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Got an Apple Computer? Great – I’m going to show you three quick ways you can begin to make money using the world’s greatest computer and operating system – Apple and OSX.
There are three main areas where Apple Macintosh computers excel in their ability to make you some cold hard cash: Video, Audio, and Print (page layout). The Mac excels in many areas but these three are what separates the Apples from everything else. This guide is not for the Mac pro – it’s for those who have a Mac and want to explore ways to generate some extra income. I started out this way and I’m currently making 6 figures with my Mac. At the end of the article I’ll give some pointers on what to charge for your services.
Page Layout with a Mac (Novice): Does your school, church or synagogue produce flyers? How about your local charity? Do they do mailings? How about local businesses in town? Know anyone getting married? Everyone needs page layout and print design at some point. Here’s how to do it fast, cheap, and professionally.
First, your going to need a few tools. I recommend getting either Pages (part of iWork) and/or Word for Mac. You can use either of these two applications to create professional looking designs – really.
Pages has some great designs built in. It’s easy to change the pictures and create some compelling text. You are going to need some fantastic photos so go on over to www.istockphotos.com and get a free account. iStockPhoto has royality free photos for $1-$3. Royality free means that once you buy it – it’s yours to use.
Print out some of the Pages samples you like and have added your iStockPhotos to and changed the text to reflect your clients business or service. I strongly recommend using special brochure paper. You can get this at any Staples store. Brochure paper is a little bit heavier and you can get it in a semi glossy finish. Using a regular Epson or HP color printer you can get some amazing results. Make sure you use the glossy setting when printing – big difference!
If you want more templates for Pages, go on over to www.stocklayouts.com . They have free samples of brochures, postcards, flyers and newsletters. Use these along with photos from iStockPhotos for a truly professional look. Use the Word versions as Pages can open Word documents easily.
Now shop your skills around to your local businesses, friends and associations. I have yet to meet an association who didn’t need some help with their mailings.
Bonus tip – if you purchased iWork, you also have the best presentation software on the market. It comes with iWork and it’s called Keynote. Once your foot is in the ddoor for print material you can show the boss how well you can whip up a presentation. Trust me – ANYTHING you do on Keynote will look mush better than anything they have ever done on PowerPoint.
Audio on a Mac (Intermediate): My church records the sermon each week and offers it for sale at the end of the service. How can they do that? Here’s how.
First we record the sermon (first service) straight into an Apple Powerbook using a Griffin iMic connected to the main audio mixer. You can hook up a microphone from a mic at the podium or have the sound person hook it into the house sound. I use GarageBand to do all the recording.
After the sermon is over I simply burn it to a CD using the built in Superdrive. Then I duplicate this “master” 5 at a time using a CD Duplicator from www.produplicator.com . Duplicators run around $500 for a 16X five burner. I print out labels from Neato (get the glossy ones) and put in a sleeve. So by the time the second service rolls around I’ve burned enough to meet the demand for CD’s for the second and the third services.
As an alternative – you can stream these sermon, messages, association meetings, bat mitzvahs, etc. to the web. I use Loudblog by loudblog.de . This is an excellent tool for posting audio on the web. It’s free and it’s designed to playback from the web and via podcast subscription.
What’s that? You’re not religious? Well there are plenty of meetings, weddings, speeches, lectures, concerts, lessons and gigs just waiting to be recorded. Ask permission first and offer the first one for free. You’re looking for repeat business here. If you do a freebe make sure it’s for someone with a big mouth and a fat Rolodex.
Video on a Mac (Advanced – but not too): OK – you got a nice little side biz doing print and audio for your local association(s). Now we take it into high gear and offer Video! By now you’re a pro so let’s jump in.
With iMovie you can create some fantastic videos for your local organizations and businesses. You’ll need a miniDV camera or you can borrow one. If you don’t have access to a camera you can use digital photos. Either way we are going to create an engaging music video.
What to shoot? Many associations have a yearly picnic or awards banquet. My hobby club has a yearly event. Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Divorce Parties (no – really), and Sweet Sixteen parties are perfect for a music video keepsake.
Why a music video and not a full production? If you’re up to it and you have all the gear (mics, lights, tripod, etc) and time (figure 1 hour per edited minute) and skills (intro, story arch, graphics, extro, etc) then by all means. But I’m showing you a quick and easy way to make a buck or two. Walk first, then run.
I import all my photos using iPhoto (included free with you Mac) and I import all my video using my camera hooked up via firewire and iDive by www.aquafadas.com . I use iDive because it keeps me organized and I can quickly select the best takes using iDive’s shot view feature.
You can easily add photos from iPhoto to iMovie and video from iDive just as easily. I usually edit to a soundtrack. Selecting a soundtrack can be tricky. There are very little options if you want to stay completely legal. I use two sources. One is SonicFire Pro by SmartSound.com . SomicFire lets you pick the style, tempo and length of your music – all instrumental. For vocal music you can check out music.podshow.com . The Podsafe Music Network (PMN) offers what they call “Podsafe Music.” The music is first rate and you can communicate directly with the bands and arrange to use their music.
Music videos are generally 3-4 minutes in length. For longer events I string 2-3 songs together. Great music and creative use of slo-motion and dissolves (fades between images) will give your video emotional impact. I suggest leaving photos on the screen for 5-6 seconds and use the Ken Burns effect to keep the images moving – slightly. Don’t use a lot of fancy transitions. Use what you see on TV. Cuts and Dissolves. Maybe an occasional page turn or wipe but how often do you see that on TV. Want to look pro? Do what they do on TV.
You want HOW MUCH? What to charge is always an interesting question. For me it has varied greatly with no rhyme or reason until lately. A good friend who does graphic design said he charges what would make the job worth it to him. I like that. Some jobs are not worth taking no matter what the price – those I charge accordingly! Some jobs are so exciting and new that I’ll adjust my price accordingly. What to charge? Simply ask for what it would take to make it worth your while. If you spend $100 on Pages and $50 on a template and 5 hours and 3 print cartridges your costs add up. Make sure you factor in your costs.
So there are three ideas of how to generate some extra cash. If you noticed, I emphasized ideas that will appeal to organizations and associations. It seems that these groups are always looking for good, inexpensive resources and you just may fit the bill. Good luck! |