About Aunty

Aunty is a new senior citizen and loving this phase of her life. Less responsibilities, less fear of being weird, able to do more of the things that I want to do! Older, yes, slower, yes, but life is even more wonderful in my golden years and I look forward to even goldener ones.

Success and the 1031 exchange!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Aunty

Yesterday we closed on our first (and only, so far) successful 1031 exchange! Because it did not involve financing, it took less than a month after identifying, making an offer, settling on their counter offer, and finalizing. Hurray!

Martin Fajardo, our Vegas realtor was instrumental in getting us a great price for a great property in a great neighborhood in Las Vegas. The exchanged property that we bought was $7,000 more than the one that we sold, so all is good.

In fact, better than good because just one day after closing, we have a tenant!

To tell you the truth, Aunty had serious doubts that this 1031 exchange would happen because Aunty didn’t pay attention to the very strict time frames, and it was down to the wire on our 45th day to identify 3 properties for potential purchase. Stress!! – though that is now water under the bridge, and we are done!!!

Want to learn more about how these 1031 exchanges work? Perfect timing, grasshopper!

The February HiREI (Hawaii Real Estate Investors) meeting TODAY, Thursday, 7:00 pm February 6 at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (2454 S. Beretania Street) will present the dynamic and beautiful Julie Tambaga of OREXCO – the folks we used!!!

Come if you can and learn about this wonderful way to buy/sell investment real estate and save money on taxes. Parking is $5 with validation, entry fee is $15 unless you sign up for annual membership.

Hope to see you there!!

Aunty’s first (maybe last?) 1031 exchange

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Aunty

5 Bedroom house that sold

The opportunity

This summer, one of our long term Vegas tenants moved out. They were good tenants, but became unable to pay the monthly rent. Meanwhile, the real estate market in Las Vegas was heated up. In fact, according to year over year statistics for 2013, Las Vegas prices were up by 30%, and Las Vegas was HOT!

Uncle and I had purchased the 5 bedroom 3 bath North Las Vegas home back in 2009 for $130,000, with a HELOC loan on it for $74,000. It was a good cash flowing property renting out at $1,700/month – in fact, it was one of the best we had, until we lost our tenants. Meanwhile, the market had increased the value of this property to over $220,000.

The cleanup and transaction begins

After the tenant left, rehab was begun – repairs, painting, landscaping, and cleaning. Because of so many investors owning properties in Vegas, rents were dropping. Rental income would be about $1,500 if we were lucky. It was time to sell!

We asked for $250,000 – which was a bit on the high side, so we did not have offers for weeks until the price was lowered to $230,000. (Lesson learned – pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.) Aunty contacted OREXCO to facilitate the exchange. The sales contract reflected that this was to be a 1031 exchange.

A very nice family wanted this nice big house and a deal was struck at $225,000.

Stuff happens

Meanwhile, because the house stood vacant for about 5 months, we had 2 incidences of break ins, one to the air conditioner, and one break in by smashing a window and stealing most of the appliances. Since we were in contract and all appliances were to be in good working order, we had to spend about $2,500 to fix the air conditioner, window and replace the stolen appliances. We also hired a house sitter in the evenings for the last few days to deter future potential break ins.

It closed the day before Thanksgiving – hurray! We now had 45 days to identify replacement properties for a 1031 exchange. The funds from the sale of the property (sales price minus what we owed on the HELOC) would sit in escrow until the exchange is complete, or disbursed after 180 days if the exchange is not successful.

Panic

Today was the 45th day after the sale. Yikes!!! How did time fly so quickly?!? A panicked call to the best realtor in Vegas, Martin Fajardo, resulted in us finding 3 great Vegas properties, in good Las Vegas neighborhoods in the $225,000 range. Aunty filled out the Exchange Identification Notice and sent it off to our 1031 exchange specialist at OREXCO. (Aunty will be doing a review about OREXCO in the future.)

It has been a stressful day – the identification period is not flexible beyond 45 days. Aunty’s tendency to procrastinate almost doomed this strategy, the 1031 exchange.

Why do a 1031 exchange?

For the sole purpose of deferring taxes on a gain. Since we would be profiting $95,000, our capital gains tax on our personal tax return would be about $18,000 (20% capital gains tax). That is a lot of tax to pay, though it can be offset by losses somewhat.

However, a 1031 exchange allows us to defer the tax on the $95,000 gain IF we purchase real estate worth $225,000 (the sales price) or more, in the time frames that are required, so we won’t have to pay any taxes at this time. If, in the future, we sell the new property, we can do another 1031 exchange for something equal to or greater than the sales price. This is like kicking the can down the road.

When does it end?

It can end, if, at some point in time after this and other future exchanges, we decide to sell and pay all the taxes that were deferred. This is not a good option.

Another way is when we die, the estate will have the property pass to the beneficiaries and the tax deferral goes away. This is not a great option either, but it is most probable.

Another way to avoid the deferred tax is to live in the 1031 exchanged place for 2 years and have owned it for at least 5 years, thus making it our personal residence, and then selling it. This could be a great option, but several more timely 1031 exchanges need to occur until Uncle and I are exchanged into a place that we would want to live in. This is a lot of exchanging and work, but we shall see. Selling one’s personal residence(s) has enormous benefits. Enormous.

Or…..

We can just let this exchange fail, and after 180 days, escrow will send us the funds sitting in the account, and we will file a tax return claiming the capital gains and pay the tax due.

Sweet home in Southern Highland

What needs to happen

Since our 45 days to identify properties in the exchange is over, we cannot identify any others. We need for one of the 3 properties that we identified to OREXCO close within 180 days at a purchase price of $225K or higher.

Will it?

Aunty will post as time goes on. Hopefully we get accepted on all three offers, and we get to choose and close on the best of them. Please wish us well.

Speak better = Resonate!! the book by Nancy Duarte

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Aunty

Happy New Year! Aunty wants to start the year blogging with some self improvement, and the ability to persuade is a good tool in anyone’s belt. Here’s a book report from Aunty:

The other day, Aunty was sitting next to Uncle and telling him about one of her very interesting revelations (Aunty gets revelations quite often). In Aunty’s telling of it, Uncle looked at this watch. Aunty got ticked off and stopped in mid sentence. You see, to Aunty, that action meant that he wasn’t really listening, and that he was bored.

Uncle, being a nice guy, begged me to continue, but the moment of me wanting to share a revelation with him was lost in the cloud of being insulted (in Aunty’s own mind.)

Who was at fault? To hear Uncle apologize it would seems as if he were. However, after a time of reflection, I do believe the fault was my own – my spoken word bored him, and probably would not engage anyone else who had the misfortune of listening to my dissertations.

Aunty can write easier than speak, especially with spell check and thesaurus tools on the computer. Writing is non invasive. It is the other person’s choice to read, versus the spoken word is invasive. Anyone in earshot will hear the words, whether they want to or not.

So, it is now one of Aunty’s goals to become a better speaker – one that can hold and capture an audience rather than bore or irritate them. That means a whole lot of training, learning, and practicing.

Here is a TED video by Julian Treasure on how to speak so others listen:

One way to practice is to join a local Toastmasters Club – one item on Aunty’s to do list. Aunty’s favorite way to learn is on the internet, searching for ideas and resources. During a search for a great speaking guide, Aunty found a book, “Resonate, present visual stories that transform audiences” by Nancy Duarte. Wow! Just the title had me hooked – Aunty can transform audiences!?

[First off, the author has made it easy for a skim reader like Aunty. She highlights gold nuggets of information for skimmers with bold text, references with green, items of deserved emphasis with orange. The book is filled with outstanding speeches of famous people that she used as examples of excellence. She has a website: www.duarte.com, a goldmine of information.

Turns out, this book is more about presentations in front of an audience – more of a communication goal that is oriented to persuasion. This could work – more of a jump into a bonfire than a flame, but Aunty is game!]

Here is a TED talk that Nancy did in 2010:

Here is Aunty’s book report:

To resonate, you must tune your message to your audience’s minds, needs, wants, rather than expect them to tune into you just because you are speaking. It will take work on your part, with an ebb and flow of content, emotion, and delivery. Make it about your audience. If your ideas stand out, they will be noticed. Stories are the most powerful delivery tool for information. [Einstein once said, if you want your child to be creative, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more creative, read them more fairy tales.]

climax graphic Blending information with stories creates a perfect world for a presentation. Stories have 3 parts: a situation, a complication or conflict, and then a resolution. A great presentation should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first plot point in an incident that captures people’s attention with intrigue and interest is called a turning point. In a presentation, this turning point may be an idea, or a solution to a problem, or some kind of conflict or imbalance perceived by your audience that your presentation resolves. You can also create imbalance by juxtaposing what is with what could be.

The contour or form of a great presentation:

The Beginning paints a picture of the audience’s reality – this is the what is. The beginning comes before the first turning point. It is historical and the present, often including a problem that the audience has in common. Create a common bond with the audience. That can be short and should not take up more than 10% of the presentation. Then, create a call to adventure, putting forth a memorable big idea that conveys what could be.

The Middle is the contrast, that first turning point of the call to adventure, and will be made up of various types of contrasts of dilemma and resolution, dilemma and resolution. The middle is continuous back and forth between what is and what could be. This alternating between the two, the present and the possibility pushes and pulls the audience to feel as if events are constantly unfolding, and they will be engaged and interested, wanting to learn how to resolve the imbalance in their lives or achieve what they want. It is very important to know your audience so that you can understand your similar or opposing views. Content that is oppositional to their belief is stimulating. Familiar content is comforting. The call to action gives your audience tasks that they can perform, depending on what type* of person they are – a doer, supplier, influencer, or innovator. All are important, all can be reached if you provide each type with at least one action that they would be comfortable in performing.

The End of the presentation is concluded with the resolution, a vivid description of the new feeling of bliss that is created when what could be is achieved or reached, and a willingness to be transformed. Let the audience know what the finish line will look like, ending it on a higher plane of enthusiasm with everyone understanding their future rewards.

storyline It is important that the audience leaves the presentation committed to taking action, that they make a decision to cross the threshold. T.S. Eliot said “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

*Four distinct types and profiles of people:

Doers – instigate activities, the worker bees. They recruit and motivate other doers to complete important activities.
Suppliers – get resources. These are the ones with financial, human, or material resources. They have the means to get you what you need to move forward.
Influencers – the ones who can change perceptions of others. These people can sway individuals and groups, mobilizing them to adopt your ideas.
Innovators – idea generators. These are the ones that think outside the box for new ways to modify and spread your idea. They create strategies, new ways of thinking, products that are new.

The Sparkline

The author has a line tool that she calls a sparkline. It consists of the Beginning, and then a series of stories or details about what is followed by what could be with sparkles and star moments sprinkled in. Towards the end of the presentation are contrasting emotion and delivery, and then the call to action that defines what your audience CAN do, followed by the End that paints a vivid picture of the potential reward.

An example of a presentation with all the components of a perfect presentation that leads to the transformation of audiences is Benjamin Zander in his 2008 TED talk. Go to TED.com, search for Benjamin Zander, and enjoy. Chopin anyone?

Get to know your audience

Instead of the old school way of imagining your audience in their pajamas to get over your fear of speaking in front of them, imagine them as a line of individuals waiting to have a face-to-face conversation with you. The audience must be your focus – it is about them, not about you.

Do research on your audience, the more you know who they are, the better you can structure what you say to connect and move them. Figure out what your audience cares about and link it to your idea. Give them something that they didn’t know before, create common ground. Success is having your idea be understood and accepted as a great idea by them.

The Big Idea

Determine what your key message is. This is your goal – it needs to be a complete sentence so it is easily articulated and can be repeated. The message is your Big Idea. It must convey what is at stake (what is compared to what could be), and it must be specific, not a generalization such as “be happy.”

Once you have the Big Idea, identify where your audience is at right now, to where you want to move the audience to. Changing beliefs means changing actions. If they can shift their beliefs to be able to accept your ideas as a viable path, then guide them toward the actions that can get them unstuck from their former beliefs in order to have a reward that is worthwhile for themselves, their sphere of influence, and perhaps even the world.

Every audience will persist in a state of rest unless compelled to change. It is your job to compel them. To do this, you must first assess, and then deliver what they want.

hero audience Assess and deliver by meeting the heroes

Look upon the audience as a room full of heroes. Figure out what they care about and link it to your idea. Be mindful of how you fit in their lives in order to guide them and bolster their confidence in you.

Figure out what your audience cares about and create a link between that and your Big Idea. They need to leave your presentation knowing something that they didn’t know before – the aha moments are powerful, and YOU gave it to them! If you have any common ground with them, use it to make a better connection.

The journey of the Big Idea

First off you must define the destination that you want your audience propelled to. Map it out and be prepared for resistance. When resistance is harnessed properly, it can create forward progress towards acceptance of the one key message you want to communicate – the Big Idea.

The 3 components of a Big Idea:

A Big Idea must be your point of view, not a generalization.
A Big Idea must convey a sense of urgency and importance.
A Big Idea must be a complete sentence that you can articulate.

Use the 2 emotions of pleasure and pain to make your point by raising the likelihood of pain and lowering the likelihood of pleasure if they reject the Big Idea or vice versa, raising the likelihood of pleasure and lowering the likelihood of pain if they accept the Big Idea.

Map out the journey that you want for your audience, moving them from inaction to action, from stuck to unstuck. You are asking them to change. Acknowledge them for it by acknowledging the risk, sacrifice, or their fears. Contemplate all the ways that your audience may resist and address them, at the same time assuring them that the Big Idea is a good one.

The benefits of the Big Idea should appeal to their basic needs such as security, savings, winnings, recognition, improving relationships, achieving goals, or their full potential. Some may refuse or resist the call to action. They need to feel that they are in good capable hands – your hands. They also need to feel that taking action is worth the risk, because of what the reward or payoff will be. [Jeff Olson, says, “the price of neglect is far higher than the price of discipline.]

Create Meaningful Content

Use sticky notes to jot down ideas, facts, stories, projects, possibilities, etc. – anything that supports your presentation. Collect ideas from a multitude of sources, create ideas, and write them down everything that you can.

Have a balance between logical, emotional and ethical appeal.

Think about the issues of opposing points of view for this may give you more ideas for your presentation.

Most great presentations use personal stories. Draw on your past experiences with people in your life, places you have been, or things that can enhance your points. The best stories follow a standard flow – description, problem or conflict, solution. When you can turn your own data base of stored memories and images into stories, you are transforming information that is charged emotionally and makes it more digestible and believable, as well as enjoyable to the audience.

Edit, and edit some more.

Keep in mind the Big Idea. Filter in order to make it clear, not overwhelming your audience with too much information no matter how relevant you might think it is. Slash and delete so you end up with the best stuff in a smaller format. It is easier to digest for your audience.

Structure your content

Presentations need to feel organized. Structures help to hold everything together. The most widely used structures are outlines, or a logic tree – giving viewers a snapshot of looking at the whole and not only the parts.

Order your information from the Big Idea or problem to what it is now to what it can become. When you create interaction with emotional responses (i.e. laughter, sympathy) and alternate it with analytical content, your audience will feel and be affected. Avoid reading from the screen – you want human connections, not route readings.

When using slides, present one message or idea per slide. Keep it simple. Use cartoons or pictures that represent words. A solid structured presentation will cause ideas to flow logically and helps the audience see and feel the Big Idea along with you.

Give them something to remember

You want to give them something that is significant, that they will be talking about or thinking about for a long time. Five types of significant moments come from:

memorable dramatizations – Steve Jobs, when introducing the MacBook Air, pulled it out from a manila envelope
repeatable sound bites – imitate a famous phrase, a rally call, a crisp message that people will want to repeat to others
evocative visuals – something that moves the audience
emotive storytelling – share from your own personal experience or feelings
shocking statistics – show a graph, chart, comparison that give the viewer a sense of urgency.

Improve

Give a positive first impression.

Speak in the language and manner that will reach your target audience.

Keep it short – a prime example of this was Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which lasted only 2 minutes and consisted of just 278 words.

Move away from presenting from slides or use slides just to help your audience recall your message.

Create the right balance of emotion, facts, credibility. Too much or too little of any of these components may leave the audience feeling manipulated.

Practice in front of critics and listen to their feedback.

No matter what the subject matter, practice and practice again to make it perfect.

Changing the World is hard

Creating begins with an idea that can change the world. Change will bring about challenges and resistance. Sometimes you must put your reputation and popularity on the line in order to advance what you believe in. Don’t give up.

Your idea becomes alive when it is adopted by another person, then another, then another until it becomes a groundswell of believers in support. Presentations can be the vehicle to communicate your vision and get support. If your message is done well and moves your audience to action, using the social medium phenomenon of YouTube, Facebook, and others will get your message repeated and possibly viewed by millions.

Be the real you, be transparent. To do this, be honest, be unique, and don’t compromise.

Believe in yourself and your ideas, and others will follow.

Closing

We all have ideas that are potent. If it is a great idea that can change the world for the better, go for it. Communicate your idea in the best way that you can. Gather, prepare, learn from prime examples, write, rewrite, get feedback, and then send your message out to the audience. Change the world!

Aunty’s note: This book took Aunty over 6 months to finish, perhaps because it was just not in Aunty’s sphere of comfort. Aunty’s mind would wonder during chapters. However, if you are in a job or occupation that requires public speaking, this book is an excellent source to help get your point across and into your audience. Next step for Aunty – pick a goal, work on the presentation, and go present it to Uncle. If done well enough, Uncle will say “YES!”

Bidet for Butts

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Aunty

Pal Wanda had a very expensive $800+ electronic bidet installed a couple of years ago, much to the curiosity of Aunty. According to her, it was wonderful. Aunty took her word for that, but never had an opportunity to try it out.

A bidet – pronounced “bid day” – is an attachment (or sometimes it is the toilet seat itself) that is designed to wash your butt hole after you do #2. It is common in finer establishments in Europe, Japan, and Korea. Basically, a stream of water shoots out after you do #2, in the area of the source of #2, and after a few seconds (longer if you like it, ahem) you are “clean” of #2 residue and a simple wipe with toilet paper leaves one’s sphincter and butt clean and dry.

Sounds wonderful in a weird way, but Aunty never really saw the benefit of having one at home until Uncle had to come home after having surgery, and one of Aunty’s tasks was to wipe his butt (I know, tmi, tmi.)

Pal Dale told us about a cheap bidet he had bought on Amazon.com, how easy it was to install, and how he loved it. This cheap bidet did not require electrical hookup. Whaaaa? Pal Wanda’s could adjust from cool to warm, blow dry, and maybe even massage (at $800+ it should have many options). Pal Dale’s was a simple tap into the cold water supply that feeds into the toilet tank. Deluxe luxury or basic and plain?

Desperation and the need for speed prompted Aunty to order one from Amazon.com – Joy Bidet C-1 – the cheapest one with the simplest set up, and good online reviews. In fact, Aunty ordered 2 in order to get free shipping, and it arrived in 2 days!

It was rather simple to install, even a cave man could do it, nyuk nyuk nyuk. However, the top plastic t-connection kept leaking so rather than tell Uncle the mechanic, Aunty opened the 2nd box and used the plastic t-connection from that set and shazaaam! everything was nicey tidy cleany weany.

The true test for anything new that enters our home is Uncle’s stamp of approval. The worst grade is when Uncle declares, “Stay JUNK!” So, Aunty was filled with a bit of apprehension on the maiden trial of our new Joy Bidet.

Uncle entered the stall with a face of pre-determined distrust – or maybe it was a face in pain from surgery recovery. Slowly he sat, very slowly. That was definitely from surgery recovery pain. He sat, and sat, and sat, holding a pillow to his tummy in order to put pressure on the area of the very large incision. After what seemed like eons (time moves very slowly when waiting for someone else to poop), Uncle made #2, hurray!!

Sit, Uncle, sit! Turn the dial of the bidet – nothing at first….then whooosh! whoa! splish splash, Uncle’s face lit up with surprise and joy! He liked it, he liked it! Too cold? Not at all, said a very happy Uncle.

This was good. Aunty the Nurse now did not have as stinky a job during the weeks after post op recovery. The bidet is economically beneficial since it only cost $28 online and we now use much less toilet paper. The installation was easy and the water from the tap line was comfortable – in fact, the temperature of the water was pleasantly just right!

A few tips if you plan on getting one:

1. Aunty went for the Joy Bidet C-1 since it was the cheap one, and pal Dale said the cheap one was the good one – it is simple to use and has a turn dial from low to high. Low is more than ample. Aunty heard that some friends got a different and more expensive brand with a lever adjuster, and theirs had water pressure that was too high for the females’ butts in the household.

2. Wait for a good deal because right now the one we just got for $28 is now $200 on Amazon.com. That’s nuts. Might be better to instead get the newer model, the Joy Bidet C-2, self cleaning for $36 on Amazon with free shipping. Or, go to the JoyBidet.com website and order directly from the manufacturer for $40 plus shipping. [Update note: the Joy C-1 is again available for under $28. Aunty has no idea who the $200 vendor is, but they are big doo-doos, imo.]

3. Search on Google if you want to see video instructions. The written and drawn instructions are simple and good enough, BUT, instead of attaching the hose to the water supply first, install the top connections first, and attach the hose to the water supply last. The lines won’t twist and kink as much and it is SO much easier.

4. If it leaks from the t-connector, it might be that the t-connector or gasket is defective. Over tightening will not help. Aunty now needs to find a replacement plastic t-connector for the spare Joy Bidet that was purchased on Amazon. [update: Joy Bidet will be sending a replacement for free to Aunty!]

5. Sit and enjoy. You now have a throne worth at least a 60% savings on toilet paper.

[News update and recommendations: While talking story with friends, Aunty heard that this type of bidet can be a problem for women since the water shoots the sphincter discharge forward, which may enter us women’s privates and be the cause of urinary tract infection. To minimize that problem, Ladies, block and cover your womanly genitals with some toilet paper while the water is spraying, OR, opt for the expensive electronic toilet seat models. Water from those expensive luxurious ones come from a different angles, even oscillating and acting like a sideways water show. MUCH more expensive, but the options of warm water, gentle and varying cycles, and blow drying sound like heaven.]

Geebz – Gotta Go!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Aunty

Geebz social media class Aunty did a review post on a Geebz workshop. If Aunty had to rate it comparatively to all the workshops taken, this would be ranked in the top 10% because of its freshness and relevancy to what business owners and little bloggers like Aunty needs in this fast changing world of the internet, social media, and Google.

Geebz’ presentations are really fun, fast paced, and thankfully he doesn’t read from Powerpoint slides! It’s hard to take notes because the possibilities and different paths are opened up to us the way someone opens a door in a stuffy room and a clean wonderful breeze fills and surrounds the air around you.

Geebz will be having a workshop on mastering your online presence and utilizing mobile and tablets (i.e. iPad, smart phones) this coming Saturday, December 14 from 10:00 – 1:00 pm at the MOA Wellness Center on Queen and Kawaiahao Streets in Kakaako. Here’s the link: http://www.pmg-international.com/pmg/social-media-marketing-and-content-classes/

This is not a beginners workshop that teaches about how to set up a website or a business. It is for those who have a business site or blog or Facebook business page set up and ready for explosion. It comes at a perfect time to harness the energy of the holiday season and set up for the upcoming new year.

Aunty will be going if Uncle’s stitches are healed up better (a post for a future time). Otherwise, Aunty will have to be Nurse Brunhilda at home.

Hope to see you there, bring your dreams with you!

McKinley Car Wash Review

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Aunty

Uncle washes Aunty’s car every once in a while. Sometimes because he is in the mood to wash cars, and sometimes because he is trying to make nice to Aunty.

Most of the time it is very much appreciated, but once in a while, when my gas tank is low and the car (the one Aunty got the Rich Dad way) is dirty with sand on the floor and the dashboard is dusty, Aunty plans a trip to McKinley Car Wash for a fill up and car wash, at 1139 Kapiolani Boulevard.

The Yoshikawa family have owned and operated this service since 1946 – that’s a LONG time! Aunty was thrilled to have her picture taken with owner Yukio Yoshikawa and his son Max recently.

Aunty is really impressed with this business and the people in this business.

Matthew Kelepolo used to be my go-to man and I would make sure that I was in his lane to fill up because he always had a good story to tell – his life story. Born and raised on the Big Island, he was one of over a dozen children. Married to the same women and having a number of kids himself, he looked like he could slice, dice, and dismember enemies without effort. His neck sported tattoos that added to his formidable look, but as soon as he opened his mouth and started talking in his slightly high, very raspy voice, he was a sweetheart. No shoyu, no salt, no alcohol, no drugs, gives thanks to God, and on and on he would recite his history as he deftly filled up gas, checked the engine fluid levels, brushed tires and rims and scribbled the service code on windshields with a flourish.

On the rare occasions that I didn’t see Matthew working, I would go to the line that his kid brother Willie was in charge of. Where’s Matthew? would be answered politely with an aside about Matthew always talking to the ladies.

Long lines

The only time I didn’t have to wait for gas and a wash when when it was drizzling. The wait is almost always long because McKinley Car Wash is so popular. The reason that they are so popular is because of their great service, and the quality of the car wash process.

After your car is filled with gas and marked, drive forward to the vacuum garage. You will be given a little yellow slip of paper.

Two guys with huge vacuum hoses attack the dirt, sand, and whatever else lingers on the vehicle’s upholstery, rug, car mats as you pull up into that section and wait outside of your car until they are done. What a difference clean spanked car mats make!

Get back in your car and wait some more to take your turn to swing into the mechanical car wash structure. Get out of your car when you are almost at the tracks with car gear in park so that someone else can maneuver your car into perfect alignment with the car wash tracks as it enters into the soapy water spray and wash.

Orchids, orchids, beautiful orchids

After exiting your car, a pathway leads you to an entry door to the store and cashier. Immediately you notice and smell beautiful potted orchids lined up parallel to a huge glass window through which you can view your car getting washed by jets of water, air, and soap.

Such beautiful orchids! Each time different ones, all grown and nurtured by Mr. Yoshikawa himself!

Before reaching the cashier’s counter, the pleasant air conditioned mini store is stocked full of snacks, greeting cards, car accessories and drinks. Hand your yellow paper slip to the cashier and then pay for your gas and carwash service, then out the door to watch as the cars come out of the automated wash.

First class service

As soon as your sparkling wet car is pulled into an open spot (sometimes it is amazing how many cars they fit), at least 5 men start attacking your car with towels by wiping, cleaning, inside and out, getting everywhere that they can get to. Towards the end of the wiping that lasts longer than the car wash itself, a single man continues to wipe, to catch any remaining drops and wipe detailing your dash board, console, interior panels.

These men are formidable looking – not the kind of people you want to meet in a dark or lighted alley. Tattoos, scars, and the hard life are evident on their faces and bodies. Despite how they look, they take their job and your vehicle seriously and do a spotless wonderful job of making sure your car is as close to brand new as it can be. With a whistle and a wave of the towel, they let you know that your car is clean and ready for you to drive off.

Aunty usually puts a tip in the tip box just outside of the store door since those tips are evenly distributed to all the hard workers at the end of the day.

Surprise bonus

A bonus that is not advertised is a free car wash after 10. For this, you do not need a card that is punched or keeping track of it to remind them. They automatically track it in their system based on your license plate. If you get a new car, let the cashier know your old license plate number and they will update your records so you can accrue points without a break.

More than just a car wash

A car wash with 8 gallons costs less than just a car wash – $9.25 vs $11.25. Liquid polish wash through the automation is available, as well as hand wax for more. Conditioning and detailing are also available if wanted – ask when you pull in. They even do safety checks – though most people just want a sparkling clean car.

Open every day

McKinley Car Wash is open every day, rain or shine.

For Aunty it gets a bit tricky since the combination of having a dirty car and needing to fill up the gas tank along with having available time to wait in line is rare. Because of that, drizzly days work out best – no line, zip in, zip out, with a clean car and a full tank of gas.

To their credit

The Yoshikawas really deserve a lot of respect and credit for delivering this kind of top notch service, and instilling the quality of achievement and pride to their employees. Sometimes, they themselves are in the front line putting in gas, checking fluid levels in engines, and swabbing tires!

A few years ago, another car wash/service company opened up on Kapiolani Boulevard, RIGHT next to them. Business may have dropped for a little while, but since then, cars line up for however long they have to wait instead of going to the neighboring competition. The reason is – top quality at a fair price.

Because of that, Aunty is a fan forever.

Guess what day it is?

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Aunty

Have a very happy hump day!

Geebz the Whiz and Aunty the Unwhiz

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Aunty

Aunty went to a Social Media Marketing workshop on 11/16/2013 at the beautiful new MOA Wellness Center in Kakaako, organized by Lori Chaffin, publisher of the Hawaii Wellness Directory. The speaker was George del Barrio aka Geebz of PMI-International.

[Breaking news: Geebz will be having another workshop “Social Media Marketing and Content“ on December 14, 2014 from 10:00 – 1:00 at the MOA Wellness Center. Aunty already signed up – how about you?]

Here are Aunty’s notes. Aunty’s comments about the workshop follows: *please see update at the end

Aunty and Geebz Social media is about talking to the culture of your market share.

Younger people are not as impacted with 30 second spots the way the older generation has been conditioned. They are more affected by organic content – by asking questions, i.e. “how do I get cash flow”, “how do I change a power window regulator on a Nissan 1996” and entering it in a search box such as Google.

The call to action, “come to me because I am the best” is not as powerful as “I am helpful”.

Instead of screaming “buy from me”, successful businesses give the solution to people’s problems. This generates so much good will, viewers will want to support these businesses or sites, perhaps even buying from the solution givers. Answer the “why”, answer the questions that are the most asked, and you will be somebody’s hero.

Engage

Enforce your presence by telling an interesting story. The story of your business is important. What is it, why is it, who is it, i.e. back pain, make a video discussing lower back pain, or what drove you to do what you are now doing.

Geebz’s brother’s video “Golf Tips – Hit the Driver 300+ Yards” is on the first page on Google search because of the number of comments, both positive and negative (the haters). We are in charge of preparing content to battle. Prepare content for questions/answering/solving. You want to “own” the space that you are in, and you want viewers to understand your service and the spirit behind your product.

Be real

Credibility is huge. However, testimonial pages are seldom looked at. The average viewer will only look at 1.8 pages. Landing and index page must give solid information so they can figure out about you, what you do, it they like you, if they want to stick around from the very first page they land on. Become an expert or an authority. Get other people to talk about you.

If you have a Yelp presence, participate personally in the yelp discussions for your business– respond to the feedback. This shows that the business owner is personally involved. RESPOND, even if it is just a thank you for the kind words, or even more importantly, respond to the negative with a positive reaction or pro-active reply. Others will read these comments and your replies to them affect their own opinions of you.

Be able to be found – I have done this, I have done that. Have your friends write about you on their Facebook pages or blogsites.

For writers, use Ezinearticle.com to release an article to better brand yourself. Do how to articles without referring to your business, branding or whatever you sell or your article will be rejected. This site wants useful content, not self pitches. The author box will have your info and can have your business links. Being an author on an external site will give you more credibility.

Change, change and more change

Social media in new age marketing is fantastic, but ominous. The sociability of social media has now become part of us. The latest war in the Mid East started on Twitter. Young ones are all about snap content, moving away from traditional means of communication or news.

Geebz’s one page has the entire page on the screen, to be swiped horizontally because that is how smartphones and tablets are interfaced. The masses are not on the desktop or laptop computers nowadays as much as they are on tablets, phones, iPads.

[Some of Geebz’s clients/sites: *Haumana – George’s music *Martin & MacArther koa furniture * Healing Hula answers question what is healing hula *Gibi – meditation music *keyofGeebz *spinthoughts – Geebz wordpress site links to regular site]

On Facebook

Facebook is huge for 40+ age. The reason is that because they are older and don’t want to learn a new site or a new way to stay in touch. On average, people spend 20 minutes on Facebook every day. Facebook is struggling but now infiltrating our Timelines with ads, user defaults to Pages Feed, changes that are sometimes welcome, sometimes not.

Facebook Tips: If you “liked” a page, mouse over “Liked” button. This shows options how you want it showing up on your pages.

If posting for a reason, always post with a picture because people scroll through quickly and stop on engaging pictures.

Post content that is worth sharing, talking to the people that you know.

Share something that you think is cool.

Have something that stops people in their motion.

When posting a blogpost on your Facebook page, click to read takes people back to your site.

Use share option on Facebook to personal page, or business page, etc.

Get people back to your website

Facebook is great for sharing, but the goal of the marketer is to get people back to their own website because there is no “buy” button on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

When you blog in your website, treat it like bits of information. Then post it outward on Facebook, etc. This brings people back into your blog. Even post other people’s neat stuff. Example: Geebz posts useful content from someone else, i.e. unfolding Chinese take out boxes into a plate. This gives people something to talk about it, share it, but it “came” from Geebz.

Post the most interesting stories of your business on your Facebook page once every 4 months because you have new Facebook visitors every 4 months. When they click on your Facebook post, it takes them to your website blog.

When you post a blog on Facebook pages, share it on your Timeline. When your viewers click on it to read, it will take you to your blogsite.

When you give content that answers questions that people might be asking, it ranks you higher in searches. Prepare content that promotes the popular culture, ie. using motocross in your title or content will show up in searches for motocross, even if your post might be about something else that has nothing to do with motocross, but the picture in the background is that of a motocross track.

Geebz Tip: Filter in your email: to stop receiving marketing email, filter by the word “unsubscribe”. This was a post by Geebz that got people sharing the post, bringing them into his website.

Evergreen – with traditional advertisements, you have to constantly re-buy, which is expensive and deteriorates and disappears with time. An alternative to traditional is to use Twitter to run a promotion “1st 3 people to find Waldo wins prize”, which takes them to your website or video on YouTube which then leads them to your page. Twitter is free. Facebook postings are free.

Give content

For Hawaii Music Supply, Geebz coached them to put out videos on how to play the ukulele, online sales for ukuleles went way up. No where in the video did anyone say “buy from me” – instead did passive branding with lead in of business, wearsing shirt with logo.

Need to be proactive about posting – every now and then, shows current supply/product, next step is to do videos on why, the story behind. Keep your fans informed and close to you.

Sometimes we have to be our own mascots and find current problems that you know about, i.e. doctors: put out video about latest flu epidemic.

The title of your content is THE most powerful element of search engine results

Figure out what words or queries people would search for, and put them in the title of your posts and/or videos. Think of the many different combinations of word/phrase searches. Even the order of the title words matters.

If you decide to change your title, it will destroy your current position so instead put a “thought bubble” in the video/content about the new title so you don’t lose viewers or ranking. If you do change your title, it will take 5-6 weeks turnaround for it to flush through the algorithms, and the content will need to be re-engaged.

The title has power words, repeat them in the content of your posts.

Description box under your Youtube video is HUGE – your title will have the keywords, so also have the keywords in the description body = keyword density = double bang.

Tags on the video sites – geotag if they must come into your physical site, such as a dentist’s office or massage therapist’s location. Tag with key words.

Giving away info

Give away info for free – you will get fans or subscribers. Can do push notification for free to subscribers at anytime, once a year remove restrictions to get things for free that they can download, prepping the market for when you do begin to sell something.

Resource videos are very powerful, how to videos are what people are searching for. When you do resource videos, talk to your viewers as if you know them already.

How to do videos

When doing video, film using interview style, looking away from the camera. This works because it is not intrusive to the viewer, and more relaxing for the speaker. Have a friend interview you, so it looks like you are talking to someone rather than directly to the viewer. If, however, you are doing an instructional video, then shoot head on and face the camera/viewer.

Go Pro cameras are now the rage, worn on the head to provide the viewer with the perspective of the one making the video.

After you do a info or instructional video, do blog content of 2 or 3 paragraphs. Do bullet points. This will lead in to your video, which will be imbedded into your blog. This hypes shared value of that page.

How and why they watch

Lead people in by giving answers, leaders are very important. People watch videos, the better the experience, the wow, the better the viewership.

Besides Youtube, there are currently 5 other powerful video companies: Vimeo.com – high end of compression, Metacafe.com – younger demographic, DailyMotion.com – European based, Videojug.com – very informational, educational, Viddler.com.

Take a video, make it work for you, flip keywords on all the different sites. This will get the content showing up in search engines five times more so your audience base can be even bigger, and your search ranking higher.

Geebz’s meditation music videos are language-less, so he went to google translate, entered keywords, copied, pasted, thereby puts the language copy in his tags. This works well if language were not important, i.e. for music videos, or demos that can be understood without the written or spoken word.

Get them interested

Reciprocal linking is good for algorithms for the blogging content that is linked to. Pick the conversation of the time, i.e. latest health concerns, price jumps, housing prices, interest rates, GMO. Engage conversation.

Instant sharing with your smartphone

How to use smartphone photos in real time: Take picture, post on page “had a great time today blah blah” on personal and business profile. Shows people in action, that you are active. Example: Diamond Head Surfboard page – picture of each customer/sale with surfboard and then posts on Facebook.

Last and lasting words of Geebz wisdom

Don’t get caught up in the disappointments if you don’t get a lot of views, hits, fans. Just keep going because it will happen. People will come.

Be organic, write, produce, give.

Make powerful titles.

Help people. Give solutions. Give answers.

Tell the story. Tell an interesting story.

Don’t sell, bring people to you without pitching but by giving away useful information.

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Wow! That was so much great information, Aunty’s eyes were bulging and even her lipstick wore off. This workshop was only 3 hours long, but the lessons learned will span years.

Aunty started blogging 3 years ago without any intention of being able to actually make money with her site. The original intention was to share free information to people in need of getting their financial lives in order by investing, and then the sharing expanded to household hints, beauty hints, funny stuff, other stuff.

However, a few months ago, after Chad Lamothe redesigned and advised on Aunty’s website, an inkling of what could happen to this website occurred – produce supplemental income somehow, someway, with Google adsense, affiliate ads, and now, social media marketing? From Mark Ford’s teachings of having multiple streams of income, Aunty’s blogsite might actually become a viable source of retirement income!

Aunty will be meeting up with Geebz to get ideas, suggestions, and guidance. Who knows where this can lead? People often use Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Grandma Moses as role models of late starters. Both lived for over 100 years. Maybe Colonel Grandma Aunty in Honolulu will follow in their example. We’ll see where this next adventure will lead.

————————————————————————–

[*Update, update!!! Aunty met Geebz for a go-over meeting at Kapahulu StarBucks and WOW! – this man knows what he is talking about! Aunty is SO excited to begin working with him.

If you have a website or blog that you want to take to the next marketing step – see Geebz. There is a condition of people not knowing what they don’t know, and Geebz knows. Geebz has more than pearls of wisdom – they are wisdoms of wisdoms. Check him out as a composer producer musician at GeorgeDelBarrio.com or take his next class on Social Media Marketing if you want to get results doing what you love. Aunty is definitely going to be there. It was sold out the last time, so sign up fast so you can absorb the best from the best in a really fun and free flowing way.

Tadaaa!!! Aunty feels like floating now – still feeling uplifted from the session!!]

Thoughts from Aunty’s frontline

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Aunty

Aunty is worried about the current economic situation in the USA. Hyperinflation because of so much money printing (QE – Quantitative Easing), interest rates, unbalanced budget, the unknown for our future generations, etc. Because of this, Aunty tries to learn from financial experts.

Of the 49 (!) newsletters that Aunty currently subscribes, Aunty believes that John Mauldin is the most dedicated to reporting about current economic trends. He travels the world and meets up with other economic experts and leaders. He is super smart and usually his posts are VERY long (longer than Aunty’s, lol) and full of big words so sometimes Aunty has a hard time reading through them.

His latest post was about Janet Yellen’s confirmation and what she will probably do as the new Federal Reserve Chair. To see the entire article, you will need to subscribe. It is free, and sometimes fascinating if you are ready to use your dictionary and google search for terms. In a nutshell, Janet Yellen will continue to do what Ben Bernanke has been doing. She will probably try to keep interest rates low for a long period of time, and ease off on printing money slowly. Good or bad? The brow beaters and experts continue on their gloom and doom.

Aunty got a bit tired of it. Tired of the collapse of the US predictions, tired of no end in sight. So Aunty responded to John Mauldin and what follows is her comment to him. Not sure why but here it is:

Aunty’s response to The Unintended Consequences of ZIRP

Aloha John,

I think that you are probably one of the smartest people whom I subscribe to, and truth to tell, sometimes I do not understand all that you write. Many times it is too advanced for me.

I am definitely no financial expert, so I like to keep the perspectives of experts in my inbox, and for the last few years, most of it has been doom and gloom. I was a bit uplifted when you did a rather positive article a few months ago about the dollar’s strength, just because it is the dollar. A bit oversimplified summary, but as an American, I was glad to believe that.

The gist that I got from this current article about Janet Yellen and her policy making is that she will be maintaining low interest rates and easing off printing money, slowly, and we are still headed for a cliff.

I am very glad to think that interest rates will remain low – this bodes well for homeowners and investors, though not for savers, the ultra safe no risk people who will be hurt the most. Better to be an investor or self employed, imo.

The printing of money may or may not lead to hyperinflation or other financial disasters, so easing off of printing dollars sounds like a good move, and will be done cautiously. Too little too late? Maybe, maybe not. There are many times when expert predictions do not come true.

As a commoner, one prediction I did make was in 2000. This was just after GW Bush (not my favorite President) declared war on Iraq and then almost immediately, as if to soften the outcry, lowered everyone’s tax rates. Since I thought he was an idiot puppet anyway, the combination of the two policies scared me with its consequences, intended or unintended. A war will require much more money – $1 billion per week, and now the government is lowering its only source of revenue? If anything, I thought that our taxes should have been increased to help pay for the fabricated war.

Since then, our taxes have remained low and our expenses are still very high, now much of it going to interest on our own debt. Printing more money is making our debt grow. In very simple terms, isn’t that comparable to a person saddled with credit card debt, on a fixed income, who keeps on using their near unlimited credit card, and trying to pay this and his other household necessary expenses, but digging a deeper hole?

It seems to this simple reader that the three parts of the equation are 1) increasing debt, 2) the country’s budget, and 3) fixed income via taxes. The budget is on a political seesaw, but at least talks of reducing it are going on. The growing part of the equation is debt. If the increasing debt continues, then work on the fixed income. This would mean an increase in taxes. It doesn’t have to be a doubling or drastic increase, but it could be gradual the way someone would add a second job, get a raise in their salary, increase their income so their debt can be slowly but steadily paid off.

We personally are in the 35% tax rate. An increase to 36%, then 37%, slowly each year would not kill us. The tax code is written to help business owners deduct this or that. The pain will be felt by w-2 earners, but 1% a year will be less painful than a 3-5% jump at once.

If there were a way to “donate” to the USA, perhaps we would. Especially if it could be considered a tax deductible event for the year in which it was made. I would much rather be given an option to donate towards balancing our budget than to contributing non deductibly to a political campaign. Even if it were not deductible, I might consider donating to the USA – so make it easier for me by having that checkbox on my tax return form.

Our post offices are a government “business” that loses money every year. Is there another “business” that can be profitable? Isn’t the US Mint making money? Seems like they could be, and there also seems to be less bureaucracy involved in that venture. Gold or silver prices fluctuating? Sell “collectible” dollar bills hand signed by the current US Treasurer.

Is there something else that our government could sell and benefit our bottom line? Dinner with Warren Buffet was auctioned off – I believe the highest bidder paid over $1 million. Would our political leaders, famous or infamous Americans be willing to participate in government fundraising auctions for dinners that they provide? It can be at McDonalds and they pick up the tab.

To me, all the emphasis and focus is on the budget, printing money, and our debt. Our grandchildren will be saddled with this debt and have to pay for it. Why not focus on increasing revenue in new and fresh ways?

Your simple reader who has never been to Kansas,

Aunty

When it’s okay to play Candy Crush Saga at work

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Aunty

2013-11-14_11-01-24

How much do you think that you are worth per hour? Aunty figures she is worth $50 per hour, on a good day.

If you have a paycheck, you are worth at least what your hourly rate of pay is. If you are self employed or in your own business, you are worth what you are capable of producing. A housewife or househusband is worth at least what the going rate would be for a cook, cleaner, chauffeur, etc.

Time is our most valuable resource, and every hour that goes by is an hour that is depleted from the limited number of hours in our life. As we get older, time becomes even more valuable, so it is important to spend it wisely.

Working 9 to 5

Aunty works from home, does investing, blogs, has several businesses, and takes care of Uncle’s business, so her work hours are very very flexible, almost too flexible.

Because of that, Aunty is a big waster of time. Watching Korean dramas, piddling around with non-productive tasks, playing computer games (though a limit has been set), checking emails, Facebook, zoning out and thinking (need to start writing down thoughts more or they flee and are forgotten).

Just recently, Aunty had a revelation – like an organizational tool that clarifies and contains workloads. From the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, no play, no time wasting, only work allowed, with breaks for lunch, water, bathroom, etc.

This may not be a big deal to you, but for someone like Aunty, it is like a thunderbolt from the heavens. Zooks!

The following incident happened during Aunty’s prime work hours.

Printer cartridge from hell saga

Aunty had bought a 3-pack of HP457X black ink cartridges from Costco because the old black ink cartridge for her HP printer was depleted.

After the first few pages printed out fine, the quality began to deteriorate to the point of nothing on the page, so Aunty ran diagnostics, cleaned print heads according to the online instructions, google searched what to do, and then finally changed the brand new cartridge out for another one. Bingo! Everything was good with the printer.

Aunty then called HP’s customer service for a refund or replacement of the defective cartridge.

Circle circle

These customer service people were from India – their accents were slight. After watching “Slum Dog Millionaire”, Aunty gives Indian operators more slack – lucky and blessed that we live in America.

The service personnel were polite, but not helpful. Aunty was transferred 5 times over the course of 90 minutes, repeating the same information to each representative even though they had the case number and history in front of them. Most of the time was spent on hold. Finally, after being transferred to a supervisor (long hold time), Aunty was given the green light, a replacement ticket was processed, and in a few days, Aunty did get her new cartridge.

Welcome to candy warp speed

This hour and a half process caused Aunty to have to cancel an appointment. It was frustrating to have to stay on the line, and it would have been even more frustrating to have to start over again, so Aunty waited and waited with the phoneline on speaker option. It was during the 2nd waiting period, Aunty went to grab her iPad, and began playing games.

Candy Crush Saga, Pyramid Saga, Bubble Witch, Angry Birds. Useless, time wasting games that made the wait times very bearable. In fact, time sped along, lickety split! Put on hold again or transferred and holding? No problemo, play another game or two or three.

Write to the company

Even though time flew by playing those games, and even though those polite Indian customer service reps constantly apologized for the wait, Aunty was ticked off and let the last couple of Indian service reps know that I would be writing to Hewlett Packard.

This put fear into them, but Aunty’s beef was not with them. They were simply doing their job. The beef was with HP’s system of putting customers who have issues with ink cartridges through the wringer of transfers and wait times because they seem to only address problems with the printer machines. In Aunty’s opinion, there needs to be a dedicated line for ink cartridge problems, especially since there are 100 times more ink cartridges sold and used per printer.

It cost $75 of Aunty time ($50/hr x 1.5 hours) for a $20 ink cartridge. In a perfect world, Hewlett Packard should be compensating Aunty for 85 minutes of wasted time. The process should have taken 5 minutes.

May as well enjoy the candy

HP evidently doesn’t care, and Aunty’s time wasted has already been wasted. Water under the bridge. Writing letters to companies who don’t listen may be more waste of time, but it makes Aunty feel better.

Meanwhile, Aunty will continue to stick to her 9 to 5 schedule, work overtime sometimes, and indulge once in awhile in Candy Crush during work hours when put on hold.

Isn’t that a delicious way to have cake?

by Aunty

a lot of stuff about almost everything

Author Archives: Aunty