t do something because I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money, I don’t have the knowledge, I don’t have the resources. And I heard Tony Robin say, one time he goes, resourcefulness is the ultimate resource. You’re resourceful. You can find time and money and knowledge and all the other resources. And I think that’s something I’ve always kind of done is I don’t let somebody tell me I can’t do something. I asked questions about how can I do something. I think when you ask good questions that leads you down a path of getting good answers. It’s like Google, right?

Tim Bratz (08:35): I could Google search restaurants in Ohio. It brings up every restaurant in Ohio. And then I could Google search restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio, and it refines it to only Cleveland, then Italian restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio, it refines it even more. And so the more defined of a question that I think you asked, more definitive answer that you’re going to get. So I said, Hey, I can’t get money from the banks. I can’t get money from traditional lenders. All my friends are drunk in bars right now, cause they’re all 23 years old at the time. And not they’re blowing all their money at the bars. And nobody’s gonna lend me money. Like how can I get access to capital that I already have access? And I thought, well, I have a couple thousand dollars saved up in my bank account.

Tim Bratz (09:17): That wasn’t enough. But maybe I could get my credit card company to increase my limit. And I called them up and I said, Hey, I’m about to make a big purchase. Are you guys willing to increase my limit? And they said, how much do you need? I said, $100,000. And they said, absolutely not! Like, you’ve been a great customer for about 15 months, but that’s just not gonna happen. And I said, all right, well, how much are you going to give me? And they give me 15 grand. One five. And so I found the cheapest house in all of Charleston. This is after the market tanked in 2009 now. And I bought it essentially with a balanced transfer check on my credit card, bought it for $14,000 and put on sweat equity

Jay Conner (09:57): To make sure everybody understands, tell them about it. What is a balanced transfer check? Cause we’ve probably got some listeners that might want to use that strategy.

Tim Bratz (10:05): Well, it was, you know, it’s essentially something that credit card companies use in order to say, Hey, go from your MasterCard over to visa. And if you transfer your balance over to us, we’ll let you, you know, give you a balanced transfer check to go write a check over to your MasterCard. And then we’ll just put that balance to overhear on your visa. And so I don’t know if they still do it. I haven’t used one in a while, but that was like a big thing back in 2008, 2009. And so I was able to get my credit card limit increase. I got them to send me these perforated checks and I just wrote it to myself instead of like transferring a balance or anything like that. I just wrote myself a check for $14,900 and I maxed out my credit card.

Tim Bratz (10:48): I put all that money in my bank account. And then I went and bought this house. It was, they were asking 25 grand. I got it for, I offered 12, right? They came back at 20. I came back at 14, we ended up cutting a deal on it. So, and then I personally did all the work, you know, of YouTube and how to change out carpet and light fixtures and plumbing repairs, and all this stuff. And I turned around and sold it. And a little over a hundred days and I made about $14,000 on it net. And I was like, I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’m making money, the worst housing market ever. So then I got into wholesaling, right? Wholesaling. I learned a little bit more about that. And I met amazing people in wholesaling who had money and were buying deals from me.

Tim Bratz (11:27): I could make a couple of bucks on it. And eventually what happened was they said, Hey, this kid’s got a decent work ethic and he knows how to find a good deal. Hey Tim, I can’t, I don’t have the bandwidth to take on more projects myself, but I still have more money. How could I lend you money? We just come up with some sort of like equity split on the deal. And that’s how I started doing several deals. Probably. I don’t know, the first 250 deals I did with some sort of equity split with private investors. And so, built up a small portfolio and ended up moving back from Charleston, South Carolina, back up to Cleveland, Ohio, and partnered up pretty much exclusively with a couple of guys who had a traditional business, made a lot of money in it and invested with me.

Tim Bratz (12:09): And so from 2012 to 2015, built up a portfolio, I don’t know about 130, 140 units in Cleveland. That’s when I bought my first apartment building. That partnership though went South in 2015, 2016, and we ended up liquidating everything. So I had to press the reset button on my business and it’s not exciting to do when you can. You know, I think that takes a lot of work to kind of get the, get the plane off the ground. And I’m like, Oh man, I got to start all over. But really it was a blessing in disguise where it allowed me to really spread my wings and do some other stuff. And people came out of the woodwork saying, Hey, man, I want to wanting to partner with you and want to do some deals with you. I’ve been wanting to lend you money.

Tim Bratz (12:50): And it just, it opened me up big time. Started to got into a mastermind for the first time in 2015, and that was just like mind boggling the opportunities that, and the connections that came from that. And so I liquidated my whole portfolio and in August of 2015, I started building my current portfolio. Although they took all my property away or not took it all away, but we liquidated all. They couldn’t take the insights, right? They couldn’t take the mindset, they couldn’t take the information. And I think that’s a really a key piece of once you learn, you get educated to how to do this stuff, you could do it over and over and over again. So I started from scratch and in August of 2015 and here we are five years later and I have a $350 million portfolio. It’s 90% apartments. And about 10% of some other asset classes. Office, a little bit of mixed use like retail. I have several self storage facilities. And a couple of vacation homes too.

Jay Conner (13:46): So really these 4,000 units, you’ve built all that in just the past less well, less than five years?

Tim Bratz (13:54): Yup. Just shy of five years now.

Jay Conner (13:56): So you’re starting from scratch. Well, you’re not starting from scratch, cause you still own the real estate in between your ears. Right. And the experience you’ve got, et cetera. So tell us that story. How do you start from scratch? You know, looking for and attracting capital. So, you know, I’ve done a ton of that myself. I teach it myself. I really want to hear your story. So how do you start raising the capital and all these commercial deals? How do you start finding the deals? And then if you can keep it to the 30,000 foot level, what’s a structure of a deal look like? How do you structure a deal? And I’m assuming you’re looking, at this portfolio, this portfolio were those all existing apartments, et cetera, that were distressed and you turn them around?

Tim Bratz (14:48): For the most part, we do a little bit of new construction also, but most of it I’d say North of 70% of it is definitely existing property. Maybe 75%, 80% is existing.

Jay Conner (15:02): Let’s start with raising the capital. What’s your strategy on raising the capital? Cause that’s a lot of capital.

Tim Bratz (15:09): Yup, we’ve raised. I mean, I have, and I don’t raise money from institutions or hedge funds and REITs and stuff like that. I raised money from individuals, right? Somebody who’s got a hundred thousand dollars in 401k or some entrepreneur who just exited their business and they’re sitting on a couple of million bucks.

Jay Conner (15:24): Yup. That’s what I do.

Tim Bratz (15:25): That’s everybody that I raise money from. They’re easy to work with. They’re too busy to complain or like breathing down your neck about what’s going on with the deal. As long as their checks hit and their deposits are made. They like going back to doing what they’re really good at and they understand leveraging other people’s efforts. And they’re really good at making money. They’re not that good at investing it. So they put it with somebody who does know how to invest it and then I can help them deploy it, make a good return. So here’s what I found because I’ve done a lot of different things. I had a big turnkey business. We were flipping about a hundred. Like when I get out of that, that past a business partnership, I went back into wholesaling and I got into like turnkey of flipping houses because I needed to build up my cash reserves again. And so while I was doing that whole process, I learned that there’s some people, there’s essentially two types of investors out there, that are looking for two different types of returns.

Tim Bratz (16:18): One is like a debt return, which is a very predictable, I deploy my money and I make 12% return on my investment at like clockwork. And I invest a hundred thousand dollars with somebody. I make a thousand dollars a month and I make 12% annual return on my money. That’s great. It’s very predictable. There’s no surprises there. And, but at the end of the day, they’re not building wealth, right. They’re making a good return and their army of money has a bunch of other soldiers now that they can then redeploy and they can make more and more money. And that’s one way of doing it. And then there’s other people that I found that like the equity investment side, where there’s equity upside, they can sell the property, double their money, but there’s also equity downside where they could lose money.

Tim Bratz (17:01): And there’s not a lot of predictability in consistent monthly payments in that regard. So I’ve realized there were two types of people, two types of investments. And there wasn’t really anything in the middle. When I started doing on the single family side is I started structuring the way that was a no brainer. I said, Hey, listen, I’ll pay you either 12% on your money. Or 15% of the profit, whichever is greater. That’s a no brainer. Worst case scenario make 12% of my money and potentially there’s equity upside in this thing without any downside on the equity. So that was a no brainer. And then when I started investing in apartment buildings, I did something similar. I realized that I couldn’t pay somebody 12% cause we’re talking about big dollar amounts and it would really eat up the cash flow, especially on these not performing apartment buildings that are heavily distressed.

Tim Bratz (17:51): So what I ended up doing is I offered a little bit less, you know, 8% to 10% fixed return on their investment. And my whole model is based on flipping houses, right? Like I never went to a course. I never on commercial real estate. I never, I didn’t get a real estate degree from some Ivy league school. My grandparents didn’t know what a bunch of commercial real estate I just learned about it from the school of hard knocks. And so what I ended up doing was I took the formula of, I gotta be all in for 65% of the after repair value. And that’s what I needed to be able to buy and renovate these houses for in order to sell it and make a profit. I took that exact same philosophy and formula and put it into apartment buildings. So in apartment buildings, very predictable of what it’s going to be worth because it’s all based on the income approach, not on sales comparables.

Tim Bratz (18:35): So I know what it’ll rent for. I know exactly what the expenses are. And so I can just figure out if I improve it and I get a fully occupied, put good management in place. It’ll generate this much money of net operating income. And in that area, it’ll appraise it, this sort of cap rate, which is kind of like a multiple on the NOI. And so it’s very predictable. If it’s gonna be worth $10 million, I need to be all in for six and a half million. If it needs a million dollars worth of work, I need to be able to, my maximum allowable offer is five and a half million dollars. Does that make sense? So the difference is I don’t sell the property. I turn around, I refinance it. So I’ll go to the you know, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or an insurance company or CMBS.

Tim Bratz (19:16): And I’ll get a loan once the property is stabilized, meaning it’s fully occupied, good managements in place. And then I’ll put a loan on it for 70% of that new value. So if I’m all in, it’s worth 10 million, I’m all in for six and a half. My new loan is 7 million. That means I’m able to pay back my investors able to pay off my short term construction loan. And I just put longterm debt, fixed interest rate debt in place. And now all my chips are off the table. Right now we can just sit on this thing, let the tenants pay rent covers all the operating expenses covers all the debt service pays down our mortgage property appreciates over time. And that is how real wealth is built. So when I, when I got into apartment buildings, I took my investors and I just, I started paying them 8% to 10% of a fixed return while their money was invested.

Tim Bratz (20:03): And then they get all their money back at the time of the refinance. Let’s say it’s 18 months later. And then I give them equity in the deal forever. Even though all their money’s back in their own pocket, they keep maybe 20% of the deal forever. And so that then incentivizes them where now they see me as a longterm partner. They see me as somebody who’s like, you know what, if somebody dangles a 12% carrot in front of their face, they’re not going to go with it because they’re like, no, Tim’s my partner. Right? I have equity and deals with him that we’re gonna be partners for the next 10 years. And it allows them to just keep on rolling their money forward with me, where they make a good fixed return. Plus they have the equity upside and it’s a win-win all around them.

Jay Conner (20:43): So do you structure the deal with your private lenders? Are they investing in a fund?

Tim Bratz (20:51): Yeah, so it’s not like a general open-ended fund. Every deal that I do, every apartment building I buy is its own investment, a registered sec investment with the federal SEC, Securities Exchange Commission. So every deal I do is its own. It’s its own entity, it’s its own registration. So I only raise on a deal by deal basis. So people aren’t, you know, it’s not like a stock where it’s or a mutual fund where it’s spread across many different properties. It’s a single property. So one, two, three main street will be owned by one, two, three main street, LLC. Here’s what the numbers are on one, two, three main street. What it’s going to look like, and what’s going to generate for income to the LLC. And then the investors, they invest in that LLC and they’re actual equity owners in the LLC. So they get a K1 at the end of the year and yeah, works that way.

Jay Conner (21:43): So you raise capital for its own project every time. Right? So, does most of your capital for a project that you’re looking to do, do most of those funds come from existing private lenders that you might have recently paid off from a refinance deal?

Tim Bratz (22:08): Yeah, so you know, we were joking about it before we kind of came online and we said, Hey, you’re either deal heavy or you’re money heavy and very rarely both at the same time. Right? So I think, I think the most important thing you can be doing as a real estate investor, the only three activities that matter are Sourcing Deals, Sourcing Money, and Refining your Operations. Right? If you’re doing those three things at all times, those are the revenue generating activities that you need to be focused on all the time.

Tim Bratz (22:40): So we are always sourcing deals. We are always sourcing money. And we are always trying to refine our operations and tighten up that ship. And so, sometimes we have a refinance and we’re heavy on liquidity and we can roll all of our investors into that new project without having to raise any outside capital. Other times, like we got a bunch of refinance that were supposed to pop during this whole COVID mass. Right? And they all got delayed. And so now they’re all looking good, right? Knock on wood. But there was a timeframe where we were still buying some deals early part of this year. And we had these refinance that were supposed to pop it didn’t. So we had to raise a bunch of outside capital. But you know, it also happens where somebody invest with you in one deal, they have more money set aside. They want to diversify across multiple different assets, multiple different properties. And a lot of our existing investors came in on all those other projects, knowing that there are other funds are going to be pretty liquid over the course of the lateral this year.

Jay Conner (23:40): So, when you’ve got a project that you’re getting ready do, what’s your, the logistics of getting the word out to, like when you’re raising new capital? And what’s your funnel look like? Like with me, my funnel is all the time educating. In fact, you may have heard me saying that in the past time, I’ve never asked anybody for money. I raised a ton of capital without asking for money. I educate and I teach and once they get taught and enlightened and they know about self directed IRAs and they know about private money and how the program works, if they’ve got investment capital or retirement funds, they’re going to be chasing me. Right? But where do you go and what do you do?

Tim Bratz (24:28): Yep. So I’m very active on social media. So if you follow me on social media, I know we’re connected on social media. You’ll see me always talking about buying apartment buildings. How I structure the deal. What the returns look like for the overall project. When you’re syndicating capital, you gotta be very careful to stay in compliance with the SEC guidelines. You can’t just go out and tell people, Hey, I’ll pay you 12% because it’s not secured with a first lien position on a property. So because of that, you can’t go out and just generally solicit, you know, and as soon as you take two investors and put them into a single deal, you’re creating a security. So it needs to be registered with the SEC. Does everybody do it? No. Do I do it? Yes, because I have a lot of eyeballs on me cause I do the education stuff too.

Tim Bratz (25:13): But I think educating people is the purest way of showing what you do, how you do it, and just naturally building trust and building relationships with people. And confidence and respect that they respect you as the authority of private money. Right? And so those are the two keys in order to raise capital. You need somebody’s respect and you need somebody’s trust. If you don’t have those two things, it’s gonna be very, very difficult to raise money. And educating people, whether that’s through social media or through formal courses, creates both of those things. You’re spending time with them. They know you, they know your core values, they know what you’re all about. And you’re obviously teaching, you’re standing up in front of the stage. You must be an authority. You must be an expert at what you do.

Tim Bratz (26:02): So there’s a lot of respect that comes with that as well. So I think the whole education piece is a genius way of doing what you’re doing. So I do some of that on social media. I do have, you know, a coaching platform on teaching investors, how to scale from residential into apartments. And that generates a lot of capital. But I also just hang out in masterminds and I hang out with people who have capital who have money, who are really good at making money, but not good at deploying money. Right? Like most entrepreneurs are really, really good at making money. And then they blow it on stupid stuff. They’re not good at saving it. They’re not good at investing it. So I’m able to come in and be like, listen, man, you buy as many liabilities as you want, but first you gotta buy assets, right? Like here’s what system, what the process looks like to generate real wealth instead of just getting rich, let’s get you wealthy. And so that’s, that’s what I do.

Jay Conner (26:50): Yeah. You just said that you know, you just hang around people, that’s got money and you know, I’ve been saying for a long time, the more money you wallow in, the more sticks to you. So I planted this and I also teach people to go where the money is. You know, sometimes they’ll say, Jay, you know, you talk about your warm market or relationship money. All my people are broke. I don’t know anybody with money. Well, wake up and smell the roses. How about let’s go meet some people that’s got money. And so obviously along with the education piece, networking is critical. Networking is critical to you know, to speak to the point of what you just said. Well, Tim, we are just about out of time, but thank you so much for taking the time to come on the show here.

Jay Conner (27:38): And I know that there is a percentage of my audience that would like to follow you and learn some more from you. So let me ask you for two things. If people want to learn how to get into commercial investing themselves and learn from you and your education company, how would they, where would they go to learn more about that?

Tim Bratz (28:00): Yeah. Well, I appreciate it, Jay. Thanks again for having me, man. And again, I appreciate all the value that you continue to put out there and your abundance mentality. So thanks for having me here. Yeah, if you guys want to connect with me, I’m very active on social media. Find me on Facebook and Instagram. And follow me, connect with me, send me a friend request there. And then my website is LegacyWealthHoldings.com LegacyWealthHoldings.com. And you can learn more about the coaching side of things and how we can potentially do deals together. I’m always buying properties, selling properties, joint venturing on projects. So if you guys come across a good deal and want to talk about something or just need some insight, I mean, we’re happy to support and offer education any way that we can. So yeah, appreciate you having me, man.

Jay Conner (28:44): Absolutely! And for everyone that is listening in on iTunes, Google play and our other audio platforms, the spelling of Tim Bratz, his name, of course you got the TIM. But his last name, if you’re looking for him on social media is BRATZ. That’s TIM BRATZ. Well, Tim, I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming mastermind meeting, which hopefully is going to be in person. I haven’t heard the definitive word on that yet, but in any case, it’s been a pleasure to have you on, man. I appreciate you so much.

Tim Bratz (29:17): Thank you! Thank you for having me. Take care.

New Speaker (29:19): There you have it folks. Another show. I’m Jay Conner, The Private Money Authority. Wishing you all the best! Here’s to taking your real estate investing business to the next level. And I’ll see you on the next show.

#Jay Conner #Private Money Lender #Real Estate Business #Real Estate #Real Estate Investing #Real Estate Investor #Real Estate Profit #The Private Money Authority

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lanaisnotwool · 4 years

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410 Investing in Real Estate From Scratch - Interview with Ola Dantis

http://moneyripples.com/2020/07/30/410-investing-in-real-estate-from-scratch-interview-with-ola-dantis/

Chris Miles, the "Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor," is a leading authority on how to quickly free up and create cash flow for thousands of his clients, entrepreneurs, and others internationally! He’s an author, speaker, and radio host that has been featured in US News, CNN Money, Bankrate, Entrepreneur on Fire, and spoken to thousands getting them fast financial results. Listen to our Podcast:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/moneyripples/2020/06/20/410--investing-in-real-estate-from-scratch-with-ola-dantis

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Chris Miles (00:09): Hello, my fellow Ripplers! This is Chris Miles. Your Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor. Welcome you out for another wonderful show. A show that's for you and about you. Those of you that work so hard for your money and you want your money to start working harder for you now! You want that freedom. That prosperity. That cash flow. Today! So you work because you want to, not because you have to, because you want to live that life of freedom, that life of joy, and not just a life of luxury necessarily, right? But you want to have comfort for yourself, but more importantly, you want to create a ripple effect as a Rippler for the lives of those around you. Through your family, creating a legacy that lasts well beyond you, not a legacy of scarcity and lack. The legacy of abundance and prosperity, and it leaks out to your community and the country across the world.

Chris Miles (00:53): And how amazing would it be if all of us would prosper this way? So I'm excited to have you guys on here today, because again, this show has done amazing things. Thanks to you guys. You guys have been bingeing on this show. You've been sharing it. You've been applying the things we talk about, which I appreciate so much. So again, thank you so much for following us and being a part of this movement.

Chris Miles (01:12): Here's a reminder, check out our website, MoneyRipples.com. You know, you're going to get the ebook Beyond Rice & Beans. You can download there to find more resource, more cash. And also too, you know, if you've got questions for me, shoot me an email through there. So anyways, check it out guys.

Chris Miles (01:25): All right today. So I've got a special guest here, Ola Dantis. Now I actually first met Ola because I was on his show. He's actually got the Dwellynn Show that he's got going on as well. That's really cool. And we'll talk about that a little bit too. But the thing is like, this guy is so impressive, right? Because you know, some of us have been born and raised in the United States for our whole lives, you know. And I meet a lot of people that feel like they don't have opportunity or they hope and pray that something will come along that'll work. And I'll tell you like, Ola, gets rid of all of those excuses. Right? And so that's why I'm excited to bring him on. Now a little bit about Ola here. Like, as I mentioned, like he has the show, of course, but he's also the founder CEO of Dwellynn.com. He's a multifamily investment syndication firm. Should I say that 10 times fast? Right? He's successfully sourced deals of over $40 million by working with closely with sellers and with other apartment syndicators cross country.

Chris Miles (02:18): Now, although he's only lived in the U S for about six or seven years, he has successfully completed rehab projects in excess of $1 million. Now not only has he exceeded his investors returns, right? But he also has this great success in the multifamily space. In fact, he just closed on a 160 unit apartment deal in Houston, Texas, and another 104 unit deal in another place in Texas as well. And again, he does huge value adds across the country, mostly in strong Metro areas across the U S. Now he loves working with new investors, both here and abroad, even those that are international. Which is kind of where Ola's background comes from as well. Now, one cool thing too, is that his firm also aims to give back. So they have, what's a one house pledge where by every Christmas they donate a house to a family for Christmas. So starting in Baltimore, for example. So in fact, he just did a recent trip to the Philippines and Bali. And he's visited the slums and now working on a local initiative to help people in need. So huge guy like big heart, welcome to our show, Ola, how are you doing?

Ola Dantis (03:17): Doing fantastic, Chris. I really wish I had just put that on full blast. Called my wife i here so she can hear the introduction. Thank you so much!

Chris Miles (03:24): I totally get it. People introduce me way better than my wife will. You know, it's awesome. That's how you keep it real. So tell us, like, you know, where'd you come from and why did you come to the U.S.?

Ola Dantis (03:34): Yeah. I, you know, obviously you got to have a fantastic podcast. Thanks for having me. Really appreciate you for bringing me on. I'm going to be, I'm going to try to be as stutter free as I can be. So I was born in a place called Nigeria. Many people probably know that country for several interesting reasons, but we're not going to go into that. But I actually grew up in London. That's probably where my interest in also, I call it hybrid accent comes from. And it's still coming from that I live in the US so obviously grew up in the UK where, you know, got my degree and my master's degree there shortly after that went back home to Nigeria. I've set up firm doing pretty okay. But my wife, who is Filipino. She's born in the Philippines, but also American, but she was born in a military base in America because dad stuff in the military.

Ola Dantis (04:22): So she's like, she was working in the US even though we both went to school in the UK, it's like, Hey, you should come check Disney out. Cause she was interning at Disney. This was years ago now. And so I, you know, I jumped on the plane, you know, I was about to touch down in Florida. I was just looking at I'm a, windows seat guy. So I was looking out and looking at Florida and it's just beautiful. The aerial view. I mean, you can see all these, you know, the suburbia America, you know, the code is acts on, you know, it was just, I was like, this place is gorgeous! You know, why didn't anybody tell me about this place? You know, obviously go to Florida, you know, go to Disneyland. It was happy place. Amazing! Fantastic! Anyway, fast forward, my wife and I moved to the US I think two, three years later, after that very first trip, you know, to try the American gym.

Ola Dantis (05:09): And here we are the American gym. We're loving it. We had a nice fancy apartment. We didn't move to Florida. You'd assume we did. We actually chose Baltimore, Maryland. Well it was actually Columbia, Maryland. We started in, you know, in Maryland, we had great jobs. We had a fancy apartment. You know at the time, I didn't know anything about real estate. And then a friend of mine called me and said, Hey Ola, do you want to, you know, fly and meet me in Dubai? I need you to help me with my business. So come to Dubai! I was like, Oh, okay. So I did well, you know, smart man does a wise man. I prayed a body, obviously and then ask my wife, like, Hey, you know, my friend whose got this real estate business wants me to come and help him with his business. But he wants me to meet him in Dubai. She's like, well, have you guys heard of, I mean, this was years ago, this is all pre COVID. Just what to put that out it was years ago.

Ola Dantis (05:59): So it's just like, have you guys ever heard of Zoom? You know, Skype or whatever? I was like, well, maybe if I go on this trip, maybe I'll learn something, you know, really good or cool. I mean, I can use it. We can use it. The reason I'm, you know, having these anecdote accounts is people really get a context, right? It's not like this guy just fell out of the sky. What does he think he is? He think that America is the greatest place on the planet. I really do think that. And I'll come back to that later. Anyway, the reason I'm telling this story is, success never comes to you as a golden box with a ribbon on it. It could come as a phone call. So be opened, right? Be receptive to things that might maybe might seem outlandish or out of the box, but that could be the beginning of your success.

Ola Dantis (06:44): So that's why I'm bringing up this story. Anyway, I was on my way to Dubai. Met with my friend, you know, just standard hotel. I were way like in the desert court biking, none of that, it was just three days, you know, with my friend and his business, which was real estate. Back home in the UK. So I was like, Oh my goodness! If he's doing this in the UK, certainly I can do this in the US! By the way, you know, I didn't mention this. I was living the American dream. Go to work. Come home. Go to work. Traffic. Come home. Go to work. It was just like, Oh my God, is this it? I'm just going to do this and die? So I was kind of having that...

Chris Miles (07:19): The dream we all have, right? We all hope we get stuck in traffic and work all day!

Ola Dantis (07:24): You know, I was like, this, there's gotta be something else. I mean, this is great. You know, we had great jobs, but it was just. So anyway, so I was like, I think this is what I've been looking for. Right? Great entrepreneurial excitement, go back to the US really just went hard on, I didn't know anything about real estate. So I just asked my best friend, you know, Google. And I started learning, you know, a website kept coming up Bigger Pockets. So watched that website, that podcast. This book kept coming up, Rich Dad Poor Dad. So I'm talking about pattern recognition yet, right? So every guest was saying, you know, read this book. So I read the book and literally what happened to me was an uppercut in my brain like, Oh my goodness! Whoever this guy is, stole my idea. Whatever this guy is saying is what I've been trying to say to myself.

Ola Dantis (08:14): You know, it's just that Eureka moment. Right? And anyway, fast forward. Put our first building, our first piece of real estate, and by the way, we were just in the US probably by then maybe two or three years also. But our first building, it was a duplex in Baltimore, Maryland, in the class A area of Baltimore. Because when folks hear Baltimore, you know, anyway, whatever, and you know, we did that, right. This was three, four months probably after my trip back. And my wife and I were having our home one night, you know, kind of doing what lovers do. Cooking! We're having a conversation. And I was like, Hey, like my account just keeps growing, growing and growing and growing. And she's like, me too actually! So we think about like, Hey, what did we do different? We bought real estate. And we had tenants in the top floor paying for most of our mortgage. So now we have the new problem, which is just money accumulating.

Chris Miles (09:14): Now what?

Ola Dantis (09:14): Now what. Right. And I say this because there might be folks out there thinking, well, I don't know what to do. I go to work. All my money is gone. I don't know where it goes. I kind of come for it, but you could house hack. Right. Which is what we did. You could buy a piece of property. It doesn't matter where you are in the United States. You know, it could be two doors or three or four. So a duplex or triplex or fourplex. You live in one and you rent the others. Right. So if you're thinking I don't have money, I don't know where to start. You could start there. Now.

Chris Miles (09:48): True.

Ola Dantis (09:48): Just to throw that in there. If you have kids and you have your wives, I mean, you know, it might be a little bit tricky because my wife and I did this when it was just me and her. We could live in a one bedroom. We didn't care about parking. You know, even though you've never find parking in city. That's the things that we sacrificed in the beginning. Right. So that's how I got into the game. And I realized we were making all this money. I was like, Whoa, maybe we can do this. If we did this 10 times more, we wouldn't have to go to any Ruby board. We wouldn't have to go to a job. Right. So that's what started. That was the impetus for Dwellynn, our company. Dwellynn.com. And I found a mentor, were kind of, you know, he was buying apartments and I was like, Oh, that's really what I want to do. I mean, I'd have to buy 10 of these things. I could just buy a building and maybe I'll retire. Right. That's how it works. Anyway, I got a mentor and then we started Dwellynn. And, you know, as they say, the rest is still history in the making, I guess.

Chris Miles (10:48): Yeah. The rest is history, right? That's awesome! Kind of take us back again. Like what, cause I know with a lot of listeners on this show, like sometimes they have a fear. I mean, one, they have a fear right now what's going on in the world. Right. So they're kind of, someone we're kind of scared of getting real estate anyways. But even before this, there were still people like, yeah, but isn't it risky? What if I do it wrong? What would you say to them?

Ola Dantis (11:12): So a couple of things, right? It, you know, is it risky? I don't think so. But living in the house every single day is risky. Stepping out of your door is risky. Living life is risky. Right? So that's, let's have that. The back of our mind, as I continue, I don't think it's risky because that's my opinion. I'm just one out of 7 billion people on this planet. But another way to mitigate risk is knowledge. Right? So try to go learn, you know, it's like if I talked to a friend of mine who maybe is a developer, right. I mean like programmer right in I.T. He's not going to learn about real estate cause he doesn't have the knowledge. Right. So if you'll speak into people who don't know about real estate, the natural thing. They're not bad people. They just said, Oh, he's in a risky. It's just a, I don't know. And he's, you know, risky. It's not a, you know, they're not technical people. So, so for you to be able to mitigate those risks is you need to understand and educate yourself about the subject matter. It doesn't matter if it's real estate or if you want to start buying stocks or whatever. So I think that's what I did. I may have skipped that in my story. But when I got back, I divulge and just binged podcasts, I read a lot of books and I had a big library of books and I continue to be, and that's why I said, Google is my best friend. Right. So, cause that's what I do. So Hey, when you do that, that would help you to mitigate that risk.

Chris Miles (12:40): What was one book that you really enjoyed? Like what really helped you a lot?

Ola Dantis (12:43): So at that time, it was definitely, definitely Rich Dad Poor Dad, that got me started. It's not much of a real estate book as such. You would think it is. Yeah. Yeah. And it's more life philosophy. But another book that really helped me was this book. Right? So this is like free, just free knowledge, Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes & Quads by a guy called Larry Loftis. Well you still see, it's like, arms length to me, right. I've always got a book around that. I got another book I'm reading right here. The reason I'm doing this is people will say stuff like, is it risky? Or can I do this? There are things that you can do to get successful.

Chris Miles (13:25): Yes.

Ola Dantis (13:26): One thing is this, you have to be a reader. And I'm going to throw something COVID-19 related. You know, Bill Gates knew that we could have a pandemic that we're having today. Now people might say, how did this guy know? Cause he's a reader, right? Of course there's crazy conspiracy theories out there. But just put that aside. The way Bill Gates could predict this is cause he read. He just reads. So if you're out there, you can hear the sound of my voice and you want to be exceptional and excellent in anything you do. Be a reader! But more importantly, be a divergent reader. Don't just read one topic. Be broad as much as you can.

Chris Miles (14:12): Interesting. I love that. I love what you're saying about risks too. Cause there's lots of different types of risks, right? There's market risk. Like a lot of people worry about, but you mentioned about like education is key, right? Because you want a lower risk. The best thing you can do is try to figure out how you can get risk within your control. How can you manage the risk? How can you reduce it yourself? And education is a key piece of that, right? Like you mentioned a little bit of these different books and things like that and podcasts, you know, not saying that we're we got two podcasts you might want to listen to, to help with that. You know, between Ola's show and mine. Right. But self serving of course, but it's true. That education is critical. Like without it, you're right. You know, cause that's where, I remember people would ask me all the time like, well isn't that risky? I said for you, it probably would be. For me, not so much because I've got the education and training behind it. And that's why a lot of people will end up coming to me because they're like, okay, how do we get trained and educated to know what to do or how to do it? You know, or that sort of thing or what to know, like what questions to ask even. Right. And I'll tell you if you think real estate is risky. I mean, if you've been investing in a 401k, an IRA or any kind of mutual fund where you have zero control of any markets and it gets you mediocre returns with lots of high risk and volatility, trust me, you're already taking more risks than any risk that Ola or I are taking right now.

Chris Miles (15:34): You know, if you're putting money in every single month, you are essentially losing money every month, putting money into something that you won't be able to get back out without asking for permission and sometimes waiting weeks to get that money. You know, like that's what happens when you put money in mutual funds or especially IRAs and 401ks, right. You know, real estate. It's like, Hey, you know, if you apply the same thing, you said, well, this is how it reduce risks with my mutual funds. I just hold onto it forever. Right? Like it's okay. Because in the long haul it goes up, well guess what happens to the real estate in the long haul? It always goes up, you know, like it's no different. The only difference is that you don't have to keep putting money into it all the time.

Ola Dantis (16:09): Right. And then with mutual funds and kind of some of this intangible assets, one they not had, you can't touch and feel them. But to the beauty that a lot of people don't really get with real estate is leverage. If you want to buy a mutual fund for a thousand dollars, you have to actually exchange a thousand dollars in cash.

Chris Miles (16:33): So true.

Ola Dantis (16:35): For that value of that mutual fund or stocks or whatever. But for real estate, if you were to buy a piece of real estate for $1,000, you only have to put down 200 bucks, 20%, like it's genius, it's gold. So that the power, the leverage piece is a lot of people don't really get that. They don't really understand that.

Chris Miles (16:53): Yeah. When I was, securities licensed back in the mid 2000s, right. I remember, you know, we'd have to have people sign waivers saying, I am not borrowing money to put in the stock market. Right. Like I am not borrowing money. This is not coming from a bank. You know, why they having to sign that because banks won't put their own money in, why would they want you to put their money in? Right. So, you know, with the real estate probably different. Real estate banks were like, Oh, you want some money? Here. Here you go. I'll pay for most of it. You know, you put your little down payment, I'll pay the rest. You know, like if obviously banks thinks it's less risky, why you keep putting money in the place where banks won't put money? Right. It's a good point. So let's, let's talk about like your syndication. Cause you have a syndication that you have as well where you, you buy into multifamily stuff. First. Like, do you still see deals out there or are you being very cautious and holding back saying, Hey, I know the deals are coming, but I'm not jumping right now. What's your viewpoint on it currently?

Ola Dantis (17:46): Yeah. So, definitely. Transactional value has gone down and I don't want to get overly technical, but essentially what syndication means is, you know, pulling together a group of investors to buy an asset that you cannot buy by yourself.So, If I were to go out on the streets and buy home. Yeah. I probably could double myself. Why you want to buy a 200 unit, 150. You'd definitely need a couple of partners, at least a ton of investors. Anyway. So that's what syndication is. So in terms of, do you feel definitely a lot of us in the syndication space are kind of taking a wait and see approach of the fascinating thing is what we're doing at Dwellynn is we're not waiting, you know, for the whole country. I mean, as we know, as you know, we record this in May. Early May.

Ola Dantis (18:34): Now some parts of the country I opened for business or at least partially opened and it's been phased out, but we don't want to wait for a time when the flood gates open and it's too late to get to. So we've taken the present approach and kind of looking at the daily numbers of new cases, not only in the United States, but we checked in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom. So just to make sure that we're going into the market at the right time, a little folks that talking about that wants to see, you know, kind of to quotas of, you know, positive GDP growth. I think that's too late because you know, then confidence goes up and you just backed away. You were pre COVID. So what exactly. So we really try to time the market. And to be honest with you, now more than ever is when multifamily, which apartment buildings, the space we're in is doing pretty well. You know, not so much from an economic perspective, but really from an asset class perspective. People have to stay in place. They have to, you know, shelter in place. You have to stay in a place. So yeah.

Chris Miles (19:37): Very, very true. So if people wanted to like follow you more right. Or learn more about the deals that you have going on and stay up to speed on that. Because obviously like things are changing at the speed of a tweet and nowadays, you know, like Trump tweets something and all of a sudden people go crazy. You know? So health organization says something or CDC, or heck anybody the fed say something, the world keeps constantly changing. So if people want to follow you Ola, and they want to be able to follow your deals or even your show, what would it be the best way for them to do so.

Ola Dantis (20:08): Yeah, sure. Thanks for that, Chris. So best way is InvestWithOla. So that's InvestWithOla.com and that would kind of take you to our website. And then also if you want to check out the Dwellynn show, feel free to do that. You know, on iTunes where pretty much everywhere. So for those folks out there, Instagram, you know, folks I'm on Instagram, I'm ubiquitous. You wouldn't be able to miss me. So just go on Instagram, @OlaDantis or just Google OlaDantis all over the place. Linkedin, if you're into LinkedIn too, I'm right there.

Chris Miles (20:40): Awesome! I love it. Well, cool. Happy to have you on today, man. Cause this is such good information. It's so good to hear a perspective of someone who won. I mean, you really kind of kill a lot of the excuses we have, right? I mean, you come to a brand new country, you know, you work nine to nine grind almost, you know, if include traffic, right. Or, you know, seven to seven, you know, and you've done all this stuff. And then you built from the bottom up. I mean, you start with individual houses all the way to buying a hundred, 200 type unit apartment buildings. I mean, that's incredible. I mean, that really is. So I really appreciate you sharing experience and we'll put your information in the show notes that people can have see, InvestWithOla.com as well as your show there. So again, thank you so much for your time, Ola.

Ola Dantis (21:21): Thank you Chris. I really appreciate.

Chris Miles (21:23): Hey everybody else, like thanks for joining us today. Again, check out Ola's stuff, you know, and remember like everything, almost everything starts with your brain first. Educate yourself, empower yourself, reduce the risk and do something that actually will create great wealth now because now is as good of opportunity as any trade amazing wealth. And so, and Ola is a perfect example of that. So everybody, I appreciate you guys coming on, have a wonderful and prosperous week. We'll see you later.

#Anti-financial Advisor #Cash flow #Cash flow Expert #Debts #Entrepreneur #Financial Freedom #Money Ripples

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apersnicketylemon · 6 years

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Resources for prospective forced brides

OP of the very popular post with this information is an extremely islamophobic person, and not the person the story being passed around happened to, but someone else posted some helpful information so I figured I would repost that in case anyone wants to spread the very valuable information... without giving attention to an extremely islamophobic person!

To give credit where it is due @fantastic-nonsense is the person who compiled this, and credit for it goes to them. (I’m very sorry but this isn’t letting me @ you)

___________________

Tahirih Justice Center’s Forced Marriage Initiative: Email [email protected] with your story or call 571-282-6161 and ask for Casey or Dina; they run the Forced Marriage Initiative at Tahirih and are both professional caseworkers whose job completely revolves around helping people leave forced/underage marriages and preventing them from happening in the first place.

The mission of the Forced Marriage Initiative is to end forced marriage in the United States, and this is taking place in several forms: Casey and Dina’s main objective, of course, is to directly assist victims and potential victims. However, they also run a very active education, advocacy, and legal campaign. Jeanne, who also works closely with them, does a lot of public policy work on the subject and is currently working on getting the minimum age of marriage raised to 18 in every state, while Archana does a lot on the policy and legal side of things to try and minimize the numbers of forced marriages happening in the United States.

Unchained At Last: a New Jersey-based non-profit that fights against forced and child marriage in the US. Founder and CEO Fraidy Reiss is a forced marriage survivor, and has dedicated her life to helping other people (mostly women and girls) escape forced and child marriage situations. You can fill out their form or call 908-481-HOPE.

The AHA Foundation: The Foundation deals with issues relating to female genital mutilation, honor violence, and forced marriages, though they focus on advocacy and victims in Muslim communities. Here is their Get Help page and their amazing resource directory, organized by type of service and state.

Manavi: an organization founded specifically to help South Asian women escape domestic violence, sexual violence, and forced marriages. Here’s their Get Help page and the number of their 24-hour hotline:1-732-435-1414.

Girls Not Brides: A global partnership of over 900 civil organizations from 95 countries committed to ending child marriage. While the partnership itself is only a policy organization, they have a lot of good resources for finding assistance if you are a victim or prospective victim of forced/underage marriage.

The US Department of State has an entire page about the topic

If you are a US citizen or resident abroad, contact your local US embassy for assistance and they will help as much as they are able

Some articles discussing the problem in greater depth:

NPR: Thousands Of Young Women In U.S. Forced Into Marriage

New York Times: America’s Child Marriage Problem

PRI: The US has a forced child marriage problem, too

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Forced Marriage in America: many women don’t know their rights, fear to claim them

TruthDig: Forced Marriage of Children Happens in America, Too

CBS News: The “ugly” problem of child marriage in the US

Al Jazeera: “Till Death Do Us Part: The Forgotten US Victims of Forced Marriage”

Girls Not Brides: It Does Happen “Here”: Forced and Child Marriage in the US

PBS: Uncovering the Problem of Forced Marriage in the United States

Good Housekeeping: Child Marriage Still Happens in America

Vice News: There Are No States in the US that Outlaw Child Marriage and the accompanying in-depth video

Washington Post: Why can 12-year-olds still get married in the United States?

#child marriage #forced marriage #resources

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meditationadvise · 5 years

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Ganja Yoga: Greatest Thing Since 420 Behind the Bleachers, Or Not?

Maybe you typically aren't a California teen from the 1970s that was doing hashish behind the bleachers in high-school, but you would love to revisit the enjoyable sensation that marijuana offered you - just like a grownup. Possibly you're also mosting likely to dive in for the very first time? There's a new (well, discovered) means to obtain your ganja-high, as well as it does not require you to take an intercontinental trip to Amsterdam and even a brief puddle-jump to Colorado. It's the reefer-infused yoga exercise class.

It isn't anything fashionable or happening, and you do not need a $100 set of yoga exercise pants from Lemony Lulu or some such business to practice. All you do is smoke (or evaporate) some pot before a yoga course. Dee Dussalt has actually also blogged about it thoroughly the book, Ganja Yoga: A Practical Overview of Conscious Relaxation, Soothing Pain, and Enlightened Self Discovery.

This method isn't new, either. Old yogic messages chat about cigarette smoking pot, as well as it's no shock - the changes in consciousness scientifically documented by each technique are similar. The Naga Sadhus that reside in the Himalayas, as an example, streamline much of their practice around smoking cigarettes pot.

According to old Vedic texts, such as the Artha Veda, cannabis has a number of medical benefits as well as is thought about a sacred plant. It is just because of Western influence that cannabis in banned in India, however this does not keep several sadhus from utilizing it.

Five plants, specifically are mentioned in Book 11, Hymn 8 (or 6), Verse 15 of the Artha Veda, and cannabis is one of them:

पञ ्च राज्यानि वीरुधां सोमश्रेष्ठानि ब्रूमः ।

दर्भो भङ्गो यवः सह ते नो मुञ्चन्त्व् अंहसः ॥

" To the five kingdoms of the plants which Soma rules as Lord we speak. Darbha, hemp, barley, mighty power: may these supply us from trouble."

The word 'भङ्ग' (bhang) right here describes the cannabis plant.

A guardian angel was thought to reside in marijuana leaves.

On yoga exercise online forums, whether to use pot or otherwise utilize pot is a big conversation. There are differing opinions, however mainly they come down to 3 basic pressures of idea:

You Shouldn't Do It

You'll be too baked to attempt anything even more extensive compared to Savasana, (Corpse present). For much of the course, you'll lay deal with down on the mat doing the most strenuous yoga exercise you could summon, which is not much whatsoever. If you are vulnerable to dependency of any substance, though cannabis has advantages, it could additionally cause a shroud of illusion, called "maya."

If you are searching for genuine experience, and also utilize an exterior source, it is likely to mask the ego not dissolve it. If you are high, it can also make it challenging to maintain purusha - a Sanskrit term referenced in Patanjali's Yoga exercise Sutra 1.2 which states: "Yoga chitta vritti nirodha," This means yoga is the specific discipline that results in the cessation of the variations of the mind." Genuine technique is just possible when you have the ability to still the variations and see them normally, with reflection and pranayama. If you are high you might not discover these fluctuations, simply briefly eliminate them.

It Depends on Just what You're Seeking

The use of marijuana depends on the function of one's practice as well as thus the objective of one's life and also their perceived actions toward those functions. Some individuals do yoga to eliminate anxiety and also to feel good. Others wish to achieve enlightenment, and also become totally free from the vanity's trappings, which could include the requirement for outdoors resources (like cannabis usage) to attain internal peace. There's a continuum and different individuals will certainly base their technique on just what they wish to attain. Some people desire to come to be extra sensitive and also mindful - a task that takes place by unwinding the central nerve system, however not placing it to sleep.

The yoga lover as well as NBA basketball fantastic when claimed: that he liked MJ, yet it never helped him fire a better jump shot.

Partaking of ganga before yoga additionally relies on the stress. Cannabis gardening is exceptionally sophisticated as well as each stress can create a various feeling. Some will feel a "high" similar to bliss and also leisure. Various other people obtain giddy. Some obtain sluggish. Some get drowsy, energized, ravenous for food, or super introspective.

Go For It

Hey, if yogis did this 2,000 years ago or much more, just what's the damage in it now?

Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Organization for Psychedelic Researches (MAPS), stated in a meeting earlier this year that he sees the ties between medical plants like cannabis and also psychedelics coming full circle to rejoin with reflection, Buddhism and also yoga.

' There is this cultural integrating of marijuana and psychedelics with Buddhism, reflection, yoga, which is greatly encouraging,' Doblin stated, keeping in mind that in the '60s as well as very early '70s lots of people experimentally combined psychedelics or weed with introspective techniques. With criminalization, several turned to non-drug options and also there was a little bit of reaction. 'There came this anti-drug facet to Buddhism and also reflection ... As well as now, just what we see is this integrating once more of Buddhism, meditation and psychedelics [and marijuana] in kind of an identical process.'

With enhancing proof confirming that numerous plants (MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, DMT, marijuana) offer an amazing benefit to the human physiology, and also can even assist to open the pineal gland, thought to be the entrance to astral traveling, enhanced aware understanding, or even cosmic, inter-dimensional travel, why not partake?

Is Ganga Yoga for you? There ready debates for all three perspectives, so it really depends upon - well - you.

#meditating #meditation #pranayama #yoga

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theultimatefan · 2 years

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Stars Including Ferguson, Press Come Out To Mark World Aids Day At Grassroot Soccer Charity Gala

To mark today’s World AIDS Day, celebrities, footballers, and leaders in business and media came together on Tuesday to support a fundraising gala evening for international football/soccer charity Grassroot Soccer (@GrassrootSoccer) at Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. The international charity has used soccer/football as a platform to educate over 13 million young people in 60 countries around the world about health issues, including the dangers and preventative measures of one of the greatest health challenges in Africa: HIV/AIDS. The evening raised an estimated more than $1.4 million for the organization.

Among the standout dignitaries on hand were Sir Alex Ferguson, CBE, Legendary Football Manager; Christen Press, 2x World Champion with the US Women’s National Team; Ethan Zohn, Grassroot Soccer Co-Founder and winner of “Survivor Africa”; Dr. Tommy Clark, GRS Founder and CEO; Seth Meyers, television host, TV personality; Kweku Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela; and many others.

“To be able to bring everyone here to New York City for Giving Tuesday and World Aids day is just an incredible feeling,” said Zohn. “We’ve all been locked down and in isolation for a really long time so it just feels really good to bring everyone together to celebrate the beautiful sport of soccer and the incredible things we are doing around the world.”

“Soccer is without question the biggest sport in the world,” said Ferguson. “Grassroot Soccer is using the sport as a template to impact the most people. What Tommy Clark has undertaken is a fantastic challenge, and for me, it’s easy to get involved in something which is so honest and benefits so many in poverty.”

“It's really nice I have friends who are involved with the event who reached out and when they explained what Grassroot was it was a no brainer,” added Meyers. “Then, to have soccer royalty on the scene, it's a great way to spend an evening.”

Other notable guests included Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka, Former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Founder Of Umlambo Foundation; Roger Bennett, Writer, Broadcaster, Filmmaker, and Co-Host of NBC’s Men In Blazers Show; GoldFish(Dominic Peters & David Poole), DJ duo; Fiona Ferguson, GRS Champion; Gregg Lemkau, GRS Champion and former board member; Kyle Martino, MLS commentator, former USA and MLS Soccer star; Andrew Shue, actor; Hamza Syed, Host & Producer of New York Times Serial Podcast; and Jason Feitelberg, Head of Investment at Sterling Resources.

The event provided guests the opportunity to learn about Grassroot Soccer’s vital programs in Africa to educate and inspire young people to live healthier lives and give them hope for the future.

There was fierce bidding in the silent auction. Among the hottest prizes of the night were VIP tickets to the Late Show with Seth Meyers, a Chelsea FC matchday experience including a post-game meet and greet with Christian Pulisic, a dinner party with former Obama White House chef Sam Kass, and a signed print from artist Andre Saraiva.

Grassroot Soccer has provided health education, access to testing, and support for treatment to over 150,000 young people in the past year, with programs in countries with the highest levels of HIV in the world, including its flagship projects in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, plus other nations with a high HIV rate such as Nigeria, Malawi, and many more.

“It’s amazing to see this,” added Clark. “A couple of reasons why I think it's been successful is I think it's a simple idea, it's a good idea, but I think it's the hard work of a lot of people if you really really think about it.”

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shivamaryan20 · 3 years

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What should a teen know about startups in India

The startup is one of the latest trends which is influencing the global economy in various ways. We are all surrounded by various products and services which are all created by startups of the modern world. Be it startups like Ola or Swiggy, these are so popular that it is quite a rare case that someone will don’t know about them. While referring to how teens react to such trends, it is quite surprising to see that they are fascinated about these startups as it is influencing their lives in various ways. This blog talks about various things that teens should know about startups in India.

What should a teen know about startups in India?

1. Exposure to Startup Ecosystem Since School Days

Startups are growing day by day and it is a crucial skill that challenges one’s ability to solve problems by innovating various solutions. The schools are now also looking to inculcate these traits in their students as they are quite inspired by the high school trend of western countries like the US. Since the students are exposed to a lot of challenging things early in their teenage years, Indian schools are also adopting the same model to help them innovate new methods and learn new skills.

2. Teens Can Try & Test Their Startup Ideas Through Young Incubators

This is quite a great thing that there are ample opportunities and resources for teenagers to venture into the world of startups. There are various incubators set up by investors, schools, colleges, and governments where the teens can really see if their idea is really solving the demands of people or not. This is a great opportunity for them to transform their career by launching something exciting in the real world.

3. Idea Inspires But Execution is Real Game

Everyone gets ideas and being a teen you might also have a lot of fantastic ideas and perspectives about how you can change the world. Teenagers have the great instinct to suggest solutions and this makes them capable to get into the world of a start-up. The ideas are great but you need to find the right opportunities to start up early so that it does count.

4. Get Essential Knowledge about Young Entrepreneurs

There are various young entrepreneurs who got successful early in life. Talking about icons like- Ritesh Agarwal, Founder of OYO, He saw the biggest problem in the hospitality industry and thought to venture out to solve it by launching a chain of quality hotels. Initially, it was started at a very low scale but as the idea got noticed they got funding and cash flow. Teenagers should know the stories of such icons to help them understand how startups work in real life.

5. Teens Should Try Out Different Things to Get Exposure in Startup

In India, the parents are quite reluctant to let their kids venture into something which is quite unsure and risky. The Indian teens do have a lot of potentials and they do have the passion to try out new things. As we are seeing new teen figures in the startup space, the parents are also getting influenced and inspired to let their kids try out various ideas. Since it is not just about trying out an idea or earning money, it does empower teens with exciting knowledge about various skills like- Decision Making, Cognitive Thinking, etc.

6. Teens Should Have the Eye to Solve Social Problems

There are a lot of young teens who take up social projects to innovate the solutions for day-to-day problems. If you are a science freak or passionate about arts, you can try your hand at various challenges to solve problems in the real world. Be it a waste management solution or biogas, these are all innovations that we try out at schools. It’s just a mental shift needed to make students ready for more exciting things ahead.

7. Teens Should Know About What Products Influence their Life

Teenagers are also indirect consumers as they do use a lot of products and services as their parents do. Be it ordering food online on Zomato or exploring playlists on youtube, everybody is quite influenced by the amazing innovations done by great entrepreneurs. In order to inculcate the understanding of startups, it is important for them to understand these various concepts that influence their life.

Are you also the one who wants to explore real-world professions to know how companies work? Enroll in Jr. MBA Program by Clever Harvey to learn 21st-century skills by trying out hands-on projects with leading companies. The Jr. MBA in Marketing, Management, and Strategy is something that can help you kick off your startup journey.

#edtech #startups #teens education

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kentonramsey · 3 years

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This New App Is The Deliveroo Of Clothes Repairs

From spring cleans and selling sprees to charity shop drop-offs and TikTok-inspired customisation, time and space away from wearing real clothes everyday (2020 had our loungewear on heavy rotation) allowed us to look at our existing wardrobe with fresh eyes.

One thing we’ve been unable to do thanks to nationwide lockdowns, though, is get the clothes in need of a little love repaired and mended. Sure, we’ve invested in moth balls and dust bags, leather wax (those Dr Martens aren’t going to clean themselves!) and ocean-friendly delicate washing liquid, but when it comes to mending, altering and tailoring, sometimes you need a second pair of hands – and a more skilled set at that.

Enter: Sojo. The new app, launching today, is here to make your journey to a more sustainable wardrobe a little easier. The premise is simple: Enter your postcode, decide which local seamster looks right for your request (while prices are set by each seamster, roughly most alterations range between £12 and £40), select what you need done, from hems being taken up – a boon for petite folk – to zips being added to dresses, and a bike courier will cycle to collect your piece. Et voila: your piece will be returned within 5 days, ready to wear.

The app came about when founder Josephine Philips faced a sartorial problem: “I’d made a move away from fast-fashion and was shopping nearly exclusively second-hand, but I constantly found myself finding amazing clothes that I loved that weren’t my size,” she tells Refinery29 ahead of the launch. “I wanted to alter them to fit me but didn’t know how to sew and thought getting someone else to do it was too much time and effort. In very Gen Z-fashion, I decided it would be fabulous if I could get it done with my phone, in a few simple clicks. I realised this could bring clothing alterations and repairs to so many people which would mean incredible things for the circular fashion movement – and so I was determined to actually build out the idea, to create something that aligned with my values and that could make an impact in making fashion more sustainable.”

Though Josephine can’t pinpoint the exact start of her sustainability journey, it was kickstarted by her feminist one. Last year’s news coverage of unpaid highstreet orders and garment workers being left destitute woke up many to the realities of a broken fashion system. “I became aware of how garment workers (who are majority women of colour) were being exploited by the big highstreet fast fashion brands in really shocking ways,” she says. “When I read into it more, I realised I couldn’t support brands that relied on an oppressive business structure and strategy in order to succeed. Because of this, I started to look at different ways to shop, from places like Depop or from sustainable brands, and in doing so I learnt so much more about about all the environmental aspects of fast-fashion – from there, there was no going back really.”

By connecting customers to local tailors in an accessible way, not only is Sojo a fantastic resource for those who don’t live near a tailor or are unable to leave the house, but it was important to Josephine to spotlight small businesses that may be struggling in the pandemic, too.

“Many of these local seamsters have decades of experience and the services they provide are to the highest standard, but there is a disconnect with them tapping into the younger demographic,” she says. “I didn’t want them and their trade to be a part of the ‘dying high-street’ and thought that their businesses and expertise deserved to be platformed and supported instead of us creating a model that brought our own seamsters ‘in-house.’ Especially in the current climate, I think it’s more important than ever to be supporting them and their businesses as much as possible and I’m glad that Sojo really gets to facilitate that and help their shops stay afloat at the moment and then, hopefully, thrive.”

So, what’s first on Josephine’s list of things to get tailored? “It’s no exaggeration to say that I have over ten items in a special ‘alteration’ section of my drawer that I need to use Sojo for,” she says. “I’d say the one I’m most excited about is a Hugo Boss two-piece suit I bought about 6 months ago in a charity shop for £20 that was too big for me – but I knew would be perfect once tailored to my size!”

While the app is currently only available in London (roughly zones 1-2), Josephine promises a quick expansion once lockdown lifts, with Brighton and Bristol up first – so, watch this space and get your wardrobe ready.

Download Sojo here from today.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

This New App Is The Deliveroo Of Clothes Repairs published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 6 years

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2018 Tribeca Film Festival Puts Focus on Women in Time’s Up Era

In the wake of the Time’s Up movement, which aims to eliminate the imbalance of power in the workforce and bring gender parity behind the camera, the Tribeca Film Festival becomes the first major film festival to pro-actively attempt to balance its representation; an effort championed by festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal and EVP of Tribeca Enterprises Paula Weinstein. Of the feature films presented this year, nearly half are directed by women -- 46 percent of the 96 titles -- the highest percentage in the festival’s history. Among them are Oscar-nominated Amy Ziering (The Bleeding Edge), Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan making her directorial debut (The Party's Just Beginning), festival opener Lisa D’Apolito (Love, Gilda), documentarian Madeleine Sackler with her first scripted feature (O.G.) and Susanna White (Woman Walks Ahead starring Jessica Chastain).

Of the filmmakers participating in the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, three of the five slots belong to Lesli Linka Glatter, Laura Poitras and Nancy Meyers, with the Tribeca Talks: The Journey making its debut with a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker, who stars in the Tribeca world premiere of Blue Night, about her career both on and off-screen.

Perhaps the most direct connection to the Time’s Up movement is the legal defense fund and the festival’s inaugural New York event: a day of conversations with women raising awareness about inequality in the workplace. “While you will see some of the leaders of the movement -- Ashley Judd and Julianne Moore -- you’re also going to have conversations about the farm workers, what's going on in legal aid, what goes on with human resources,” Rosenthal tells ET. “So, it's really a day that will hit more than just the entertainment business.”

Of course, the draw is the films and TV shows being presented -- and female-centric narratives are among the highlights ET previewed ahead of the festival, including a documentary that examines Barbie’s place in a modern era (Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie); scripted stories about a woman reigniting long-dormant passions after returning to the Orthodox Jewish community where she grew up (Disobedience with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams), estranged sisters driven to extremes when their mother dies (Little Woods starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James) and a girl forced to attend gay conversion therapy (The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloe Grace Moretz).

Here is ET’s selection of the must-see films and TV pilots at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 18 to April 29 in New York City:

The American Meme

This intriguing new documentary takes a deeper look at what it’s like to be a viral sensation -- and the darker side to internet fame. Paris Hilton, Brittany Furlan, DJ Khaled and more are featured in the film, offering unique perspectives on their relationship with social media, fandom and the many ups and downs of celebrity. (Directed by Bert Marcus; April 27)

All About Nina

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays an aspiring standup comedian, who ditches her abusive boyfriend (Chace Crawford) for Los Angeles. Winstead’s performance recalls her work in Smashed as her hard-drinking character navigates the pitfalls of making it big and the notion of love, thanks to an all-too-patient suitor played by Common. (Written and directed by Eva Vives; April 22)

All These Small Moments

In this heartwarming coming-of-age tale, Howie (Brendan Meyer) navigates the pangs of adolescence and his parents’ (Molly Ringwald and Brian d’Arcy James) crumbling marriage. The only thing keeping him going is the mysterious presence of Odessa (a radiant Jemima Kirke, also in Untogether with Jamie Dornan). (Written and directed by Melissa Miller Costanzo; April 24)

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

After losing her left arm in a shark attack, Bethany Hamilton got back on the board and took the surfing world by storm. Soon, she was winning ESPYs and Teen Choice Awards and sharing the screen with Carrie Underwood in Soul Surfer and competing on The Amazing Race. Now, she’s tackling motherhood as she looks at what’s next in her career. (Directed by Aaron Lieber; April 20)

Disobedience

Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola star in a story about a woman (Weisz) forced to face long-dormant emotions and feelings after reuniting with childhood friends (McAdams and Nivola) from her Orthodox Jewish community from director Sebastián Lelio, who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman. (Co-written and directed by Sebastián Lelio; April 24)

Duck Butter

Alia Shawkat co-wrote and stars in this film about two woman who engaged in a romantic and sexual experiment: to spend the next 24 hours together, having sex every hour. But putting their relationship in a vacuum has some unexpected results. (Co-written and directed by Miguel Arteta; April 20)

Every Act of Life

Audiences get a closer look at the life and work of playwright Terrence McNally through interviews with Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Edie Falco, Larry Kramer and more. McNally also opens up his early life -- particularly relationships -- and how they shaped his journey. (Directed by Jeff Kaufman; April 23)

Fabled

Part of Tribeca’s Pilot Season, which premieres independently produced TV pilots, Fabled reimagines classic fairy tales in real-life situations, telling them through the perspective of its female characters. The premiere episode, "Anodyne,” brings together Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Alice from Alice in Wonderland after the two are committed to a mental institution. (Directed by Jennifer Morrison; April 23)

The Gospel According to André

“The André Leon Talley,” as he was referred to by Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model, invites audiences into his world, offering a deeper look at his humble beginnings in the South to his rise in fashion media and his legacy as a longtime fashion journalist, breaking ground as a black man in white-dominant world. (Directed by Kate Novak; April 25)

Howard

The life and career of playwright and lyricist Howard Ashman is revisited in this intimate documentary that tells the full story of the man who “gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul.” Known for the hit songs he co-wrote with Alan Menken for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, the film provides the full context behind those classics and his journey from childhood to his death from complications with AIDS. (Directed by Don Hahn; April 22)

Jonathan

Building off the breakout success of Baby Driver, Ansel Elgort stars in an unexpected film the mundane life of Johnathan (Elgort), who shares an apartment with John (Elgort). The sci-fi drama plays out like an extended episode of Black Mirror, but is grounded by the actor’s performance. (Co-written and directed by Bill Oliver; April 21)

Little Woods

Tessa Thompson and Lily James played estranged sisters struggling to survive in an economically-depressed North Dakota fracking boomtown forced back into each other’s lives after their mother dies. The film is another showcase for Thompson, who has a jam-packed 2018 with Annihilation, Avengers: Infinity, the return of Westworld and Creed II. (Written and directed by Nia DaCosta; April 21)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Following her breakout success with Appropriate Behavior, Desiree Akhavan is back with a new tale about a woman dealing with her sexuality -- this time about Cameron (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is sent to gay conversion therapy after getting caught having sex with another girl on prom night. (Co-written and directed by Desiree Akhavan; April 22)

Momentum Generation

Before the likes of Bethany Hamilton and the current generation of surfers, there was the Momentum Generation, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb and Taylor Steele. The new documentary looks back on their rise in the ‘80s and how they made Americans legitimate stars of the surf -- and pop culture -- world. (Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist; April 21)

Nice

Part of Tribeca’s Pilot Season, Nice is a new potential series about Teddy, a black sheep of her conservative Korean-American family dealing with the unexpected return of cancer. It’s created by and stars Naomi Ko, who made a brief but memorable appearance in 2014’s Dear White People. (Directed by Andrew Ahn; April 23)

Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story

From executive producer Jay-Z comes a new docu-series based about the life of Trayvon Martin. Based on the book of the same name by Martin’s parents, the film examines not only Martin’s life, which was cut short at 17 when he was shot and killed in Florida, but also the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement that followed. The first episode premieres at Tribeca before debuting on Paramount Network. (Directed by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason; April 20)

RX: Early Detection a Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee

The 2015 breast cancer diagnosis of Semi-Homemade Cooking host and chef Sandra Lee and her subsequent battle to survive is the subject of this harrowing documentary short from Emmy-winning producer and former Good Morning America producer Cathy Chermol Schrijver. The film premieres at Tribeca before debuting later on HBO. (Directed by Cathy Chermol Schrijver; April 26)

Songwriter

What does it take to write an Ed Sheeran chart-topper? Songwriter provides an intimate inside look into the creation of the hit album, Divide, while giving fans a rare look at archival footage of Sheeran’s childhood and glimpses of Sheeran’s romance with Cherry Seaborn. (Directed by Murray Cummings; April 23)

Stockholm

The absurd true story of a bank robbery not going quite as planned when a group of bank clerks insisted on defending the thief who had taken them hostage is the subject of Stockholm starring an eccentric Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace, who shines in a rare non-sci-fi role. (Written and directed by Robert Budreau; April 19)

This Is Climate Change

The four-part virtual reality series will take audiences inside impacted parts of the world through an immersive, 360-degree view. Following the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Melting Ice,” an episode featuring Al Gore, the remaining three parts -- “Famine,” “Feast” and “Fire” -- will make their debut here. (Directed by Danfung Dennis; April 21)

Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie

Barbie has an image problem and it’s up to the makers behind the hit Mattel doll to update her place and presence in a modern era that reflects women’s progress and more diverse perspectives on body image and beauty. The film, featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay and more, premieres at Tribeca before streaming on Hulu. (Directed by Andrea Nevins; April 25)

We the Animals

Based on the lyrical, coming-of-age novel of the same name by Justin Torres, We the Animals tells the story of three brothers living with their troubled parents in an economically-depressed part of upstate New York. The magical realism blends together elements of Beasts of a Southern Wild with the same kind of grounded reality of Moonlight. (Directed by Jeremiah Zagar; April 22)

Woman Walks Ahead

Jessica Chastain portrays activist and artist Catherine Weldon, who retreats to North Dakota after the death of her mother to paint a portrait of Sioux chief Sitting Bull, in this cinematic real-life tale about a woman defying the odds in the Old West. The film screens at Tribeca before premiering on DirecTV Cinema May 31 and debuting in theaters June 29.(Directed by Susanna White; April 25)

Zoe

Filmmaker Drake Doremus offers up another romantic tale in a sci-fi world, following Equals with Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult. This time, Zoe explores the notions of love between humans and androids -- known her as “synthetics” -- and what it means to be “real.” Ewan McGregor and Lea Seydoux lead an ensemble cast of outstanding performances, which also includes Theo James and Christina Aguilera. (Directed by Drake Doremus; April 21)

-- Additional reporting by Rande Iaboni

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Tribeca Film Festival: Anna Wintour on Film

Tribeca Film Festival: How Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult Lost Themselves Shooting That Sexy 'Equals' Scene

Tribeca Film Festival: How James Franco Uses His Famous Friends to Make Hollywood Movies His Way

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uncontainedkc · 4 years

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UNCONTAINED LIVING! AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND STYLISH CONTAINER HOMES

INTRODUCTION

We all desire and work through life to be able to afford, buy, and own our dream homes. There are numerous financial and psychological benefits to us personally, our families, and the communities at large by having stable homes. This is what the American dream is all about. Although the real estate industry is packed with opportunities, millions of low and middle-class Americans are deprived of this experience.

Sustainable housing represents a unique opportunity for an equitable homeownership revolution led powerfully by UNCONTAINED LIVING. We view housing as a human right! We are introducing a new and dynamic style of affordable and sustainable houses designed with shipping containers. Guided by our mission to provide feasible options accessible to those left out in most housing markets today, these affordable homes are great for starters, growing families, and business owners.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs highlights safety, security, and shelter as key basic human needs. The basis of the theory argues that humans have a series of hierarchical needs. Meaning, a set of needs must first be met before they can turn their attention and efforts toward achieving higher goals. Over 33% of the homeless population is families. Solving the problem of home insecurity and unsheltered homelessness suffered by millions of families, children, veterans, millennials, gen z'ers and other low wage earners across the US- is essential to the mission of Uncontained Living.

WHAT IS THE UNCONTAINED LIVING SOLUTION?

Sustainable home building refers to the fast-growing concept of housing that involves the use of shipping containers as the main components of the building structure. If this sounds new to you, then prepare to be startled the minute you see some of the designs of these homes.

Hundreds and thousands of shipping containers travel across the ocean every day filled with designer bags, shoes, and clothes, children’s toys, potato chips, and all types of products and goods. A huge number of these containers end up being left to sit in shipyards for extended periods laying to waste. This wastefulness is a detriment to the environment and negatively impacts climate change. Uncontained Living has an alternative solution- making use of shipping containers as functional residential and commercial spaces. In the words of LJ Franklin, co-founder of Uncontained Living, “capturing a massive 8,600-pound resources and hijacking the waste cycle is the least we can do to make our planet more suitable for future generations”.

A standard shipping container size stands at 40ft in length, 8ft in width, and 8.5 ft in height. It is built to last 90 – 100 years under even the most onerous environmental conditions. A single container is a 320-living space; equivalent to a standard apartment in a large city. Amazingly, shipping containers are also hurricane/ tornado resistant, fire-resistant, and capable of resisting winds of up to 100 – 175mph, making them perfect building blocks for straight-forward home building and design in almost any climate.

The affordability they deliver in addition to the flexibility are just the beginning of the benefits. In modern home and commercial space design more people can afford their dream homes, entrepreneurs have a lower cost barrier of entry to establishing their business- all while keeping the planet cleaner.

The long and short: Upcycling is the BOMB!

ADVANTAGES OF CONTAINER HOUSING

1. Durable and Adaptable

The transport industry was revolutionized by the introduction of standardized freight containers. These containers were manufactured to be airtight, water sealed, and able to withstand transit via train, truck, and freight shipping boats. The containers are built to last and to protect the goods inside. They withstand water, wind, air intrusions while transporting goods of all sorts securely. Containers are built with steel construction and load-bearing walls. They are also made of slow rusting Cor-Ten steel. Ideal for building, yes but shipping containers can be given life beyond their transporting of goods. In fact, I’d argue they are meant to live on beyond the 5-7 year life cycle they are given to transport goods. They are built to last up to 100 years after all.

Adding to the ease of use for building are the specific and technical dimensions established for all containers shipped worldwide. These standards were established and enforced by the International Standards Organization (ISO). When building with containers you can have confidence that you will receive a container that meets longstanding prerequisites for durability, size standards, and load-bearing capabilities. Due to these standards and with a thorough inspection you can feel comfortable knowing you have received a container built to last. Shipping containers are ideal as building materials thanks to their durability, of course. However, their adaptability is unparalleled. They can be securely being stacked, welded, and arranged to meet residential or commercial needs.

2. Affordable

Simply stated, there is a housing crisis in the US. We see rising house prices, stagnant wages, increasing medical debt, and crippling student debt. This makes the prospect of homeownership nearly impossible for many tens of millions of Americans. This is unacceptable.

Shipping container homes offer a unique opportunity for those previously believing homeownership was out of their grasp. Building with shipping containers, on average, cost around 30% less than traditional building methods. This makes shipping container houses more affordable than a traditional build, and that’s good news for us all.

3.Easy to build and time-saving

Time is money; building with shipping containers saves you on both fronts. Container homes are extremely easy to move, stack, and build homes with. The ease of building with shipping containers is aided by the establishment of the standard technical industry details in terms of size, weight, and composition. This means you can arrange and stack the containers with predictability, confidence, and ease.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) dimensions are:

Due to the standard and predictable nature of the dimensions, this means the time used in designing and building shipping containers can be significantly shorter than with traditional building materials.

The containers can be prefabricated off-site and final assembly can take place on-site. It may take 3-6 weeks to prefabricate a custom home and an additional 2-3 days to assemble and set up on-site. Very few building options allow for such expeditious start to finish build-out of a structure.

Saving time and saving money, all while saving the environment with Uncontained Living is a winning proposition.

4. Versatility

The versatility of shipping containers is “on one mill”! Translation: the possibilities are endless!

There are so many container variants like refrigerated, expandable, aluminum, non-load bearing wood wall fillings made of plywood. These can be used for a variety of purposes.

Uncontained Living uses the standard cor-ten steel versions for the purpose of structured building spaces. They are the strongest, most durable containers and lend themselves to being configured to meet nearly any conjecture. A few examples of the uses for containers can range widely:

- Personal residences

- Tiny homes

- Fully customized homes

- Off the grid

- Social housing

- Low budget housing

- ADU’s accessory dwelling units

- Backyard offices

- Backyard schoolhouse

- She sheds

- Artistic studios

- Multi-family living

- Apartments

- Hostels

- Emergency housing

- Shelters

- Businesses

- Shared office space

- Sit down restaurants

- Food parks

- Art gallery

- Event and exhibition spaces

- Stand-alone bars

- Drive-thru restaurants

- Coffee bars

- Beauty salons

- Spas

5. Sustainable

Earth Day every day! It has been stated before but it bears repeating; upcycling is the bomb! Steel shipping containers are incredibly strong and safe but long outlive their functionality as cargo carriers within 5-7 years. Instead of leaving the containers to rust for decades in shipping yards, we can make better choices for our earth. Upcycle!

Containers are great building materials suitable for all North American climates. Reusing or upcycling them from abandonment on shipyards is fantastic and promotes environmental friendliness and “Go Green" sustainable living. Building a shipping container structure helps everyday people live nearer a net zero-waste lifestyle. Reducing one's carbon footprint all while living comfortably, affordably, stylishly, and sustainably is something we should all be able to get behind.

6. Stylish

Fabulous, functional freight containers! Uncontained Living structures are extraordinarily customizable. The container configurations can range from simple and functional living spaces, off the grid cabins, “glamping” pods, commercial spaces, or even structural art exhibits. After determining the specific size and needs of your business or family. Then comes the fun part; customizing your space.

The awesomeness of shipping containers extends beyond their mere functionality and cost-effectiveness. Expressing your style and creating a unique structure is available with a full range of options. One can employ various types of cladding, windows, varying stacking patterns to get the desired style façade and unique end look. The fact that the construction costs are generally lower that saves money in the construction budget for customizing the exterior and amazing interiors. We see beautiful container home concepts executed throughout Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Pacific Islands in spectacular ways.

Container homes allow the opportunity to have a home consistent with ecological values and lower maintenance lifestyle all the while not compromising on stylishness and individuality. In short, these homes are promising for the future of residential housing. Very promising for the future generation of homeowners.

#blog affordable sustainable stylish housingisahumanright containerhomes Uncontainedliving UncontainedlivingKC affordablehousing

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jackrgaines · 4 years

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7 Blogging Best Practices to Follow

The post 7 Blogging Best Practices to Follow appeared first on HostGator Blog.

Blogging is more than just writing a few words and posting them to your website.

In practice, blogging centers around capturing the attention of your visitors through storytelling. Your stories may highlight the latest industry trends or your upcoming product launch.

Bloggers also must consider the content layout and image selection along with search engine optimization techniques. That way, you can engage visitors and continue to boost traffic.

Here are seven blogging best practices to keep in mind when starting your blog.

1. Craft concise paragraphs

Most visitors don’t read web pages like they read a novel or magazine. Instead, when visitors land on your site, they probably scan through it—looking for answers to their specific questions. Plus, they simply don’t have the time to read every single word.

When creating your blog posts, you’ll want to use concise paragraphs and avoid big blocks of texts. Copywriter Henneke Duistermaat offers more advice:

“You [can] eliminate excess words to create an enjoyable rhythm and a pleasurable reader experience. You allow your readers to dance through your content, feeling light and airy. You communicate your message with more clarity and strength.”

Another good tip is to use bullet points to emphasize your key points. You also can try limiting your sentences to 20-25 words for quick scanning.

2. Use relevant keywords

Keyword research is most effective when you understand your target audience and know how they are searching for your content. For instance, long-tail keyword searches have a click-through rate of 3% to 5% higher than generic searches.

Relevant keywords may include industry topics, customer questions, or even a unique aspect of your products. When uncovering new keywords, you will notice that search volume varies greatly. In some cases, you’ll want to focus on target keywords with a low search volume because they are less competitive.

A wide variety of tools exist to help you with keyword research. Check out this list to strengthen your SEO strategy.

3. Reduce the size of your images

Images act as a support aid to give context to your words. Infographics can explain complex concepts, and photos can humanize your content beyond the random stock images.

However, more images can cause your website to load slower. Somesh Khatkar, the co-founder of Imagekit, writes:

“If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, users are more likely to abandon it, which will drastically increase your bounce rate, and eventually affect your conversions.”

Image optimization is the process of decreasing the image file size without losing its quality. When you reduce the size, your visitors get the content they want faster.

Luckily, it’s easier than ever to compress your images and maintain the same level of quality. Try TinyPNG to compress PNG and JPEG images or the open-source app ImageOptim.

4. Add meta descriptions for each blog post

A meta description is an HTML element that summarizes the content of a specific webpage. It appears in the search engine results along with the title of the page.

Visitors use these summaries to help them find relevant information. So much so that 43% of people click on a given result, solely based on the meta description. That’s why it’s important to create a meta description that piques the interest of potential visitors.

Your meta description should include relevant keywords while communicating the benefits of visiting the page. Give visitors a brief insight into what they will learn. In the example below, the meta description highlights why blue flowers are fantastic and the best conditions for planting them.

Pro Tip: eep your meta descriptions concise. Experts recommend a length between 50-160 characters.

5. Add internal and external hyperlinks throughout your blog

Internal and external links play an integral role in your blog’s SEO strategy. When they’re relevant to your content, these links can improve your website’s visibility and rankings on search engines.

Internal links direct your visitors to targeted pages on your site; on the other hand, external links lead visitors to other websites. For your external links, choose authoritative sites with trustworthy material. Kali Bizzul, a senior marketing manager at Verblio, says:

“Your willingness to include valuable external links demonstrates that you care about your readers. Instead of wanting to greedily hold onto every second of their attention, you provide them with the resources they really want and need to fully explore the topic.”

You’ll also want to include clear and specific anchor text to the linking page to ensure visitors don’t get confused when they land on the next page.

6. Publish new blog posts consistently

Blogging is often referred to as a marathon because it takes consistent publishing to earn more traffic. Companies that publish more than 16 blog posts per month get nearly 3.5 times more organic traffic than those that publish 0-4 monthly.

To make blogging a habit, you’ll want to map out how long it takes you to create a blog post. For example, if it takes you 15 days, you can designate specific days to do keyword research, write the post, and source images. This strategy helps you avoid the rush to develop a quality post in a few days.

If possible, you also may want to hire a freelancer to help you with the blogging process. Maybe the freelancer can focus on the SEO part, while you concentrate on the writing.

7. Promote your blog content

Oftentimes, bloggers publish amazing content and forget the importance of promoting it. Without an effective content distribution strategy, you’ll lose the opportunity to attract interested visitors to your website.

Spread the word by sharing new posts with subscribers on your email list. Or you can use social media to promote your content. Will Blunt, the founder of Blogger Sidekick, provides a few tips:

“Social platforms are crowded, so there’s no guarantee interested people will see and share your content. To improve your content’s visibility, target interested people directly. Use a tool like BuzzSumo to find social media users who share content like yours.”

There’s also the option to share blog post links to members of a Slack or Facebook group. Just make sure content promotion is part of the group’s guidelines.

Cultivate Your Blogging Best Practices

Blogging is an ongoing adventure to grab your audience’s attention. From using relevant keywords to publishing on a consistent basis, you can earn more organic traffic for your website.

Find the post on the HostGator Blog

from HostGator Blog https://www.hostgator.com/blog/blogging-best-practices/

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holytheoristtastemaker · 4 years

Link

Taking your first steps in programming is like picking up a foreign language. At first, the syntax makes no sense, the vocabulary is unfamiliar, and everything looks and sounds unintelligible. If you’re anything like me when I started, fluency feels impossible.

I promise it isn’t. When I began coding, the learning curve hit me — hard. I spent ten months teaching myself the basics while trying to stave off feelings of self-doubt that I now recognize as imposter syndrome. It wasn’t until I started going to beginner-friendly meetups that I realized how coding collaboratively opens up amazing possibilities. You just need the right community of people to practice with.

For me, that community was Founders and Coders, the free JavaScript bootcamp that helped me to switch my career from copywriting to coding. Even now, less than a year after completing the course, I can hardly believe I’m being paid to develop software.

Collaborative coding is all about tackling problems and discovering solutions together. It encompasses techniques like pair programming, which several tech companies take seriously enough to screen for during their interview processes. It also cultivates useful skills that are tough to learn if all you’re doing is coding alone at home.

Whether you’re just starting out in the tech industry or you have several years of experience under your belt, collaborative coding never stops being useful. In this article, we’ll look at how these evergreen skills equip you for a long and successful career in software development.

Perfect Pairing

My first experience of pair programming was at a meetup for beginners called Coding For Everyone. Here’s how it works: people pair up, often with people they’ve never met, to solve JavaScript challenges together at the same laptop. One person assumes the role of the ‘navigator’ and proposes the code they think should be written. The other person, the ‘driver’, types out their suggestions on the laptop and asks questions whenever something isn’t clear. You continue doing this, swapping roles frequently, until the end of the two-hour session.

In theory, it was simple. In practice, not so much.

I found it quite distracting to have someone I didn’t know watching my screen while I typed, and I was reluctant to hand over control when it was time to swap roles. I found navigating even trickier. When an idea cannot go from your head into the computer without first going through your partner’s hands, every word that you say matters. It demanded a degree of communication from us both that we simply weren’t used to, and I felt sure we’d both learn more if we split up to work separately.

Fortunately, we stuck with it; I went again to the meetup the following week. I’ve since spent hundreds of hours pairing with dozens of developers, and I’ve learned more than I initially thought possible.

Pair programming is an incredibly fast way to learn. The magic of the method — once you get over the initial awkwardness — is that it yields immediate results. Some feedback loops, like bubbles in the stock market, can take hours, days, or even months to produce a correction. Pair programming takes minutes, if not seconds. When you misplace a semicolon, two pairs of eyes can spot the mistake faster than one. Need to search StackOverflow for clues about a rogue error message? You and your partner can each read different threads, halving the time it takes to find an answer.

The pair programming feedback loop (Large preview)

For even trickier problems, mob programming can be a further step up. This method requires a cross-functional section of a team to gather around the same computer screen and brainstorm solutions in realtime while one person types.

“All the brilliant minds working on the same thing, at the same time, in the same space, on the same computer.” — Woody Zuill, Agile Coach and Mob Programming Trainer

While it might seem like an inefficient way to work, mob programming advocates such as Woody Zuill say it can actually save time by eliminating the need for individual code reviews because everyone reviews the code in realtime as it’s being written. Productivity aside, I think mobbing is a fantastic way to learn not just about the code, but about how other people approach problems. If pair programming doubles the number of perspectives you’re exposed to, mob programming yields even more insights.

Sometimes, ten heads are better than two. (Large preview)

That’s not to say that pairing — or indeed mobbing — is plain sailing. Something I struggled with initially was putting my ego to one side to ask questions that I thought might sound stupid. In these situations, it’s good to remember that your partner might be having the same thoughts, especially if you’re both just starting out.

If you find yourself pairing with someone more senior, perhaps at work, don’t be afraid to pick their brains and impress them with your inquisitiveness. Even someone who is only a bit further ahead than you might think of things that wouldn’t occur to someone more senior. Some of my favorite pair programmers only have a few months more experience than me, yet they always seem to know exactly which mistakes I’m about to make and how to steer me in the right direction. When these developers say there’s no such thing as a silly question, they really mean it. The best pair programmers speak freely, without the need to appear fantastic or the fear of looking foolish.

Pair programming takes practice, but it’s worth perfecting. Studies show that programmers who pair to solve problems tend to be more confident, productive, and engaged with their work. Whether you’re looking for your next job or you’re onboarding new hires, pairing is caring.

Resources And Further Reading

“Pair Programming Roles,” Jordan Poulton, GitHub

“The Friendship That Made Google Huge,” James Somers, The New Yorker

“Mob Programming: A Whole Team Approach,” Woody Zuill, YouTube

Engineering Empathy

When I started teaching myself JavaScript, my code looked a lot like my bedroom floor: I’d let it get messier and messier until I had no choice but to tidy it. As long as my web browser could understand it, I didn’t care how it looked.

It wasn’t until I started reviewing other people’s code that I realized I needed to show a lot more empathy for the people reviewing mine.

Empathy might be the most underrated tool in any developer’s arsenal. It’s the reason why IDEO puts user research at the center of their design process, and why Etsy asks their designers and product managers to do an engineering rotation. Empathy emerges when we have the opportunity to see how our work impacts other people. No wonder collaborative coding is such a great way to build it.

Peer code review — the act of checking each other’s code for mistakes — calls on us to exercise empathy. As the reviewer, it’s important to recognize that someone has gone to considerable effort to write the code that you are about to critique. As such, try to avoid using phrases that might imply judgment or trivialize their work. When you refer to their code, you want to show them the specific functions and lines that you have questions about, and suggest how they might refactor it. Sharing learning resources can also be more helpful than spoon-feeding a solution. Some of the most useful feedback I’ve received from code reviews has come in the form of educational articles, videos, and even podcast recommendations.

Writing good documentation for your code also goes a long way. An act as simple as creating a readme with clear installation instructions shows empathy for anyone who needs to work with your code. GitHub founder Tom Preston-Werner advocates a readme-first approach to development.

“A perfect implementation of the wrong specification is worthless. By the same principle, a beautifully crafted library with no documentation is also damn near worthless. If your software solves the wrong problem or nobody can figure out how to use it, there’s something very bad going on.” — Tom Preston-Werner, GitHub Founder

I’ve also spoken with tech founders who treat documentation as an essential part of successful onboarding. One CTO said that if a junior developer struggles to reach a level of productivity within six months of joining his team, it points towards the codebase not being well documented enough. It only takes a few seconds to add an explanatory comment to a complex function you’ve written, but it could save the next person who joins your team hours of effort.

Resources And Further Reading

“On Empathy & Pull Requests,” Slack Engineering, Medium

“Readme Driven Development,” Tom Preston-Werner, GitHub

“What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team,” Charles Duhigg, The New York Times Magazine

Agile Achievement

From the millions of man-hours that go into making CGI movies to the intense development crunches leading up to big-budget video game releases, towering technical achievements take a mind-boggling amount of effort. The first time I saw my current employer’s codebase, I was floored by the enormity of it all. How on earth did anybody build this?

The answer is that everybody can build a lot more than anybody, given the right collaborative framework. In companies that encourage collaborative coding, the software doesn’t emerge from the efforts of a lone genius. Instead, there are ways of working together that help great teams to do amazing work. Developers at Founders and Coders practice a popular software development methodology known as ‘Agile’, and in my experience, it puts the ‘functional’ in cross-functional development teams.

Entire books have been written about Agile, but here is a summary of the core concepts:

A product development team breaks down large pieces of work into small units called ‘user stories’, prioritizes them, and delivers them in two-week cycles called ‘sprints’.

For as long as the project continues, the cycles repeat, and new product requirements get fed into a backlog of tasks for future sprints.

The team holds daily standup meetings to discuss their progress and address any blockers.

The process is both incremental and iterative: the software is built and delivered in pieces and refined in successive sprints.

A typical Agile workflow (Large preview)

As a chronic tinkerer whose solo hobby projects often succumb to ‘feature creep’, I know how easy it is to waste time building the things that no one ever uses. I love the way that Agile forces you to prioritize user stories so that the entire team can focus on delivering features that your users actually care about. It’s motivating to know that you’re all united around the common goal of building a product or service that will continue to have a life after you finish working on it.

Splitting tasks into small user stories also happens to be a great way to timebox pair programming sessions. No matter how deep in the zone you find yourselves, finishing up work on a key feature is always a nice reminder to step away from your desks and take a break. Agile lends structure to collaborative coding where it could otherwise be lacking.

Meanwhile, daily standups give you the freedom to talk about anything that is holding you back, and sprint retrospectives provide space to share key wins and pinpoint where the team could improve. These ceremonies foster a sense of collaboration and accountability, and help us to learn more together than we could by ourselves.

Putting all of these Agile principles into practice can be challenging, especially when no one in a team is used to this way of working. At Founders and Coders, it takes most students a while to get into the habit of doing daily standups. However, after 18 weeks of project-based practice, you find that your processes and communication skills improve immensely. By the time you take on your first client work, you’ve formed a much clearer mental model of how to approach building a full-stack web app in a team.

The best way to learn Agile is to build interesting projects with other people. Attending hackathons is an excellent way to connect with potential collaborators. Many open-source projects make their kanban project boards public, so you can see which GitHub issues different contributors are working on. Several welcome contributions from beginners, and you can often assign yourself to open issues and begin raising pull requests.

Since most tech companies subscribe to some form of Agile, it’s not uncommon for employers to ask about it in interviews. Any experience you have can set you apart from other applicants who may never have coded collaboratively, let alone with Agile in mind.

Resources And Further Reading

“What Is Agile?,” Steve Denning, Forbes

“Embracing Agile,” Darrell K. Rigby, Jeff Sutherland, Hirotaka Takeuchi, Harvard Business Review

“Awesome First Pull Request Opportunities,” Shmavon Gazanchyan, Deloitte Digital

Remote Collaborative Coding Tool Recommendations

In the last several years, remote working tools have advanced to the point that prominent companies like Gatsby and Zapier are now “remote first”. While it remains to be seen whether this will turn into a trend, it’s safe to say that remote development teams are here to stay.

In that spirit, here are some tools that can help you and your team code collaboratively from afar:

Markdown Editors HackMD The killer feature is that you can turn markdown documents into slideshow presentations with next to no effort. Borrows from the popular reveal.js library. StackEdit A collaborative online editor with a clean UI and lots of file export options. Code Editors CodeSandbox A fantastic collaborative cloud-based code editor that you run in your browser, with no installation needed. Live Share A neat extension for the popular Microsoft Visual Studio Code editor that supports real time editing and debugging of files inside the same workspace. Video Conferencing Solutions Google Hangouts Superb Google Calendar integration makes it a cinch to schedule video calls. Microsoft Teams Video conferencing software that offers really good call quality (1080p video), and supports up to 250 simultaneous participants.

If you take one thing away from reading this article, I want it to be that team players trump individual contributors. In a field where there seems to be a hot new framework to master every other week, our technical skills age in a way that our soft skills don’t. The upshot is that developers who can work well with other people will always find their abilities are in demand. Collaborative coding isn’t just an effective way to learn; it’s a sought after skill set that anyone can develop with enough practice and patience.

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