Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!  We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas cards from shutterfly

Christmas is almost here!  It is now less than two weeks away.  Where has the year gone?  Well, now that it is Christmas time... it is time to send out Christmas cards.  Everyone loves Christmas cards!  Especially all of your relatives you only get to see once or twice a year.  Most people hang them on the refrigerator or display them on the wall.  This is quite a lot of pressure... because you and your family will be up against all of the other picture perfect families.  If you don't have a picture perfect family, its okay.
Example of perfect family:

You can make up for it with a beautiful Christmas card!  Where can you get a beautiful Christmas card?  SHUTTERFLY!


I have used Shutterfly in the past and they have been fabulous.  There are a wide variety of cards you can choose from.

This is super easy.  All you need is a picture and a computer.  Choose the one you want, upload your picture and your good to go.  The shipping is fast and the cards look great!

Check it out!!!!!  Thank you shutterfly for making such a great product.

Along with Christmas cards they also have birth announcements (it helps if you have a baby), calendars (it helps if the world has not ended), and oh so much more!

Merry Christmas from howtomakeadollar!!!!!

FREE Christmas cards from Shutterfly!

Celebrate Christmas?  Send Christmas cards?  How about saving some money by getting FREE christmas cards!  

With Shutterfly you can sign up and blog about Shutterfly's Christmas cards and they will give you 50 FREE!  Thats worth about $60.  Not too bad.  

Sign up here:  http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

But you have to sign up by December 15th... so don't wait!

Junk mail that can make you rich

Somehow I got on the March of Dimes mailing list.  March of Dimes sends out solicitations several times a year.  Most junk mail is worthless.  The March of Dimes "junk mail" that I just received came with $.10!  Thats right, the mailing had a dime attached to it.  Pretty sweet.  Easy money just for being on someone's mailing list.  So hurry up and add yourself to their mailing list so one day you too can open up your mailbox and find FREE MONEY!

How to make money on Fourth of July

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our countries independence... but most importantly, like all other holidays, it is a great time to make money!

Howtomakeadollar has determined taking advantage of peoples emotions is a great way to make money.  To take it a step further, an even better way to make money is to take advantage of children's emotions.

Step by step plan for making money on Fourth of July by taking advantage of children's emotions:
1.  Celebrate 4th of July in the United States*,**,***

2.  Go to a place where there is a large group of people and fireworks

3.  Find a group of kids playing with sparklers

4.  Inform the happy children that the sparklers they are using are a fire hazard that causes over 170 deaths per year (completely made up).  Ask them if they are okay with knowingly contributing to these deaths.

5.  Inform the children that sparklers contain potassium nitrate, dextrin, sulfur, and charcoal all known components that are scientifically proven to contribute to global warming.  Ask them if they like to make mother earth cry.  Also ask them if they are okay with killing all of the polar bears in the world.  Also ask them if they are okay with the fact that if they continue to burn their sparklers every fourth of July the earth will be destroyed in exactly 7.5 years.

6.  Inform the children that the fumes from the sparklers is the leading cause of lung cancer.  Ask them if they are okay with slowly killing everyone around them.

7.  Continue to tell the children how dangerous, irresponsible, and harmful to the environment their sparklers are.  Continue this process until at least 63% of the children are in tears.

8.  At this point tell the children you are are a member of EAACUS (Ethical Adults Against Children Using Sparklers)**** and you need to confiscate the remaining sparklers and they must pay the $.50 sparkler reform tax for each sparkler they have burned.

9.  Most likely all of the children will run to their parents, get all of the extra sparklers and money and hurry back to give them to you.

10.  Thank the children for doing the right thing and assure them their grandchildren will thank them for making the right decision.

11.  Take the sparklers to the other side of the large group of people celebrating their independence and sell the sparklers to a group of underprivileged-non-sparkler-wielding children.

*The plan can be carried out in other countries on other days besides 4th of July, but may not be as  profitable. 

**4th of July may not be celebrated anymore in a couple of years, so take advantage of it while you can. 

***Once 4th of July is outlawed you can adapt the plan in the UK to Guy Fawks Night on November 5th

****Along with our Ride Shotgun for Life cards, howtomakeadollar sells EAACUS cards.  Having an EAACUS card will definitely make your story more believable.

Exclusive offer for cheap vehicles!

Several times a year, we like to offer How To Make A Dollar readers very important and exclusive information about great money making opportunities.  Several months ago we shared with you how to make money by helping the Nigerian Royal Family transfer funds to the U.S.  We recently came across a new opportunity.  This opportunity is how to get a great deal on a cheap vehicle through Craigslist.

On craigslist there is a section where people can buy and sell cars.  Occasionally there are GREAT DEALS!

This truck was on Craigslist for $4,600

Even if you are not an expert on cars, trucks, anything with wheels on it... $4,600 for this truck is obviously a GREAT DEAL!

Here is a step by step plan on how to secure this GREAT DEAL!

Step 1: email the person about the truck and make sure it is for real


To: sharonfennell@msn.com
Subject: F250 truck
Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:22:55 -0400

Sharon,

I saw your listing for an F250 pickup truck on craigslist.  http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/ctd/1693646109.html

Is $4,532 the correct price?  How many miles does the truck have on it?  Is the truck still available?  This looks like a great truck.

Thanks,

A

Step 2: Receive email confirmation about the vehicle.  

From: sharonfennell@msn.com
Subject: RE: F250 truck
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:24:39 +0000

2005 Ford F250 - 141,000 Miles

First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my car. I sell it at this price ($ 4600 ) because i just finished the divorce with my husband.The divorce has finished 6 months ago and the car is mine now.After the divorce I was forced to buy a new house. Following the financial crisis I can not afford to pay the bank and I decided to sell the car.This car is in excellent working conditions, no scratches, flaws or any kind of damage, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions and comes with a clear title.
From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.
We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account.The final price that I want for this car is $4600.I will pay for shipping and handling.
If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.

Sharon Fennell

P.S. - HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THE CAR - http://s843.photobucket.com/albums/zz354/SharonFennell/
If the link is not working please copy and paste the link into a new window. 




Step 3: Become suspicious when you see the exact same listing (same pictures, same description) listed in another part of the country.  Email the person back and ask them if it is a scam.  They will tell you if it is.  If they don't tell you it is a scam, you can assume it is not a scam.

Sent:	Mon 4/19/10 12:02 AM
To:	sharonfennell@msn.com

I found this listing on craigslist.  http://omaha.craigslist.org/cto/1681719984.html

It has the exact same pictures and description as your listing.  Do you have this truck?  Are you just using someone else's pictures as an example?  Is this a scam?

Step 4: Don't be alarmed or worried when the same person emails you the exact same email except about a different car and use a different name.  Most likely they had to change there name because of the divorce they are going through.

From:

Sharon Fennell (sharonfennell@msn.com)

2004 Ford Ranger V6 4WD Extended Cab - 59,000 Miles


First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my car. I sell it at this price ($ 2900 ) because i just finished the divorce with my husband.The divorce has finished 6 months ago and the car is mine now.After the divorce I was forced to buy a new house. Following the financial crisis I can not afford to pay the bank and I decided to sell the car.This car is in excellent working conditions, no scratches, flaws or any kind of damage, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions and comes with a clear title.
From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.
We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account.The final price that I want for this car is $2900.I will pay for shipping and handling.
If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.
I will wait your answer(if you are interested to buy) very soon.


Patricia Donegan


P.S. - HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THE CAR - http://s1012.photobucket.com/albums/af250/patricia34r4donegan/
If the link is not working please copy and paste the link into a new window.

Step 5: Tell the person selling the car you can pay cash for the vehicle but you would like to test drive it first.  If they don't want cash and don't want you to drive the car most likely there is a very reasonable explanation.

From:

Sharon Fennell (sharonfennell@msn.com)

The car is already at the shipping company in Bismarck,North Dakota ready for shipping. I have a contract with eBay so this deal must go through them. I'm very busy with my job and I'm out of town so I can't meet in person with you so this is the reason why I chose to sell my car over the Internet. According with  the eBay you have 5 days from the time you receive the car to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not.
Here is how it will work:
1.First of all I will need  the following details from you:
- Full Name
- Full Shipping Address
2. After I will receive the details from you, I will forward them to eBay.
3. After they will process your info, they will send us both invoices. The invoice will send you the details on how to make a refundable payment.
4. eBay will contact me and I will ship the car to you. After you receive the car you will have 5 days to test, verify and do whatever you need to the car. If you will buy, then I will receive the payment details from eBay so that I can pick up the money.
5. If you will decide that you will not buy the car,  eBay will refund the money and I will have the shipping company come pick up my car. If you wish to make the transaction, please send me the necessary info so that we can proceed. I look forward to hear from you.

Thank you 

Step 6: Don't be alarmed when you see the exact same email under the "examples of scams" section on craigslists Frequently Asked Questions on http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my car. I sell it at this price($2,980.00 ) because I have been divorced recently. Now the car is in my property and as a woman i don't need it. This car is in excellent working conditions, no scratches, flaws or any kind of damage, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions and comes with a clear title.

From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services. We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account for $20,000.00 The final price that I want for this car is $2,980.00 including shipping and handling.

If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.

I will wait your answer very soon.

Step 7: Help the person getting a divorce out by buying their car through craigslist but pay them through ebay without test driving the car.  GREAT DEAL!

How to make $1 by racing in the Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Triathalon

Howtomakeadollar supports physical fitness.  One way to get a good workout is to take up racing in triathlons.  Triathlons consist of swimming, biking and running.  They are easy.  People usually do not need to do any training for triathlons.

To make an extra dollar or two we suggest participating in triathlons with your friends and betting them you will beat them.

Step by Step plan:
1) Pay $180 for a year member ship to a swimming pool)
2) Buy a new pair of $125 running shoes (howtomakeadollar is sponsored by Nike+ shoes, so use them!)

3) Buy a new $2,900 bike, the more expensive the faster it is!
4) Train (not completely necessary)
5) Sign up for the Smith Mountain Lake sprint triathlon
6) Bet your friend $1 that you finish before they do
7) Finish before your friend does (this one is the most important step in the plan)

Easy way to make $1!

How to make a dollar hiding Easter Eggs

If you did not make a dollar hiding Easter Eggs this year... you didn't do it correctly.  Every year you should make at least $1 hiding Easter Eggs.

Step by Step plan:

Step 1: Prepare for Easter Egg hunt
-This step usually involves waiting for someone else to buy candy, eggs, put them in the eggs, prepare a wonderful Easter feast, invite friends over, and have a great day.
-For this step it is important to get invited to above mentioned get together
-It also helps to have children present at the Easter celebration (this is not required, but it looks a little weird for a lot of adults to walk around with Easter baskets looking for brightly colored eggs "hidden" in the yard)

Step 2: Find a really hard place to hide an easter egg
-Places can include birds nests, tall trees, chimneys, or gutters.

Step 3: Bet your friend that you can put the egg in the really hard place to hide the easter egg for at least $1


Step 4: Spend 1 hour throwing an Easter egg high up into a tree that has a birds nest


Step 5: Get Easter egg stuck in the birds nest high up in the tree

Step 6: Collect $1

Below is a picture of our actualized job of hiding an easter egg in a birds nest high up in a tree along with the $1!

Make Money on April Fool's Day

It is very easy to make money on Fool's Day

1. Walk up to some guy
2. Tell him that he does not owe you any money
3. Wait until he replies
4. Regardless of what he says, immediately shout "April Fool's!"
5. Explain to him that actually, he does owe you money
6. Collect money from him

Make money off the NCAA Basketball Tournament

You are probably aware that every March there is a major college basketball tournament of the top 64 college basketball teams in the U.S. I think this tournament is called "March Excitement" or something. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

But did you know that there are ways to make money off this tournament?

There are at least two.

1. Make money at the basketball tournament by selling tickets
You may have some Super Bowl tickets left over that no one bought. If so, just cross out where it says "Super Bowl" and then write "Basketball Tournament" on the ticket. You can sell these at the entrance of the basketball arena for a dollar or two. If you don't have any of these tickets, you can buy one from Howtomakeadollar for a dollar. Or you can just donate a dollar to us because you are nice.

If you want to see the original Super Bowl blog with other similar ideas for making money at sporting events, click here.

2. Make money at the basketball tournament by becoming a human advertisement.
   1. Get a tattoo of a major company tattooed on your butt. If you have a large butt, you can get more than one company name tattooed there. This will increase profits.
   2. Go to a basketball game
   3. Wait until no one is looking
   4. If you are wearing any clothes, take them off
   5. Run as fast as you can across the basketball court
   6. Steal the ball from whoever has it. This may be difficult because college basketball players are pretty athletic, but the fact that you are naked may work in your favor here.
   7. Dunk the ball. I see people do this all the time when I watch basketball, so it can't be very hard.
   8. Hang on the rim until officials remove you
   9. Someone at the company will give you a lot of money for advertising.*
If you tattoo "Howtomakeadollar" on your butt and successfully do this stunt, Howtomakeadollar will pay you a dollar, and will award you an honorary title such as "Count" or "Duke" or whatever title you want.

*A good friend of mine has assured me that 83% of all companies in the world will pay you money to do this stunt. He is working on his MBA right now, so I think he knows what he's talking about.






There is still an opportunity to submit a guest blog for Howtomakeadollar's 2010 Best Guest Bloggers Blogfest Blog-off competition. Winner gets cash. Losers get a fungal infection. See rules here. 

How to Make Money from the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is a big deal, and tons of money is spent on it every year. In big markets like this you can do pretty well by simply gaining a tiny fraction of the overall market. You don't have to be a genius. Thats good for you, because statistically speaking, only like 1% of the population is a genius, so you probably aren't.

Fortunately for you, the screening process for Howtomakeadollar writers is very strict, and we are all geniouses. (sp??)


Idea: Sell "Tickets"
How the Business Works: Relatively few people have ever been to a Super Bowl, so most people probably don't know what tickets look like. This is where you come in.
1. Go to a county fair
2. Get a bunch of those tickets that say "admit one." I'm pretty sure thats what Super Bowl tickets look like.
3. Write "Super Bowl" on the tickets with a sharpie
4. Sell on Ebay, or if you happen to live near Miami, you can go to the stadium and scalp them outside

Idea: Sell hotdogs and beer
How the Business Works: You've probably been to a sporting event, and you may have seen people going around selling hotdogs and beer. They work for the stadium, so they don't keep the money they make. This is where you come in.
1. Get a bunch of hotdogs and beer.
2. Sneak into the stadium. (I doubt this will be very difficult.)
3. Run around shouting about your cold beer (does not have to be cold) and your hot dogs. For the beer you have to promote it as colder than any other beer ever, or else people will buy beer from a different guy who convinces them that his is colder. Hot dogs are easier. Just yell "Hot Dogs!" frequently. There are very few appropriate adjectives that can make a hot dog sound more appetizing. Either people want them or they don't.
4. Sell them to people for a dollar.

Idea: Make Bets
How the business works: Lots of people like to make bets on sports events, especially the Super Bowl. Only about half of these people win their bets. Howtomakeadollar has a better way.
1. Go to a Super Bowl party
2. Offer any bet on the game outcome that someone is willing to take. It makes no difference who you bet on to win. Just bet against whatever the other person says.
3. Watch Super Bowl
4. If your team wins, make sure the other guy pays up
5. If your team loses, insist that you actually bet the opposite way, and make them pay you. If they refuse, offer a compromise in which no one pays. Tell the person that its just money, and that you forgive them.

The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser television show is a hit!  People like to sit and eat ice cream while watching fat people on TV workout, cry, get mad, and loose weight.  What more do you need in a show?  Instead of gaining 500 pounds and trying out for Biggest Loser season 57, start your own biggest loser competition at your job.

Step by Step plan to make money from starting your own Biggest Loser competition.
1) Gain weight (this is usually pretty easy between October and December every year)
2) Complain to other people at work about your weight gain (this will allow you to find out other people that are disgruntled with their weight gain as well)
3) Get all of the disgruntled overweight people together and suggest you all start a biggest loser competition
4) Get each person to put $10 into the pot
5) Weigh everyone each week (for additional money, get each person to put an extra $1 into a weekly pot that goes to the person who loses the most money that week)
6) Lose weight (this is the most important step in the plan)
7) Give everyone else in the competition candy and cookies so they gain weight
8) Lose the most weight, win the money

This is a good idea that can be done every year.  Just make sure you gain a lot of weight during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Make money throwing away Christmas trees (with options to GO GREEN!)

So a couple of weeks ago you bought a real Christmas tree...  how festive, how Chrismissy.  Let me be the first to thank you for 1) celebrating Christmas, 2) stimulating the economy, and 3) cutting down a tree (our greatest renewable resource).  Now that Christmas is done, your tree is dead, and all of the presents are opened and forgotten.... its time to take out the tree!  Needles, needles everywhere!  No one (at least that I know of) likes to take out their Christmas tree.  Thus, a good business opportunity for you.  People like to pay others money to do things they don't want to do.

Here is the step by step business plan:
1)knock on doors
2)find someone that is home
3)convince them they need you to take out their Christmas tree (if they're not convinced, do it anyway, they'll appreciate it and pay you big bucks)
4)take out tree
5)throw tree away
5a) going green option: save it for next year and sell it to some sucker who will feel good about reusing a poor murdered Christmas tree.  He will probably also buy your used Christmas wrapping paper (so don't forget to save it too).
6)vacuum up needles
6a) going green option: save needles and sell them to the same guy who bought the tree in step 5a
7)get paid
8)reinvest your money in your next $1 idea

This is a great business opportunity for townhouse and condo developments.  People don't really like walking down 3 flights of stairs with a dead Christmas tree.  Click here or here for other great business opportunities geared to condo and townhouse developments.

Business risks: atheists who hate Christmas, Barack Obama (Obama hates Christmas too) and the crazy old lady who keeps her tree up all year.

How To Make Money At Christmastime (Supplemented)

A few more ways to make money around Christmas:

1.  Sal's vacation Army
This idea involves tapping into the Pavlovian urge to toss change into a red bucket at the sound of a bell around Christmastime.

1.  Dress up as Santa
2.  Buy a red cauldron (a bucket may work, but for best results use a cauldron, preferably with hanger)
3.  Buy a bell
4.  Position yourself outside of a popular store with said cauldron and bell.  You may wish to seek out a different entrance than the Salvation Army volunteer who is most likely stationed at the main entrance.
5.  Ring the bell vigorously.  Most people should not notice that you are not affiliated with Salvation Army in any way, but just in case, you could attach a sign to your cauldron that says "For Sal's vacation Army", with the "S" and "Army" in larger font.  This may fool the rest.
6.  Learn to live with the guilt.

2.  Post-Christmas Resale
You have most likely received a moderate to above-moderate amount of free things recently.  Some people call them gifts.  I like to think of them as opportunities to make money.  Immediately sell all of these "gifts" on ebay for maximum profit.

3.  Recycled Wrapping Paper
There is a segment of the population that actively looks to purchase things that are recycled, and another segment that loves finding bargains on Christmas items after Christmas.  Where these two segments intersect, you can find a profit.
1. Save a few empty cardboard wrapping paper rolls.
2. Gently unwrap any gifts you receive and keep the wrapping paper.  To maximize the amount of reusable paper, you could also offer (demand) to unwrap everyone else's gifts as well.
3.  Roll the used wrapping paper back onto the empty cardboard rolls.  You can combine different sizes and types of wrapping paper onto the same roll.  Secure the roll with a few rubber bands, tape, or even some used ribbon for extra flair.
4.  Sell the rolls to an environmentally conscious vendor.  Or sell them yourself from a cart outside of Target.
5.  For variation you could make a few rolls using paper that was completely trashed when the gifts were opened.  These you can sell for half price.

10 Ways to Make Money at Christmastime*

*Contains only four actual ideas


There are lots of ways to make money at Christmastime. In fact, that is what the holiday is all about! It is a holiday that is based on and dependent on commercialization. Thats the meaning of Christmas. So if you aren't making loads of money off Christmas, you are probably one of the dupes who is spending it. Don't be a dupe.

As with everything else on this blog, some of these ideas are kind of good, others are not.

Business Ideas

1. Plastic Junk With Santa on It: 
 1. Find someone on Facebook who looks like they are from Taiwan or the Philippines.
 2. Friend them.
 3. Ask them to mass produce about 10,000 cheap plastic items with a picture of Santa Claus on them. These  items can be anything from napkins to mud flaps to frisbees. Most people in Taiwan or the Philippines should have no trouble filling this order.
 4. If you are feeling particularly cynical you can have a picture of baby Jesus instead of Santa.
 5. Once the shipment arrives, sell everything to Wal-Mart.

2. Christmas Tree Removal
 1. Go around after Christmas and offer to take people's Christmas trees for a dollar
 2. Put all the trees in a big pile in the middle of a field. This pile should be enormous, with at least 50 trees in it.
 3. Soak the trees with gasoline
 4. Advertise a big Christmas tree bonfire on New Years Eve
 5. Sell tickets to the event
 6. Sell hot chocolate
 7. Set the trees on fire at midnight
 8. Optional: Put a few loud firecrackers in the middle of the pile of trees so that it makes cool noises and pops lots of big sparks.

3. Gift flipping
 1. Figure out which electronic gadgets are likely to be in high demand at Christmas
 2. Buy as many of them as possible
 3. Sell them on Ebay for more than you bought them for
Side Note: A friend of mine bought two Nintendo Wii's a few years ago when they were new. He sold one on Ebay on Dec. 20 for $603, and sold another on Dec. 23 for over $800. They had cost him about $250 each.

4. Following FedEx trucks around
 1. Drive around until you see a FedEx or UPS truck
 2. Follow it
 3. Do not look suspicious
 4. Wait until the driver stops and leaves a box on someone's porch
 5. Wait until the driver drives away
 6. Run over to the porch and grab whatever they left
 7. Open  it up and see what it is. It is probably one of five things: A power tool, An electronic gadget, Jewelry, A bag of mixed nuts, A cheap plastic thing with Santa on it.
8. Take it home and sell it
Side note: This is actually a pretty big problem at Christmas, so if you are expecting a delivery, you should try to be home when it arrives, or you should leave instructions for the driver to put it somewhere that is not visible from the street.

Sell Snow

With global warming coming upon us so fast... we need to enjoy the MASSIVE amounts of snow we are getting these days.  According to Al Gore, all snow and ice in the entire world is going to be gone in the next 4 to 6 years!  So, for the next 4 to 6 years, collect snow.  Put it into a freezer in a fancy container with the date on it.  Then in 50 years from now when no one even knows what snow is; sell it!  All you need is to live in a place that gets snow, a container, a pair of gloves and have a big freezer.

How To Make Money on Black Friday

Business Idea: Set up a snack stand outside of a popular store on Black Friday.

Business Description: People voluntarily choose to wake up ridiculously early in the morning to stand in line in the cold to possibly buy things they probably don't need.  You can help\take advantage of them.

Business Resources: Snack food, hot drinks, hot packs, ponchos (optional), and card table.

Step-by-Step Business Plan:

1. Wake up early in the morning on Black Friday

2. Gather up whatever snack food you have lying around.  Or plan ahead and buy\make donuts, muffins, bagels, etc.

3. Make a pot of coffee or hot water for tea and hot chocolate and pour into a thermos.  Don't forget cream, sugar, tea bags, and hot chocolate packs.

4. (optional) Take ponchos to sell if raining, hot packs (pre-heated) if really cold, and a card table to display your wares.
5. Dress warmly.

6. Drive to a popular store hours before its advertised opening time.  Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target are viable options.
7. Set up the table and arrange the food and drink on it for display.  If you are an over-achiever, place the sign that you made ahead of time on the table as well.

8. Sell food and drink to the hungry horde.  Try not to ridicule them too much since they represent your customer base.
9. Continue to operate your snack stand throughout the morning.  Some people may not be hungry right away, but after spending hours standing in line to get into the store, and then standing in line to get out of the store, many of them will be famished.  Set your prices accordingly.  The more famished your customers are, the more money you can charge.  You can try to lure people in by offering free hot drinks, since heating up a bunch of hot water and providing tea bags or hot chocolate packs will not cost you too much, strategically place a tip jar on your table, and sell the baked goods for profit.

Feasibility Quotient: 85

Business Risks: You may need a permit to operate a snack stand on store property.  If someone asks to see your permit, offer them a scone.

Business Competitors: Stores with snack stands\restaurants inside.  Avoid these stores.

Business Growth Opportunities:  This is a scalable business model.  The more time and money you put into your stand (such as offering gourmet drinks or hot breakfast sandwiches, etc), the more you can potentially make out of it. 

How to Make Money By Organizing Races

Business Idea: Organize local races and competitions

Business Description: Every summer you will see signs advertising some sort of race, usually it is a 5k or a marathon. Most of these races require contestants to pay an entrance fee of $15 to $50. Yes, thats right. People pay money to run even though they can run for free whenever they want to. All you have to do is plan some sort of course. I recommend a 5k, which is just over three miles. You should pick a somewhat scenic route, and you will probably have to get permission from your town. Once you get permission, just give the race a name and market it.

Business Expenses: Your town may make you pay some sort of fee to run on the course. Your other costs will be advertising, giveaways, (you should provide snacks, Gatorade, and T-shirts to your runners) and prizes.

Business Logistics: You will have to start work on this at least a year before your target race date because there are several steps, and all of them can take significant time. The more time you have to market your race, the more contestants you will get. Start by mapping out a scenic course through a local historic area or park. Once you have a good course in mind, go to the local authorities and ask for a permit. Pay whatever fee they charge, as long as its reasonable, like $100 or less. Then go find local businesses who will sponsor the event. To entice sponsors, you should offer to put an ad for the company on the back of the t-shirts you give out. Once you've collected enough money from your sponsors to pay for your expenses, you should start advertising. Put signs on nearby street corners, post bills on any kind of public bulletin board, and put an ad in the local paper. If possible, write an article for the paper. Get a free website that provides all the information. You should give your race a memorable name. The registration fee should easily pay for the t-shirts, and you should be able to pocket about $10 per runner. On  the morning of the race make sure the course is well marked, make sure there are tables full of snacks and drinks, and prizes. There should be age groups, and prizes for the top three finishers in each age group. I recommend participating in a few races before you actually host your own. These races get more and more popular every year, so make it a regular event.

Related Business Ideas: Triathlons, Wife Carrying Contests, Polar Bear Clubs

Business Risks: If you don't get enough contestants to cover your costs, you could lose big time. Try to spread out the risk by getting local business to partner with you.

Feasibility Quotient: 74