Complex Financing

The Bellingham Herald:

Jon Zobel has a hot business going, flipping hip-hop-inspired, limited-edition sneakers, hats and watches to like-minded collectors for wads of cash.

At 13, hes part of a sneakerhead trend that began in the 1980s with the rise of hip-hop culture and has trickled down to teens who hoard birthday money and holiday checks to buy pricey footwear with a cult-like following.

Jon, who is going into eighth grade at University School in Davie, Fla., owns more than 30 pairs of pristine, hard-to-find sneakers. Displayed on shelves lining his bedroom, the footwear is the hipsters equivalent of a coin collection.

I really like the way they look, and I like them because I make a lot of money selling them, he says.

Jon bought his first pair of kicks with money he made washing cars when he was 12. He became hooked on the hobby, finding a unique pair, then marking it up and reselling it via Facebook or eBay.

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Self management skills are vital for the development of an individual. Most of the times, we blame others or the situation for our failures, but if we do a bit of retrospection, the challenges that we face can be a result of poor planning, which stems from the lack of self management skills. These skills may be inherited by the select few, but most of us are acquainted with these by our parents, teachers or employers. It is also important to mention that these skills cannot be developed overnight and it takes a sustained effort on our part to be able to manage ourselves in a better way. Self management does not necessarily mean that we will reach the zenith of perfection but what it essentially does to us is it brings some amount of discipline in our lives. Read more…

Janessa and Rachel may be under the age of 18, but they are already very entrepreneurial. Together they have launched a jewelry business, Bring on the Bling, that connects US customers with fun Peruvian pieces. With prices under $10 each, their pieces are affordable enough for people of all ages.

I recently ask both girls a few questions about their business and their goals.

Tell us a little about Bring on the Bling.

Janessa, age 14 and Rachel, age 16 partnered in ‘Bring On The Bling!’ in the spring of 2011. They select and buy their own jewelry, hair accessories and ‘blingy items’ for resale in their new partner venture.

What inspired it?

Rachel, at age 13, had just gotten her ears pierced, and since she had owned multiple businesses since the age of six, wanted a ‘teen girl’ biz, something fun and girly, so Rachel searched the internet and came across a Peruvian jewelry site. She tested

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When a company enters into a business, a significant amount of money is invested in it by its founders. This amount of money is referred to as “stock” of the company. The stock of a company is divided into shares and the total number of shares of a company is declared when the company is formed. People who want to invest in a particular company, can do so by buying shares or stocks of that company. There are two types of stocks pertaining to a business entity –

• Common stock
• Preferred stock

The basic difference between common stock and preferred stock is that common stock holders can contribute in corporate decisions through their voting rights while preferred stock holders do not enjoy voting rights but are entitled to receive dividends before it is distributed to other shareholders. Read more…

After blogging yesterday on the bittersweet news of corrupt mortgage lenders paying out millions in fees and restitution for wrongdoing, its nice to have a bright spot in the housing market to blog about today. At least it would seem so on the surface: Housing starts hit a 6-month high in June. But economists share sobering thoughts on why this bright spot is probably little more than a dimly-lit dot on the housing market and, more importantly, the economy overall.

Reuters compiled an impressive collection of notable quotes on the issue from some of the top economists in the nation. Here are some of the highlights:

When we look at the breakdown [of housing starts] regionally, the majority of activity we saw was concentrated in the south. So I am wondering if there was some sort of seasonal factor, some sort of area specific factor that is driving that activity. We dont see it throughout the country.

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