Internet Business and Personal Success

There’s a saying in my house… the refrigerator is where food goes to die.

It’s true too. If we eat out, invariably the leftovers go to the fridge. Then a week later we notice the “dead” food and toss is out.  The same holds true if we make a bit too much to eat at home. I’m not sure what our aversion to left-overs is, but I have a feeling the reason behind it is a big problem a lot of us face.

You probably think I’m crazy for bringing up dead food. But I noticed a very similar pattern in many other areas.

For instance, as startup internet business owners, we may go out and buy, read and listen to things just because they’re new. We listen once, then move on to the next “big thing”. Never mind that the information we got a year or two ago is still viable, and could help us move closer to our goals. Furthermore, it could be all we really need to truly turn the corner of online success.

Instead we seek something new, easier, quicker and more “perfect” than the last thing, and we don’t move forward because we’re always in study mode. We put the information on the shelf to die.

Contrast this to any of the current and great copywriters, you’ll see that they not only study the teachings of yesteryear, they still follow the same basic structure that was laid out many years ago. They take what still works, add their own flare, test and tweak it, and then repeat.

Sure, in the case of food, it rots and becomes inedible, so the analogy isn’t ideal… But the same kind of food fresh the next week is still yummy and nourishing. The same basic ingredients are there and it’s as tasty/useful as it was the week prior.

Same for most of the information we collect. In fact is you go back far enough you may find that what’s old is new again. Look at fashion, cars, music… It all comes back and becomes the latest thing. Maybe you can find some hidden gold in the knowledge you already have.

So, what’s on your shelf that you could put to use today?

Do you find yourself caught in a self defeating cycle? If you step back and think about what I’ve said, does anything look different to you now?

In…

• your business?
• your relationships?
• your desires?
• your hobbies?
• your music - ok, I’m listening to one of my favorite bands who have a new album out after 16+ years… Was (not Was), and the album Boo! Music is a great example of this concept…

If not, that’s fine. I’m simply passing on something I became aware of, that’s helped me move forward in projects that otherwise might have had me blogged down in the “need for new”. You’ll see (specifically) what I mean shortly, but in the meantime I suggest raiding the refrigerator for new ideas!
Oh,… and please let me know what you find!

Popularity: 66% [?]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this blog.

My conclusion is that it’s boring. No, it’s not that the information isn’t great, it’s that there’s little or no personal connection. Even though it typically takes a couple of hours to compose a post, it comes off as dry. You don’t know me, or the reasons behind my posts. This is BAD.

It’s bad because when I take a survey of blogs I visit and look forward to, they exude the personality of the owner. Sometimes it’s through technical details, sometimes through stories and writing style. Usually there are comments left for every post, and they can go both positive or negative–but always with respect.

I have a lot of things to talk about. Some could truly set you up for success. It might be quick. It might be slow. But if the ideas are presented in a way that makes an impact, they could be the start of dramatic change in your life. If they aren’t presented in an interesting or personal way, they will likely fail spectacularly.

If you have a blog, or are “about to start one” (JUST DO IT ALREADY!), do yourself a favor and look at the blogs you frequent. Ask yourself why you visit them, and what you could do to gain the same following. Is it the personal stories? The controversy? The technical details presented in every post?

Whatever it is that makes these blogs special to you also make them special to their readers. If you don’t have this connection to your audience, you will never gain a following, and you will suffer with a few regular readers (and your mom). I love my mom, but she’s not exactly my target reader, and probably isn’t yours.

The posts which follow WILL do a lot to bring myself to the table. Some ideas I have, which you might copy, include:

• Tell personal stories, and give detailed examples.
• Stir up controversy when something is going on which you don’t belive it–or have a differnt perspective of.
• Stop filtering and editing posts - the biggest obstacle to letting yourself show through is rewriting, and over thinking posts. Stop it!
• Limit the time you take in posting. This helps you to stop over thinking a post.
• Break away from your primary topic from time to time so that people see a more fully rounded person. Talk about your trips, pets, and family. If you have a running “bit” about some personal element in your life that people can follow, it’ll do wonders for your readership.
• Stop taking things seriously. Spontaneous is usually 1000 times more interesting than calculated.
• Reframe “unrelated” information to fit your niche, and personal style. Visit blogs on music, technology and magic, if that’s what interests you.  See how things might related to your blog.
• Learn from everything, good and bad.  Outside the box.  I’ve got over a page of notes on life lessons I’ve learned from our cat! —–I’ll share that in the future as well.

There are many others, but the point is, without the personality of the writer, who gives a sh*t!

Please let me know what you find most interesting in the blogs you visit. It will help both of us in bringing you the best possible content.

Comment below———Please.

Thanks!

Popularity: 76% [?]

I’ve been doing a lot of things in the background, and not writing here as much as I should. My list of topics, and thoughts is growing exponentially–so stay tuned.

In the meantime (and thereafter), you owe it to yourself to visit Mohamed’s Internet Business Opportunities blog (http://www.oibo.org/). I’ve been watching his site from the beginning, and he really is getting his stuff together.

Why visit?

First, he’s way a way more prolific writer than I am. Probably because I think a bit too much while making a post, so it takes me a long time. If he takes even half as long as I usually do, then he’s really putting a lot of time and thought into his posts–which I wouldn’t doubt.

Second, and more important, he writes interesting articles. Not, just interesting, but *useful* posts on all things related to online business success. Here are just a few recent topics:

• Using images in your blog posts (I swear he was reading my mind on this one)
• Three things you must do before submitting n article to directories
• Creative Commons License
• Could your business survive a nuclear attack
• Free traffic generation
• Outsourcing
• Free business presentation tools
• Staying organized
• Many MANY more…

…and the topics above are only a partial list from the past 10 days! Even if you think you don’t have the time to visit, just make time, even if it’s to stop by once a week.

—end of blatant-but-deserved “plug”—

-Tim

P.S. and F.Y.I. Do you ever attempt to get to this (timgary.com) blog, and get a blank screen? Me too, and it’s very frustrating. Why does it happen? A combination of Wordpress 2.3, the theme I’m currently using, and the web host’s use of server performance script xcache. Thus far, I’ve not been able to fix it, other than by manually reseting xcache when it happens. If a solution isn’t found soon, I’ll be switching to a new Wordpress theme. So, until them, just check back in a few hours. I’ll likely have reset things.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our day to day routine, that we forget what we are trying to accomplish online. Whether it’s the BIG things like your Dreams and Goals, or the more immediately important “smaller” things like how you carry out your business.

I’ve recently been reminded that there are influential people in the internet business/marketing space, that conduct themselves in a way that is simply disgusting to me. This got me thinking about how I want to conduct business, and how to avoid following such people in the future. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s way too easy to be seduced by the money, and apparent success of individuals who I don’t want to BE LIKE.

Since there are kind, generous and highly successful people we can model, why not learn from them? More often than not, their products and services will be much better, they will have great customer service, and may even be personally reachable.

Of course, a winner for one person may not be for another, and you may not even realize at first that you’ve jumped on the wrong horse… I’ve been doing a recent purge of those who I have no interest in being like, and it feels great. Conversely, I’ve rediscovered some truly inspiring gems which also feels great!

I already wrote about one such diamond, Fred Black, who has great ideas, content and products.

A great way to find your own gems is to follow the “blogrolls” of blogs that you admire. These will lead you to places you otherwise may never know about. Mine will be updated over time, so you can peak over my shoulder should you be interested.

Another great way to find like-minded people is through membership site forums. Yes, I know forums often have a bad reputation due to the free-for-all mentality involved. Often it’s deserved. But the forums behind great paid membership sites can be pure gold in many ways that I will talk about, and even show you, soon.

For now, suffice it to say, my highest recommendation goes to Earn1KaDay and the Rich Jerks membership sites. No, Rich Jerks has nothing to do with “The Rich Jerk”, it’s just a rather unfortunate name that was chosen at the time. These two sites, and their forums, have been more helpful to me than all the free forums combined.

…to be continued…

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Frequently, I come across resources which are too good to keep to myself. Sometime they come in the form of an excellent blog, sometimes as a product or service.

This first in an ongoing series of articles, is to bring your attention to Fred Black. I stumbled across his blog after doing a little research, and typing the words “internet business” into Google. Dang, he’s good. Within the top 5 organic listings for the past month. Currently he’s at #3.

Not only is his blog filled with practical, and thoughtful online business advise, but until the end of the year (that’s in a week!), he is offering a free Make Money Online Video Course just for subscribing to his blog updates list. This course is far better than many out there being sold for $75+.

Head over to his blog, sign up, and get the course before it’s too late: Fred Black’s Internet Business Success Blog

In fact, his normal selling price is still a great bargain at $53, check it out if you missed his year end offer: Make Money Online

Oh…

Don’t *just* sign up for the course. Take some time to browse through his past posts, where you will find a ton of valuable information on both life, and business success.

You might start with this post: The Frustration of Trying to Make Money Online

When you’ve had a chance to go through the course, let me (and him!) know what you think.

Popularity: 17% [?]