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Who is Randy Smythe

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The Complete Randy Smythe

I became a full-time blogger in Sept., 2006 with my first post about my eBay business failure: What is the E! True Hollywood Story About EBay's Former Top Seller Glacier Bay DVD? Since that time, I've learned a ton about blogging, personal branding, online marketing, social networking and persistence.

I've spoken with several successful bloggers over the past year and each of them told me it may take up to 18 months before I make measurable income at this and a full 2 years before it becomes a living. In reality this is not much different then any other business. It takes, persistence, timing, contacts, confidence, ingenuity, creativity and a lot of hard work. [Update: I am now 21 months into this and I am making measurable income; still not rich though]

With all of this content though, there is a growing need to gather it into one place to serve as an index of sorts, that is really the reason for creating this Profile Lens (page, to all non-squidooers).

This profile is basically everything you wanted to know about me and I'm sure many things you didn't. This SquidWho page is what my MySpace page should have been: part bio, resume, index of content and a money maker.

I would recommend that each of you reading this profile consider creating your own SquidWho page. It doesn't matter what your line of work, or interests -- I'd like to get to know you.

The Niche Book - How to Pick a Niche for profit.

Another great eBook from Steve Lindhorst

Author Steve Lindhorst, used to teach with eBay University across the United States and is the author of the bestselling eBook that teaches eBay sellers the basics of selling on Amazon.com, "Selling on 'the River'."
Steve said; "Both eBay and Amazon have been good to me. But I have found the sweetest dollars come from my own websites. Once I found my first niche market, built a little website and got my first check, I was hooked. Now I have over a dozen sites, and each one makes money every month of the year. You can do it too!"

Steve breaks down the process in plain English and give you the tools to create your own profitable niche websites. Click here for more information.

My Favorite Band

Bad Company Rocks

My Two Favorite Bad Company CD's
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Music I'm Listening to on Pandora

I like all kinds of music from Classic Rock to Alternative

I cut my teeth on Jethro Tull, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, among others but today I like a number of new bands.
Alternative Rock Station
Groups like Nickleback, Hoobastank, Three Doors Down, Chili Peppers, Stained, and more.
Classic Rock Station
My old favorites from Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and more

Inet Media Source

We are your
entertainment specialists!

New and Used DVD's, CD's and Video Game's at fantastic prices.

Pssst! This is Randy's Webstore

Brand Yourself -- It's All About the Eyeballs!

Getting Exposure for your Content on the World Wide Web

If I learned anything from my days at Glacier Bay DVD (still the most recognizable brand on eBay), you need to have a lot of eyeballs see what you are offering, before you actually make any money.

The same idea works for exposure to your content. The more eyeballs that see your stuff, the more potential you have for making a living at this. That's why I frequently leave comments on blogs and in forums. As a blogger, I appreciate when readers leave comments on my posts and I regularly click back to their site to learn more about them.

I also use one public user ID (rksmythe) on all of my social network accounts for consistency and visibility. I also don't post anonymously on blogs and forums because after awhile people remember your name. Type in rksmythe or Randy Smythe in any search engine and you will see links to my content.

Believe me, if anybody is looking for me they can find me (on second thought, that might not be so good). A brief note of caution; don't use your public id as your private id for online banking and other personal accounts.

My readers come from all over the world but they don't all find me the same way. My Squidoo readers are not the same readers as my blog readers, though if I'm doing my job right there will be a lot of cross-over readership. You need to open up a spot on the web where the readers congregate and then write interesting, fun, insightful content and they will follow you to your other content.

Think of every social networking site on the web as a window to your content, its simple to create a profile and once you've done that you can move on. Regularly update the sites that bring you the most visitors.

My Favorite Movie of All-Time

I Graduated High School in 1977 - Guess the Movie

Star Wars IV - The New Hope
In 1977, it was just called Star Wars and I probably have seen it 50 times. I remember being blown away by the trailer, which was played the Christmas before it was released. Couldn't wait to see the movie and was there on opening night.

My Social Network Profiles!

I'm a social butterfly!

I'm all over the web so please add me as a friend if you are on any of these sites These are the places I spend the most time.
My Facebook Profile
You would think with all of these social profiles I might actually be able to get a date.
My LinkedIn Profile
This is my Linkedin Profile.
My Twitter Profile
Now you can follow me on Twitter.
My Links on Google
Get links to all of my content on Google.

Are you interested in Selling on Amazon?

Selling on the River, is one of the best eBooks available to get you started.


"Selling on 'the River' - The eBay Seller's Guide to Selling on Amazon.com" I've read "Selling on 'the River" and it is the perfect resource for eBay sellers trying to sell on Amazon
Click here for more information

My Websites

I buy and sell dvd's, cd's and video games and blog about ecommerce.

Here are a list of my websites. Including my blog, my Buy Back website and my new webstore.
My Blog Utopia!
My musings on the world of ecommerce, social networking, Web 2.0, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Squidoo, online marketing and probably a lot of stuff about eBay.
Buy Back Direct
We turn your used or unwanted dvds, cds and video games into cash.
INet Media Source
New releases to old catalog titles we have all the CDs, DVDs, Video Games and Books you need. We sell both new and used items and they are fulfilled by Amazon's world class fulfillment service. Quality Product, Fantastic Selection and World Class Service.

Some of my non-eBay lenses

I do have other interests!

This list will grow because Squidoo is the best Social Networking/Content site on the web. Squidoo is the top referring site to many of my blogs.
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My Favorite Chick Flick

Yes, I have a sensitive side.

Somewhere in Time
Yep, I am a hopeless romantic and this is probably one of the best chick flics of all-time. If you haven't seen it before, now is the time.

"A young writer sacrifices his life in the present to find happiness with a beautiful woman in the past."

My Educational History

I figured I would give you my educational history starting with Kindergarten and ending with my BA Degree. At least I'm enjoying this stroll through memory lane.
  • Ford Elementary School - Kindergarten (Fullerton CA) First real memory was watching Lee Harvey Oswald getting shot by Jack Ruby on live television. For some reason I can't remember anything about the school.
  • Ruby Drive Elementary School - 1st and 2nd Grade (Placentia, CA) Favorite Teacher - Ms. Lionello (Not sure of the spelling) I saw here 30 years later and she remembered me. Wow, that made me feel good.
  • Golden Elementary School - 3rd Grade (Placentia, CA) Favorite Teacher - Ms. Sumner (I had a crush on her)
  • Brookhaven Elementary School - 4th - 5th Grade (Placentia, CA)
  • Hong Kong International School - 6th Grade - (Hong Kong, China) Favorite Teacher, Mr. Rausch (Not a 100% sure on the spelling) We lived in Hong Kong for a year while my dad was on sabbatical from Cal State University, Fullerton
  • Tuffree Junior High - 7th and 8th Grade (Placentia, CA)
  • El Dorado High School - 9th through 12th grade (Placentia, CA) Favorite Teachers - Mr. Sonnenberg, Mr. Cardinale, Mr. Hepp. (My son graduated from El Dorado HS this spring.)
  • Sterling College 1977 - 1978 - (Sterling, Kansas) Favorite Teacher Diane Kling. I didn't last long there as I was pretty clueless on what I wanted to do, so I left to come back home and work. Favorite classes: Writing for Television and History of Film.
  • Fullerton College - 1979 - 1981 (Fullerton, CA) Graduated with Honors - AA Degree in Television Production
  • Southern California College (Now called Vanguard University) 1984 - 1986 (Costa Mesa, CA) Graduated with Honors - BA in Television Production - Favorite Teacher Rick Hardy
  • UCLA Extension - Intermediate Screenwriting 2005 Los Angeles, CA

My Favorite Baseball Team is the Angels

The Hunt for Red October Begins Now!

My favorite baseball team is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I grew up in Orange County and from as far back as I can remember, I've been an Angel fan. It took the Angels just over 40 years (almost my entire life) to win a World Series and now we are going strong with a great management team, strong minor league system, a great group of young players and of course established players like Vladdy and GA (Garret Anderson. Unfortunately, we just can't seem to beat Boston when it counts.

My Employment History

I've been self employed for most of my adult life but here are a few jobs

Since this is my lens, I've decided to include every job I've had from High School on.
  • Fazzare Jewelers - 1976 - 1977 - Delivery Boy (I was 17)
    Part-time
  • Los Angeles Times Delivery - 1976 - 1977 - Got up at 4:00 AM - 7 days a week to deliver the news - Part-time
  • Environmental Control - Janitor Summer of 1977 - I actually enjoyed this job. I worked late at night cleaning Car Dealerships.
  • Sterling College - Janitor Athletic Department - 1978
    Part-time while in College (Sterling, Kansas)
  • Beckman Instruments - Fullerton, Ca 1979 - 1981
    Shipping and Receiving Clerk - Job I took after leaving Sterling College and before going back to school for my AA degree -- Made a whopping $3.45 an hour.
  • Ramic Productions - Assistant Editor for a Motivational Film Producer - Newport Beach, CA 1981 - 1982 Left to take video producer job at Beckman Instruments. My first opportunity to edit 16 mm film. Turned down job to edit porno's (no kidding)
  • Beckman Instruments - Fullerton, CA 1982 - 1984 - Video Producer for Sales and Service Training Department. Left to get BA.
  • Freelance TV Production - Southern California 1984 - 1988 - Emcompassed all aspects of Television production and post production including game show development - Worked for companies like Dick Clark Productions, Gaylord Entertainment, Gemini Productions, Westgate Entertainment, Universal Television and NBC
  • Movietime Hollywood, CA 1988 - 1989 - The company that became E! Entertainment. Manager Post Production, Scheduling and Video Library Managed 6 employees. Left to start my own production company.
  • Vanguard Entertainment - Video Production Company 1989 - 1990 (Owner)Specialized in Corporate Video for numerous clients like Home Savings, SCE, etc. Shutdown company because of inconsistent work and I needed a steady paycheck for my young family.
  • Morningstar Computers - 1990 - 1993 - Computer sales and service. Dove right in and began servicing the computer needs of over 40 clients in the Greater Los Angeles area. Never had one minute of computer training and within 2 months I was managing Novell networks.
  • Smythe & Associates (Owner) - 1993 - 1995 - I took over the top 20 clients of Morningstar and continued to sell and Service computers. Sold the company in 1995
  • True World Access - Vice President of Sales 1995 - 1997 - Sold website design and development services to small businesses. Left to form Quality Powder Coating International.
  • Quality Powder Coating International - Video producer, Web Portal Developer and Trainer for the Metal Finishing industry. 1997 - 2002 - Sold the business in 2002. In 2000, I began to test selling on Amazon and eBay.
  • Glacier Bay DVD - eBay's Top Seller of media products. 2002 - 2006 Shut the business down because of market changes and lack of potential growth. 2 1/2 very good years and 1 1/2 very bad years
  • Blogger - Self Employed - 2006 to present. Today, I blog about ecommerce and anything else that strikes my fancy.
  • Squidoo.com - Community Manager, eBay Sellers on Squidoo Community. July 2007 to present. Volunteer position - I help eBay sellers get the most out of their Squidoo experience.
  • INet Media Source Oct. 2007 to present. Once again started to sell media items online, but now I buy product directly from the consumer and then turn-around and sell it on Amazon.
  • Buy.com Jan. 2009 to present. Merchant Evangelist for this Internet 500 Retailer.

My Favorite Comedy!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This is possibly the funniest movie of all time. It is my favorite comedy among many great comedies. Not everybody gets this kind of humor but check out my tribute to Monty Python
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Create your Own Personal Lens

Come on, you know you want to.

Squidoo is a community of creative people who love to share their experiences. Why not create your own personal lens just like this one.
Create Your Own Personal SquidWho Lens
Why not create your own SqudidWho lens? After all, who knows more about you then, well you?
My Lensography
See what I've cooked up on Squidoo.
Tell Me More About Squidoo
Here's a snapshot on Squidoo.

Where is Placentia?

Placentia means Delightful Situation.

I've lived in Placentia for most of my life and I often get asked where it is. Now, with Google Maps I can show you. Just use the navigation tools on the top left of the picture to zoom-in or zoom-out.

Tell me what you think!

I would be very interested in hearing your opinions about this lens.

  • Sam Cooke May 9, 2010 @ 11:45 am | delete
    Hi Randy,

    I would be interested in hearing from you. I am researching single dads at the moment for a project. I need to know ehat are the most difficult problems you face as a single dad and the type of help or resources would benefit you. I would be interested in hearing your experiences.
    sam-sammy@hotmail.co.uk
  • Mistyxx1 Nov 11, 2009 @ 12:40 pm | delete
    Hi Randy you sure are an interesting person I like you way you talk about your son
    I'm a single mom raising two boys my blog is singleparentzone.blogspot.com check it out and let me know I havent completed my squidoo lens as yet very busy with two boys - you take care and thnx for in inspirational blog Linda
  • Tipi Apr 24, 2009 @ 2:35 pm | delete
    I know a lot more about Randy now. Its good to get to know people of good character on Squidoo. Love this lens! :) - Susie
  • mattie13 Feb 5, 2009 @ 1:05 am | delete
    cool nice lens .

    I like it
  • Dec 28, 2008 @ 1:56 pm | delete
    Nice to know you! Great complete bio! Come check out my lensography too!
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