Once upon a recent time, there were 3 women who left their jobs to become entrepreneurs seeking control of their time, the desire to create more income and freedom to live their lives. Their names were Rachel, Linda and Mary and this is their story. At first, each did well. They weren't buying second homes or traveling 8 months of the year, but they had good revenue coming in. Let's take a look at their specifics: Rachel, a … [Read more...]
Would you prefer to listen to this article? If so, please click here to listen. During a recent call, a client asked me what, in the most basic of terms, did I think it took to be successful with an online-based business. Hmm... After taking a few seconds to prepare my thoughts, here are what I consider to be the 3 keys to a successful online-based business. Please note that while there are several definitions of "successful" and we … [Read more...]
You feel like you’re working hard in, and on, your business, yet the revenue just isn’t there. You’re not making the revenue everyone talks about and which seems so easy for them. So what’s going on? I’m going to be blunt. The answer typically comes down to a few things: You either haven’t earned, or kept, the trust of your readers. Let me explain. If your website indicates that you send out a weekly newsletter and … [Read more...]
This is a guest post from Shawn Driscoll. In an overcrowded marketplace, everyone is looking for a way to get noticed. I think one of the great paradoxes we’re all living with (and through) is that the more connected we become the more difficult it is to be heard. You could try and get noticed by putting on a show. And some take that route. You could give yourself a catchy ‘persona’—and there are plenty of self-anointed … [Read more...]
We often hear that "the money is in the list" and many misunderstand this to be that "the bigger the list, the more money you'll make". Not necessarily true. It's your relationship with your community (a.k.a. "list") and audience. When my business first broke $100,000 in revenue, there were 82 people on my list. It's completely possible and totally doable. That said, you do need more than your family, friends and pets in your … [Read more...]
As more and more small business owners are leaning towards "on demand" everything (music, movies, books) to download/stream instantly, I'm noticing some changes in the way that small business owners like to learn. The ground is shifting very quickly when it comes to education and the delivery of training materials and information. I'm teaming up with Karyn Greenstreet and a few colleagues to discover exactly which ways you like to absorb … [Read more...]
Would you prefer to listen to this week's article? If so, click here to listen. Recently I was interviewed on the subject of Extreme Client Care™ for a book and we spent most of that call on what it is and how business owners can easily and inexpensively incorporate it into everything they do. What we didn't really cover and what's hit home for me over the last week is what it's not. A couple of examples to illustrate what I mean: A … [Read more...]
Amazon's done it again! Not only do they keep an empty chair to represent their client at meetings, it seems they actually "listen" to that client. For those who adore their Kindles (and there are many!), you can now save documents, blog posts and more directly to your Kindle device. For example, look at the top of this blog post -- up by the social media sharing buttons. You now see a "Send to Kindle" button (note that you also see it … [Read more...]
Would you prefer to listen to this week's article? If so, click here to listen. Maximizing assets? What does that mean? Your business assets account much more than *just* revenue or credit. Your business assets include your website, your content, your programs, your relationships, your reputation, the goodwill and credibility you've accumulated. It encompasses everything that your business is. For purposes of today's article, … [Read more...]
Would you prefer to listen to this week's article? If so, click here to listen. What's your job as a business owner? At its core, it's to make money -- regardless of anything else, the basic job of a business is to make a profit. Period. For those of us who really want to make a difference, this can be tough to remember/focus on. It used to be that we put up a sales page, sent a few emails and POOF! paying clients. Sort of like … [Read more...]
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