Grabbing opportunities with open arms is often easier to talk about than to actually do. Most people find themselves dreaming about being rich but never actually doing anything about it. A combination of procrastination and ‘what if’ syndrome can cripple your creative spirit and might mean your idea will never become a reality.
Socrates said “Action equals knowledge’. He was one of the greatest philosophers of our time. What he meant was that it is through action that we achieve results.
For example, you could think about learning Spanish for months, imagining the holidays you will take and the people you will communicate with. You can dream forever but accomplish nothing unless you actually make the effort to start taking lessons.
Much like the martial arts approach – the idea is to take action immediately and avoid over analyzing the situation.
Do you want to start your own business but are afraid of what kinds of things can go wrong? What if your initial investment doesn’t pay off? There are millions of things that could go wrong but likewise there are many things that can go right! Fear can be paralyzing. When thinking about starting a business particularly if you keep waiting for the right time. There will never be a perfect time. It’s now or never when it comes to starting your own business.
Overcoming your fear is a step by step process.
– Do you have a clear idea of what kind of business you want to start? A clear plan will help keep your worries at bay.
– Do you have access to the resources you will need? This includes the necessary start up cash as well as anything else you will need.
– Do you have access to clients or do you know enough about marketing basics to ensure you will have enough interest in what you are offering?
Just like anything – taking action is the most important part. Make an itemized list of what you feel needs to be done in order for you to start that business you always dreamed of.
Prioritizing your list will help too. Don’t wait for all your ducks to be in a proverbial row before you begin but make sure you have all the basics covered. Don’t wait for that ‘perfect someday’. Make an imperfect start.
Don’t over think everything. Sometimes the best approach is to just jump into the deep end.
Don’t wait to start discovering your own entrepreneurial spirit. Take action today!
Someone asked me what I would do if I had to start my business over from scratch in 3 months. And that got me thinking – if I could take the experience I have and use it to start over from scratch, how would I do it?
Mind you, I wouldn’t have my mailing list. I wouldn’t have traffic, a following, name recognition – none of that. Just my experience as to what works and what doesn’t.
And let’s say that my life depends on me having a full time income at the end of those 3 months. No pressure there, right? But a lot of people find themselves in a very similar situation – make money or else. Or else they’re in trouble, or else the bills go unpaid, or else they’re facing losing their home, or… worse.
So with that in mind, here’s what I would do:
– I would stop looking for magic ‘make money online’ products and ideas. There is no secret combo of tricks and buttons to make money. It’s not a printing press. It’s a free market. And in that free market the way to make money is to stop focusing on the money, and simply make yourself indispensable to people who need your solution to their problem. Do that and the money follows.
When you’re focused on providing solutions, you no longer get distracted by all those shiny programs that steal your time and your money. I’m not saying all programs are bad. In fact, many of the “how-to” and “step-by-step” are useful as small pieces to the large puzzle. But that’s what they are – puzzle pieces – not full blown businesses.
– I would start with the outcome first. What is my market? My product or service? My goal? What is the solution I can provide that people will gladly pay for? What is THE ONE BIG BENEFIT I can provide to my customers? This is the starting point of everything that will come next.
– Next I would build my website. Odds are it’s going to be a blog. I’m not going to spend a world of time on setting this up because I only have 3 months. I’ll spend an hour maximum choosing the URL, I’ll get the hosting, I’ll choose a simple, streamlined theme, I’ll get the autoresponder and I’ll be ready to get started.
Yes, it takes money to get started. Not a lot, but some. You’re making an investment into your future. And if you think spending a couple of hundred dollars to set up your internet business is somehow a lot of money, consider the alternative: Spending at least that much each month just to drive to and from a job, or spending thousands for a brick and mortar business.
– Time to create content for that blog. But this isn’t about running a blog, it’s about running a business. The blog is just the tool to get the business done. So here’s what I would do: Look at the big benefit I deliver, and then write down all the stumbling blocks people encounter trying to get that big benefit. Then pick out 3 of these and write stellar posts on how to overcome those barriers. Then repurpose those posts into videos and podcasts, as well as an incentive to get people to join my list.
Notice I’m only creating 3 pieces of great content, not 300. And I’m repurposing those. Some folks spend years trying to get everything just right, but I’ve only got 3 months, so forget perfect and just get it done.
– Next, I would offer a service or coaching. Do you know why? Because it’s the quickest way to make real money. Offering products is great, but it takes time to create the products and more time to build the lists to promote the product to. When your list is small, it’s best to focus on services or coaching because it’s the fastest way to profit.
The blog posts should be highly focused on getting my prospects to take the next step, which is likely going to be a free consultation. It’s not easy to sell a $300 a month coaching program or a $1,000 website optimization package online. But it can be if you get them on the phone first.
– Now I’d focus on getting as many people on the phone as I can, because I know two things: The more prospects I get on the phone, the more likely it is that some of them will say yes. Plus, I’ll get better and better at finding out their needs and selling them on the solutions.
– With my first customers or clients I would deliver like a madman (or mad woman.) I’d blow them away and earn myself raving testimonials which I would then use to earn more clients.
I’d also be Mr. or Ms. Communication, with both my clients and everyone else on my list and in social media. If someone writes to me, I answer quickly. If they mention me in social media, I am thanking them the same day and so forth. This is a people business and my goal is to please the people and thus build my name and my reputation.
– As I’m servicing my clients, I’m learning what they need and want. And I’m using that information to create my first product which I will then sell to my list, and hopefully through affiliates for a long time to come.
Selling time for money is a great way to get started, but as soon as possible you want to be creating assets that you use to systematize your sales funnel and your income.
– Time to focus on traffic and more traffic. Social media, guest blog posting and paying for advertising are methods that can be used long term to drive people to your site and onto your lists. Each one has a learning curve, but as you improve you’ll see quick returns for your time and monetary investments.
And I’d build relationships with other marketers in my niche. Almost nothing drives good quality traffic faster than an expert in your niche telling their list about you or your offer.
– Lastly, I would continually strive to improve the benefits I deliver to my customers. Great today is only good tomorrow and not good enough the day after. I know I have to stay on top of my market and provide my customers with what they need and want even before they know they need and want it.
Bottom Line: By delivering the solutions people seek, I can build a fully functioning business in a short amount of time. And yes, by diligently following these steps, you too might be earning a full time income in 3 months.
Sometimes new money making ideas are immediately usable. However, sometimes you just have to let your imagination run wild and be impractical. This is a way to get that creativity going, and no matter how crazy the ideas may seem at first, there is usually a way to bring them down to earth, as in this first example.
Rental Cabins In The Air
I started with a crazy thought: “What if people could rent a cabin up in the sky for the weekend?” Right away my mind tries to make sense of the idea, and because the over-all goal is to have profitable innovations, it looks for ways to make it into a money making idea. I first imagined cabins which are suspended under large hot-air or helium balloons.
As much fun as it might be, this didn’t seem very practical. When I explored the idea further, though, I wondered if existing balloon-ride businesses could tap into other markets. If, for example, the gondolas were outfitted properly, and the balloons tethered, so they could be allowed to float two thousand feet overhead, would meditators then pay for a peaceful meditation retreat in the sky?
Another thought came to mind. Balloons could be high in the air, but easily cranked back in on a line. This might be simpler and cheaper than traditional rides, which involve chase vehicles and unpredictable landings. Perhaps this could be another way to make money with the balloons, charging a lower rate for simple up and down rides, and so getting new customers that couldn’t afford the usual rides.
This is how a crazy idea comes back to earth. Perhaps even the “weekend cabin in the sky” idea could someday be a money making idea, but if not, that’s okay. The point here is to get the creative flow going, and then find more practical ways to channel the output.
More Crazy Money Making Ideas
The following is pure imagination. I leave it to you to find a way to make these ones into potential money making ideas. Good luck and have fun!
– Put seats on the wings of an airplane and sell rides to thrill seekers.
– Sell advertising scratched out on the face of the moon.
– Rent out the animals at the zoo.
– Start an underwater school.
– Make a roller coaster course people pay to take their personal cars on.
– Sell pets genetically engineered to die young, for those who hate long-term commitments.
– Rent out children to undecided prospective parents.
– Have marriage insurance policies that cover the cost of a divorce, just in case.
– Have a swimming pool restaurant; diners sit in floating seats and eat off floating plates.
Scan the list and stop on any of the crazy ideas that catch your attention. Chances are good that you can find some way to transform it into a more practical idea, and that is the point. This exercise in imagination may be fun, but it is also a profitable technique for generating money making ideas.
According to Napoleon Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich, a man named R. U. Darby and his uncle were caught up in the gold rush’s “gold fever.”.
As soon as they shipped their first car of ore to the smelter, they realized they had found one of Colorado’s richest gold deposits. Excitedly, they continued digging, but the ore vein disappeared.
After repeatedly digging, they failed to find the vein again, so they gave up and sold their equipment.
The man who bought the machinery realized random digging was not the best way to find the vein. He called in a mining engineer and had him make some calculations.
What contributed to Darby and his uncle’s failure was their lack of knowledge about “fault lines” and their neglect to consider alternatives. With his expert knowledge, the engineer was able to predict that the vein of gold could be found three feet from where the Darbys quit digging, and that’s exactly where it was.
Millions of dollars worth of gold were pulled from the mine by the man who decided to not accept easy defeat and to bring in someone else who had specialized knowledge he didn’t.
In this case, success is often just beyond what seems to be your greatest obstacle.
Welcome failure and use it as a measuring stick.
When you’ve been defeated, look for a lesson to learn. What do you need to change in your approach, your mindset, and your environment?
Using a modern day example, I’ve been working with a personal trainer for several months. During our first few sessions, he asked me to do what I thought was completely unrealistic.
I would have allowed temporary defeat and a limited mindset to keep me at the level I had set for myself. he thought bigger and taught me techniques that allowed me to push harder.
I translated this lesson into my business thinking and ask that you consider it as well.
The only limits are those you create in your mind. Defeat is merely a produced result. Measure the result, change your approach and continue in your efforts.
Okay, this one will take a little legwork, but it is work you’ll be doing anyway. Only this time, it will pay off double. Here’s how it works: Every marketer winds up hosting downloads, pdf’s, zipped files, redirects, cloaked affiliate links, images and a bunch of other things. The way we do it is generally like this: yourdomain.com/buythisproductnow.
Now then, to make this work you’ll want to get a domain name that you use only for hosting all of this stuff. It should be a catchy name that directly pertains to your niche – something that arouses interest and curiosity all by itself. For example, TheNakedMarketer.com or TakeThisJobAndShoveIt.org.
Host everything on subdomains of this domain. As you get traffic to all of these subdomains, a funny thing is going to happen: You’re going to get traffic to your root domain as well. Even though you never send anyone there, people are going to get curious, lop off the part after the slash in your domain name and see what’s on the home page.
This is where you make your money. You can either put up a squeeze page that’s followed by a one time offer, or you can redirect it straight to an affiliate offer.
If you get 500 people a month going to this domain, and only one out of 5 joins your list, that’s still 1200 new subscribers a year. PLUS whatever sales you make from the one time offer. If you position your squeeze page correctly, you should get a conversion rate much, much closer to 50%.
Now then, if everyone you’re already sending to these downloads, redirects and so forth are already subscribers, then don’t use a squeeze page. Instead, redirect that domain straight to your highest converting offer of the moment. Even a handful of sales a month can translate into a thousand dollars or more per year, just for doing this one simple thing.
And since you have to place your downloads, redirects, cloaked links and everything else somewhere anyway, why not make some money from it?
First of all, my apologies to anyone who is offended by the title of this article.
I’ll get back to your question now. Is it possible for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to start a home business?
I understand that you may have a different viewpoint than mine. The purpose of this article, just like that of a candle, is to provide some light on home business.
The answer is that “YES” everyone can start a home business. It does not matter where you come from or what education level you have. It is possible for Tom, Dick, and Harry to start a home business.
However, not all Toms, Dicks, and Harrys will succeed at home businesses. This is where most people fail.
For a home business to be successful, what do you need? In order to be successful at home business, you must possess certain qualities.
Listed below are some qualities that will help you maintain and grow your home business:
People who run home businesses are careful with their money.
It is always clear to them how much money they have. The price and value of things are known to them, so they can recognize a bargain when they see it. They are able to maintain their home businesses because of that.
The majority of home business owners earned money when they were teenagers – babysitting, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, sacking groceries, etc. From here, they gained patience that helped them grow their home businesses.
There is a competitive nature in home business owners.
Many were active in sports and other competitions in high school and college. Others aimed to achieve good grades, and earn the respect of their parents and teachers and earn the respect of their teachers. This quality is very important in a home business.
Home business owners practice the old adage: “The early bird gets the worm.” They sleep and eat enough to stay energetic but don’t spend time on non-productive activities. This allows them to focus on growing their business.
Home business entrepreneurs who succeed are risk-takers and trust their hunches. Taking risks can be small first steps, like placing your first ad in a mail-order publication. Starting or growing a home business may be impossible without this quality.
They have a knack for home business.
The people in this group are constantly thinking of new ideas for making money or increasing their home business. They are not afraid to implement these new ideas.
Home business entrepreneurs tend to be lone wolves rather than a social butterfly.
This is one of the reasons why many entrepreneurs are attracted to home businesses, and mail-order businesses. They prefer a solitary work environment (home business).
A successful home business owner is usually a person of honor.
Handshakes and promises are their basis for doing business. It is common for them to form strong relationships with others who share the same work ethic.
Home business owners set aside time for leisure activities and family time. Work is their primary form of relaxation, but downtime and family time are important to them as well.
The majority of home business owners do not retire. Even when they think they’re ready to retire, they always jump back in with a new project or get an idea they just can’t ignore.
Home businesses that succeed are run by professionals. They operate just like they would in an office building in a major city, whether they work from their bedroom, kitchen table, or a modern, well-appointed home office. During work, they don’t let outside influences distract them.
Generally, successful home business owners have high energy, feel self-confident, set long-term goals, and view money and financial security as a measure of accomplishment. In order to be successful, they continuously solve problems, take risks, learn from their failures (both their own and others), take the initiative, accept personal responsibility, and use all resources available to them. Home business owners who succeed compete with themselves and believe that success or failure lies within their control.
Hopefully, this article will be helpful to anyone who wants to start a home business.
Keep in mind that everyone can start a home business, but what differentiates successful home business owners from failures are outlined above. Good luck.
Even if you’ve never made a video before in your life, you can do this. And once you have your videos, you can sell them, use them as lead magnets, use them as bonuses to affiliate products and so forth. You can even use them to establish your authority and credibility in your marketplace.
Here’s how you can quickly start making your own video products:
– Download the free screen capture video program called Snagit. You can download it at TechSmith or Google to find other websites that offer it.
– Decide on what kind of video or video set you’re making and the purpose of it. Is it a training? Or an info product? How about a video for a sales page, or maybe a lead generator on YouTube. It could be the video you put on your squeeze page, or the incentive you use to get people to join your list.
If you’re making a product, then keep it simple. Look at what is already selling so you’ll know ahead of time that there is a market for your new product. Look at what Kindle titles are selling, what info products are selling and so forth.
– Now that you know what you’re going to make, break it down into steps. If you’re making a product, for example, then break it down into a problem, analysis and solution. Each step will be one video of 5 minutes or less. If one of the steps takes longer than 5 minutes to explain, then break that step into two videos. Think of these as video mini-trainings.
– Create 3 to 4 PowerPoint or Keynote slides for each step, or plan a short demo for each step. If you’re using PowerPoint, then choose ‘browse by individual’ so it can be resized to any size screen. Write the steps as bullet points. Use 3 to 4 bullet points per slide.
– Open up Snagit and narrate as you make your video. The bullet points cue you as to what to say for each slide. Just talk your way through each step as though you were talking to someone there in the room.
– Once you’ve got your videos, you can either host them on your site, use a hosting service like Amazon, or place them on another site like YouTube. As you upload each video, grab the URL and paste it into a Word document in order: Step 1, Step 2 and so forth. Obviously if this is a paid product, you’ll want your videos to be hosted somewhere out of the public eye.
– Write short narrative descriptions for each video and place them above the corresponding links in your word document, to let your readers or buyers know what each video is all about. This document will act as your introduction to your product.
– Then save the document as a PDF. If you’re selling the series, you can deliver the PDF, and buyers can click the links and watch the videos.
You can even give away the first videos, and then offer to sell them access to the remaining videos. For example, on your PDF you show the first 3 video links, then you have descriptions of the rest of the videos but no links. If they buy the product, they get the links to those videos.
It’s a very simple way to make a video product, and you can do it all in less than a day.
Snagit can be used for a lot more than making products, and it’s an excellent way for new marketers to play with video and get results very, very quickly.
Most new marketers dread logging into their autoresponder and seeing that they have lost subscribers due to them unsubscribing. Let me tell you three reasons why you should look forward to unsubscribing.
The first is that you actually use your mailing list. The only way that I have ever seen to not get an unsubscribe is to never send an email. If you are not going to use the list why go to the time and effort to build it. So congratulate yourself when you get an unsubscribe because your list is actually being used.
The second thing is that someone has opened your email. The unsubscribe link had to be clicked at least once in the email for the subscriber to unsubscribe. The good news is that your headline worked and they opened your email. Now if you are using dishonest headlines (You have won, your account status, and other headlines along those lines) this is not a good thing and you are reaping what you have sown. If you are using a solid headline that matches your email and it gets opened this is a good thing. You’ve got a good headline and it’s doing its job.
The third good reason to be glad to get unsubscribes has to do with personality. Now here is a shocker (said with a sarcastic tone dripping from my keyboard): Not everyone is going to like you or the way you write. Those that don’t will unsubscribe. The good thing about this is the fact that if they don’t like your style, you will never be able to form a relationship with them. In the event that you cannot build a relationship with them, it is very likely that they will not buy from you in the future. So each unsubscribe will make your list more targeted to people who actually like your style and are more likely to respond favorably to your offers that meet their needs.
So now you know three good reasons why you no longer have to dread seeing that the people on your email list have decided to unsubscribe from it. Take pride in the fact that you are actually building a stronger and more profitable list as a result of your efforts.
How do you get your readers to RACE to open your emails the moment they arrive in their inbox? Here’s one way to do it. It’s kind of sneaky but if you condition your readers properly, it can work really, really well.
First, you already know that paying customers are worth far, far more than freebie seekers. So why not make an offer to your freebie seekers that even they cannot refuse?
And in the process, why not get them to open (and read) your emails?
Here’s how it works: Every few days or every few emails, you have one of your links go to a wonderful $1 or $5 deal, but only for the first x number of people.
This might be a product that normally sells for a great deal more, a resale product, something you no longer sell, etc. So long as it still has real value, you can use it.
Your link can be obvious or disguised. For example, you might send an email promoting xyz product, but your link goes to your special offer until it’s sold out, and then it directs back to the xyz offer. And on your special offer page, be sure to have a prominent link to the offer mentioned in the email.
The following day, you can congratulate those who got the special deal, and remind the other readers that they, too, can grab these deals if they pay attention and if they’re fast.
You’ll want to condition your readers ahead of time to always be looking for these deals by opening your emails and clicking your links.
You can even get tricky. You can have the link go where you say it will, but then embed an Easter egg on the page that leads to the special offer. If they read your email, they’ll know where to find it.
There is a trade-off here. While you are conditioning your readers to open your emails and click your links, you’re also training them to look for special deals. So while your opens and clicks should rise dramatically, the money you make per open and per click could drop off slightly. You’ll want to test this.
Odds are you’ll still make more money because so many more people are opening and reading your emails and clicking your links. This means more sales of the products you promote, not just the special deals.
Would you like to add a new income stream to an existing business? Or are you looking for a brand new business? Then check this out.
First, you need knowledge. If you don’t have it, then obviously you can get it. It’s got to be specialized knowledge. Maybe you’re an expert at a certain software program, or a WordPress expert, or you know everything there is to know about how to drop to 5% body fat. Whatever it is, it’s got to be knowledge that other people want NOW.
Next, you need a way to get your consulting in front of the people who need it. Let’s say you’re an affiliate for a software or program that you personally know inside and out. You keep a mailing list of everyone who’s visited your site or bought the product from you.
These people sometimes email you with questions about the product. “How do I… ?” “Where is the… ?” “When so and so happens, what do I do?” And so forth. Being the good affiliate you are, you probably answer these questions. And you’re good at it, too.
But what if you could get paid to do it? Set up a page on your site offering your consulting service by email. Charge a reasonable fee, like $27 or $47 for the day or for the week, whatever is appropriate for the information you have to offer.
Remember, a certain percentage of people would much rather have someone show them how to do something than to have to figure it out for themselves. And they will gladly pay you for making their life easier.
That’s really all there is to it. Answer their questions by email, and remember – you are a consultant, not a technical advisor (unless you are.) This way you can focus on the types of questions you’re good at.
Bonus tip: Spend some time in forums finding out what the most common questions are about the topic, and then SEO your site to get high rankings for several of the well searched keywords. Then on every page of your site, point them in the direction of your consulting.
Your consulting can even help you to sell more affiliate products, because you will be building trust with your readers that you are in fact an expert. Thus when you recommend something, it’s really and truly worth buying.
