Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Millionaire Story - Part 2

In this Christmas and Holiday season, I just want to share a story how an ordinary man can be a millionaire over a Christmas.Ho Ho Ho....

Elmo Shropshire had a day job as a veterinarian in Marin County, Calif., and a side gig as a bluegrass singer when he recorded the holiday song that put him on the map -- and put his vet business out to pasture. The song, "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," has sold 10 million copies, inspired a music video and a movie, and made Shropshire a millionaire five times over.

Shropshire first heard the saga of the tipsy grandma and the renegade reindeer after bumping into songwriter Randy Brooks, who wrote the piece, at a bluegrass performance. Convinced that the ballad suited his twangy voice and comic singing style, he shelled out $500 to record it himself and another $700 to make 500 singles. "Grandma" aired on a San Francisco radio station in 1979 and caused an instant ruckus. "Kids were calling in and saying, 'Play it, play it,'" says Shropshire.

Despite the enthusiastic reception, he couldn't find a record company to take "Grandma" national. Nevertheless, the song was frequently requested over the next several holiday seasons. Says Shropshire, "It was one of the few songs in history where public clamor rather than company hype drove demand." Shropshire went for broke in 1983, investing $30,000 to produce his own "Grandma" music video and $10,000 to make an album featuring the song. The gamble paid off when MTV picked up the video (it still appears regularly) and Columbia Records offered him a distribution deal.

In the three weeks before Christmas, the company sold 500,000 "Grandma" singles and 100,000 albums. Shropshire got a royalty check for $50,000. The singer retired from his veterinary practice in 1995 and now works full-time on "Grandma"-related enterprises, which include sheet music, a stuffed singing reindeer and a recently released album called "Christmas in the U.S.A." Says Shropshire of his unlikely success, "I had this blind belief in the project. I put my money where my mouth is."

So, the lesson learned here is:
Support your idea. Elmo Shropshire, who recorded a hit holiday tune, invested over $40,000 of his own cash to produce a music video and an album.

Source: MSN
posted by paymedollar at 1 Comments

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmas party!!

We are just a few days away from Christmas, I started to wind down for the holidays.In fact, as I write this editorial I'm on a flight to Sarawak, East Malaysia to attend the one of my client’s Christmas Party. (The one benefit of having a lot of friends and business network I get to have a few Christmas parties to attend!:-)

Once I am done with that party, I am going to fly straight back to Kuala Lumpur, tie up some loose ends and then dedicate my time to my family over the holidays.And that brings me to the thought I want to share with you today...As entrepreneurs, we work hard all year long. It's easy to bury ourselves in our work and lose sight of why we're working so hard, right?I mean, we choose to be entrepreneurs so that we have flexibility in our schedules, the ability to take time off when we want, and the financial means to do what we want when we want.And yet why do so many of us lose sight of this, and morph into workaholics who are constantly trading the precious little time we have with our family and friends for long hours in front of our computers?

I know success doesn't come easy... and if you are starting and growing a business, it can be a lot more than a 9-5 job.

But life is preciously short and there are very few times a year where we are given the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones -- so when you are given an opportunity like this one, you should seize it.I know I'm going to!

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
posted by paymedollar at 1 Comments

Friday, December 21, 2007

Merry Christmas and Happy new Year


Hi, it's time for sharing and giving when it comes to christmas and new year!!
So, have you shared something valuable with your love ones?

posted by paymedollar at 0 Comments