February 5, 2012

It’s Comforting How Oddly Predictable Humans Can Be on the Small Things

Gold Rimmed Coffee Cup and Saucer with Montblanc Fountain Pen

A few days ago, Aaron got a message from one of our friends, Jimmy, at about 4 in the morning.  We were both still up working on a project that's going to have some fairly large financial ramifications for us in about a year or two, so we happened to read it in near real-time.  Anyway, Jimmy said he wished he could come down to our dorm room, curl up on the lower bunk, as Aaron played video games and I read at my desk, drinking coffee out of a gold-rimmed cup and saucer, reading a book with a … [Read more...]

My Mom at the Billy Joel and Elton John Concert

My mom at the Elton John and Billy Joel Concert

My mom wasn't allowed to go see Elton John as a kid.  She came from a very fundamentalist household and seeing a "homosexual" wasn't something God's people did, or so they were told.  So, she would wait up at night and watch him on television instead of going to bed.  Once she was old enough, she had all of his albums and when he walks out on stage (she's seem him twice - once in 2005 and then again last night), she is able to get some serious volume to her screams of joy.  To this day, she … [Read more...]

The Billy Joel and Elton John Concert in Kansas City at the Sprint Center Tonight Was Great

Elton John and Billy Joel Concert in Kansas City at the Sprint Center

There's a Good Chance That Were It Not for these Two Men, You Wouldn't Be Reading This Blog Right Now My mom, arguably as big of an Elton John fan as I am, took Aaron and me to the Billy Joel and Elton John Concert in Kansas City at the Sprint Center.  (Thanks again mom!) My life was incalculably changed because of both Billy Joel and Elton John, as most of you who know me realize, and seeing them live together at the Sprint Center in Kansas City tonight was awesome. I had never seen … [Read more...]

People Who Are Drowning in Student Loan Debt

Student Loan Debt information

Victims of the Student Loan Industry or Irresponsible Borrowers? I was reading a site called Student Loan Justice as well as a piece at the Huffington Post where people are talking about their "overwhelming" student loan debt that is - wait for it - $15,000 or $30,000.  Basically, less than the value of a car.  Or a couple both of whom smoke a pack of cigarettes each day for five to ten years. Or 4 to 8 months of pre-tax income for the average American household. Rational, full-grown legal … [Read more...]

Within 12 Hours, We Declare War on the Letterman Jacket Industry

letterman jacket declare war Mount Olympus Awards

Last night, the shareholders of Mount Olympus Awards, LLC had a 4 or 5 hour scheduled meeting in a local office and solidified our plans for the business, which I discussed a few days ago (see Wholesale Chenille Letters, Patches, and Varsity Jacket Business Launching).  The end decision was we are going much farther than we originally anticipated after doing a DuPont Return on Equity analysis.  Far from being just ruthless on pricing, like I promised, we are about to drop a nuclear bomb on the … [Read more...]

Wholesale Chenille Letters, Patches, and Varsity Jacket Business Launching

Over the next month, we will be rolling out MOA Team Supply Version 2.0, which will switch to a wholesale pricing model on custom chenilles and varsity jackets. In many cases, we will be able to sell to schools, organizations, booster clubs, and other instiutions at prices below that what most American custom chenille factories can produce their merchandise! This is due to our extremely fine honed business model that allows us to operate with a fraction of the total capital investment and a cash conversion cycle that is self-funding!

A few months back, I told you that we were launching a new division of Mount Olympus Awards called MOA Team Supply.  I explained that we were going after an entirely new market, specifically athletic directors and schools that want to purchase wholesale chenille letters, chenille patches, and even wholesale varsity jackets.  We've finally got the business model in place and over the next month, we will be modifying the prices on the site to reflect the roll-out of our wholesale chenille … [Read more...]

Beef and Onions Braised in Beer by Julia Child

Julia Child Beef and Onions Braised in Beer Recipe

Tonight, we decided to try the recipe immediately following the Julia Child Beef Bourguignon recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (I wrote about our experience with that recipe a few months ago).  The entree is called Carbonnades a la Flamande, which translates into Beef and Onions Braised in Beer.  This followed the Chicken Simmered in Cream from yesterday, which has become our favorite Julia Child recipe (I haven't yet discussed it here but plan to add it sometime in the future).  … [Read more...]

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce for Breakfast

Eggs Benedict for Breakfast

During Ashly and Ian's visit from Ohio this weekend, and as part of our weekend of gourmet dining, they made us eggs benedict with a hollandaise sauce on Saturday morning.  The nutritional sacrifice was worth it (health food, this is most certainly not but 1,000 calories was a small price to pay). The eggs benedict recipe consisted of two English muffins covered with poached eggs, Canadian bacon, and hollandaise sauce.  Frankly, I don't know the details of how they prepared it because I was … [Read more...]

The American Express Plum Card Program

American Express plum card

How the American Express Plum Card Helped Revolutionize Mount Olympus Awards A few days ago, I mentioned in The Importance of Frugality in Building Wealth that one of the ways we were able to save money was by using the American Express plum card at all of my businesses.  The new product offering by American Express, which is probably most famously known for its Black Centurion and Platinum Cards, is completely unique in the financial services industry.  For business owners, the plum card … [Read more...]

Focus on the Roots Before the Leaves

Protecting the Roots of Your Money Tree

"The problem is that people, particularly younger people, have come to focus on the trappings of wealth over everything else - including the work or savings to accumulate the wealth to be able to reasonably afford luxury brands.  When we think about "rich," we think about acting rich over being rich. The Mercedes Millionaire worked hard to achieve success.  First it was about the success, and then came the high-consumption lifestyle - which is congruent with their level of success.  Buying a … [Read more...]