1. Sell something online: I started selling my fanny packs on ebay and when I was selling 5-10 a day, I decided it was time to take the next step and make a website. Now I didn’t have the faintest idea of how to start a website, but the good thing about the college dorms is that someone who does, probably lives 3 doors down from you, and that was my case. Now I can use the Adobe creative suite and am somewhat functional with wordpress.

2. College Niche apparel: Starting your own clothing line sounds glorious, but the chances of it succeeding without an extremely targeted market are slim. Find a phrase that only students at your school know and slap that on a shirt. On the first round, print only 5-10 shirt, so you don’t lose your lunch money if the idea doesn’t stick. I had a friend who made a killing selling shirts which had our schools quarterbacks catchy nickname on it. Sell your shirt online and spread the word via Facebook.

3. Party: If you like music, become the DJ and slowly start piecing together a killer sound system and lights. If you and your friends throw the sickest college parties on campus, then you can charge at the door, or sell pre paid tickets online via paypal. BTW, paypal is magic for a college entrepreneur. I don’t use a merchant service for Party Pack Sam because Paypal is free and until I am selling over 100 packs a day, which I am close, I will continue to use the free service of Paypal.

4.Service: Forget the fact your trust is paying for your education, roll up your sleeves and mow some lawns, paint some houses, or plant some trees. Your neighbors will always hire poor college students to do yard work or rid a gutter full of leaves.

If you have any questions about a business idea you would like to entertain while in college, shoot me an email, I am more than happy to help out. I still have so much to learn about business and running an online business, but after doing it for a few years, it’s clear to me I will be an entrepreneur for the rest of my life.

Recently I embarked on an eleven-week journey that took me through the seven countries in Central America. I plan to make a blog post on the highlights of the voyage along with travel tips of how young travelers can economically travel safely through wild jungles and remote highlands with volcanoes towering over crystal clear lakes, but in this post I will let in readers in on the best night of the trip which was a Steve Aoki concert in Guatemala.

You can probably find me back right, I’m the one surrounded by about 12 Guatemalan girls.

Now Guatemala City should not be on anyone’s top 1,000 travel destinations for many reasons, but mostly because it’s one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The per capita murder rate is insane should be taken seri

ously, so you can imagine, when myself and my travel companions heard that Aoki was playing in Guatemala city we had our reservations. However, the obvious conclusion was reached which was that 15 of us were going to hire a shuttle and head to the ZOO and dance our asses off to one of the worlds top DJ’s. I mean, seriously, when will be the next time I can see Steve Aoki in a Zoo in Guatemala City for $18.

While only traveling with four pairs of underwear, I still managed to pack 4 neon green fanny packs, which I gave to three Australians who were stoked to be wearing the neon ‘bum bags’ as they call it and by the amount of latin lovers they had hangin all over them, it is confirmed neon fanny packs give magical powers with the opposite sex. Contemporaneous with the Latin culture, Aoki came on two hours late at 1:00am and rocked the house until 4:00 and even threw his birthday cake on the first four rows where I was standing only 5 minutes before. The single highlight of the entire trip was when he played “Pursuit of Happiness” while I was dancing with at least three beautiful Guatemalan girls; at that point, I had reached the point of happiness and will never forget that moment. The ladies in Guatemala absolutely love party fanny packs because I think they have never seen them before, or at least ones which are that loud and can hold 3 red bulls.

I wish I had taken photos, but I was recommended not to take any valuable items because there was 50/50 chance we would get mugged, which is what our shuttle driver told us right as we departed the van. The epic events of that night reside in my memory and I will never forget when I partied at a ZOO in Guatemala city till 4:00am in one of the most dangerous cities in the world; all while rocking a neon party fanny pack.

Although I’ve failed miserably in living up to the wisdom of those three words at various and importune moments in life (forgetting the butter when cooking Coq au Vin, heading into the Mojave with only quarter tank of gas), I had no idea the true value of that motto would be exemplified as I donned my Party Pack Sam during my recent birthday bash, celebrated at a pool party in Las Vegas.

After a certain age, few things in life elate the senses as innocently and purely as a birthday: Facebook posts, calls from friends, random free scoops of ice cream at various merchants, and the well wishes from a couple highly-observant bouncers.  Throw in a private cabana at one of the hottest pool parties in Vegas and a birthday couldn’t be any better, right?  No one could be blamed for answering in the affirmative to that question.  However, as I was soon to learn,  it was the innocuous fluorescent Party Pack Sam that was strapped to my waist which elevated the excitement of my birthday from having a Top Gun cake to getting an in person fly-by from Maverick and Goose themselves.

My Party Pack Sam was filled to the brim with a multitude of items that when taken individually, might be the culprit of clutter that congregates towards the back of the desk drawer at home.  However, when mingled together inside the convenience of a portable party satchel, each item became the building block of a spectacular party.  The shot glass came in handy when a passer-by found out it was my birthday and wanted to pour me a shot from their table’s bottle.  Who knows when game of beer-pong will break out – good thing I had my ping pong ball for such an occasion.  Anyone have beads?  I did – and trust me, they came in handy when the overly voluptuous “Victoria” walked by.  And of course, the quintessential addition of one prophylactic and a shot of lube would have come in handy, had Victoria responded to my meek attempt to coax her into my cabana by saying “How YOU doing?” in my best Joey Tribbiani.

As the day waned, it was apparent that the pool revelers’ continuous intake of liquid vices began to catch up with them.  But my party pack was only getting started; I was the proverbial Mary Poppins’ of the pool party with the party pack that kept on giving.  Not only was it giving to the happy people around me but it was taking from them too: VIP club passes, little slips of paper with phone numbers, and most suggestively: room keys, were all slipped into my party pack throughout the day.  As if the physical utility of the Party Pack wasn’t enough, it also provided a method of identity management, whereby ladies could distinguish me among the overly ‘roided male contingent at the pool party, which was made clear later that night at the clubs when several beautiful girls stopped me and said “Hey, you were that guy at the pool today with that sweet party pack!  Wanna dance?”

Needless to say, my Party Pack Sam added a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to my birthday festivities that I will always attempt to emulate for future bashes throughout life.  I have no doubt that had Dusty Bottoms, Ned Nederlander, and Lucky Day been wearing Party Pack Sams on their quest, they would not have had to traipse over impassable mountains and scorching deserts to find the Singing Bush and Invisible Swordsman; those two would have found the three amigos.

Your party is going to suck if your brothers aren’t excited about it.  This is the most important aspect to party planning.  Without it your party will fail.  To get the brothers behind the party – make sure they have some ownership in the party.  Whether they are in charge of coming up with a theme or getting people out – everyone must have a role in the parties success.  If everyone has this ownership, then the brothers will be excited to see the fruit of their labor.

2) Get the Word Out

The most awesome party idea in the world is going to fail if no one knows about it.  Your excited brothers need to share their excitement with their friends outside the fraternity.  Be sure this core group of friends are excited and are expected to show up.  Also, formally invite each sorority on campus to attend.  While the entire sorority won’t show up, I promise you a few sisters will.  Which brings me to point #3…

3) Invite Girls

We have all been there before.  There is nothing worse than a sausage fest with 75% guys and 25% girlfriends.  I want to stab my eyes out just thinking about it.  To avoid this disaster – you need to be sure that girls show up.  Inviting sororities is a good start.  Also, if there are any local girls colleges you need to invite them (do invites dorm by dorm).  Be sure to tell the brother’s girlfriends to invite their friends.  Also, be sure you have a theme that is girl friendly – which brings me to point #4…

4) Have a Good Theme and Make it Unique

There are some tried and true party ideas that won’t fail.  Beach parties, Mardi Gras parties and Toga parties are a few that come to mind.  However, if you really want to really get people excited and fired up about coming to your event then you have to be unique.  That is why thefraternityadvisor.com is a proud partner of Party Pack Sam.  Sam gets it.  He understands that to be awesome, you have to be unique.  And not much is more awesome than going retro with a fanny pack.

In my mind, you have a choice when coming up with a fraternity party.  You can be cliché, or you can be awesome.  People gravitate to awesome.  That is how you become the social elite on campus.

This post was written by Pat Daley.  He is the author of The Fraternity Leader and thefraternityadvisor.com and is a partner of Party Pack Sam.  His book and website are the leading authority on everything you need to know about fraternity.

1. Newport Beach, CA. I need to be more specific here, Newport Beach for the 4th of July. This is one of the best 4th of July parties in America where people are always in a fantastic mood and beach houses are open to all for killer parties. Simply strap on the neon fanny pack and cruise the blocks and if the door is open at a beach dwelling, feel free to pop in and join the party. The beach is only a block away at most so cooling off in the ocean is a must.

2. Las Vegas: This place is unreal, each time I go, I discover a new hidden gem, be it a club, restaurant, juice bar, you name it. Last time I went in March for Spring Break, I found a Juice/smoothie bar in O’Harra’s where I got a 44 ounce quadruple vodka and extreme energy drink. It was $22 bucks, but lasted me the rest of the night. I even stored the cup in my neon fanny pack afterwards. The absolute best part about Vegas is the pools, unbelievable. I am going again in July and am staying at the Mandalay Bay pool, so I will be blogging about that experience soon.

3. San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. This place is a surfers and party animals dream. Sure, it is farther away, and more expensive to get to, but splurge for a spring break and check this place out. It has some of the best surfing in the world and the night life is killer. I was a hero with the locals when they saw me storing coconuts and beer in my neon fanny pack! Nicaragua is very up and coming. The government has figured out that tourism brings a lot of money into the economy so they are making great strides to improve the infrastructure and safety of the country/

4. Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Once you make it to this secluded set of archipelago islands tucked away in the Caribbean, you will find it nearly impossible to leave. I met several groups of people that spent all 6 weeks of their “Central America” backpacking trip in Bocas Del Toro. If you can imagine a place where night clubs have swings and slides into crystal clear Caribbean waters than this is the place.

5. Glacier National Park, MT. Okay, this one is a stretch, but I have to include my home state because I love the state of Montana. I went to Glacier park last September and was blown away by the wildlife and scenery. Besides having to carry bear spray (which fit perfectly in my neon fanny pack) and make loud noises to alert large animals while hiking, this place is unreal. In one day, on the east side of the park, we saw over 15 bears; most of them grizzlies.

I hope you found this list somewhat helpful and can use this information to plan your next spring break or summer trip. I forgot to include studying abroad in there, that is the best way to create a hub in a different country and then see all the surrounding countries. Dating a local to help with language skills is a must also. Don’t forget the neon fanny pack, or life will simply not be as grand.

1. Fucking up the theme: Sometimes you will be going to a party where you think the theme is simply lame. This is your time to shine, and really be a boss. For example, if the party is a “Biker” party, dress up as a “Hiker” and tell everyone you must have heard it wrong. If it is a “Toga” party, dress up as “Yoda” from Star Wars and say you are hard of hearing, and hard other places also. If you are at a Golf Pro and Tennis Hoes party, throw your friend under the bus and tell the chicks asking why you are dressed up as Jack Sparo, he told you it was a Pirate Party. Chicks will find it adorable you are willing to be the odd one out and like to spend the night original guys!

2. Sin Ropa Fiesta: This in Spanish simply means wear anything besides clothes to the party.You can wear the 50% off vinyl banner you borrowed outside of Old Navy or cut up some old tires and make a Mad Max get up. Girls, usually take the cake on creativity with this one, and find classy ways to show off all kinds of skin while still covering up,,, well sometimes.

3. Homeless Party: Wear a trash bag, setup a card board house in the corner of the party, or don’t shower for a week in preparation for this college party theme. This is theme has endless possibilities for creativity. I once saw a friend pan handle for beer while wearing nothing but a shower cap and duct tape underwear. Now I have never seen a homeless man wear this attire, but anythings is possible. Again, girls find ways for me fall in love with every homeless chick at the party.

4. 80s party: Sure this one has been done to death, but what other theme has an entire decade of golden musical hits to accompany the party. Such hits like “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Jessie’s Girl” were written for 80′s parties that were to be thrown 25 years later. So many bright colors, neon fanny packs, parachute pants, Freddy Mercury,,, I love the 80s.

5. Pull a fast one: I once threw a party and told 1/2 the invites it was a pirate party and the other half it was a Disney party. the result a mixed bag of hilariousness. Some people were a bit put off by my deviousness but after the beverages started pouring, people thought it was hilarious and seeing Pocahontas make out with a pirate on the dance floor was a beautiful sight. Basically pick two themes that are near polar opposites, make two FB invites, and there you go. People show up and go WTF?

6. Bubble Wrap: All guests are allowed to wear is bubble wrap which can be purchased at a moving supply store. We had one where at times throughout the night, the DJ would announce it’s time to Pop, and you just pop everyone else’s bubbles. If you can get bubble wrap on the floors, ceiling and walls, it is even better.

Themes to Avoid and recommendations

1. Toga Party: Think of a new theme, or modify it, like have a Zombie Toga Party

2. Pimp and Hoes: If your fraternity is throwing this bash, think again, it has been done before and probably better.

Nothing is a bigger buzz kill than people showing up to the party not dressed up. The reason Halloween parties are so amazing is because everyone is dressed up. Try to charge a cover for people not dressed up, or make it known before the party people who are not dressed up will not be let in.

If you are a huge player on campus, have a competition to see who picks the next college theme party your house is going to throw. Have the finalists on facebook and get people excited about it.

1. 2012 is a cluster of all fashion styles of every decade and a bright neon fanny pack is not some anachronistic relic, but a fashion device that will never really go out of style. It is a staple of party apparel that has not gone out of style like the parachute pant, jean shorts, biker hat, propeller hat and temporary tattoo. I can guarantee in 50 years the neon fanny pack will still be rocking strong.

2. The fanny pack is personified at parties and is often louder than the person wearing the pack. It says, “hey, I am ready to mingle.” Or “is there koolaid in this punch, lets add some more.” If you are traveling in a Spanish speaking country and don’t speak the language, no worries because your fanny pack is fluent in every language and it says “let’s get to playing some beer pong.”

3. Fanny packs can hold so many things and are so practical for carrying everyday items like cell phones and secrets. Pockets can only hold so much and dudes don’t carry purses, so a great alternative is loading that fanny pack up with the items that will come in handy. For example, cobra anti venom will not fit in a standard sized jean pocket, but fits like a glove in your bum bag and when bitten by a cobra, is easily accessible with just the unzipping of a pocket. A neon fanny pack pre loaded with party supplies is a must for any party goer or spring breaker. Sam’s original party pack form <a href=”http://www.partypacksam.com”>Party Pack Sam</a> is the ideal setup.

4. Bachelor or bachelorette parties are 73% better with fanny packs. Nothing says I am part of this awesome hen party better than matching bright colored packs. The point of these parties is to be loud and that is exactly what a neon colored fanny pack is. A pack of guys perusing the Las Vegas strip is a marvelous site to see and is almost certain to be following by a slew of hot chicas.

5. 80′s baby. A neon fanny pack is a staple of the 80′s and let me tell you from experience, the 80′s were awesome. Have you heard the music from that decade? From Flock of Seagulls to Duran Duran, it all was fantastic. When I hear anything from Michael Jackson, especially Bilie jean, I bolt to the nearest dance floor and boogie. I frequent most 80′s nights in my hometown and you bet your arse, I am rocking a fanny pack filled with necessary party items.