We recently launched the largest directory of credit cards in the US for lowcards.com.

The LowCards.com Complete Credit Card Index ( http://www.lowcards.com/CreditCardIndex.aspx ) compares the current APR rates for over 1,300 credit cards that are offered in the United States. This is the first time comprehensive credit card data like this has been available in one place.

Congratulations to everyone on the team. This project involved over 5 people and it was very tricky to display all of the listings on the web in an efficient manner. Hopefully, Google/Yahoo/Live.com will love it and pick it up!

Outsourcing has been a key part of my career and will continue to be. Many people ask about it and others are pretty amazed that it happens right here in KY. The purpose of this series of blog posts is to detail some of the lessons learned. I hope they will help you avoid some of the errors I made and enjoy the benefits of outsourcing.

Outsourcing has been going on for a long, long time. It’s not just a US phenomenon and its an important factor of our global economic growth and improving the world.

For those who believe everything should be made and serviced in their own country…well, unless you are from southeast Asia, you’d better be prepared to be naked a lot. Oh, don’t drive, take medicine, etc…It’s nearly impossible to live without participating in outsourcing.

First, a few reasons why I outsource.

1. I believe in doing what I do best and letting others do the rest. (See the Four Hour Workweek for another person who believes the same.) My own skills are with people and organization of processes/resources. So this is what I do. All of the graphics, software, taxes, etc go to another person or company.
2. When I outsource overseas, I’m able to gain financially through arbitrage while helping those in other areas grow their business. Sure, the dollar is low compared to the Euro, but its still stronger than the currencies where I outsource. This allows me to buy at one price and resell at a higher price. All of this while still providing a service/product to clients within their budget and the dollarized value of the solution.
3. Outsourcing helps other companies grow. This is very true overseas. In the past five years, I’ve been able to help other companies grow (people and revenue) and gain other clients.
4. The educational experience. Others learn about my business and I get to learn about theirs. If multiple nations are involved, then there’s even more learning. My clients get to learn about it, too.
5. It saves me time. Time is precious. Outsourcing is one of the tools I use to control my lifestyle. Unless I have client meetings, I can work almost whenever and wherever I want. For a person with a lot going on and a growing family, this is important.

Summing up the why: the benefits of outsourcing help me achieve the lifestyle my wife and I want.

Some people outsource part of their personal lives to overseas folks. Although I’m sure some activities could be performed quite well, I have not ventured into this area yet.

That’s all for now. The bulk of the lessons learned will be in the next post.

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the campaign. We raised $2750.00 out of the $3000.00 goal. This was my first experience of online fundraising. I consider it a success.

Here’s what worked:

1. Got permission from the Red Cross to use e-mail and this blog. I’m not sure if I needed it, but permission never hurts.
2. Wrote a blog post (web page) about the campaign. I made sure to choose an image since it really helps conversions (donations) when people see images of familiar icons. The copy included various ways to donate.
3. Changed my e-mail signature to read: "Help me help the Red Cross…" The signature was only two lines and explained I would match everything the person donated. There was a link to the blog page.
4. I e-mailed people in or from the Bluegrass. The campaign was for our chapter so it seemed like the natural group of people to contact. Approximately 200 people were e-mailed. Around 30 donated and I got two people who donated after the campaign was over. I’m not sure if this is a good ratio or not, but it served the purpose.

In addition to the funds raised, I learned who donated funds and who communicated they did not because of other charitable contributions. The last communication was very valuable to me since it acknowledged people do care.

I am a bit surprised about the total number of people who did not respond to my e-mail request. My request was personalized and its not as if I make these requests all the time (it was my first one). No matter…I will respond to them in the future because its only polite to do so.

Thanks again if you donated!

(written while on a train to the city housing the Red Cross international HQ: Geneva.)