Sometimes I spend my 15 minutes on deep thought. One such bout of musing occurred after signing over $6,000 dollars in taxes to the County, State and Federal government, I sat in a sober stupor. How in the world could I generate more tax write-offs? I mean, I’m honest people. I pay all of my taxes. I file early and have never missed the April 15th deadline.
And then Oprah hit me. This is a master in business who takes everything she likes about life and wraps it up into her ever-expanding brand. She likes Rachel Ray’s food. Fine. Invite her on the show. Pay all of Rachel’s expenses. Get to eat Rachel’s food all day long. Tax write-off. Oprah needs to redecorate one of her homes. Make a show out of it. Tax write-off. Oprah and Gayle want to see America. Make a show about it. Write-off. Oprah and Gayle like to gossip and talk. Make a radio show. Now, I assume, every dinner date is research for the show. Write-off.
Thousands of people in this country are building up write-offs doing what they love to do

And Oprah’s not the only one. Martha Stewart. Same thing. She likes to live. So she writes a magazine called Living. Everything she does while alive—write-off! Bobby Brown’s life sucks. People are willing to watch. Reality TV show. Write-off. Rick Steves (the PBS guy) loves to write about his travels. He and two of his buddies armed with cameras and microphones tour every country in Europe. Write-off.
Thousands of people in this country are building up write-offs doing what they love to do, be it talking, designing, eating, cooking, decorating, fishing, hiking, skiing, gossiping, being fit, being rich, being a psychologist, not being that into you—just declare yourself an expert and ta-da! And anything they do that costs money while perfecting their genre of expertise is a business expense.
My turn.