As I was roaming around the shopping mall this past weekend, the realization of needing MORE CASH this holiday season crept up on me. Here are some ways to make some extra money for holiday spending this Christmas:
1.  Do you have a unique product or service to offer your friends, family, co-workers?  Of course, one of my favorite products and services is Send Any Cards -So sharing information on how to make money as a representative makes sense for me.  This is a great time of year to get started on your own Send Out Cards account as you can introduce your own network to the power of greeting cards, just by sending cards this Christmas season.
2.   Cat sit, dog walk, water the plants. Pet and plant sitting can earn some extra cash when their owners are away on holidays. You can choose to keep the animals at your house or theirs.
3.  Be a Technology do-gooder.  There are a lot of people who need help setting up their computers and doing regular maintenance to keep their computer free of viruses and spyware. Offer to schedule some regular maintenance for your new “customers.”  You can also offer to set up home entertainment systems and/or teach people how to set up their own systems.
4.  Do you have a special skill that your network of friends and family compliments you on? Crafting, cooking, cleaning, etc? Why not offer to help others with your unique skills this holiday season.
5.  Teach others. Whether you’re teaching at a community centre or college – teaching others a skill that you are passionate about can be uplifting emotionally and rewarding financially.

Were you on Purpose or did you allow life to just happen by accident? Here it’s the end of 2008 almost, and I have been busy asking people to share their thoughts on what 2008 was like for them. This is what Ann had to say about her year so far…

“2008 has been an incredible year for me as I have taken a few steps outside my “box”.

I made a conscious decision to be more assertive at work.  Instead of accepting whatever came my way in an attempt to keep things running smoothly I opted instead to do what was necessary to keep things running smoothly for me.  Tough job but way overdue.

Another step found me at night school taking courses to update my administrative skills.  Looking ahead I had seen that job security wasn’t as secure as I’d like it to be so developed an action plan.  Not as easy as it sounds as I was scared spit less walking into that classroom!

Both these steps have had a tremendous impact both at work and at home.  I encourage people to step outside their “box” in 2009.  The journey will be well worth it.”

Ann Wong,  somewhere outside her box in Abbotsford, BC

“Making a decision to have a child – it’s wondrous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” -Elizabeth Stone

What an amazing gift to find out you’re expecting And what a nice surprise to receive a personal card in the mail to commemorate the occasion!

There are so many cards to choose from we thought we’d help you narrow it down. These are our top 5 cards. Send in your top 5 here and we’ll post them for you.

Just click on the card you like below for a fast and easy way to get your card created, mailed…and even attach a little gift – all online.

Inside reads: “They grow up so fast.”

If you need more information about signing up for your own Send Out Cards account, you can contact us here.

If you’re time starved, like me, you probably don’t have a lot of time to go out shopping for gifts for your clients.

And if your clients are anything like you, they likely are looking for a way to get more information, in a shorter period of time.

Send Any Card has a fantastic way to give gifts for any sort of occasion – referral passed, closed business, celebration, promotion, etc.

Our favourite gift this week is the audio book, One Minute Networker, by Bryan Thayer.  It’s available for only 65 points. Contact us here for details on the point system.

If you check out www.theoneminutenetworker.com where it shares what you’ll learn. Here is the sneak peek as noted on Thayer’s website:

Learn:

• “How to expect and create miracles in your life
• How to tap into all the capital you’ll ever need
• The easy way to never forget a name
• Living abundantly – even if you’re penniless!
• Access the most valuable database ever created
• Ask for – and get – exactly what you want
• Become a “drip” and win friends for life
• The best way to feel good anytime you want “

Happy Networking!

Sending out personalized Holiday/Christmas invitations for an event is easy – especially if you’ve already picked a theme.

Send Out Cards has over 8,000 images to choose from (here’s a few of our favourite card images pictured below) – and we’ve created a few great themes to go along with them.

Have an old holiday movie marathon

Remember these famous quotes? -

“Bah!” said Scrooge. “Humbug!” … a Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Or… “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright. And may all your Christmases be white” … Featured in A White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin in 1942

And From Frosty the Snowman:
Karen: What’s the matter, Frosty?
Frosty: Is there a thermometer around here?
Karen: Over there in the wall.
Frosty: [Looks at thermometer] I was afraid of that. The thermometer is turning reddish. I hate red thermometers.
Karen: Why is that?
Frosty: Because when the thermometer gets red, the temperature goes up, and when the temperature goes up, I start to melt, and when I melt, I get all wishy-washy, from the 1969 Classic Frosty the Snowman

How about Simplifying the holiday season this year by planning a family/neighbourhood/community/office complete with:

• A Potluck dinner – see About.com for a “how to” guide and some recipe ideas
• Drawing names out of a Santa Hat for a gift exchange, white elephant or a cookie swap – Check out ehow.com for the details
• Having a clothing swap and give the left over items to a local charity
• Decorating cookies and the tree to your heart’s content with family and friends – just make sure you have lots of hot chocolate to spread around! – have a look at hosting a cooking decorating party on www.ehow.com

It’s that time of the year again and I’m guessing you’re as busy as I am. Planning and attending Christmas parties, getting ready for some well deserved time off and all the while trying to find a way to show your customers you acknowledge and appreciate their business in the busiest of seasons.

But are you really going to go to Hallmark or the drug store and pick out individualized cards for each one of your many loyal clients? What’s the alternative – buy a big box of generic greeting cards and spend hours writing personalized messages? (Or worse, getting your assistant to write your personalized messages?)

If you’re like me, you just don’t have the time – but you really do have the heart to do something.

Send Any Card is so fast and easy – choose an appropriate image – here’s a few of our favourites below

Write a special message (even with your own handwriting) learn more about this here …

Thanks for the image Send Out Cards

Choose your recipient and it’s mailed for you! … It even has a Canadian stamp on it if you are from Canada!