And the Survey Says….

No, first off, I did not just finish binge-watching Family Feud with Steve Harvey.  I love that show, and when I was little, it was Richard Dawson as host, but personally, Steve is the best host Family Feud has ever seen.  Plus, Richard Dawson would get a harassment suit today, since he used to try to kiss the ladies. That was then, this is now.

No today, the survey says that taking surveys, as a form of earning extra money, can be beneficial, and earn you thousands of dollars ($$$$$$) ß Yep, Those things. Not only that, you can earn other things, such as gift cards, trips around the world, cars, boats, houses, and free products.  As a person who does surveys, I am going to ask you to read this before you fill out one application.  This is Tip Thursday, and this is my tip for today. By the time you read this, it will be Friday, Sorry for being late.

What are surveys?

Surveys, in its true definition, is basically, “What is your opinion or your review of a question we (an establishment) had on our mind.  It can be in the form of a Q&A, Essay, or a Cause and Effect.  Most times, it is a company who is trying to put out a filler on what a group of people thinks about a new or improved product.  Another name for a survey is a poll.  You may have seen a few in your lifetime.

Well, someone thought it would be a good idea to pay for other people’s opinion, and the idea spread like wildfire.  In some cases, sadly, it is not a good idea, and I will get to that further down the article.  But first, these are my views and tips on making money off Surveys

Tip # 1: Diversify your streams of income

I say this all the time.  Just like they tell you to diversify your financial and stock portfolios, if you are into investing, you should do the same for earning income.  What does this mean in terms of taking part in surveys?  Not all surveys are alike, and to depend on taking surveys as your only means of income or extra income can be dangerous. Survey taking does not always guarantee you the big prize, money and other rewards, sometimes they put you into a pool of other survey takers, draw a name, and if your name is pulled from hundreds of other names, you will get the money.  In other words, it is like pushing a button on a slot machine at a casino.  Sometimes you may get all 7s giving you the big payout, but mostly, you are feeding the piggy bank for someone else to win.

In addition to taking surveys, do affiliate marketing, write and freelance articles and graphic designs, offer your expertise on a skill (course selling), sell your best art and other handmade products, do direct selling, invent that new or improved product, babysit, walk dogs, or take on that second job or gigs.  All of these can guarantee a faster payout than just doing surveys.

Tip #2:  Not all surveys are the same

Some surveys have different rewards, and if you are looking for just the greenbacks (money), you may be out of luck there.  Most surveys pay in gift cards and/or product.  In other words, you may not be able to pay for your utilities with the earnings you get from surveys.  Really there is a way to do it, but it means to find a website where they will take the value of your gift card, and turn it into cash, but they also may be scammers out there who will do the same thing.  Best thing to do is if the card is to your favorite store, use it in good faith, and enjoy the item you bought.

Tip #3:  Do I smell a trap?

Unfortunately, scammers and hackers today use surveys to gather your information.  Do not take this as a sign of not doing a survey.  Remember, I am still doing them.  What I do before giving out my information is search the survey company. 

Today, for instance, I was sent in my notifications on my computer about a survey site called MySoapBox. Their payout is in gift cards and other rewards.  Right away I went to Google and typed, “what is MySoapBox?  The first entry is the one I always read first, which was by SurveyPolice, a website that tells you about a reviews survey sites by telling you if it was worth you going to that survey site.  It gives MySoapBox 3 stars out of 5.  Not bad, but I wanted more.  So, next, I backed out of it and went for another result called Work at Home No Scams.  This site tells you if the survey site you are about to visit is legit or not. It tells me that MySoapBox does not payout real money, but points to redeem for gift cards and vouchers, and if you do not want that, you can give those points to charity.  I have to wonder about the charity part.  They also say that in order to “cash out”, you need to earn about 1000 points, which is about $25 USD.  The person doing the review points out some of the bad points about MySoapBox, which is my problems with surveys overall, and I will get to that in a moment.  Overall, if you want to give MySoapBox a try, which is what I am going to do, follow the links provided (not sponsored).  If not, consider this a very good example on what to do when getting ready to sign up for a survey site.

Remember this:  If a site is too good to be true, it usually is, so do not give out any information that you do not want others to scam you for (Your name, address, phone, financial, children, and most certainly, your Social Security Number or TIN (if you are a business), and your birthday).

Why I hate surveys?

Remember a while ago in this article I said that you are not guaranteed in getting the money or the other rewards?  Chances are that you are not guaranteed that you will get to take the survey either.   Let me explain:  when a company sends out a survey, they are looking for one SPECIFIC group of people, and these people have to match the demographics that the company is looking to attract.  This could be a new product, moving to a new location, embarking on a new marketing concept, anything.  The problem is when you tell them “yes” to the survey, you are not aware of who they are looking for to take it in the first place. Let me give you an example.

A copy of an Outpost Survey note I got
When I clicked on it.  Note: I do surveys with Outpost.
Screenshot by P.Lynne Designs 

I am an African-American Female in her early 50s, and Kellogg is thinking about a new cereal concept that targets people over the age of 60.  They send out a bunch of emails, but they do not tell me who they are looking for to take the survey.  I get the email, click on the link and start taking the survey.  It is set up like a multiple Q&A (Question and answer).

Now, I am taking the survey, and it ask me a series of questions like, “What is the highest education you have completed?” “What is your income before taxes?” and “Do you have any children?”  For the education and income question, there should be a button that says, “Prefer not to answer”.  If not, back out, and do not go past go.  I do not care how legit it is, do not go any further.  I really do not feel comfortable in answering what is my birthday, but believe it or not, children and teens try to take surveys, and it is to weed them out.  In fact, the whole question portion is to weed out any outliners that may send the results in a wonky way, and analysts do not like wonky numbers, LOL.

Once you have answered the questions, the results may be in the form of “you qualify for this survey” or you do not qualify for this survey, do you want to take another?”  This is the survey site’s portion. Next, if you pass, you will get the survey right away.  Now, you got to answer the companies weeding answers.  Sometimes, they will let you take the survey questions, THEN you answer the weeding out questions.  If you meet the company’s approval, you get your reward (money, points, card, jewels, (maybe not the jewels-one can only dream, LOL)).

That’s it.  You are done.  If you get this far in the process, you have done good, but not so fast, darling, I hope you did not give out the information that makes the scammers and hackers happy that THEY got a payout.  Remember you need to do your homework and research this site before getting approved to take the survey.  It is up to you to keep your information safe.

Takeaway Tip (the final tip):  Remember:

-          Not all surveys and survey sites are the same

-          Diversify in your streams of income, especially if you are not working outside of the home.

-          Do your homework and research each survey website, for researching is your friend.

-          Do not give out information that you do not want to put out there

-          Scammers and hackers are out there watching and waiting for slipups.

If you like this post, please comment and share.  Have fun looking for surveys and be well. God Bless.  Peace

How to Generate More Money to Live

(c) 2016 P. Lynne Designs
consultants!

Ok, today, I am going to be serious with a twist.  I have a little concern.  It is about my financial status and it is about your financial status.  I cannot say that it has been on my heart lately (those of you who belong to a black church congregation will understand this phrase greatly).  So, I am going to say this in the most, lovingly, kiss it with kindness, powering it up and put on a pretty little bow way I can possibly can.

Baby (as my grandmother used to say), you need to generate more income.  We, as Americans need to generate more income.  When we have more income, we are telling the government thank you for the help (whatever help you are or not receiving), but, bye.  It is showing that you are independent, smart, and self-sufficient.

Now, there is nothing wrong with receiving help, but help needs to be temporary until I get on my feet type of help. It cannot be a multigenerational type of help, meaning my grandmother go help, my mom got help, I got help, and my child will get help.  Someone has to work.  I am talking about able-bodied people.  If you are disabled, physical, emotionally, or mentally unable to work, that is a different type of situation, and I understand perfectly.  You may not qualify for working, but I have seen disabled people working, and I commend them for at least trying.

In today post, I am not talking about finding work per se, I am talking about finding additional work.  I know what you are thinking, “Do I have to get a third job on top of what I am already doing?”   The answer to that is no unless you want to make a career out of it.  So people may not have the time, and that is ok with it too.  No set hours needed unless you want to.   

What I love about making extra income for yourself is this:  you can save the money, use it towards paying down a bill or two, or have the extra money for a house, car, or vacation, or to have it lying around in case of an emergency.  Use the money for anything you want or need.  Not only that, the skill that you decide to learn may come in handy for a promotion at your current job.

For instance, I am learning on my own to use the Adobe software suite.  I can call it a suite, because the programs piggyback off of each other, just like the Microsoft Office suite does for Word, PowerPoint, and other software.  My Bachelor’s degree is in marketing, but not the one that uses graphic design.  I also make scrapbook albums and cards, so, using programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and the rest allows me to expand into other areas, that required computer work.  If I want to, later on, I can apply to work at a 9-5.  There are also online companies like Fiverr, which allows you to create gigs or fulfill a customer’s order that I am utilizing my skills. 

Extra Money Looks Like this:

At some time, I will cover all of these topics in great length, but for now, I will mention briefly in this post:  One thing to note is some of these links will have affiliate links on them.  Affiliate links are one of the ways that I do generate extra income, and I will explain how in a moment.

Another thing to note as you are reading this: I am an entrepreneur, and I left my last job as of January 2010, but at one time I was working outside of the home and was making extra money on the side.  When I decided to leave my 9-5, I made two of my extra income gigs my main jobs, while still earning extra income on the side.  I cannot say that it has been easy, and I will point that out below.  In fact, I am in what they call lean times, but I am rising up from that.  It will be covered in another post.  I want to promote the positives of self-employment or entrepreneurship.

Directly Selling to You…

Direct Selling.  What do you immediately associate direct selling with?  If you said Avon or Tupperware, you are half right.  Direct selling is the art of selling exclusive products to a customer in hopes of developing a life-long relationship (buying of product).  This is my version of it.  According to Wikipedia, direct selling is the marketing and selling of products away from a fixed retail location.  This including peddling, which according to the same source, is the oldest form of direct selling.  Today, think of your party planning companies.  This is where you will find Avon (makeup and jewelry), Tupperware (kitchen products), and more recent Origami Owl (charm jewelry) and Younique (Makeup).  I am a rep for Longaberger (Baskets and Pottery) and have been since 2001.  The basics behind a Longaberger party (as well as other DS companies) is you can host a party.  You, as a host, will bring in as many of your friends to look at the products offered at your party.  You can have snack food, dinner, or a brunch.  As your consultant, I would come in to show the products available to purchase.  The more people you have at your buying party, the more money that can be made in one night.  For example, in order to have a $350 party, which is an average total, you need to invite 5 people, but I am going to encourage you to invite more.  With $350 in total sales, for example, you can have 2 half-price selections, $65 in free price, and buy a host bundle (which can be counted towards either one of the 2 half-price selections or host dollars.)

(c) 2014 P. Lynne Designs
A table full of potential sales

How does this help you earn extra money?  I tell potential recruits your business is your business.  You join a team of recruits (either through an invitation of a currently active consultant or the company will assign you a consultant in your area), and this team helps encourage you through your sales during the time you spend as a consultant.  You are earning a commission through each sale you make.  You can either work this business of direct selling as a hobby, part-time or full-time.  I never tell a potential recruit that you will make a six-figure salary from the beginning, and it should not be the reason for you to build up to that level.  Some achieve it quickly, others do it slower, and you may not get there at all.  If the company you join is a good to a great company, training is on-going to help you build that business, but you have to want it, especially on the leadership level.  I have seen people save for vacations and down payments on homes, and able to get by on that income.  I have also seen people use that money for bill paying money.  I will have a more in-depth post of what it takes to be a direct selling consultant at a later time.

Homemade Business industry:  If you have bought something on Etsy, you have bought a homemade item.  The homemade business industry is not your cute, little craft show anymore.  It had gone beyond that point.  If you knit, sew little cubbies, woodcraft, or make jams and jellies, you are a homemade artist.  You can turn that cute, craft into some major bucks.  As I said in the beginning, I create scrapbook albums and greeting cards.  I had several people, including some from members of my own family, tell me that I need to turn that into a business.  So, in 2009, I did that, and P. Lynne Designs was born.  It is my passion, my baby, and I love it.  Once I made something for family and friends, I created an Etsy account.  Now, in addition to that Etsy account, I am creating my website.  I will do a separate post on how I got started with this business at a later time as well.

Freelance Writing:  This is the basis of this blog, and I tell people all the time, that if you have a passion for writing, go for it.  I love all kinds of writing, but I cannot do all kinds of writing.  So the key to writing is learning what types of writing are out there, learn what type of writing, and go for it.  I compare writing to music, dance, painting, cooking, and crafting.  There are all kinds, pick one that works for you, and learn all you can about that area of your expertise.  Also, be aware of the other part of your craft.

How can you make money?  Would take out an ad, but before you do that, showcase your work.  Write what you know about.  You can do creative works about your family, humor about your job, poems about the food you ate last night or have a blog post about writing.  Create a journal.  Publish a book.  Do something that validates you as a writer.  Once you have achieved that point, advertise your service of writing skills.  Set a price.  There are several hundred websites, including magazines, card writing, writing contests, and content writing who are always looking for that new bright spot to keep their readers attention.  You can also start a blog like I did. 

Affiliate marketing.  This one is a little bit tricky to get into, but with a little research, you should be able to make a little bit of money from it.  This is what I like to call, “only make extra money with this.”  Why?  Because it is all about placement, and even then you cannot depend on everyone clicking on a link.  For this, you do need a blog or website.  You may have seen colored underline words in this post.  These are affiliate links, and they lead to a product on either Amazon or some other site.  I cannot say that all of the underlined words lead to a product because they also may lead to a post that I previously have written or something I want to draw your attention to.  This is why I have the disclosure:  This post may contain affiliate links. 

I do not have a high dependency on affiliate links.  Why?  As I said, not everyone may like to click on links.  Not only that, I myself tend to forget to link a word to a product.  I like to write, and I am not used to earning $0.02 per click (per my AdSense page a couple days ago.)

So why use it at all?  AdSense in a way is a build up to a bigger picture.  My click depends on my readers.  So does Amazon, and I have never turned down a penny that has earning potential.

Ebates:  I love Ebates.   Ebates is very simple.  When you go shopping online, you get cash back.  Here is the trick to Ebates.  The cash back is given out quarterly, so do not expect a check every month.  (They will send it through Paypal as well.) Ebates has does something new, and I cannot wait reap the benefits of this as well.  If you register your credit card on their site, every time you do in-store shopping as well, and you use that credit card, you will get cash back from that as well.   Ebates is perfectly safe.  You can also refer people to Ebates, and you get $60 for doing so.  Nice.

I also do not recommend you go shopping just for the heck of it.  Remember that you are spending money, and if you do not have the money to spend, you do not have the money to spend.  I rather see you save it, but if you must shop online, you might as well get some money back for your purchases.

Surveys and mystery shopping:  You may wonder why I have not mentioned these two up to this point for earning extra money.  It is very simple.  I do not like them for the most part.  I am on a few, and yes, they do come through my inbox.  I only do a survey for a name brand I trust, such as Disney, Provo Craft (Cricut Die Cutting Machine), and a few others.  I have even done them for people I trust.   I am not talking about those surveys.   I am talking about the ones that allow you to win a free gift card.  Here is where I do not trust them.  You have to click on offers to get to the prize (the gift card).  If you are not careful, you could be buying something that you have no interest in or agreeing to a subscription that has a monthly fee. I have done that a few times.   

So, this is sort of an introduction to making extra money to make a living.  This is my take on the industry, and there are other ways to make extra money.  One last thing I have to say about this introduction is there are indeed scammers out there who will pretend to help you.  I would have to say be careful when going into it.  Always do your research before signing up for anything, even the direct selling companies and people who say they know a shortcut to where you want to be.  This is not a rush job, and it takes time and patience to get something going.  Be persistent if you do create a blog or vlog, create a schedule.  In fact, schedule everything, so your followers know when to expect it.  I am trying to get better with mine.  Know why you are doing this in the first place and set a goal.  

Everything I suggested can be done with or without having a job, although it would be better to have an income when you first get started.  They can also be done on a part-time or as your main job.

Good luck and God bless.