Hey it's Rachel—

Want to know one thing I’ve noticed very successful people have in common?

Here it is...

They’re voracious readers.

A lot of value can be derived from books, but sometimes it’s hard to find the time to sit down and read or the room in your budget to buy the books you want.

So here are some of my favorite hacks for reading more without breaking the bank.

1: A Library Card + Libby App = Magic

I cannot remember the last time I paid for a book. This isn’t because I don’t read a lot. It’s because I figured out how to get tons of books for free! So here’s the hack: sign up for your local library card, and make sure you ask about their online e-books. Most libraries now give you access to e-books, meaning you can access millions of free books without having to go to the library! The Libby app is a great app I’ve seen many libraries use to give their members free access to e-books. Oh, and if you prefer audiobooks, they have those for free, too!

2: The Power of Multiple Library Cards

If one library card is good, more is even better! Did you know you don’t have to be a city resident to get a library card? That’s right; you can have library accounts all over the nation. The benefit: some libraries have different online books available, so if you can’t find a book at one library, you can just check another library you’re a member of.

3: Built-in Accountability

Have you ever bought a book and then had it collect dust on your shelf for weeks? I love borrowing library books on the Libby app because it gives me built-in accountability- when a book loan expires after a certain period, I’m more motivated to read it before losing my chance.

4: The Power of the Kindle App

Even if you don’t own a Kindle, you can download the Kindle App to your phone for free. Your smartphone will instantly turn into an e-book reader, meaning you can send those free Libby books to your phone. What’s great is that you can also highlight things in your e-book and then review those highlights later at https://read.amazon.com/notebook.

5: The Power of 5 Minutes

While it can be difficult to find time to sit down and read, there are probably short windows throughout the day when you can spare 5 minutes. So, rather than scrolling through social media, try picking up your phone and reading a few pages of an e-book instead. If you read just 5 minutes daily, you’ll spend over 30 hours a year reading.

Take Action

If it’s been a while since you visited a library, put it on your to-do list today! While you’re there, ask about the other benefits of being a member: some libraries offer free or discounted tickets to museums and zoos, free courses, and all kinds of neat (free) stuff!

In today's email:

• Business Grants
• Resources of the Week
• Quote on Reading...
• Advice Corner

Idea of the Week

Business Grants

Did you know you can get grants to start or grow your business?

Here are some business grant opportunities that you may want to look into:

• ​$5,000 to $10,000 from HelloAlice​
• ​$10,000 from Legal Zoom​
• ​$50,000 from FedEx​

I highly recommend you check with your local city, county, and state for business grants. There are often local government-sponsored grant programs that support entrepreneurship and business growth.

Resources of the Week

• Something to Inspire You: Radical Acceptance ​
• Something to Make You Laugh: On the housing market...​
• Something to Talk About: Albert Einstein College of Medicine: An unimaginable gift just changed these students' lives​

Quote

On Reading...

Something New

Advice Corner

Q: My business is not making the amount of sales I want. What should I do?

A: The #1 most important lesson I learned about business is the importance of validating an idea. After working with thousands of people who want to start a business, the difference I've seen between people who make money and those who don't is this: People who make money have a product or service that people actually want or need (aka it's in demand).

If your business isn't making the number of sales you want, it could be because you're not marketing it right or enough. It could be because there's a lot of competition. It could be because your product needs improvement.

Ultimately, however, I think the best starting point is to make sure it's a good idea first and not be afraid to abandon an idea and move on if something isn't working.

Here are a few quick tips on how to validate an idea:

• Check Google and Pinterest Trends to see what the search volume for your product/service is (high volume = good, low volume = bad)
• Check Google to see how much competition is in your space (high competition = bad, low competition = good)
• Review your competition and ask yourself if you can make a product that is better than theirs (yes you can = good, no you can't = bad)

Ideally, you want to see "good" across the board. If you find you're in a space with low demand, high competition, and the competitors' products are better than yours, you may want to consider moving on to another product or service where you can play to your strengths- this is where you will have a better chance of making sales and $$.

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Do you have a burning question that you need an answer to related to passive income, personal finance, or positive psychology? If yes, hit reply and send me an email with your question. If you're lucky, I'll answer it in this section of the next newsletter.