Business Traits Part #1 Napoleon Hill
Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
In this chapter of Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill goes to great lengths to make the distinction between generalized knowledge and specialized knowledge; and between formal education and practical information. By citing examples of the lives of certain individuals in an offhand manner, Hill alludes to the most important thing about knowledge. Here it is plainly spoken: Knowledge, by and of itself, has little, if any, value. You may find that shocking or, at least contrary to everything you’ve been taught, but it is true. Knowledge only becomes valuable in its application. You may have heard that knowledge is power. Wrong. It is applied knowledge that begets power, wealth and the advancement of humanity. The secret is in the application, not in the knowledge itself. For years, I considered myself to be highly educated about success. I willfully ignored the evidence of my own lack of success, considering it a temporary aberration. Once, I really got that it is the application, not the possession, of knowledge that produces results, I went from average to highly successful in a matter of months. To quote one of the wisest of teachers, Confucius: “The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.” Hill does point out, in the first paragraph of this chapter, that although universities possess perhaps all of the aggregate knowledge of humankind, professors, for the most part, although surrounded by all this knowledge and though very knowledgeable, have themselves little or no money; while many people of little formal education go on to produce great wealth and great material advancements for all humanity. He also alludes to, but does not spell out plainly, that the very best form of specialized knowledge, that a person who desires success and wealth can obtain, is the knowledge of how to become successful. How sad it is to teach our children to aspire to success but not teach them how to get it. We teach them that an education will bring them success and happiness, but neglect to tell them what specific education that is and further neglect to say that it is the application of the specific education that will bring success and happiness. Hill makes great use of the story of Henry Ford proving, in the courtroom, that although he was uneducated, he was not ignorant, because, as he said it, “any time I should wish to know something specific, I can simply push a button on my desk and some person who knows the answer will come to provide it to me.” These days, with the accumulation of information and training being as easy as the ‘click of a mouse’, there is no excuse for not being successful in any field, except that you are ignorant of the principles of success, or for some personal perversity, refuse to apply them to your life.
Continue Reading
JV BASICS…..
Posted on 26. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
Joint Ventures are a slam dunk way to propel your business into Instant Action!! Joint Ventures are a way to be able to partner up with Radio Stations, Internet Marketers, Advertising Agencies, and Companies. Let’s get real specific though on what you must have, how you must approach, and what you must give in this relationship.
That last word is the key. You must create a relationship. The last thing that any marketer, radio station, or anyone in a JV position wants to be, is sold. You are not trying to close a sale here. Any self respecting marketer has spent money and years in developing their relationships and lists, and they will protect that relationship at all cost. You must understand the person you are emailing and calling. Before you would ever approach someone like, let’s say Frank Kern, don’t you think you should know all you can about him, his products, services, and target audience? You bet. In any relationship, it is built on common ground, interest, and knowledge of one another.
Think of any Joint Venture Partner as a “Courting Period”. Take the time to open the dialogue via email or phone, let them know why you calling, and why you admire what they are doing. Don’t be a cheesy car salesman and close them on selling your stuff. You must first do Research and for a Relationship. Second, you better have Value. Remember, any Marketer or Joint Venture Partner is building or running their Business as well. Be sure that when forming the relationship you have a Product or Opportunity that is well worth their time. One, your Opportunity must have Value not only to them but to their lists and people they have relationships with. It must be something simple, easy to understand, and will provide on going value and income potential. Understand your own opportunity; it’s not always about Money for people. Value, Integrity, and ongoing Opportunity will mean just as much as the “Almighty Dollar”.
Remember Value. Third, you better be into Generosity. What I mean is, this is at a minimum a 50/50 relationship. I believe in most cases it should be a 75/25 relationship. I mean 75 to them. Even though this relationship is a peer relationship, at the moment they hold the keys, at least in the groups and lists they have influence over. In the case of Networking Marketing or Affiliate Marketing this Joint Venture Partnership is building your frontline and potential residual income for you. You must reward that relationship.
Remember your building a long term business and a long term relationship, you must think of all the future benefits you will receive, not the Instant Gratification of a Dollar Today!!! By the way, people can sense desperation or money hungry….and people don’t do Business with People like that, period end of story. Have a Long Term Vision.
Continue Reading
TWITTER ARTICLE….
Posted on 25. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
This was such a great article by @chrisbennett on Twitter that I HAD to share with you…Please note the importance of being on, a part of, and utilizing Twitter to your advantage.
Twitter, the Most Important Website Since Google?
I will be the first to admit while it didn’t take me a long time to sign up and start networking with friends on Twitter, it has taken me a long time to understand the true power of the website. When I first started using it I saw it as a networking and communication tool. The more I come to use it and the more I watch people from all walks of life using it I am starting to see why Twitter may possibly be the most important website since Google. To help you understand my logic I want to start with some thoughts on Google.
I think it is safe to say most everyone believes Google is currently the most important website on the internet. When I say important I mean the one that has effected how we use the internet the most thus far. Before it came out we were all satisfied with Yahoo, DogPile and other engines and then Google came a long and it got some grass roots buzz, it was the cool new minimalistic search engine that had surprisingly good results with a clean interface. Soon everyone that was savvy enough to know they could choose the search engine they retrieved info from, chose Google. Google didn’t enhance search, Google popularized search. Yes search was around before Google but people didn’t stop using the Yellow Pages and the Phone book and every other method of finding information until Google.
Enter Twitter -Even among Google, Google Blog Search, RSS Readers, Blogs, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, FaceBook etc. there is still room in our already thin attention span for a site like Twitter. Like Google, Twitter is simple, straight forward and extremely easy to use. I don’t look at Twitter as a micro-blogging service I look at as a literal representation (both through information and networking) as to how small this planet really is. Short 140 character messages isn’t what Twitter is but how it is carried out. Twitter is becoming a behemoth of instant information with the ability to follow up with and talk to the person providing that information. Sure you could say that is the same thing as blogs, but most of what is said in blogs can and is starting to be said through 140 characters and you can digest more info from more people that way. I replaced my RSS reader with Twitter in fall of last year, I have seriously logged in to my Reader less then 10 times since September to read blogs when it used to be a daily occurrence. If someone asked, “what is Google not doing well on the web?” Twitter would be at the top of my list. Twitter is a Real Time engine with personal and live feedback.
#Twitter #Search -Part of the long term stability I see with Twitter is from search.twitter.com. Anything I need to know about something that is happening right now or has happened in the last 12 hours I use Twitter search for. I used to search through Google Blogsearch, Digg, Delicious, Youtube to get breaking news but now I am alerted to it so quick through someones update, and I can go to Twitter search and get hundreds if not thousands of snippets of info and links seconds/minutes after it is happening. Everyone knows about Twitter and the Hudson River, Mumbai attacks etc. You can’t get that from Google. What takes Google minutes or hours to show you takes Twitter seconds. Google Organizes others content, Twitter creates and organizes its own content. When Jon Stewart ripped Jim Cramer a “new one” I found out about it live from people watching in Eastern time and I was able to go set my TIVO for MST and watch it that night. Before Twitter it would of been a Youtube clip submitted to Digg, Reddit or SU the next day. Danny Sullivan mentioned a similar experience during his keynotes at Omniture Summit and SMX West 09 about an earth quake that hit SoCal, he had tweeted about it and started to get replies and see results with information within minutes. There is no other site on the web that has this capability, and I don’t mean as in software but in software powered by a large and growing organic user base.
Sandwich Tweets -Tweeting about the homemade panini you made or about the Audi test drive you just took is just as vital to Twitter as live excerpts from members of Congress during the State of the Union. If I wanted a new recipe to make for my wife I would use Twitter in that quest. I am in the market right now for a new car and I have used Twitter to find and reach out to those driving what I am interested in to get real live feedback. You can go to CitySearch or Amazon to see reviews on a product or company, but you can go to Twitter to see less biased reviews and you can talk to the person making those reviews and ask specific questions.
No More Red tape – Twitter will replace a lot of media outlets or at least steal a lot of share from them. The way companies can communicate and react to customers via Twitter is Gods great gift to customer communication and loyalty. Before Twitter and partly due to sites like Digg Comcast was the Cable provider ran by Lucifer himself, now because of the outreach that Comcast has utilized via Twitter it is on its way to Saint Hood. Dell has similar experiences. Twitter is finally helping companies be agile who without it were stiff and slow. Social media and blogging in the large corporate space has always been hindered by Red Tape, Twitter forces companies to break that Red Tape. Large companies put review and approval processes before publishing blogs, can you imagine if tweets had to go through legal first? Not going to happen, Twitter forces companies to put someone capable and trusted at the helm as it cannot be regulated it like other mediums.
Twitter Tipping point – Twitter is mainstream, the nature of Twitter allows every user to utilize its power in their own way, if you are a stay at home mom, CNN, Ashton Kutcher, Jimmy Fallon, small business owner, or the President of the United States you can use Twitter to better your objectives no matter what they may be. This is why it is Mainstream and why it isn’t going to stop, and you think there are a lot of people on there now? I guarantee you that in less than 6 months the user base will nearly double, and instead of people with 400k followers we will have people with over 1M followers. Before Twitter where else would you be able to talk to Shaq or get a late night link to a live streamed jam session by Shawn P twitty Combs. People that have influence on Twitter will have influence on the world especially in media. If I was hiring in any kind of business that needed media/marketing presence and I had two nearly identical resumes on my desk and one applicant had no twitter account and the other had 15,000 followers who do you think I am going to hire?
Embrace or be Replaced – Every company needs to embrace and leverage Twitter before Twitter replaces them. Twitter is already been said to take a chunk out of Job sites could do the same to Social Sites, classifieds, dating sites, search engines, aggregators, and so on. FaceBook knows that Twitter is their biggest threat, and it is carving out a strong hold as the most powerful Real Time Search Engine that Google cannot Duplicate.
Conclusion – There will be a new media darling in a year just as Digg was before Twitter, but Twitter will take on its own role and it isn’t going anywhere. Soon pretty much anyone with an internet connection will be using Twitter if not to tweet but to find Real Time information. In my opinion it is the most influential and important site since Google.
Continue Reading
Saluting Women Entrepreneurs…
Posted on 24. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
Women are a Driving Force on the Internet. Women Entrepreneurs are true Successes!! Before the invention of the Internet, women have played a critical in the development of many major inventions. I have chosen to highlight four prominent Women Entrepreneurs below.
Few women sought patents in the 19th century because, in many states, they couldn’t legally own property independent of their husbands. As a result, women didn’t bother to patent their inventions, sought patents in their husband’s names or sold the rights to their inventions–often for a paltry sum–to hide their gender.
Women accounted for 10.9 percent of patents overall in 2002, the last year for which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has data available.
content continues below
In honor of Women Entrepreneurs, we decided to highlight four women inventors of the past whose inventions made a significant impact on society.
First woman to receive a U.S. patent in her own nameMary Kies Patented: May 5, 1809 Mary Kies, a Connecticut native, invented a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. The technique proved valuable for making cost-effective bonnets for women who worked in the fields.
First Lady Dolley Madison honored Kies for bolstering New England’s economy during an embargo her husband, President James Madison, placed on imported European goods. The embargo was introduced to maintain America’s neutrality during the Napoleonic wars, and the first couple hoped Kies’ invention would boost American manufacturing.
Several industrialists invested in Kies’ straw-weaving process, but changing tastes in fashion soon robbed her hat-making technique of commercial value. A fire at the U.S. Patent Office destroyed Kies’ original patent file in 1986. A year later, Kies died penniless in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her grave in the Old South Killingly Cemetery lacked a headstone until 1965, when the local Grange erected a monument. Today, two samples of the straw fabric woven by Mary Kies are on display at the Killingly Public Library in Danielson, Conn. Other samples are on display in the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Conn.
DishwasherJosephine Garis Cochrane Patented: 1886
Josephine Garis Cochrane wasn’t the only inventor in her family. Her father, John Garis, invented a hydraulic pump for draining marshes and her great-grandfather, John Fitch, obtained a patent for a steamboat design in 1791.
Married to William A. Cochran, she Europeanized her married name by adding an “e” after her husband died in 1883. Shortly thereafter, she invented the dishwasher to preserve her family treasures. It’s said that Cochrane, a wealthy Illinois socialite, was tired of her servants chipping her heirloom china. She reportedly proclaimed, “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself.”
She measured her dishes and built a set of wire compartments, each designed to fit plates, cups or saucers. The compartments were placed inside a wheel that lay flat inside a copper boiler. A motor turned the wheel, pumping hot, soapy water from the bottom of the boiler to rain down on the dishes.
Cochrane unveiled her dishwasher at the 1883 Chicago World’s Fair, where restaurants bought all nine that she had made. Cochrane founded the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Co., naming it for her father and her husband, to manufacture and market the machines. But at the time, most homes’ hot water heaters couldn’t supply as much hot water as the dishwasher required, so sales were limited to restaurants and hotels.
Cochrane died in 1913, but her dishwasher didn’t become popular for home use until the 1950s, with the advent of more hot water in the home, effective dishwashing detergent and a change in attitude toward housework.
Cochrane’s company became KitchenAid, and the first KitchenAid dishwasher–based on Cochrane’s design–was introduced to the public in 1949.
Disposable DiaperMarion DonovanPatented: 1951
Marion Donovan was born Marion O’Brien to a family of inventors in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1917. Her father and uncle–who owned a manufacturing plant–invented the South Bend lathe, used for grinding automobile gears and gun barrels. After her mother died when she was 7, Marion spent a great deal of her free time at the factory.
She briefly worked for Vogue magazine before marrying James Donovan and raising a family. Like so many mothers, Donovan was frustrated by her baby’s exasperating habit of wetting her diapers as soon as they were changed, and soiling the sheets.
In 1946, she designed a waterproof diaper cover that she named the “boater,” using a series of shower curtains to create a reusable, leak-proof diaper cover that didn’t create diaper rash.
The final product, available in 1949, was made of nylon parachute cloth, and featured metal and plastic snaps instead of safety pins. Donovan later designed a composition of sturdy, absorbent paper. She received her patent in 1951.
Manufacturers initially laughed at her invention. Undeterred, Donovan went into business for herself and eventually sold her company for $1 million.
The diaper wasn’t Donovan’s only invention. She eventually received more than a dozen patents for items including the Big Hangup, a compact hanger that held 30 garments; the Zippity-Do, an elastic cord that attached to the zipper on the back of a dress to make it easier to zip up; and a soap dish designed to drain into a sink.
Liquid PaperBette Nesmith GrahamPatented: 1954
An executive secretary with a passion for art, Betty Nesmith combined her two avocations to develop Liquid Paper.
In 1951, Nesmith, a divorcee, was an executive secretary for W.W. Overton, chairman of the board of the Texas Bank & Trust in Dallas. Electric typewriters were becoming popular at the time, and mistakes were difficult to erase because of the carbon-film ribbons used in the devices.
Nesmith, who dabbled in painting and drawing, realized that artists painted over the mistakes they made and decided that typists should be able to do the same. She put white, water-based tempura paint in a bottle and took her watercolor brush to the office.
Nesmith secretly used her white correction paint for five years. But with co-workers clamoring for the paint, she eventually began marketing what she called “Mistake Out” in 1956. The name was later changed to Liquid Paper.
The company began in Nesmith’s kitchen, where she mixed the product with her electric mixer. Nesmith’s son Michael Nesmith (later of The Monkees fame) and his friends filled bottles for her customers.
Nesmith patented the product, renamed it Liquid Paper, and obtained a trademark. In 1957 a magazine called The Office mentioned the product, and soon business was booming. Nesmith married her second husband, Robert Graham, in 1962 and he joined the business as well. By 1967, it had grown into a million-dollar business.
In 1968, Graham moved into her own plant and corporate headquarters, automated operations, and had 19 employees. That year Liquid Paper sold a million bottles.
In 1975, Nesmith Graham divorced her husband and opened a 35,000-square-foot headquarters building in Dallas. A year later, the company’s net earnings were $1.5 million and the product was being sold in 31 countries around the world.
Graham used a portion of her fortune to set up two foundations to help women in need, the Gihon Foundation, established in 1976; and the Bette Clair McMurray Foundation, founded in 1978.
In 1979, Graham sold her company to the Gillette Corp. for $47.5 million. A year later she died at the age of 56.
Ladies, do not hold back of your dreams, desires, and financial independence. Grab hold of the opportunity you feel in your heart and then TAKE MASSIVE ACTION.
Continue Reading
Does a Positive Attitude Make a Difference?
Posted on 23. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
PASSION…stop for a minute and say the word out loud with feeling … Passion—how does that feel to you? Think about it for a few seconds, and now say it again…Passion. I would bet that if you are really in touch with your feelings, you might say it makes you feel squirmy, sexy, and alive. But why is that? It’s just a word, right? Well, Yes, no, sort of.
PASSION is a life force, and that force is life. When you let yourself be in touch with your feelings, you can feel that life force and the power that’s behind the feeling of PASSION, the most intoxicating of all. It’s the spark that can not only ignite the dynamite, blow it out of the water kind of power source, but an opening of the valve that can literally transform you everyday life into an extraordinary one, and a master of creation!
Now just so we are clear about this, I am not talking about sweaty hot Palpitating heart flashes or spastically bouncing off walls, nor hip, hip hurray cheerleading….even though it is true, passion does come in all forms and degrees. The passion I mean is a strong inner knowing, a quiet sureness that continuously reassures that you are the one in control of your destiny, and that “the tiger you are holding by the tail is actually you!”
“I want it, I got it, sign me up,” might be your thoughts of the moment… and I fully intend to give you that gift, but first let’s play a game. Starting with you thinking about something that you want to bring into creation—a relationship, a new career or bringing your career to another level, a healthy fit trim body, or a new lifestyle in a better area or home?
Pick just one to work on, any one, even if you would like to create all of the ones above. Now, ask yourself, what is the fuel behind this dream? Is it a desire for money, possessions or fame? Whatever the reason, if your creation is not powered by a PASSION for you to follow your joy, you not only are going to be working overtime, it will never be all it can be. Again, the question rises up…how do you activate a passion generated by joy and not a need that demands effort and often doesn’t produce the results you want? How?…by not resisting your natural instincts and birthright to have what you want come in an easier and more joyful way. The sooner that you can let go of the limiting voices in your head that have convinced you that there is only one right way to achieve, the sooner you will allow and feel the buzz of PASSION pushing you forward to your dream.
At www.amazon.com. Meister Eckhart book called The Passion for Creation, really brings this message home.
Start by sparking your passion by creating a space to feel, to examine what really excites you. What dream you have always had, that if it came true would be like WOW. Now in that safe space, ask yourself these questions: What do you repeatedly dream about having, what is your vision or goal that you may never have shared with anyone else? What do you read about, watch on TV, often times get into conversations with others? Ask these questions repeatedly until you can clearly feel what excites you, and then give yourself the time and chance to investigate your passion…and then take the risk. Take the risk of falling in love with your dream and your own personal power of creation.
Since I have played in this game of creation for quite a long time now, I can honestly say that one of the biggest roadblocks that often shows up around creation is fear; False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear that some- one might not like or approve of your ideas, fear of stepping out of your comfort zone, fear that you won’t have the steam to stay with your dream and keep moving forward, fear that you will succeed. So now you have the tools to recognize the devil in the blue dress, what do you do about it?
Begin by feeling the fear, and then let it go. Then put a voice to the fear, say it out loud and visualize it evaporating in the air …like a puff of smoke. When you can see that the line between fear and excitement is very thin, then very quickly fear can turn into excitement and passion, and what use to be fear, can now fuel your creation. Transforming fear into passion is no different than going from knowing that you can’t hike a mountain because it’s too hard and scary-to taking on the challenged, reaching the top and feeling totally empowered. We stop the flow of great amounts of PASSION that could fuel our visions when we allow our fears to take over.
Shifting from denying and fighting the fear to accepting it, helps you to release it and then use it to keep you in the game. Let passion fill you up and lead you to your true joy. Smell more roses, watch more sunsets, eat dessert first, walk barefoot in the morning grass, and do more. Laugh more, dance more, love more, explore more places, be more spontaneous, indulge in more hobbies, lunch with more friends, smile more and have more fun. Do whatever you can to create a vibration that attracts a continuous flow of PASSION into everything you do. PASSION begets PASSION, so start working on building up that PASSION muscle this very minute. PASSION fuels creation because it is creation in full bloom!
Continue Reading
Who Told You to Stop Dreaming…..
Posted on 22. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
We all have attitudes – good or bad. But how much does your attitude really have to do with whether you are successful or not? Robyn Simpson, author, international speaker, high performance attitude coach and inspirer is launching a highly motivational and inspirational book ‘Attitude, Aptitude, Altitude – Choose Your ‘Tude!’ to help people create better results in their work and life.
With the current economic climate, rising unemployment and global warming, all of these things impact us and are out of our control. So how does our attitude impact on us?
“We live in a world where outside influences can be beyond our control, however our responses to those things can make a huge difference to our general well being and happiness,” say Ms Simpson. “There are many things we do have control over, and it is our choice to take personal responsibility for those, although sometimes it feels easier to go with the flow. Successful people choose to take responsibility and make their own decisions rather than be at the effect of others.”
When asked; “If a person is made redundant, if they choose a positive attitude everything will be alright?” Ms Simpson responded “Some people are made redundant and choose to see it as a personal attack and allow their self esteem to be damaged, which can cause a downward spiral of depression. Others are made redundant and decide they will find another job and those who do so with a positive attitude are more likely to get re-employed. A small percentage of people who get made redundant see it as an opportunity to try something else like traveling, a new career or studying to up-skill. How you see this situation depends on your attitude towards it.”
“I would love to see attitudes and self responsibility was taught in schools. It would make such a difference to our communities,” states Ms Simpson. “My message is not new, however I see so many people missing it I decided to write this book to help people understand some things are really simple to change, and can make the difference between living an unhappy life or a happy one.”
More than simply a book, the 17 chapters of inspiring and practical lessons help every day people excel in everything they do. There is a 15-step ‘Structure of Goals’ process that provides readers with a logical and simple process to follow. Combined with a practical Work Book, readers learn valuable life enhancing habits that will serve them well in work and in life. No matter what the goal is, if every step of the 15-step Structure of Goals process is completed, you will progress and reach your goal. Having the right attitude is closely linked to the ability to achieve goals. Achieving goals builds self-esteem, which assists people to choose great attitudes.
Continue Reading
Setting Goals Like Tony Robbins…..
Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
THE POWER OF VISUALIZATION
A lot of people set a goal or several goals and try to achieve these before a certain date. Needless to say a lot of people do not reach their goals. The broken New Year’s resolution is so common that it is scary. Usually the target date is first renewed and then the goal is forgotten completely.
Most people are not able to reach their goals, although some very few are. What is is that makes some people successful while others stay failures?
Most people have goals but not all have a good reason for the goal. This is perhaps the main reason why people fail. They either do not know WHY they want to reach their goal, or the reason is not important enough.
For example say if you have a goal of losing 20 pounds because your spouse would like you to. If you are happy with that little extra fat on your tummy, you will never reach the goal of losing those pounds, and if you do lose them one way or another they will not stay off.
A good reason would instead give you the motivational support you need to stay on track and get you closer towards your goal. Tony Robbins tells us that “All we do is to avoid pain and to achieve pleasure.” We can get the compelling motivational reason if we magnify the pain when not achieving the goal, and magnify the joy of achieving it.
The technique of magnifying the effects is very powerful. Imagine the consequence of achieving your goals, magnify the effect, feel it deep inside. Do the same thing with the pain you will feel if you do not achieve your goals. Visualize the pain that you will be suffering if you do not achieve the goal, and then visualize the tremendous success you will feel when you achieve it!
Continue Reading
101 Online Resources…..
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
Communications / VoIP
The internet brings great opportunities to do business all with people from all around the world, and fortunately there are also a number of resources to help with the communication that is necessary. The resources here will allow you to communicate inexpensively with others:
1. Skype – Free calls over the internet to other people on Skype for as long as you like.
2. Vonage – Leading provider of VoIP internet broadband telephone services.
3. Gizmo – Low cost international calling and free calls to users on Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Windows Live users and SIP networks.
4. Vonics Digital – Plans start at $12.99 per month.
5. VoipBuster – Free program that uses the latest technology to bring free and high-quality voice communications to people all over the world.
6. SunISP – VoIP Plans
Data Backup
Anyone that has important of sensitive information on their computer needs to have a system in place for backing up the data. For online entrepreneurs a loss of data could be tragic. These resources will give you a number of options from which you can choose the one that is best for you. Backing up your hard drive can be done quickly, easily, and automatically:
1. Mozy – Industry-leading solution for online backup.
2. Intronis – Online backup solution with remote computer data backup software.
3. Carbonite – Unlimited online backup for one flat fee.
4. Data Deposit Box – Your source for online backup, and secure online data backup.
5. Athena Backup – Automatically backup your home computer files with Athena Backup.
6. Data Protection Services – Secure online backup services, free trial!
Invoicing
If you are sending and tracking invoices to customers, you may be able to save some time and make the process more efficient by using a program that is specifically designed for this purpose. These resources can help the organization of your invoicing and they can allow you to have more time to spend on what you do best:
1. Bamboo Invoice – Simple, Open Source, Online Invoicing.
2. FreshBooks – Online invoicing and time tracking service.
3. Transcepta – Electronic invoicing solution.
4. Blinksale – The easiest way to send invoices online.
5. InterlinQ Solutions – Providing a daily job report, time sheets, job tracking, construction reports and mobile billing.
6. Bill My Clients – Easy way to create and send invoices and bills to your clients.
7. Billing Orchard – Online electronic billing software application.
8. 2nd Site – Secure invoicing service w/ online invoice payment & online employee timesheets.
Financial Management and Accounting
Many online entrepreneurs and small businesses do not have the need to use an accounting system that is as complex as that of a larger business, but every business needs to have organized and accurate financial records. These resources will provide you with everything you need and can easily be used by anyone:
1. Intacct – Delivers ERP software as a service to small and midsize companies.
2. QuickBooks Online – Accounting Solutions for professionals and businesses.
3. Xero – Slash the hours you spend every week on accounting administration.
Time Management and Project Management
Time management is critical to achieving maximum productivity. In order to improve that time management of your business, try some of these resources. I think you will see that the resulting organization and efficiency will have a noticeable impact on the results of your work:
1. Google Calendar – Free online shareable calendar service.
2. Vitalist – Web based task manager designed to work with Getting Things Done (GTD).
3. Backpack – Personal and small business information management, intranet, and to do list organizer.
4. Basecamp – Web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects.
5. Goplan – Online project management app.
6. Copper Project – Project Management Software.
7. Side Job Track – Web-based job tracking, invoicing, reporting & project management software.
8. ActiTime – Free Time Tracking Software.
Contact Manager
Online entrepreneurs typically have a very large number of contacts that they need to keep track of. These programs are specifically created to help you effectively manage your contacts. If you could use some improvement in this area, try some of these resources:
1. Big Contacts – Web Based Contact Manager for 2 to 2000 People.
2. Highrise – Shared contact manager.
3. BatchBook – Easy-to-use contact management system.
4. Relenta CRM – Small business CRM software.
5. Oprius – Sales and Contact Management Software for Independent Sales Consultants.
6. PipelineDeals – CRM made simple – $15/User/Month.
7. Zoho – Customer Relationship Management, on demand CRM.
8. Simple Sales Tracking – Web-based hosted CRM.
9. SugarCRM – Commercial Open Source CRM.
Hiring Freelancers
At some point you may have a need to hire freelancers of some type. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources online to help you find freelancers and identify the right one for your project. All of the websites listed here will allow you to search for freelancers according to your needs:
1. Elance – Outsourcing to Freelancers.
2. Guru – Free service helps you find freelancers, get free quotes, and get your project done.
3. SmarterWork – Top small business services marketplace.
4. Contracted Work – Work Jobs Freelance Search.
5. oDesk – Global service marketplace for small and medium sized businesses.
6. Get A Freelancer – Freelance programmers and web designers.
7. BizReef – Online Services platform.
Online Reputation Management Tools
Reputation management is a very hot topic online right now. As an entrepreneur, your reputation can have a serious impact on your success and you have a need to monitor your reputation and to make sure that what is being published is true. There are a variety of resources that can help in different ways:
1. claimID – Free, easy way to manage your online identity.
2. Google Alerts – Email updates of the latest relevant Google results.
3. Yahoo Alerts – Free, personalized notification service.
4. Technorati – Real-time search for user-generated media.
5. FindMeOn – Manage your circles of friends, family, colleagues and others.
6. myOpenID – Secure OpenID provider.
Accepting Payment
If you are taking online payments from customers or clients, you will need a way to make that happen. There are a number of different options, and the details of each can vary a good bit. Take a look at these options and see which is best for your situation:
1. PayPal – World renowned.
2. Google Checkout – Google’s way to send and receive money.
3. Neteller – Online payment solutions.
4. Moneybookers – Cheaper way to send and receive money worldwide.
5. iKobo – Pick up your money at over 1000000 Visa ATMs.
6. CheckFree – Provides financial electronic commerce services.
Shopping Carts
E-Commerce sites that are selling products to customers will need some type of shopping cart. There are a number of open source options listed below, as well as a number of other options. Hopefully you will find one that is well-suited to your needs:
1. Zen Cart – Free, user-friendly, open source shopping cart system.
2. osCommerce – Free online shop program.
3. AgoraCart – Free shopping cart.
4. OpenCart – Open source PHP-based online shopping cart system.
5. Ubercart – Open source e-commerce suite.
6. X-Cart – Shopping cart software & PHP ecommerce solutions.
7. NetSuite – Integrated web-based business software suite.
8. ZNode – ASP.NET shopping cart.
9. Fortune3 – Ecommerce Shopping cart software.
10. Network Solutions – Robust, customizable Ecommerce online shopping cart software.
11. Kick Start Cart – Business professionally over the Internet.
12. Secure Delivery – The best digital download management site on the net!
13. Magento – Open Source eCommerce Evolved!
Social Networking
Social networking sites can help entrepreneurs to find potential partners, get advice from other entrepreneurs, network with others around the world, and to simply get some exposure for their profile. Each networking site is a little bit different. You’ll never have the time to use all of them effectively, so find a few that have potential to help you the most and be actively involved:
1. Cofoundr – Cofoundr is a private community for entrepreneurs.
2. Fast Pitch Networking – Business Networking Social Network for Business Professionals.
3. Killer Startups – Reviewing new startups.
4. Konnects – Business technology focus groups and networking events.
5. LinkedIn – Strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts.
6. Ryze – Business Networking.
7. YoungEntrepreneur – Largest social networking community for Entrepreneurs
8. Ziggs – White pages and free people search for professionals.
Finding Funding
Many entrepreneurs will need some type of funding for their ventures. If this is the case for you, these resources may be helpful. Locating potential funding sources can be a bit easier be taking advantage of the resources that are available:
1. GoBigNetwork – Angel investor network/venture capital.
2. Fundability – Puts your company in front of qualified and interested investors.
3. Find That Money – Formidable presence in consumer finance.
4. Venture Deal – Venture capital database.
5. American Capital Advance – Fast Business Loans.
6. Financing: Where to Find It
CPC Revenue
One of the most common ways to make money with a website is through cost per click programs like Google AdSense. While these programs are not a good fit for some sites and for some audiences, they have proven to effective for many:
1. Google AdSense – Google’s CPC Network.
2. Yahoo! Publisher Network – Yahoo’s CPC Network.
3. ABC Search – Get paid per click by ABC.
4. AdBrite – Webmasters can buy and sell text ads based on their site’s topic area.
5. Chitika – The leading merchandising network for bloggers.
6. Bidvertiser – Pay per click advertising.
7. Kanoodle – Distributes results to a large network of other search engines and search box providers.
8. Clicksor – Effective online advertising technology.
9. Kontera – Advertiser and Publisher Solutions.
CPM Revenue
CPC isn’t the only option for monetizing a website through advertisements. By choosing a CPM program you will be compensated for impressions rather than clicks. Here are some of the choices that are available:
1. ADSDAQ – A new advertising exchange.
2. ValueClick Media – One of the largest and most effective online advertising networks.
3. AdDynamix – Full-spectrum interactive provider delivering ad management.
4. Morning Falls – Online advertising solutions to advertisers and publishers worldwide.
5. CPX Interactive – Online ad network.
6. BurstMedia – Internet advertising network.
7. Casale Media – World’s fastest growing provider of online media solutions.
8. Tribal Fusion – Focused on high quality sites with targeted content and significant reach.
9. BrightRoll – Video advertising.
10. Adtegrity – Internet Advertising Solutions.
Continue Reading
It’s More than Money…..
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
Do you want to know what really separates successful, wealthy internet entrepreneurs from the masses of other internet wealth seekers who do not ever make a dime? I can tell you in one single word… PASSION. I am about to show you why passion is the deciding factor between unlimited wealth and success as an entrepreneur, or a long road of disappointment, frustration, and broken dreams.
I can almost guarantee that if you took a look behind the scenes of any highly successful entrepreneur, you will without question find a person who is passionate about their business, their goals, and their future. Entrepreneurs are usually doing what they do for more reasons than to simply earn a paycheck. Money is often just a great side effect of motivated people following their passions.
For instance, take a look at some of the most successful internet entrepreneurs like the billion dollar Google guys, you will see that it was a passion, an enthusiasm about their ideas that drove them to success. And while the billion dollar banks accounts were definitely a great bonus, money was not the sole intention behind the business.
There are so many different internet business models, and so many diverse ways that they can be built, that anyone should be able to find a business that they are passionate about. This obviously requires a little planning, but isn’t it worth it to build your business on a rock solid foundation rather than getting started without a base? Of course it is, and with a little planning anyone can choose the right business, opportunity, or idea that best suites their needs.
I know that from personal experience that when you are truly passionate about your business, when it transcends from the realm of work to the realm of pleasure, that success is guaranteed. It has been said many times that persistence is the most essential trait of entrepreneurs and self made millionaires, and I wholeheartedly agree. But I also know that it is their passion for what they do that gave them what it takes to persist past the point where the majority of people decide to give up and throw in the towel.
Its kind of funny really, that most people assume that they cannot do something that they love and still make a decent living. They think that to get by they need to work a job they hate. But in all reality it is the people who do love what they do who succeed both in business and financially. I mean, just about all really successful entrepreneurs are very wealthy.
But maybe your only motivation is money, and that can be used to create a real passion as well. When I first decided to start my own online business, you better believe that my meager financial situation was my biggest source of motivation. It was all about making money at that point, and it was definitely motivating enough for me to find the right business opportunities, do a little planning, and get into action.
But I think what helped me was getting very clear and precise about the things that I wanted to have more money for. Just thinking about money is not necessarily very motivating, but when you attach real images of things that you really desire, your motivation for success will skyrocket.
Get very clear about your financial goals, and create a vision in your mind as if you have already achieved them all. Keep this picture with you, and use it to motivate you and drive you. And if you are anything like me, after a little while you will be very passionate, excited, and enthusiastic about your business, and that passion will enable you to reach all new heights with it.
So before getting started as an internet entrepreneur, first find your biggest sources of motivation. Motivation is what separates highly successful entrepreneurs with those that barely get by.
Continue Reading
Benefits…..
Posted on 18. Oct, 2009 by Kelly Brown.
The process to which is often referred as “institutional” or image-based marketing can be extremely seductive, particularly to the small businessperson since it is intoxicatingly flattering to the ego. Small businesses often attempt to copy their larger corporate nemeses in an effort to create strong brands through relatively smaller marketing budgets. Such a tactic unfortunately requires a long period of time and repetitive advertising in order for it to work.
On the other hand, when a business brags itself as being a better company with a better product at a better price, it usually winds up with very poor, long term results. If a statement is made wherein the author proclaims that his company or product is number one in the marketplace, such a statement will all but make that information more suspect. Even though there is evidence to substantiate that claim, there will no doubt be a clear lack of credibility.
In this day and age where consumers are more educated and more sophisticated than ever before, claims of any kind can never be made without them somehow being criticized or at least questioned. Therefore, a better approach is through positioning — the concept of effectively anchoring a product or service, in the mind of prospects, above the competition.
Implication, Not Specification
Any claim, even if backed up with statistics or surveys, is seldom believable. An old mentor of mine once said, “Implication is remarkably more powerful than specification.” In other words, if you specify that you’re the best, you’ll be questioned. But if your marketing implies that you are, without stating it outright, you will not only get the message across but you will also anchor that message (and position it) more effectively in the minds of your target market.
For instance, when Pepsi doing their famous taste tests in the 80’s, Coke thought that a newer, better-tasting Coke would beat Pepsi — hence, the introduction of the “New Coke.” But where is the New Coke today? Not only did Coke reintroduce the older version under the banner “Classic Coke,” but the New Coke has also disappeared from the grocery store isles.
Specify Benefits to Imply Superiority
Coke wasn’t the only culprit. Pepsi made a similar mistake with its clear brand in the early 90’s. Of course, during the last decade there was a fad with clear consumables. Clear soaps, clear deodorants, clear dishwashing liquids, clear sodas, and of course clear foods were stocking up shelves. At first, they were selling quite well. “But what Pepsi didn’t count on was the ‘curiosity factor’ in its research,” says Jack Trout in his book “The New Positioning.”
In essence, there is no clear benefit in a clear product over its darker version. People are astonishingly attracted to benefits, whether consciously or subconsciously. And clear colas were hip because the initial perception was that “clearer” meant “better,” “safer,” or “healthier.” It was this perception of more benefits that drove their initial success.
However, once the market realized that this was not true in that clear sodas have just as many calories as their darker counterparts, they were dropped. The only clear consumable that stood the test of time was the clear deodorant. Why? The clear deodorant prospered because people can’t stand white, powdery residue on their clothes (and it is terribly inconvenient to wait for the deodorant to dry). Thus, clear deodorant has a clear benefit.
Position with Benefits
Having an impressive portfolio, including a slick ad campaign, a superior product or service, or a number one company, will not work for you in the long run — unless you have a million dollar ad budget with money to invest in repetitious commercials. If you run a business or sell a product or service, make sure that when you position it in the marketplace you do so by marketing its main, core benefit or benefits — not its features, superiority, or image.
A benefit that is clear, practical, and direct will, in your promotional efforts, naturally convey a sense of superiority — without having to state it outright. In short, make your benefits clear.
Continue Reading
|
|
