Working For A Living

I've decided to limit my online activities and stick with my
fellow small business owners locally. Since I owned a small
business before venturing (and losing) online, this seems to be
where this solo entrepreneur is strongest.

Small business owners are a different breed from your
run-of-the-mill internet opportunity junkie. Most of them have
seen and heard what you are trying to sell them in one form or
another over the years.

Likely back in the day some entrepreneurial guy or gal told them
the hot new thing was e-mail systems, or voice mail, or
self-publishing, or Voip, or e-fax or free ads on late night
cable.

When it comes to the internet, you can bet your last
dollar they have heard about it in one form or another from their
neighbor, their spouse, their kids, their employees ad nauseum.

Yes, there will be some who are brain-dead stupid enough to pay
$5,000 or more for someone to build them a website. There may
even be a few who will think the Yellow Pages is deader than
Elvis - but not all.

The Yellow Pages isn't dead, it's online. And sales reps are
selling online marketing as a bundled service right along with
the regular tree-built version.

One little thing that's interesting about these 'Mom & Pop'
business owners: they are easy to piss off!

With running a business, watching their elected officials vote
for changes that steal their money before they can get it and
employees haul-assing out the back door with the
merchandise. They might not be happy to see you. As far as they
are concerned you are just somebody else with a hand in their
pocket.

Listen up: If you live in East Podunk County just down the
road a-piece from Hoot 'n' Holler junction making thousands
selling a website isn't going to happen. Nice to wish for but
don't bet paying your bills on it.

What does this have to do with you? Simply this:
If you have sold to a small business owner in your town prior to
this run of the bull, you might have something to offer
them because of that relationship.

But if you are chasing what you think is a quick easy sale
because "everybody" needs to be online - get ready to have your
head handed to you. Some of these folks can be really, brutally
blunt.

So what you know a little search engine optimization (or read a
book, watched a video or attended a webinar on it) and you have a
Get Response email list you built giving away a free ebook?

That and $1.25 will get you a large cup of coffee at McDonald's
and will mean diddly-squat to most local small business owners.

They want to know why if you're so good - You don't have
your own business listed on Google Places? I'm not joking here.
I've been in forums where the person that claims to be making
thousands a day doesn't have a website nor do they have their
own Google or Yahoo map.

They want to know why if you do what the yellow pages
can't - You show up with the same Power Point presentation
the last guy/gal had and spewing the same gibberish.

They want to know how you can grow their customer base -
But you don't ask questions about the kinds of customers they
currently have.

See a pattern here? I'm not telling you not to try and
help local business owners with their online efforts. Just
don't be an idiot. Start small by offering a simple service
they can get their minds around with little cash outlay.

Kyle Tully offers a simple system to help you get
started locally and build a relationship with small business
owners. Here's an example of the kind of small business owner
his system is designed for you to offer real help:

Joe the plumber has been in business 15 years in Ashland Ohio.
Recently he put an ad on Angie's List because one of his best
customers told him about it. Once in a while he gets a call from
someone who sees it.

How are you going to convince him you can get him a better
response from more qualified prospects? He's in a city of at
most 25,000 people. Sell him a website?!

Good luck with that. As far as he's concerned he knows
his customers by name from his invoices. And that's free to
boot! He also knows which ones refer him business with a good
likelihood of making some money.

Some of you are going to jump in blind, no matter if I recommend
something or not. Before you do and make an ass of yourself, take
a look at Kyle's Course.

It's not the fanciest, or most expensive service to offer out
there. But it is simple for a solo entrepreneur and opens doors
for you in your local business community.

Solo Dilemma: Mentor or Coach

With the "on again-off again" news you keep hearing about the
economy, you may be rethinking if starting your business was a
good idea.

Before you throw your hard work away and consider how to explain
the gap on your resume, consider getting a mentor or hiring a
coach. It just might be what you and your business need to keep
going.

When I lived in Nevada, I lucked up on a coach to business
executives. At the time, I was neither a business exec nor had
any clue what to do except quit being an accountant. (I'm too
short to be a showgirl and inept as a blackjack dealer.)

His advice then is the same as it is for me now, ask the hard
questions and take action on the answers. Before you get
'caught up' in the knee-jerk reaction to unemployment that many
of you may be feeling right now, especially if the income isn't
flowing - figure out where you may be stuck.

If sales aren't coming in or the business isn't what you
envisioned it to be by now, it's time to get an objective and
knowledgeable mentor or coach on your side.

Ideally, you want a mentor who currently or has been a
solo entrepreneur and can relate to the same path of doing
everything alone. Someone who understands the fear you may be
feeling about slow or no sales and can take an objective view of
your business to help you move forward.

The primary question you need to answer before you get a
mentor is: Where am I trying to go? Please don't be an
idiot. "No one is going to tell you what business you
should start or how to make a million dollars without any work on
your part".

Some of you may do better with a coach, who will draw out your
original vision of your business and can help you clear your
thinking about how you are operating.

What's the difference? A mentor can help you avoid or
diffuse the landmines in your business and locate those resources
you need. A coach monitors your progress and suggests course
corrections.

Whichever you choose to work with honest communication is
critical. Both will check in with you from time to time, but
more importantly you should check in with them.

Finding a mentor or coach you can work with comes down to first
knowing yourself. It may sound artsy-fartsy, but if you think
you're social and are not then working with anyone who pushes
"going social" on you defeats the purpose.

How much bluntness can you handle? My coaching clients know they
can whine to family and friends, but with me it's "5 minutes,
once a quarter!". They don't pay my fee to join the Pity
Party. They come to me because I ask questions that may be
uncomfortable and that helps them move forward.

How much coddling do you need? Your mentor and coach need to know
that you may want a bit more handholding, depends where you are
in your business. Be honest about what you are going to need.

Is your problem technical or financial or something else? It
makes no sense and wastes your time if the mentor you choose is
an expert in affiliate marketing when you operate a detailing
shop.

Get the focused help you need in your business, whether that's
someone to find the landmines you are stepping on or someone to
keep you accountable to completing what you need to do in your
business.

Solo Traffic Observation: Blogs, Articles, Social Or Other?

As I begin to rearrange some of my scattered projects, I've made some
observations that many of you may be wondering about and some of you
already know:

Depending on the topic, blogs may work in some instances better than
other ways of getting targeted traffic.

This post came about due to an observation from my own traffic
testing numbers. As I only check them once a month, it was
interesting. In the past 30 days, here's what I see:

• Blog A
  = 3 months old: 1,043 visitors - health topic
  
  
• Static Site
  A = 5 months old: 98 visitors - information product
  
  
• Blog B
  = 6 weeks old: 104 visitors - food topic
  
  
• Static Site
  B = 4 months old: 30 visitors - business topic

Every bit of the traffic for these came from only two
things I do weekly: Ping and comment on blogs I find
interesting. I have a lot of interests, so I may not be
commenting on a blog that relates to my sites.

Do I always include one of my site links? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Then how does this help in search engine rankings or getting traffic?
Beats me. I don't gauge my sites profitability by traffic or page rank.

Here are a few steps I'm considering for my static sites:

• Static site A: Simple Information Reports
  Create a retail store type theme on the front end and subdomain the information products on static stand alone sales pages.
  
  
• Static site B: Wholesale Information
  Have someone convert the entire site to a blog using pages only, no posts or comments. This is an affiliate site built for a wholesale dropship merchant.
  

Many of you know how I like the idea of article marketing, and it
is a viable option for getting passive traffic for your business.
Over the next couple months, I'm testing article marketing
with a focus on conversions and not traffic.

Conversions for me = $$$$. The idea of writing tons of articles
to increase page rank or simply to get traffic but not have any
sales to show for it is plain dumb to me.

Here are a few steps I'm testing for my blog sites:

• Blog Site A: Natural Weight Loss
  Submit one article a day for 1 week on a targeted food related article directory or health related site.
  
• Blog Site B:Espresso Coffee Drinker
  Submit one article a day for 1 week on a targeted coffee or ask a targeted question on one of the "Q/A" sites - think YahooAnswers or Ask.com. (I'm new to espresso, so this helps me with content for the blog too.
  

Why would I test something everyone and their dog just know
is the best way to get massive traffic to your sites and make sales?

Because until I test and have my own numbers as proof, it's
guessing.

Solo Entrepreneurs - Effective vs Efficient

Normally I leave my rants out of things (yeah, this year!) but
while looking at the number of posts I've written here for
2009-this will make 159. Why it's strange...

For the first couple years, I pushed myself to post any and
everything I thought would help a solo entrepreneur, working at
home alone. Well, it took me the middle of year 3 to realize
this blog wasn't making any money and my readers soon got
distracted by the new flashy, shiney what-the-hell-is-it-for gadget.

So I decided going forward to only post when I felt like it,
instead of being the poster child for 'helping people who don't
want help'...in other words I stopped posting for a while.

Yeah, I did what the 'pro' bloggers said:
Post every day or at least 3 times a week.
Give good information in your content.
Don't be a whore for links or comments.

By following that advice I got a blog out here in cyber space
with 2 readers and a lonely damned cricket.

I think to be effective with your blog, the first thing you need
to decide is how it helps you make an income and then figure out
where that income will come from...does that make sense?

Having a Wordpress or Blogger or Typepad or any other platform
you like to use for blogging is one thing. They, like Twitter, are
useful tools to get something going online.

But what separates them from having a static website that makes
you a couple bucks with Adsense if you don't monetize it?

It doesn't matter how good your content, how pretty or
entertaining your video nor fun it is to post on your blog, none
of it has anything to do with making you money.

You can have thousands of people hanging on your every word, but without a way to make money from your work, you're a sucker who knows how to write.

Harsh? I'm beginning to think not. Claude Diamond told me this
years ago and it has proven true: If you're giving all your
information away for free, when someone would gladly pay you for
it - then you're a sucker. Ouch!

Where is this blog going? Who the hell knows at this point.
Yes, I'll like continue to share tools and tips I find that
might help some of you.

But...and this is to cover my ass with the FTC, FBI and anybody
else with a 3-letter moniker: I will be including affiliate links
from time to time and if you buy something, I'll get a few
bucks.

Since I don't want your email address, don't put it in a
comment because whoever else gets it has nothing to do with me.

What have I missed...
Covered making money finally with this blog - Check!
Covered your email privacy - Check!

That about covers my turn around to being effective instead of
efficient, don't you think.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen.~ Anon

Solo Entrepreneurs: If You Are NOT This Passionate -QUIT!

Don't panic, my coffee supply didn't run out, but I watched this
and decided you needed to see it too.

Many of you are worse than a crackhead - you're picking up anything
to make money online and even though your brain is telling you it's a
scam or downright unprofitable, you're still spending stupid money
chasing the illusive...Millions In A Minute Program.

Watch the video, I need more coffee!

Focused, Concentrated Action & Gabor Olah

This is definitely out of character for me to post this often,
don't get used to it because I'm in the middle of 2 projects
and will likely not post again until they are completed.

With that said, I wanted received this in my email from Gabor
Olah, PLR Wholesaler and for some of you still chasing your tail,
you might get some value out of this.

Instead of my constant ranting about it here's the entire
email, and remember - take what you can use, leave the rest.

Gabor Olah,
PLR Wholesaler

By now you're probably tired of 'learning' about
Internet marketing an would actually like to make
some money...

Am I right?

I don't blame you.

When I see 1000 different people selling AdWords, eBay,
AdSense, SEO and BLOG information I get this overwhelmed
feeling.

Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in information and
instead of actually making money - I'm too busy trying
to keep up with all the latest marketing fads...

The good news is you don't need to know all the newest fads...

You really don't... Internet marketing is no more
complicated than offline marketing.

You need 3 simple components:

1) A good product
2) A good offer
3) A good list

But the simplicity of actually making money is complicated
by one thing: FOCUS

From my discussions with hundreds of entrepreneurs it
appears they do not know how to make decisions about
marketing and business in general.

They have no framework for making important decisions - how
to weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and the ability
to make decisions quickly.

Most people wait to make a decision until they have all the
information available... and they postpone important
decisions because they do not have all the facts.

Well, guess what?

You'll NEVER have all the facts.

The ability to make decisions quickly even when you do not
have all the available facts is the hallmark of a true
entrepreneur... and it's a skill you need to develop, if
you want to succeed.

You have to make the best decision possible, and make it
quickly, even if you do not have all the facts, if you want
to be successful.

Then take ACTION.

Test and studies have shown that even wrong decisions, if
acted upon, can make you successful, if you use a 'course
correction' strategy.

Course correction strategy is simply the ability to be
flexible after a decision is made and acted upon, but
appears to be off target, so that you can get back on track
by learning what went wrong so you can correct your course
of action as you move your business forward.

Making a decision, then taking action is more important to
your success than doing nothing because you're waiting
for all the facts.

Even if you're wrong, the process of decision making and
taking action is critical to your overall success.

It's more important to DECIDE and ACT, then correct your
actions as you go rather than postpone a decision and never
act.

Did you see that? Did you hear what I said?

It is critical to your success and I wish you success always.

Sincerely,
-Gabor

That's it for this week and I leave you with this -

Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the
evening, and sleep at night~ William Blake

Everybody Is Star Potential

Not about business and you may have already seen it, but take this
to heart: It doesn't matter where you are from, how much money you
think you need or even how low your self esteem may be - You Are
A Winner & Success.

Susan Boyle - Thank You!

Solo Minute: Nick's Law Says: Get Up!

I've just been reading about how creating 'compelling' titles
for your blog will bring in more visitors, backlinks, pizza,
wine, money, blah, blah blah.

Of course you already know, I write these tips and tidbits to make you
think - the last thing you need is for me to start being some internet
geek.

This next bit comes from a post I made on that Wordpress blog (yeah,
that one!) for those holding back starting their own business because
of the economy. You can read it to help bolster your courage, or skip
it and just watch the video at the bottom - I'm learning to be
flexible.

Let's get to it -
Just when you think you have things figured out, Murphy pays a visit.

Hosting account? Check
Wordpress Theme? Check
Autoresponder? Check

Edited theme? No one told me that! Check
FTP program working? Uh, where is that registration
code!?! Check
View new blog? Aaack! It's not working!

Welcome to Murphy's! It doesn't matter how well you plan to get your
business moving forward or what skill set you have, unless you created
the universe, and I'm reasonably certain you didn't
there will be Murphy!

Murphy's Law loosely says:
"If it can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible time, in
the worse possible way and take 3 times as long to correct!"

So should you become a solo entrepreneur in your own micro business?
Only you can answer that but I let me assure you - There are no guarantees.

The best you can do is expect the unexpected.

Things you plan to go right, may not. Plan as best you can, but get over the fear of going on your own.

And yes, you might get into the wrong business or no one may want what you're selling or any number of 'trials and tribulations' may befall you as a Solo Entrepreneur.

Ohh, poor you! You're not making the millions your sponsor, that new
course, that e-book or infomercial guy promised and nobody understands how
hard it is...boohoo.

Here's a tissue, blow your nose and....Cowboy Up! In the final results, it's up to you whether you succeed or not - no one else. Responsibility for yourself comes back to you.

That's it for today and I leave you with this (it's a video, so watch it on the blog!) Nick is what we should all aspire to be - grateful for what we have and
the journey along the way.

Cowboy Up!

Local Marketing - Should you do it?

I'm always looking for new avenues to market my business, what solo entrepreneur do you know who doesn't? And lately looking around have found online marketers shouting the virtues of 'local search' directories.

Here's my problem with local search for part of your business: What if your local market isn't the market for your product or service? You may be a virtual assistant with clients in the global marketplace who understand outsourcing and use the tools needed for you to be effective at what you do.

How much time are you going to spend explaining to Joe Jones downtown that you have no intentions of working in his office nor that you want him 'dropping in' on you? What I'm finding locally is that since I'm 'right around the corner', many times the prospective client wants to have some 'face time'. Excuse me?! I don't think so!

I've decided to work virtual because I also like to travel. For serious Road Warrior entrepreneurs, 'local' is where they can get an internet connection, which likely will not be the same location next week.

Can local marketing work? Sure for those of you who provide services or products to a specific local market, have developed a network that recognizes you locally and there is a known market for what you sell. It's affordable, good source for direct you-to-customer contact and belly-to-belly selling.

There are those of us who do not fit that mold and that's something you need to consider before you jump on the 'Go Local' bandwagon.

HOT UPDATE: Those of you still sitting on the fence about getting a SBI site, the deadline for the $100 off special Valentine's sale is coming to a close today! So if saving money is high on your list, now is the time to get your site up before the offer ends.

SBI! removes the technical barriers allowing you to keep your attention on building your business. Many functions are completely automated. You don't need to know anything upfront about building a Web site in order to succeed. The tedious, "under-the-hood" stuff is handled automatically so you can focus on other important business-building activities.

Fear of Failing & Four W's of Consulting

1. Liked the Fight Club movie. How much of it 'hit you' about
operating your business? Whether the movie was exciting, funny
(my opinion, except for the pathetic guy who was always scared)
and made a point that I've tacked up on my white board: Go all
out! Playing it safe isn't going to get you anywhere and you
might still end up with your nose bloody.

Here's someone else that took something away from the movie
that might help you when it seems you've pulled a real
bone-head mistake in your business: Enjoy


2. Four W's of Business Coaching Consultants
Have you ever encountered a sales person you'd like to just put
Super Glue on their mouth? This is the guy or gal who instead
of listening to your question, jumps in with what they 'think'
you might say?

Would you go to a doctor who doesn't want to touch a patient,
but peers from the waiting room doorway while diagnosing each
person sitting there?!

Sound silly reading it but many of you are doing this in your
business, and the worse offenders are business consultants and
coaches.

It doesn't matter who your prospective client may be, if you are
not asking "what and why" questions to determine their
particular pain points, you are no better than our good 'Doorway
Doctor'.

Pining down what they are having a problem with is easy, but it
may not be the cause of the problem which is where your
expertise lies - solving the right problem and not taking
anything at face value.

Your client isn't stupid, they know they have a problem or they
would not have contacted you. Where most consultants and
coaches "misdiagnose" is taking what the client thinks is the
problem.

Asking 'why' puts your client on the same side in resolving the
problem with you. For example, a client comes to you and says
"My sales are way down from last quarter and that's my
problem". Is it really?

The normal step is to ask what has happened since last quarter?
This is also where many consultants and coaches stop. You may
hear competition, people aren't buying, and so forth. But is
that the real reason?

Unless you look beyond the obvious and ask 'Why aren't sales
increasing?', you can miss the change in suppliers, failure to correct
a product flaw or any number of other reasons.

You are the business coach consultant and don't have the luxury
of taking your clients assumptions at face value.

What you want are facts you can work with in suggesting possible
solutions. The best way to do this is ask for supporting proof,
especially if your client base is other businesses.

Old school journalists were found of talking about the 4 W's and
they are transferable to most business problems:
1. Who. Who are the principles, those with the most information
about the problem. How do you know?

2. What. What are the top three ways this problem is impacting the
client. Where's your proof?

3. When. When was the effect of this problem validated? Don't
show surprise when your client can't tell you!

4. Why. Why is it critical to solve this problem now? Dumb, not if
your client has decided to expand operations, accept larger
clients and there is a deadline to meet.

With this information in hand, you are in a better position to
know which solutions to recommend.

If you submit proposals after making a bid for client work, you
also are in a stronger position to know what price to bid or if
it will require adding staff to implement the solutions.

It's important to consider all opinions your client and their
people may offer, but eventually you'll need verifiable facts
in order to summarize your proposed solution.

Consider using some form of these four questions as your
'secret recipe' to pre-qualify and win more consulting and
coaching clients.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

This is your life and it's ending one minute at a
time.”~Narrator, Fight Club

Leave a comment!

Unique Selling Points.. Got Yours?

This week I spent most of my time looking for new outlets whether
they be magazines or search engines that reach my target market,
and ran right into something I've been dancing around for some
time that's finally being tested - my own unique selling point.

What is a unique selling point or positioning statement?
From what I understand about a unique selling point, it's what
customers can clearly understand that separates your business
from the rest and is actually what they are buying.

What gets me ticked off about marketing online is every wannabe
marketer (clueless about their own marketing message) attempting
to tell the rest of us they have the 'secret sauce' to our
marketing problems.

Hey, Scooter let me give you a tip, for free: Unless you've
bought my product or used my service, your opinion has no value!

Customers who pulled out a credit card and actually bought what
you are selling are the ones you want to get an opinion from.
Not some Bucket Head you don't know from a can of paint trying
to convince you business is going to dry up and die just because
you didn't buy their 'secret sauce'.

One recent article I was reading stated this way of finding your
unique selling proposition: Move beyond the basics common to all
suppliers in the industry, and look at the criteria customers use
to decide which product or service to buy.

Just because it's common to the industry, doesn't mean your
customer know about it. Did you know most all coffee is grown
in mountain regions? Sure, those in the coffee industry know it
but no one thought of using it to market their coffee - Folgers
used that industry knowledge and it still stands today!

Jay Abraham has this to say about having a unique selling point
in your business:

"If you decide your USP is that your company offers the broadest
selection of products or services "instantly available" or
"always in stock," but in reality you only stock six out of 25
items and only a few of each item, then you're falling down on
the essence of your USP promise, and your marketing will probably
fail. It is critical to always fulfill the "big promise" of
your USP."

Here are the questions I try to answer about my own business under
Just The Facts:

What is the product made of (paper, water, ink, electrons, etc.)

Where did the product or service come from (UK, India, what's the history
behind it)

What does it do for the customer (knowledge, confidence, health, nothing)

What does it not do for the customer (opposite of what it does do)

How does it do this (makes noise, automated, rings a bell,)

Once you have Facts start at the top of your list and work
on Features. I find overlaps when comparing my Facts
with Features. What I do is put a check mark on the overlaps
because they are likely the very ones others in my market are
focusing on.

Finally, I turn the questions around based on those facts.
Here's how this works:

Would I pay $500 for this (paper, water, ink, electrons, etc.)?
Don't add anything more. 'Yeah, if it would save my life'
is not part of the question!

Would I pay $500 because this came from (UK, India, used to be made from cow spit?)

Would I pay $500 to have (knowledge, confidence, health, nothing)

Would I pay $500 if it doesn't give me (knowledge, confidence, health, nothing)

Would I pay $500 because it does (increase mobility, limits fats, rings a bell)

Now you are beginning to look at what you offer that has real benefits
from your customers perspective and how to get that across in your marketing.

Before you go, understand this: your unique selling point may
come from your Fact list or your Benefits list. It is the
"selling point" that has to be "unique" not necessarily your
product or service.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Do what you do so well that they will want to see
it again and bring their friends.~ Walt Disney

Selling More With Less Stress Wanted - NOW!

Another week and Life Is Good!

Hey Gang,
I've been hardly working this week. It seemed it was always one damned thing or the other, so I picked the one damn thing to do and did that!

Ready to get going? Let's get to it -
Do you know how your customers buy from you? We've all heard 'customers buy from emotion, then justify it with logic'. My way of thinking is 'I want it. Here's the money." Problem solved and want satisfied. But I'm an only child....what do I know?!

So to keep my inner child in check, I read the articles at Psychotactics because selling more with less stress is high on my want list!

Next is an audio by Stephen Pierce that made me think...yeah, I do that sometimes! (Matt Rhodes will have to forgive me this slip).

The audio goes to the heart of working for yourself as a solo entrepreneur. Before you go there, it is a bit long and I believe it's worth listening to when "one of those days" come around. You know, the ones where you ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Give a listen and as always...take what you can use and leave the rest.

Finally, this comes from the Reach Group. A Seattle based boutique consultant group that gets it right about this growing Solo Entrepreneur Revolution. Ok, so they like the words: Free Agent ........it still means US!

This comes direct from the Reach Group blog page - Free Agents are:
* Freedom-loving, purpose-filled business builder who takes great pleasure in creating a career for themselves that fits their dreams, rhythms and passions.

* People who have unchained their daily work from a larger corporate structure and build their businesses and lives around their own passion, strengths, visions and opportunities.

* Entrepreneurs who use the new rules of the marketplace to build a business that feeds their passions, fits their strengths and infuses their days with joy and satisfaction.

Sound like anyone you know?!

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

We cannot be normal and alive at the same time.~E.M. Cioran

Leave a comment! Keep It Clean!

You Can't Please Everybody - Get Over It!

A bit late this week, but here I am:)

Don't know if I've mentioned him before, but Patric Chan is one of the few
new marketers who I do respect for how he operates his internet ventures.

He's also not beyond having a rant or two of his own at His Blog. Here's a snip from it, but I want you to click on over and read it from Patric.
Yes, It's that good!

The point is, when you have become so successful,
you're going to have people who like you and people who hate you for
whatever reason regardless of whether they're correct or not.
It's a fact, live with it.

The title should give you an idea what the post is about, Pissing Off Others. I'm
working on a report for new internet business startups about niche marketing, and
it covers the same thing.

You are not everyone's darling. If you are needy and co-dependent, then operating
a business is the surest way to send you into a mental health institution. People are
not going to be your free therapist or keep patting you on the head when you do
whatever you think they want you to.

It's up to you to do only 2 things, and it doesn't matter where you operate your
business or what you sell: Legally and ethically operate your business as if you are
selling to your closest friend.


HEADS UP! In a couple days, I'm going to begin deleting the archives for this blog. The reason is making the switch to "New" Blogger and since I've been posting since 2005, there is a possibility they would get deleted (uhm, I'm the person that screwed up WordPress, remember).

Those you see with comments will remain, because you may have a link to your site. I respect that and will leave those posts, but all others will be deleted within the week.

Finally, there is an email from Jim Rohn that I meant
to post last week. I think it will be worth reading for some of you because you're getting distracted by things that are really outside your personal control.

Gas prices? Outside your control. Taxes? Don't go there. Death? Getting the point. Hope this helps you stay focused on what matters.

"Doing the Remarkable"

When it comes to meeting and conquering the negativity in
your life, here is a key question: what can you do,
starting today, that will make a difference? What can you
do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything
has gone wrong? What can you do when you've run out of
money, when you don't feel well and it's all gone sour?
What can you do?

Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the
most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can
do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most
impossible or disastrous circumstances.

Here is why humans can do remarkable things: because they
are remarkable. Humans are different than any other
creation. When a dog starts with weeds, he winds up with
weeds. And the reason is because he's a dog. But that's not
true with human beings. Humans can turn weeds into gardens.

Humans can turn nothing into something, pennies into
fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason they can
do such remarkable things is because they are remarkable.
Try reaching down inside of yourself; you'll come up with
some more of those remarkable human gifts. They're there,
waiting to be discovered and employed.

With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself
that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that
because you can change. If you don't like how something is
going for you, change it. If something isn't enough, change
it. If something doesn't suit you; change it. If something
doesn't please you, change it. You don't ever have to be
the same after today. If you don't like your present
address, change it — you're not a tree!

If there is one thing to get excited about, it's your
ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a
desired result, to turn the negative into success. That's
true excitement.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength
to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." ~Christopher Reeve

Leave a comment! Keep It Clean!

Solo Entrepreneur - Pricing Strategy

Here's a very good post on pricing with meat in it for any
solo
entrepreneur, whether you are just starting out or
have been around the block a few times.

Sure, we all want to make more money in our business or we'd still
be whining about having a job. But because pricing is what will
separate you from the pack or leave you sucking eggs before you
get started, it's one of those details that we all have struggled to
get right.

Pricing isn't an exact science by any means but looking around on
most websites, you'd think it's called Follow The Fool
instead of testing your price for profits with real paying customers!

Although related to pricing a Virtual Assistant service, Erin makes a good
point: If you want to charge premium prices, you'd better be willing and
able to deliver the goods. Check it out here: TheVACoach

Lighten up and laugh once in a while. I'm often overly serious about
juggling my multi-roles as a solo entrepreneur.

It comes from being a cube-widget in the past. But, now and
then there comes a time when it's just as important to be silly. I ran across
this blog where you can buy and read cartoons. The cartoonist, Mark Anderson
creates office humor that is both tasteful and funny.

Some of the humor may be too subtle for some folks,
especially if Dilbert is the only office humor you read.

You can also hire Mark to do custom cartoons for your sites, promotions or
whatever you can think of. If nothing else, go visit once a week to get a
chuckle out of the weirdness called Doing Business.
Andertoons

I'm always on the lookout for Solo Entrepreneurs who are doing
their own thing as a business with no apologies. Kinda
makes a tear come to my eye, I'm so proud of them!

Ok, sentimentality is over.

Catching up with Metacool, there's a post about strategy that makes a lot of sense.
We can all relate to wasting time with marketing strategy, business strategy,
traffic strategy, this strategy and that strategy but what we aren't doing is taking any actions to get anything done!

We can spend days, or weeks even working on various strategies and never
really do anything. The post is short (not like mine!) and I think it may help some of
you get Unstuck. Metacool

Finally I'm going to share with you some of the tools and resources used
around here. Before you ask, NO! There are no guarantees - this is real life
here, not a fairy tale. For the smart people reading this....

Do they always work? Nah, at least not the way I think they should.

Will they help you make more money as a Solo Entrepreneur? Beats me!

Will they help you get things done? Yeah, if you use them.

You may already use them, but for some of you these will be new.
Either way, as always....take what works for you and leave the rest!

Here's my short list:

Google Notebook
I use it because I'm always reading other people's blogs and want to refresh
my memory when it comes time to follow up or use something mentioned there.

Picnik
Maybe Photoshop is easy for you, but for me it's too much like having a toothache.
Gimp gave me a headache and has a very steep learning curve if you're operating
a business. I had to find something that was easier! Hello Picknik!
Picnik allows you to take your photos and edit them with powerful tools that
you can tweak until you like what turns out. You can upgrade for $24.95 A
YEAR! but the free tools work just fine for most of what I needed.

Yugma
Haven't used this service but what's on offer looks interesting, especially for
those of you doing any kind of teleconferencing or telecommuting. The free service
offers web conferencing, online training, netmeetings and working with 20 people at a time. Monthly rates start at only $19.95.

MyLiveSignature
This one is slick and I'll definitely use on forums, blogs and email promotions.
Yes, I could use the fonts in my Word or Open Office program but this was
too good to pass up. Yes, for now it's free and offers special services for a fee.
If you have been less than pleased with the signature fonts or software you
have been using for your signature online, then check this service to see
what's on offer.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist
expects it to change and the REALIST adjusts his sails."~ Anonymous

Target Your Email Marketing - Relevance Matters Most!

I receive a lot of email and I'm sure you do too. Today I have a serious rant:
Why won't those using email marketing just get to the point in the Subject Line?!
For example: 'Open now before it's too late!'
Sorry Bud, it's already too late for you. Unsubscribe!

Then there are the ones that start with something that's supposed to make you curious:
"Wordpress Blogs Hacked!" Ok, I don't give a rip but how are they being hacked so I can protect my non-Wordpress blog? I open the message, got to be something good in there, right? Not likely!

Here's the actual Message:

There are laods (sucker can't spell either) of WordPress plugins but
you don't have to worry because you can have my new widget that cost me $1,000,000 today for the measly price of $27. But you must get it today!"

What?! That little bit of crap could have been put in the subject line and at least I wouldn't have wasted my time reading your stupid email!

Increasing Your Email Marketing Positive Response Rate
isn't rocket science! It means making your emails relevant and for your long
time subscribers, something with good information they can use. Getting a
positive response and the desired action of taking a look at what you
are promoting starts with.... Not Pissing Them Off!

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh making that statement.
Maybe your subscribers consider themselves "Dummies" or "Stupid". Maybe having
the Rich Jerks talking down to them is awe inspiring. I don't know, maybe this is
what your subscribers respond to best.

But when your subscribers do not laugh when being insulted, they get offended when
you insult their intelligence, they are not looking to be 'amused' by your cleverness
nor consider themselves losers..............

Your spam complaints will go through the roof, you don't really have a trustworthy business and no self-respecting hacker would spit on you - You Are A Schmuck!

Solo Entrepreneur Tip: Treat your email marketing the same as you would your best paying customers. People are busy, trying to get something done and the faster they can get an answer - the better.

I'm not saying don't share a great resource you found or the joy of your new baby. Just keep it in perspective and consider your readers time. (Yeah, so sue me! I write a lot.)

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Our greatest asset is the customer! Treat each customer as if they are the only one!~Laurice Leitao

Copywriting Excellence - Clayton Makepeace

Yeah, this post is early but I had to share this with you. Copy writing is a
learned skill, and one you will get better doing the more you do it.

Most of you running a business know it's not 'what you say' but 'how
you say it' that gets customers and clients to take action.

I'm still learning this, probably why there are no comments on my
blog posts.

Anyway,I've been a long time reader of Clayton
Makepeace's work because he's an excellent
copywriter and I can use the lessons!

On his blog this past couple days, he has over 60 comments to
one post he made with a tile of 'Lincoln Was Wrong'.

Don't make any snap judgments until you read the post, it's
why learning to write sales copy from 'old school' direct
marketers is how to make your sales really grow.

It got heated - down and dirty in a hurry!
My piddly rants here are nothing compared to
where he went with this post.

And here's what I want you to get
from his post: What did tactic did he use to
get 64 people to post comments on his blog?

This is the kind of copy writing you want to do for your
business and I'm still learning to do.

Go here and read the entire page:
Lincoln Was Wrong

As always, take what you can use and leave the rest.

Here's to good reading!

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just
keep putting off doing it.~Olin Miller

Get Real and Get On With It

Hey Folks,
I've been thinking about what it takes to be a solo entrepreneur lately. You who have already taken steps, even a baby one, know there is always something you thought you knew that you don't. Same for me. Just when I get all 'Happy Dance' over something, damn if something else doesn't come up to give me a reality check.

The post I was going to make for today can wait, because I want to share something I wrote to someone from one of the forums I'm with. This person, let's call him BF for short (stands for Brain Fart, but that's another story in itself). Mr. BF 'used to' so he claims have a business in a country other than the one he currently lives and yes, he was what Michael Gerber calls a 'technician' - one man band with no life.

Any who, BF was looking for members to join his mastermind group. So far, so good. After-all, he was on a forum for small business - it made sense, for about the first 2 emails. What BF wants from his 'mastermind group' is amazing: Put up his website, add the content, also write his newsletter, create his blog and post to it, add the subscriber forms for all his sites and manage the emails.

See a pattern forming here? It gets better. What does BF bring to the table? Must be big bucks, right?! Not in this lifetime it isn't. He wants the 'mastermind group' to do it for him for free because (hold on to your lunch) he wants all this done so eventually he can do a television show (for free). What is the nature of his 'business'? People who want self improvement. Huh?! WIF????

I wish I was making this up but it's the truth. So why am I telling you folks this - if you have to ask, you're definitely at the wrong blog!

Those of you still waiting for Prince Charming, the Tooth Fairy, Oprah's millions to drop into your lap so you don't have to do what every one else with a successful business does to make money => Keep Your Day Job and Find A Part-Time Night Job if anybody will hire your dumb ass!

Life isn't fair, sorry to disappoint you and there are some things about building a profitable business that aren't fun! Free left with the Tooth Fairy.

Please, let me keep the illusion that those of you reading this blog are:
1. Smart and intelligent people
2. Seriously want your financial picture to be better without killing your dreams in the process
3. Know that you will have to give up something, not necessarily money to grow your business, and
4. Can think for yourself!

Sheesh!

Here's the email I wrote to BF after recommending he purchase a book (gasp! I wanted him to spend money to learn a certain step in his business! Shame on me...Bad Georjina!). The book costs $18 US and where I sent him it was only $12 - go figure. Anyway, here's the email I sent this DF (yes, I do know the letter 'B' from the letter 'D'). It's a bit long, but worth thinking about if you are sitting on the fence waiting for 'Perfect Timing' to come along.

1. What are you willing to give up to have this business succeed?
2. How comfortable are you with failing?
3. How much are you willing to invest in making this business a success?

Until you have the answer to these questions and take an honest look at yourself,
you are not ready to do what you want to do. Not criticizing you, just want to
be very clear about what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

If you are not willing to invest in educating yourself on being an
entrepreneur/business owner until you have money, then your best
bet is to stay an employee.

Every entrepreneur, from Donald Trump to Richard Branson is a constant reader.
They have to be! Neither one could wait to make money before
they started their business, neither can you.

However, if you want me to continue to make suggestions and offer ideas
to help you, the whining must stop - get off your butt and take some
action and responsibility for whether you want to succeed or not
with your own business. (This goes for those of you subscribed here who
after 2 years are still looking for the Holy Grail of Free Money!)

It takes commitment, learning, making mistakes, learning from the mistakes,
trying something else, see what is working and keep going.

If $12 is beyond your current budget, then learning about
cash flow is going to be a huge part of your education. The same book
cost me $18 and it wasn't a hard decision for me to make - education
comes with the territory in business.

If you are not willing to do the same thing, spend money to learn how to
make money - you are in for a very short and frustrating journey as an
entrepreneur.
//end of email

Told you it was going to be a long read! Hope it helped some of you get
moving and for those of you in motion - keep going!

That's it for today and I leave you with this

Even when people are more successful than they had
imagined, nothing is ever achieved without giving something
up. " - Judith M. Bardwick

Travelodge Tales & Customer Service Do-Over!

Some of you will remember a few months ago when I published a humor piece about Retiring to the Hilton? Well leave it to my Brit readers to point me to an update, and it's not fiction!

A couple in England has done it for real. David and Jane Davidson have been living in Travelodges for more than 20 years:“The couple stayed at the first ever Travelodge in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire and liked it so much they began to stay more and more often, finally choosing the hotel in Newark. “By booking 12 months in advance, they pay £90 (US$181.00) a week and have all housework done...You can read the rest of this post at Time Goes By


In a previous post I shared the lack of customer service at Bank of America (ok, it was more like an episode from 'Day Among the Brain-Dead Bank Employees) but it made a point. If you focus on giving good customer service, you will put your solo enterprise far ahead of the average small business out there.

While checking up on a few blogs I ran across this one at Nitro Marketing. The post titled Horrible Customer Service, No Sale which proves just how deadly being an idiot running a business can be.

We may be living in the 21st Century but common courtesy and civility are seriously lacking in many businesses. It may be just me, but I refuse to take shit off you and pay you too! There's something morally and ethically wrong with any business that allows employees to insult a customer's intelligence or approves rudeness with benign consent.

I'm not telling you how to operate your business, it's yours and good luck to you. But and this is a biggie - if you make it a practice of being rude, making nasty comments about your customers or prospects in front of your employees or colleagues - then Bye-Bye, see ya-don't want to do business with ya! There's enough stupid, brain-dead, ignorant people in the world and you can choose to not be one.

Short and sweet today but I leave you with this:

Success is not an accident, it is a skill. It is predictable, and it can be learned, and it can be learned by you, and it can be learned by anyone. ~Brian Tracy

Solo Entrepreneurs - It's Back To School Time!

Ok, so it's Sunday somewhere in the world - where I sit, it's Saturday!

I just finished reading a very good business book that you might like. Think of all the business books I've read this year, this is one of the better ones. Be the Elephant by Steve Kaplan (Difference Maker) gives very solid information for solo entrepreneurs intent on getting a grip on having a profitable business.

Initially I wasn't interested in this book, the blurb is talking 'employees, buildings, and all that nonsense' but once I started reading it I found some tidbits that fit solo entrepreneurs to a tee!

Chapter 3, Think You're Ready to Grow forced me to go back and re-do the assumptions I had made when starting my business. If you hear yourself saying anything on page 19 - it's time to regroup, and fast!

Chapter 5 is going to bother some of you because you've been 'playing at' having a business.

This chapter had me blushing because as a trained accountant I did a bit of my own 'it'll work out' fudging. Now I see where my numbers needed to be more accurate especially since I'm not making the income I wanted after 2 years - and I'm working harder. Something had to go and only after I sat with my own 'Baby Elephant' over the weekend, I didn't know what that something was.

My suggestion: Buy this book, get it from the library or borrow it from another successful solo entrepreneurs because it's that important. Put it right beside your computer with The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber.

Take actions suggested from either one when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed by everything that still needs doing in your business.

Entrepreneur Education Resources
One thing we all must do, if for no other reason than to keep our brains working, is to keep ourselves in the loop on what's important to run our business. These are a few I've found and will share more as I find them.

IRS Offers an ongoing series - Small Business/Self-Employed Virtual Small Business Tax Workshop that can help you figure out the ins and outs to stay out of trouble but it also shows you how to keep more of your money in your pocket! Strange....the IRS helping solo entrepreneurs for a change!

SBA These courses are all self-paced and should take a little over 30 minutes to complete. Most of the courses require a brief online registration but it's worth the information.

SCORE Some of these are basic for those still thinking about starting a home-based or road-warrior business, but there are also more advanced courses that are ongoing to help your business grow.

Agile Conference For my UK readers, this is a great place to find out what the large companies look for in outsourcing partners and gets you in front of decision makers if you want to supply your products or services to the big boys.

Women and Minority Owned Business 2007 Conference and Business Opportunity Fair being held in Miami. Here's where you get to network with hundreds of successful entrepreneurs and business prospects in one setting.

This site is where to go online if you prefer to do your networking at industry trade shows, Ultimate Trade-Show Find trade shows for just about any industry and anywhere on the globe. You can check by location, dates or by industry. 2008 is just around the corner, so be sure to download one of the free Excel spreadsheets for planning your business trip next year.

That's it for today and I leave you with this

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.~ Vince Lombardi

New Finds, Old Money & Walking the Walk

Just put up the new widget for Jump Up - you thought I forgot didn't you! This is only one of a few places I make the time to visit at least once a week, even if I don't post anything. You'd be surprised at what other solos are doing - get over there and strut your stuff! Let me know when you set up your profile and I'll be sure to say 'Whatcha doing?!'

Going to be a busy week, so let's get to it:

What would you do with $10 million for your business? Build a factory, hire staff or change businesses all together?! Well you are going to love this. Industry Player is an online virtual business that is a bit more than a game. Don't worry if you are not a 'gamer', this is more like brainstorming on steroids and in living color!

This game lets you create and manage your own corporation in a virtual economy. This is reality check up-close with real competitors, market swings, cranky customers, accounting and all the other real business tasks it takes to make a business grow and survive. There is a download version (it is a big cracker at 9.1 MB) so if you're on dial-up (still?) then it's going to take some time. For a cool $20US, you may want to just play online. With $10 million in seed money - you can afford to dream a little!

Because I like sharing tools with you folks, here's a challenge for you: Create a thriving billion dollar virtual business. When you visit the site, you'll see how serious some of these virtual solo entrepreneurs have taken this.

Jaduka
Have you been looking at getting more customer feedback and building those relationships on your web site? This may be something to give a look. I uninstalled Skype to use this. Instead of people trying to connect with me at times that were inconvenient, Jaduka let's me set the times I'm available and the call for my client is free.

You know selling online is a hit-or-miss proposition at anytime, but when customers know they can talk to you or a real live person (instead of being sent to voice-mail-jail), this is what builds credibility for you and your business. Yes, it can work for those of you who have nothing more than a one-page site. The rates are very reasonable. For my money, it's a dream come true.

Last but definitely not least, Every Day Millionaires
Maybe you have a gazillion dollar 401k or you're sitting on hundreds of thousands of readily available cash for your business, then you can read the quote and have a nice day.

For the rest of us, concern over money seems to be the one thing we solo entrepreneurs share - how to get more and the best way to keep it safe. This blog comes as a result of the book, Armchair Millionaire and contains highly actionable, thoroughly researched financial products for people who want common sense solutions. Play with the $1 million calculator while you're there, it will take you from where you currently are to that dream of being a millionaire. Don't forget to sign up for the weekly email tips too!

That's it for today and I leave you with this

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe