The last College Alternatives post focused on the skilled trades, such as machinist, electrician, arborist, and others. Since college has been pushed as a primary option for most students, there has been a labor shortage in many of the trades,...
When I started this blog, I planned to focus strictly on entrepreneurship and microbusiness because those things can make it possible to live a doing-what-matters life. The problem was, with a URL like DoingWhatMatters.com, it’s been hard not to write...
There are many ways to learn – books, blogs, classes, lectures, online videos, podcasts, and more. You can even learn by jumping in and trying something, though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the experiential method with brain surgery or alligator wrestling....
I’ll admit it–I’m a bit of a contrarian. Most of the business advice you’ll read is about growing your business as big and as fast as you possibly can, but for the Do What Matters business, that’s not always the...
Get ready for tax time with organized records A guest post by Carol Topp, CPA If you have been keeping an organized record of your income and expenses, you will find tax preparation easy. If you are unsure how to...
A Simple Bookkeeping System for Micro-business A guest post by Carol Topp, CPA Small business owners need a simple bookkeeping method. The system described here uses single entry bookkeeping, not double entry bookkeeping that is taught to accountants. Record keeping can...
Pinterest is one of the most dynamic of the social networking sites. It’s not just fun and engaging; it can also be a very powerful tool for sharing what you do in your microbusiness and networking in a positive way....
Remember the story of Rumplestilskin and the ambitious miller who told a king that his daughter could spin straw into gold? Many people dream of finding or creating more income, but they sometimes overlook what they already have, such as...
I believe that entrepreneurship should be part of every education. Creating a small business does more than just provide a bit of extra money– it provides memorable learning opportunities.
As you try to decide what to do for your first microbusiness, you may be tempted to research trends in order to find the most profitable niche. Research has it’s place, of course, but it’s not the only tool for...
There are three basic ways you can make your knowledge pay. You can Do It, Teach It, or Package It. Let’s take a look at how each of those works.
It’s possible to turn the things you love to do into a bit of extra income, but it doesn’t just happen. Here are a few examples of how it can be done.
Preface Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more...
As most of you know, I have enjoyed several microbusinesses throughout my life, and I believe they can be great learning experiences for teens. With the economy in its present disturbed state, I believe that a microbusiness can be helpful...
Consider a micro-business for your teen Once your students hit the teen years, chances are that they are looking forward to relevant, real-world applications for what they are learning. Many of them will have a hobby that they can, with...
