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<ul><li>The COVID-19 lockdown led to a spurt of small, intimate Zoom weddings; but the $50 billion Indian <keyword id="562840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="wedding-industry">wedding industry</keyword> is sure that a recovery is on the cards.</li><li>With the government extending social gatherings to upto 100 people, matchmakers and businesses believe that the worst is over.</li><li>The stage is set for a busy winter with weddings lined up over auspicious dates during November and December.</li><li>With the smaller size of weddings, people are also opting for destination weddings at offbeat locations. </li></ul>One can say that ‘marriages are made in heaven’, but the grandeur and extravaganza of weddings are definitely made in India. The coronavirus pandemic has weighed heavily on the wedding industry across the world, and India was not immune to it either. While COVID-19 achieved the unimaginable in India, with intimate and small weddings on Zoom becoming the go-to option. While many deferred the ‘big fat Indian wedding’ plan, as we approach the end of the year, the weddings have shrunk in size but they are back in business — for the $50 billion Indian wedding industry — a recovery is on the cards. The stars are aligning for the year-end wedding season Netflix’s reality series, Indian Matchmaking stars the quintessential matchmaker - Sima Aunty - who believes that ultimately her efforts would be meaningless if the “stars are not aligned”. And in India, that largely holds true. The first step for planning a traditional Hindu <keyword id="3989394" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="wedding-in-india">wedding in India</keyword> is meeting the astrologer. So if you want to know whether the ‘band, baaja, baarat’ should be set in motion, ask your astrologer. “After a forced lull due to the pandemic, now there is a sudden spurt to get married by year end looking by the number of queries in recent weeks which is about 3 to four times more than normal. The relaxation in norms has also given optimism to people looking to get married,” said RK Sharma, a Delhi-based astrologer. As things get busy for Sharma, he also pens down the upcoming ‘auspicious’ days for us. “There are quite a few dates in November – 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 12th – common for all based on moon signs of bride and groom except for Cancer and Scorpio. In December though there are only 5 auspicious days – 1, 7, 8, 9 and 11. So we can expect a lot of marriages on these days,” he said. <div type="image" title="A pandit at a wedding" msid="78163684" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A pandit at a wedding&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> With the auspicious dates and the government extending social gatherings to upto 100 people, matchmakers are confident that the worst is over. Popular online wedding platform <keyword id="260777" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="shaadi-com">Shaadi.com</keyword> said that the online matchmaking industry saw a 20-30% surge during the lockdown, which is going to result in a reasonable uptick in the number of weddings. <div type="image" title="A groom on a horse" msid="78163644" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A groom on a horse&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Adhish Zaveri, Director of Marketing, Shaadi.com however believes that despite the relaxations, intimate weddings will still be seen across the country. “The scale and size of the weddings remain in question and would be a larger contributor to the contraction of the industry, than the number of weddings itself. We have couples who have met on Shaadi.com during the lockdown and are certain to marry this year. They are equally certain to have an intimate wedding and we expect people to avoid the excesses we usually see at <keyword id="68773" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-weddings">Indian weddings</keyword>,” said Zaveri. Intimate weddings take over For many next-gen brides and grooms across the country, there’s also a sense of urgency to get married now so they can avoid inviting the entire brigade of extended relatives for the wedding. This could be their only shot at getting a simple wedding done, sans the crowd. And of course, it cuts through the budget too. In the budget wedding space, OYO’s Weddingz.in said in August that it had seen 40% demand of pre-COVID levels coming back. The company said it had rescheduled over 3,000 events and locked approximately 1,500 unique bookings for October, November, and December 2020. For the luxury hotel group Taj, there’s been an uptick in wedding enquiries and not just for their already popular hotels but also their drive-to hotels at serene locations. “From weddings at our grand palaces in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Hyderabad, and beach weddings in Goa to intimate gatherings at our landmark city hotels in Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram, Agra, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are popular choices off late,” said Renu Basu, Senior Vice President, Global sales and marketing at Indian Hotels Company Limited. <div type="image" title="indian wedding" msid="78163562" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A destination wedding - Representative image&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But with the smaller size of weddings, people are also opting for offbeat ideas, and that’s opening up opportunities for hotels with a smaller inventory of rooms. “For instance, Taj Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior; can now host weddings due to the reduced size of the events. It is time to showcase these unique and amazing destinations in India as they will now be preferred over international destinations for small weddings,” she shared. All that glitters With the fall in gold prices over the past few weeks, jewellery shops have seen a buying rush. And even with the fall in prices, the market is flooded with <a href="https://www.livemint.com/market/commodities/gold-continues-to-sold-at-a-discount-in-india-despite-sharp-price-fall-11599977832448.html">discounts</a> to lure in more customers. With weddings and the festive season around the corner, gold jewellery brands like Tanishq are hoping for a quick and swift revival. <div type="image" title="gold" msid="78163551" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People buying gold jewellery in India&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “We are very optimistic about the upcoming wedding season as many weddings have been deferred to the second half of the year. Now with larger gatherings of up to 100 being permitted, it is likely that we will see many more weddings taking place,” said Arun Narayan, AVP, Retail &amp; Marketing, Tanishq, <keyword id="6359357" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="titan">Titan</keyword> Company. On a shopping spree While one can cut corners on the guest list and budget, brides still want that perfect dream lehenga. But the safety concerns have left them skeptical of actually visiting crowded bazaars and shopping areas. And so, even ‘lehengas’ have gone online. Bridal Asia is now hosting a virtual exhibition where brides and grooms can meet designers, jewellers, online, and book video consultations as well. “Inquiries have increased for makeup artists, photographers, and other service providers, however, given government regulations and safety concerns, they are for smaller weddings. However, wedding shopping and festival shopping is on the rise. Even our July sales were equivalent to our pre-COVID sales in February, but this is perhaps because we focus on more affordable ethnic wear and jewelry though. Designer brands will take longer to see a resurgence,” said Sanna Vohra, founder of The Wedding Brigade. The big fat Indian wedding may have shrunk in size but definitely, not lost its sheen. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/muthoot-finance-says-this-years-growth-is-likely-to-exceed-guidance/articleshow/78159469.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Muthoot Finance says this year's growth is likely to exceed guidance</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-may-have-a-covid-19-vaccine-by-the-start-of-next-year-says-union-health-minister-harsh-vardhan/articleshow/78162908.cms">India may have a COVID-19 vaccine by the "start of next year", says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan</a>

India’s $50 billion wedding industry is gearing up for a busy winter — business may have shrunk in size but it has not lost its sheen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Xavier, Remington, and Jade Estes were born on February 29, 2004, 2008, and 2012, respectively.</li><li>The trio is 20, 16, and 12, but have only celebrated on their exact birthdays 5, 4, and 3 times.</li></ul>When Xavier, Remington, and Jade Estes sliced their joint birthday cake earlier this month, the numbers on the top said 20, 16, and 12.But, an extra set of single figures on the cake indicated their "technical" ages of 5, 4, and 3.The trio — born on February 29, 2004, 2008, and 2012, respectively — are so-called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/siblings-twins-triplets-born-on-leap-day">"leaplings"</a> due to their Leap year birthdays.Leap days, which happen every four years, recalibrate the calendar to account for the 365 days and almost six hours it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun.The makeup of the Estes family is known only to copy that of an older <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/living-most-northern-town-on-earth-longyearbyen-norway-2023-5">family in Norway</a>. Heidi, Olav, and Leif-Martin Henrikson — born in 1960, 1964, and 1968, respectively — hold the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/209723-most-siblings-born-on-leap-day#:~:text=The%20three%20children%20of%20the,on%20Leap%20Day%20%2D%2029%20February">Guinness world record</a> for most siblings delivered on consecutive leap day years."We didn't bother to apply because it's all about coming first," Louise Estes, the mom of Xavier, Remington, and Jade, joked to Business Insider.<h2>The Estes children think that their status as leaplings is cool</h2>Nevertheless, she said, her kids "got a kick" out of their situation."They think it's pretty cool," Estes added. "They've been laughing at the fact that they're turning 5, 4, and 3 this year — although it depends on who is counting."<div type="image" title="Three kids with their birthday pinatas." height="2250" width="3000" msid="108115786" hostid="261"></div>"They have an extra strong bond because they have the same, unusual birthday," the mom-of-five said.Estes met her husband, David, at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byu-grad-showed-her-true-colors-flashing-lgbt-flag-graduation-2022-4">Brigham Young University</a> in 2000. They got married three years later. Xavier, who was due on March 1, 2004, was born a day early."When my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-go-to-hospital-for-labor">waters broke</a>, David was excited because it was a leap year," Estes said. "But I was just tired and ready to go, whatever the date, and as long as everyone was safe."Xavier was delivered at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 29 February. The staff at the hospital marked the occasion by giving his parents a uniquely designed card to mark the date."It was very fun because it had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/frogs-longtime-meme-favorites-are-experiencing-a-recent-surge-online-2020-6">frogs</a> all over it," Estes said. "Everyone associates leap day with frogs." The couple had their second son, Xander, in July 2006. They conceived their third baby, Remington, in the spring of 2007."I'd always wanted my kids to be close in age, so I was very lucky," Estes said. "I remember telling David that we might get another leap-year baby if we conceived around that time, but I never in a million years expected it to happen."They were told that Remington was due on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. They kept their fingers crossed that he'd arrive sooner. "Sure enough, he was born on Friday, February 29," the 48-year-old, who was induced, added.<h2>The mom thought she was done after having 4 kids</h2>She said that Xavier, who turned 4 that day — or 1, if you play it by the book — was extra thrilled to welcome his brother, believing he was "another <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/birthday-free-items-photos-tiktok-hacks-2023-9">birthday</a> treat."The Estes went on to have a fourth son, Seeley, in December 2009 and, according to the mom, thought their family was complete."We'd gotten into our stride by number four," Este told BI. "But it was a lot of work, and mentally, I was done."She said that she thought David, 49, was joking when he suggested they try for a fifth child in the spring of 2011 — hoping it might be born on the auspicious date of February 29, 2012.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/skills-knowledge-needed-in-fast-growing-jobs">employment</a> counselor wasn't so enthusiastic — at least at first."I said, 'First, if we try to do it on purpose, it won't happen, and, second, it'd mean five kids. Are you kidding me?'" she said,Still, she came around to the idea after David offered an incentive. "He said, 'What if it's a girl this time?'"<div type="image" title="Seven members of a family pose by a lake wearing white tops and jeans" height="3120" width="4160" msid="108115788" hostid="261"></div>They got pregnant immediately, with a due date of Saturday, February 24, 2012. However, Estes gave birth to her daughter, Jade, five days later — on February 29. "I'd never been late before, so the doctor decided to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/induce-labor">induce</a> me," she said.The happy event led to them appearing in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/woman-has-third-consecutive-leap-year-baby-7476376.html">international media</a>. "We felt a bit like celebrities," Estes said.She said that they enjoy teasing people by saying they are 5, 4, and 3, not 20, 16, and 12.<h2>Estes said that the leaplings are very much individuals</h2>When it's not a leap year, Xavier, Remington, and Jade celebrate their birthdays every February 28. "We'll have a big party," Estes said.Of course, the most memorable get-togethers occurred in 2016, 2020, and 2024 milestones. This year's celebration happened on Presidents Day inside a church hall in the Estes' home city of Payson, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arches-national-park-disappointing-photos-what-its-actually-like-2022-5">Utah</a>. More than 40 people attended."The children had separate piñatas for them and their friends," Estes said. Xavier picked a llama, Remington chose <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-started-playing-minecraft-with-my-neurodivergent-son-2022-11">Minecraft</a>, and Jade chose a red chile pepper. The cake was decorated with characters from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-mcu-heroes-avengers-look-like-movies-comics-2021-7">Marvel</a>. "They're all fans," Estes said.She said the trio had lots more in common — but were very much individuals."We've told them — along with their two brothers — that they are extremely precious and special," Estes said. Do you have a powerful story to share with Business Insider? Please send details to <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jridley@insider.com">jridley@businessinsider.com</a>.

A mom gave birth to 3 leap day babies. It's only the second case recorded in the world.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Manoj Bhargava has got rich from 5-Hour Energy. Now he's buying TV and digital media.</li><li>He took control of Sports Illustrated publisher Arena Group in late 2023, laying off dozens.</li></ul>Update: On Monday, Minute Media said it had been awarded the license to publish Sports Illustrated "across digital and print platforms." The New York Times <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/business/sports-illustrated-magazine.html">reported </a>that it would hire an unspecified number of journalists laid off by Arena Group, and the SI union said that it welcomes the change and looks forward to discussions with Minute Media. Representatives for Arena Group, Bhargava, and Authentic Brands Group didn't immediately reply to comment requests. Employees of the Arena Group, which publishes Sports Illustrated and other news and lifestyle websites, weren't sure what to expect when Manoj Bhargava, who had just bought a huge chunk of the company's shares and debt, called an all-hands meeting last December.Bhargava had made his fortune with gas-station staple 5-Hour Energy. A week earlier, he had become a large minority shareholder at The Arena Group, but had no official title. Nevertheless, he had already directed the head of HR to <a target="_blank" href="https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-publisher-shakeup-ai">fire three executives the day before</a>.Now, Bhargava was hosting an in-person and Zoom meeting to outline his vision for Arena. It didn't get off to an auspicious start. Audio issues meant those attending by Zoom — the majority of the company — couldn't hear anything. When the audio finally turned on, Bhargava's mind was apparently elsewhere."He was talking about purifying water and he has some device he distributes to Third World countries, like an internet device," said a current Sports Illustrated employee. "I was like, 'I don't know what this has to do with us.'"Bhargava eventually turned to the company he was attempting to take over. The verdict was not kind."The amount of useless stuff you guys do is staggering," he said. The company Bhargava claimed to be taking over was so poorly run that he questioned the intelligence of those in the meeting. "I'm surprised you're still here," he said. "You're not very smart to stay at this company."Steve Janisse, a spokesman for Bhargava, said he was joking. He also said Bhargava was talking about his charitable endeavors in order to underscore his priorities to Arena Group employees.Media, Bhargava said in the meeting, was "biased." In an exchange that raised the eyebrows of several people BI spoke to, he asked, "Why should the story be 'White cop kills black man?' It should just be 'Cop kills man.'"Vince Bodiford, a spokesman for Bhargava, said he was recounting a discussion about editorial values and priorities that took place at NewsNet, a media property he acquired in 2022. He didn't mean to express a preference or dictate an editorial stance at Arena, Bodiford said.Bhargava said he was reorganizing the company, getting rid of some "big names" to make the company more effective, and that "tasks, not titles" were what was important."No one is important," he said."I am not important."Days later, Bhargava sacked Arena Group CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-sports-illustrated-publisher-ross-levinsohn-resigns-explosive-letter-2024-1">Ross Levinsohn</a>, too, causing Levinsohn to angrily resign from the board. One of the fired executives, Rob Barrett said in a lawsuit that he didn't get severance, and three people told Business Insider that more lawsuits are likely on the way.Arena has an unusual arrangement with its most important title: While the publisher employs Sports Illustrated's staff of editors and writers and produces the magazine and associated web site, it doesn't actually own the globally recognized voice in sports journalism. It licenses the right to use the Sports Illustrated name from Authentic Brands Group. Not long after the executive bloodbath, Arena failed to make its quarterly $3.75 million licensing payment to ABG, resulting in the publishing license being yanked.Some writers say they fear the missed payment was a bad-faith pretext to scrap their union contract; one former Arena employee called it a game of "billionaire chicken." On January 19, the Sports Illustrated notified at least 80 staffers that they were being laid off.Now ABG is actively negotiating with Arena and others about the SI brand's future. ABG had misgivings about Bhargava even before the default, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. ABG has said Sports Illustrated would endure; in<a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/19/sports-illustrated-layoffs/"> a January interview</a> with the Washington Post, ABG's CEO Jamie Salter was blunt about his talks with Bhargava, saying, "I told him to fuck off.""No one really knows what Manoj's angle is," said a fourth person familiar with the situation. "He benefits from this perception that he's crazy like a fox."<h2>A 5-Hour empire expanding</h2>Born in India, Manoj Bhargava had an eccentric trajectory before striking it rich with 5-Hour Energy, including a brief stint as an undergrad at Princeton, a decade spent with an Indian ashram, and a period acquiring and turning around small plastics manufacturing companies (the same business his father had gone into). At a trade show in 2003, he tried an energy drink and felt great — and realized there would be a market if he made the drink smaller.In 2012, Forbes profiled him, characterizing him as a "reclusive monk," and concluding that his ownership of 5-Hour Energy had turned him into a billionaire. The article highlighted his commitments to charity, though it raised questions about how his charities were funded and what they do. Some of those transactions have been scrutinized by the IRS and wound up in United States Tax Court.More recently, he has been investing in media. He acquired NewsNet, a Michigan broadcasting company, in 2022, and said he invested $50 million to build new studios and acquire over-the-air television stations. NewsNet's CEO, Bodiford, is also Bhargava's personal spokesman and a nominee to be on Arena Group's board. The move into media was motivated by the growing cost of advertising for 5-Hour Energy, said Janisse, the spokesman for Bhargava who is also a contributor to NewsNet."He said, 'If it's getting more expensive, maybe that's a business I should get into,'" Janisse said.NewsNet, with the motto: "News…as it used to be," and its parent company, Bridge Media, are due to merge with Arena, which likely has a much larger reach than any of Bhargava's pre-existing holdings. Janisse said some of its local TV stations have only recently begun contracting with Nielsen to measure their audiences.Arena, despite the reach of brands like SI, Mens Journal, The Street, and Parade, has been losing money for years and its reputation has been hammered. In 2023, three of its publications were <a target="_blank" href="https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers">caught</a> publishing deceptive or wrong AI-generated content. Such stories even ran in Sports Illustrated, whose covers still carry cachet even as it has been pared back and competing sports media outlets have scaled up.Arena's losing streak was Bhargava's opportunity. In August, he <a target="_blank" href="https://investors.thearenagroup.net/news-releases/news-release-details/arena-group-signs-binding-loi-combine-bridge-media-networks">signed a letter of intent</a> to acquire Arena, which had more than $110 million in high-interest debt, with $50 million in cash and $60 in advertising commitments. It was cemented in a <a target="_blank" href="https://investors.thearenagroup.net/news-releases/news-release-details/arena-group-signs-definitive-agreement-combine-bridge-media">series of agreements</a> struck in early November.Oddly, the Hans Foundation, a non-profit where Bhargava was president until 2021 and remains the primary funder, agreed to purchase $25 million in preferred stock alongside the 5-Hour International Corporation."As many charitable trusts do, they make their own investments, and they felt that this was a good investment, and that's why they put their money into the deal," said Janisse.Rather than waiting for the deal to close, however, on December 1, Bhargava made a separate attempt to control Arena through the side door, moving to acquire a large chunk of shares and all Arena's debt from B. Riley, an upstart investment bank that is dealing with its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/how-an-unremarkable-deal-became-a-big-threat-to-a-small-investment-bank-f819a169?mod=hp_lead_pos4">own crises</a>. Asked why Bhargava did this, Janisse declined to comment.Since then, he has invested more money into Arena and now controls an outright majority of its shares. Bhargava's company still has not invested based on the terms outlined in the November agreements from August 2023, though it has until August 2024 to fulfill that obligation.Bhargava has said Arena was in worse financial shape than he originally believed. In an email, Janisse said the November agreements are "still in flux." He said the choice in early January was to make payroll or to pay the license fee, and he chose the former. Some are skeptical."I think he dragged his feet intentionally on the original Arena deal because he saw an opportunity," said a source close to the negotiations, theorizing that Bhargava saw Arena's falling stock price as an opportunity to acquire the company cheaply and renegotiate terms struck in August. "I think he's always looking for an angle."<h2>The scrutiny that comes with controlling Sports Illustrated</h2>While Arena Group controls over two hundred media brands, there's no question SI is Arena's crown jewel. Janisse said it gets about 80 million unique visitors a month. Other properties, like The Street and Parade, get about 20 million uniques each, he said.He said the company has made several proposals to ABG and is awaiting a response. Arena said it plans to shutter the print magazine in May, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/business/media/sports-illustrated-print-edition.html">according</a> toh e New York Times, although two people familiar with the situation say managers have already walked that back. Janisse said in a Sunday email that Arena had "given the SI print edition and SI SWIM back to Authentic.""We are willing to help them find a solution so they can continue to print the magazine if they wish," he wrote.Two other people familiar with the situation say Bhargava is focused on being able to license the "SI TV" brand, as previously reported by the New York Post."What's most interesting to Manoj and Arena is the digital side, the website, and the multimedia portion," Janisse said. "That doesn't mean there won't be good storytelling happening, but that's the part that Arena is most interested in."Other<a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/29/business/sports-illustrated-draws-interest-from-2-more-bidders-including-jeff-zuckers-front-office-sports-sources/"> companies in the running</a> for parts of the Sports Illustrated license include Minute Media, which publishes The Players' Tribune, and Front Office Sports, a sports media company that specializes in newsletters.Many who spoke with BI said they believe Minute Media is the frontrunner to gain the rights to SI. At an Arena Group planning meeting for Sports Illustrated held in Michigan last week, Bhargava seemed "defeated," according to a source with knowledge of the meeting.Losing the rights to Sports Illustrated would represent a setback for Arena Group, which has already seen its <a target="_blank" href="https://ycharts.com/companies/AREN/market_cap">market cap sink</a> from a high of $288 million in December 2022 to $31 million at the end of trading on Friday.Multiple people BI spoke to said it was never clear why Bhargava wanted to acquire and operate Arena in the first place, and that he lacked a coherent vision for what he would do with SI or Arena Group. His experience to date has been mainly running private companies, a current Arena Group employee said, and he may have been unprepared for the scrutiny a public company like Arena, or being associated with Sports Illustrated, would bring."If he introduces a new 5-Hour Energy flavor, that's his call," said the current Arena employee. "I think he's finding out that there's just a higher level of scrutiny to his actions, especially when there's a beloved brand."

A billionaire energy drink mogul elbowed his way into publishing Sports Illustrated — now he's lost it

She's a US senator. He's one of the most powerful men in finance. Meet the $500 million power couple getting slammed for stock trades placed as the coronavirus tanked markets.

<div class="image-container" style="width:630px"><div class="image"></div>REUTERS/KCNA</div> Earlier <keyword id="13473" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="North-Korea">North Korea</keyword> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/latest-north-korea-war-talk-2013-4">told embassies in Pyongyang</a> to consider evacuating their employees because it can't guarantee their safety after April 10.
That's also the day that South Korean (ROK) companies must pull all of their workers out of the Kaesong industrial complex — an ROK-financed project that <a href="http://www.euronews.com/2013/04/03/kaesong-north-korea-s-financial-lifeline/">accounts for up to 40 percent</a> of the North's revenue. 
For the last few days the North has <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/04/03/176090273/north-korea-blocks-south-korean-workers-from-joint-factory">blocked</a> South Koreans from entering the complex in the North — considered the last lifeline between the two Koreas — while allowing them to leave at any time.
The date 4/10/13 also plays into the fact that three generations of the Kim family have been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/05/north-korea-nine-magic-number">fixated</a> on the number 9, <a href="http://newfocusintl.com/" title="">New Focus International</a> editor-in-chief Jang Jin-sung reports in The Guardian.
Jang details numerous how numerous important events, beginning with Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation, have been linked to the number 9 (an auspicious number in east Asia). These include:
<ul>
<li>Founder Kim Il-sung declared the birth date of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to be September 9.</li>
<li>Kim's personal bodyguard corps, the Supreme Guard Command, was named Unit 963 (double nine is an especially lucky combination).</li>
<li>Kim Jong-il repeatedly stressed the fact that his birthday fell on 16 February (1+6+2=9), and he was appointed to the highest <keyword id="6359526" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Military">military</keyword> post on December 24 (2+4+1+2=9).</li>
<li>Kim Jong-un made his first public role as general of the Korean People's Army on September 27, 2010 (the 9th month and 2+7=9 equals double nine).</li>
<li>The produce used to feed the Kims comes from No. 9 farms and No. 9 work details, and the meals are called "No. 9 products."</li>
</ul>
<div class="image-container" style="width:630px"><div class="image"></div>REUTERS/Handout</div> And the links extend to military actions. More from Jang:
The country's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/oct/09/northkorea" title="">first nuclear test</a> took place on 9 October 2006. The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/05/north-korea-rocket-launch" title="">second long-range rocket launch</a> was on 5 April 2009 (5+4=9 and nine of 2009, double nine). The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/12/north-korea-launches-rocket" title="">next one was successfully launched</a> on 12 December 2012 (1+2+1+2+1+2=9). There was a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/12/north-korea-nuclear-test-earthquake" title="">nuclear test on 12 February (20)13</a> (1+2+2+1+3=9). A recent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/05/north-korea-video-us-city-flames" title="">North Korean propaganda video released on YouTube</a>, in which the east coast of the US is consumed in a "sea of fire", features a rocket labeled No 9. 
So since 4 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 3 = 9, Jang writes that Wednesday is a day to watch out for. Especially because the North's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-declares-war-on-south-2013-3">warmongering</a> has been building up for about six weeks now and Kim jong-un is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expect-a-tactical-strike-from-north-korea-2013-4#ixzz2PaanDsRu">running out of options</a>.
One final thought from Jang (who gives <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/05/north-korea-nine-magic-number">way more examples</a>):
"When North Korea makes international news with an impending rocket launch or nuclear test, outside analysts often cite recent birthdays of the Kims, or other state anniversaries, as influencing the choice of date. But a closer look suggests it has more to do with the number nine."
Other dates to keep in mind are April 15 — the birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung — and April 25 — the founding date of the Korean People's Army.
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/latest-north-korea-war-talk-2013-4#ixzz2PcAsHmhh">North Korea Tells Embassies In Pyongyang To Consider Evacuating</a>
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-koreas-plan-to-create-fear-2013-4#ixzz2PcBAeRL5">North Korea Poised To Enter Stage Three Of A Plan To Create Fear Of Nuclear War</a>
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-image-shows-one-possible-reason-why-china-is-amassing-on-north-korean-borders-2013-4#ixzz2PaaMxSRP">North Korea's Nuclear Talk Is Making China Very Nervous</a>
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/images-show-what-its-like-living-on-the-lip-of-war-in-korea-2013-3?op=1#ixzz2PbV5myVo">These Images Show Intimate Look At Life At The Korean Demilitarized Zone</a>
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://facebook.com/bidefense">The BI Defense Facebook Page</a>

North Korean Deadline For Embassies And The South's Workers Aligns With DPRK's 'Magic Number'

Annastasia KamwithiAnnastasia Kamwithi.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ghostwriting involves crafting written content for someone else and giving that person most, if not all, of the byline credit as the author of the piece. It's a great option if you want to be your own boss or become a freelancer.</li><li>Annastasia Kamwithi did just this, leaving her banking job that paid $50,000 a year to now make around $80,000 a year.</li><li>Her advice for breaking into the industry is to practice writing - a lot - leverage job boards for opportunities, and partner with other ghostwriters to take on bigger, higher-paying gigs.</li><li>She also suggested making time to pen your own content to give yourself a boost when you're normally not getting any byline credit.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>Like the name of the profession itself, the business of ghostwriting has an air of mystery about it. Ghostwriting, in case you didn't know, generally involves crafting written content for someone else and giving that person all (or at least most) of the byline credit as the author of the piece. You might write up anything from speech scripts to blog posts to entire books. A wide variety of individuals and companies hire ghostwriters to pen pieces for them, including CEOs and high-level executives, public speakers, and celebrities. Even well-known authors - who lack the bandwidth to generate enough content to keep a constant stream of thought leadership flowing online - have been known to tap ghostwriters for assistance.If you want to become a ghostwriter, though, it can be challenging to find definitive information about how to break into the industry, find clients, and price your work. So Business Insider interviewed Annastasia Kamwithi, who increased her income from ghostwriting in just three years from $10,000 a year to around $80,000 a year, for her best advice.<h1>A layoff leads to an opportunity to ghostwrite</h1>Kamwithi discovered ghostwriting three years ago, after she lost her job as a banker with Co-operative Bank Limited in December of 2015. She had been making $50,000 a year and needed to replace the lost income quickly. The lucky break came when a friend asked her to help him write an article for a local paper, under the condition that she would not receive any byline credit. Over time, her friend provided referrals that began to multiply, and her client list started to build. As a CPA with a degree in banking and finance, Kamwithi hadn't previously pursued writing professionally. But she did possess a bent for working with words. She brushed up on this talent by hiring a professional writing trainer for three months, who showed her the ropes to start ghostwriting."Word got round, and that is how I launched my ghostwriting career," she said. "Apparently, everyone was looking for someone to write for them while they concentrated on other things." Today, Kamwithi tackles a wide range of projects, which include ghostwriting ebooks (for writers who then sell them on Amazon) and tech-related articles, as well as acting as the senior editor at <a href="https://www.socialfish.org">Social Fish</a>, a financial website for millennials. At Social Fish, Kamwithi does everything from providing ghostwritten content for the financial pieces to editing pieces from other writers."Work is in plenty," confirmed Kamwithi. "I am happy with what I am doing currently and wouldn't change it for anything." <h1>Read and write constantly and have a passion for copyediting</h1>"The first step toward being good at ghostwriting is to have a passion for grammar," she said. "If you are the kind of person who always notices grammatical mistakes and it makes you mad, then you could make a great ghostwriter. You must also be an avid reader, be a hard worker, and always [be] ready and willing to do a great job."She added that the more you ghostwrite, the better you'll get at it - it's as simple as that.She also highlighted the importance of being "great at research" to know where to find the information needed by the client, and the ability to flexibly craft content that creates the client's desired voice as you write.<h1>Leverage job boards and carefully craft your writing samples</h1>When Kamwithi initially launched her business, she found a steady pipeline of new clients through a combination of referrals and leads obtained via <a href="https://www.iwriter.com">iWriter</a>, <a href="https://www.upwork.com">Upwork</a>, <a href="https://www.freelancer.com">Freelancer.com</a>, and other online job sites. She still uses these methods today and has secured 76 writing jobs to date on Upwork alone. Though she advertises expertise for other types of copywriting projects as well, most of her projects have been ghostwriting gigs. "When you work [with] a company such as Upwork, you must be ready and willing to be as diverse as possible so you can make more money. On these websites, they have many jobs advertised, and what we do is bid for them," she explained. "You have to be extremely creative when writing a proposal or a bid and ensure to give the client as much information as possible in order to convince them to hire you."While bidding for jobs online often comes down to who offers the lowest rate, many clients prioritize quality level and prior experience, particularly when they're coming in through referrals. As a new ghostwriter, Kamwithi faced two challenges common to the profession: She hadn't yet developed a portfolio of writing samples, and even once she started to complete ghostwriting projects they weren't under her name, so she couldn't prove she wrote them.One way around this, she explained, is to create an original ghostwriting sample for clients. "[Prospective clients] will often request you to do a sample job as part of the interview process, and once you submit the sample, they are able to gauge your writing style," she explained.If you decide to share a writing sample from another ghostwriting client with a prospect, be sure to request permission in advance to protect your client's confidentiality.Another idea is to share a published sample of your own bylined work."I remember when I started out I had written one personal article on entrepreneurship tips," said Kamwithi. "I had used this when I was training and just starting out, but turns out it was a great piece that got me hired by a few good clients who created for me an opportunity to launch my career as a ghostwriter."Even if you don't have samples to share, Kamwithi advised pitching your writing talents anyway. "There are clients who are more than willing to hire newbies," she said. "They will pay you very little for the work you do for them, but at least they give you a chance."<h1>Increase your fees as you progress and partner with other ghostwriters for bigger projects</h1>Setting fees for ghostwriting projects is notoriously ambiguous, since there is no definitive rate for these services. Costs can vary widely depending on the scope of the work, the experience level of the ghostwriter, and what clients are willing to pay.<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Market-2019-Trusted-Published/dp/1440354359">Writer's Market</a>, which publishes an annual resource for writers, states that ghostwriting for no credit averages $73 per hour, but can go as high as $125 per hour. The average per-word rate is $1.79 per word, or $206 per page, but experienced ghostwriters may charge as much as $3 per word, or $500 per page.However, when you use online job sites like Upwork to find clients, Kamwithi shared that the rates are often much lower than this. While her hourly rate published on the site is $25 per hour, she explained that clients often want to pay by the word."Most [freelance ghostwriters on online job sites] will accept $10 for around 1,000 words of content, but with my expertise and experience I go as high as $100 for 1,000 words," she explained. She added that while she sometimes cuts first-time clients a discount, she increases their fees over time to reflect the quality of her work. Because $100 for 1,000 words of content is low by industry standards, Kamwithi often subcontracts with other ghostwriters to be able to claim larger, higher-paying projects and then shares the earnings with her assembled hires."The key to ghostwriting is to get as many clients as possible and ensure that you have some other writers helping you so you can make as much as possible," she said. As an example, Kamwithi explained that she once had a client who required more than 100 product review articles written per week, yet the job was lucrative at around $4,500. "This was too much work for one person, and as such, I would find people to help me write them," she said.Kamwithi, who's based in Kenya, finds potential partners by posting her available jobs on a Facebook group called "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/writersafrica/">Remarkable Freelance Writers in Africa</a>," which currently has over 25,000 members.She also works with clients globally to spread her reach. Her client Social Fish is based in China, and she has other clients scattered worldwide.<h1>Be patient when it comes to building a steady income</h1>In Kamwithi's first year as a ghostwriter, she made less than $10,000 - a wage that she couldn't live off of as a single mom - so she temporarily had to move back in with her parents. Despite this less-than-auspicious start to her new vocation, she wasn't discouraged. "A beginner will obviously make very little, but with time they should expect this figure to go way up if they are persistent, committed, and willing to learn the tricks of the trade," she said.In Kamwithi's case, making more money has involved putting in significant hours. The ghostwriter averages around 15 hours a day on writing projects.Just two years after starting her business, Kamwithi ramped up her earnings considerably, and she's on track to make about $80,000 in 2019. Juggling over 10 clients or so a month nets her around $4,500 per month on average. While her monthly pay at Social Fish varies based on which projects she is assigned, this gig can add around another $5,500 per month to her income. On a good month, she can make close to $10,000. "This is not the best, of course; there are ghostwriters who make even $200,000 a year," she said. Kamwithi's professional goal is to break into this upper echelon. She currently is focused on a three-part strategy to try to achieve this: working hard to get as many clients as possible, finding gigs where she can make more per article, and outsourcing more so that she can take on more high-paying projects. "Out of the total amount I make a month, I probably keep half of it; the rest I have to pay my writers," she said.She added that as is true for most types of freelancing and gig work, income can vary considerably from week to week, month to month, and year to year. "With ghostwriting, you do not really have a specific set amount that you can receive all the time, because it depends on the amount of work you have done," she said.<h1>Make time to pen your own content, too</h1>"The biggest challenge is knowing that you have written a great piece, an article that should clearly bear your name, but unfortunately nobody credits you for the work," Kamwithi said. "You find it on a website and there is no way to prove that it is yours." But Kamwithi recognizes and enjoys many perks of her job as an independent ghostwriter, which mirror the benefits of freelancing in general."The beauty of this job, as compared to working in the bank, is that I get to set my own hours," she said. "I have a little boy and I do get to stay home and take care of him, as compared to a full-time job where I would go to work in the morning and come back late in the night … nothing beats being your own boss and working on your own time."The income potential is what makes Kamwithi love her work the most. "When you think about it, the more you work in ghostwriting, the more money you make," she said.The ghostwriter also recently found a way to overcome feeling demoralized about author credit by penning her own ebooks. She is preparing to sell her first one - a 10,000-word ebook on how to deal with grief - on Amazon. She has also taken on some creative writing projects, such as selling articles on <a href="http://dotwriter.com/">dotwriter.com</a> for the first time (her initial stories are about home improvements). Of course, any hours that she spends on her own bylined pieces do cut into the time she has to build her ghostwriting business."Time is a problem, you really have to squeeze such things in," Kamwithi said. "But if you want something hard enough, you make time." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-jay-z-and-diddy-made-millions-off-of-cheap-alcohol-zack-omalley-greenburg-2018-3">How Jay-Z and Diddy used their fame to make millions off of 'cheap grapes'</a></h3>

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