Most of us have to make money. Whether its to pay the bills or support our kids and save for college, not many of us have the luxury of ignoring this fact.

But we do have to be careful of doing things strictly for the money. Doing a job just for the money can often have detrimental long term effects.

”I probably did it for the money.”

In a recent article in Entertainment Weekly, Chevy Chase is quoted as having done Fletch Lives just for the money. The outcome? What could have been a long lasting movie franchise met a swift end when Fletch Lives bombed.

Think twice about your motives when mulling over that new job offer or considering taking on additional projects. Taking the money now could cost you even more money down the line.

Sometimes it pays to hold off and put a couple things on the Underhill’s account until an opportunity you’re more passionate about comes along.

I’m currently reading the book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and I’ve picked up a lot of insights that I will be working into my websites and marketing campaigns going forward. Dan is Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University. You should definitely pick up a copy no matter what line of work you are in.

Back in 2008 Dan gave a TED Talk and one of the examples he used to highlight just how irrational we are sometimes as consumers was an order page for the Economist. So much thought goes into creating the best copy for subscriber acquisition or renewal pieces that sometimes we forget that we need to make sure we are saying the right things and framing offers the right way all the way through the entire checkout process if we want to achieve maximum conversion.

The Economist order page example offered three choices:

• Online subscription for $59
• Print subscription for $125
• Print and Online for $125

Dan saw this order page and called up the Economist to see what they were thinking and why they would frame the offer in such a way. Clearly nobody in their right mind would choose option #2. Unfortunately by the time Dan got to the right person at the Economist, the offer page was replaced.

So Dan decided to test the original page with 100 MIT students. Here is what they chose:

• Online subscription for $59 (16%)
• Print subscription for $125 (0%)
• Print and Online for $125 (84%)

This would seem to make sense right? The third option looks like an incredible bargain and so 84% of the students chose that option.

A natural reaction would be to eliminate the option nobody wants, so Dan eliminated the middle option. It’s amazing the result this change had on what people chose:

• Online subscription for $59 (68%)
• Print and Online for $125 (32%)

What a difference! Which result do you think the Economist would prefer? Clearly the result where 84% of people chose the higher priced option. But they would probably never figure out how to achieve this result without testing.

So, two lessons to take away from this:

1) Always be testing and tweaking your offers, and

2) Don’t hesitate to test offers that seem to make zero sense…those which nobody would choose. The “dummy option” could have a profound (and profitable) effect on what they do ultimately decide.

You can watch the entire Ted Talk embedded below. The example illustrated here begins at the 12:35 mark.

This year on New Years there was a blue moon, the first time this has happened in 20 years. In celebration, one of my favorite brands of beer, Blue Moon, put out a special brew called Blue Moon Grand Cru. It was really good. Went down great as I was grilling the steaks we had for dinner.

In Belgium, a Grand Cru is typically a rich, bold beer brewed to celebrate the holiday season or another special event. Following the traditional Belgian style, Blue Moon Grand Cru — inspired by Blue Moon Belgian White — is brewed with small-batch care, while providing a unique twist on the classic Grand Cru. Read more.

I might go try to snap up a few more bottles before it goes away/sells out. If you see it out and about give it a shot. If you are also a fan of Blue Moon they have a new facebook page.

I’ve actually been able to read quite a few books lately. I’m trying to alternate between reading for entertainment and reading for education. Right now I’m just wrapping up Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It!: Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion.

It’s a short read, but as Gary likes to say, there’s no fluff. He’s right. Each of the nuggets are pretty short but definitely inspiring. I feel like I’m already on the path that Gary describes in the book, but I’ve definitely got a ways to go before I consider myself a success. Crush It! definitely opened my eyes to some of the things I could be doing to speed my business growth process along.

I have to admit though, I read most of it while in the bathroom. The short chapters are perfect for this. 5-10 minutes per chapter and your done. For some reason I don’t think Gary would care.

I read the hardcover version of Crush It! but one thing I still might check out is the Vook for Crush It!. According to their website a Vook is:

“…a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.

You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.

Vooks are available in two formats: As a web-based application you can read on your computer and a mobile application for reading on the go. With the web-based application you don’t have to download programs or install software. Just open your favorite browser and start reading and watching in an exciting new way. You can also download and install the mobile applications through the Apple iTunes store and sync them with your Apple mobile device.”

The video content with Gary looks great (you can see a preview here) and the price has come down quite a bit since I first checked it out (now $6.99…it was $11.99) so it seems like a great deal.

But no matter what format you prefer, check out Crush It! and get ready to be inspired and motivated to take those next steps in getting your business up and running.

Taking your Site from One to One Million Users by Kevin Rose from Carsonified on Vimeo.

Good thoughts on stroking the ego of your users, using an invite system (like gmail in the early days), finding good advisors and more.

I took Kristy to the Hard Rock Orlando last weekend for her birthday and like always we had an awesome time. We got a cabana by the pool and they did it up with balloons and birthday decorations for us. Awesome service by the team out by the pool at the Hard Rock.

Finished off the night at our favorite restaurant, The Palm. We’re now at over 1,000 points in the Palm 837 club. Only 99,000 points to go before we can get something worth wild