Blog Marco - Business

Paypal vs. Credit Card Currency Conversion - Which Gives Better Rates?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:26:01 -0800

Teaser:
Which should you choose, credit card or paypal? Compare which gets the better rate?

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Here's a topic which would interest frugal shoppers and businesses who pay for outsourcing, services, gifts and other products online with Paypal. Comparing Paypal vs. Credit Card Currency Conversion - Which gives better rates? Personally I thought my credit card would get the better rate. But it turns out Paypal gives the better rate taking in consideration the whole transaction including fees. I though Paypal was only trying to be difficult when they try to force me to use Paypal for the currency conversion process and not my credit card.

Ok this is the experiment I did: First I took note of how much it was to convert from Australian dollars to US dollars using Paypal's payment method, with Paypal Conversion Rate. For $100 USD, it would cost me $115.78 AUD. That's including all the fees and currency conversion costs and Paypal allowed me to pay this bill either by using my Direct Deposit, or credit card or current Paypal Funds. But then I switched my payment conversion method to my own credit card company - so my credit card will do the currency conversion. My bill came to this: $100 USD cost $113.56 AUD.... BUT... there was an additional International transaction fee of $3.35, bringing my cost to $116.91 - which is $1.13 AUD more expensive. I did the same experiment with another transaction of a smaller value, and it was similar: PayPal was cheaper to use. Yes the Credit card companeis give you a good exchange rate, but then they charge their fees - and that's when they double dip as the card companies make money on the exchange spread and the supposed "international transaction fee" which is a fixed price per transaction plus a percentage. Check with your own credit card if this is the case.

Are Entrepreneurs Unemployable?

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:42:11 -0800

Teaser:
Starting your own business and running your own business as an entrepreneur makes you unemployable

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Being an entrepreneur and starting your own business leads you down a path to being unemployable. There are two types of being unemployable: either that you are a bum and don't have any skills, or you own a business which provides you an income stream and you are the master of your own domain.

Entrepreneurs are unemployable because they love what they do. They have a passion for their work, they are dedicated to their cause and their goals and don't count the hours of their work. We think in terms of how much work we can do in one day and wish that there were more hours in the day to work.

Entrepreneurial individuals also are massive control freaks. We like to get our own way and we want control over what we've worked hard to build. We are also super independent but have a can-do attitude, We tend to jump into things, not really knowing what we are getting ourselves into, but we are determined enough to find out what needs to be done to get to where we want to get to. Entrepreneurs are unemployable because we are stubborn, hard headed, passionate, jack of all trades, self employed, control freak, independent bunch who can't take orders from people (to a certain extent).

A Lesson About Inflation: Zimbabwe

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:09:09 -0800

Robert Mugabe (President of Zimbabwe) should watch the above Ducktales cartoon... it teaches a good lesson why you should not keep printing money... The Zimbabwean inflation rate is at world record levels at 231 million percent inflation. Their government budget is sized t $US 3 billion, but in their local Zimbabwean dollars it is 66,500,000,000,000,000,000 - and rising.

Damien Hirst and his Golden Calf

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:12:10 -0700

Teaser:
Damien Hirst, his Golden Calf and diamond encrusted, platinum skull

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Here is UK's wealthiest (living) artist, Damien Hirst. He recently held a public auction during two days (September 15-16 2008) selling 223 works in an auction titled "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" (bypassing his art dealers and selling direct to the public) where he earned more than £70m, above its high estimate of £62m. The headlining auction lot is Hirst's "The Golden Calf", which is one his formaldehyde animal sculptures. The Golden Calf's hooves and horns are cast in 18-carat gold, and there is a distinctive solid gold disc above its head. The Golden Calf lot sold for £10.3m, a record for the artist at auction. "The Kingdom", one of Mr Hirst's signature tiger shark formaldehyde works, sold for £9.6m. The artist didn't attend the auction as he considers it "too stressful". 20,000 members of the public attended the viewing.

Damien Hirst, 43, is already one of the best-selling modern artists in the world. Last year he sold a platinum cast skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds for £50 million, which is thought to be the world's most expensive piece of contemporary art.

What is the Minimum Wage in Australia?

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:46:59 -0700

You may be wondering what is the minimum wage in Australia: This week, the Fair Pay Commission raised the federal minimum wage in Australia by $21.66 a week, which calculates to $14.31 per hour and the weekly rate to $543.78 (compared to the previous minimum of $13.74 last year or $522.12 per week). This minimum pay scheme in Australia starts from October 2008.

Web Manager Job Description

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:24:58 -0700

This job sounds interesting: The following is a job description for a "Web Manager" aka Webmaster...

Australia’s largest independent online entertainment guide http://www.liveguide.com.au/ is growing and is seeking a Web Manager.

• Amazing potential for growth
• National website with established audience
• High degree of creative freedom.

Based in North Sydney, the role will see you coordinating daily activities involved in running a top ranking national website and driving business development. Liasing with music promoters, venue operators and touring artists, your written and verbal communication skills will be top notch and an established bed of contacts in the entertainment industry will be a distinct advantage. A background in web based marketing or communications will also be a very significant factor in your suitability to this role.

Ideal for someone who wants to combine their entertainment industry experience with their flair for exciting web; success in this role lies in you growing an established website past its competition using your creative drive and nose for compelling content and editorial.

Unleaded Petrol Prices

Sat, 17 May 2008 03:49:12 -0700

Unleaded petrol prices are rising. And rising fast. Oil prices are at their record heights. Do you know the average price of uleaded petrol in Australia is about AUD$1.46 per Litre for this month (May 2008). In America the monthly average is USD$3.78 per Gallon or just AUD $1.047 per Litre (At todays rate of $1 AUD = 0.954 US cents and there are 3.784L in 1 gallon). I last wrote about petrol prices back in 2005 when petrol hit $1.39 for the first time. Last month in USA the average per gallon of unleaded petrol was $3.39 and least year the average stood at USD$3.10 per Gallon. Analysts predict that if one barrel of oil was to reach US$200, unleaded petrol would be around USD $5 per gallon or AUD $1.38 per litre. Now that price difference between what Americans pay for their Unleaded Petrol and what we Aussies pay is something to think about.

Photography Industry Jobs

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:07:29 -0700

Still looking at the job pages for photography related jobs. Why? I'm just interested in what kind of jobs are out there for photographers and people who are interested in photographic arts. Also, its also interesting to observe what the business of photography requires. They need: photographers, assistants, graphic designers and sales people. My previous posts about photography related employment are: Studio jobs, digital photographer for a studio, another photography job, freelance photographer, a junior photographer job and finally a Starshots studio photographer.

Photography Studio Jobs

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:19:28 -0700

Still surfing the photography employment pages. This time I found some jobs in a Photography Studio which aren't photographer jobs. These are support staff positions that would get people in the door to the studio. One is for a telemarketer (Nooo!!! Not those annoying telemarketing callers!) and the other is a sales consultant. The photography business, is after all, a luxury item. No one needs photos - its a luxury to take photos, and its a luxury to charge hundreds of dollars for one studio photo. Sounds vain doesn't it? Here is a list of previous jobs I've previously recorded: part time digital photographer for a studio, another job here, freelance photographers job, a job for an assistant to a photographer job and finally a job at Starshots studio.

Dominic McVey - Teenage Entrepreneur

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:01:03 -0700

Teaser:
Dominic McVey - Teenage Entrepreneur, Millionaire by 15 years old

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I was watching 'Sunrise' on Channel 7 this morning and they were interviewing Dominic McVey who was a teenage entrepreneur becoming a millionaire by 15 years old. He is 23 now and pursuing other entrepreneurial pursuits.

Sydney Freelance Photographers Job

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:18:25 -0700

I've been on a lookout for photography jobs here and here but for no specific reason. I guess to scope out my competition. This time they're advertising a freelance photographer position. I am assuming that this business is like an agency - they get work for you and in turn pass on the job to you while getting a commission from the whole process. They claim to pay $30 to $75 per hour. If the jobs are daily and consistent $30/hour is reasonable to pay for a freelance photographer but the question to ask them is if the equipment provided and if there is a transport allowance (petrol is so expensive!) and if other expenses are covered. Also you are looking at the quality of photographers that you attract at those prices? Does the company have a training scheme to train the photographers to output a certain standard of photos or are they simply put to work?

Junior Photographer's Assistant

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:24:13 -0700

Last week I saw this Photographer at Starshots, which is one of those shopping mall/centre studio setups. This week there's this "Photographic assistant" junior position which pays $25K to $30,000... which is not bad provided your career is to become a professional photographer. BUT is really cheap labour since you are only getting paid about $480 a week (not including taxes) or about $12 an hour.

Photographic assistant - junior position

Work Type: Full Time
Sub-Classification: Photography
Area: Sydney - Inner

Advertiser: Studio Commercial
Salary: $25K - $30K + super and bonus
Modern city based photographic studio is looking for a full time junior assistant.

The applicant should be energetic, creative, trustworthy, have initiative, drive, be a team player, well presented, keen to listen and learn, and can carry heavy photographic equipment.

Skills
A basic understanding of photography, computer savvy. Must have current drivers licence.

Internet Marketing Employment

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:21:03 -0700

I was browsing the web and I found a couple of jobs relating to Internet Marketing. Some of their employment responsibilities are quite interesting... Jobs listed below include: Social Network Administrator, Internet/Media Sales Guru, Social Network Content Writer, Account Manager-On-Line Merchants, Web Designer-Flash. These are the jobs of tomorrow. These jobs didn't exist a decade ago... and only started appearing when Flash was invested and affiliate and social marketing took off in recent times.

Photographer at Starshots Bankstown

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:52:24 -0700

This photograhy position opening at Starshots Bankstown looks interesting. I wonder what their pay rates and commissions are? These guys charge anywhere between $200 to $400 per photo including the whole makeup and photoshoot session.

STARSHOTS Bankstown is an established business that has been operating successfully in Centro Bankstown for the past 10 years. We are part of a growing franchise that now has 17 studios throughout the country.

Our Bankstown studio requires an experienced portrait photographer to join our friendly team of photographers and makeup artists.

Photographer - Job Responsibilities:

Using lighting, props and poses to take photos that will wow! our clients

Being able to sell our product to prospective clients

Answering phones and attending to enquiries

Working with a team to help produce a great experience for our clients

Photographer - Essential Skills Required:

Experienced in portrait studio photography (2+ years minimum)

Doorknocking Campaigns

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:44:49 -0700

Big companies are so desperate to get customers nowadays. Instead of just relying on their advertising campaigns and good word of mouth for people to sign up to their service, they are now sending out door knockers to drum up some business. Australia only has some 21 million people so the only way to grow for these big companies is to grab customers from other competitors. And so doorknocking campaigns have come back. Not only do you have to watch out for the persistent visits from Jehovah's witnesses, but not its the doorknocker from some contracted marketing company representing one of the big companies. I'm talking about the likes of Optus, Telstra, AGL, Integral and Energy Australia.

Doorknocking campaigns are an old technology. Their conversion rate must be high enough to be able to afford to employ a physical sales workforce to come out and talk to potential leads (aka customers) and to convert them into a "sale" or signup.

Doorknocking campaigns are an invasive practise. They simply turn up at your doorstep at the most inconvenient times - the times when you are eating, doing household chores, preparing dinner or eating dinner. It is difficult to handle on the spot. You are there and the salesperson is giving you their spiel, and their offer - vouchers or discounts. It all sounds good - but what is the catch? There's always a catch. Remember to always ask what the fine print is. Like, is their a lock in period? Commitment period, etc... Another difficult thing is that you aren't really given a chance to compare the offers by other competitors on the spot. It's not like you can shop around and tell them to come back in a few days after you've done your due dilligence.