How Long is this Gonna Take?

That depends on how fast you want to succeed. Some successful Internet marketers recommend that you spend at least 2 hours a day on building your online business for at least the next 6 months if you want to see any measurable results during that time. Obviously, in order to do that you are going to have to find time in your current schedule to allow for these 2 hours.

You may be thinking – “Oh sure, I’ll just snap my fingers and …where am I going to find 2 hours a day?” Especially if you have a full-time job, family and kids and don’t feel like you have 2 minutes to spare, let alone 2 hours! Its one thing for a full-time Internet marketer to spend 2 hours a day on their business, it may be quite another for you.

Don’t stress over this – it’s just a recommendation! But, you will have to find some time to work on your business.

The first thing to do is to sit down with pen and paper and list your daily and weekly schedule as it is now. Start with what time you wake up. Then, activity-by-activity, list everything you do each day until the time you go to (collapse into?) bed. If you really think hard, you will probably find some time in each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner.

Remember, building your business is important to you! That might mean that you have to drop a favorite pastime for awhile or stop watching a favorite television show. (Maybe you can get it on Netflix and spend some time on the weekend to watch multiple episodes at one sitting and without the commercials.)

Maybe it means that you will have to get up a little earlier each day or stay up a little later every night. Whatever it is, you need to decide now and make a commitment that you are going to dedicate that time to growing your business

Efficient time management comes down to planning what you’re going to do, scheduling time to do it, and then sticking to your plan as much as possible. A good method for doing this is to map out your week ahead of time.

By looking at your week as a whole, it’s easier to spot opportunities where you could be doing something more productive. Once you identify these possibilities you can then plan to use those times for working on your business.

If you are not already doing so, you should seriously consider using some type of day planner system, such as Day-Timers. You can buy these at any office supply store. These systems are based around the principal of putting first things first.

Start putting things together by looking at your current schedule and planning ahead of time when you are going to accomplish certain tasks. Begin by blocking out the time required for tasks you have to perform (your job, running the kids around to their activities, eating, sleeping, etc.). Do this for as many weeks in advance as you feel comfortable doing.

Then look at the first week and block out those times you’ve identified as times you can be working on your online business. Try to allocate time each weekday. Schedule a little “review” time toward the end of each week. Use this time to review the week’s plan and schedule to see what worked and what didn’t work. Then make adjustments as you plan your schedule for the following week.

Lastly, each evening before you go to bed make a “to do” list of the things you want to do work on the next day. Doing this will help you dive right into your tasks instead of spending your “allocated” time figuring out what to do.

Whether it is 2 hours or 20 minutes, spend some time each day doing some business building task. Starting your own online business will require some sacrifices in the beginning. But, if you keep putting consistent effort into your business activities, you will succeed.

Like this post? Please feel free to comment below. I know you are busy and I very much appreciate your time!

Accomplish Online Marketing Tasks by Setting Deadlines

If you don’t set deadlines for accomplishing tasks you need to do in starting your new online business, you run the risk of…

o Expanded Scope: You’ll start looking at adding new features, strategies, tweaks, etc. If you don’t control this tendency, your time frames and budgets will quickly blow apart.

As you discover things you’d like to do that aren’t essential to your task, set them aside as “possibly”. Once all the important things are done and the blog is published and promoted, you can then go back and look at possibly adding some of these features.

o Procrastination: A task will always take as long to do as you allow for. Given an excuse to put it off until tomorrow, it will always be put off until tomorrow. Creating a sense of emergency, setting a strict time frame, and rewarding yourself when a task is accomplished can help. Avoiding procrastination takes self discipline, especially if the only one you answer to is yourself.

I personally don’t procrastinate – I’m just very good at re-scheduling!

o Analysis Paralysis: Without a set deadline you can easily find yourself wasting hour upon hour that, in the end, adds nothing to what you are trying to do. This is especially true for a task you have never done before.

Don’t try to find out how everyone and their bother have done the same task in an effort to get it “perfect”. Don’t misunderstand me, there are more and better information resources available today than EVER before. But that creates a dilemma in knowing which route to take, and how to get started.

What might be right for one person – may not suit another! Because of that not every solution will work for everyone. You need to find the one that works for you. Then, make a decision and act on it! Pick what you think is a good source of information and follow it.

To make progress in starting your own online business, set deadlines for each task you need to accomplish. Then allocate time to those tasks, use a timer and make sure you are spending time working on tasks that move your online business forward!

Where Did It Start to Go Wrong?

Not spending enough time working on your online business? Spending time but not accomplishing anything?

It seems easy for us to start things with the best of intentions, but sometimes we find ourselves veering off our original path. If you find yourself not dedicating enough time to your internet marketing business, or frustrated by your lack of progress, you’ll need to determine the cause in order to come up with a solution.

The following may be some things you should look at.

Could it be as simple as:

- You’re beginning to feel like you’re too busy to dedicate the time? Sometimes, other unexpected things will suddenly become a priority. That’s the nature of life. So don’t stress over it. At the same time, don’t let these other things always take priority over your business. In order to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself you know you will have to dedicate time to your business as well.

Solving this problem comes down to reviewing your original plan. Did you schedule realistic blocks of time to work on your business? Have you set goals and written to-do lists for each piece of getting your business started?

Get back to following your schedule, use your lists to know what you’re going to do when you’re in front of the computer and begin to get tasks done!

- You suddenly no longer have the support of your family? This may be simple to identify, but can be a tough one to work through. How you handle this depends on how close to you these family members are.

If it’s your spouse and/or your children who are concerned, you need to deal with their issues directly. Talk to them about how they’re feeling and what their concerns are. Remind them of the goals you want to accomplish for all of you. Openly discuss what’s not working. Maybe you need to revise your time frame or work schedule so that it works for the whole family. Involve them in the business plan and keep them up-to-date with your progress.

If it’s your extended family that doesn’t live in your household who isn’t supportive, you may have to be firmer in standing up for yourself. They might just be worried about you and believe it’s only a “real” job that can pay the bills. If easing their fears doesn’t work, don’t feel obligated to make them happy.

- You over-think everything and never get started? Paralysis by analysis is a common problem, especially when you are just starting out and don’t know what to do. Or how to do it.

There is a lot of information about online business and so many ways to do things that it’s easy to become so over-whelmed you don’t know where to start.

To overcome this inaction, you need to take a step and do SOMETHING. Find a source of information that you think you can trust and use that resource to get started with one project.

You may find the source isn’t as good as you thought it would be. Maybe it wasn’t as complete as you needed it to be and it led you into making some mistakes. But, you’re going to LEARN from those mistakes. You’ll be amazed at how much more confident you’ll become and how much you’ll learn simply by DOING, instead of thinking.

These may be a couple of stumbling blocks you didn’t expect to encounter as you started your online business. They certainly won’t be the only ones.

In the end, the success of your home business is entirely dependent upon you and the decisions that you make.

You had your reasons for deciding to start your own online business. Keep those reasons in the forefront of your mind and you’ll be able to work through anything.

Treat Your Own Online Business Like A Real Business

There are many different ways to set up your own online business to make money. However, no matter which method or methods you choose, you have to treat your internet business as a real business.

The people you are trying to connect with online are real people. They have the potential to become real customers where real cash changes hands.

Whether you are starting your own online business on a full-time or part-time basis, you must have the attitude that this is a serious business. Having this type of attitude alone will not guarantee you success, but not having it will almost certainly doom your efforts to failure.

A serious business is not something that you treat, or think of, as a hobby. A hobby is usually something that you do solely for pleasure and when you have the time for it. You cannot afford to approach your internet marketing business in the same manner.

If you recommend a product to a potential customer, and they have questions about that product, it’s vitally important that you answer them as soon as possible. To eventually getting around to contacting them in a week or two sends the message to them that maybe having this product isn’t all that important.

It is also important that you answer their questions accurately. Giving them a half-ass answer (because you don’t use the product yourself or haven’t properly researched it) will cause any reasonable person to wonder just how good a recommendation this is.

Either response from you will almost guarantee that a potential customer will go somewhere else for their answers and to make their purchase.

Remember, you’re working from the same essential principles of all businesses: to provide useful information, education, products and service. Potential customers will only do business with you if they can trust and rely on you.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t have any fun with your internet marketing activities. After all, if you enjoy what you are doing, then it is far easier to do it, and as a general rule you will do the activities far more efficiently and effectively. Your enthusiasm will also be evident to your followers.

Though having fun is an important part of the internet marketing experience, you must understand and appreciate that making money online is a serious business, and that it brings responsibilities with it.

If you are currently treating your online business as a hobby or just something you’re interested in, you’ll need to change your attitude if you really want to become an internet marketing success.

The more seriously you take your business, the more money you’ll make.

A Successful Online Business – 5 Tips

Starting your own internet marketing business and making money online is not brain surgery. It involves using common sense, learning constantly and having realistic expectations. You’re probably not going to be making six figures in your first month. Take time to clearly outline what you want to do with your online marketing business, stick to your model and learn what works and what doesn’t.

Here are 5 tips for you keep in mind as you start your own online business. (They are in no particular order.)

1. Always be ethical and honest. You can offer information and market products without telling lies. Always write your marketing copy and sales pages so your grandmother would be proud to tell her friends that you wrote them. Being ethical and honest in all you do online makes it a lot easier to sleep at night.

2. Realize that your online business is going to take time to build and become
profitable. Build your business on a solid foundation so that it’s strong and sustainable over the long haul. Plan what you will be providing your audience – plan what products/resources/information, etc. your business will offer. Plan how to market your business. Stick to and follow your plans. Don’t be swayed by the next “Buy This!!!!” because “Here’s What Your Business Has Been Missing!!!!” offer.

3. Be realistic in how much time you have available to invest in your business.
You’re only going to have so many hours to devote to your effort. If you’re already working a full-time job, you’re probably not going to have another 40 hours a week to put into your business. (Nor would you even feel like it!) If you’re at home running a household and with young children you are not going to be able to put in a lot of hours either – at least not at the same times that your children will require your attention or household responsibilities crop up. Be aware of how much time you do have, plan that time and use it well.

4. Be prepared to invest at least some money in yourself and your business. There are lots of free resources available to help you learn (including the ones I provide) and free tools to help you run your business. But, there are some things that you will absolutely need to invest some money in to be able to run a successful online business. Don’t worry, we are talking about minimal amounts here – but you will have to spend some money.

5. Be Yourself – an original, not a copycat. You need to put your own slant on everything that you do in your business. You need to put your own personality, your own opinions, your own thoughts and beliefs into your blog content and into the products you offer. Don’t simply copy and repeat what somebody else has already said or done. You haven’t provided any real value to your audience if they can find the exact same information on the internet the same way you found it.

We all start an online business for different reasons, and what applies to one may not apply to another. But, for all who intend to develop an authoritative, professional-minded presence on the web, I hope this helps.

Like this post? Please feel free to comment below. I very much appreciate your time!

Building a Solid Business…or Chasing a Fad?

Are you building a solid online business, or chasing another fad? Are you interested in following a clear, concrete path to build an online business, or hoping to find the next craze to make millions almost overnight?

Wikipedia gives us the following definitions:

A fad is a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal.

A craze is a product, idea, cultural movement, or model that gains popularity among a small section of the populace then quickly migrates to the mainstream.  Crazes are characterized by their lightning fast adoption and swift departure from public awareness.

Crazes and fads are also characterized by their unusually high interest and sales figures relative to the time they are active in the marketplace, as compared with other similar products, ideas, cultural movements or models.

In other words, a fad or a craze is a temporary fashion, interest or activity that some people follow enthusiastically, but which lasts for a short period of time. They quickly arrive with a huge, but shallow, fanfare and just as quickly dissipate when the hype and fizz dissolves.

I’m pretty certain that you DON’T want to have to shell out hard earned dollars to have your income be great for a month or so and then have to repeat that process over and over again when those income streams begin to dwindle.

Wikipedia also states that a trend is a line of general direction of movement, a prevailing tendency of inclination, a style or preference, a line of development, or the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change. You want to build a sustainable business that provides an income that grows over time.

Losing weight by cutting off a leg is a fad. Making money online with cookie cutter push-button sites is a fad. The “Lose Weight While You Sleep” diet is a fad. The work required toward making your internet business successful and healthy for years to come is a long-term process.

Ever since children around the world starting asking “Are We THERE Yet?” our society has spiraled into a continuous state of conflict between instant gratification and the notion that slow and steady wins the race.

This conflict can pose a problem when starting your own online business.

You may be tempted to purchase and dive into those products with their promises of huge, “push-button” profits delivered almost overnight. And there is a boat-load of them out there to tempt you. The best advice you can receive at this time is to resist the temptation.

“But, what about those that offer an ‘Iron Clad’ online money-making guarantee?” you may ask. Remember this – a marketer’s job is to make something so incredibly appealing you’d spend any amount of money to buy it. They are selling you the Dream. But are often short on the details of what or how you will accomplish what they promise. Your responsibility as a consumer is to research their claims and see just what REALLY is true…and what isn’t. Period, end of
discussion.

You already have the Dream. It’s why you are researching ways to accomplish your goal of creating a successful online business. You will continually be faced with the choice between “instant” or “slow brewed.” And while there may be overnight success stories, just as many of these one-shot wonders disappear as fast as they emerge. Your business should be built so that you do NOT become one of them.

Starting and building an internet marketing business is a long-term process. It’s NOT something that you slap together or set-it-and-forget-it. (Although, certain types of semi-automatic sites can be a part of your overall business strategy).
The strength and long-term success of your internet business will not come from you jumping from one project to the next. That is NOT a business – it‘s a shotgun approach that, although it may generate some cash for you, is not sustainable over the long term. You will constantly have to spend the time, effort and money chasing the next “best way”. That method will not provide you the long-term security that your hard work entitles you to.

Keep Your Content Interesting

For starters, you need to remember that blogging is all about writing. Have you ever tried reading a novel where you just couldn’t get into it? Ever finish it? Ever pick up another book by the same author?

Creating content for your blog is like writing a novel. You try to get people involved so that they keep returning to read new content. The great thing about blogging is that once people like what they read, they will not only return to your blog, they will often recommend it to their friends.

First of all, to keep your blog content interesting, you have to be able to maintain an interest in the topic yourself. If you spend your time creating and writing articles or content on a subject that is of little or no interest to you, your lack of enthusiasm will definitely come across in your writing. However, if you are blogging about something you are passionate about, then your readers will see how devoted you are to the subject yourself and they will pick up some of that passion themselves.

It is also important to write about something you care about because you will have to spend time keeping your blog updated. You should be adding new information and content on a regular basis to keep your readers coming back for more. To help do this, you may have to spend some time doing research on your topic to make sure your ideas stay current.

Secondly, write your blog as if you were having a conversation with a friend. Keep your writing style conversational. Stay away from a lot of technical jargon, unless you are directing it only towards a very specific, technically-oriented readership.

I sometimes have trouble with this. I am trying to teach you how to do things, so I sometimes find myself falling into a long-winded, “I am the teacher…”  style of writing. I am working on it!

Thirdly, use your blog to get your opinions out to the world. The reason you started your blog was because you felt you had something worthwhile to contribute to others. So contribute! No one is looking over your shoulder telling you what you should or should not be writing. You are not being moderated or censored and you are free to express yourself in whatever way you choose. So, be yourself and give people the benefit of your knowledge and experience.

A word of caution, though. Unless your blog topic is “I am a jerk and I will use my blog to Rant!” ,do not use your blog to insult people or try to damage anyone’s business or organization. Be smart when deciding what content to place on your blog. Remember that you are influencing people’s views and they are evaluating your credibility. If you are offensive, you may find yourself spitting into the wind.

Fourth, try to limit each post to one subject. It is okay to address different topics in your posts as long as they remain relevant to your blog subject. But within each post, stick to one idea. Jumping around to different ideas will make you seem unfocused and simply leave your reader confused.

Lastly, people visit and return to a site not for the flashy graphics or the wonderful website designs, but because of the information they learn from the website. Therefore, your blog should have rich, premium, informative content to capture repeat visitors. Make sure your blog’s layout is simple to navigate and easy looking to the visitor’s eyes.  Don’t add too many flashy features on your pages that will distract from your visitor’s  focus when they are reading your content.

Always remember the most important part of your blog is your content. Whether your reader will read on or not heavily depends on your ability to capture their interests and give them what they want to know in a way they enjoy.

AAARRRGGGHHH….My Bad

Just spent a day and a half scouring the internet to find a solution to cloaking affiliate links!

The reason was because the simple-to-use system I attempted at first did NOT work!  I spent hours trying to get it to work properly with no success.

So I went looking for an answer at Google, Ask.com and Utube.  As you can imagine, I found more information than I needed.  Do this, do that, but this, buy that, download this, that and some more of this while you’re at it!

The more I read, the more convinced I became that I was making a SIMPLE mistake.  But what was it?

So I junked everything I had downloaded, printed out, etc.  and started over.  Using the same system I started with. (For a change, I did not buy a solution – again, I was convinced the system I had would work but I was doing something really simple the wrong way.)

This time the system worked just as it said it was supposed to! Hoo…ra!!!

Turns out that at one step I was spelling a file name incorrectly which prevented things from working properly.  And I did it again and again and again…until the last time.

Ooops.    Why can’t my computer figure out what I’m trying to do and let me do it and clean up after me if need be?

What a Blog Really Is

So…just what the heck is a “blog” anyway?

You’ve probably heard the term, but, if you’re new to the world of blogging, you may be wondering what a blog actually is.

The term “blog” is actually a shortened version of the word “weblog.”  The term originally referred to a journal that was displayed over the internet, was updated often and was meant for displaying to the general public. The entries into this journal are most often displayed in reverse chronological order.

In the early days of blogs, most people used them as a type of online journal where they would write down whatever they found interesting or what was happening in their lives, and then they would share it with their family and friends.

Blogs are still used in this way today.

But, more and more, people now use blogs to publish content related to any topic you could possibly imagine, ranging from how to train pets, start a vegetable garden, lose weight, to personal development. If you can think of a topic – there is probably a blog related to it.

In reality, a blog is just a unique type of website where you can publish content whenever you want and that allows the reader of your blog to interact with you by writing and submitting their comments in response to what you have written.

Likewise, whenever you visit a blog, you can read the original post published by the blog’s author, and then submit a comment expressing your own thoughts or opinion about the author’s blog post.

Sometimes, when other readers join the “conversation” by leaving their own comments things can get very interesting. The end result could be an exciting collection of thoughts and comments from people from all over the internet.

In this manner, they are very different from the traditional static websites where, as a general rule, their content doesn’t change. Blogs are a lot more flexible and interactive.

And, unlike a traditional website, blogs are one of the quickest and easiest websites to set up.

You don’t need any technical programming knowledge or a lot of money to be able to build your own blog. Basically, all you need for setting up your very own blog is the ability to follow simple instructions, use your keyboard to enter some information and click a few buttons. In most instances, you can set up a new blog in a matter of minutes!

In summary, a blog is simply a special kind of website where you can easily add content, and allow other people to read and respond to your content from anywhere on the internet.

Tags: blog, blogging

My Apologies

It has been five months since I posted to this blog – I apologize.

During this time I have had to deal with some issues that I never expected. Those issues have been, for the most part, dealt with – or are under control.

I am now able to resume what I started out to do with this blog. That is, to provide a trusted source of tips, resources, help and advice for the internet marketing beginner.

I’ll be posting again soon.