Ask Mr Mark - The Podcast

In this podcast, Mark and Debbie talk a little Las Vegas updates, tourist stuff then Mark interviews Las Vegas Territory member Toni Jackson from the Firelight Barn Dinner Theater in downtown Henderson She and her four musically talented children from Utah, spemt 16 years on the road.  Bringing their brand of country, clogging and musical entertainment to people all across the country before settling down here, to open a dinner theater. All the notes and showlinks can be found at https://thevegastourist.com/237

Nina Hartley is not only a legendary porn star but a 30-year survivor of a cutthroat business that is known to chew up and spit out its new talent in only a couple of years.  So how does she make a brand that stays around for so long?  What are her secrets that any entrepreneur can learn to do the same?? Mark Anthony talks with Nina Hartley and she tells us what you can do to be a long-term success in almost any business   Show notes and links can be found at https://askmrmark.com

So as an Uber/Lyft driver, you are not making the big bucks you thought you would? Yet, you want to stay driving, but want to make more money while driving? Ok, let's look at getting a "side Hustle". In other words, let's find a way to build up another income stream while still doing your Uber thing. Put a side hustle on your side hustle!   See all the show notes at https://askmrmark.com

Recently, YouTube made some changes to its partner program.  They will stop running ads and paying anyone who has a channel with fewer than 10,000 LIFETIME views. Some see this as an attack on the smaller channels with few subscribers.  But I see this as a motivator for those of us who really want to make YouTube a part of our income stream.     Click for Show Notes and Links 

Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and talk about that one thing we hate to talk about;  Taxes.  Today I get to talk with my friend, enrolled agent Jimmy Epley from JD's Tax and Financial Solutions about being an entrepreneur, making money, taking tax deductions and the best ways of keeping the tax  man away. I always like to know how or when they found that passion to start their own business.  For Jimmy, the third time was a charm.  With a degree in Computer Science to being a Vegas dealer to starting his own tax business.  From not wanting to work for "The Man" to being his own "Man" with a business that solves a problem.   * How to get the most deductions * Home Office deductions * Uber and Lyft drivers getting deductions * Keeping receipts * Using technology to save documentation * Do what you love, be a success, make lots of money and don't sweat the tax man!  

Its always great when you can find your passion and build it into your business.    However, that is not always the case for a lot of people. Either you haven't yet found that passion or there isn't a market for your passion.  So you need to find a balance between what can you do for other people (fill a need) ad find joy in filling that need (passion). Mark Anthony and Marty McItsoh explore that as well as a few other topics around finding that passion and building a successful business

In this Podcast, Mark Anthony will hopefully spur your creative juices and get you to writing more stuff people want to read.  Long form creative content that is 1200 to 155 words each is not impossible and can actually be very liberating to your soul!!   Yes, your first 100 posts may SUCk and they may SUCK the really big one. Who cares? You need to start writing to get past the bad stuff and move on to creating your voice and getting out there and make your mark as an authority voice people want to follow.   Mark Includes a few tips on how to get past that point.  How to get the creative juices flowing and some pointers to getting into the groove and writing as a passion.  

Mark Anthony talks about how to make money from retailer returns using a site like liqudiation.com  How to make money from big retailer returns, like Amazon and Home Depot. Sites like liquidation.com let you buy these returns in lots and sell them for a profit using craigslist, eBay and social media. Here is a little peek behind the curtain to show you how this site works and how to properly bid on lots. Liquidation.com is an auction site: Buy low, sell high. Do your research and be professional. Buy what you know you can sell, not what you want! More show notes on the website http://askmrmark.com/22 Follow Me On Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/askmrmark/ Catch my updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/askmrmark

After a long, drawn-out battle between the Las Vegas taxicab cartel and the general public, plus a few legislative battles, it looks like Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing companies will finally be able to roll out, hire and operate in Las Vegas starting in October. And I know a few people who are eager to get started in their new career as a professional, independent driver for the new transportation companies. So here is my answer to the most popular questions I have been asked. The main one being "How Can I Make More Money Driving for Uber or Lyft?"  The answer is actually valid for anyone who wants to be a professional driver.  Taxicab driver to luxury limousine chauffeur.  There are a few easy things to do to make more money driving. As always, take it like a business you own or manage.  How would you like to be a passenger in your car? What would you look for in a driver and the car itself? You Are The Business Yes. You and the vehicle are the team, the building, the business and the marketing tool

Today's podcast is all about dipping your toes in the water and get started "Gigging" - Selling your services on Fiverr.com   Fiverr is a global online marketplace offering tasks and services, beginning at a cost of $5 per job/task/service performed.  Thats how it got its name.  "A Fiverr". The website is primarily used by freelancers who use Fiverr to offer services to customers worldwide and by customers looking for a task to be completed quickly and cheaply. Most anybody has a service they can sell for $5.  Something fast, something that you may be good, want to get good at or you have the tools and technology to do something when somebody else doesn't.   That's what I look for on Fiverr, are creative people who want to do something I don't have the time to do or want to learn to do. The people I hire on Fiverr have a complete profile, very detailed "gigs" telling me what they do, why they do it and what they will do for me.  With proof of their work in client samples or created samples.  They fill out the

 In the world of Internet Marketing, we often forget that there are still real stores and business out there!  Local merchants who need to get people to come into their stores and buy from them in person.  Often times these shops are not easily found with mobile search. This podcast is dedicated to those who still hold the mantle of small business with an open sign on the door.  So here are the 5 points to think about on how to improve being found when people look for you online. With an extra credit point for doing the 5 steps I mention here!

Your life is on your computers.  For many people, your business is on the hard drives surrounding your desk. What happens WHEN it all goes wrong??  because know it WILL go wrong.  The hard drives will crash. The office gets flooded or robbed.  You are left in the cold with no files. That was my issue. My entire business sits on little hard drives in and around my office. Videos, podcasts, images, documents, etc… So I started to back them all up with CRASHPLAN. I love their service. SIMPLE to use.  Download the program, chose what you want and hit the button and it starts doing its thing.  Backing everything up to the cloud. When it came time to do the same for my wife and her Photography, I needed something even more foolproof than CRASHPLAN. A photography buddy recommended BACKBLAZE. Download the software, let it find the drives and it goes to work, backing everything up to the cloud.  SUPER Simple to use.  Almost foolproof.  I always say almost because you know someone out there will find a way to screw it

When working on a project and I need something done fast (faster or better than I can do it) I hit up fiverr.com.   If you know how to use it and do not get sucked into all the other BS that's on there, you can find some great and creative people who you can outsource projects to for $5 or more.   Unlike other services like Fiverr, There's no bidding. You look at the profiles and the reviews and see what they can do. If you like them, hire them.     Fiverr is Great For: Banners/graphics Logos Voice Overs Transcription services What are your thoughts on Fiverr.com??

Mark Anthony talks about what all it takes to make and keep Google Mobile Search happy with your"mobile friendly" website.   Load speed along with font and image size will make it more friendly and help keep yu on the top rankings for Google on Mobile Search Over 60% of all searches are on a mobile device.   Optimize Photos Make banner ads and other nonessentials load faster Don't make the mobile user work to see your content. Keep it clean and easy to read with larger text

Besides being a great tax write off (travel, meals, housing, etc..), attending a industry-related conference or conventions gets you out, away from work, away from routines and energy sucking tasks.  They put you into a new environment that suddenly stimulates your senses and invigorates the mind because you are now around other like-minded people Meeting people who can become new contacts, new referrals who can open up new conversations you may never have had via internet, email or online discussions.

Everyone should have their favorite business books. The ones that help or helped them get their career started on the right path and give them the inspiration and direction needed to go further and succeed.   Here are my three favorite business books. What are your favorite business books??

The things you can learn from other "media" profesisonals after spoending 10 days with them at an event!!  The National Finals Rodeo in las Vegas gave me a clear insight to the world of Internet marketing and it was kind of a shock.   People still think the Internet is still a fad, not to be taken seriously. You just publish a post and it should drive a lot of traffic to your site and yes, you can make it work, that quality doesn't count... Just be "Be Good Enough"... NOT!!!!

When was the last time you stopped and supported your local businesses? When was the last time you drove past the big box store and went into the smaller retailer further down the street or around the corner.? The one where your neighbor poured their heart and soul (not to mention entire life savings)  into it and hires the neighbors to work there? When shopping Have you ever tried to look for an alternative to the big box or online mega store??  I get it!! The rush of the holidays can get maddening.  Why not just kick back and click the little mouse and everything you wanted to give for Christmas can be delivered to your door by noon tomorrow.  No fuss, no muss, no worry, its done its ready…  Or a quick hop in the car and you can do it all in one stop at that big box retailer.  And you kick back thinking I just saved myself a bunch of money and time!!  Really? Think about it Each time you make a purchase from a business, you are impacting another business. From candy bar and soda ay 7-11 to buying a can at t

This week I want to talk about The Power of  a Podcast. Not about "how to" or "who should" do a podcast.  But the power a podcast has for the small business owner looking to become an expert in their field.   I also talk about the power the podcast has in terms of  the person looking to market their business or services on a podcast. I have been doing podcasting in one for or another since 2006 with my first one being The Vegas Tourist Podcast with my best friend "Sazzy".   When you think about it, Podcasting is probably the most powerful marketing tool in the digital world for a small business or any business. Focused Audience - People don't just spin a dial and find a podcast while driving or exercising.  They seek it out.  They look for a specific topic to listen to. Captured Audience -  People who listen to podcasts are yours.  They are listening to you and no one else.  It's not like radio, when they turn off the car, they lose the show...  With Podcasts, they can come back to your show and pick up right

These are the 5 things you SHOULD do before starting your Home Based Business! And I believe everyone should have some sort of home based business in order to have a secondary income in case your primary job goes away.  Something to help out the lean times or to have a passion.   1)      Get a “Doing Business As” DBA and an EIN or Tax identification number  2)      Get a business bank account  3)      Create a real office space in your home  4)      Start to identify yourself as a Business Owner.  5)      Do Something and fail.   If you treat your business as a businss, it will reward you as a business.  treat it as a hobby and it will reward you as a hobby.         * Get Your EIN Here * Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2015 * Making a Living Without a Job