L.J. Diva

Sexy, Sassy, Kick-Ass Romances!

The Rise of the Bloggers came, now we need to get rid of the Floggers

by Filed Under: Financial Matters, Websites & Social Media Leave a Comment


We get it, bloggers wanted to make money out of their blog and their writing. Isn’t that what a lot of people want to do? But somewhere along the way companies took note. Saw how many followers, subscribers and likers people had, and started offering free goods in turn for good reviews. Companies wanted bloggers to flog their shit to their followers so they could get money.

But just as they were now acquiring bloggers to do the free work that celebrities had demanded payment for, so now were the bloggers. If you want their review, you’re gonna have to pay for them to flog your shit.

Hence, the rise of the Floggers began.

Floggers, I cannot stand.

I’m all for reading a blogger’s post about the great bargains they found at their local Kmart, or the awesome shoes they bought last Friday. But I am over seeing those hateful hashtags and words in their posts, regardless of what platform those posts are on.

#sponsored #gifted #sp 

BLECH!

I am so god damn sick and tired of seeing the free wardrobes, free accessories, free every fucking thing that these imbecilic pissants are getting to flog to their followers.

Does it work business wise? More than likely. And I know many companies have seen a massive increase in sales.

Does it work on me?

Fuck no.

Once I realised that a certain shoe company was giving more than one blogger a pair of free shoes, I got cranky. I sure as fuck can’t afford to spend $250 on shoes every fucking day. I refuse to spend $129 on a pair of faded ripped jeans because they are flogged by bloggers. I refuse to buy anything at full price when it’s over $25 unless I desperately want it.

I’m not a scab, I just know how to get better deals because I know the tricks of the trade. Jeans do NOT cost $129, it’s only cotton, and when shows do exposés on companies and their products, and which products are better, and the cheaper chain stores always win out, then I ain’t buying your $129 shit flogged by bloggers, or instagrammers, or facebookers.

I’m over the bullshit, the inconsistencies, the lies. Everything you have is sponsored by these companies wanting to make more money. You are being used as their cash cows, and your followers are being used as sheep by you.

Well, not this little black duck! (to quote daffy duck) I am not a sheep and will not follow blindly just because something may perk my attention.

I refuse to buy from stores anymore that use bloggers to flog their shit.

I refuse to pay full price for what you’ve got.

I refuse to follow bloggers and pissant reality contestants who think they’re celebrities and get entire holiday wardrobes for free.

I refuse to flow with the masses.

I refuse your bullshit ways.

I refuse to follow floggers!

Floggers must fall!

What Is Your Worth?

by Filed Under: Business & Legalities, Financial Matters 1 Comment


With my birthday being last Sunday and turning the ripe old age of 43, not only did I think this was a timely post, but I would also like to mention my weight loss to date of 2stone/28pounds/13kgs in about four months. You can read the whole sordid weight loss journey over on my style blog, Jewel Divas Style.

Let’s move on with this costly post…see what I did there…

Sometime last year I somehow came across blog posts from authors who were doing book tours and what they charged for a visit. Reading on, I found lists that they compiled of what they charged for and one author suggested adding the cost of your child caring time, your housework time, your time away from writing, basically everything that your visit would be taking you away from. And then there was the time needed beforehand to prepare and get ready, the cost of petrol to drive there, the air flight to fly there, the hotel stay etc, etc, etc.

So I thought about this and many a year ago after I did my styling course I was going to set up a style business off my jewellery business and planned out a pricing guide. That of course didn’t come to fruition but I was considering what my hourly rate was going to be.

Obviously since 2013 things have changed. I’ve written more over the last two years and my jewellery has been pushed to the back of the bus. My jewellery store is on holiday more often than not because I just couldn’t deal with it all. At least I don’t have to package my books and send them off. People can just buy them online and download them to their device.

But more about money. I decided to try out the author’s suggestion of dividing up my time and what I would be taken away from, so I’d know what to charge for and came up with this plan…

What I Do…

Run a business and all it entails.

Care for parent and all it entails.

Run a household and all it entails.

Broken down into detail…

1 – Jewellery Creation: time spent on finding and buying beads, findings and everything else, creation of pieces, making full collections.

2 – Book Creation: handwriting of books, typing of books, editing, creation of covers and interiors to produce complete book.

3 – Business Management: taking pictures of jewellery and books, uploading of jewellery or books to sale sites and spending time filing descriptions, covers, interiors, publishing, blogging and social media, paperwork, research, web management and all that entails.

4 – Caring Management: appointments, calls, doctors, medications, home care and anything else that comes up.

5 – Household Management: calls, appointments, tradies/housing trust, housework (cooking, cleaning, dishes, washing etc), and anything else that comes up.

Now originally when I had set a cost for my styling business I was going to charge $60 for the first hour and then $180 for each hour after. But after what’s happened to me and the amount I’m working all day if I needed to be taken away from this then my time had better be worth it. So I came up with this…

First hour, $1 per minute per each item, so that’s $1 X 5 items = $5 X 60 minutes = $300 for the first hour. Each hour after it’s double that at $600 per hour. Now that may be a bit rich for some but seriously, I do the one job the rest of my siblings don’t do…LOOK AFTER THEIR MOTHER!!!!!

So quite frankly, I’m worth it. My time is worth it, and my bloody energy is worth it. If you can’t afford me, don’t ask me!

Ah….the Glass Ceiling. Women CAN have it all, just not at the same time.

by Filed Under: Financial Matters, Humans & Behaviour Leave a Comment

Unless you’re born a millionaire and don’t need to work and have the luxury to buy a house and pop a few kids out and have a happy life.

Most of us don’t have that luxury.

People bang on about the glass ceiling and how it’s holding women back.

But is it?

I think it’s more the sexist boys club. The males already in positions of power who prevent women from moving up the ladder.

Then there’s the women who think they can have it all AT THE SAME TIME.

I believe there’s only one way to have everything at the same time, and that’s by planning each part of your life and doing one at a time.

“What do you mean?” you ask.

I mean, plan to buy a house, then plan to fill it with children.

Or, plan to succeed in business to buy the house and then once you’re set have the kids.

So many couples, especially the women, want everything at the same time. The wedding, the house, the kids. Never once stopping to think they cannot financially afford every bloody thing at the same time.

And part of the glass ceiling is believing you can have it all at the same time.

That’s only when you’ve planned and crossed each bridge when you’ve come to it.

I believe you can only have it all when you’re NOT in financial debt, when you’re health is good, the house is paid off, the kids are good and you’re doing well at work.

If you run your own company it’s even better. You’re the CEO, you don’t have to answer to anyone else, you can establish the business to success, pay off your house, afford the kids and have an annual holiday.

If you start off your adult life trying to get into your job or set up a business, paying off a mortgage, popping out a few kids, struggling to pay off the debts that are banging on your door then no, you cannot have it all.

So pull your fucking head out of your arse and get over yourself. Unless you are already established in business or your job, you cannot have kids, a mortgage and an annual holiday.

It’s impossible to have it all at the same time and you need to set a plan. Stop blaming the glass ceiling, it doesn’t exist. If you don’t like your current employment, then start your own company so you can run it your own way. Stop expecting to have it all at the same time and then blaming something else when the debt gets on top of you.

It’s not the glass ceiling holding you back. It’s you!


WINNING LOTTO!!!!! What would you do?

by Filed Under: Financial Matters Leave a Comment

It’s the one thing most of us dream about. It’s the one thing we’d all love to achieve.  It’s the premise for one of my books.

But is money really the evil that people claim it is?

No!

Money is not the root of all evil. Having money is not the root of all evil. Having no plan is the root of all evil.

I spoke about this on one of my vlogs recently. Millionaire lotto winners and what they do with their money. Some are sensible. They get an account or financial advisor. Leave it in the bank till they figure out what to do with it. Write down a list of things they want or need.

Others madly spend, give to all the leeches who come out of the woodwork, charities who stick their hands out, relatives and so called friends they’ve never met, and those they’ve met only briefly. And then when their world goes to shit, what do they blame….The money!

That’s right, not themselves, the money.

The one thing that makes no choices. The one thing that makes no decisions about what it will be spent on or squandered on. The one thing that is not to blame in the whole scenario.

The only thing and person/people to blame for squandering millions is the person doing the squandering.

The main thing you need is a plan. And do people have one? No!

It’s all well and good to dream of winning lotto and what you’ll do with it. But it’s another to actually win lotto and put that plan into motion.

The important thing is to put yourself first and everyone else a distance second. If you have underage children, support them and pay for school etc which is your job anyway. If you have adult children, tell them to get their own money.

If there’s place you want to go and things you want to do, go there, do them.
It all comes down to the issue of having a set plan BEFORE you win lotto.

1 – Pay off the mortgage or buy a new house.

Check!

2 – Go on a holiday to places I want to go.

Check!

3 – Pay for my children’s school, or grandchildren’s education/trust fund.

Check!

4 – Set myself up in the place I want to live, set up a business, try new things.

Check!

5 – Don’t let all the leeches I do and don’t know suck all of my money out of me.

Check!

So there it is.

A plan that you need when you win lotto.

The money is not evil. It’s just plastic coated paper and has no feelings, value, thoughts or words.

It’s you!

It’s you who screws up your own life by squandering those millions and blaming everyone but yourself.

You!

So get your shit together and set a plan now.

You never know.

One day it just might be you.


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