Queercents

It’s been awhile since we brought back our Celebrity Ten Money Questions and lately it seems we have had many from the nightlife and music business including Chris Ryan. This month we had the opportunity to interview Jonny McGovern known as the Gay Pimp while he is promoting his exciting new album “The Gayest of All Time.” Read more here on our sister blog about the new music video.

1. Don’t you think there should be laws against texting while dancing?
Yes there should! Unless I need to text my friend about sumpthin REAL important.
2. You sing of Verizon, T-mobile, and Sprint.. Who do you use?
Actually AT&T
3. What is your favorite credit card or does a gay pimp pay in cash only? Cash Only Baby!
4. What mobile personal finance applications do you use? None. When my wallet is empty I don’t spend no money.
5. What is the one personal item that you always splurge on?
Haircuts and Beard trims every 2 weeks to keep lookin fresh.
6. What is the one thing that you feel is always overpriced? Coffee but it doesn’t stop me from buying it. Read the rest of this entry »

Ten Money Questions has always been my favorite part of Queercents and I am honored to do this edition.  We we will focus on a gay business owner. I recently had the opportunity to interview the Grindr CEO Joel Simkhai. Grindr is an iPhone (or iPod or iPad) app that helps gay guys meet people near them which is a breakthrough app if you ask me. This apps brings a way to meet new friends, find new dates, or hook-up with someone close by without having to log on to a computer. If you are traveling it really comes in useful to see if any gays are staying at your hotel and find out what clubs to hit up. There are tons of questions I could ask the CEO of Grindr but I tried to focus them as business related as I could and not the shirtless guys on the popular app.

1. Your iPhone app has changed the Personals scenes in a way we thought could never happen. Do you think that a Gay.com, Manhunt or a Adam4Adam will try and buy you up?

We aren’t looking to sell our business, we’ve received several offers and have turned them all down. Our free service (Grindr) is fully operational and we also have a fully operational premium service called Grindr X(tra), with extra features like push notifications, profile swipe, no ad banners, and more guys viewable (200 vs.100 in the free version). We’ve just gotten started in our goal of making meeting easier, and we have a lot of exciting plans for the future.

2. Tell us a bit about you. What education background or work experience led you to develop this innovative app that helps us connect with other nearby gays?

I was born in Tel Aviv in 1976, the middle child of three sons. At the age of three, I emigrated from Israel with my family to New York, where I was raised. In 1998, I graduated Tufts University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in a double major of International Relations and Economics. I then went on to work in several different fields, from finance to a news desk to a start-up, before starting my own Internet marketing firm in 2003. After establishing the business, I decided to move to Los Angeles for a change of scenery in March 2008, and that’s where I started developing Grindr.

The key driver in creating Grindr wasn’t any of those things, but my frustration with existing online ways to meet guys. Throughout my life and career, I have always been looking for a better way to meet the people around me. After many missed connections and lost opportunities, I decided there must be a better way to find new people and friends around. Grindr has made it easier for me to meet people that I may otherwise have missed or never spoken to at all. It’s also great that I can now go to any major city in the world and instantly meet locals. No computer needed, no need to create a new account somewhere. I also feel great knowing that we’ve facilitated countless new connections that hopefully have brought our users more joy in life. I love being a matchmaker and knowing we’re bringing people together.

3. Do you plan to develop more apps and go public with your business?

At this time there are no plans to go public. We do have several projects in the works – more on that below.

4. Do you use rewards credit cards to get cash back on your business purchases?
Yes.

5. What type of expenses do you have to worry about the most with your business?

Right now the largest expenses are in development. The revenue that we receive from advertisers and users who purchase Grindr Xtra (our premium version) goes straight into developing new features and new versions to expand the Grindr experience. Our second largest expense is our servers. We have about 250,000 users who use our service each day and on average they spend 1.5 hours daily on the service. This level of usage requires a lot of server processing and bandwidth.

Read the rest of this entry »

Brian Cole Miller is the founder of Working Solutions (Workingsolutionsonline.com), a consulting firm that helps leaders build effective, successful teams. He has worked with all kinds of teams in many different types of organizations. Miller is the author of five books. His latest books is called Nice Teams Finish Last, which argues that when teams try to play nice, they are actually undermining themselves. I caught up with Brian to ask him Ten Money Questions.

1. What inspired you to write Nice Teams Finish Last?
The fact that so many teams are too darn nice. On the surface people get along. Team meetings seem blah. Decisions are made rather quickly. Disagreements are rare and/or short-lived. They keep up this illusion of “teamwork.” But in reality, it’s anything but a well-functioning team. People don’t give each other honest feedback (for fear of hurting feelings), so they talk about each other behind their backs. They don’t ask for what they need (so as not to seem too aggressive) so they create work-arounds to avoid difficult situations or people. They don’t disagree with each other openly about ideas or approaches (for fear of creating conflict) so they agree passively, and then (at best) mildly support the mediocre decisions, or (at worst) sabotage the decisions. All this in the name of being nice. Too many teams suffer from too much “nice.” Decisions are made, but then have to be revisited because they didn’t have the honest exchange of different opinions to make the BEST decision. Processes are created to work around conflict or difficult people rather than deal with them directly and sensitively to RESOLVE things and become more efficient. I just figured someone needed to stand up and call out all this dysfunctional “nice” behavior that most people are misled into thinking is appropriate.

2. In your experience with Working Solutions, how important is team building to a company’s bottom line?
Vital. I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I felt otherwise. In today’s environment, technology and materials are pretty much universally available across the board. Everyone seems to agree that human capital is the only way to differentiate, the only want to excel. Well, the only way for humans (emphasis on the plural, there) to succeed together is to work as a team. Sadly, those team skills are rarely taught in school; rarely taught in the home, either. So my mission is to help develop those skills in teams anywhere and everywhere. My goal is to help an organization to learn how to team so well that they no longer need my help!

3. What’s your first significant memory related to money?
Allowance raise day at the Miller home. Despite not having much money at all, my parents felt it was important to teach my six siblings and myself the value of money very early. We each got a small allowance, commensurate with our ages. Every year in September, we had a family meeting where we were told what our new allowance would be. Sometimes allowances went up by a nickel, sometimes a dime, but sometimes just a few pennies. I would then plan out the new stuff I could buy with all that extra dough! Truth be told, though, I rarely followed through with those fun plans. I was a saver from day one. So most of the raise was put into my piggy bank for Christmas presents I’d have to buy in a few months, or to save up for something extra special for myself. Read the rest of this entry »

Manisha Thakor is the founder of the Women’s Financial Literacy Initiative and the co-author of two critically acclaimed personal finance books: ON MY OWN TWO FEET and GET FINANCIALLY NAKED. Manisha’s financial literacy advocacy work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Smart Money, Glamour, Real Simple and Bust. Her national TV appearances include CNN, CNBC, PBS’ Nightly Business Report, HGTV’s Home Rules and The Rachael Ray Show. Manisha earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, her BA from Wellesley College and is a CFA charterholder. Her website is ManishaThakor.com, and her Twitter handle is @ManishaThakor.

1. What inspired you to start the Women’s Financial Literacy Initiative?
SHORT ANSWER: I’m 40 years old. When I look back over my adult life, it’s about 10 hours of personal finance lessons that made all the difference in my ability to be financially secure today. I want to share that information with as many other women as possible.

LONGER ANSWER: As someone who worked for 15 years in the financial services industry, I feel working women are currently under-served by this sector. Most financial institutions are focused on the “high net worth” market – those earning over $250,000 a year. Yet the vast majority of working women earn significantly less than that. With the Women’s Financial Literacy Initiative I want to create a safe place, “where women go to make their money grow.” Specifically I want to teach women the 80% of personal finance basics that are the same for all – and then teach them how to find qualified financial experts to address the remaining 20% of their financial needs that are unique. Since the Women’s Financial Literacy Initiative seeks to help women on a one-to-many basis through online personal finance classes, women can pay an affordable price for that core 80% of their financial education and then work at a higher price point with a qualified specialist for the 20% of their needs that must be addressed on a one-to-one basis.

A key catalyst in my actually moving from thinking about this to actually doing it was reading Gloria Feldt’s phenomenal new book, No Excuses. For quite some time I’ve had the idea to launch affordable online personal finance courses for women – I was just afraid to walk through the door, stand tall, and claim my power and expertise.

2. What are some preconceived notions about money that typically get associated with gender?
It pains my inner feminist to no end to say this – but my experience is that women of all ages, ethnicities, demographics, and sexual orientations can fall pray to “rescue thinking.” It’s that nefarious thought in the back of our brains that tells us somehow it will all just work out – that our princess or prince charming will swoop in and solve everything or “something” will happen to make our finances okay without having to teach ourselves about this potentially dry topic. Men, generally speaking, get non-stop societal messages from an early age that their role and identities are tied up in earning money. We women – get the IV drip of rescue thinking. Read the rest of this entry »

1. You’re an actor, a writer, and a regular columnist for Out. Can you tell me what drew you to the life you lead now?

They say every decision leads you to where you are!  Which makes me think I should make new decisions.

2. In your book, You Can Run, you discuss your travels through South America. What did you do to afford the trip?

I only went down with $4000, and I managed to live in South America for two years.  I worked in some countries, translating in the Bolivian jungle was my favorite job.  I also taught English in Buenos Aires to a group of older gay men and taught them essentials like “pearl necklace” and “twinky boy”.  When I wasn’t working, I was backpacking as economically as possible – staying in pay-by-the-hour whorehouses and some serious hovels with tics and fleas and dried phlegm on the walls.

3. You jokingly refer to yourself as a hobosexual. Do you have tips to offer gay men who don’t want to lead the DINK lifestyle?

I’d rather have experience than luxury.  And I really can’t see myself working my life away so I can enjoy it when I’m old.  A fat, regular income but trapped in an office with two weeks vacation a year is nothing but a gilded cage.  I see the future as being more freelance, and contracts than that pathetic, pervasive 9 to 5 paradigm we’ve got set up now.

4. You’ve lived in quite a few different countries. What would you advise a queer in your boots on internationally picking up and moving?

It’s all about freedom from things that will keep you in place.  That means don’t get a mortgage, don’t own a cat, don’t buy that big gorgeous sofa.  To me, those are all balls and chains that will keep a butterfly from flapping his wings.

5. You split time between New York and LA a lot. What are the tricks to becoming a bicoastal hobosexual?

Friends!  Friends are the best thing in the world.

6. New York City has infamously ridiculous rents. Which do you think is better: cheap rent or accessibility?

It does have ridiculous rents.  But New York is great in that it forces you to make tough decisions about what you can keep.  There’s no place for packrats or hoarders.  It’s also such a transient city – everything getting torn down, built up; it constantly forces you to accept and deal with change – which is life.  Did I answer the question?  Accessibility.  I’d just as soon move back home to Oregon than live out in Queens.

7. Do you have a retirement plan, or do you want to keep on until you drop?

Good question!  I don’t have a retirement plan.  I’ve never planned on living that long.

8. What would you tell a younger you to help save money while partying?

That’s easy.  Buy the half-gallon jug of Kamchatka vodka for $12 and drink at home with your friends before going out.  The key is to be sufficiently sauced by the time you get to the bar, so you don’t have to spend any money on overpriced cocktails.

9. You have a well-known affection for cowboy boots, which don’t come cheap. How do you make space to buy them?

I bought a great pair at Jackson, Wyoming last year.  There was some big blowout sale, they only cost $90.

10. If someone asked you how he or she would most easily live a life like yours, what would you tell them?

Live now, try to avoid being so status driven, and don’t fear the future.  Oh, and please make sure to go swimming with a whale shark off the coast of Mozambique.

1. You’re the founder of 21st Century Life with promoter Austin Helms. What gave you the idea to do that?

Honestly, the idea for our first party came about before our company did.  The seed that sprouted into 21st Century Life began as an idea for a knock-down drag-out party in the West Village.  We soon realized, though, that there was a lot more to throwing parties than just finding a venue and pushing “play” on a boombox…

2. Your venues and events are especially popular for breaking with traditional high cover club promotions. Do you think that’s what brings in such a unique crowd?

I don’t think that it’s just the fact that our parties don’t have a cover–I think it’s what we provide overall.  We stress a completely inclusive, no-attitude, no-bullshit vibe, and I play music that you’re not going to hear a lot of other places–old-school disco, Robyn, Gossip, Roisin Murphy, punk…

3. Do you have a day job or are you DJ Executive Realness full time?

I definitely have day job(s).

4. What’s your day job?

I’m an administrator in clinical research at a leading hospital here in New York, and I also sing in a professional choir.

5. Does your day job dovetail into what you do, or do you keep the peanut butter and the chocolate separate?

I tend to keep things separate–they know that I DJ, but they don’t know that I DJ wearing, like, short shorts and a mankini.

6. What tips can you offer a young queer moving to New York City who likes to go out?

Try everything to see what kind of crowd suits your taste.  When I first moved here, I made the mistake of only sticking to the big, established places–places where I never felt like I really fit in.  It wasn’t until I’d been here a few years that I discovered, Oh, I guess that there are places where I don’t have to have muscles bulging out of my Diesel jeans and Armani Exchange t-shirt…

7. Do you have a retirement portfolio?

That’s one of the perks of my day job.  I regularly contribute to my 403(b), and have an actual, honest-to-God savings account.  (I guess it’s also one of the perks of getting old.)

8. Which do you think is more important: accessibility or rent?

Well, that’s not an easy answer.  When I found my new place, I knew that I wanted to stay in Manhattan, and I knew that I wanted to be below 100th Street, and I knew that I wanted to be in walking distance of my day job.  Luckily for me, that was all doable within my price range.  That being said, you definitely don’t want to be house rich and wallet poor.  What’s the point of living in the West Village if you can’t go to Spotted Pig?  Do you know what I mean?  I say, if Astoria is what you can afford, live in Astoria.  It’s hardly a compromise.

9. What would you tell someone who wants to do what you do?

Step off, bitch.  No, seriously, I’d tell them to finely hone their musical ear and start collecting music like they were starving for it.

10. You’re also a noted singer and actor. How do you balance your work life, your night life, and your art?

I don’t want to say that all those aspects of my life are segmented, because that sounds so clinical(ly insane).  But they are, to an extent: I have a regimented schedule that I stick to–I know when I’m supposed to be practicing, at rehearsal, at work, and in the DJ booth.  It also helps that whenever I’m most exhausted (which is often), I can look at all these things I’ve exhausted myself with and say, “How amazing is this?  How many people get to spend their lives doing what I’m doing?”

Credit: Karen Fuchs

1. Your new column, The New 60, on Advocate.com is insightful and very revealing. What prompted you to write it?

As I realized that I was approaching 60, I became aware that I was experiencing an entire ‘chapter’ I had neither expected nor one I had been told could be so much fun!

2. I’m going to jump straight to the hard questions. It makes the easy ones look better! Financially, what’s it like being HIV positive for you?

HIV has impacted my finances in several ways:  I changed careers:  From Entrepreneur/Producer to Psychotherapist.   I spent a couple of years on disability. I have always had private insurance, some familial support and access to care, so I have not ‘suffered’ because of it.

3. A lot of HIV+ men your age didn’t plan for retirement because the picture was grim. What do you find their typical financial picture is now?

That’s the quandary:  I have lived for decades as if this could be my last year, now (and for a few years) I have added the element that I might be here in 20 years.  I do not have the means to retire fully except in reduced circumstances,, however, as long as I have my mind functioning, I can work in my field.  Many older HIV+ men do not have retirement plans and those with great private disability are faced with the quandary that most of them end at age 65.  Some are facing outliving their means.

4. Do you have an investment portfolio?

I have some money in a S & P 500 based fund.  AN IRA, some other investments.  Most of my money is used for the buying and selling of properties which is how I have create most of my capital.

5. You seem to have a lot of pots on the stove. Do you plan to retire someday, or would that drive you nuts?

As addressed above, I plan on writing and working with people as long as I can.  Hopefully with more time to spend in exotic locations like Bali and Bahia!

6. Do you have advice for 60s+ queers who live in big cities?

Big cities offer mobility and community for us at any age.  keep making new friends of all ages!

7. Your dog, Sophie, is a sweetheart and an incredibly smart dog. Can you tell us about what it’s like owning a dog in the city?

I am particularly fortunate, as she goes to work with me and sits in on my sessions.  So many city dogs are alone all day which I find sad.

8. You’re both a designer and a psychotherapist. What inexpensive tricks do you have for making a dingy space cheerier?

Choose a simple palate such as all white, and make everything relate to everything else.  Only have objects that you love and that tell the story of your life!

9. Which do you think is more important: cheap rent or accessibility?

I have opted for accessibility.  I could have much more space if I lived out of the downtown Manhattan area that I love.  I like being able to walk to most of my life!

10. What financial advice would you give young nomadic twentysomethings looking to make a new urban space their home?

Be creative in all aspects.  Make where ever you live beautiful (to you) and look at how to eventually buy an apartment or space.  In the long run, years of rent can be a waste.

For those of you who haven’t followed this blog very long, we were known for our Ten Money Questions feature, which had small financial-related interviews with various gay celebrities. We have brought this very popular feature back and plan to run it monthly. Enjoy today’s inaugural post with Chris Ryan, NYC club promoter.

1. Just because you do a lot of stuff, can you give us a brief layout of your club promotion empire?

Yes, I run a production/promotion company. Onehalf of it is producing events (booking venues, acts, dj’s, staff, gettingdécor, set-up/take down, etc.) The other half of my company is gay marketing and advertising as well as club promotions. Anything that can be marketed towards the gay community and the gay community would appreciate, rather than just a bunch of club emails, I promote. I promote for several Broadway shows, concerts, salons, plastic surgeons, etc.

2. Do you do all that in addition to going to school right now?

I do.  I’m currently attending my last year for graduate school at New School University.

3. Do you also have a day job?

I do have a part-time job counseling GLBT youth.

4. Would you say that most club promoters are fiscally responsible?

I would venture to say that most are pretty good about money.  Considering this is mainly a cash business, one has to in order to keep their head above water. However, there’s the other side of the coin.  Since it is a cash business, many spend unwisely.  I make sure that my money goes right into my bank account.  I always use my debit card so I can track my spending.

5. What’s the best day of the week to go out, financially?

Saturday is the best day to go out “financially.” You have a lot of open bars at various different clubs.  People will save at the bar, but they may pay a cover for this (most likely so).

6. Which holiday/event would you say is the most expensive?

Thanksgiving is by far the busiest and best holiday night to go out surprisingly.  Most would think New Year’s eve.  New Year’s eve is by far more expensive and the most expensive night to go out though.

7. Which one is the cheapest to celebrate?

Christmas is the cheapest holiday to celebrate.  Since most place know people won’t go out, they offer pretty amazing deals.

8. What’s your take on pregaming?

Pregaming helps to save a person money when going out obviously.  The amount you pay for a bottle is nowhere near the amount you would pay for continually buying drinks at a club.  Of course, I shouldn’t be telling you this!

9. Do you have a retirement portfolio?

I do have a retirement portfolio.  I think the actual portfolio will begin to see progress after I finish grad school.

10. Which do you think is more important: accessibility or cheap rent?

Cheap rent, by far!

To learn more about Chris Ryan, please visit his website here.

1. What do you do for a living?
I’m a validation engineer at a pharmaceutical company. Because we’re so heavily regulated, there’s an extra layer of documentation for every single thing we do. I document that the equipment, cleaning procedures, and manufacturing processes we use all do exactly what they’re supposed to do and are in compliance with federal regulations and current Good Manufacturing Practice. My job is about 70% technical writing, 15% manufacturing, and 15% regulatory.

2. What you want to do, if not at your dream job right now?
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! I think my dream job would involve philanthropy or arts management. Or something that would allow me to travel extensively. I’ve very recently kicked around the thought of owning a yoga studio or some kind of holisticly-oriented wellness center. Definitely something less left-brainy and technical than what I’ve been doing.

3. Have you been deeply affected by the economy? If so, how?
I somehow feel guilty admitting this, but I have not personally been significantly impacted by the recent economic downturn. While all this has been going on, I’ve managed to finish paying off my biggest debts and start socking away cash. Early last year, my employer’s parent company announced that they will close our plant and transfer all our  manufacturing to another facility. The plant shutdown is a 3+ year project, so while I know I’ll likely be laid off at some point in the next year or two, for now it’s business as usual. I’m hoping by the time my number comes up, the availability of jobs will have improved. Read the rest of this entry »

Multimillionaire software entrepreneur and philanthropist, Tim Gill is considered the 5th most influential gay person in America, according to Out.com.  He founded the Colorado-based Gill Foundation in 1994 to advance LGBT equality by providing large-scale financial support to like-minded organizations.  He also established Gill Action in 2005 as an issue advocacy organization to secure equal opportunity for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.  He is the founder and former chairman of the publishing software company Quark, and he is also the webmaster behind the social networking site Connexion.

Tim was nice enough to take time out of his evening to chat over dinner about finances.  Some of his answers were rather surprising… so read on!

1. How did you turn a $2,000 loan from your parents into a company that made you a multi-millionaire?
That money went to buy a printer to print manuals for our first software product, Word Juggler.  It was a word processor program for the Apple III.  Surprisingly, Apple shipped the computer for 6-9 months without a word processor.  All we had to do was send letters to Apple dealers to let them know about our product, and we immediately had 100% market share.  I paid my parents back in 2 weeks and we eventually made several million dollars from it.  That was just the start.  It was QuarkXPress that became the cash cow for the company. Read the rest of this entry »