How Perfectionism Kills the Online Entrepreneur

Posted on October 10, 2009 by admin

“No, I’m not ready to release my….(fill in the blank here with ezine, ecourse, ebook, blog, website, etc.) because it’s not quite ready. I need to…(fill in with your excuse here: do more work on it….have it edited….review the copywriting, etc.)”

How many times has a statement similar to that come out of your mouth? I know for me that it’s happened more often than I care to recount. I am a recovering perfectionist who used to utter some variation of the above sentence with great regularity.

What I’ve discovered in my time as an Internet entrepreneur is that my need for perfection in my products or marketing materials is simply another excuse to procrastinate. Yep, when I try and convince myself that the ebook needs more copy editing or that my website needs just a few more pages to make it say just what I want it to say, all I’m doing is creating plausible excuses to put something off for a few more days, or even weeks or months. Why?

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Can I Relax and Create Wealth

Posted on August 15, 2009 by admin

1166633__pure Did you know that you can relax and create a thriving business? Relax and create wealth? Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Don’t successful entrepreneurs constantly rush around?

We are constantly encouraged to rush around and stay busy. It seems like most people are operating at a frenetic pace just to stay in place. No one seems to have the time to relax and enjoy life. This is especially noticeable on public transit on any major city at rush hour. People seem to rush around like chickens with their heads cut off.

However, Wallace Wattles, the author of the Science of Getting Rich, asserts that “There is never any hurry on the creative plane, and there is no lack of opportunity.” He implies that people hurry because they are in a scarcity mindset. They believe that there isn’t enough “good stuff” for everyone and that they have to rush to ensure that they get their share. This belief causes people to operate from the competitive mind.

Mr. Wattles also states that “When you get out of the competitive mind you will understand that you never need to act hastily. No one else is going to beat you to the thing you want to do; there is enough for all. If one space is taken, another and a better one will be opened for you a little farther on; there is plenty of time.”

So how do you operate in the creative plane when you haven’t achieved your goal? Or when you’re experiencing challenges in your business? It would be easy to fall into the scarcity mindset and hurriedly take action because you think that action will be the key to your business success.

However, this is the time to focus on your vision. Spend time contemplating your vision, visualizing what it will feel like when you achieve your goals.

For example, if you want to send your children to private school, picture yourself writing the cheque for the private school. Imagine your children’s excitement on their first day at the new school. Go to the school, talk to some teachers and soak up the energy. Put pictures of the school around your home. As you do so you increase your faith, your belief that you are sending your children to the private school.

Mr. Wattles also recommends that “in times of doubt and indecision, cultivate gratitude.” Spend time thanking God in advance for providing you with the means to send your children to a private school. Thank Him for the great teachers and the wonderful friendships that your children develop at the new school.

As you spend more time contemplating your vision with gratitude that it is manifesting, you will be shown exactly what you must do to grow your business. You relax and take action calmly for you know that you are creating a successful online business. You and your family are living the life of your dreams.

Andrea Scott is a joyful internet marketing entrepreneur who shows others how to have a successful online business. To find out how to have an online business that generates a 6-figure income in your first year, click here

7 Essential Tips for the Successful Entrepreneur

Posted on July 6, 2009 by admin

1189527_flower_tree As someone who runs an online business and does a great deal of travelling, I can attest to the immeasurable value that a virtual assistant can provide. In addition to having a virtual assistant to help during busy times, there are other resources that travelling entrepreneurs should tap into before leaving the office.

The beauty of an online business is that you can access it from wherever you may be. That flexibility provides a number of benefits to entrepreneurs. One valuable bonus is the ability to hire a virtual assistant to cover for you. Equally beneficial is the capability to conduct business while travelling with a virtual office at your fingertips. In order to do so, here are 7 things that every travelling entrepreneur should consider:

1. A Virtual Phone Number.

A virtual number is typically a toll-free number that you can redirect to your land line or mobile phone. This allows your online business to maintain consistency no matter where you are. When travelling, a virtual phone number enables you to be accessible to your customers at all times.

2. Call Answering.

When you consider that 70% of callers will not leave a message if you don’t answer the phone, a virtual assistant is invaluable phone coverage when you are not available. You can seamlessly route your virtual phone number to whichever number you choose. This is an ideal option when you are restricted from using your mobile phone while travelling, taking a vacation, or in another time zone. A virtual assistant can provide coverage for your online business when you can’t.

3. Virtual Address.

An online business has many advantages, among them not having to rent office space. With a virtual address, you can still have a postal mailing address by using a registered office service that will handle your mail and have it forwarded to you. You can streamline the process even further by having your virtual assistant sift through the junk mail and either scan/email or fax the essential pieces to your current location.

4. Virtual Post.

Whenever you are unable to get to a post office during hours of operation, there are several services where you can email documents and information to them and they’ll print and send it for you. The service will actually format your document and ensure that it is mailed promptly.

5. Email Handling.

An online business can attract a great deal of emails, some worthwhile, others unsolicited. When you’re travelling, you want to be able to access the important emails quickly and easily. One way to cut down on non-essential emails is to set up a virtual email box for your newsletter subscriptions and other resources you might use. This will limit the number of emails you receive to your direct online business account. The other email accounts can be perused at your leisure, or a virtual assistant can sort through the information and email you articles that are valuable to you.

6. Collaboration.

Find a virtual assistant who uses online collaboration software or a client project space. Keep everything perfectly organized in just one place and subscribe for updates using RSS feeds. This provides one simple stream of workflow that will keep you constantly updated, even with your mobile devices.

7. Mobile Device.

Make sure you have a hand held computer to avoid carrying around a laptop or briefcase. Always carry your virtual office in your pocket.

Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss Friday, a highly experienced Executive Virtual Assistant Service which collaborates with businesses and individuals with the sole aim of accomplishing their professional goals. Want to learn more about these comprehensive online business building success strategies? Join the Campaign for FREE Virtual Assistance today!

How to Take Action on Your Vision

Posted on June 28, 2009 by admin

1150494_leaf You’ve discovered your vision. You know exactly what you are creating with your online business and you’ve crafted a vision statement that aligns with your values. You know why you are building a successful business. You are so excited! … And terrified! What do you do now?

Now it’s time to take action, to develop a strategy to achieve your goals. When you review your vision statement, what motivates you? Studies show that people have a stronger desire to avoid pain rather than to achieve pleasure.

Take the time to ask yourself some honest questions. What situation do you want to change? How much pain are you in? How badly do you want avoid the pain that you experience? How fed up are you?

Once you’ve established that you are highly motivated to change the situation, then it’s time to set S.M.A.R.T. goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely or Tangible. Choose specific, precise and attainable goals. They should challenge your comfort level – stretch you.

Is your goal realistic? A goal needs to be relevant – relative to your current state. You also need to have a plan. Is your goal timely? You need to set a definite time frame within which you’ll accomplish your objective.

Write out your goals and review them daily. Choose one goal and create an action plan. What are the benefits for achieving this goal? How does this goal help you fulfill your vision? List the benefits.

What are the obstacles to achieving this goal? What could hold you back from reaching your goal? What are the solutions to these obstacles? What resources do you have access to?

Write the goal on a large index card. Ask yourself, “What will it take to achieve this goal?” List the tasks that you need to do, write each task on a smaller index card.

For each task, ask yourself, “What needs to be done to complete this task?” Arrange the index cards in the sequential order that the tasks should be accomplished.

Once you have a complete list of all the tasks that need to be done, set a deadline to achieve this goal. Set a schedule to complete the tasks for the next two months and enter this information in your daily planner or on Outlook.

The next step is to identify the costs of achieving this goal. What are your expenses? Create a spreadsheet to record your costs. Include the time required to achieve this task as one of your expenses.

However, do not let the information gathered here deter you from pursuing your dream! Although you may find that your costs are more than you imagined, there are many creative ways to get what you want.

Create some affirmations to support you in achieving this goal. For example, if your goal is to create a website for your business, you could state, “I joyfully create a wonderful website that brands me as a leader in internet marketing.” Or, “People are drawn to my website and are eager to do business with me.”

Visualize yourself with a profitable online business. Envision yourself achieving your goal. Expect success!

6 Ways To Promote Online Business Opportunities You May Not Be Doing

Posted on June 17, 2009 by admin

252122_going_up When promoting an Internet business you are never at a shortage of ways to do it. However some of them are not always effective! Also there are ways to promote online business opportunities that you may not be currently doing.
Here are six ideas I have come up with that I do not see Internet business owners doing on a consistent basis.

1. Set up a signature file with your online business URL. You would be amazed at how many emails you send every day.

By not having a signature file at the bottom of every one of those you are wasting potential free advertising space. You are also wasting an opportunity to promote your online business opportunity. This is easy to set up and something you can go do right now.

2. Trade blog articles with other blog publishers. Mix it up and find other blogs that are in the same niche as you but do not directly compete with you. Offer to trade articles with them and you both will reach potential readers that you do not currently have.

3. Run solo ads in highly visible ezines. There are many email newsletters that have been around for over 10 years now.

These have extremely loyal readers and are a potential target audience for you to reach. Although these ads may seem expensive running a solo ad where you are the focus in it can be a great way to promote your online business opportunity.

4. Place a banner ad on high traffic blogs. This is certainly the wave of the future and for smart Internet business owners the wave of the present. High-traffic blogs can give you exposure at a very effective rate that can pay you back many times over.

5. Set up a pay per click campaign on search engines other than Google. Many times we forget there are other search engines to promote on.

One website that is a great place to find hundreds of other search engines to advertise on me is PayPerClickSearchEngines.com. You can find many excellent bargains and cheap traffic in places other than Google there.

6. Join the Free Traffic System and target keyword phrases you want to rank high with Google on. This is a fairly new system that is a fast way to create backlinks to your blog for targeted keyword phrases.

This article has just shown you six ways to promote online business opportunities you may not currently be doing. Hopefully you will take up one or more of these today!

Paul Jesse started a successful work from home business in 2003 and inspired many others to look for online business opportunities. If you’re ready to make money working online, visit ==>http://www.sheamarketing.com for more information.

Photo: Iva Villi

5 Most Effective Online Continuity Program Models

Posted on June 14, 2009 by admin

1191863_future1 Continuity programs are the “new” online business model that has recently escalated in popularity. No longer is it good enough to simply sell information products for a one-time sale or sell your services online. Instead, online business owners need to seriously think about changing their business model to include the concept of recurring revenue. This passive revenue model brings in regular recurring income on a weekly or monthly basis from the same customers. While there is still some work required to continue to market these programs, overall you will find it much more profitable to sell to one customer over and over again rather than having to go and find new customers repeatedly for a one-time information product sale.

Many companies have been offering continuity programs for years. Proactive does it with face cleanser. Leeza Gibbons does it with Sheer Cover makeup. Doubleday does it with books. Columbia House does it with DVDs. Each of these companies offers an option in which subscribers pay a set fee each month and receive something new in return (books, DVDs, etc.). I’ve belonged to all of these continuity programs at some point in my life, and chances are, you have, as well. How can you incorporate this recurring revenue model into your business?

Here are the 5 most effective online continuity program models to consider for your online business:

1. Retainer. Attorneys and accountants have done this for years — their clients go on a regular retainer and the client can contact the attorney/accountant whenever needed as defined by the parameters of the retainer. Consultants, coaches, and virtual assistants offer this option, as well, as a way of providing services over an extended period of time. While having this in place makes for less client turnover, this model is the most time-intensive model of all of these models, as the model requires trading time for dollars. Most retainers offer x number of hours of work or x projects to be completed in return for a set monetary amount.

2. Subscription Membership. In this model, you are providing new content regularly to your members via a membership web site. Members log in and access new articles, audio, checklists, ebooks, discussion forum posts, etc. This is a content-driven model, as you need to continue to provide new content for your returning members as well as to attract new members. The upside of this model is that many members retain their membership for a year or longer, especially if offered the option of a reduced annual membership fee.

3. Fixed-term membership. In this model, you are providing new content on a weekly basis to your members for a fixed period of time. While initially time-intensive to set up, this model runs fairly seamlessly once all of your program modules are written. As long as your topic isn’t one that needs continual updating, you can create this once and resell this again and again. However, unlike the other models, you keep your members only for a limited time (3 months, 6 months, 12 months) and then need to boost your marketing to continually replace members for this program.

4. Club or Inner Circle or VIP Program. This is a model that coaches, consultants, and speakers often use and may be marketed as a group coaching program. Typically the participant gets access to the program leader or an expert via a teleclass, and a printed teleclass transcript and CD are mailed to the participant each month. The program leader may also include open Q&A/coaching sessions, sporadic 1:1 coaching mini-sessions, and access to various resources and contacts to further help the participants. As long as members feel they are receiving value, they’ll generally remain a participant in this type of program.

5. Association. Becoming the founder or president of a national or international association offers the kind of leverage not found in any other model. Because associations connote expertise, being the leader of an association automatically makes you the expert in a particular area. Reporters and writers often look to leaders of associations to comment on trends in an industry, which will result in much media attention for your business. Membership benefits and membership packages are the key offerings here, whether that’s a monthly teleclass, access to specific downloadable content, networking opportunities, direct mail membership welcome packets, etc. This model is generally the least time-intensive, as 80% of your members will receive their membership package and not be heard from again until it’s dues renewal time.

Why continue to trade time for dollars? Take a look at these continuity program models and see which one(s) make sense for your online business. If you pick the right target market at the right time, one of these models may become your full-time business.

Copyright © 2009 OnlineBizU.com Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.OnlineBizU.com