Start a mobile DJ business

If music is your passion, why not start a mobile DJ business in your area? Sell your services as a disc jockey for special events such as private parties, weddings, and the opening of new retail stores. Weddings are a huge market for this type of business and you can easily specialize in wedding DJ work and do quite well. By being a DJ at a single wedding you can earn from several hundred up to several thousand dollars. To get started you'll need a few basic pieces of DJ equipment, a vehicle to transport your equipment, and a crowd pleasing selection of music. If you enjoy music and entertaining a crowd, this may be the business for you.

Start an online music blog

What could be more fun than discussing the latest musical artists and their albums? Choose an area of music to specialize in and start blogging by setting up a free blog at blogger.com. If you're clever, knowledgeable, and a little controversial, you can develop quite a following. Make money by selling music related affiliate products and display Adsense on your blog site.

Start a karaoke business

There's a big demand for karaoke and if you're passionate about music, you may be just the person to fill this niche. To get started, you'll need a karaoke machine, microphones, speakers, speaker stands, and cords along with a collection of karaoke music. Offer your mobile karaoke service to local clubs, parties, wedding parties, and other special events. Your best form of marketing will be word of mouth but be sure to have a well designed business card and leave them everywhere. You could also offer karaoke to new retail businesses who want to bring in customers.

Create online music mixes

You won't get paid in cash, but you can earn points to purchase music related items at mixaloo.com. Here, you can create your own music mixes which will be sold on social networking sites such as My Space. For every mix that you sell, you receive points good for purchasing the items of your choice. Start creating your own mixes and watch those points accumulate.

Why not enjoy the fun and satisfaction of making money from your love of music? Soon, you'll be singing and dancing all the way to the bank!

For twenty years the Rolling Stones seemed content to work with EMI, now they are flirting with Universal. Where has Guy Hands gone wrong? Every business has its own peculiar practices, none as peculiar as the music industry. Long before the Internet, recording companies treated their artistes as Royalty.

Eartha Kitt describes a Red Carpet being rolled out for her when she signed with her company. Others describe expensive gifts. This is because of the millions of dollars an artiste brings to a label. That EMI was purchased for 3.2 billion English pounds is a clear signal how lucrative a recording company can be. Yet, Guy Hands, unable to differentiate between a music company and an oil company made errors which those even slightly familiar with the Industry would not make in their sleep.

What did Hands do? He cancelled parties, candles, flowers, all the little perqs artistes expect, then had the temerity to send out a letter stating that bands which didn't work hard enough would be fired. Excuse me?

Did he think he was dealing with salesmen? Did he think there was some kind of "quota" system in producing hit records? The confusion of Hands was compounded when he inquired if underperforming bands have to hand back advances to the label. There is no debate why the stable at EMI will soon be empty. And Guy Hands must take full responsible for his ignorance. This is just a very public portrayal of the kind of bad practice which many businesses engage it.

Many companies I have troubleshot over the years have reached perigee because of the wrong person in the wrong job. Certain positions need first class "people" skills, others extreme technical genius. The fact this guy is the best engineer in the country does not mean he will make a good manager of the engineering department. The fact this woman doesn't have a degree does not mean she can not be the best Human Relations manager in the country. Where an Owner or Chairman of a Board, thinks his bank balance grants him managerial acumen, start writing the company's eulogy from now.

Where a Panel looks at paper and not at the person, you can expect a company where the office cleaner knows more about what is going on then the CEO. Mr. Hands has become an icon of mismanagement. Happily, it should be most of his own money that he loses.

Invite students to listen, read, orate, and perform with the help of Frederic Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and the stage. This lesson plan is applicable for English, Drama, and Music classes.

Materials

• The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde (class set or reproducible portions of the play);
• CD Player;
• Etude in A Flat Major, by Frederic Chopin (in song and sheet music);
• Contemporary song tracks;
• Overhead projector transparency of sheet music;
• Performance area

Teacher Preparation

• English - Prepare notes on plot, literary devices, themes, and character for The Importance of Being Earnest; activities for understanding inference; and plan reading strategies.
• Drama - Prepare notes on acting forms and techniques suitable for depicting the play; gather information on its historical contributions; and develop activities to impart the meaning of role
• Music - Detail notes regarding musical elements found in Frederic Chopin's Etude in A Flat Major.

The Lesson

• Introduce the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde;
• Using a variety of literacy strategies, read and discuss the play;
• Engage students in a Think/Pair/Share activity that encourages understanding and interpretation of the play's major themes, historical setting, and social ideals;
• Organize a class discussion to complete the study of The Importance of Being Earnest;
• Play examples of contemporary music tracks while the class listens quietly;
• Discuss the social beliefs, values, ideals, stereotypes, misrepresentations, etc., expressed by the song lyrics regarding contemporary society;
• Play a recording of Chopin's Etude in A Flat Major to the class;
• Ask the class to brainstorm the features that the music may exhibit about the culture and time in history that it derives from;
• Use questioning and examples to guide the students to relate the music to the play;
• Through questioning and encouragement, discuss key concepts of the play that illustrate the Victorian society of which Wilde was writing; utilitarianism, social class, gender roles, social revolution, etc. Record content on the blackboard;
• Using the same approach, discuss key literary concepts within the play such as comedy, irony, word play, exaggeration, etc. Record content on the blackboard;
• Choose scenes from the play and use it to identify these concepts;
• Listen to Chopin's Etude in A Flat Major again and brainstorm how the music can be used to accentuate scenes in the play;
• Analyze the musical conventions heard in the piece;
• Hand out copies of the sheet music and divide the class into groups to discuss the musical conventions in depth;
• On the overhead projector, allow groups to present their findings;
• Play the music in the background, and practice individual readings from the play;
• Divide the class into different small groups to practice performing scenes;
• Allow groups to present performances using the music;
• Discuss the dramatic elements observed and identify how the characters' movements, tone of voice, costumes, etc., add to the impact of the literary conventions;
• Discuss typical experiences at the theatre (i.e., lights, sets, props, music) and how they influence the transmission of conventions, and of culture;
• Reflect on how all of the concepts work together to create atmosphere, exemplify culture, and influence meaning

Possible Extension Activities

• Perform The Importance of Being Earnest in its entirety as a formal school production;
• Have students gather more pieces of music that would be appropriate for both the era and the play, and explain their choices;
• Use the same activity for a different piece of writing, or modify into an Independent Study

Assessment

• Anecdotal note taking for Learning Skills;
• Presentation Rubric;
• Formal assessment can include modifying discussions into more quantifiable assignments

This new drive has seen small to medium scale industries being created and run by ordinary Zimbabweans who previously did not dream of owning or running a business. While five years ago, people would jostle for jobs at factories in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city and industrial hub, these days the slogan is: "Create your own job" and contribute to national development.

Government figures show that about 80 percent of the Zimbabwean economy is in the hands of small businesses, i.e. small farmers, small miners, small producers, small exporters and small marketers. All of these people combined form a big part of the economy.

The small to medium enterprises (SME) sector has grown to become one of the biggest employers in Zimbabwe, particularly at a time when employment within the formal sector has shrunk rapidly.

According to estimates from the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, at least 70 percent of Zimbabwe's working population is employed in the informal sector. This figure could rise as more and more people are developing their entrepreneurial skills through vocational training so as to be able to venture into product-manufacturing businesses.

Two young men in Bulawayo have demonstrated that building a successful business enterprise does not require one to have a Masters in Business Administration or plenty of capital, but sheer determination and focus.
The two, Derrick Dube and Easy Kazeze both aged 24, have been running a successful artifacts business along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge road, one of the country's busiest highways.

What started off as a hobby for the two young men in their backyards has turned out to be a vibrant business enterprise, earning their families much-needed income. Made from a special type of reed grass, their household range of products e.g. bar stools, hanging chairs, ornaments etc which are in demand locally are now finding their way onto the export market.

My success is a result of hard work and determination after years of suffering. I could not get a job because I didn't have any qualifications, in the end a friend convinced me to venture into business and become my own employer, said Kazeze.

This was not the case for his business partner, Dube, who was retrenched from a brick-making firm three years ago, when the company streamlined its activities following a dip in the construction business. "I toiled for years, trying to find another job, but companies were not employing anymore".

"I never really thought I could do something for myself, starting a business was never in my mind. I loved art so much and during my spare time, I used to make small ornaments which I displayed in my home. I never thought, this could be a talent that I could explore and develop," said Dube. Now, with a monthly turnover of around Z$55 million, the business has given their families a lifeline.

What makes their business enjoy so much success is the uniqueness of their products and the artistic flair exhibited in their designs. "We receive a lot of orders from visitors to the country, this way our products have attracted a lot of foreign customers. We get orders from as far as South Africa, Zambia and Botswana, this has helped us a lot," added Dube.

The business has also received a lot of support from locals who order products in bulk for sale throughout the country. The business has enabled the owners to buy equipment such as welding machines and it has also generated employment for three youths. "Our wish now is to expand our business and diversify our product range, but to do that we need capital," said Kazeze.

This is one of the major hurdles faced by local entrepreneurs trying to develop their businesses. The majority of small businesses are hamstrung by a lack of adequate financing, particularly in the absence of collateral security.

Government has however promised that it will do everything in its power to nurture and grow the small to medium scale sector. It has so far this year allocated a total of $55.4 billion in loan facilities to support small to medium enterprises. More than 3000 jobs have been created and a further 2000 sustained.

Addressing mourners at the national heroes acre recently, President Mugabe said "apart from a revolving fund for SME"s, Government was determined to establish bigger markets for locally produced goods'. He said, in order to equip business owners with the requisite skills that would enable them operate effectively; training in various business management programs was in progress in all the country's provinces.

However, questions have been raised concerning the potential of the emerging industry since the country does not appear to have adequate infrastructure already in place; it is also likely to face strong competition from already established centres such as Antwerp and London.

Botswana is the source of about 25 percent of the $13.1 billion worth of rough diamonds produced in the world each year, diamonds account for about 70 percent of the country's export earnings.

Marking the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Jwaneng mine which is the world's richest diamond mine, President Festus Mogae revealed that his country wants to become a diamond trading centre, comparable to the likes of Antwerp.

President Festus Mogae

Kago Moshashane

He noted that "out of the 16 cutting and polishing diamond companies which have been issued with licenses, only six of them are operational. He said companies have cutting and polishing facilities in places such as India and Israel, there is a need to include Botswana as one of the viable centers". He added that "while the country cared about its own diamond industry, it also cared about the international diamond industry".

Speaking on his return from the Antwerp Diamond Conference held in Belgium recently, the Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources "Kago Moshashane" supported the view that Botswana has the potential to become the next diamond cutting and polishing centre.

He said that "the country is going to trade at least US$500 million of its aggregated supply and that the balance will continue to be channeled to established markets such as Antwerp".

He expressed confidence saying that "as for our ability and capacity, the massive infrastructure that we are putting in place and the training of personnel that the country is carrying out speaks for itself. Other centres have their own well established markets for jewelery, it is unreasonable for any of them to feel threatened by the emergence of Botswana as an additional diamond trading hub".

It is now commonplace to find items made from cane in a wealthy persons home and also in restaurants, hotels and places of attraction.

Cane is derived from a type of palm plant, the stem of the plant is solid, strong and flexible, this makes it ideal for use in the manufacture of furniture, baskets and other woven products. It is easy to work with, requiring only simple tools and low-cost machines. Eighteen species of the plant can be found in Cameroon, however only three species have the required diameter, fibre wall thickness and density of fibrous tissue that make them most suitable for commercial use.

The increased demand for cane based products is proving to be a boon, many jobless Cameroonians are turning to the trade as a means of earning a living.

In Douala, those who design such products are clustered in different parts of the town, their goods are clearly displayed to attract customers.

24 year old Nwanawasa Paul has been involved in the trade for the past 7 years, he was previously jobless and got involved as a means of trying to earn a living, he soon discovered he had a natural ability with cane. We caught up with him to find out a bit more.

AG: What do you manufacture and what are the materials and processes you use?

NP: I produce chairs (sets), tables, baskets, cupboards and other general items, I use cane/ rattan to construct them. Larger sections of cane are used to create the frame and for strength while smaller pieces are interwoven to provide definition and beauty.

I use steam to bend the cane rather than a blowgun as it reduces discoloration and tarnishing through scorch marks. I then bleach the finished products to obtain uniformity of colour, this is especially important when cane from different species are used to make a product. I sometimes dip the cane in kerosene; this provides protection against insect attack. When I use varnish I apply it in two coats, I usually sand lightly before adding the second coat, this ensures an even and long-lasting finish.

AG: What is the profile of your customers?

NP: It varies, I have customers from all walks of life, both private and trade e.g. wholesalers and exporters, although exporters are the most difficult to come by.

AG: Why are exporters difficult to reach?

NP: The truth is I am not very well connected so I find it difficult to reach them.

AG: What other difficulties do you face?

NP: Rain, during the rainy season my activities are greatly interrupted. I can come up against material scarcity due to the fact that suppliers are also hindered by the rains.

AG: Do you work in collaboration with others?

NP: Yes, I need the expertise of a tailor who sews cushions, I also engage with carpenters who supply me with wooden components that I incorporate into some of my designs.

AG: Is business very good?

NP: The products I produce sell at between 2.5 - 500 pounds. I only know if I have made a profit at the end of the year when I prepare my yearly accounts.

AG: What is your goal?

NP: There are many. I dream of having a big factory that supplies wholesalers and exporters. In order to expand my business, I plan to seek the financial assistance of government and other organisations that promote small and medium size enterprises.

AG: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

In Cameroon, cane is considered an "open-access" resource that can be collected from forests, there are very few laws regulating its harvest and state control often does not adequately monitor its exploitation. Increasing urban growth has led to developments that are encroaching on forests and high demand for cane products has led to the threat of over-harvesting of the resource; this can lead to poor quality cane stems being used and thus inconsistent quality of products.

Cane is important at many levels in local communities, its exploitation through the cutting and trading of raw cane for transformation into goods, can occupy up to about 35 per cent of a households time. As it can be harvested all year round, it provides valuable cash income for much needed school fees and medical expenses

Cane is one of the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Cameroon. The gathering, selling and processing of it has many advantages and can help forest dependent people lift themselves from the margines of poverty.

For decade, since the blooming of an IT era, those traditional practitioners have jumped onto Internet as their best platform to enhance their market review.

Despite of that, if you are jobless and unfortunately non capital persons, you also have a wide choice on how to become a millionaire just doing business on-line. Those options include:

Being an affiliate member

By choosing this option you can get rewarded by the company that you have been register for free. There are a lot of product types that you can choose inclusive health, music downloads, IT and etc. But still no pain no gain, hence, to get rewarded you must to ultimately markets their product on Internet basis or real market basis.

Being A "Paid Per Click" Program

Well, this is quite easy though. If you wanted to get paid, of course you have to click on the pages supplied by the provider. The most important is, do not forget to register with the provider of any of the paid-per-click program for free.

Being A "Paid to Read" Program

This one also requires to firstly register with the paid-to-read program provider for free. Then, just read the articles given to you to get yourself paid. It will not be that easy though, because there might be a hundred of article that you have to read everyday.

Being a member of an auto-surf program

This program acquires you to surf a certain amount of web-pages and get paid on daily basis.

The above lists were only few examples on how to earn extra money on the Internet without paying a dime. With those lists, you may have the possibilities to earn as mush as thousands in just weeks. All that you need to do is to find the best program which suits you (or pay you the most) and ensure that the programs are not scam.

I first came across this idea when I bought a piece of software called Techno Ejay, now this is only for home use, but it started me thinking on how easy it was to just splice together samples of wave files to make something that is totally unique, and not under any copyright laws but your own as it is your work.

I started looking into it all and found on the internet an abundance of wav samples, just type in google or MSN phrase "wav samples" and you will be guided to pages upon pages of people that have created short drum beats and bass beats, pecusion ect ect.

Now I looked at Techno Ejay, and realized that within that software there is no way to record what you have created, you can only load it and play it within the Techno Ejay software. This however is not what we need .... we need to be able to record our stuff onto CD so I started looking on the web for a music studio suit.

My Findings

After looking on search engines and only finding pay $100 for something that probably wouldn't do what I want it to do, I eventually came across a nice FREE shareware piece of software called REAPER, it was cool, visit reaper.fm for full details. It looks and feels professional and best of all there is a record to output file option, so you can record it to wav format. PERFECT.

Now all there was to do was find some wav samples on the internet that where under free to use license and not copyrighted in any way or form .... this was easy cause there are loads out there.

Final Thoughts

This is only to give people ideas on how to make money, I personally only started doing this as a hobby (something to do in my spare time), I saved all my work and when I had enough to make a full CD I started selling them to friends and family. Now I have a range of 12 CD's and I travel all over the place selling them where ever I can. Music shops, Car boots, Garage sales, Table top sales, fairs, fates, friends, family, over the internet, Ebay whoever and wherever I can sell them and its all pure profit, less the cost of the CD's but they are pretty cheap nowadays. So if you are interested in this idea leave your views below and I may contact you to help you on your way.

Heineken is one of the most popular beers sold in the U.S. today. As of 2007 Heineken owns over 130 breweries, creating more than 64,000 jobs. This is because the beer is sold in more than 65 countries.

Heineken's key ingredient, a yeast, was the product of Dr. H. Elion, a pupil of the French chemist Louis Pasteur.

In 1887 Heineken switched to the use of bottom-fermenting yeast. This is when it acquired the formula that remains until today. The Heineken formula is neither too strong nor too weak. It is in between, and that is what expert beer drinkers look for. Having a beer belly is worth it if is caused by beers like Heineken. But be careful not to become an alcoholic, enjoy life and drink a beer on a Saturday or Sunday.

If you happen to drink everyday, maybe you are going too far. And if you are a pregnant woman, don't forget to read the sticker on the bottle. Do not drink if you are underage or if you are driving. Other than that, enjoy your Heineken, just like I do.

Here are just a few drive thru services out there:

1) Drive thru liquor stores (all over Florida).

2) Drive thru funeral homes (also in Florida, but closed now)

3) Drive thru pharmacy (all over the U.S.)

4) Drive thru wedding chapel (Nevada) get married in your car!

5) Drive thru photo development (remember "Fotomat?")

6) Drive thru laundry (all over the U.S.)

What about a drive thru service where you drop off your old videos, records, and other analog stuff, and have it converted to CD,DVD, or MP3? I have looked around on Google for this, and I have not found it. Is it that there is another niche market waiting to be filled?