The best way to make money is to start a business that doesn't have to make money. The story of the first American Pigeon Fancier's Association is an interesting example of this strategy. It was founded in 1811 by Alexander Wilson, who already had a successful business selling birds for shooting. In his spare time he wrote books about pigeons and wrote letters to other pigeon fanciers, encouraging them to join him.

The membership increased from fifteen in 1811 to two hundred and fifty by 1839, after which it stabilized at around four hundred. Each year the society picked up new members by sending out 500 or 600 letters, advertising in newspapers and magazines, offering prizes for breeding birds, and attending fairs. The society's total income was less than $200 per year.

Over the years it became a kind of stamp club: members would pay $1 each to obtain a unique "Pigeon Postage" stamp with their name on it. And they sent these stamps over long distances: until the Civil War they were used as postage on letters sent between states.

By the time Wilson died in 1832 the society had more than six thousand members and one thousand pigeons, making it one of the world's largest pigeon fanciers

It's hard to have a nice day at the office. But there are ways to make yourself pleasant even when all you have is your own company. One obvious way is to dress nicely--but this is not always enough. When your boss comes in wearing that awful Hawaiian shirt and those hideous Nikes, there's nothing you can do about it except grumble inwardly or give him the evil eye--and that will probably make him crankier, not nicer. And if he's sufficiently cranky, he will be more likely to give you trouble.