Abundance Through Jesus’ Poverty December 23, 2019 bizadmin For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 ABUNDANCE THROUGH JESUS’ POVERTY When we think of God, we think of the most powerful and richest being in the whole universe. But do you know that our Lord Jesus was actually born into a poor family? We know this from the offering His mother Mary brought to the temple after Jesus was born, according to the Law for purification (see Luke 2:22–24). She brought a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons, which was the only type of offering the poor could afford (see Leviticus 12:2, 8). But with Jesus in their lives, Mary and her husband Joseph didn’t remain poor. Wise men came to Jesus with treasures—“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). Jesus’ presence brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh—two of the most expensive spices—to His family. The wise men must have come with quite an entourage for the Bible records how all Jerusalem was fearful when the wise men came to the city (see Matthew 2:3). Can you imagine the amount of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which accompanied that entourage, and which was given to Jesus’ parents? My friend, the moment you are born again, you have Jesus in your life. And when you have Him in your life, get ready for His abundant supply to come your way! But don’t look for the blessings, look to Jesus—He is the power to get wealth (see Deuteronomy 8:18). The presence of the Son of the living God in your life attracts good things. Because of His grace toward us, Jesus, though He was rich, was made poor at the cross for your sake so that “you through His poverty might become rich.” Beloved, when you have Jesus in your life and when you know that He has paid the price for your abundance, you can boldly declare, “Jesus was made poor at the cross for my sake so that through His poverty, I am made rich in all things!”
eCommerce Sports and Fitness December 22, 2019 bizadmin I was browsing the internet this morning when I came across an eCommerce website here >> Sports &Fitness. Now it is important to be fit and healthy so that you can continue to generate an income and prosper. The Bible states that we ought to work for as long as possible until we are called home. Hence it is good to get some form of exercise to be fit and in the healthy BMI range. BMI is an acronym for Body Mass Index. The link above leads to an eCommerce site with a safe and secure payment gateway. Your personal details will not be shared and you can be sure of privacy, especially your credit card details and such. It is a robust system with a very well developed site that navigates to all working pages. Even for me, I am trying to cut down on my food intake and do some form of light exercise to burn extra calories. Health is wealth and you cannot take your health for granted. Therefore, eat wisely and do some exercise to live a healthy lifestyle. You can even purchase things like sports and fitness items for this Christmas for your family members and friends whom you think need them most. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all and enjoy but don’t overeat.
Heyrtz Business Women Professional Work Tote Bag that comes with a Charger with Zipper and Pockets That Fits 15.6-Inch Laptop December 21, 2019 bizadmin View this post on Instagram A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Dec 27, 2019 at 7:36pm PST Business Women Professional Work Tote Bag with Zipper and Pockets That Fits 15.6-Inch Laptop I confirm that this is a sponsored post that adheres to FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 of the USA. I was given a free grey Business Women Professional Work Tote Bag with Zipper and many Pockets that Fits 15.6-Inch Laptop to review as a blogger. The features are as below: SLEEK AND ROOMY LAPTOP TOTE: This laptop tote purse is large and roomy. There are two main compartments inside. One is for a laptop up to 15.6 inches while the other is the main compartment. The main section is large enough to hold almost everything you need for work, such as an umbrella, drink bottle, lunch, purse, day planner, keys, cables, and small carryall. With this, you only need one bag to tote your laptop, lunch, stuff for work, and makeups. STRONG PROTECTION FOR LAPTOPS: The walls and bottom of the computer section are well stuffed by a thick sponge. This design protects your computer from side collisions and dropping on the bottom. Meanwhile, there is a velcro strap attached to the top to secure your laptop in place. SMART DESIGN AND QUALITY MATERIALS: This laptop tote bag with organizers inside made of quality water-resistant fabric, durable carrying straps, and heavy-duty zipper systems. It is soft, durable, and easy to clean off. The bag is well structured and can stand on its own. A belt for a luggage cart handle is attached to the back so the bag can be secured when traveling. Leather layer and metal feet are used in the bottom to keep the tote bag anti-wear and easy to clean. Click on the picture to enlarge STAY ORGANIZED WITH PLENTY of POCKETS: It’s a robust functional laptop tote bag with many compartments to organize your stuff. There are two zipper pockets, one water bottle/umbrella holder, two mesh pockets, three pen holders, eight side pockets in different sizes, and one separate cosmetic bag. Also, a string with reflective straps to hold keys is attached to make sure your keys are always easy to be found even in a dark environment. Everything is well-organized with one sleek laptop tote purse. This grey tote bag with many pockets helps one to keep organized to store your many items: your umbrella, a laptop of 15.6 inches, your makeup accessories, files, pens, tissues, and more. Click on the picture to enlarge. USB CHARGING PORT DESIGN: The USB interface is built in this tote bag. Once a power bank (not included) is connected and placed inside of the bag, you can charge your phone or other electronic devices easily by connecting them to the outside USB without opening your bag. Never worry about running out of battery again. This is very convenient as it keeps your power bank inside the pocket while connected to the outer USB port to charge your smartphone on the go while you are traveling. This grey tote bag fits any fashion and is suitable for professional women executives to carry along to complement the outfit. It keeps one organized, and you can keep a diary or notepad while preparing for that critical interview with the new organization. As readers of this blog, check out Bags Coupons, Promo Codes & Deals by clicking on the yellow span link for further discounts using coupon deals to save you money. You can also check out the Amazon link here >> https://www.amazon.com/gp/mpc/AOUJP5YGXTJCC to get your 10% discount for a limited time. In my opinion, this is an excellent Christmas gift to buy this bag and wrap it for someone special, your relative, or close friend. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays over Christmas, which is the season of giving and receiving – to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ – as a Saviour to the lost world. Below is a picture of the dimensions of the bag in full detail. To summarize the key features again, refer to the picture below that speaks for itself. Click on the picture to enlarge. There is a ‘Thank You’ note for anyone who purchases this laptop tote from Heyrtz. What’s more? Heyrtz offers a 2-year worry-free warranty to all buyers. In case you have any issues with the bag, Heyrtz will offer a free replacement or a free refund. Just check out the Amazon link here >> https://www.amazon.com/gp/mpc/AOUJP5YGXTJCC to get your 10% discount for a LIMITED time.
Your Next Stop is a Place of Abundance December 21, 2019 bizadmin …we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment. Psalm 66:12 YOUR NEXT STOP IS A PLACE OF ABUNDANCE! Are you in a situation where people are stepping all over you and they seem to have the upper hand? You feel as if the challenge you are facing is so big that you are going through the fire. And you are so overwhelmed by everything that is happening around you that you feel as if you are drowning. My friend, I want you to know that your heavenly Father hears your cry for help and He will rescue you. The psalmist says that “we went through fire and through water, but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” If you have been through the fire and water, then your next stop is a place of rich fulfillment or abundance! This place of abundance was indeed the next stop for a church member who had suddenly found himself facing allegations involving some money laundering activities within the bank where he was one of the top executives. Investigations later exonerated him, but because of the bad vibes caused by the incident, he was asked to resign. He was then aged 52. Friends told him to retire and relax, but retirement was far from his mind. This brother believed that if God had allowed this to happen, it must be that He was leading him to a better place, one of rich fulfillment. And indeed, soon after this difficult experience, one of the top banks offered him a handsome salary to join them in one of their top positions. A few years later, at age 56, he was headhunted by one of the biggest public-listed companies to start a new division. He accepted the offer and was paid double what he had been earning. Beloved, your heavenly Father does not lie when He tells you that He will bring you out to rich fulfillment if you are going through a difficult time. Trust Him and you will find yourself stepping into your place of abundance!
PinkFong and Baby Shark’s Space Adventure December 20, 2019 bizadmin Pinkfong is the children’s educational brand of SmartStudy, a South Korean educational entertainment company. Pinkfong consists of mainly children’s songs, of which the most famous is “Baby Shark”, with more than four billion views on YouTube. Their educational channel has more than 20 million subscribers, with brightly-colored programming of stories, sing-along songs, and dances represented by a pink fox named “Pinkfong”. The global product development company has more than 4,000 children’s videos, songs, games, and apps. Formation Pinkfong was formed with the inception of SmartStudy at their Seoul headquarters, in June 2010. A Los Angeles branch with a few employees opened in 2016, and another is located in Shanghai. The U.S. branch’s CEO Bin Jeong said the name was created from the pink fox character, and the fun sound of “fong” that sounded similar to “phone”. The focus is on children ages one to five years old. By 2015, the company had released 520 mobile apps with central base apps like “Pinkfong Nursery Rhymes”. SmartStudy’s CFO and co-founder Lee Ryan Seung-kyu said typical nursery rhymes were usually “slow and calm” so they began with a small project, searching for a more upbeat song “for the new generation” that would appeal globally. The “Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs & Stories” YouTube channel was launched on December 13, 2011, with the brand character, a pink or magenta-colored animated cartoon fox, a Prince from the planet Staria, that was inspired by the fox in the classic French book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Comparisons to other animations Pinkfong joined another “beloved” anthropomorphic character named Pororo, a longtime children’s favorite in South Korea, in the preschool education market. Both characters became recognizable worldwide and like Pororo, children and parents began associating the pink fox with children’s education. In May 2017, journalist Kim Young-joo of the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo wrote that Pinkfong, a pink desert fox character that combines a fox and a phone, is “emerging as the second Pororo”, with housewives with young children calling him “President Pinkfong”.[9] CEO Lee said that Pinkfong might be described “somewhere between Disney and Sesame Street”. An August 2018, a comparison of YouTube channel subscribers showed the established brand, Sesame Street, had 3.9 million subscribers and Pinkfong had 10 million.
I Took a Facebook Marketing Expert Call, and This Is What It Was Like December 19, 2019 bizadmin After starting a Halloween-theme dropshipping store a few months ago, I found myself thrown in the Facebook marketing deep end. Although I had help from the articles on the Oberlo blog and being able to speak to people with experience using Facebook ads, I still found my first proper leap into the world of Facebook ads an overwhelming experience. Facebook seems aware that its ad platform is complicated because, along with forever changing the layout of Business Manager, it also offers a series of free courses and content to educate Facebook ads users. And, in addition to all that, Facebook also has a bunch of people called Marketing Experts who reach out to those who use Business Manager to offer specific guidance on how you can launch campaigns and get a better return on ad spend. Eager to learn what I could do with my new (and not very profitable) store, I took a call with a Facebook Marketing Expert to hear what they recommended. Although I haven’t yet implemented any of the advice I got, it was an interesting process, and I thought it might be helpful to share it with others starting on their dropshipping journey. If you’re still wrapping your head around the world of Facebook ads and Business Manager – or you’re merely curious about what a call with a Facebook Marketing Expert is like – read on to hear about my experience and the advice I got. Why Is Facebook Marketing So Good For Dropshippers? If you’re starting with your store, you probably know that Facebook ads – which covers advertising on both Facebook and Instagram – is by far the most popular form of marketing for drop shippers, but why is that? Here are a few reasons: The ads can reach a huge audience: Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide and Instagram has over 1 billion – that’s some huge potential for your ads. It suits any budget: Whether you have hundreds to spend or hundreds of thousand, you can launch a Facebook ads campaign that will get results, making it an excellent option for small businesses right through to huge companies. It’s a breeze to scale: If you find a campaign is performing well, it’s straightforward to scale it up. For example, you could add more budget, use Facebook’s audience insights to retarget or expand your reach by targeting new markets. It works in tandem with your Pixel: The Facebook Pixel means it’s easy to track the people interested in your products and use this data to create ads that have a higher chance of converting. You have creative options: Whether you want to run video or image ads – or a mixture of both – you can do all of this from within Facebook ads. This flexibility is great as it allows you to create something you think will show off your product the best. Who Are the Facebook Marketing Experts and What Do They Do? There’s an enormous amount of money being spent on Facebook ads every day, and Facebook wants to keep it that way – this is where their Marketing Experts come in. Facebook Marketing Experts are a team who work with people who regularly spend money on the Business Manager platform. They give advice and information relevant to your business, informing you of ways you can target your advertising or use features that will (ideally) provide better results. Because Facebook Business Manager often changes and there are so many different options for how to run ads, speaking to a Marketing Expert can help demystify the platform – or at least highlight the features most relevant to your business. Although it’s a Marketing Expert’s job to help those who use Business Manager, it’s also important to remember that they’re also employees of Facebook. Yes, they want you to succeed and use their platform correctly, but they also want you to continue spending money on their platform. That’s not to say you should disregard what they have to say – they may be able to introduce you to a ton of features you weren’t aware of – but remember that positive results are not necessarily guaranteed. How Can I Speak With One? If you’re interested in speaking with a Marketing Expert, there’s only one way to do so – that’s right, you’ve got to spend that cash. Talking with people who have already spent money on ads means the experts have data and information about what you’ve been trying to achieve with your campaigns. As a result, they’re better able to give tips and advice specific to your business. I can’t say precisely how much or how regularly you need to be spending on ads to be able to speak with an expert, but I first started getting emails after I spent around €700 over the space of about five weeks. Interestingly, even though I last spent money on ads back in early October, almost eight weeks later I still get the occasional email asking if I want to speak with someone, so you stay eligible for some time. To see if you can speak with a Marketing Expert, go to this page and scroll down to the “Next Steps” section. If you’re not eligible for a call, you’ll get referred to other helpful resources that can improve your campaigns. Tips I Got From My Facebook Marketing Expert Speaking with my Facebook Marketer, Patrick, I got the impression that he was a super knowledgeable guy who knew the ins and outs of the product well – this is important because it’s not necessarily a given. You may end up speaking with someone new to Facebook, or who doesn’t quite understand your particular needs. However, in my case, Patrick seemed to know what my best course of action was. He knew that I was running a dropshipping store, that it was Halloween-themed, and that it was reasonably new. Based on all of this knowledge, he gave several tips throughout our 20-minute conversation. Use ‘View Content’ as My Conversion Event After hearing about my store and its goals, the first thing Patrick recommended was that I change my event in my conversion campaigns to ‘view content.’ Although I had run some ads with ‘view content’ as the conversion event, at some stage, I had changed it to either ‘initiate checkout’ or ‘purchase.’ At the time, I thought it made sense to change; after all, I wanted sales. Well, it turns out I was trying to run before I could walk. Instead, I should have been trying to generate as many conversions events as possible to train the algorithm so that it could better serve my store further down the track. By running some conversion campaigns with ‘view content’ as conversion event and others with ‘initiate checkout’ or ‘purchase’ as conversion events, the algorithm didn’t have enough data to accurately know who it should be delivering my ads to. And as a result, my ads weren’t as effective as they could’ve been. How can you tell if your pixel has enough data to swap to a different conversion event? Business Manage makes it simple. See that green dot next to ‘view content’? This indicates it’s an active event, and the pixel has enough data to deliver on it accurately. If the event is inactive, it has a red dot, which was the case for ‘initiate checkout’ and ‘purchase’ for my store. Run the Campaign as a CBO Campaign The next piece of advice Patrick gave was that I should turn on CBO or campaign budget optimization. According to Facebook, CBO helps you get the most out of your campaign budget – that’s the amount you set at the campaign level, rather than at the ad set level – by delivering the best results possible. Patrick recommended that I run a campaign with three ad sets, all targeting different interests and letting CBO find the most exceptional opportunities to get the best results – for example, the highest return on ad spend (ROAS). This means that instead of spending equally across all ad sets, one ad might get allocated 80 percent of the budget because CBO detected that that particular ad was the best way of using my budget to achieve the highest ROAS. This advice made total sense to me as we already know Facebook has an insane amount of data to train its algorithms on, so it stands to reason that CBO would be better able to figure out how to get the most from my campaign than I would. Someone intimately familiar with Facebook ads may be able to get great results by studying ad results themselves. However, for beginners like me, it makes more sense to design a great ad creative – something Facebook can’t do – and then let CBO figure out where to allocate its budget – something Facebook can do. It’s also worth noting that CBO will soon be mandatory for all Facebook ads, so even if you’re not entirely convinced, it’s still worth running a few CBO campaigns to see how it works and to make sure you’re covered when the switch happens. Use a Slideshow or Carousel for Creatives After recommending I run a CBO campaign with three ad sets and setting my conversion event to ‘view content,’ Patrick then suggested that I use either a slideshow or a carousel for my ad creatives. Carousels are a great way to show both video and images in your campaigns, plus they let potential customers see more of your products, which may entice them more than a single video or image would. I had used carousels in one of my early campaigns, but I wasn’t sure if it was better to use this format or stick to single images or videos, so it was nice to hear Patrick confirming my choice. However, I’d never used the slideshow option before, which is something that can be created directly in Ads Manager. The slideshow creator lets you choose things like a slideshow template, how long you want it slideshow to be, how many seconds you want each slide to appear, and what music you want in the background. From there, Facebook will auto-generate a slideshow. It’s effortless to do, and the algorithm will even adjust your slideshow to put the slides that work the best at the front. Other Ways to Get Great Tips For Facebook Ads If you’re not eligible for a call with Facebook Marketing Expert, there are plenty of other ways to learn about how you can make Facebook ads work for your store. Here are a few of the best to get you started: Facebook Blueprint This is a free online learning portal created by Facebook to help build your marketing expertise. There are a ton of different courses available here, including a step-by-step guide to creating ads for your business. Even if you do speak with a Marketing Expert, they’ll likely send you to Blueprint tutorials relevant to the advice they gave anyway, so this platform is a great resource for all levels. Oberlo’s Facebook Ads Course We know how vital Facebook ads are to dropshippers, so we went ahead and created a three-part video series dedicated to this very topic. Our Facebook ads course covers information about the pixel, how to create the right campaign for your store, making your ad, and how to budget for it. There are also some additional Q&A videos cover a lot of the major questions dropshippers have. And, if you really want to invest in your dropshipping, we cover Facebooks ads in huge detail in our dropshipping course Oberlo 101. Start Yours Podcast As well as talking in-depth about a range of topics relevant to dropshippers, Oberlo’s Start Yours podcast also has episodes that dig into the ads tactics used by successful dropshippers like Ryan Caroll. After all, what better way to learn Facebook ads than from the people who have mastered their ads and made big money. Final Takeaways After speaking with a Facebook Marketing Expert, I feel as though I have a reliable roadmap for where to go next. And, while I had tried a few of the suggestions beforehand, I’m now curious to go back to those strategies and give them more time to work properly. Facebook ads can be a hard world to navigate alone, so hearing confirmation that some of my strategies were on the right track was reassuring. If you’re eligible for a call from a Marketing Expert, I would recommend taking them up on the offer. They may have some great ideas that you haven’t thought of, or if you’re already proficient at running Facebook ads, you could ask them to review your current strategy and get some feedback from a knowledgeable source. If you’re not currently able to book a call, then making use of the Blueprint courses is another way to get Facebook-approved advice for what to do with your ads. We’re living in the age of information, and this is certainly one area where there’s no shortage of content. Allanah Faherty Allanah Faherty is a content marketer at Oberlo. Allanah is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs through useful and interesting content, as well as movie trivia and cats.
Inside the Workshops of 7 Christmas Store Owners December 17, 2019 bizadmin Mike Golomb became a Christmas devotee after a search to find the perfect vintage ugly holiday sweater that resulted in a collection of over 30,000 of them. This unintended hobby is now a 10-year side business that Mike is about to take on full time. Christmas was in Kelli Girsch’s blood. She grew up in a home that celebrated the season year-round, complete with a trimmed tree. Kelli’s Christmas store is her third subscription-box business—and her most successful yet. Whatever your feelings about Christmas, the point is this: your one weird thing probably isn’t just your own. What’s your one—and I say this with absolute affection and respect—“weird thing”? What if you could turn that unique interest into a business? Mike and Kelli built Christmas stores on the bet they weren’t alone—and they were right. While signs of the season creep into retail stores and onto Netflix earlier and earlier (even before the jack-o’-lantern hits the compost bin), for these two, Christmas is evergreen. It’s not a holiday or even a season—it’s a way of life. Whatever your feelings about Christmas, the point is this: your one weird thing probably isn’t just your own. And it may give you the chance to turn what you’re into, into a business. In that spirit, here are seven Christmas stores that snagged their own unique corner of the holiday market—seven offbeat ideas to inspire you to pursue your one weird dream too. 1. Jammie Claus Christmas store: A family pajama tradition Location: Cleveland, OH Head elves: Megan R. Holmes, Ph.D.; Linda K. O’Dell, Ph.D.; Laura Coghlin; Scott Holmes Story: Jammie Claus is the result of four generations of daughters who created a family tradition around the character of Mrs. Claus that shares her voice and purpose as the bringer of Christmas Eve pajamas. They invited customers to join that tradition through an online Christmas store they launched earlier this year. The concept? A storybook about Mrs. Claus that adds depth to the character and a gift bag (magically filled with fresh PJs each year) that helps other families start their own tradition. Jammie Claus is also a social enterprise committed to empowering women through story—Mrs. Claus as a strong leader—and through profits from the brand’s Empowerment headscarves, which support Cleveland Sews, an organization providing skills and employment to underserved communities. Laura on knowing your values: “Every decision we make, we ask if this aligns with our mission of empowering women and promoting resilience in children or if it will contribute to our vision of spreading unconditional love and kindness. If the answer is no, then we don’t pursue it.” Megan on launching in just eight months: “As a family business, we divide out what needs to get done and share the responsibilities. Each of us carries separate professional careers, and our complimentary talents have helped us prepare quickly for this holiday season. [We also] have three young kids, so often long hours are put in after the kids are in bed.” 2. My Green Christmas Christmas store: Holiday crackers with less waste Location: London, UK Head elf: Joshua Wood Story: This is a relatively new business for Joshua, who realized last year that Christmas produces a lot of plastic waste. Hard-pressed to find Christmas crackers without disposable plastic toys, he created his own. My Green Christmas crackers still contain the silly paper hat and a dad joke—some things are sacred—but instead of a cheap plastic toy, the cracker is packed with seed kits to grow your own veggies or flowers. The company has grown to a remote team of three but, for now, Joshua only does elf work during the holidays. His career in the software industry keeps him busy in the off-season. Joshua on fringe benefits: “Since we started this project, we have been inspired to become more environmentally friendly in other areas of our life.” 3. Rent-A-Christmas Christmas store: Rental trees and decor Location: New York, NY Head elves: Judah Parness, aka Skeeter Gumdrop; Kristen Parness, aka Sparkles Peppermint Story: In 2013, Judah and Kristen were spending their first Christmas together. They wanted to kit out their New York City apartment in full holiday splendor, but there was one problem: where would they store everything come January? Why couldn’t they just rent Christmas decor? That day, their seasonal service business, Rent-A-Christmas, was born. Now, the couple outfits homes all over New York with the full holiday experience—then tears it all down for their customers when the season is over. We don’t have a full-year runway in which to generate revenue, so it is imperative that we plan everything. Judah and Kristen Parness Judah and Kristen on timing: “We don’t have a full-year runway in which to generate revenue, so it is imperative that we plan everything. We keep a critical eye on costs, and we try to plan our expenses to times in the year when we are also generating sales.” 4. Santa’s Bags Christmas store: Storage for trees and decor Location: West Valley City, UT Head elf: Jared Hendricks (owner), Parker Eakin (eCommerce director) Story: After first getting into the seasonal lighting business, Jared went all in and has since launched three more Christmas stores. Santa’s Bags was the answer to an annual problem: what to do with Christmas decorations during the other 11 months of the year (that is if you haven’t rented them from Judah and Kristen). Trees and lights and ornaments pack up into tidy, compact bags rather than clutter up precious storage. Jared on surviving the seasonal surge: “We spend a lot of time planning out our operations, automating as much as possible so that once the surge of orders hit, most of the tasks, such as order processing, shipping, and accounting, are streamlined and easy for anyone to do.” 5. The Ugly Sweater Store Christmas store: Vintage (and new) “ugly” Christmas sweaters Location: St. Louis, MO Head elf: Mike Golomb Story: Mike sat out a Christmas party 10 years ago because his thrift store attempts to find an on-theme ugly sweater came up short (even though his kindergarten teacher mom owned a closetful). A year later, Mike’s mom found a goldmine of vintage sweaters at a local Goodwill and asked how many he wanted. He took all 30 and resold them on eBay. Those efforts continued to scale until the accidental collector had amassed over 30,000 vintage ugly sweaters. He now sells them, along with his own creations—sweaters that hold a beer bottle in a front pocket—via his online Christmas store. He even recently partnered with White Castle to create a dedicated design for the fast-food chain. The Ugly Sweater Store has been a 10-year side hustle for Mike, but he says he recently quit his job and plans to expand the business into other holidays. Right now, though, the business is still seasonal and Mike says it doesn’t make sense to hire staff—temp elves (his friends and family), after all, are willing to work for “eggnog.” Mike on preparing for the spikes: “Plan ahead. If you have items that sell fast, pre-package them. And make sure you have a stock of packing supplies, as nothing is more frustrating than running out at 10 pm to find a 24-hour store that sells tape and ink.” 6. Fabulous Fairytales Christmas store idea: High-end ornaments Location: London, UK Head elf: Paul Clancy, aka Magical Mr. Paul Story: Paul worked in the fashion industry for years before changing careers and becoming a gardener. It was one of his clients—a woman who asked him to dress her garden for the holidays—who ignited his love of Christmas. That work grew into a luxury wreath business that eventually spawned a second Christmas store, Fabulous Fairytales, a collection of fantasy-inspired luxury ornaments. Playing Santa is now Paul’s full-time job, and the company has grown to a staff of eight. The Christmas industry is a fast-paced business packed into a short space of time. Enjoy the ride. Paul Clancy Paul on thriving through Christmas: “The Christmas industry is a fast-paced business packed into a short space of time. Enjoy the ride. Allow yourself time to step back and pat yourself on the back for the great job you are doing.” 7. My Christmas Crate Christmas store: Year-round holiday-themed subscription boxes Location: Lincoln, CA Head elf: Kelli Girsch Story: Christmas in July (and August and February) is in full swing at Kelli’s house. She comes by it honestly. As a serial founder, Kelli’s instincts told her she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wait a whole year for eggnog season, and she was right. My Christmas Crate—her third and most profitable subscription business—ships the spirit of the season all year long. Being Santa is her full-time job. And her elves? They’re teenagers (including one of her own) who she employs to assemble the boxes. “Teens are easy to hire and eager to learn,” she says. Kelli on keeping up the Christmas cheer: “Customer support is key! Don’t try to outsource too much or you’ll end up in the red. I try to keep customer support in-house to reduce overhead costs. The downside is that I take each and every customer issue or complaint personally.”
Build Yourself Up – Spirit, Soul, and Body December 16, 2019 bizadmin He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself… 1 Corinthians 14:4 BUILD YOURSELF UP—SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY Many Charismatics believe that when you speak in tongues, you edify or build up your spirit man. Well, that is only one-third true. The Bible does not say that the speaker edifies his spirit. No, it says that the speaker “edifies himself.” This means his entire self—spirit, soul, and body. So he who speaks in tongues builds up not just his spirit, but his soul and body as well. Beloved, if you are feeling emotionally drained or just physically tired from a hectic week, begin to pray in tongues and allow the Holy Spirit to edify you. God’s Spirit in you knows exactly what you need and will rest and recharge your—spirit, soul, and body—as you yield to Him and pray in tongues. Sometimes, when I am tired after a long flight and still need to preach at a conference, I will pray in tongues to edify myself. I have found that when I do this, despite the jet lag, I will have the strength and clarity of mind to preach an anointed message and do whatever I need to do for the day. One of our congregation members, a 74-year-old brother, decided to build up his body, specifically, his heart. He had discovered that two of his arteries were 70 percent blocked and five smaller vessels were 80 percent blocked. So during a church service, when I asked those who wanted to be healed of heart problems to stand up, he stood up, placed his hand over his heart and prayed in tongues. He shared that at that moment, he believed that the Holy Spirit touched him and he became a different person. When he went for his medical check-up, his surgeon found that all the blockages in his arteries and blood vessels were gone! Even a scheduled heart-related operation was canceled as there was no longer any necessity for it. Indeed, he was a different person. He literally had a change of heart, a new heart from God! Beloved, you may not have a heart condition, but you can still pray in tongues for your area of need. Start building yourself up today—spirit, soul, and body—and enjoy the healing, well-being, power and wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can bring!
