As I begin the journey of finishing my working career I look back at messages I have received throughout my lifetime about money and the idea of saving money. Of course, as a young man I never gave much thought to saving. After all I was young and I had a lot of time to save.
It was a plan built on wishes and fantasies. A plan which gave me all sorts of money to party and put me on a path of self-destruction. While I had some amazing times, albeit a bit crazy, the memories have lasted me a lifetime. But those memories did nothing for me when I had an emergency.
It got to a point where I could justify not saving money. After all, with all the debts I had how could I possibly save a penny? The question should have been how could I not save a penny?
One of the easiest ways to save money and to also get a raise in pay is through your pension plan at work (401K). People don't do it because... well it goes back to my early beliefs that I was young and I'll worry about it tomorrow.
Let's look at a simple example of how this can help. This is just an example using simple financial amounts. During the month you make $1000. Let's say that 20% is taken for taxes. Your take home pay is $800. That is everything you make for the month, so saving money is impossible, right? I. Say. Wrong.
I'm still learning the UK pension plans, so I'll use the 401K models that I am used too. Let's say your employer will match your contributions up to 5%. So if you put in 2%, they will contribute 2%. If you put in 3%, they do 3% and so on up to 5%. So if you contribute to a 401K and only contribute 2% (in this example) you are losing money. You are losing 3% of the money your employer would contribute.
In the above example, based on a 100 hour work month, your hourly wage was $10. By contributing 2% to a 401K, which your employer matches your monthly wage grew by $20. An hourly increase of 20 cents. So the hourly wage grew to $10.20. But without taking advantage of the employers 5% maximum the employee is losing $30 a month and 30 cents an hour.
Yes, to get this increase you will have to give money from your check that you say you don't have. 401K contributions are taken into account before taxes. So if you take 5% from your monthly check of $1000, your taxable income is $950. Then the 20% taken from that amount leaves you with a take home check of $760. A loss of $40. But you are adding $50 to your account and your employer is adding another $50. So for the month you added $100 to your account, which only cost you $40.
These are simple figures but it is crazy not to use pension plans to your advantage. I have heard from people in the UK that plans are garbage. The only horrible plan is no plan. To take advantage of any plan, contribute at least the maximum that your employer will match and also look at your plan. Many plans offer different investments to grow your money. From simple safe plans like bonds and CD's to more risky investments from international funds.
Just don't view a plan as rubbish. Look at it, invest in it and make plans for your future.
Dave Harm is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over 20 years. He is an NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotist, and Life Coach. He is the author of three books and the creator of two musical CD's.
He shares his experience and journey on his website http://www.daveharm.com
That doesn't mean filling it with receipts for all the items you've bought with your credit card. It means, fill your purse with money. And the best way to do that is to spend less than you earn. This cure follows from the first law of gold that we looked at last week: aim to save 10% of your income. Minimum. Save more than that if you can. Save for the long term, for your mortgage deposit or pension, depending on where you are in life. If you need to save for short to medium term things, such as a holiday or car, that should be in addition to and separate from the 10%+ that you save for your long-term needs.
Your 10% can include your pension contributions, ISAs, premium bonds or any kind of high interest/restricted access savings account. With compound interest, your purse will get very plump over the coming months and years, even if interest rates remain low.
2. Control your expenditure.
If you're going to save at least 10% of your income for the long-term, you must make sure that your current spending is no more than 90% of your income. This means wherever you are on the income scale, you'll need to apply some self-discipline when it comes to treating yourself and your loved ones.
For a start, keep your credit card(s) for emergency use only, and if you do use them, pay them off before you start racking up interest. Similarly, avoid taking out loans, unless you can justify the interest you'll end up paying for that privilege. A car acquired on one of the popular leasing schemes can be justified if it's essential for your work or business. But a loan for a holiday? Staycation would be a better choice. Learn to distinguish between wants and needs. A roof over your head and food on the table are needs; a month in the Maldives is a desire. Treat yourself to that when you have saved 10% of your income for a year or two and you can afford to fly off to paradise without dipping into those savings.
The secret to controlling your expenditure is to build a budget and then stick to it. If you have Microsoft Excel you can download a template to help you track your spending over a week or month. You can also find ready-made templates on the internet or apps for your phone. Work out how much you spend on mortgage, rent, travel to work etc. and set yourself limits on items such as eating out, entertainment, travel etc. This will help you keep below 90% of your income.
3. Make your money multiply.
You are looking for steady returns over the long-term, not a lottery win. What you need is a steady increase in your capital, your core wealth, such as compound interest from an ISA or savings account, or - more risky - dividends from shares you hold in well-managed companies, including your employer, if they have an employee share ownership scheme. If you are not an expert in financial products and investment vehicles, find someone who is. Don't make any commitments until you talk to a professional financial adviser. Explain what your investment goals are and ask them to help you develop a plan for realising achieving them.
4. Guard yourself from loss.
The sickening nightmare of seeing your dreams of wealth turn to dust as Bitcoin plummets or the bloke you met in the pub the other night disappears with your life savings. One way to guard against loss is to make it an unbreakable rule that you do not touch that core wealth that you are saving and investing for the long-term. Keep a ring of steel around that! If you are tempted to try your luck with Bitcoin or currency trading, only use money that you can afford to lose. That means any money that you have left over after you have saved your 10%, paid the bills and filled your belly. Money that you might otherwise spend on nights out can be handed over to the online bookies, if you can budget for it - see the second cure above. Never use a credit card or a loan for spread betting, gambling or any high risk investments. Before you engage in any high risk investing or betting, though, make sure you have thoroughly researched the field and that you understand what you're getting into. If online poker is your dream, practice with your mates for match sticks first.
5. Make your home a profitable investment.
Owning your own home (and ideally a few buy to let properties) has become an obsession over the last thirty or forty years. Given the way property prices have ballooned over that time, it makes perfect sense to get on the property ladder as soon as you can, particularly when house prices are increasing at a much faster rate than incomes.
However, be aware that at some point the bubble may burst. Yes, people have been saying that for years and it hasn't happened yet. But it is becoming increasingly likely that the authorities will take steps to let some of the air out of the property market. Potential measures include revaluing property tax bands and punitive taxes on buy to let properties and properties left empty. A major increase in house building is unlikely to have much impact on house prices by itself, but when combined with the potential tax changes, we could see prices reach a plateau and stay there for some time.
Given all that, the best approach is to find an affordable house or flat in an area where you would like to live for the foreseeable future, bearing in mind such things as local amenities, schools and the journey to work. Think also of the benefits of paying a mortgage and gradually acquiring total ownership (leasehold and freehold issues aside) of your home over 25 or 30 years, compared with being beholden to a landlord who can raise the rent or evict you at a month's notice, and who will still own the roof over your head despite all the £000s you put in his or her pocket.
If you can't afford to buy outright in the area where you want to live or work, consider such options as shared ownership and self-build. Check out what schemes are available in the area where you want to live.
If you already own your own home you can use it to generate extra income by taking in a lodger. If you live in a major city, a good source of lodgers is contractors - professional people working on a project local to you who need a place to stay for a few months and don't want to use hotels. Often they will go home for the weekend so you have the place to yourself. Another option is to take in exchange students. They will usually come in for a week or two. You provide them with a bed, breakfast, a packed lunch and an evening meal, and get paid for doing so. Another option is to use your home for holiday lets while you're on holiday yourself. This works particularly well if you live in a major city or a historic town.
Even if you rent, take a lodger (if your landlord will allow this) or run a home business (see below). You can still make your home a source of extra income, even if you don't own it.
Two other things to consider. First, home and contents insurance. Make sure you have adequate cover for the worst that can happen: fire, flood, burglary. Second, if you have a mortgage, look at insuring it against unemployment and illness. Take advice and make sure that any policies you take out are fit for purpose and will pay out if the worst happens.
6. Develop a future income.
Who wouldn't want to wake up in the morning knowing that whatever happens, they are assured of a steady income for eternity? Well, you can achieve this through your long-term savings, that 10%+ that you put by month after month, year after year.
When you talk to your financial adviser (as you must!) about your saving and investment goals, the first two issues you should focus on are a pension for you (and your partner, if you have one) and providing for your family when you're no longer around, i.e. life insurance. Your financial adviser should also point you to other investments that can deliver additional income for you and your family, such as ISAs, unit trusts and government bonds.
Your aim is to ensure an adequate income for a long old age. Remember, people are living longer, but not always healthier. It's not pleasant, I know, but think about the worst that can happen to you (short of an early death). You or your partner become chronically ill or disabled and need long-term care. How will you fund that? If you sell your home what will you leave to your children. This is the kind of issue you need to discuss with a financial adviser. You need a pension, plus other income streams, that will pay for all your needs for perhaps thirty or forty years after you stop working. Develop a plan, implement it, then get on with enjoying life.
7. Increase your ability to earn.
There is no such thing as a job for life anymore. These days, even professional occupations such as lawyer, accountant and insurance underwriter are threatened with automation and off-shoring. So, it makes sense to develop additional skills that you can make use of if you find yourself out of work.
If you think you're at risk of being replaced by a robot, you should look very carefully at "future-proofing" your career. Think about jobs that are unlikely to be automated or off-shored in the future. They tend to be ones that involve face to face contact e.g. complementary therapies, nail technician hair stylist, personal trainer, life coach, counsellor. Also, jobs where a local presence is essential: electrician, plumber, lock-smith, builder.
Of course, many of these jobs are relatively low-paid and are in highly competitive sectors. That means you need to find a unique selling point: something you do that no one else does, or no one else does as well as you. Focus on something you are genuinely interested in - or better still, passionate about - and that you know you can be brilliant at. Be realistic about the potential income, the competition and the time and energy needed to make it work. Unless you already have experience in your chosen field, you will need to devote a lot of time, and perhaps money, to acquiring the necessary skills and certifications. You will also need to decide how you will operate: sole trader, limited company, franchise? Take advice before committing yourself to anything.
A popular option for generating extra income is online selling. Even if you're in full time work and happy with your income, you can try it in your spare time and get a feel for what's involved. A regular declutter will reveal all sorts of things you can sell: clothes, DVDs, mobile phones, unwanted presents. If you enjoy online selling, you could develop a successful business without risking your core capital.
Apply the Seven Cures diligently and you will place yourself firmly on the road to greater wealth and peace of mind.
How to make money streaming - 6 ways to go live and get paid
In this article, we are going to see how you can make money by video streaming or in other words monetize your live video stream.
1. Run ads
Running ads is one sure method of monetizing your live video stream. There are two types of video ads - In-Stream (Linear video ads) and In-Display (non-linear video ads). The ads that are displayed before the video are called linear video ads while the non-linear ads are the ones that the viewers see concurrently while watching the video.
Ads are a great way to monetize your video content, but it's tricky. You need to play the ad, get the viewer to click on it, and at the same time ensure that the viewer doesn't get bored and leave your live stream. Plus, major platforms like Facebook and YouTube have different regulations for video streaming and running ads.
When to run the ads - the best time would be when the creator or the person doing the live streaming wants to take a break. Time the ad correctly - don't leave the viewer hanging in the middle of a sentence!
When you're running a live stream on YouTube, you can play the ad at any point of time in your live video. However, do try to keep your audience informed that a break would be coming up.
On Facebook, not every video streamer will have the option of taking a break. If your Facebook page displaying the live stream has more than 50,000 followers and more than 300 concurrent viewers in the last live video, you can take a break after 4 minutes.
If you want to maximize the earnings from your live video stream, you need to build traffic to your website or your Facebook page. When you have higher number of visitors, the number of concurrent viewers increase, so the chances of ads converting are higher, which translates to increased revenue. 2. Subscriptions/Pay per view
The other way to make money from your videos is to get your audience to subscribe or pay for your video. You could release a teaser, giving the audience a taste of what is to come. If the viewers want to watch more, they need to subscribe to your page or pay for the video. Streaming platforms such as Vimeo Live and IBM Cloud have in-built subscription features.
3. Donations and Crowdfunding
A recent study by Deloitte Global found that "Donations are also an emerging element of the business model for other live-streaming platforms, including platforms used for streaming video game play." Many live streams are asking their fans for donations and in return giving them virtual gifts.
Crowdfunding is another method to monetize your video stream. Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Patreon are a few of the popular crowd-funding platforms. You need to create an account on these platforms, build your project, specify your goals, and then promote your project on other platforms, so people visit your project page and contribute to it.
4. Affiliates
Setting up an affiliate program is a sure way of monetizing your video stream. It could however take time to establish and give you the returns you expect. The best part is that once you have set it up, you can passively earn money as your video gets more popular.
You need to first link up with affiliate platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. You can create videos about products sold on the platforms. If you have a video stream that focusses on technology, then you can choose such products. For example, a mobile phone - you can create a video about the features of the mobile phone, trouble shooting tips, best ways to customize the cell phone, and lot's more. At the end of the video, direct the viewer to go to the product page on the affiliate platform. Every time a viewer clicks on your video and goes to the affiliate site, you earn a commission.
5. Sponsorships
If your live stream channel is popular, then you can confidently approach the larger players in the market for deals and sponsorships. Brands don't come forward to sponsor your video stream, you need to take the first step and approach the right people. However, when you're doing that make sure you stay within your niche. The theme of your video should be in accord with the brand that is sponsoring you.
6. Sell your products
Live videos are a great opportunity for subconscious selling. For ages, marketers have been using this technique to sell products and services to their audience. However, you should remember that subconscious selling only happens when you have already built the trust in your viewers. Market research shows that a person is more likely to buy a product when someone in his/her social group has already purchased it. That's why influencers play a huge role in promotions. However, you don't have to directly sell your product when you're streaming the live video. Use the product and then casually talk about its features and where one can buy it and then go back to your video's main theme. This could subconsciously encourage viewers to check out the product and buy it.
Live video streaming gives you plenty of scope to explore your passion, share your views with your fans, and still get to earn money. To make the maximum earnings from your live video streams, you can use a mix of the above 6 ways. Competition on the internet is very high, so you need to continually work to keep your fans' attentions so that they keep coming back to you. To keep your fans interested, your video content needs to be interesting, useful, and clear. Create great videos and build a loyal fan following - you can surely see returns on your investment.
Which of these twelve important habits do you have?
The key millionaire habit you should start today…
It might not sound sexy, but you’ll need to do THIS if you want to advance…
I’ve dedicated my life to understanding everything, the ins and outs of what it takes to actually become a millionaire and one of the most important lessons in your journey is that actions speak louder than words…
With that in mind, here’s a question: what habits and daily actions are ingrained in your everyday life?
And a follow-up: are they helping to move you forward or are they holding you back?
While there’s no exact science to determine how to be a millionaire, I have more millionaire students than anyone, and great financial successes like my students have accomplished is not random, but rather the result of hard work on my part and on the part of my students.
What I’ve found is that there are certain habits that many financially successful people have in common.
Read through this list and ask yourself: how many of these habits do I have? If these aren’t habits yet, how could you incorporate them into your life?
1: Be an Early Riser
You’ve heard the saying that time is money.
You’ve also heard the saying that the early bird gets the worm.
Mash these adages together and you can distill both down to the idea that the earlier you wake up, the more money-making time you can maximize.
There are countless benefits to waking up early.
Me, I like to wake up early so that I can answer emails, consider what will go on during the day and do reading and research for the day ahead.
Basically, I use this time to deal with things that might get in my way throughout the course of the day, so that by the time the market opens, I’m mentally prepared.
2: Know Where Your Money is Going
Do you track your expenses and know where your money is going?
If you do, then keep it up: it’s a key millionaire habit. If you don’t, cultivate this habit immediately.
If you want to get rich, you’ve got to learn how to handle your money now–not later.
Learning financial responsibility will mean that you’ll be able to enjoy the money when you make it, rather than just falling into irresponsible habits with increasingly larger sums.
3: Have Good Time Management
People love to talk about how little time they have.
They don’t have time to go to the gym.
They don’t have time to attend networking functions.
They don’t have time to study and learn how the stock market works.
They don’t have time to succeed!
These are limits that people put on themselves.
Watch a little less TV and take your focus away from Facebook for a while.
You’ll be amazed at how the time will open up for you to advance in business.
4: Save Responsibly
Longtime millionaires aren’t out there blowing every penny that they make.
They know that to continue advancing in their career, they need to save money.
Saving money might not sound sexy -- in fact, it might sound downright boring. But, the benefits that can come your way from saving are anything but boring.
Saving money means that you can improve your position in the market.
It also means that you can invest in a greater variety of stocks.
Over time, if you’re being responsible, this means that you will start making more and more money as you go. The bar will be raised, so to speak.
Additionally, on a practical level, saving also ensures that if you do have a business deal that doesn’t go as planned, you have a safety net.
5: Know What’s Going on in the World
It’s alarmingly easy to live a fishbowl existence.
Resist that temptation.
Make concerted efforts to know what is going on in the world.
The best way to do this? Be a voracious reader.
Read magazines, the paper, anything that you can get your hands on.
Know what is going on in your backyard and in the world at large. Not only can the news help inform your investments and keep you inspired, but it also keeps you current.
You will be better able to interact and network with others when you have an idea of what is going on in the world.
6: Keep Up on Your Education
A common habit among millionaires? Lifelong learning.
Just because someone has made a bunch of money doesn’t mean that they don’t have a thing or two (or ten) to learn.
To all my students, I keep on learning and growing right along with you.
Maintaining and increasing your level of knowledge is a millionaire habit that will serve you in business and in your personal life.
7: Revisit Your Goals Frequently
It’s extremely important to make goals.
But, simply making them isn’t enough.
To transform your goal-making into millionaire material, you need to revisit these goals frequently.
How frequently is up to you, but let me give you an example.
Say that you set an initial goal of making $50,000, so that you could pay off your student loan debt and that you reached that goal four months into your trading career.
Awesome!
But, at the same time, it’s time to adjust your goals, making them bigger and better, so that you still have something to work toward.
Goals are part of what keep us going and keep motivating us.
Revisit yours often, so that they remain a manageable “carrot” dangling in front of you.
8: Believe in Your Success
Don’t dream it; be it.
If you don’t believe that you are worthy and deserving of success, then any that comes your way will be pure luck.
By shifting your mindset to a place where you believe success is not only possible, but within your reach, you will be taking a huge step toward it.
This transforms success from a faraway dream to an attainable goal and allows you to set specific milestones to get where you want to go.
9: Connect with Others
Technically, you could become a millionaire alone.
But, quite frankly, it’s going to be a longer — and lengthier — journey without a little help from some friends.
First and foremost, seek out a great mentor.
Your mentor, who is further along in their career than you, can help guide you and help you through growing pains. It’s difficult to overstate the importance of a mentor!
Networking with peers is also invaluable.
Not only does it give you a sounding board with people who can totally understand, but it also creates relationships with people who can help raise you up (and vice versa).
Connecting with others, whether they are at your level, above your level or even below it (for now), has a huge impact on your career trajectory.
10: Evaluate What is Going Well (and What’s Not)
Millionaires aren’t characterized by being self-destructive.
They’re not running around in circles, agonizing about what they could have done differently.
However, they are imbued with a healthy amount of self reflection.
Millionaires are able to constructively look at the past and see how it can inform the future.
Things not going well with some investments?
Look at why and how you could change that going forward.
At the same time, if certain things are going well, they have the ability to look at that and try to take it push it even further forward.
11: Test Your Limits Constantly
A millionaire isn’t one to rest on his or her laurels. Never content to let the last accomplishment define them, millionaires are (in a good way) addicted to the game.
They constantly want to challenge their limits, so that they can go further and do more good.
What is your relationship with risk and trying new things?
If it is not so good, then it might be time to work on that.
Becoming more comfortable with risk and testing your limits is vital if you want to attain true financial success.
12: Give Back to Others
Maybe, right now, you’re coming from a place of scarcity.
If so, the idea of giving back might seem ludicrous.
But, trust me, the more you make, the more you should give.
Just like millionaires save quite a bit of what they make, they also give plenty. This is a habit that you can get into now.
Even if you don’t have money (yet), there are ways in which you can give back.
You can act as a mentor to someone less fortunate than you.
You can donate your time or a service as a volunteer.
Giving back actually makes the world (and your trading base) steadier and healthier.
Giving back is not just what is right, but something that can contribute to your bottom line in the long run.
Your habits are a huge part of what defines you.
So, by choosing to cultivate habits which millionaires share, you are taking a proactive step to joining that “tribe.” Making a concerted effort to make these millionaire habits yours will have a huge effect on your success and money-making potential!
Using simple but effective Forex strategies need not be difficult. There are three popular styles when it comes to actually trading currency. Ideally, you should try to apply aspects of each of these styles to maximize your success.
Here we will discuss them so that you can begin to implement in your Forex investment plan:
Technical Information Analysis
This is when you take advantage of all information available on the currency pair. This is especially useful because you can have constant updates and keep a very close eye on the best possible time to affect your buyout or trade.
This will allow you to leave trade options open until a currency or currency pair will achieve the price that you're looking for and keep a constant eye on happenings.
Sentiment Trades
This is a different aspect from technical trading because it involves market shifts that move based on feeling rather than specific fundamental facts. Market sentiment can often require you to react on a very visceral or gut driven basis and what you think the market will also react to.
It assumes that you have an understanding and intuitive feel for the market and currency trades based on prior experience. One huge advantage of this kind of trading is that it allows you to anticipate a market based on prior experience and outperform the herd consistently.
Specific Forex Strategies
There are literally dozens of books written on Forex trading strategies. Each specific strategy builds upon prior knowledge bases and allows you the opportunity to take advantage of proven methods when it comes to currency exchanges.
For example, the London Jammer trade takes example of specific volatility and indecision that has characterized many of the European markets. Tactics like this work best with certain kinds of reoccurring events happening in the market.
It becomes the responsibility of the trader to recognize events, trends and specific day trading sessions that will trigger the ability to choose the correct Forex strategy. When patterns are identified, you would then invoke the strategy that you would use to counter or take advantage of the events in the markets.
In the end, all investment strategies involve risk, sufficient information, a feel for the market and the ability to make decisions on the fly. Effective Forex strategies take advantage of all of these events and combine together for the right opportunity for you and your future investments.
If you want to be a successful Forex trader then discover how to use Forex by signing up for my "NO COST" Forex online training course, learn valuable Forex trading tips and get advice on how to be successful with easy to implement Forex trading tips go to: Answers About Forex and you will discover the secrets to being successful with Forex!
Introduction
The internet is an elephant, so to speak. So how do you eat an elephant? One would say one piece at a time. Every internet guru has his own views about how to succeed in the internet or online, but like any other thing in life, there is no one perfect way, or one size fits all. Some say content is king. Some say begin with a list. Some say begin with 100% automation. Content, list, and automation all matter, but what about the person that is just beginning and doesn't know his left from his right? I believe a beginner should start with a product to prove his credibility and from there move on to building a list while at the same time gradually working towards automating his website to work on autopilot. A Caveat about Starting With a Product
Having said that it's better to start with a product, I believe it's appropriate to throw in this qualification by saying that at the highest levels, you can actually sell a product you have not yet developed to your list or followers, but as a beginner, you may not be able to employ that strategy. At its most basic, it involves telling your followers that you have a product that is coming out in say 90 days or 180 days time and any one among them that buys in advance would get it at 30 or 20 percent discount. Some may decide to buy and you can then use the cash to develop the product. This strategy is for already well known "brands" like Peter Diamandis, Brendon Burchard, Tim Ferriss and Tony Robbins to mention just four.
How to Develop Your First Product
This presentation focuses on how you can develop your first product. The truth is, in internet business, you don't have to wait until you have a perfect product. Just begin and continue improving along the way. If you compare cars or any product for that matter made in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and 2000s, you notice that they keep getting better in terms of design, sleekness, and performance, to mention just three aspects. That should be your aim. Start, and keep improving day in and day out.
In this presentation, the focus is entirely on electronic products (eProducts), not the selling of physical products online, which is referred to as e-commerce. I'm assuming that you're already an expert operating in six dimensions as an author, trainer, speaker, coach, consultant, seminar leader and now gunning for the seventh dimension, information marketing. If you don't consider yourself an expert, don't worry too much, we'll come back to that and the scales will fall off from your eyes. Even if you're not operating in any of the dimensions yet, say you're just an employee, don't worry, this presentation will open your eyes to the possibilities ahead. The author of the book Instant Income, Janet Switzer, listed over 52 eProducts one can develop in her Maverick Program but we'll limit ourselves to just the simplest products as this is a beginner's program.
Understanding or knowing which products to develop, the demand for those products and how to position your products are beyond the scope of this presentation. Also marketing, selling and launching your product are outside the scope of this presentation. Having covered those preliminaries, let's dive in on your product development journey.
Products Suitable For E-Copies
The main products that you can easily convert to e-format are:
• Books
• Music
• Courses (seminars) - these are generally referred to as "How to Products."
• Speeches
• Research findings
The Top 7 Most Lucrative "How to Products" Areas In the Expert Industry
According to Brendon Burchard, in his book The Expert Messenger, the seven most lucrative how to product areas are:
E-Product Formats
The main formats are:
• PDF
• E-pub
• Mobi
• Audio (MP3)
• Videos (MP4)
Sites For Uploading Your E-Products
Having made or created your product, the next thing to do is to launch. You can launch your products through a combination of channels, including:
• Your website
• Third-party websites
• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Stitcher
• iTunes
• SoundCloud
• CD Baby
• To your List through an e-marketing platform, example, Mailchimp.
The Various Product Formats In Detail
Let us now take the product formats one at a time in slightly more detail.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
One of the easiest ways to join the online business as an expert is to start with training course, workshop, seminar or a book. Your book in particular can and will open doors especially if you can write a New York Times best seller. For a beginner, that might be far-fetched so let's just begin with a good book or a well thought out course. Having done your book or course (this applies too to seminars and workshops), you save in word or PowerPoint and convert it to PDF. PDF (portable document format) is a special format developed by Adobe and can be bought online or better still buy the CD and install in your laptop. Once converted to PDF, no one can amend or tinker with your product and you can upload it to your website and start selling. Sounds so simple? Yes! Technology simplifies things. Anybody with a laptop or smart-phone can buy your product and start enjoying it right away. Most new generation laptops and smart-phones have PDF reader pre-installed or you can simply download an app that enables you read the PDF document.
E-Pub
E-Pub (ePub) is short for electronic publication and is an eBook file format that the majority of devices, including iPad, android smartphones, tablets, computers, or e-readers can read. To convert your book to e-Pub requires a special software, which an average business centre can help you achieve. If you cannot get a business centre near you to convert your book to epub, you can do it online through a company by the name Allzone.
Mobi
Mobi is especially peculiar to Amazon Kindle as that is the only format that Kindle uses. Starting in 2011, some analysts projected that within five years there would be over 53million Kindles worldwide so if you want one of the Kindle users to buy your book, you have no choice but to have it in Mobi format. But there is good news. Amazon does not even require you to convert your book into Mobi before uploading to Amazon. You can upload to Amazon in Word format and Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) will automatically convert it to Mobi for you.
MP4 and MP3
Just a few years ago we were using what was then known as CD (compact disc) before the mp3 format, which is an audio coding format for digital audio, was introduced. The mp3 (or MP3) format can store enormous amounts of sound so you don't need hundreds of CDs as before. Your finished work can be converted to mp3 very easily to be listened to using digital devices including smartphones, iPads and laptops. Don't worry about how to do this as an average sound or video editor would handle the technical aspects and help you uploaded your product to Stitcher, SoundCloud or CD Baby. Editing is not very expensive and goes for as low as $5 for a one hour episode depending on the editor and the fee keeps coming down as more and more people master the art of video editing.
Videos
Videos are what make the internet tick. Video engages more than any other medium so it's a must you learn how to do video. And the good news is that it's not as complex as you may imagine. You don't even need any technical skills. Direct-to-camera video is the one you make with an ordinary camera or camcorder. Camera comes highly recommended compared to camcorder not only because cameras are generally smaller in size and cheaper, but because they develop less heat compared to camcorders. Initially, you may have to rent the camera but with time, you may decide to acquire your own. The most popular camera type is Canon, but you can also make videos with your smart phone however there is a slight drawback as you may not be able to edit or get audio or MP3 out of a smart phone so having a camera has advantages.
The other type of video is the one you make with a software. For Windows computer, you use a software called Camtasia and for Apple computers, you use what is called screenflow. You have to pre-install camtasia (or screenflow if you're using Mac) in your computer to begin with. Let's focus on Windows computers since that is the one I use. Having installed camtasia in your computer, the other processes are pretty straight forward. You first prepare your presentation in PowerPoint. When your slides are ready, you put on the earphone and plug in the voice converter or adapter and switch on camtasia. Once camtasia is on, you start speaking and as you finish with one slide, you move to the next one until your presentation is over. Once your presentation is done, you save what you have done for editing and viola your video is ready and you can upload it to your website, YouTube or Vimeo. Editing is not very expensive and it's not something to worry about as an average business centre can handle it for you.
There is yet a third way of producing videos. This is different from camtasia video we just described above. In this case, there are actually companies that specialize in helping you make videos by providing you with prepared templates. One of them, which I use, is a company called Animoto. What you do is you sign on to Animoto and they give you the architecture to do a video complete with background music. You simply register with the company and once you log-in you just follow the straightforward instructions for preparing a video.
Animoto has free and paid versions of the service. The paid version starts at about $96 per annum. You don't need any skills to do a video. The website provides all the needed headings, such as description of video, which you fill in and upload the pictures and provide a description of your video and viola, your video is ready. In the free and lower end paid versions, the company's logo, Animoto, will appear on your video, but in the premium versions, nothing appears so no one would know you used Animoto. For the very high end versions, you can even customize by putting your name or company's name and logo on the video. For the free version, you'll be provided with a maximum of 6 place holders for just 1 minute video and no more. If you want longer videos then you have to go for the paid versions.
Conclusion
A journey of a thousand miles as the saying goes begins with one step. Internet or online expert business sounds and appears hard when you have no one to guide and show you the way. The fastest way to cut your learning curve is to get a coach and you'll be up and running in no time. In our Expert Empire Program we guide you through how to develop e-Products.
Paul Uduk is the author of five books, including Bridges to the Customer's Heart, Wealth Beyond Your Imagination and The Celebrity Speaker, all available at his website, http://www.pauluduk.com and on Amazon. He is the CEO of Vision & Talent, one of Nigeria's most respected service excellence and process excellence training consultancies, which can be reached via http://www.visionandtalent.com. In addition to training for some of the most respected brands, including Nestoil, Heineken, Inlaks, Dangote and Berger, to name a few, he coaches executives on book writing and the list of his clients read like who is who. Paul recently launched The Expert Empire Program that helps beginners stake a claim in the expert industry on Vimeo. Paul can be reached by email via paul@pauluduk.com or pauluduk@gmail.com and by phone +2348033075133.
In the present times, websites have become the face of most business around the globe. The reason being the digital world that people have started living in. On an average, 98% of adults owning a smart phone spends a considerable amount of time online and whenever there is a need to search for a business type or probably any information, the smartphone or the computer comes to the rescue.
Taking advantage of such a situation, businesses are known to create websites that represents them in the digital platform while ensuring that all possible information is conveyed to the visitors and accordingly can the sales be retrieved.
When it comes to creating a website, there is the need for a good development team who would come up with a complete package right from creating trendy designs to making it a user-friendly website. While bringing along more traffic and increased sales is the motto behind a good website, here is what the developers are known to follow that gives great results.
Analyzing the trends
Website developers are not just updated on the technical aspect of creating a website but also the market trends that makes any website a success. They are known to follow leading websites and how things function. They analyse the reasons behind such a success and how they can imply the same for creating websites for their clients. They know what would be right when it comes to putting inputs for the website and that is when they come up with the perfect plan.
They customize the website
While they follow modern trends in website making, they wouldn't imply the exact methods in the websites they create. It is something that is against the rules. By taking inspiration from them and customizing it according to your needs, website developers would ensure that you have a website that is made solely to suit your company and its products and services. This would give a sense of uniqueness while personalizing things the way you intend to portray your business to the audience.
They follow the needs of viewers
This is where artificial intelligence plays an active role where data science is known to help developers acquire information based on user data as well as the type of browsing that the masses undertake. This helps in know what the viewers look out for and that is what helps in coming up with the right type of website. Following old trends is no more the 'in' things to stay out of the league. Everyone follows modern trends and that is what all developers do.
Simple coding procedures
Complex coding is something that not everyone would understand. There is the need to make online browsing really simple as the masses lack patience. They do not have the time to browse through multiple pages and layers of a website and unless they find the exact thing that they are looking for, they would move on to the next relevant website. This would create trouble for the website traffic and thus isn't a good idea to follow.
While these are the things that website developers pay attention to, you are to select someone who has the right expertise to help you with a great website.
The author Nina Unger has had close association with a web development company in Bangalore and writes this article to help people know of what professionals for Magento development in Bangalore follow.
I started looking into online business models around 20 years ago. Initially I started out with eBay the auction giant. I bought and sold from the site and made a bit of extra money in between jobs.
After a while I decided there had to be a better way to earn money using the internet. I bought an eBook and decided this was probably the best model for selling online. It was a sale which didn't require anyone to personally be there. It was completely automated and because of the digital product it could be sold internationally, with no postage costs.
Although I knew nothing of how to operate a business like this successfully, I had stumbled on the best possible model for selling online. Nothing could stop me learning and despite many failures, I persevered until I found a business model which works.
It's called affiliate marketing and allows anyone to sell someone else's products over the internet. By linking to another product and recommending it, anyone can earn a commission if their link takes a customer to a product and makes a purchase.
Affiliate marketing is a bit like recommending a friend to a nice restaurant. Only, with affiliate marketing, you get to earn a commission if your friend goes to the restaurant which you recommended.
Despite finding this business model shortly after moving on from eBay, it was a while before I found any lasting success with it. I think that's partly because, at the time, there was very little help available on the internet for affiliate marketers. There were many "how to" courses which I bought, and some were more useful than others. Despite all my "failures", I persevered and found a good community to learn from.
This, I believe, is a major key to the success of many online entrepreneurs. They don't do it alone, they have help. I struggled for years because I didn't know who to turn to for help. It is possible to have success with an online business quite quickly, if you know the best possible route to take, and of course if you have the courage to go through on all the action steps.
The ultimate goal of course, with an online business, is financial freedom. Initially though this wasn't my goal. My goal was to be earning enough to survive from the internet without a job. I also wanted to earn in a way which was conducive to my happiness. Many of the jobs I had done had been stressful and lowly paid. The internet offered a means to earn from the comfort of my own home. At the time, just having a purpose and a direction was enough, even if it didn't make money immediately.
As time wore on though, I did wonder whether all this effort was really worth my time. I had made some progress, but there were many times when I thought about throwing it all in. I'm sure this is the same for many others who are out there working away at their various online pursuits.
What kept me going was the simple idea of the eBook I had bought. Someone, somewhere had made a commission from me buying that eBook and downloading it. I was going to do the same thing over and over.
One of my early successes was selling an affiliate marketing "how to" course which I sold using AdWords adverts and a landing page. The automation involved is one of the best things about an online business. It allows you to build a scalable business from anywhere in the world! I ran an advert which sent people straight to a landing page. From there I collected the emails with a piece of software known as an auto-responder.
Emails were automatically delivered to the subscribers and I started selling a few courses. I was just at the point where I could start increasing my budget to make more sales and my advertising platform got shut down. I was inconsolable! It hit me hard and I went through a long period of just having given up. I couldn't reinstate my account whatever I tried!
The internet is very forgiving though. Before long I was purchasing another course and learning something new. I did get stuck in learning mode for a long time. But, I still use the skills I learned years ago even now.
I got onto another course. This one taught a different approach. It was called The Keyword Academy and the course taught how to target specific keywords with articles and rank them on Google. It's a long time ago now and I'm sure the techniques are outdated. Things change quickly on the internet. After a good 6 months to a year I got almost nothing for all my work. I had built several websites but most of them were utterly useless!
I really don't know why I kept going and most (sensible) people would have given up. What kept me going was the idea of a business which ran itself, selling digital products over and over again.
I eventually found the aforementioned community and that's where I am now. If I had only had access to other people back then! A mentor is definitely what you need with an internet business. It's far too hard to go it alone. Get access to a community and learn by watching and modelling people who are already being successful.
Tim Halloran is an online marketer and martial artist. See his.: his website here
The Make Money Farce
You have seen them and probably received thousands of them since you have begun internet marketing. They come out the wood works, don't they? Opportunities promising that you too can make money online with little to no effort. You then invest your money into the opportunity only to find out there aren't any pies in the sky... only the cold hard reality that you just spent some of your rent money on someone's new car.
Yes, this is the reality many internet marketers face. I have been there. I started in this business with my father and let me tell you... we have seen every scam under the sun. Why? Because we were those people who had a dream and wanted to help other people through success only to find out there ain't no free lunch in business. The cold hard truth is that "business is business". Period. There are a million work from home opportunities contrived each year. There are many more gullible individuals who buy into the dream. In the end, they are left like me and my dad... a few thousand dollars shorter.
But, It's Online And It Has To Be TRUE
Here is a revelation. People who scam lie. They don't just lie a little, its more like lie a lot. They want you to trust them, and to believe their story. But when it comes to delivering... well. You know. You've been there a thousand and one times. You've spent your money on the magic potions of the internet only to realize that you are out of money and now have a rash (the legendary rash of discouragement).
I'm not here to sell you a pie in the sky. I am here to be your jolt of reality. Sleeper, it's time to wake up! The internet is not some new invention that defies the laws of business. It is business on steroids. Imagine the business rules you know and then multiply them by the sheer volume of variables now introduced by the online component. The internet can allow you to become very wealthy or very broke.
So... Can I Make Money Online Or Not?!
You can young Jedi. I know some of the things I've said may be a little cheeky but I am serious. There is no money like "internet business" online money. The thing is you have to see it for what it is. Your internet business is just that... a business. Do not enter the online business field with any other mindset than "I am going to run MY business".
There is nothing more rewarding and satisfying professionally then running your own business. And if ran right, your internet business can feed you and your family. You may be looking for quick ways to make money. Once you setup your business depending upon the model you use the money can come quick. It all comes down to you and your imagination. Add hustle, grind, and grit and you got something.
Nowhere to start? If you would like to skip the line click here for the proven method to get your internet business up and running quickly (which means more money).
I am serious about home business, and thankful for the time you have taken to read this article. If you are serious about beginning an online business then I recommend my Internet Business Quick Start Guide. Get your kit here now.
It is well known that as things stand, the majority of South Africans will not have enough money to sustain their current standard of living in retirement.
Recent increases to value-added tax and the fuel levy, among other things, have worsened the outlook for many.
Retirement savers would do well to avoid fairly common investment mistakes, according to chief executive officer at 10X Investments, Steven Nathan.
Here are the 10 mistakes retirement savers frequently make, and how to avoid them:
Mistake #1: Saving too little
The number one reason most people miss their retirement goal is because they don’t save enough.
“No rocket science here,” says Nathan. “You can’t save like a pauper and then expect to live like a prince in retirement.”
The basics of a successful model for retirement is that people should save 15% of their gross salary throughout their working life (an average of 40 years) and invest in a balanced high equity fund that charges low fees.
Mistake #2: Paying high fees
Fees matter a lot more than most people imagine, says Nathan. In the context of a 6.5% real return (that is after inflation), every 1% paid in fees reduces the return by more than 15%.
If investors are paying 3% in fees the return will be reduced by 45%, which means that more than half of the real annual return is lost to fees.
When the effect of compounding, where you earn a return on your return, is included the negative impact can be devastating.
Nathan urges investors to understand the fees they are paying, and to look for a low-cost provider that charges no more than 1% in total annual fees.
Mistake #3: The wrong asset mix
Choosing an asset mix that mirrors personal risk tolerance, such as conservative or risk averse, but is not appropriate for the investment time horizon can dramatically damage a retirement outcome.
"It is critical to grow your savings at a high rate for the majority of your savings period, which is why you should be invested in a high equity fund," said Nathan.
"A lower growth portfolio would be insufficient in the context of a 40-year savings plan, based on a 15% savings rate."
A life-stage solution, where one can automatically be switched to the appropriate portfolio as the time horizon changes, is a simple and effective solution.
Mistake #4: Investing in an underperforming fund
Nathan said that, when it comes to retirement investing, it is more important to eliminate the downside risk and reach the minimum savings goal than to entertain upside risk in the hope of overshooting the savings goal.
"No one should be gambling with something as important as their retirement savings," says Nathan.
Mistake #5: Emotional switching
Chopping and changing funds or asset classes, especially during periods of market turbulence, often leads to buying high and selling low.
Investors should rather stick to their plan and avoid the temptation to switch or try to time the market.
Mistake #6: Inadequate diversification
If you are over-invested in one asset class or security, you assume concentration risk, the risk that one investment will have a disproportionate impact on your savings outcome. As a retirement investor, you cannot afford the downside risk as it may ruin your pension.
Nathan says: “Remember, it’s about reaching your goal with the lowest possible risk; it is not about speculating your way to a dream existence.”
Savers should invest in various asset classes (equities, bonds, property and cash), each providing exposure to many different underlying securities, held across different currencies (local and international) and regions (for example, developed and emerging countries).
Mistake #7: Saving outside retirement funds
Tax-free deductions and investment returns can potentially increase the value of your retirement savings by up to 30%.
And you score again because your retirement income is almost always taxed at a lower average rate than the marginal tax you saved on your contributions.
Mistake #8: Starting to save too late
Few people in their 20s worry about retirement but, ideally, we should start saving towards retirement from our first pay cheque. We should keep it up throughout our working life (around 40 years on average).
Nathan says it is important to remember that contributions are only one source of your future retirement income. The other is the net investment return you earn on your contributions.
“The sooner you start contributing to your retirement fund, the longer your money has to grow.”
Initially, Nathan adds, the returns add only a little to your total pot, but once compounding (earning a return on your return) kicks in, the growth will pick up and continue building momentum.
“The effect is much like a snowball rolling down a mountain, until the compounded investment return totally overwhelms your contributions.”
Mistake #9: Cashing in savings on changing jobs
Not preserving what has already been saved is a very common mistake in South Africa: up to 80% of fund members have at some point cashed out their savings when they changed jobs.
Not preserving is like starting late: people lose not just the accumulated savings, but the return on those savings for the remainder of the savings term.
The foregone return becomes a big number when a fund is cashed in 30 years ahead of time.
Mistake #10: Underestimating how much money is required
Using a quality retirement calculator (based on accurate inputs and assumptions) provides a good sense of where savers stand relative to their goal, and what they could do to improve their savings outcome.
“When it comes to retirement planning, various factors are beyond your control, such as the macroeconomic environment and stock market performance, which makes it even more important to understand and control the many factors that you can,” says Nathan.
Steven Nathan is the chief executive officer at 10X Investments.
Procrastination is the number one dream killer ever known to mankind. Many people think that interruptions have something to do with procrastination. This would be the furthest thing from the truth. Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something of great importance for something of less importance. Let's face it, we all have procrastinated at one point in our lives. I get it, no one is perfect, but when procrastination begins to have a major impact on your life it may be time to do some soul searching to correct the problem.
So why do people procrastinate? This is a great question. Let's see if we can find out why and find out how to overcome it. First, let's identify the two variations of procrastination. For many years I have been fascinated by people who consistently procrastinate. You know the kind of people I am talking about. People that put everything off. These types of people will be late for their funeral.
In my line of work, I have come to the conclusion that procrastination stems from two areas of the human mind. The first area in question would be the conscious mind. This is the part of the mind that is active when you are awake and aware of what you are doing. The second area would be the unconscious mind. This would be the area of your mind where you are totally unaware of what you are doing. Conscious procrastination is the easiest to identify and also the easiest to negate. Unconscious procrastination is not that easy to recognize due to it having something to do with deep formed mental habits. We have to catch ourselves doing it before we actually know that we are doing.
Putting things off has destroyed so many dreams since the beginning of time. It has also caused more heartache and failure than all other time management issues combined. The procrastinator does not understand that the winds of opportunity blow upon us all, but the procrastinator never seems to notice due to not taking care of the things they should have taken care of.
Now, getting back to why people procrastinate. Why do people allow things that matter most to fall by the waste side to address things of lesser importance? Conceivably it could be due to the task being unpleasant. Some people unquestionably dislike washing their clothes, while other people dislike taking out the trash. Whatever the case, being productive and successful often requires people to get out of their comfort zones. The natural response to unpleasant tasks is to put them off. In short, we let events control us and our productivity. The only way to escape this vicious cycle is to become cognizant of our thoughts and behaviors.
Discipline is the key to negating procrastination. You will want to create urgency by setting deadlines for everything you do. This can be accomplished by setting goals and breaking those goals down into smaller tasks to be completed. You may want to address the unpleasant parts of those tasks first leaving the more enjoyable tasks for last. You may want to turn your tasks into a game, this will turn the drudgery into fun. You will also want to reward yourself for meeting your deadlines no matter how large or small they are.
Another reason we procrastinate would be due to over-committing, pursuing non-obtainable goals, fear of failure, being disorganized, and plain bad timing. The last reason I can come up with would be that we just don't care about if it gets done or not. The bottom line would be, we cannot do anything personally about procrastination until we are cognizant of its' existence.
If you are interested in learning how to crush procrastination in its' tracks drop by http://www.drmarkhuddleston.com and pick up a copy of "Eluding The Toxic Enemy Within." This book has inspired so many people to change the way they live and see the world.
The idea of being an "entrepreneur" is the new "rock star" - millions of young people going off the beaten track in order to try and secure a better future for themselves or their families.
Fuelled partly by the Internet and partly by a changing economic landscape, the young of today are more focused on themselves than ever, unwilling to take "menial" jobs at the likes of McDonald's; instead taking on large amounts of student debt in order to secure as lucrative career as possible.
It's in the midst of this tectonic shift (where barriers-to-entry have been eroded massively, and the world opened up for business) that many have placed "entrepreneurship"... the idea of "working for yourself". Unfortunately, it's most a lie.
If you're interested in this type of thing, the first thing you need to realize is that entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, not a vocation. Most people are not "entrepreneurs", they're merchants (buy and sell products).
REAL entrepreneurship is about doing / building something that's NEVER been done before. This might be something simple (a new flavour of soft drink), or something as difficult as getting humanity to Mars. It is NOT about "selling" products for the sake of it.
What many see as a "choice" between a Dystopic future of student debt, mortgages, auto loans and 40+ years of 9-5, is in fact fraught with the utmost danger and risk. The biggest problem is that no one will help you. You're 100% on your own.
In other words, don't become an "entrepreneur"... you have to either be "born" one (which isn't strictly true), or be so utterly determined to see your ideas come to fruition that you're willing to risk your life on making it work.
This is what most people don't see. They see the accolades, cars, success - they don't see what goes on behind the scenes. It's because of this that I wanted to write this article.
Angela Lee Duckworth called it "grit", Elon Musk called it "chewing glass and looking into the abyss of death"... the one thing that anyone looking to bring their ideas to life is survivability - the ability to persist even when everyone else has either quit or been killed.
Every time you look back through history, at the *true* entrepreneurs... the Galileo's of the world; Magellan's; Sir Francis Drakes... we see the same pattern every time. A world-defining event that THEY survived. This was then brought to the market in some form or another, transforming the way that people live and are able to operate.
What most people think of as "entrepreneurship"... starting a "blog", running a "social media" account or some other menial achievement... is nothing worthy of note.
It doesn't *do* anything. It's paper pushing.
To "become" an entrepreneur is very simple.
Shut up and get to work. Most make the error of telling everybody what they're doing. Not only is this a mistake, but kills and chances of actually completing the task you set out to perform. Move in silence.
In terms of what you "do", this is also simple - focus on completing a task that pays you money. Don't worry about changing the world or anything up front, that comes later. Just get your head down and focus on making more money than the other guy, by producing the *best quality work* you can.
Imbue EVERYTHING you do with excellence - reaching to your highest possible potential to pull it off. This is what it takes to become successful.
What's interesting is if you do this, you end up finding opportunities that come out of the blue. They just appear without actually being forced in any way, allowing you to then develop "systems" which can be used to elevate your work to a new level.
It's these systems which end up being the hallmark of an entrepreneur - having the insight to create *new* systems gives you the ability to continue on your upwards spiral. It's also where the "best" entrepreneurs begin to shine - they typically are dogged enough to understand that putting a "system" out into the world is - by far - the most important aspect to achieving growth in life. This is where the "grit" element comes from.
Being an entrepreneur is no easy task by far. You have to wear a lot of hats, especially when your business is just starting out and you are solely taking care of every aspect involved in managing your business.
Mastering the skills necessary to start and maintain a new business can be time-consuming and exhausting. Getting your business started and off the ground can be expensive as well. You want to advertise in every way you can. Selling tools can be costly. I suggest you do your homework before hand and attend workshops and expos so you can obtain as much information as you can so you will know how to market your brand and capture your target customers.
Fortunately there are a lot of educational resources online for those who might not be able to get out as much as they would like to or be able to link up with others to learn about business management and or marketing.
If you want to be the best Entrepreneur you can you need to know certain things when seeking to start and develop a business. You need to know about building websites and blogs, marketing your products, money management, how to attract customers, etc.
Google and YouTube can be informational if you have access to a computer. There are even Podcasts via iTunes that available to help with your research on certain subjects involved with the type of business you are seeking to start and some how to tips.
Think it over for a while and make sure you are ready for the task of becoming an Entrepreneur. It will involve many long days and nights. You will go to bed late and rise up early in the morning with a full plate in front of you in conjunction with managing your business. It is truly a full-time job especially if you are working solo with no one else to delegate certain responsibilities to that would shorten your daily to do list.
Being an Entrepreneur definitely requires patience. There will be highs and lows in your journey to get where you want to be in your business. There will also be some mistakes made along the way but it will teach you what not to do the next time. There will be times of frustration but you can't let quitting be your way to opt out because you can't reach your goals quick enough.
When in business we have to make wise decisions not rushed ones because we are anxious for faster results. Time can be our friend or our worst enemy.
Entrepreneurs seek to master the skills needed to be successful. Patience gives us the ability to work steadfast toward our goals. Let your mindset be one of consistency and perseverance, giving up is not an option. Think positive, crush defeat under your feet.
The life of your business is what you yourself invest into it. You get back results based on your efforts put in building, managing and marketing your brand. Good Customer Service is a must. Mix and mingle with your potential customers, be informational, not too much and not too little. In most cases we market ourselves through social media before we even decide to market something that we are passionate about. This is actually beneficial for you because friends can turn into potential buyers. They are already familiar with your personality which in most cases is a plus when people are choosing who they can do good business with.
Bottom line you have to be content with the pace your business is progressing until it arrives at the pace you desire it to be. When you operate in a non anxious state of mind it is easier to handle your business and it allows you to stay grounded in times of lack as well as times of increase.
Maintaining ones own business will present its challenges. You have to be prepared to encounter obstacles and be able to roll with the punches. You have to be willing as I have said before to stay committed and dedicated and trust in the possibility of a rewarding outcome.
Building a business takes time. Nothing grows to its full potential overnight it takes months of planning and nurturing and often reinventing your brand until it grows into what you want it to be. Remember think things through before making rash decisions which could lead to the decline or demise of your business.
Keep in mind all you have invested and how far you have come before you just give up, you might be closer than you think to a breakthrough in reaching your target audience who want what you are selling. This could lead to more doors opening with bigger and better things waiting for you and your business. Have Faith and continue to work diligently with humility and patience.
Never try to take on too much, plan, take steps at a pace you can handle without stressing yourself out. keep your brand visible so much that it begins to intrigue people to the point where they will keep coming back to get a glimpse of what you are doing and what new things you have to offer.
Think Big, Reach Big, Believe in yourself and keep working to make your dreams or plans a reality.
Money is very important in life. Therefore, there is a need to be properly educated on the issue of finances in order to handle them in a better way. Let us briefly look at the following three lessons:
1) Money is an Idea
The ordinary pursues money in life. But the great ones pursue great ideas. Good ideas normally solve people's challenges or problems in life. Once there is a great idea that is changed into reality, it automatically brings money. Think of great Edison and the light bulb? Today the electric industry is just great. It is hard to live without it. Think of Henry Ford and the invention of the car? It is just mind-blowing. We can't finish the list. You, therefore, need to generate ideas that will benefit mankind. Once you have done that, you will have the money you require in your life. There will be mutual benefit. People will benefit from your idea that has been turned into a solution for their problems. On the other hand, you will get the money you need.
Money is an idea.
2) Money does not make you rich
There are people who have money. Some earn big money but they are not rich. What does that tell you? Money does not make you rich. But what makes you rich? It is what you do with it. It is how you use money that makes you rich. If you follow those who are rich, you find that they use their money to buy assets. Then those assets work for them to build their wealth. But others, they use the money to buy liabilities. Some have been destroyed by failure to properly handle money.
How do you use your money?
3) Deal with two Money problems
Basically, there are two kinds of money problems. Those are; lack of money i.e. too little and too much money. You, therefore, need to learn how to deal with either of these two problems. Which of the two problems do you have? How are you dealing with it?
You have now learned three lessons about money. I pray that you may put these lessons into practice. Each lesson is very important. You need to deal with challenges you have that are associated with any of them. God wants you to enjoy life. Great things in life do not just come. You need to take action. Take responsibility for your life including finances. Get yourself a Life Coach.
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Everyone no matter their age, they all want to know how to be rich, how to hack life and make it financially. The significant driving force has been the perception that wealth or money means everything or can buy you all and make you happy. Millions of books have been written since the ancient times and yet you will find yourself looking for more and hopefully direct and easy ways around how to just make it. Well, you did great reading this article since you will see that most of what you need to make it you already have it.
Most young people just want to hack life and make it all at once without that effort nor patience of learning. This has created severe habits such gambling and fraud as a means to get rich quick. The other vice that has risen due to the elusive fact that all can make it is a generation of desperate and drug-addicted youths who believe that their fate is already sealed. This article is a wakeup call and a call to action to drop page thumping and expecting to find that one magical trick. You are all that you need.
How to start.
To begin with, by reading this means that you are ready and willing to make something out of yourself, get your head straight now and acknowledge that you have a working brain and a desire to make it.
The second move is to dream and make sure that you do not just imagine. The moment you can visualize anything in your head means that you can be able to make it happen for real.
Go ahead and write down your plan and evaluate how you are planning to achieve that. This, therefore, has to begin with small ideas and seeing them through. You cannot start planning for a Ferrari, and you do not own an account even. Start small and be patient to look at the fruits of your hard work.
Patience as a value comes in hand even when managing your wealth later in life. You have to carry out planned and well-calculated risk and wait patiently and trust in yourself that it will work.
The other thing is growing some balls because the moment you start investing you will have to be ready for risks and failures. Do not dwell on the failures instead move on and have better plans, do not lose focus but keep the desires, and all will work eventually.
Lastly, when you start making something, reinvest and work to grow bigger. Instead of celebrating and blowing up everything take it back and let it grow. Always have the mentality of safeguarding the capital you input at any time and then re-invest the profits for growth.
Conclusion.
The smart ones only win the money game and wealth creation. By accessing such information, you have been made smart, and that means you can go forth and grow yourself to whatever level you want.
You can always find more interesting articles here or hire my writing services. Reach me via mikiepirate12@gmail.com
A few months ago, I wrote about the two driving forces in every decision we make. Each decision you make is based on your attempt to avoid pain or pursue pleasure. In many areas of our lives, pain seems more intense and therefore, most of us base our decisions trying to avoid pain. Take someone who is out of shape for example.
Are they out of shape because they do not possess the knowledge to get in shape? No, we know what it takes to be in shape, but we also know it's hard, it takes work and commitment. For some, the idea of not eating what they want and working out is more painful than the pleasure of being in shape. Being in financial shape is not different.
We know that we need to budget our personal finances and we need to earn more than we spend to be in good financial health, but some people associate too much pain with not spending, so they spend. Each person has their own associations with pain and pleasure. In the article I wrote a few months ago, I focused on the benefits of pain and how it is necessary to reach your goals and how we should not avoid it. Success does not come easy and pain is part of that journey.
Knowing that pain is positive helps us when we are going to make a decision that could cause pain, but that knowledge alone might not be enough. What can make a big difference is our ability to focus on the pursuit of pleasure over the avoidance of pain. The idea is to make the thought of the pleasure more powerful than the thought of the pain. This is done in two ways:
GOALS
Obviously, we know goals are important in business. In fact, some will argue you will not be successful without them. What is not so easy to understand is why goals are so important. By having and focusing on goals, you are focusing on what you want, which is the pleasure we get from the decisions we make. When you are newer to business I would suggest focusing on a SMART goal, but my SMART goal might be a little different than what you have been taught.
Specific: The more specific your goal is the better. Your picture of what you want should be very clear.
Measurable: A goal like getting into shape is not only not specific but it cannot be measured. How will you know when you reach it? Great goals are easy to measure and know when they are accomplished.
Action Focused: This is the one that changes a little from what others are teaching. When you are getting started, created goals that are based on actions will help you. This is because they are easy to accomplish, and you can create some momentum. Small success leads to great things. For example, you might want to make a goal that you will make 5 offers each day or each week instead of doing one deal a month. Although you might want to do a deal a month, the focus should be on the actionable items that will get you there.
Reasonable: This is one that is challenging for a lot of us. We hear that if you shoot for the stars and miss, at least you will land on the moon. Although I do believe that we need to think big, I also understand that we need to believe our goals are attainable or we will not hit them. Our mind is so incredibly powerful that if it does not believe you can hit the goal... you can't. My advice is to make short term goals that stretch you, but that you believe are possible. As you start hitting your goals you will be expanding your mind and can create bigger and bigger goals. There is also nothing wrong with dreaming or setting lofty longer-term goals. That too can be very positive in your development.
Time Based: As mentioned above I like the idea of short term goals. My preference is a year or less on the actual goals that you are going to focus on. Monthly goals work well. There should also be rewards for hitting these short terms goals. In no case should your goal not come with a definitive date to accomplish.
BIG WHY
I have written several articles and posts about this, so I will not spend too much time here, but it is important to mention that it is my strong opinion that your why is the one fail safe way to have success in anything you do. As long as your why is big enough, you cannot fail. Period.
The second way to shift your focus to the pleasure is your big why. Your why is very different than a goal, as it might not meet any of the SMART criteria. It is huge, much bigger than you, and is often something that is hard for you to even realize you are capable of accomplishing. Your goals will be based on this, but it is not something that you are tracking in most cases. It is often times much bigger than you, like leaving a legacy or helping or starting a charity. It is my why that keeps me going when things get hard and it is my why that helps me make decisions that I know will cause some temporary pain. It helps you bust through fear.
By focusing on your dreams and your goals you will be able to look past temporary pain, so you can create lifelong pleasure. Combine this strategy with the knowledge that pain is positive and you will be unstoppable!
We all know that website or blog traffic is the only key to generating life changing kind of money online. And one of the preferred methods among super successful affiliate marketers is commenting because you can reach millions of visitors, you just need to look in the right places.
You will have access to 5 sites within the online marketing niche later in this article. Combined, they have over 150 MILLION Visitors per Month! But you also need to know how to do your own research because that will enable you to reach these kind of sites in Any Niche.
You need to know whether the particular site is in fact indexed in Google. You need to know the page rank and both the quantity and quality of visitors to that site. Visitor origin is extremely important, next to a product in demand (On Your Blog).
In another Blog Post I demonstrate a certain research method that will show you just How to "Look In the Right Places". You need to research the sites you wish to comment on, and by using the simple tools as demonstrated above, I was able to come across sites with as much as 85.3 MILLION visitors per month.
But get this, they all allow comments and most even allow you to share your website and blog URL. Be careful though because the more professional the site, the less tolerance they will have to unprofessional conduct. This includes desperate sales pitches and a flood of random affiliate links, you only EVER share a URL to your own blog or website in any comments you make.
Most professional sites will provide you with one of 2 most used commenting options;
An On-Site Contact Form - That will allow you to share your URL by providing an option to do so, these forms normally require your name, email, URL and of course your comment.
Comments Feed Plugin - This is when you leave a comment by having to log into a particular social profile or Gravatar account to do so. And as these commenting options do not allow a special window for your URL, you DO NOT share any URL in these comments.
Within context however, you may want to suggest a certain idea and have other people respond to your comment. Should that discussion lead to an increased interest and request to view your site, then you share the link to your personal blog or website.
When You Comment - You always stay on topic, and blend with the discussion at hand. That can only be done by actually reading the particular post you wish to comment on. Don't just barge in with a desperate sales pitch or offer, it mirrors desperation. Keep your comments as professional as possible, and you will never have to write another sales pitch.
Professional commenting (And Actually Getting results) is a time consuming exercise and must never be done hastily. Apart from researching the sites you wish to comment and even guest post on, you also want to read other comments. Find what a particular audience is looking for so that you may be able to offer a suitable and obvious solution (That Actually Works). And make sure this offer is available On Your Blog, preferably with a proper discussion because you want to inspire your visitor to want to Know More.
The purpose of your comment must be to get the visitor to your own blog or website, you then need to ensure your content is interesting and useful enough to keep your visitor there. A great way to check this is to pay attention to your visitor/view ratio. Your visitors should be less than the views because it indicates that you're on the right path, it means you have returning visitors.
Now I did promise to provide access to my personal 5 commenting favourites, but I strongly advise you master that research method we discussed earlier.
Moz- This site offer an On Site Comment window that allows you to share your URL as a Hyper Link. Do not enter a raw URL (And Especially an Affiliate Offer URL) anywhere, because this is also a great way to get Moz to recognize your Blog or Website. Share the link to your personal site by means of the Hyper Link option provided.
Once signed up and inside your membership, you need to visit the Moz Blog to be able to comment and share your thoughts. You will also be able to answer questions because this is a site that offers great engagement, I can tell you that.
The Penny Hoarder - This site uses a Facebook comment plugin. You will need to login with your Facebook credentials to comment here, so be sure your profile is as complete and professional as possible. You will not have to register an account with the Penny Hoarder, only Facebook login to comment. And remember to only share the link to your blog or website when asked to do so.
Pro Blogger - And this is a perfect example of the on-site comments window where you have the option of sharing your blog URL. Once your comment is approved, your site will be accessible to reader when they click on your name in the comment. Pro Blogger, like Penny Hoarder requires no registration.
Money Talks News- Another high value site that does not require any registration. Like The Penny Hoarder, Money Talks too uses the Facebook comments plugin so the same rules apply. Only share the URL to your blog when asked to do so.
Always remember that content is the King of sales conversion, and unique content is what will have your site stand out. Content is the single most important part of actually generating money online, and endless research is the only way to be able to provide your audience with the relevant content. You must do the research, so your reader does not have to.
And that is how you can now leverage commenting to your profitable advantage.
Success Means Going From Failure To Failure Without The Loss Of Enthusiasm - http://easyinternetmoneyandjobs.com
