Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

There are many areas where our three suggestions can make a quick improvement.  Desktop security is one such topic.  The subject of security comes up every day in the news and our work.  It is all around us.  However, we can use tools wisely or not.  Here are three you should use properly. Strong Passwords The list of typical passwords is laughable.  Of course, it also should bring tears.  A passw...

Our tour of three things you can do to make your life easier will look at IDE options in this episode.  We all have our favorite IDE within the first year or two of professional development.  That usually falls into either the Eclipse or Visual Studio camp.  However, there are a lot of other options available.  While your primary tool is useful, these additional tools may provide a better choice i...

In this episode, we look at a favorite topic.  Here are three ways to write better code.  We create a lot of source code during our career.  Thus, this is an area where the ROI can be huge when you take these steps early on.  These will not only help you write code that is easier to maintain, but it will also reduce your bugs and improve stability. Use Static Analysis Tools For Better Code One of...

Our season of threes continues with a look at three ways to make it more likely for you to pass certifications.  These tests vary a lot in style and content detail.  However, there are three steps I have found that make your success far more likely.  These are not as quick and easy to do as some other items in our series.  On the other hand, certifications are not simple nor easy in themselves. Us...

We jump into a new season and a new topic.  This season will bounce around a bit as we tackle three things to know about a subject in each episode.  Our focus will be more technical than entrepreneurial as we look at how to get better.  However, we will cover a broad range of topics as we walk through this season. Get Better Actions Each episode will provide a list of three ways to get better rela...

One of the oldest methods of passive income is the use of vending machines.  They even found some example in the ancient Egypt pyramids (no, they did not).  These are perfect passive income devices. They are roughly a salesperson sitting at a specific location and working twenty-fours per day.  Better yet, advances have made these an even better option for those of us interested in generating pass...

In the world of passive income, what can be better than parties and networking as part of your efforts?  I know that some of us do not find a lot of pleasure in these types of events.  However, for those that do, this becomes a perfect match of work with joy.  You can start small and grow to substantial income and activities. Parties and Networking For Income We have all attended events that fall...

We have touched on a large number of potential passive income opportunities.  However, there is an incredible number of lesser-known odd jobs as well.  These can include collectibles and ride-sharing, but that is not the focus of this episode.  We will spread out into further reaches, including transportation services and jobs that are roughly doing someone a favor (for a fee). Odd Jobs Are Everyw...

While arts and crafts are not always a path to riches, they do often have some value beyond the material they are created from.  Thus, hobbies that fall into this category are excellent for passive income.  There are work and effort that go into these products.  However, when you enjoy the job, it might as well be considered passive. Arts And Crafts Come In Many Forms Many people think of things l...

When you think of passive income, the idea of ridesharing is not likely to occur to you.  However, there are ways to make this new opportunity work for you.  This concept will require some planning and flexibility.  Nevertheless, we can find ways to do this in a passive style rather than the side-hustle it is often viewed as. Ridesharing Can Be Time For Money The most common approach to the ridesh...

No matter what physical product is created, there are bits left over.  Sometimes these are full, unused products.  In this episode, we look at using those to generate passive income from overages.  These items are often tossed in the trash, so why not see if they are sellable.  Rather than working harder, this approach will allow you to generate income from stuff you already have. Passive Income F...

The best ways to generate passive income is through subscription-based products.  These solutions are the gift that keeps on giving.  We have a sales cycle that is successful, and then we see the profit for months and years to come.  It is worth our time to dig a little deeper into this form of income and typical solutions in this category. The Best Subscription-Based Products While there are many...

There are passive income best practices we can follow to improve our odds for success.  There are also anti-patterns we want to avoid.  This area of entrepreneurship is so broad and loosely defined that best practices tend to be vague.  The anti-patterns are much easier to detail and avoid as we launch our product. Passive Income Best Practices Avoid Time-Wasters The income portion of the PI equat...

We have often discussed how we can outsource and automate our processes.  This approach allows us to reduce the hustle portion of our side-hustle.  While that is a crucial step, it is also one that can provide its own challenges.  Outsourcing, in particular, is a learned skill and one that takes patience and research.  In this episode, we will look at some key considerations when you take this ess...

It is hard to argue that reducing expenses is not the least exciting episode of this season.  Nevertheless, this is an important part of our passive income strategy.  Debt is a killer of any income.  Also, any funds we free up can be used for investing and other income streams.  That makes this an essential part of the move to being a master of passive income. Reducing Expenses Adds Up Investing i...

It is hard to flip through a magazine or sit through television commercials without being exposed to a cashback program.  These come in many forms.  Some provide points or tokens of some sort, while others credit your account or even send you cash.  No matter how these work, they are all ways to get paid for spending money.  While not fully passive, these are good programs to take advantage of. Ca...

One of the best ways to generate a passive income stream is to profit from what you already do.  We have looked at a couple of ways to do this.  However, a hobby may be the best of these options.  We are essentially taking what we do for fun and turning it into a way to make money.  This discussion is not just about loving your job. It is about getting paid for the things you love to do. A Hobby I...

We have looked at regular content like blogs and podcasts for passive income.  However, there are better options for passive income that are one-time content products.  These include things like books, instructional videos, white papers, and more.  These products are excellent options since they provide recurring revenue from a single push to create it. One-Time Content Takes On Going Effort One-t...

A side hustle is an excellent way to improve your income.  However, that word "hustle" implies that it is anything but passive.  While that may be the case when you start, there is a path to passive income from many side hustle jobs.  You need to take advantage of automation and outsourcing. The Manual Side Hustle We almost always start with a manual side hustle.  That is the nature of such a vent...

Real estate is an area where many investors make their money.  However, in the past, it has required a sizable investment to get started.  That is no longer the case.  We now have sites that we can visit that help us use the concept of crowdsourcing to buy into a piece of a real estate transaction.  Now that we can start small, it makes sense to look at this as a way to save, invest, and earn a pa...

As forms of passive income from investing go, the idea of micro venture capital investments is the best fit.  These options can lose all of your funding.  However, they can also lead to huge earnings.  Think about owning a small piece of Amazon, Google, or Facebook when they started out.  Those are outliers, of course, but the success they had will probably occur again. Micro Venture Capital - Inv...

Anyone that has ever been in debt has seen how lenders can make money.  However, we often see the level of entry for a lender is far beyond our means.  Never fear, microloans are here.  This investment instrument allows us to step into the loan side of the equation with less than a hundred dollars. Fundamentals of Microloans This form of saving/investing involves contributing your funds to a pool...

When you think of your money working for you, there are several options.  However, the stock market is one of the best potential returns with easy entry.  This option does not come without spending time to choose your investments.  Nevertheless, some hard work early on can pay off for decades to come. Winning in the Stock Market It is no secret that the best way to make money in the stock market i...

There are several passive income and side hustle options that get mentioned over and over.  Public speaking is one of those options.  It seems like it is a trendy way to earn a little income while building a brand or name recognition.  While these side effects are excellent, the revenue side is not what it is often portrayed to be. Public Speaking Everywhere One of the challenges with making money...

While not precisely passive, a content producer can open up multiple streams of revenue.  We will point back to this option as a potential step in several episodes of this season.  Thus, we set the stage early for ideas that can lead us to take this step with a minimum of additional effort.  I guess that makes this "passive-ish" instead of a genuinely passive income topic. Hobbyist as Content Prod...