9 Things Rich People Do Differently Every Day

What you do today matters. In fact, your daily habits may be a major determinant of your wealth.

"The metaphor I like is the avalanche," says Thomas Corley, the author of "Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals." "These habits are like snowflakes — they build up, and then you have an avalanche of success."

Corley spent five years studying the lives of both rich people (defined as having an annual income of $160,000 or more and a liquid net worth of $3.2 million or more) and poor people (defined as having an annual income of $35,000 or less and a liquid net worth of $5,000 or less).

He managed to segment out what he calls "rich habits" and "poverty habits," meaning the tendencies of those who fit in each group. But, Corley explains, everyone has some rich habits and some poverty habits. "The key is to get more than 50% to be rich habits," he says.

And what are those rich habits that are so influential? Here are a few:

1. Rich people always keep their goals in sight.

"I focus on my goals every day."

Rich people who agree: 62%

Poor people who agree: 6%

Not only do wealthy people set annual and monthly goals, but 67% of them put those goals in writing. "It blew me away," says Corley. "I thought a goal was a broad objective, but the wealthy said a wish is not a goal." A goal is only a goal, he says, if it has two things: It's achievable, and there's a physical action you can take to pursue it.

2. And they know what needs to be done today.

"I maintain a daily to-do list."

Rich people who agree: 81%

Poor people who agree: 19%

Not only do the wealthy keep to-do lists, but 67% of them complete 70% or more of those listed tasks each day. 

3. They don't watch TV.

"I watch TV one hour or less per day."

Rich people who agree: 67%

Poor people who agree: 23%

Similarly, only 6% of the wealthy watch reality shows, compared to 78% of the poor. "The common variable among the wealthy is how they make productive use of their time," explains Corley. "They wealthy are not avoiding watching TV because they have some superior human discipline or willpower. They just don't think about watching much TV because they are engaged in some other habitual daily behavior — reading."

4. They read … but not for fun.

"I love reading."

Rich people who agree: 86%

Poor people who agree: 26%

Sure, rich people love reading, but they favor nonfiction — in particular, self-improvement books. "The rich are voracious readers on how to improve themselves," says Corley. In fact, 88% of them read for self-improvement for 30 minutes each day, compared to 2% of poor people.

5. Plus, they're big into audio books.

"I listen to audio books during the commute to work."

Rich people who agree: 63%

Poor people who agree: 5%

Even if you aren't into audiobooks, you can make the most of your commute with any of these commute-friendly self-improvement activities.

6. They make a point of going above and beyond at the office.

"I do more than my job requires."

Rich people who agree: 81%

Poor people who agree: 17%

It's worth noting that while 86% of rich people (compared to 43% of poor) work an average of 50 or more hours a week, only 6% of the wealthy people surveyed found themselves unhappy because of work.

7. They aren't hoping to win the jackpot.

"I play the lottery regularly."

Rich people who agree: 6%

Poor people who agree: 77%

That's not to say that the wealthy are always playing it safe with their money. "Most of these people were business owners who put their own money on the table and took financial risks," explains Corley. "People like this aren't afraid to take risks."

8. They watch their waistline.

"I count calories every day."

Rich people who agree: 57%

Poor people who agree: 5%

Wealthy people value their health, says Corley. "One of the individuals in my study was about 68 and worth about $78 million. I asked why he didn't retire, and he looked at me like I was from Mars. He said, 'I've spent the last 45 years exercising every single day and watching what I eat because I knew the end of my career would be my biggest earning years.' If he can extend his career four to five years beyond everyone else, that's about $7 million for him."

9. And they take care of their smiles.

"I floss every day."

Rich people who agree: 62%

Poor people who agree: 16%

Enough said.

From Business Insider

10 Low-Cost Weekend Businesses to Start

Whether you want to just make some extra money in your free time or desire to one day quit your day job and create a full-time business, starting a low-cost business on the weekend is an easy way to test the entrepreneurial waters. You'll need to invest little more than your time, and before long, you'll know if owning a business full time is the right choice for you.

To help you get started, we've developed this list of 10 great businesses to start. No matter where your interests or talents lie, you'll be sure to find an idea that'll fit you like a glove.

If you like to party...

Party Balloon Service The demand for a party-balloon decorator is endless and certainly not limited to only children's birthday parties. Marketing this service is best achieved by creating a colorful presentation to be distributed to all local event planners, children's stores, daycare centers and banquet halls. Likewise, attending local networking clubs or chamber of commerce meetings is also a fantastic way to get the message out about your new service. A small amount of research into your local market will assist you in product pricing as well as determining demand and competition. Should you encounter a great deal of competition in your local community, you may want to offer additional services like party cleanup or event planning to create a competitive advantage. This is a business that can be easily run from home, but you will need adequate transportation to bring the balloon arrangements to events.

If you like working around the house...

Storm Window Installations and Storage Starting a business that provides residential homeowners with a service of installing storm windows in the fall and removing the windows in the spring is a very straightforward endeavor to initiate. It probably won't make you rich, but it can provide a great seasonal income of $15 to $25 per hour, with the potential for additional cash if you also offer optional window cleaning and repair services. The equipment necessary to get rolling includes a few ladders and basic tools, such as hammers and screwdrivers. Ideal customers for this service are owners of Victorian and heritage homes as wood storm windows often do not open or provide air circulation in the summer, requiring them to be removed and reinstalled later.

If you've got a green thumb...

Tree Trimmer Trees make the earth a greener, cleaner, more beautiful place, but occasionally even the best tree needs a trim. Branches become diseased or damaged--and dangerous--or grow too close to power lines. And most homeowners lack the skills or the courage to climb up to the trouble spots and chop away. If you've got the right stuff--both tools and expertise--you can earn green with a tree-trimming service. Leave fliers on homeowners' doorsteps, especially after heavy storms, and advertise in your local Yellow Pages.

If you like to work hard...

Garage & Attic Cleaning/Hauling Service Nobody likes to spend a weekend cleaning out the garage, attic or garden shed--it's dirty and time-consuming, and when it's done, there's still the task of hauling off all that discarded junk. But if you don't mind the physical labor, a cleaning and hauling service can be a lot of fun. You can usually find a few treasures among the trash, which most people are delighted to give away, and you can add to your income by recycling bottles, newspapers and metal cast-offs. You'll need a pick-up truck or other vehicle capable of carrying everything from cast-iron sinks to old timbers. Start off by advertising in your local newspaper.

If your favorite friends are furry...

Pet-Sitter What could be a better business for a pet-lover than playing with Patches or Princess? That's what a pet-sitter does for out-of-town or work-all-day owners: feeding, watering and horsing around with four-footed clients, providing love and attention along with essential nutrients. Some pet-sitters also handle medical needs, administering insulin injections or providing in-home after-surgery care. Remember that you'll be on duty during the holidays when people tend to leave town and you'll need wheels to take you to clients' homes. To get started, distribute fliers to veterinary clinics and pet stores and ask them to refer customers to you.

If you've got an eye for auctions...

eBay Business Thousands of prospective business owners just like you have found a niche online without investing much more than a dime through online auction services like eBay. Got a closet full of junk? CDs or videos you no longer want? An eye for garage and estate sale finds? Snap a picture, upload it to the web, write a description and wait for people to bid on your product. Okay, it's not that easy. (Is anything ever?) You'll be making many trips to the post office, continually honing your description skills and understanding the different auction posting options for the site you use, and spending a lot of time e-mailing buyers. Customer service is key in this business and it will take up your time. But there's no easier and cheaper way to start selling products online, and many people have formed full-time businesses around selling solely this way.

If you like being on the road...

Vending Machines The snack vending business is a multibillion dollar industry in North America and continues to grow each year. Entering into the vending industry is very easy. Simply purchase a few vending machines, stock and locate them, and you're in business, right? Wrong. This industry also has one of the highest failure rates due to the fact that people may invest in a shady opportunity, choose the wrong location, or not realize it takes constant maintenance to keep machines in tip-top selling shape. To get started, you must purchase the machines as well as the merchandise being vended. Don't slouch in your research of the vending machine, merchandise supplier(s), and potential locations. You must pay the location owner a percentage based on sales. The big secret to any route deal is to get locations in high-foot-traffic areas and, of course, as close to one another as possible. If your locations are spread far apart, you'll waste time and traveling expenses servicing them.

If you're a wire whiz...

Home Entertainment/Car Stereo Installer If you're one of the rare few who can hook up all those wires and cables at the back of the television, DVD player, digital video recorder, cable, CD player, video games and stereo system and make the whole thing work, then this is the business for you. You'll work at customers' homes, putting together new systems or adding new components they've purchased, or hooking things back together after a move. You can also make money by installing customers' car stereo systems. Attract customers by leaving fliers with cooperative electronics sales stores and place ads in your local newspaper.

If you're book smart...

Educational Tutor For parents wanting the peace of mind that their child is receiving the proper education, extracurricular tutoring can be the preferred method of extending educational training beyond public school. There is one main requirement for starting this type of instruction business: You must be an expert in the field in which you intend to teach or tutor. Beyond that, this business is very simple to start. It can be operated on a mobile basis by going to the client or from your home office with the client coming to you. Building a customer and referral base for this type of business can be accomplished by joining community business associations and parent teacher associations. Networking and self-promotion are probably the best marketing strategies. Tutoring is a competitive industry and to gain the upper hand requires explanation and disclosure of credentials firsthand.

If you've got a head for numbers...

Bookkeeper Every business needs a bookkeeper to pay the bills, send out invoices, reconcile bank statements, and handle all those record-keeping tasks that send most of us running the other way. If you're a whiz with figures and you like the satisfaction of putting things in order, you can earn a tidy sum and help fellow small-business owners as a part-time bookkeeper. You'll need to stay abreast of current tax rules and regulations, and you'll want a computer, printer and accounting software--with a laptop, you can even travel to clients' offices. Send brochures to local businesses, place ads in your local newspaper, and be sure to have a business card at the ready for word-of-mouth opportunities.

From Entrepreneur

The Best Look for a Leader

What exactly does it mean to look like a leader?

There is, of course, the notion that you should dress for success. But are there other ways to inspire confidence in your leadership abilities? 

According to new research, it could be as simple as taking care of yourself.

A Dutch-led study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience finds that people mostly ignore facial features that might make someone look smart. But they overwhelmingly prefer people who look healthy.

The researchers came to that conclusion by having study participants view pictures of the same man with digital adjustments that made him appear more or less intelligent and more or less healthy. (The nature of these digital tweaks wasn't explained.) Participants were asked which man in the pictures would do the best job as CEO of a company. According to the results, more than two-thirds of participants chose the man with the healthier complexion as the most powerful leader. 

Lead researcher Dr. Brian Spisak explained the findings as follows: 

Here we show that it always pays for aspiring leaders to look healthy, which explains why politicians and executives often put great effort, time, and money in their appearance. If you want to be chosen for a leadership position, looking intelligent is an optional extra under context-specific situations whereas the appearance of health appears to be important in a more context-general way across a variety of situations. 

Meanwhile, the study authors concluded that "attractiveness is in part driven by cues to health, and healthy leaders are likely to be exceptionally important when disease threatens the viability of the group."  

Moral of the story? Take care of yourself before you take care of business. That means get enough sleep, exercise, and a well-rounded diet. Employees can tell when you're burned out. 

From Inc. Magazine

The 3 Decisions That Will Change Your Financial Life

There’s nothing worse than a rich person who’s chronically angry or unhappy. There’s really no excuse for it, yet I see this phenomenon every day. It results from an extremely unbalanced life, one with too much expectation and not enough appreciation for what’s there.

Without gratitude and appreciation for what you already have, you’ll never know true fulfillment. But how do you cultivate balance in life? What’s the point of achievement if your life has no balance?

For nearly four decades, I’ve had the privilege of coaching people from every walk of life, including some of the most powerful men and women on the planet. I’ve worked with presidents of the United States as well as owners of small businesses.   

Across the board, I’ve found that virtually every moment people make three key decisions that dictate the quality of their lives.

If you make these decisions unconsciously, you'll end up like majority of people who tend to be out of shape physically, exhausted emotionally and often financially stressed. But if you make these decisions consciously, you can literally change the course of your life today. 

Decision 1: Carefully choose what to focus on.

At every moment, millions of things compete for your attention. You can focus on things that are happening right here and now or on what you want to create in the future. Or you can focus on the past.

Where focus goes, energy flows. What you focus on and your pattern for doing so shapes your entire life. 

Which area do you tend to focus on more: what you have or what’s missing from your life?

I’m sure you think about both sides of this coin. But if you examine your habitual thoughts, what do you tend to spend most of your time dwelling on? 

Rather than focusing on what you don’t have and begrudging those who are better off than you financially, perhaps you should acknowledge that you have much to be grateful for and some of it has nothing to do with money. You can be grateful for your health, family, friends, opportunities and mind.

Developing a habit of appreciating what you have can create a new level of emotional well-being and wealth. But the real question is, do you take time to deeply feel grateful with your mind, body, heart and soul? That’s where the joy, happiness and fulfillment can be found. 

Consider a second pattern of focus that affects the quality of your life: Do you tend to focus more on what you can control or what you can’t?

If you focus on what you can’t control, you’ll have more stress in life. You can influence many aspects of your life but you usually can’t control them. 

When you adopt this pattern of focus, your brain has to make another decision:  

Decision 2: Figure out, What does this all mean?

Ultimately, how you feel about your life has nothing to do with the events in it or with your financial condition or what has (or hasn't) happened to you. The quality of your life is controlled by the meaning you give these things.

Most of the time you may be unaware of the effect of your unconscious mind in assigning meaning to life’s events. 

When something happens that disrupts your life (a car accident, a health issue, a job loss), do you tend to think that this is the end or the beginning?

If someone confronts you, is that person insulting you, coaching you or truly caring for you?

Does a devastating problem mean that God is punishing you or challenging you? Or is it possible that this problem is a gift from God? 

Your life takes on whatever meaning you give it. With each meaning comes a unique feeling or emotion and the quality of your life involves where you live emotionally. 

I always ask during my seminars, “How many of you know someone who is on antidepressants and still depressed?” Typically 85 percent to 90 percent of those assembled raise their hands.

How is this possible? The drugs should make people feel better. It's true that antidepressants do come with labels warning that suicidal thoughts are a possible side effect.

But no matter how much a person drugs himself, if he constantly focuses on what he can’t control in life and what’s missing, he won't find it hard to despair. If he adds to that a meaning like “life is not worth living,” that's an emotional cocktail that no antidepressant can consistently overcome. 

Yet if that same person can arrive at a new meaning, a reason to live or a belief that all this was meant to be, then he will be stronger than anything that ever happened to him.

When people shift their habitual focus and meanings, there’s no limit on what life can become. A change of focus and a shift in meaning can literally alter someone's biochemistry in minutes. 

So take control and always remember: Meaning equals emotion and emotion equals life. Choose consciously and wisely. Find an empowering meaning in any event, and wealth in its deepest sense will be yours today. 

Once you create a meaning in your mind, it creates an emotion, and that emotion leads to a state for making your third decision:

Decision 3: What will you do?  

The actions you take are powerfully shaped by the emotional state you're in. If you're angry, you're going to behave quite differently than if you're feeling playful or outrageous. 

If you want to shape your actions, the fastest way is to change what you focus on and shift the meaning to be something more empowering.

Two people who are angry will behave differently. Some pull back. Others push through.

Some individuals express anger quietly. Others do so loudly or violently. Yet others suppress it only to look for a passive-aggressive opportunity to regain the upper hand or even exact revenge.  

Where do these patterns come from? People tend to model their behavior on those they respect, enjoy and love.

The people who frustrated or angered you? You often reject their approaches.

Yet far too often you may find yourself falling back into patterns you witnessed over and over again in your youth and were displeased by. 

It’s very useful for you to become aware of your patterns when you are frustrated, angry or sad or feel lonely. You can’t change your patterns if you’re not aware of them.

Now that you’re aware of the power of these three decisions, start looking for role models who are experiencing what you want out of life. I promise you that those who have passionate relationships have a totally different focus and arrive at totally different meanings for the challenges in relationships than people who are constantly bickering or fighting. 

It’s not rocket science. If you become aware of the differences in how people approach these three decisions, you’ll have a pathway to help you create a permanent positive change in any area of life. 

From Entrepreneur

Zuckerberg's one piece of advice for struggling entrepreneurs

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answered questions yesterday during a live public Q&A about the future of the social network. The last question was asked by a shy 8th grader from a local school; she wanted to know how he forged through the hard times in the early Facebook days.

Zuckerberg’s answer was simple: Don’t go it alone. He faulted the media for propping up startup celebrities as superhuman, as though they can tackle any problem by themselves.

“No person knows how to deal with everything. But if you can find a team of people, or friends, or family — and there will be different people over time because different people like to focus on different problems or different scales of the problems — then that’s what’s really going to get you through, that’s what’s gotten me through and that’s what continues to get me through all the stuff that we have. Yeah, you don’t have to be superhuman, you have to just kind of keep on going and not do it alone and find people who share your passion for what is the important thing in the world.”

Interestingly enough, at Stanford this week, Linkedin cofounder Reid Hoffman gave a lecture on the exact same topic, although he gave more specific advice about how to leverage local and personal networks to found a great tech startup. Both he and Zuckerberg said that it’s better for a startup to have more than one founder.

“What great founders do is seek the networks that will be essential to their task…Usually it’s best to have two or three people on a team, rather than a solo founder,” Hoffman said.

From Venture Beat

What Does the Color of Your Logo Say About Your Business? (Infographic)

Close your eyes and picture McDonald's famous golden arches. Now, imagine if they had been gray. Would the burger chain be the international success it is today?

The color of some logos is more powerful than the logos themselves -- think the red of Coca-Cola or the pink of Barbie or the rainbow colors of Google.

Color can become a key part of any brand. Whether your logo is red and intense, yellow and joyful or black and mysterious, its colors are announcing something to the customer. As you create the perfect logo, be sure to pay attention to the color messages you're sending.

Check out the infographic below to figure out exactly what your logo's colors are telling potential customers.

From Entrepreneur

Is Your Brain Limiting Your Entrepreneurial Success?

Are your entrepreneurial prospects inhibited by your own thinking? That may be the case if you don’t regularly give your brain exercise.

According to scientific research, some of the benefits of brain games and teasers include the following: boosting brain activity, providing emotional satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment, enhancing memory and processing speed, helping to slow decline and reduce the risk of dementia, improving, concentration and reducing boredom.

For example, what’s the first word that comes to mind when you read this brain teaser? Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?

Most people immediately think of “June” because they quickly spot a familiar pattern: the sequence "April, May and June." But if a person rereads the question and carefully analyzes the data, the answer Johnny becomes obvious.

Thanks to the way the human brain works, people have a built-in tendency to see what they want to see as well as what they expect to see.

Consider the huge implications of this for entrepreneurial pursuits.

Human brains are great at recognizing patterns (April, May, June). That’s why people tend to look for information that supports what they already believe to be true. But in doing so, they can miss information that exposes alternative viewpoints, creative solutions or competitive threats.

Earlier this month, Entrepreneur.com contributor Neil Parmar describedhow Lori Cheek has sunk upward of $120,000 of her own money into her fledging startup dating service Cheek’d. She has recouped just $56,000.

Cheek landed a coveted spot on Shark Tank, but none of the Sharks took a bite. Instead Barbara Corcoran gave her some sage advice: “You’ve gotta move on!” But Cheek said, “There’s nothing that’s going to make me stop.”

Indeed people tend to see things the way they always have. They miss opportunities in the workplace, marketplace and in life. That’s why some companies fade away. Their executives never saw the huge challenges before them because they saw only what their brainsallowed them to see -- what worked in the past -- and ignored or avoided new information.

Might that be the case with you? Are you stuck on a path that's not working because your brain won't allow you to see anything differently? Or are you afraid to start a venture because your brain won't let you anticipate eventual success?

“Humans are the least likely creatures to want to change," says author Holly Green in her book Using Your Brain to Win In Today’s Hyper-Paced World. "We’re much more likely to continue wanting to do the same things over and over, even when all the data around us says that everything else has changed.”

Businesspeople today live in a hypersensitive, fast-paced world. What catapulted an entrepreneur to success a week, a month or even a year ago will not be the same in the future.

Relying solely on what you already know is like working for 30 years but having just one year’s worth of experience repeated 30 times.

Use that 2.98 pounds of brilliance, also known as the brain, to lead you where you actually want to be. Actively seek new ways of seeing things. A great way to do that is by exercising the mind with brain teasers. Deliberately expose your brain to new and different ways of thinking.

Some believe that when a person is truly ready for something, it appears. If your entrepreneurial endeavor has not yet been realized, ask yourself, Am I truly ready for its appearance?

From Entrepreneur