#If I’m misreading this and you’re asking how much information I can see about clients- full name on the card used and zip code is all I get

[3amsnek]

hi if this isn’t something you prefer answering you can ignore my ask!

so i wanted to know how much stripe reveals your info to people who pay you? through ko fi and all that. what i mean is when someone gives the creator money through ko fi using paypal their name (legal name) is revealed on invoice so does that happen with stripe as well?

i’ve heard with stripe, creators can hide their legal name and use another which shows up on invoices but im unsure if it’s true

hi! I actually had this same concern and did a lot of poking around for how different platforms handle this while setting up my commissions so I will attempt to answer! disclaimer I am just a guy who is bad with technology so there is a chance I am wrong about things ok here’s a readmore attempt click to get Snek’s business knowledge

this is actually the main reason I rly like stripe, you can customize pretty much everything clients will see including how much information about yourself you want to give away- I literally only have 3amsnek as my name in there, it’s just my business name (the Public Details section of settings lets you mess with this as much as you like, it’s under the Business Settings category)

it gives my country & state on some invoices but no further details (I can’t remember if state is mandatory or I clicked on the wrong button somewhere setting it up but I can’t disable it so keep that in mind) (I can change it along with everything else in my info though)

you do need to give Stripe all of your information for legal and payment purposes which can be kinda intimidating to set up but within my account I can customize what name will show up everywhere it shows up, put a different email than the one I signed up with as a customer support email to go at the bottom of receipts, decide specifically how much of my location is shown- idk if this is super clear bc I’m not at all experienced in Business Advice but by my memory/experience it doesn’t even ask for a Firstname Lastname name anywhere that’ll be shown to customers

for the record I’ve never actually used paypal bc my account got nuked within a day of making it and they have simply refused to fix it so I don’t have a direct comparison from personal experience but from my various hours of research trying to put comms together it seemed like paypal will always give everyone involved in the transaction a stupid amount of information about each other and there rly isn’t much to do about it/things can’t be changed ever or at least without huge difficulty and my experience with Stripe has been not that at All,,, it’s been very nice tbh I even found a whole invoices feature that allows international bank transfers as a payment method making a workaround for people who only have paypal & no card

if this is still confusing you can dm me and I’ll send you a picture of my checkout page/invoice/email receipt templates, it rly only shows my profile picture for stripe which I selected and can change (for me it’s the same dragon I use for my ko-fi header) and my business name in big letters at the top to say who you’re paying and then it’s the checkout/payment setup for the client (looks like any other online shopping checkout thing rly) - I haven’t been able to Confirm confirm that this all shows up properly on receipts as I don’t rly have a way to run a test with it with actual payment but it shows you what all the graphics are set to show up as in your account (under Branding in settings, same Business Settings box as Public Details is in) and you can change all of it any time (I do think you can also send blank test receipts to yourself)

hopefully this helps clarify things? at this point of using it for a couple months I would say I’d recommend Stripe- I’ve been rly pleased with it so far, especially with this specific topic :]

[nyxfury]

The Big Little Merman (Part 1: Setting the Stage)

Rated M for swearing

Pairing:  Dramione Fandom: Harry Potter / Little Mermaid

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter or Little Mermaid(Disney) franchise. This is just fanfiction and completely demonetised. Thanks to JKR and Disney for the wonderful sandboxes to let our imaginations run wild. This is also not beta-d so apologies for any mistakes and errors. They are my own.

Summary: Draco Malfoy suddenly finds himself thrust as the leading man in the gender bended wizard play adaptation of a muggle story, The Little Mermaid. How did it come to be this way and who’s slated to play the female lead? (Hint: Hermione)

I’m a...Merman?

Draco stared in disbelief at the letter that arrived from the Ministry’s HR Department. Skimming it repeatedly, his eyes kept refocusing on the words “you’re being cast as Prince Ariel the Little Merman” and “performing live in a theatre production for the Ministry’s Christmas Charity Spectacular”.

He blinked once, blinked twice, hoping to have misread what it said. He desperately wanted to believe that this was all a nightmare and that he’ll be waking from it soon. Anytime now. 

Hello Merlin, mercy? He silently pleaded to no one.

“It can’t be that bad...can it?” echoed Finnigans’ apprehensive voice from the other half of their shared office.

A feeling of dread decided to settle in the pit of his stomach. Quirking an eyebrow, Draco gestured to Finnigans’ own unopened missive, encouraging him to read for himself.

Just as the brunette reached for his letter, the door suddenly opened with a loud ‘bang!’ followed by the entrance of Blaise Zabini. 

“Merlin, what were those bloody idiots thinking!”, Blaised declared, flailing his own letter in the air.

“I would rather hand in my resignation than play along with this. Pun intended.” he scoffed, unceremoniously plopping himself down in the vacant seat provided for clients in front of Draco’s desk.

“Yes, well. You and everyone else in the team I presume”, Draco replied coolly, rubbing his temples in an attempt to ease the growing ache in his head. The intensity is slowly escalating itself to a migraine.

“I assume you’ve already read the ridiculous list they’ve required of us.” sneered Blaise, arms crossed. “Thoughts?” he asked, slumping himself gradually in the uncomfortable chair, obviously devastated by their predicament. It was a rare sight seeing Blaise so uncomposed in public.

Which also, in Blaise lingo, translated to: How do we fucking get away from this?

Draco shrugged. He had a few ideas but none that would let them get away unscathed. The stipulations were airtight. Blaise knew that, thus his miserable state. 

A glance at the suddenly very quiet and pale Finnigan staring at his own missive was clear indication of the distress they’re all currently in. Specifically the three people currently in the room.

“We’ll find a loophole, bring it up to Potter, and deal with it.” He sighed defeatedly, already having decided that it would be more pragmatic to focus on completing his remaining case files for the day. He’ll worry about dealing with the situation afterwards.

Poised to continue the discussion, Blaise was interrupted by three knocks and Harry Potter’s head (also currently Auror Department’s head) popping in the half way opened door.

Well, speak of the devil and he shall come. Draco thought amusedly. 

“Oh, good. Great. Zabini, you’re here as well.” Potter grinned widely, remaining at the door with only his head visible.

“Just wanted to quickly pop in to inform everyone that I will be receiving no resignations and complaints about HR’s letter. The letter is final and has already been sent to press.” he chortled.

“To further circumvent any future protests, I’ll have you reminded that your team was ‘volunteered’ to represent the Auror Department after losing the last Quidditch pick up match. As Head of the Department, I thank you for your service. Have a great day!”, he cheerily announced and left as quickly as he came.

“How can resignation be off the table!? We don’t even need a job!” exclaimed Blaise in all his indignant glory.

“Speak for yourself.” piped in Finnigan, finally snapping out of his focused trance. “It’s not like you lost the game alone.” he glared at Zabini and Malfoy.

“No, Malfoy lost it all alone for us when he failed to catch the snitch before Harry did.” deadpanned Weasley, quietly letting himself in and sitting his sulking self in front of Seamus’ desk, eyeing Draco meaningfully.

Who knew he’d be a sneaky bastard? Draco wondered, startled at Ron Weasley’s stealth entrance but not surprised. They were Aurors after all.

“There’s no ‘i’ in team, Weasley. It was a lost cause to begin with. We were doomed to fail.” sighed Draco as he surmised that his productivity for the day just shutdown as his teammates - not by choice -  wallowed in misery around him.

No other person more than Draco Malfoy felt the gravity of how doomed to fail they were that day. Spotting the snitch 50 minutes into the game with Potter at the opposite end of the pitch, he was suddenly distracted by a vision of white. 

The moment Hermione Granger showed up in her white sundress, he unexpectedly felt attacked by an onslaught of unfiltered...feelings. It wasn’t like it was the first time he saw Granger in years. But there she was and all he felt compelled to do was stare. 

Not long after, Potter caught the snitch right under his nose and before he knew it, the game was over.

Closing the case files on his desk, he released another heavy sigh. The feelings of dread dissipated and only defeated acceptance remained.

“Suppose we could all use a drink then.” he suggested as the hour hand indicated ten more minutes to six in the evening. 

“I can only take so much of three grown men sulking before I hex one of you.”, he grumbled. Ten more minutes and they could drag their sorry arses to the Leaky Cauldron for a few drinks to soothe their egos and prepare them for the worst. 

Only unbeknown to them, the worst is yet to come.

Notes: Feedback is welcome <3 Share and spread the love. It’ll make my day. Now on to the story!

[davonnerochelle]

The Struggle of Being Human: A Stream of Conscious Expression, Post Semi-Public Breakdown.

It’s a pretty weird concept to digest, the idea of being human. Not being the flesh and bones earthly manifestation of human, but the act of being human. I wonder what people think when I say things like, “ I’m struggling with being human?”  Probably, something along the lines of “what the hell are you talking about?” “Are you not human?” “What are you an alien?”  Though I don’t think this conflict of acting as human is so foreign to someone like me. Like me, meaning someone undergoing a conscious spiritual awakening, someone who tries their hardest to do everything right; not even consciously, but feels if I’m going to do anything at all, I do it with all my best effort and I succeed, no exceptions.

Someone who, when they actually allow themselves to slack or do poorly, feels wrecked about it. Feels guilty about it. Being human in this context means allowing myself to error; allowing myself to mess up and be okay with it. Being okay with being angry, or frustrated, or pessimistic, or negative, or talking shit about a perfect stranger. Bakara Wintner and Lindsay Mack talked about this in episode 13 of the Tarot for the Wild Soul podcast: when they do readings for people they’re non-judgemental, open-minded conduits for their clients. However, outside of that context their human just like everyone else.  And that is okay.

I struggle with this and clearly, this struggle has been boiling under the surface of everything that has been plaguing and pulling at me over the last few months? Two years even!!! At lunch today with my favorite colleague I said the words “I’m struggling with being human” out loud and I nearly burst into tears. It took all of the strength within me, not to ugly cry in front of 6-8 suits sitting at a table across from us. Inevitably, I broke down in my office after lunch. I called her and she let me cry with her on the phone (she’s so awesome!). I just kept thinking it to myself as I was power walking back to my office: “I’m struggling with being human! WTF!” Even now, tears are threatening to mess up my modest working girl makeup look.

What does this even mean? It means I’m trying so hard to be a “perfect” disciple of New Aged principals that I forgot perfect is an illusion and by default humans “ain’t perfect”....and we never will be. We are a mess. We are a hodgepodge of a mess. We are a mess, on top of chaos, smashed within circumstances. We can’t be perfect! We have to relinquish that control. Even if the intention is to hold space for others to feel and be imperfect, we are not going to do that perfectly. There’s a lot of shit happening in my life right now. I’m trying to remain strong and positive, trying to let work things roll off my back because, in perspective, it’s not that big a deal, and stay cool when the personal things mushroom into anxiety laiden irrationality. The fact of the matter is holding that much potential stress in a human size container is not sensible, and it is not recommended. Eventually, you’re going to implode and implosion gets messy.

Hence this post-traumatic breakdown, stream of conscious brain vomit. This is not healthy. ...this expression is healthy. The fact that it took a semi-pubic emotional breakdown to allow sed expression to manifest is unhealthy.

So what did I learn from this experience? (Because that’s really the point right?)

Well, I’ve learned a great number of things:

I’m not perfect. I never have been and I never will be. This is some 4th house/nadir, Tower transformation epiphany shit! My standards are too high and I need to cut myself some slack. Give myself a break. It is not my life’s purpose to take over the fucking world. That is not why I’m here. I need to be okay with minimum effort sometimes. I need to be less guilty about my more human qualities. I trip and fall (and sprain my ankle apparently) sometimes and that’s okay. I misread emails and walk clear across campus in the wrong direction to the wrong classroom to teach an information literacy class (that I don’t want to teach in the first place) after bitching about the class’ instructor being lazy and unkempt (yes! That happened!! And you can slice the irony with a cold butter knife).

The above mentality allows me to create the overly stressful situations in which I have recently found myself: this neverending vortex of “holy shit!” that hurricane’s around me while I try to doggy paddle to safety. Yes, I’m admitting, I’ve done this to myself. Apparently, I measure success by how many circuses I can juggle over my head with my eyes closed (7 safely; 9 is where destabilization tends to happen). Majority of the things I’m engaged in right now I don’t want to do, or I’m doing it in such a way that I never wanted to. And I wish I could just start over and do it the way I wanted in the first place. It feels really good to “say” that out loud. I hate this hysteria I have created for myself. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!

Goddess/Spirit/Universe (whatever, you get the point!) is done with being subtle with me and will not be ignored. If I ignore her she will allow me to throw myself off a cliff to make a point. Maybe this is why Joey was yelling and swiping at me this morning. I think my cat is psychic/intuitive (we’re just a family of witches at the Rooney household). If I get home and get sassy “I told you so” cat eyes I’ll let you know. What exactly am I saying? Yes! Yes i received numerous intuitive warnings about this breakdown and ignored them all: don’t wear your spirituality as a badge on your ego; go easy on yourself you’re only human; slow down, ask for help, don’t take on too much; I’m struggling with being human/don’t forget to be human. These are verbatim things I’ve read either over IG or Facebook, received during an intuitive reading, picked up on myself through injury or card reading, or a friend/family member told me recently. I have to stop ignoring them. I just suffer in the end.

Finally, THIS is okay! Breaking down and sharing it with the world is okay. I wanted to write about being human for the last few days and I just kept putting it off: too busy. I need to stop doing that too. I need to share with you all what I”m thinking and going through because apparently some of you like reading it. But, ultimately, it just helps me feel better (i’m okay with being selfish about this! See! I’m learning). There doesn't always have to be a higher purpose or agenda for something. Sometimes you just need to express yourself and that’s okay.

Thank you all for reading my word vomit! If I’ve been a little “holier-than-thou” lately I apologize. I’m just really into this shit. I love everything about everything I’m doing right now: meditation, yoga, reiki energy work, Oracle/tarot, astrology, other such similar things. They just make me happy. Please feel free (gently) to point out to me when I’m being hard on myself and not allowing myself to be human. I need that grounding.

Be Well!

[elletromil]

Magic Fingers - A followup

So to the Nonny who asked if I was going to write more, I am sorry to have lied to you but I swear, at the time I had no intention on writing more. But then I got struck by an idea and like many seemed to want more for some reason? (Are the spa aus new coffee shop aus???) so yeah i did write more xD

There is is still 0% facials or spa-related stuff in it, but 100% panick-y Eggsy who thinks he has fucked up with 100% flustered Harry who thinks he has fucked up too.

@virgosista @gentlekingsmen @agent-eggy @lady-mephistopheles @insanereddragon @zombiisheep @agentdagonet

Magic Fingers - Followup

It is a complete coincidence that Roxy is still at the front desk when Mr Hart comes out to pay. The only reason she’s so sure that it is him while having never seen him before is only because she knows all the other clients that are around today. That and she has to admit Eggsy was right.

The man is very handsome.

However, he seems to have none of the confidence she had expected him to possess from everything Eggsy had been telling her for weeks now.

Not that he looks shy exactly as he walks up to the counter to pay, but rather sad and resigned.

What the hell happened in that room?

“I am terribly sorry to bother you with this, but could you be so kind and tell Eggsy that I am sorry to have put him in such an awkward position. I have no excuses for my behavior, just assurances that it won’t happen again and that I won’t be bothering him again. I can just hope I didn’t cause him too much distress.”

The only reason she gets away with staring blankly at the gentleman (in that suit, there is no way she can think of him as anything else) and doesn’t feel rude about it is because he is looking at anything but her.

“What?” She is usually far more eloquent than this, but Mr Hart is clearly becoming more and more nervous as she went without saying anything and she is still not sure what happened. Is she supposed to be mad at Harry or Eggsy right now?

The question makes Mr Hart look even more flustered if that was possible, but strangely enough, it’s also what makes him looks up to meet Roxy’s gaze for the first time.

She doesn’t know what he makes of her expression, but he nods at her like a man condemned before starting to explain.

“I know it wasn’t appropriate at all for me to ask him to dinner while he is working and I don’t kn-” He trails off before shaking his head. “No, I know exactly what made me forget myself and ask him out, but my feelings for him doesn’t entitle me to anything. I am sorry that he felt he had to flee the room, but I don’t blame him. Just tell him I am sorry to have misread the situation so completely and that he won’t have to worry about seeing me again, even at the cafe.”

The silence while she processes what Mr Hart is telling her must be getting to long for his comfort because he honest to god starts shuffling on his feet, like a schoolboy meeting the principal over a prank gone wrong.

“Of course, if there are any consequences to my harassment, I am not trying to escape them, all the contact information you need should be on file. I-”

As soon as she raises her hand, palm up, he stops talking and she feels kind of bad at the way he gulps, but it’s clear she has more urgent matter right now.

“Could you just please wait here for a moment sir?”

She’s never seen one, but she feels like this is what a man walking up to get executed would look like.

“It’s not, it’s not bad, just wait here.”

Her words don’t seem to reassure him, but her priority is to find Eggsy and shake some sense into his dumb head.

She doesn’t think Mr Hart would try to leave, he seems far too honorable for that, but she still stops Amelia in the corridor and asks her to make sure no one makes him pay and that he stays put. Who knows how long it will take her to convince Eggsy to get out of his hiding hole.

It takes a couple of minutes, but she finally finds him in a supply closet, hugging one of the very large and very soft towels to his chest.

He doesn’t seem to be having a panic attack, simply in need of some comfort and she takes a few calming breaths before going to sit down at his sides. She might want nothing more but to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he starts being sensible again, but she knows it won’t actually help either Eggsy or the poor Mr Hart.

“So mind telling me why you’ve just broken the heart of the bloke you’ve not shut up about since you first saw him?”

She nudges him gently with her elbow, but that only makes him curl up tighter around the towel.

“I’m such an idiot.”

There is a long silence, where she waits for him to expand on it, but it soon becomes clear that he’s not going to open up yet.

“I hope you’re not waiting on me to deny it, because you’ll be waiting a long time.”

“What? No, I wasn’t- I am an idiot.” He’s looking at her now and she would call it an improvement if only he wasn’t looking so much like a broken man. “I don’t know why I was thinking I could have something good…”

His words make her fear that maybe Mr Hart hasn’t been entirely honest with her, that more has transpired in that room then simply the gentleman asking Eggsy out for dinner and Eggsy fleeing the room, something far more “inappropriate” and if it is the case she will go back at the front and gut him with her bare hands.

Before she can do more than think it though, Eggsy continues and prevent her from maiming a man on a misunderstanding.

“The fantasy was nice, but really once we go to dinner, he’ll see I’m just a pretty face. Maybe good enough for a quick roll between the sheets, but that’s not what I want…”

He trails off before hiding his head again and the desire to shake him comes back even stronger.

“So wait let me get this straight. The man you have been talking with for months, and when I say talking, I do mean talking, the kind where he knows all about your obsession about musicals and where you know he’s got a dead dog in his loo,” she stops there for a moment, because she is still waiting for Eggsy to agree with her that the dog thing is fucking weird. But, he must still simply think it a cute gesture of a man who loved his canine companion very much even in death because he doesn’t say anything. “Anyway, that man you’ve nearly spend more time with than you did with me lately, for the first time you make a move so that the two of you would see each other somewhere else than that cafe. And not anywhere, but at your workplace. And the man comes, is clearly interested in you more than your sweet arse and when he invites you for dinner, you flee the room because you don’t want to be another notch on his bedpost? That’s what happened, right?”

“Yes- No- I… Roxy, I’m a sham, a fuckup, maybe he thinks he likes me, but once we’re on a date he’ll see me for who I really am and he won’t want anything to do with me. It’s better if I- Hey! Give that back!”

Instead of giving him back the towel she just wrenched away she throws it the other side of the room and puts her hands on Eggsy’s cheeks to force him to look at her.

“Gary Unwin, you are not a fuckup, nor are you a sham. Sure you had rough time, but when your mum got pregnant after your stepdad got sent to prison you turned your life around to provide for her and the baby instead of washing your hands off of both of them. You’ve got a steady job, you’re actually saving up now that you’ve paid your debts and your sister probably thinks you’ve hung the moon. Heck you probably would have if it wasn’t already up there if it meant she would smile. You’re sweet, you’re funny, you’re responsible and reliable. You might not have told him everything, but you haven’t been leading him on and you haven’t lied to him either. Sure either of you might realise it’s not doing it for you down the line, but that’s what dating is all about.”

Eggsy seems far calmer now, but it’s plain to her that he’s still not back to his confident self. His next words only confirm it.

“But I’ve never dated before… Not seriously.”

“Then tell him that. Seriously Eggsy, the man seemed more worried about you than anything else. If you weren’t interested, it wouldn’t matter but you are and he makes you happier than I’ve seen you in years.” Whenever he is back from one of his coffee non-date, he has the look she has titled the “Cloud Harry Look”. That he’s never complained about her teasing is enough to tell her he’s got more than just a simple crush on the man. “You deserve to be happy. And I might not know about Harry, but he deserves at least a chance.”

Eggsy closes his eyes, but he’s not trying to escape her this time, instead he leans closer until their foreheads are pressed together.

“You really think so?” She forgets sometimes how young he still is, that for all his bravado, he’s got his own insecurities. That sometimes, he needs to borrow others’ strengths too.

She forgets, but whenever she’s reminded, she’ll gladly lend him some of hers.

“I really do.” She breaks their hold, but just so she can press a kiss against his forehead. “Now go put that man out of his misery and enjoy a nice dinner, yeah?”

There is a new resolve shining in his eyes and he even manages a small smile before he gets up and help her to her feet.

She follows him out of the supply closet, but she lets him dash off alone to the front desk after he’s given her a quick hug.

She’s done whatever she could for him now. It’s his turn to work for his happiness.

[kristablogs]

Six tips for writing emails that aren’t absolute garbage

Unless you're writing to a close friend or provider of illegal goods, "Yo Chucky" is never a good way to start an email. ( NeONBRAND / Unsplash/)

Despite dozens of services trying to kill it, email isn’t going anywhere—with its myriad of flaws and bad practices, it’s still the best system we’ve got. But unless you have a totally innovative idea that will revolutionize the way we communicate forever, there’s two things you can do to make email a bit less awful for everyone.

First, ask yourself whether you actually need to send that email. One of the worst things about digital correspondence is that it’s a pretty crowded channel, so the best email can sometimes be the one you don’t send. There are little to no built-in priority systems, and the artificial intelligence-powered attempts at them aren’t always reliable—an important email from your boss can easily end up in the same inbox as a deranged rant from your cousin and a receipt from your last Uber ride.

But if you decide there’s no way around it, then crafting better, more thoughtful messages can help make email better for everyone. This is where we help you out.

Nail the format

Email has been around since the 1970s, so some pretty well-established conventions have developed over all that time. Getting them right is the first step to a great email.

It all starts with the subject line. It shouldn’t be something vague like “Question,” or “Tuesday?” Instead, write a one-line summary of your email that literally describes the subject of your message.

A good subject line is something like “A question about your article on bad photos” or “Are you free for coffee next Tuesday?” A clear subject means the recipient can see what the email is about when they scan their inbox. This will help them assess its importance and make clear it’s not yet another Groupon offer destined to be left unopened.

The introduction is just as important as the subject, since you want the recipient to actually keep reading. But don’t worry—it takes little to get it right. Your two best options are either “Hi [recipient’s name]” or simply “[recipient’s name].” You can also go with “Dear [recipient’s name]” but it’s a tad staid. Having their name in there assures your recipient that this is a message sent directly to them and not some random email someone copy-pasted and sent to a bunch of people.

A crucial detail, though—make sure you get their name right by triple-checking for misspellings. Also, veer on the side of being too formal—it’s better to call someone Dr. Montgomery even if they are okay with “Charles,” rather than leading with “Yo Chucky” and offend them. People can be touchy about how they’re addressed. If the signature on their reply uses a more informal name, you can consider that in a follow-up email.

The body of the email is where you actually write your message. We’ll look at that properly in a moment.

Finally, email sign-offs are something that people usually put way too much thought into. You don’t need to stress out over the differences between “Thanks,” “Best,” “Regards,” and “Sincerely.” Pick one you think suits your personality and just use it.

Get the tone right

Email humor is tough, but if you really think you can make your boss laugh, by all means, spice things up. (Austin Distel / Unsplash/)

Once you’ve got the form down, it’s time to focus on your message.

Who you’re emailing and your relationship with them determines everything. You absolutely shouldn’t use the same approach to email your close friends, your boss, and someone you’re looking to interview—each one requires a different tone.

Before writing, briefly consider who you’re emailing and what they likely expect from you. Feel free to use slang with your friends and family, but probably avoid it when you’re communicating with coworkers. If you’re writing to a colleague you’re close with, you have a little more leeway and may use slang, but be careful—if the subject of the email is somewhat official, or you think you might show that email to somebody else in the future, try to keep it formal. Use your judgment and don’t say anything in an email you wouldn’t say to their face—or want read out loud in court.

Also, be super careful with humor. Emails don’t convey tone well and emojis are a poor substitute. Unless the recipient is close to you and knows your kind of humor, don’t make any ambiguous or edgy jokes, or statements that could be misread. There’s an extremely thin line between making your boss chuckle and making them initiate disciplinary proceedings—and you don’t want to be on the wrong side of it.

Make it just as long as it needs to be—but not longer

Long emails are terrible to receive. That’s just a fact. Nobody wants to spend an hour wading through paragraph after paragraph of something that could have been a couple of lines. On the other hand, some people take the idea of brief emails a bit too far. Replying to every email in five sentences or less is nice in theory, but it’s not practical because that level of brevity tends to make people sound rude.

Generally speaking, an email should be as concise as possible without omitting anything. As a freelance writer, I send a lot of pitches and get back almost as many rejections. The best rejection emails are the ones that say something like, “Not for us, sorry. Good luck finding somewhere else.”

Yes, they’re super short, but they say everything that needs to be said and also take the time to leave things on a positive note. In terms of length, writing a full line rather than half a line doesn’t make much of a difference in reading time, but it makes a huge difference in the way you make the recipient feel.

One email, one topic

It’s a good idea to limit emails to a single topic. If you want to schedule a meeting, give feedback on something, and also ask the recipient for an expense report, it’s probably better to send two or three separate emails.

Email inboxes just aren’t as searchable as most people would like them to be, so it’s too easy for an important bit of information to get muddled up or buried. Your recipient shouldn’t have to remember that the date of an important meeting was mentioned in a single line at the end of a long email providing feedback on an unrelated project. Even when they scan their inbox looking for it, they’re apt to skip over the email it’s actually in.

Reread and edit. Then reread again.

"Yeah, 'I'm super looking forward to hearing back from you, please and thank you,' does sound a bit desperate." (Sincerely Media / Unsplash/)

The secret to all great writing is editing—and this is just as true with emails. I’m not suggesting you spend hours working through multiple drafts for a simple note to a friend, but you should at least reread every email you write twice before you hit “send.”

Read it over once, making any necessary edits, and once you’re done, read it again to see what the final version looks like. Make changes until you feel satisfied. If it helps, read your email out loud so you’re forced to actually look at every word, instead of just skimming through them.

These are some of the things you need to look out for:

Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, especially in the intro and whenever else you mention your recipient by name. You can use tools like <a href="http://grammarly.com/" target=_blank>Grammarly</a> to help spot them.

If you’ve already sent an email to someone else and you’re copying and pasting the body, make sure you update any details like the recipient’s name, the date, and phone numbers.

Don’t just send a wall of text. There should be paragraph breaks between each point you make.

Don’t repeat yourself or go on longer than you need.

Too! Many! Exclamation! Points! How many is too many is up for debate. Casual emails can handle one every few lines but a message to your accountant should probably have none.

Cliches. Avoid them like the novel coronavirus.

Make sure the tone is consistent and appropriate.

Remember to attach whatever you said you were going to attach. Some email clients, <a href="https://ift.tt/2xXT40V" target=_blank>like Gmail</a>, will help you here—if you say “attached” without actually attaching something, they’ll prompt you.

The “to” field is for people who need to respond. The “CC” field is for people who need to be kept in the loop.

Other tips and tricks

Writing a good email, like many things, is more about avoiding problems than doing anything dramatically inspired. If your tone is right, the body is concise, and you don’t commit any ridiculous blunders or offend the recipient, you’ve written a good email.

After you hit send, it’s only a matter of waiting for a prompt and hopefully positive reply. Keep something in mind, though—emails get lost. Frequently. If you haven’t heard back from your recipient, it’s okay to follow up after a day or two, depending on the urgency of your message. Just remember people have lives, so don’t be pushy about it.

If you’re worried you’ll be the one forgetting to follow up, your email client probably has a nudge or reminder feature, which is worth using. Set it for the maximum amount of time you can wait for a reply, and after that, it’ll ask if you want to follow up.

[scootoaster]

Six tips for writing emails that aren’t absolute garbage

Unless you're writing to a close friend or provider of illegal goods, "Yo Chucky" is never a good way to start an email. ( NeONBRAND / Unsplash/)

Despite dozens of services trying to kill it, email isn’t going anywhere—with its myriad of flaws and bad practices, it’s still the best system we’ve got. But unless you have a totally innovative idea that will revolutionize the way we communicate forever, there’s two things you can do to make email a bit less awful for everyone.

First, ask yourself whether you actually need to send that email. One of the worst things about digital correspondence is that it’s a pretty crowded channel, so the best email can sometimes be the one you don’t send. There are little to no built-in priority systems, and the artificial intelligence-powered attempts at them aren’t always reliable—an important email from your boss can easily end up in the same inbox as a deranged rant from your cousin and a receipt from your last Uber ride.

But if you decide there’s no way around it, then crafting better, more thoughtful messages can help make email better for everyone. This is where we help you out.

Nail the format

Email has been around since the 1970s, so some pretty well-established conventions have developed over all that time. Getting them right is the first step to a great email.

It all starts with the subject line. It shouldn’t be something vague like “Question,” or “Tuesday?” Instead, write a one-line summary of your email that literally describes the subject of your message.

A good subject line is something like “A question about your article on bad photos” or “Are you free for coffee next Tuesday?” A clear subject means the recipient can see what the email is about when they scan their inbox. This will help them assess its importance and make clear it’s not yet another Groupon offer destined to be left unopened.

The introduction is just as important as the subject, since you want the recipient to actually keep reading. But don’t worry—it takes little to get it right. Your two best options are either “Hi [recipient’s name]” or simply “[recipient’s name].” You can also go with “Dear [recipient’s name]” but it’s a tad staid. Having their name in there assures your recipient that this is a message sent directly to them and not some random email someone copy-pasted and sent to a bunch of people.

A crucial detail, though—make sure you get their name right by triple-checking for misspellings. Also, veer on the side of being too formal—it’s better to call someone Dr. Montgomery even if they are okay with “Charles,” rather than leading with “Yo Chucky” and offend them. People can be touchy about how they’re addressed. If the signature on their reply uses a more informal name, you can consider that in a follow-up email.

The body of the email is where you actually write your message. We’ll look at that properly in a moment.

Finally, email sign-offs are something that people usually put way too much thought into. You don’t need to stress out over the differences between “Thanks,” “Best,” “Regards,” and “Sincerely.” Pick one you think suits your personality and just use it.

Get the tone right

Email humor is tough, but if you really think you can make your boss laugh, by all means, spice things up. (Austin Distel / Unsplash/)

Once you’ve got the form down, it’s time to focus on your message.

Who you’re emailing and your relationship with them determines everything. You absolutely shouldn’t use the same approach to email your close friends, your boss, and someone you’re looking to interview—each one requires a different tone.

Before writing, briefly consider who you’re emailing and what they likely expect from you. Feel free to use slang with your friends and family, but probably avoid it when you’re communicating with coworkers. If you’re writing to a colleague you’re close with, you have a little more leeway and may use slang, but be careful—if the subject of the email is somewhat official, or you think you might show that email to somebody else in the future, try to keep it formal. Use your judgment and don’t say anything in an email you wouldn’t say to their face—or want read out loud in court.

Also, be super careful with humor. Emails don’t convey tone well and emojis are a poor substitute. Unless the recipient is close to you and knows your kind of humor, don’t make any ambiguous or edgy jokes, or statements that could be misread. There’s an extremely thin line between making your boss chuckle and making them initiate disciplinary proceedings—and you don’t want to be on the wrong side of it.

Make it just as long as it needs to be—but not longer

Long emails are terrible to receive. That’s just a fact. Nobody wants to spend an hour wading through paragraph after paragraph of something that could have been a couple of lines. On the other hand, some people take the idea of brief emails a bit too far. Replying to every email in five sentences or less is nice in theory, but it’s not practical because that level of brevity tends to make people sound rude.

Generally speaking, an email should be as concise as possible without omitting anything. As a freelance writer, I send a lot of pitches and get back almost as many rejections. The best rejection emails are the ones that say something like, “Not for us, sorry. Good luck finding somewhere else.”

Yes, they’re super short, but they say everything that needs to be said and also take the time to leave things on a positive note. In terms of length, writing a full line rather than half a line doesn’t make much of a difference in reading time, but it makes a huge difference in the way you make the recipient feel.

One email, one topic

It’s a good idea to limit emails to a single topic. If you want to schedule a meeting, give feedback on something, and also ask the recipient for an expense report, it’s probably better to send two or three separate emails.

Email inboxes just aren’t as searchable as most people would like them to be, so it’s too easy for an important bit of information to get muddled up or buried. Your recipient shouldn’t have to remember that the date of an important meeting was mentioned in a single line at the end of a long email providing feedback on an unrelated project. Even when they scan their inbox looking for it, they’re apt to skip over the email it’s actually in.

Reread and edit. Then reread again.

"Yeah, 'I'm super looking forward to hearing back from you, please and thank you,' does sound a bit desperate." (Sincerely Media / Unsplash/)

The secret to all great writing is editing—and this is just as true with emails. I’m not suggesting you spend hours working through multiple drafts for a simple note to a friend, but you should at least reread every email you write twice before you hit “send.”

Read it over once, making any necessary edits, and once you’re done, read it again to see what the final version looks like. Make changes until you feel satisfied. If it helps, read your email out loud so you’re forced to actually look at every word, instead of just skimming through them.

These are some of the things you need to look out for:

Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, especially in the intro and whenever else you mention your recipient by name. You can use tools like <a href="http://grammarly.com/" target=_blank>Grammarly</a> to help spot them.

If you’ve already sent an email to someone else and you’re copying and pasting the body, make sure you update any details like the recipient’s name, the date, and phone numbers.

Don’t just send a wall of text. There should be paragraph breaks between each point you make.

Don’t repeat yourself or go on longer than you need.

Too! Many! Exclamation! Points! How many is too many is up for debate. Casual emails can handle one every few lines but a message to your accountant should probably have none.

Cliches. Avoid them like the novel coronavirus.

Make sure the tone is consistent and appropriate.

Remember to attach whatever you said you were going to attach. Some email clients, <a href="https://ift.tt/2xXT40V" target=_blank>like Gmail</a>, will help you here—if you say “attached” without actually attaching something, they’ll prompt you.

The “to” field is for people who need to respond. The “CC” field is for people who need to be kept in the loop.

Other tips and tricks

Writing a good email, like many things, is more about avoiding problems than doing anything dramatically inspired. If your tone is right, the body is concise, and you don’t commit any ridiculous blunders or offend the recipient, you’ve written a good email.

After you hit send, it’s only a matter of waiting for a prompt and hopefully positive reply. Keep something in mind, though—emails get lost. Frequently. If you haven’t heard back from your recipient, it’s okay to follow up after a day or two, depending on the urgency of your message. Just remember people have lives, so don’t be pushy about it.

If you’re worried you’ll be the one forgetting to follow up, your email client probably has a nudge or reminder feature, which is worth using. Set it for the maximum amount of time you can wait for a reply, and after that, it’ll ask if you want to follow up.

[deiupvote]

So I worked for a security company. Not a hard job, super easy, state minimum wage was $11.59 per hour. I was working 10 hours a night from 8 pm to 6 am driving a mobile patrol security car. Like I said probably the easiest job you could possibly have. Well, after a couple months of a normal schedule, I got called in to work and was told my colleague was fired because he broke into a tenants apartment because he wanted food! I genuinely could not understand what kind of fucked up logic he had! I ended up being made to work 7 days a week and my hours were bumped up to 12 hours a night. 7 pm to 7 am. I didn’t mind at first because my supervisors claimed “we will have a replacement within a few weeks.” 4 months later, I’m still working 7 days a week 12 hours a day. My birthday weekend is coming up and I put in for time off so I could leave with my family. I have 16 days till my vacation starts.Day 1 they give me a guy to train. He never showed for his first night of training.Day 2 business as usual.Day 3 new trainee, this one actually showed up, made it to the end of the shift and seemed genuinely interested.Day 4 dude didn’t show.Day 5-8 business as usual.Days 9-13 THIRD new trainee, and his training was spot on. No issues.Day 14: new trainees first day driving the company car.Day 15: finally my first day off in nearly 5 months.The next day I packed my shit with my family and took off to my family’s cabin. As we pulled in to my moms cabins property, my trainee calls me asking me to cover his shift. I WAS 8 1/2 HOURS AWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF BUTT FUCK NOWHERE!!! The only reason I have cell service is my truck has a cell range extender. (Seriously the best investment I’ve ever made but right then I hated it.) I told him no he had to do his job and show up to the shift. After the call, I shut my phone off and left it turned off the entire 5 day weekend, and enjoyed my time with my family. It was a much needed break. The end of my 5 day vacation comes and I turn my phone back on and am greeted to 400+ missed calls from my supervisors. And I shit you not 3,000 texts from my supervisor and my trainee... apparently the trainee didn’t show to his shift but claimed I was gonna be there. I called my boss and explained where I was, and why I was not there, then reminded him about my vacation that he signed off on. No big deal heat is off me. New guy gets yelled at for lying.A month later, my trainee, TOTALS THE CAR! He had been drinking on the job, texting and driving, and destroyed the company rig. Then proceeds to tell us something that floored my supers and myself.Supervisor: “what the fuck were you thinking driving drunk in a COMPANY rig?!” Trainee: I wasn’t thinking... this is my second DUI.”No you didn’t misread that, he actually said it and I burst out laughing.Me: “Dude if you’re not fired after this you will go down in history as the most lucky fucking bastard in history!”THIS FUCKER WAS STILL WORKING FOR THAT COMPANY FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!! during that time they milked as much out of his paycheck as they could to pay for the car he destroyed.Fast forward to June 2018... I’ve been working 7 12 hour days a week for 14 months. No days off. My body is starting to suffer from it and I’m starting to develop some pretty alarming symptoms. I procrastinated as much as I could and ignored these symptoms trying to avoid going to the doctors office. Never really liked doctors because I’ve had a really shitty experience with one..The night comes when I can not get out of bed. My body is completely weak and unresponsive. I can barely roll over until my family helps me sat up and get me into the truck to go to the ER.More on my symptoms. Every once in a while I would lose the ability to move my left leg or my left arm. My body would feel weak like I was being weighed down with lead cast weights. Almost like I was stuck on earth experiencing gravity from Jupiter. I seriously lost 80% control. Sometimes it was sudden, sometimes it was gradual. Imagine driving your car and lost mobility and can’t even lift your finger enough to drive your car! It was terrifying, and I couldn’t convince my bosses that it was getting dangerous and I needed them to stop scheduling me till I figure this out.Back to my ER trip:As I get into the ER, I drop down to my knees and I had to ask a random guy help me back into my feet. I’m 6’ at 312 pounds. My mom couldn’t possibly get me up because she was 68 years old and super fragile. Anyway, I got help, got examined, and they diagnosed me with Graves’ disease. Great... what the fuck does that mean?Graves’ disease means my thyroid produces a bunch of thyroid hormones and won’t stop. My brain tells it to stop but management and production lines are not listening to each other. So my body is so full of this hormone and it’s overloading my system. Eventually it was determined that I needed to get surgery. But that was nearly 11 months out.Now the doc says “You can’t work till this is figured out. If you do work it’s light duty only. NO WALKING and NO DRIVING!” (This is important later.)I get scheduled to watch a site. Light duty. They told me to just sit in my truck and watch. Nothing more nothing less. I’m there for 4 nights.Night one: no issues, nothing to report.Night two: our first issue Client “your guard is not patrolling.” Super: “we understand. He has a medical condition that prevents him from walking right now.” Client: “that’s not our fault. Make him patrol.” That night they let me drive my truck as a patrol. That was a HUGE problem.Night three: i was forced to walk around and patrol the area. I’m struggling to stay standing and I do short patrols. Another major mistake. Client was not happy. Night 4: this is the final night. I made a walking patrol and went down, and could not get back up. The area I’m in is an open field with a railroad track. This train I’m guarding is out in the sticks... oh: did I mention I can’t move and I’m an UNARMED security guard? There were cougars and coyotes in the area.... I was defenseless and so weak I couldn’t even scream for help. Then it starts raining. I tried reaching around to find my phone, but the way I landed my arm was trapped under my stomach.I’m alone. In poor heal. No radio, no one coming to help me, no one knew what was happening. Wild animals were nearby and they could easily kill and eat me. This is a REALLY bad situation.Suddenly my phone starts ringing. My manager is calling, but I can’t reach my phone. If he calls again and I don’t answer he has to come out to see me. I hear the phone stop ringing, and I expect it to ring again. 5 minutes: nothing. 30 minutes: nothing. 47 minutes after he calls, another employee stops by trying to find me. I see him, and I try to scream, but all I can do is grunt. Luckily my coworker heard it and called an ambulance for help, he also called the supervisors the client and the police. He helps me roll onto my back, and I finally can breathe correctly.33 more minutes the EMT’s are here and they get me up off the ground, and help me up and I assure them that if I sit in my truck, I’ll be ok. Police arrive, followed quickly by both the supers and the client. Client is informed I spent most of my shift laying on the ground and it’s all on my trucks dash cam. My supers realized just how screwed they are and they finally understood they were breaking the law. Then all three men are informed by the police that the medical note is negligence. My doctor was promptly called and we had a HUGE meeting with my doc his lawyer, my mother, my coworker, the supers with company attorney and the client.My Doc dropped a HUGE lawsuit in their laps and it required that the company pay up and surrender their business license....Their attorney tried to settle with a lesser dollar amount. I refused. Every time he tried to negotiate, I upped the price again and again till they figured out just how upset I am. They gave up their business license and paid the terms. A major court case would destroy what’s left of the business.That was September 2018. I had to wait for the NDA to expire to post this. 2019 in may and my surgery went fantastic. I feel great and I have never felt better.P.s. I forgot to mention, I was wrongfully terminated the night I collapsed, because I was “incapable of performing the duty’s required.”Edit: just to clarify: my Doctors lawyer was involved because of the negligence and I requested that my doctor take care if it. (Second edit: had to fix a typo.) via /r/ProRevenge

[the-returnist-blog]

WARDROBE STYLIST vs. PERSONAL STYLIST

There is loads of information on how to become a personal stylist and plenty of examples of people who have built successful personal styling careers.   There is very little written on the world of commercial wardrobe styling.  Because of this, people often assume I take on personal clients because I am someone who shops for a living, but the fact of the matter is that personal styling is a complete different skillset than what I do as a commercial wardrobe stylist.

As a commercial stylist, I’m communicating with the producer, photographer/director and the ad agency prior to the shoot.  Everything is so fast moving in advertising, I usually start getting information at the last possible minute, at most one week prior to the shoot.  I’m often on a conference call to go over the layouts and direction of the project, then I’m giving a list of talent and their sizes.  I almost never see anything more than a headshot of the bodies I’m shopping for prior to going out to shop, and often have to shop for 10 or more people with only a few days prior to the shoot.  There are certain “rules of thumb” that I need to follow when I’m shopping for projects because there are certain things that across the board never look good on camera.  For example, no heavy prints, nothing that is billowy in shape, NO LOGOS.  Beyond that, I have to also think about the client requests.  I’m often shopping within specific color guidelines, for the opposite season of what is actually available in store, and for particular demographic for the product we’re trying to sell.  These are just examples, the list of what I need to consider when I’m scanning through a store can even be longer than this.  You can equate it to an actor remembering a script before they go on stage.  If you get it wrong, say you buy the wrong size pants for one of the talent because you misread your notes, buy pinks and maroons even though the client requested no red because that is the competitor’s brand color, then all of that work you put into finding those items gets wasted.  You now not only can’t use those garments, you also will need to do more returns once the project is over, on top of having to shop more for the correct items.  It is critical that you are organized and accurate notes before you shop and it helps to have most of it memorized so that you don’t look suspicious having to read your paper over and over again while you pass the employees.

A personal stylist meets with the client, they get to see their body in person, and they discuss with their client what they’re hoping to achieve with their look.  It’s a much more personal connection with a lot more communication from beginning to end.  You really get to learn throughout the process what the client likes and dislikes, and you’re able to see what works on their body.  If items don’t work, you often have the option to go out and shop some more.

I like to think of commercial shoots with the same type of weight as a wedding day.  Unless there is a fitting prior to the shoot (often for television commercials they ask the actors to come in the day before the shoot to makes sure the wardrobe fits and is liked by the agency) it’s a one and done deal.  You HAVE to be prepared with a ton of options and sizes to make sure there will be plenty of things that work because you can’t tell the rest of the crew to sit tight on the shoot day so that you can go grab some more options.  Today is the day.   Commercial shoots generally cost on the low end $25,000 to 1 million dollars for a television commercial.  If the wardrobe is off, the shoot is off, and a painstaking amount of money is lost because you didn’t come through with your end of the deal.  Being prepared for every little hiccup that could come your way is what the experience stylists get paid to do.  The easiest part of the job is putting together outfits, the hardest part is knowing what to prepare for because there will be hiccups.

There are also different goals for a wardrobe and personal stylist.  For a personal stylist, you really want your client to look and feel great, and most of all be happy with the outfits you curated for them.  For a wardrobe stylist, it’s not about the outfit that looks the best on the talent, it’s more about the outfit the works the best within the total concept of the campaign.  It may have to do with the story that each garment is telling, or the color palette of the overall look.  Unlike what the personal stylist is considering while shopping, the current trends may not matter, the cute heels aren’t speaking to the right demographic and the perfect fitting jacket that works beautifully with the story and fits the talent like a glove actually has a logo on it that hasn’t been approved by the legal team.  

If you’re still with me after reading all of this I hope you can see that wardrobe styling and personal styling are two very different jobs.  I think it would be hard to be really great at doing both types of styling.  I have never dipped into personal styling because my interests lie in telling the story through the wardrobe.  It is still important that I have an understanding of trends and fit, but I like the challenge of executing it within a larger concept.  I also have no interest in “fixing” someone’s style.  When I see someone who’s style is all over the place I take a mental note of what that is saying about that person.  How to go about changing their look so that they feel great is not where my passion lies, it’s rather all about the stories we can tell through what we choose to wear.  

[reviewape-blog]

FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH

https://www.reviewape.com/?p=5485 FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH - Product Name: FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH Click here to get FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH at discounted price while it’s still available… All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors. FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked. Description: Too many health professionals “think” their positions are providing them with a solid future and a great return. Yet, without ever seeing the writing on the wall, far too many of them – smart, hard-working people just like you, end up frustrated and struggling to make ends meet. Do you have nagging doubts about your financial planning and what that truly means? Are you uncertain if you’d be ready for difficult times or unexpected threats? Are you truly convinced you have a solid plan in place to build long-term security? Are you struggling month after month and can’t seem to pinpoint where things are going wrong? There are LOTS of ways you can find yourself in financial trouble. Many of which you may not be aware of. If any of this concerns you – and it probably should – I beg you to read this information. You may have become a health professional so you could bring your unique skill set to waiting clients, all while building financial independence…maybe even be your own boss. The problem is, things may not be moving forward as rapidly as you thought they would…or worse, you don’t see the danger coming at all! This scenario happens more often than you can possibly imagine. If you’re a business owner, you need to be aware that according to the Small Business Association, 50% of all businesses close within the first 5 years…is that your 5 year plan? How many of those businesses believed they would be in that 50% when they first opened? Even more frightening, nearly 46% of businesses that close in the first two years do so for the following reasons: No knowledge of financing No experience in record keeping All preventable conditions! If you’re a health professional and don’t own your own business, there are an entire additional set of numbers you need to be watching… Are you saving at least 10% of your take home pay for the long-term? Are you contributing to a “rainy day” fund? Do you even have one? What percentage of your take home pay do your housing payments take up? What’s your plan for paying for your kid’s college? What does your personal “balance sheet” look like? Are you fully aware what your assets and liabilities add up to? You would be alarmed how many people are dangerously unaware of their situation… If you have ever read the book “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber, you know what I’m talking about. In short, many hold positions where they are the “technicians” – individuals well-versed in their area of expertise: fitness trainers, gym owners, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. The problem is, these folks are technical experts, not business experts.  When left unchecked, this approach can lead to a failure that can haunt these people for years…or longer. Does being “busy” equal financial stability? Does paying your bills every month mean you’re doing well? Does a steady stream of new clients assure your cash flow? Does having cash left over at the end of the month equal profit? Far too many health professionals struggle month after month and even year after year to build up a solid financial future.  And many of them actually believe things are going pretty smoothly…until they aren’t. It’s time to find out if you’re actually making real-world financial progress or simply living on a hamster wheel that’s ready to collapse…along with your reputation and financial security. If you are a health professional, a fitness trainer or similar small business owner, NOT having a truly accurate and honest assessment of your finances can spell disaster! And more often than not, the signs of trouble were there all along, but were misread or misunderstood. In fact, some poor decisions can spell doom from the start and you may never even be aware of it! My name is Billy Hofacker.  I was “that business guy”… …running a fitness business and believing that things were going along “okay”. I knew I wasn’t raking in the cash, but I figured things were just fine and would always improve. Until I was woken up one day by the repo guy taking my car away. What I didn’t know about financial planning was about to cost me everything… Talk about a wakeup call! My wife and I were forced to sit down and stare reality in the face. All along I had been that cliché trainer who “sorta” looked at the numbers. But like a lot of entrepreneurs, I wasn’t a ‘business guy” and didn’t like spending time wading through bank statements, cash flow reports, or any of the traditional measurements I should’ve known by heart. Surviving would require a complete overhaul of what we were doing, how we were living and how I ran my business. We both had to get out of our comfort zone and learn a lot more about finance, cash flow, investing and saving, etc. All of it. Today my business is thriving. Our retirement funds are fully funded. The college funds are in place. And all the fears that hung over our future have disappeared! The deeper I got into it, the more I realized that until I was able to consistently achieve a very specific list of objectives, I was simply kidding myself. It was a hobby. No more than wishful thinking. And “wishful thinking” is NOT a viable business plan! After we put a true financial plan together, the next smartest thing I did was to document every step of our journey.  “Financial Freedom For Health and Fitness Professionals” is the result. This program is not about how to make you a better health professional or help you climb the ladder…although that may be one result. No. Rather, this is step-by-step how we went from struggling health pro to financially free…from “repo to redeemed”, if you will… I’m on a mission to make sure none of my colleagues have to go through what my family endured. Here is how we’ll do this together. We’ll take a deep dive into every topic you need to be well versed in so you can live the life you envisioned when you started out. Creating a vision – Where do you REALLY want to go? Creating a Spending Plan – This is where the rubber meets the road and your bank account grows! The Debt Snowball – How to reign in debt that can appear to be out of control. Rewarding Yourself – How to celebrate the small wins! There’s an entire Bonus Section that directly impacts you and your family… Making Financial Decisions “Strengthening the Pump” Answering Common Objections In all, there are over 35 videos presenting you with a “Financial Primer” on everything you should know about putting a monetary plan in place that is designed to serve the financial needs of you and your family now and in the future…without having to go to business school. The next logical question is this: Well, I can confirm the most important part… Unlike the majority of solutions out there, I have NO intention of giving you access to this product and leaving you on your own. The consequences are too severe. Instead, I created an interactive program that will allow me to address your unique situation. Here is how it’s broken out: This is an 8 week program with a fixed start date of November 5th You’ll have “full access” to my help with every step There are weekly lesson plans, and a Step-by-Step Guide All the bonus videos are included You’ll benefit from consistent accountability to keep you on track We’ll answer your question on a “members only” Live Weekly Call You’ll have access to a private community for support through your financial transformation! “Working with Billy transformed not only my business but my life! …Billy is a wonderful mentor and coach who combines positive encouragement with just the right amount of tough love. My business would, without a doubt, not be where it is today if I had not made the decision to do coaching with Billy.” “I am a 24 year old certified personal trainer with a college degree. I studied health and wellness in school and was determined to help people change their lives through fitness and nutrition. I was looking forward to finishing school and pursuing a career in the field that I love, but did not realize what it truly meant to be an “Adult.” I had bills, student loans, car insurance and did not know how to manage my money. The world of business and finance lends itself to a lot of clichés…and in many cases, they’re painfully accurate. “Death by a thousand cuts…” The proverbial frog in sitting in water that slowly boils…killing the frog. I’m sure you’re familiar with many of them. This program is how you DON’T become a cliché. Hey, if you have everything dialed in with your savings account bursting at the seams, your retirement planning on track and you’re able to live your life on your terms, then maybe this program is not for you. My hat’s off to you! You are in the minority unfortunately. If you realize it’s time to get off the financial roller coaster and have some real-world planning in place, then let’s get started! “Yes, it’s time I got the confidence I need to my financial future” It’s time to make certain you, your business, and your family are on solid ground.  As I learned the hard way, there is just too much at stake… Committed to your financial freedom, P.S. If you want to be 100% certain your personal planning is on sound financial ground, this product will confirm…or deny the truth. If you’re still unsure, let me do this… “If you go through this entire product and DON’T find at least one action item that can contribute to your bottom line or improve your personal financial planning, I have missed my mark and will refund your entire investment.” After all, this is a money-based program and MUST prove its value! I know it will… If you have any doubt at all about the stability of your financial planning, it’s time to take an honest look at where you’re headed…before you get that knock on your door. “Yes, it’s time I got the confidence I need to my financial future” ClickBank is the retailer of products on this site. CLICKBANK® is a registered trademark of Click Sales Inc., a Delaware corporation located at 1444 S. Entertainment Ave., Suite 410 Boise, ID 83709, USA and used by permission. ClickBank’s role as retailer does not constitute an endorsement, approval or review of these products or any claim, statement or opinion used in promotion of these products. Financial Freedom for Fitness Professionals | 2018 | Support: billy@yourfitnessmoneycoach.com Click here to get FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH at discounted price while it’s still available… All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors. FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked. - ReviewApe - https://www.reviewape.com/?p=5485

[rebeccahpedersen]

You Will Not Win In Competition Without The “Best” Offer

TorontoRealtyBlog

Have you ever read one of my blogs where I take something great, or special, or touching, or optimistic, or just a nice break from the cutthroat world in which we live, and then I turn it on its head?

This is going to be one of those blogs.

Everybody is talking about last week’s Toronto Star article about the family who “won” in multiple offers despite the fact that there was, supposedly, an offer of $150,000 more on the table.

Let me be “that guy” and tell you why this is one-in-a-million shot, and how things usually go down on offer night…

Did you read the article?

As far as today’s blog goes, I only need refer to the article as, “the article.”

There’s only going to be ONE article about a family buying a house in the 2017 G.T.A. market for significantly less than the highest offer.

And as far as water-cooler conversations have gone in the past week, about real estate, this is “the” article.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read this:

“A Family Bid $150K Under The Highest Offer On An Oakville Home And Still Got The Sale.  The Reason Will Leave You Heartened.”

And if you’re too lazy to read, well, I’m sure the headline is sufficient.

The story is great, I’m not going to lie.

Read it, and you may feel slightly better about mankind, if only for a moment.

But since I live in the real world, and not a fantasy one, I figured I’m well-qualified to explain to you why this won’t happen again.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.

Unless you happen to be this guy:

And that’s a fake video.  So even when lightning does strike twice in the same place, there’s bound to be a red flag.

So with the Toronto Star story from last week, can’t we just assume this comes with an asterisk?

I have no doubt that the story is true – that the sellers really did accept an offer that was $150,000 lower than the highest.

But the way the story is written, and the way it’s being shared on social media and even in the mainstream media, is giving people false hope.

I mean, just look at the headline, which adds, “……THE REASON WILL LEAVE YOU HEARTENED.”

It reminds me of those click-bait ads that litter the sidebar of websites we frequent, like this:

Or this:

Well, I guess there’s a lot of competition for your interest and attention among the media these days, so perhaps I can’t blame The Star.  And I know from my days writing for “The Grid” that the columnists don’t write the headlines.

I know many of you will agree with my opinion in today’s blog, but many you will also think I’m somehow taking away from the greater good by dumping on the contents of that article.

But come on – as soon as you saw the line, “After six weeks of missionary work in Uganda last year,” did you really need to continue reading?

I wish this was the world we lived in, and I wish this was the market we operated in.

But it’s not.  Not even close.

There’s bound to be some NIMBY’ism here.

You can say, “David, I think that’s a fantastic story, and there’s no reason for you to dump on it,” but if you’re not willing to turn around tomorrow and sell your house for $150,000 less than the highest offer, well, then maybe you don’t have a leg to stand on.

Because in reality, I have never, not once in 13 years, seen a seller-client take less money on offer night.

Less money, with a qualifier?

Sure.  It’s been known to happen, and let me me explain why.

Let’s say you have an offer on your condo of $420,000, conditional for 5-business-days on financing, and you have an unconditional offer of $410,000.

You could take the $410,000 offer, and you might not be wrong to do so.

Let’s say you have an offer on your house of $1,110,000, with a $150,000 certified bank draft on the table, with a trustworthy, well-known agent sitting in front of you, and you have an emailed-in offer of $1,120,000, from an agent who didn’t present in person, said he’ll “try to get a cheque tomorrow,” and who’s website URL says “Page Not Found.”

You could take the $1,110,000 offer, and you would definitely not be wrong to do so.

So there are situations where you win without the highest offer, but those have qualifiers, or asterisks.

And in this market, most of the time there is no “picking” from the listing agent – there is only telling.

For example, in the first situation, where there is a $420,000 conditional offer, and a $410,000 unconditional offer, I don’t believe the listing agent would “pick” the $410,000, unconditional offer.  Nine times out of ten, the listing agent will go to the agent with the $410,000 unconditional offer and say, “Great news, we’d like to work with your offer!  You’re the second-highest offer, but if you’ll come up to $420,000, the property is yours.”

And nine out of ten times, the buyer will do exactly that – improve their offer, thus matching, or beating, the highest offer.

I’ve been writing these blogs long enough to know when most people are going to find fault, disagree, or in some cases – argue for how they want things to be done.

I feel like years ago, many readers would interject the worst word in the English language, “should,” and say something like, “I think the listing agent should take the offer of $410,000, and not gouge the buyer for more money!”

But when I think back to the most misunderstood, and misread blog I’ve ever written – “How To Handle Multiple Offers In 2017 (Pt2),” I was shocked to see all the readers that said, “You’re a nice guy, but if you wouldn’t rape and kill for me, then I wouldn’t hire you.”

Again, the NIMBY’ism is apparent.

People constantly say things like, “The price-gouging is disgusting!  Realtors and their bidding wars are criminal!”

But when they have their house for sale, it’s somehow different.

Point being, folks, the sellers portrayed in the Toronto Star story are truly one in a million.

And since that story broke, I’ve had clients asking me about sending photos, writing letters, and making personal appearances, and now I’m some sort of grouch when I tell them, “It’s a waste of time.”

This past week, a client emailed and asked if she could write a letter to the sellers, not only because of the Toronto Star article, but because a few of her colleagues at work had done this – and one even got the house for less money than another bidder!

Now I had to be the guy who told a child there is no Santa Claus, and inform her that (gulp!) people lie!

It’s true.  It’s one of the first things I was taught in real estate, and my God has it turned out to be correct.

People lie about anything and everything in real estate, when it involves a dollar amount.

How much did it cost to renovate your kitchen?

Well if you’re a pretentious snob, who competes with her friends, you tell her it cost MORE than it actually did, to somehow try to impress people.

If you’re like the rest of the world, and you value a dollar, you tell people it cost LESS than it did.  You also tell them it was easy, no delays, and you loved your contractor.

How much did you pay for your condo?

How much did you sell your house for?

How much did your agent, lawyer, and mover charge you?

How many offers did you compete against when you “won” on offer night?

How much did the listing agent love the cookies you baked?

Excuse the cynicism, but I speak the truth for a living, and always have here on TRB.

And over the years, I’ve seen the lies, and watched people – often my own clients, believe them.

So when my client’s colleague says that she paid less than another bidder on offer night, I’m sorry – but I’ve heard that one before a hundred times.  Because in the end, there’s no way to prove she didn’t, and it’s just too easy for her to make the claim.

I gave my clients some tough love, and I felt bad for it.  They’re such a cute couple, and they’re always brimming with optimism.  But I don’t allow my clients to hope and wish – it’s one thing I pride myself on.  I tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient, or when it hurts.

And to take things one step further, I personally believe that in this market, the “letter from the buyers” can work against you.  It’s too easy for the listing agent to identify the buyer with the letter as the sucker, and go back to him or her for more money – even if they’re already the highest.

We bought that house on Tuesday night, FYI.  Without a letter.

The truth is, most sellers don’t care about the buyers.  Some do – and if you’re one of them, I encourage you to share your story below.  But most, from my experience, do not.

Many sellers in this market don’t even want to meet the buyer agent!

There are a lot of email offer presentations these days, as well as some cases where the listing agent presents the offers him or herself, to the sellers, after receiving them at the front door of the house from the buyer agents.

So look, the Toronto Star story was great, and I don’t want to take anything away from that (although you’ll tell me those words are hollow).

But my job in this market is to give you the straight goods.  It always has been.

And with the market appreciating as fast as it is, and with the speed at which properties sell, and the complexity of the offer process (not to mention the decision-making process for a buyer), I feel I would be doing buyers a disservice to let them think that they have a chance at getting a property, in this market, for “significantly less” than a higher, competing offer, because they’re nice people, or wrote a letter, or included a photo.

My father told me there was no Santa Claus, in July of 1986, in the parking lot of Armour Heights Public School, as I was about to board a bus to go to Camp Kawabi for a month.  I was younger than every other kid by two years (something my Dad thought would make me stronger, I suppose), but he didn’t want the other kids to make fun of me for thinking there was a Santa Claus.

Shoot the messenger if you want to.

But I think I just saved a lot of buyers, a lot of time, and many lost offers, by telling something they should already know: this market is all about money.

The post You Will Not Win In Competition Without The “Best” Offer appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

Originated from http://ift.tt/2nasueO

[rebeccahpedersen]

You Will Not Win In Competition Without The “Best” Offer

TorontoRealtyBlog

Have you ever read one of my blogs where I take something great, or special, or touching, or optimistic, or just a nice break from the cutthroat world in which we live, and then I turn it on its head?

This is going to be one of those blogs.

Everybody is talking about last week’s Toronto Star article about the family who “won” in multiple offers despite the fact that there was, supposedly, an offer of $150,000 more on the table.

Let me be “that guy” and tell you why this is one-in-a-million shot, and how things usually go down on offer night…

Did you read the article?

As far as today’s blog goes, I only need refer to the article as, “the article.”

There’s only going to be ONE article about a family buying a house in the 2017 G.T.A. market for significantly less than the highest offer.

And as far as water-cooler conversations have gone in the past week, about real estate, this is “the” article.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read this:

“A Family Bid $150K Under The Highest Offer On An Oakville Home And Still Got The Sale.  The Reason Will Leave You Heartened.”

And if you’re too lazy to read, well, I’m sure the headline is sufficient.

The story is great, I’m not going to lie.

Read it, and you may feel slightly better about mankind, if only for a moment.

But since I live in the real world, and not a fantasy one, I figured I’m well-qualified to explain to you why this won’t happen again.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.

Unless you happen to be this guy:

And that’s a fake video.  So even when lightning does strike twice in the same place, there’s bound to be a red flag.

So with the Toronto Star story from last week, can’t we just assume this comes with an asterisk?

I have no doubt that the story is true – that the sellers really did accept an offer that was $150,000 lower than the highest.

But the way the story is written, and the way it’s being shared on social media and even in the mainstream media, is giving people false hope.

I mean, just look at the headline, which adds, “……THE REASON WILL LEAVE YOU HEARTENED.”

It reminds me of those click-bait ads that litter the sidebar of websites we frequent, like this:

Or this:

Well, I guess there’s a lot of competition for your interest and attention among the media these days, so perhaps I can’t blame The Star.  And I know from my days writing for “The Grid” that the columnists don’t write the headlines.

I know many of you will agree with my opinion in today’s blog, but many you will also think I’m somehow taking away from the greater good by dumping on the contents of that article.

But come on – as soon as you saw the line, “After six weeks of missionary work in Uganda last year,” did you really need to continue reading?

I wish this was the world we lived in, and I wish this was the market we operated in.

But it’s not.  Not even close.

There’s bound to be some NIMBY’ism here.

You can say, “David, I think that’s a fantastic story, and there’s no reason for you to dump on it,” but if you’re not willing to turn around tomorrow and sell your house for $150,000 less than the highest offer, well, then maybe you don’t have a leg to stand on.

Because in reality, I have never, not once in 13 years, seen a seller-client take less money on offer night.

Less money, with a qualifier?

Sure.  It’s been known to happen, and let me me explain why.

Let’s say you have an offer on your condo of $420,000, conditional for 5-business-days on financing, and you have an unconditional offer of $410,000.

You could take the $410,000 offer, and you might not be wrong to do so.

Let’s say you have an offer on your house of $1,110,000, with a $150,000 certified bank draft on the table, with a trustworthy, well-known agent sitting in front of you, and you have an emailed-in offer of $1,120,000, from an agent who didn’t present in person, said he’ll “try to get a cheque tomorrow,” and who’s website URL says “Page Not Found.”

You could take the $1,110,000 offer, and you would definitely not be wrong to do so.

So there are situations where you win without the highest offer, but those have qualifiers, or asterisks.

And in this market, most of the time there is no “picking” from the listing agent – there is only telling.

For example, in the first situation, where there is a $420,000 conditional offer, and a $410,000 unconditional offer, I don’t believe the listing agent would “pick” the $410,000, unconditional offer.  Nine times out of ten, the listing agent will go to the agent with the $410,000 unconditional offer and say, “Great news, we’d like to work with your offer!  You’re the second-highest offer, but if you’ll come up to $420,000, the property is yours.”

And nine out of ten times, the buyer will do exactly that – improve their offer, thus matching, or beating, the highest offer.

I’ve been writing these blogs long enough to know when most people are going to find fault, disagree, or in some cases – argue for how they want things to be done.

I feel like years ago, many readers would interject the worst word in the English language, “should,” and say something like, “I think the listing agent should take the offer of $410,000, and not gouge the buyer for more money!”

But when I think back to the most misunderstood, and misread blog I’ve ever written – “How To Handle Multiple Offers In 2017 (Pt2),” I was shocked to see all the readers that said, “You’re a nice guy, but if you wouldn’t rape and kill for me, then I wouldn’t hire you.”

Again, the NIMBY’ism is apparent.

People constantly say things like, “The price-gouging is disgusting!  Realtors and their bidding wars are criminal!”

But when they have their house for sale, it’s somehow different.

Point being, folks, the sellers portrayed in the Toronto Star story are truly one in a million.

And since that story broke, I’ve had clients asking me about sending photos, writing letters, and making personal appearances, and now I’m some sort of grouch when I tell them, “It’s a waste of time.”

This past week, a client emailed and asked if she could write a letter to the sellers, not only because of the Toronto Star article, but because a few of her colleagues at work had done this – and one even got the house for less money than another bidder!

Now I had to be the guy who told a child there is no Santa Claus, and inform her that (gulp!) people lie!

It’s true.  It’s one of the first things I was taught in real estate, and my God has it turned out to be correct.

People lie about anything and everything in real estate, when it involves a dollar amount.

How much did it cost to renovate your kitchen?

Well if you’re a pretentious snob, who competes with her friends, you tell her it cost MORE than it actually did, to somehow try to impress people.

If you’re like the rest of the world, and you value a dollar, you tell people it cost LESS than it did.  You also tell them it was easy, no delays, and you loved your contractor.

How much did you pay for your condo?

How much did you sell your house for?

How much did your agent, lawyer, and mover charge you?

How many offers did you compete against when you “won” on offer night?

How much did the listing agent love the cookies you baked?

Excuse the cynicism, but I speak the truth for a living, and always have here on TRB.

And over the years, I’ve seen the lies, and watched people – often my own clients, believe them.

So when my client’s colleague says that she paid less than another bidder on offer night, I’m sorry – but I’ve heard that one before a hundred times.  Because in the end, there’s no way to prove she didn’t, and it’s just too easy for her to make the claim.

I gave my clients some tough love, and I felt bad for it.  They’re such a cute couple, and they’re always brimming with optimism.  But I don’t allow my clients to hope and wish – it’s one thing I pride myself on.  I tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient, or when it hurts.

And to take things one step further, I personally believe that in this market, the “letter from the buyers” can work against you.  It’s too easy for the listing agent to identify the buyer with the letter as the sucker, and go back to him or her for more money – even if they’re already the highest.

We bought that house on Tuesday night, FYI.  Without a letter.

The truth is, most sellers don’t care about the buyers.  Some do – and if you’re one of them, I encourage you to share your story below.  But most, from my experience, do not.

Many sellers in this market don’t even want to meet the buyer agent!

There are a lot of email offer presentations these days, as well as some cases where the listing agent presents the offers him or herself, to the sellers, after receiving them at the front door of the house from the buyer agents.

So look, the Toronto Star story was great, and I don’t want to take anything away from that (although you’ll tell me those words are hollow).

But my job in this market is to give you the straight goods.  It always has been.

And with the market appreciating as fast as it is, and with the speed at which properties sell, and the complexity of the offer process (not to mention the decision-making process for a buyer), I feel I would be doing buyers a disservice to let them think that they have a chance at getting a property, in this market, for “significantly less” than a higher, competing offer, because they’re nice people, or wrote a letter, or included a photo.

My father told me there was no Santa Claus, in July of 1986, in the parking lot of Armour Heights Public School, as I was about to board a bus to go to Camp Kawabi for a month.  I was younger than every other kid by two years (something my Dad thought would make me stronger, I suppose), but he didn’t want the other kids to make fun of me for thinking there was a Santa Claus.

Shoot the messenger if you want to.

But I think I just saved a lot of buyers, a lot of time, and many lost offers, by telling something they should already know: this market is all about money.

The post You Will Not Win In Competition Without The “Best” Offer appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

Originated from http://ift.tt/2nasueO