My wife and I recently sold almost all of our earthly possessions on Kijiji, and reduced what we had down to two wooden shipping pallets. Since we are a family of five, there was a lot of stuff to sell. Couches, coffee tables, beds, toys, kitchenware, a blender... In total we made about 40 transactions on Kijiji and recouped about $6,000 en route to Abbotsford, BC from Ottawa, ON (which is a journey that spans two-thirds across the second largest country on the world). Selling everything saved us about $8,000 in moving costs, and we are now having a lot of fun picking out new things for our life on the westcoast. Moving this way was hard, but honestly, I’m...
One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make in social media is spreading themselves too thin. There will be a Facebook page for every product (all 27 of them), along with a Twitter account, a Google + Page and a plethora of blogs to support the effort. The flawed thinking behind this is the idea that the more you put out there, the more likely people are to stumble across you and become a customer… and that it’s less confusing to have multiple dedicated websites and social media properties to support your individual efforts. This is Crazy, Don’t Do It! The problem with creating a lot of different online properties is a total dilution of resources and brand understanding....
Towards the end of university I got interviewed for almost every internship I applied for after I added a very basic section to my resume. This feature caught the eye of my internship advisor as she proofed my resume, and seemingly every hiring manager who laid eyes on it afterwards. “Little known facts about Jeff Graham,” my advisor said with a quizzical, but entertained, look on her face. “This is awesome!” She said as she scanned the list. “Is it ok with you if I recommend this to other students?” A “Little Known Facts About You List” is Catnip for Hiring Managers Each time I’ve used this “Little Known Facts” list, it’s either been the first or last line of...
LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $42.1 Million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is the highest possible amount of money he can make playing basketball in the NBA under the league salary cap. LeBron will make just over $20 Million a year, and around $60 Million in endorsements. In all likelihood, if the maximum salary per-season was $50 Million, he would have got it, because he is LeBron James, the NBA’s pre-eminent superstar. LeBron can score, rebound, shoot the three, pass, and has won two championships in the last four years. He has the look and swagger of a star and is the most complete player in the NBA. Between his salary and endorsements, LeBron will earn roughly...
Yesterday I sold my freezer to a very rough looking guy that we’ll call Andrew. Andrew had a biker t-shirt on, dirty shorts, flip-flops and sported a long goatee. I had the distinct impression he hadn’t showered in a while, and he didn’t seem to particularly care how he looked. Based on his appearance, I figured he must either be in a trade or do something illegal, because there was no way a guy like him could pull of a white collar office job. “I work in IT security” he says to me, as my mouth gapes slightly in disbelief. Incredulous, I start asking him some pointed questions about IT, because surely this guy was lying to me. He proceeded...
