Archive for September, 2007
We close out each week with our Who Said That?, where we give some link love to other blogs and regular websites that we feel you may find interesting.
Let’s get started!
6 Lessons From a 6 Month Old
Peter of I Will Change Your Life.com makes some wonderful observations about how much kids can teach us about living life and being successful in his post 6 Lessons From My 6 Month Old.
The Top 10 Mistakes that Rob You of Your Goals
I found a neat site this week called Goal Guru.com by Self-Made Millionaire Jill Koenig. Koenig is an expert in the areas of goal setting and success, writes a syndicated newspaper column, and has appeared on The Fox News Channel, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News and The Jenny Jones Show. When someone like this shares the 10 Mistakes that Rob You of Your Goals, I listen!
How to Shortcut Your Progress by as Much as 1700 %
Here’s another great post by Jill Koenig on the subject of modeling the behavior of the successful. Koenig practices what she preaches. She has studied under some of the most famous personal success icons including Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Les Brown, Mark Victor Hansen and Rober Allen. Her post How to Shortcut Your Progress by as Much as 1700 % shares how she has created success by modeling the success of others.
How She Became a Millionaire
Learn how one millionaire mommy became a millionaire by managing small businesses out of her home and never working more than 40 hours a week in this post from Millionaire Mommy titled How I Became a Millionaire While Working In My Pajamas.
Vacation Does a Body Good
I needed this post. If you are an entrepreneur and have your own business, you probably need to hear this too. Erin’s post Vacation Does a Body Good is a wonderful and very honest story about what we tend to do to ourselves as entrepreneurs and how healthy a bit of time off can be.
**who**
September 28 2007 | Who Said That? | 3 Comments »
I have had the pleasure of being in many different financial places in life. I have been FLAT broke, I have been “comfortable,” and I have been at many places in between. In my opinion, the most deadly place of all to be is “comfortable.”
Let me explain what I mean by FLAT broke
At some point between living in Beverly Hills and where I am at today running a successful freelancing company, I was FLAT broke. And when I say broke, I don’t mean that I had $50 in the bank account and had to live on Ramen Noodles. I mean that I had no bank account, no place to live, and $0.
This story illustrates my lowest FINANCIAL point.
At my lowest financial point I had 2 kids ages 8 months and 2 years and really felt like a loser. The reason I ended up there was because I took a risk (a risk that I’m still glad that I took and that ended up turning out very well.)
I had been living in a crummy hotel for a week paid for by a welfare program called “emergency assistance,” but the stay in the hotel room had ended. I had a college degree. I knew I that I had been and could be successful in just about any situation; it was just that at that moment, I had nothing.
With no money and a very urgent need to pay for the hotel room within the next few hours or be living in the car, I made a decision to hold up a sign for money at a stop light at a busy intersection. I hated it, but I bit my lip, stared up into the clouds to avoid looking anyone in the eye, and reminded myself over and over and over again to stay strong. That this was not who I was, this was temporary. I got enough to pay for the hotel, and each day found a new way to pull myself out of that situation.
Bouncing Back
It didn’t take long at all to bounce back to the level of financial stability I had enjoyed before. My previous boss who was a millionaire and entrepreneur told me that he had managed to earn a million dollars, lose it, and get it back again 3 times. That’s because being a millionaire was what was comfortable to him.
I too have been broke several times and bounced back at rapid speed each time. In fact, it’s quite astounding how fast I bounced back. But I always ended up at the SAME level of financial stability, “comfortable.”
Why Comfort Can Kill Your Dreams
Unless your comfort zone is in align with your dreams, reaching your perceived point of comfort can stop your progress dead in its tracks. “Comfortable” allows us to make excuses about why we should not take risks. Comfortable allows us to watch that hour of TV instead of busting butt toward our dreams. Comfortable kills that wonderful fight or flight emotion that can rocket launch you into a place of safety when you’re in danger.
If you’re like me and you always seem to be comfortable you might need to do something to shake up your world and make you uncomfortable.
This might mean going to test drive a new Mercedes, touring a house that is well above your current means, or planning an amazing trip that you can’t afford. Most importantly, you will have to rewrite your idea of success, placing the marker well beyond where you are at now.
If you can begin thinking of yourself as unsuccessful instead of comfortable, you can start making some progress.
September 26 2007 | Business Building | 4 Comments »
When I look back on my life, I realize that most of the goals I set were for the direct benefit of me and my immediate family (a bigger house, no debts, a vacation, etc.).
And though there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I recently had a change in thinking that has gotten me more excited about goal setting than I have been in a long, long time.
Now, instead of setting goals that directly benefit only ME, I have decided to fully trust in and embrace the Zig Ziglar quote you see at the top of this page which reads, you can have everything in life that you want if you will only just help enough other people get what they want.
Setting Bigger Picture Goals
If we truly believe that the more people you help, the more you will naturally help yourself, then shouldn’t our goal be to help more people? That’s the change I’ve recently made.
Now, instead of a goal to make $ my goal is to help x number of other people become successful. More precisely, my goal is to help 12 people earn $10,000, 3 people earn $31,000, and 1 person earn $1 million dollars by owning their own business. (You can read more about that goal here).
Setting a goal that is bigger than myself feels fantastic. It has allowed me to dream again. It keeps me up at night and wakes me up early each morning anxious to start the day.
I have no doubt that I can achieve this goal and I envision the day when I can look myself in the mirror and know that I have really made a difference in the lives of other people, not just myself.
Examples of Big Picture Goals
- The authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were passionate about fueling the book’s success because their goal was to sell 1 billion books to raise $500 million for charity by the year 2020.
- If you sell a success product, set a goal to help #x of people go from mediocre to wealthy.
- If you sell financial services or consulting, set a goal to help #x of people get out of debt.
- Set a goal to donate $x to your favorite charity or cause OR to start a charity or cause.
Share Your Opinion
Do you work for a larger cause than just yourself? Can you think of more ideas the list above? Do you think this way of thinking could be more effective and more fulfilling than setting goals solely based on your personal gain?
Great Blog Posts About Goal Setting
From teh Good Improvements Blog: Goal Setting Is As Simple As Reading A Map
From the Goal Setting for Kids blog – Getting Your Kids Organized for Goal Setting
From Personal Strategic Plan – The 10 Commandments for Goal Setting
September 25 2007 | General Business Issues | 4 Comments »
Remember how when you were a kid you weren’t afraid to dream? Then somewhere along the way, you learned to laugh at the foolish people who had dreams instead of having them yourself.
I clearly remember the day that I began to doubt my dreams…
It was 1989 and I was 14 years old, at the time (remember, this was the 80′s ok!) my dream in life was to own a brand new Corvette with customized heart tail lights. That dream consumed my thoughts. Even at 14, I was convinced that I would own a business and be rich one day.
I begged my mom to take me to go look at the Corvettes at the dealership. She agreed and, after work one day she picked me up and we went to the car lot. I was on top of the world when we arrived. I had never seen so many of my dream cars up close like this before. I had never ever seen the inside of one or gotten to sit in once. My mom looked very nice and perhaps wealthy in her corporate attire so it’s no wonder that the sales person approached us so cordially.
“Are you looking for a new car for yourself?” he asked my mom. My mom told him that no, we were looking for a new car for me and that when I was 16, I was going to get a Corvette. The sales person was surprised, probably thinking he had an easy catch. “Wow” so mom and dad are going to buy her a Corvette for her sweet sixteen? He asked. My mom told him ” oh no, she’ll be buying it herself! She’s going to save up the money to buy one.
Then in one single moment, that sales person set me down the path of forever doubting my dreams – He laughed at me. Not a chuckle- a hearty laugh as if he hadn’t been that amused in days. Until then, I completely believed that I could save up the money for a Corvette in the 2 years between 14 and 16, but with that laugh came doubt that this idea was possible.
I started to cry right there in the car lot and my mom told me something that I’ll never forget. She told me that you have to protect your dreams. That you can’t tell people about your dreams because the will not believe you and they will try to tear your dreams down.
Most people do not want you to succeed. I don’t think they do this intentionally, but I do believe that the people in our lives have a very difficult time seeing us for what we might be rather than what we could become.
Even more importantly, most people don’t want you to change because they need you for whatever role you are filling in their life and if you were to succeed, you would not fill that role any longer. The closest people to you in your life are also the ones that can smash your dreams the hardest.
Today I still take my mom’s advice, but I’ve become stronger. I don’t share my dreams with people until I have enough inner confidence in my dreams to handle the blows. I expect that most people won’t be supportive. If they are not, I never talk to them about it again. If they are supportive, then I’ve found an incredible person who is not afraid to dream and I become that much more confident in my belief that anything is possible.
Which person are you?
- The person that’s afraid to dream?
- The person that tears apart other people’s dreams and won’t allow them to change?
- Or the person that is confident enough to dream?
I think we’re all a little bit of each. But one thing is for sure. If you allow yourself to dream, your life can take on meaning again. And if you really LISTEN to other people when they tell you about their dreams and believe that they can change, you might be surprised and what people are capable of.
So do yourself and someone else a favor today, allow yourself to dream and give other people the permission to do so also.
September 24 2007 | Hangout Cafe | 7 Comments »
A few posts this week are focused on Stumble Upon, and here’s why. I launched my new blog Self Made Chick on Saturday and on Sunday I had received almost 200 hits! The reason was that Jonathan (the author of Freelance Folder, Smart Wealthy Rich, and a mega-stumbler) had Stumbled on of my posts. Wow. I didn’t know it could have this effect.
Top 5 StumbleUpon Buzzkills
Dana Wallart dot Com is a Stumble Upon addict, and it’s working for her! She launched a new blog 5 days ago and because of her powerful Stumble Upon community, she’s already generated 77 comments in 8 posts- wow! If you want to know something about StumbleUpon, this is the person to ask, and definitely don’t kill her Stumble Upon Buzz! Learn from a Stumble Addict what NOT to Stumble in Dana’s 5 Stumble Upon Buzzkills List.
Five Ways To Improve Your StumbleUpon Rank Right Now
Learn from a Stumble God How you Can Improve your Stumble Upon ranking. Sheaman42 has dropped over 12,000 thumbs and is the creator of the Stumble Gods Group.
A Chance to Win $4000 in Awesome Blogging Prizes by Subscribing to David Airey’s Blog
This is a no brainer! David Airey is an incredible graphic designer who shares all kinds of design advice and tips on his blog. And if these gems of advice from a graphic artist like David weren’t enough, subscribing to his blog could win you $4000 in prizes.
Stand Out from the Crowd or Bust
Cash Quest- Have you Heard of It? Nate Whitehill does an excellent job of explaining this popular site that seems to buck the system at every turn in his post Are You on the Quest for More Cash?
Top Blogs Linkbait (Or Why Mark Wielgus Is A Genius)
I was thinking the same thing: Mark is a master link baiter! I’m referring to Mark of 45n5′s Top 100 Make Money Online blogs. I linked to it in two different blogs and here I am linking to it again! Dee from Net Business Blog deconstructs the link baiting strategy that makes Mark Wielgus a freakin’ genius link baiter.
**who**
Happy Blogging and have a great weekend!
September 21 2007 | Who Said That? | 6 Comments »
Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things. Joe Paterno
September 21 2007 | Marketing | No Comments »
All I’m doing is putting in the link in case you want to check it out.
September 21 2007 | General Business Issues | No Comments »
Catherine Seda is a 12-year Internet marketing veteran, Entrepreneur columnist and author of two books: How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders and Search Engine Advertising.
Cat is (obviously) a very busy woman! I interviewed her by email to pick her brain about how does she does what she does and to get the inside scoop on her suggestions for building a powerful online presence and strengthening a personal brand.
You write for some pretty impressive publications- how did those relationships manifest?
Marketing! As I share in my new book, five years ago an Entrepreneur columnist recommended me to write a new Net Sales column for the magazine. When the Articles Editor e-mailed me about this opportunity, I immediately e-mailed her a sample of my newsletter and links to web articles I had written. I was offered my own column within 24 hours. I still can’t believe how fast it happened. Just start writing on the web and journalists will find you. Write articles, comment on influential bloggers’ blogs, write your own blog, send out press releases-just get your message out there.
What is one thing that small business owners could do (or not do) to see some business growth results within the next 30 days?
My #1 favorite is still pay-per-click on Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search. It’s the quick and easy way to bring in new business NOW. I was interviewed by Dr. Ralph Wilson just recently and I shared three of my valuable secrets:
What is the biggest mistake of most do-it-yourselfers in terms of:
Building their website
Not clearly stating WHAT you do and for WHOM. You’ve got less than 30 seconds to get your message across. If you don’t do this, visitors will hit the back button and leave your site.
Writing content
Not writing for prospects, press and search engine spiders. Your site needs to appeal to all three to bring you the most business opportunities.
Promoting their website
Not starting simple. You can’t do everything at once or you’ll die! Start with pay-per-click or blogging, for example. Set goals for the campaign, create an action plan, and dedicate time to doing it every week (1-3 hours a week can be a great start). By being consistent, you’ll soon see if that schedule works for you, if you should invest more time into it, or if you should outsource this task.
In your opinion, after speaking to audience and consulting with different companies, are there one or two main things that companies are doing (or not doing) that limits their growth and earning potential?
First and foremost, set goals for your marketing campaigns. Identify primary goals (get more sales) and secondary goals (grow e-mail list). If you can get more specific, GREAT. For example, Attract 2 new consulting clients within 30 day or Make $10,000 in sales. Doing this helps you establish benchmarks for measuring the success of your campaigns before you even start. Plus, writing these goals down helps you see new marketing opportunities as well as stay away from ones that you can tell won’t come close to delivering your goals.
When you first discover your passion for writing?
In elementary school, I’d write short stories for fun. Hey, I wonder if my mom kept those? I’ll have to ask her.
Writing a book is a monumental task, and you’ve written two! How did you organize the project so that it was more manageable? Any lessons learned during the writing process?
Um, I’m not going to lie-some crying was involved. My fellow authors can probably relate. When working with a publisher, your deadlines can be intense, your work days long and your own critical voice can make you obsess over your writing. Here’s my advice to future writers (whether you self-publish or work with a publisher): after you develop your unique angle, flesh out as much of a detailed Table of Contents as you can. This will probably change as you write. However, the TOC is your road map. It’ll keep you focused.
And as best as you can, schedule times to check e-mail and do your daily tasks. While you’re writing, turn off your phone and ignore e-mail. Do these things on your scheduled breaks. I wish I had done this a bit better.
Finally, give yourself an incentive for completing your book-like a fun vacation. You deserve it!
Why did you decide to try skeleton? You say you like speed- that’s interesting! Why?
Probably because I have a hard time slowing down! After writing my first book, I needed to let loose. About six months earlier, I was on a tour of the Utah Olympic Park. I was sold on skeleton training. It”s like luge, only you’re on your stomach sliding head-first on your sled-at 70 mph. That was my incentive for finishing my book. Uh, it was an unforgettable experience, that’s for sure! I survived three days of training. Some of my fellow sliders weren’t so lucky: three needed facial stitches, others suffered concussions, cracked ribs, chipped teeth and massive bruises (I even have photos). Although I’m pretty sure I won’t ever slide from the top of the track again, it’s still one of my favorite stories. Any thrill-seeker should check out the adventure camps at the Utah Olympic Park or Lake Placid Olympic Park.
If I write a third book, I’ll celebrate at a spa.
Thank you Cat for these gems of wisdom!
Each month, we feature someone in a NON-sponsored interview like you just read above. You can learn more about Interview Me by reading this page. If you would like to recommend someone (including yourself) to be featured, please e-mail Christine [at] Create Business Growth [dot] com and tell us the WHY behind your recommendation.
September 20 2007 | Interviews | 1 Comment »
It seems that most entrepreneurs that I talk to end up becoming so tangled up in their businesses that they become more trapped than they were before they left the cubicle. Once the excitement is over, your business just becomes a lot of work and a huge burden.
It was on my birthday this year that I fully realized that if I don’t set up systems now to achieve a healthy passive income, I’ll be working my butt off until the day I die. After reading the 4 Hour Work Week, choosing a business model based on automation just made absolute sense.
A few months or so ago, I wrote a post on my goal to create passive income.
Passive income is a goal that each of us at CBG is working at and judging by your comments, so are you. After a lot of research, David, Fred, and I each individually chose the same venture to pursue to achieve this goal and that is through private label travel.
Reasons why each of us chose this business model:
- Excellent product- the travel engine is powered by Travelocity
- Large revenue share- 60% commissions on all travel bookings
- A product people already use- think of all of the businesses, event planners, etc who are already booking travel. Building relationships with these companies means access to lots of automated sales.
- No customer service- this is all handled by a 24/7 support staff
- Group health care- this was a very important decision making factor for me- starting in December, all travel agents in the company are eligible for group health care.
- Low start up cost – $450 gets you an extremely feature rich travel booking website with all of the bells and whistles. All of us have built websites for a living and know that even the design for a standard website can cost more than $450.
Here are some more great posts on creating passive income from around the blogosphere:Freelance Switch’s Guide to Making Passive Income
Breaking Free’s 6 Ways to Generate Passive Income that (Sometimes) Work
Chuckles Best Online Businesses – Advanced Methods For Building Passive Income
Your Opinion!
What Are You Doing to Create Passive Income? Do you feel trapped by the business you started? What do you think of this travel agency opportunity? What is your plan to create passive income?
September 19 2007 | Business Building | 3 Comments »
Who wouldn’t like a little more link love? Here are 66 strategies from fellow bloggers about how to create more linkable blog posts.
The Moojikulous at The Moojik Times offers 33 do’s and 11 don’ts for creating linkable posts.
Garrett Fresh offers 3 and a half well researched ways to attract the linkorati Fresh also provides insight about the mechanics required to create each type of linkable post.
Before you get the link, you’ve got to capture attention with a headline. Pick the Brain offers a wonderful case study about how a headline made the difference between 100 and 5000 visits.
Earner’s blog offers 10 ways to get more link love including ideas such as Comparing Services or Blogs against one another and Interviewing Leading Personalities in your Niche.
One way to ensure that people are reading your blog posts in the first place is to establish a strong community. Tendenci blog offers 8 ways to build a community for your podcast, blog or photos.
Once you’ve written your post but before you submit it, find out how linkable it is with this well-thought-out linkability test from the folks at Google Blogoscoped. Simply check the boxes next to the statements that apply to your blog post and determine your percent linkability.
September 18 2007 | Blogging | No Comments »
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