Apr

19

Time Management for Internet Entrepreneurs 2.0

Filed Under Goal Setting, Time Management, Life Balance | 5 Comments


The most popular article to date on this website is my classic discussion on Time Management for Internet Entrepreneurs.

In tribute to that piece – and to better reflect some time-management changes that have occurred for me since that original writing – I am offering you a sequel to that article – Time Management for Internet Entrepreneurs 2.0 today!

As with the original article, I have arranged the following discussion around a handful of key time management problem-areas. Each area includes the problem many of us have and a solution that has worked well for me and likely will for you too…

I still spend too much time checking income stats and traffic numbers!
Checking stats compulsively is easily the #1 time management problem most Internet entrepreneurs face. (I know that’s the case for me…)

I still recommend devoting specific chunks of time to checking email, stats, and general web surfing. That said, we all know this is not a perfect world. If devoting specific time slots to these activities does not always work for you, consider implementing these time management tricks that have worked well for me:

  • Get away from the Web for at least one hour every day.

Try this out: next time you need to log time on your latest info product or other projects that don’t require immediate access to the web – grab your laptop and head out to a local coffeehouse (sans wireless) and sip a latte while you work.

Aside from using that trick, I still insist you resist the temptation to let email demand your attention all day long. Turn off your email program NOW! (You don’t have to be a slave to Outlook.)

Everything changes so much from day-to-day, and I just can’t keep up!
True. The web is growing at a rapid rate, and it’s nearly impossible not to feel completely overwhelmed every day.

But it’s not necessary to stay abreast of every piece of news, hot ebook releases, or seminars on the horizon.

Entrepreneurs are suckers for new, BIG ideas. That’s what we’re all about – getting ideas, making them work, counting the profits, and measuring our success.

Still, not every idea deserves your attention – no matter how great it might be.

I’m a big fan of David Allen’s GTD recommendation on this point: create a list of “Someday/Maybe” items running at all times. That way you can release yourself of the memory-burden and focus on the things happening right now.

New projects are our pets. But unfinished projects are pests!

I lose track of my progress, goals, and plans for my various projects.
Two recommendations for handling this trouble spot:

First, I would suggest keeping better track of your time. Create an Excel spreadsheet for logging hours. Just keeping track of how much you ARE doing can be a great way to boost your positive-outlook on a project or area of your business.

Often, the perfectionist within can take hold and start insisting you’re not working enough when you’re actually putting in a significant amount of time.

Second, I would suggest keeping running lists of all projects (again, hats off to David Allen here). I know from my experience that every project I have “cooking” will require many varied steps between start and finish.

The key with both of these is releasing mental burden. As the Getting Things Done system advises, you’ve got to free up that mental RAM for optimum in-the-moment performance.

(Part-Timers Only) I am so ready to quit my day job! I just don’t have enough time.
The last area I want to cover is pointed specifically at the part-timers among us.

What separates the part-time entrepreneur from the full-time entrepreneur in terms of success is almost always TIME. Part-timers just don’t have enough and often identify failure where slow progress appears.

If you are in a good position to quit your day job, do it now. But if you are not quite ready for that move, I strongly suggest sticking to the basics for just a bit longer. After all, if you can’t learn to manage your time now, how do you think you’ll likely perform when you have more than enough. It’s feast or famine in the time management category, and you have to learn to deal with both effectively.

Here’s my suggestion: Before giving up your day job – or before walking away from entrepreneurship – spend the equivalent of one working day (6-8 hours is ideal) getting organized and optimizing your time management system.

Even if you have to take time away from pending projects, you’ll reap enormous long-term rewards from this simple process. (And you’ll likely sleep much better tonight!)

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Apr

18

Partner with an Expert, Master the Info Product Business, and Build a Profitable Sales Funnel

Filed Under Marketing Strategy, Online Marketing, Copywriting, Web/Tech, Information Products, Online Business Ideas, eBooks, Creating Wealth, Information Marketing | Leave a Comment


These are real treats for you this Wednesday! I’ve had the joy of stumbling upon a few great web resources over the past week that have truly impressed me. Click your heart out…

Dan Kennedy’s Unbelievable Free Gift
I refer to this first link as an opportunity to “partner with an expert” because Dan Kennedy is THE expert. Visit his website today and sign-up for what Dan himself is calling a “the most incredible free gift ever!”

InfoMarketer’s Zone
Now that you have Mr. Millionaire-Maker on your side, it’s time to start working on that information product you’ve been putting off. I’ll be honest: I just came across this subscriber-site today and I am not a member (yet!), but this definitely looks promising. Take a look and start building your information product empire!

Sales Funnel Article
Yaro is at it again. I can get enough of this guy… Entrepreneur’s Journey is such a key resource for Internet Entrepreneurs, you should already know about this latest series from Mr. Starak’s site. If not, check out part one and part two AND part three now!

Enjoy!

If you have any recommendations for next Wednesday, send me a line.

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Apr

17

5 Secrets to Information Marketing Success

Filed Under Marketing Strategy, Copywriting, Information Products, Information Marketing | 1 Comment


If a secret belongs to a select group of people “in the know,” then these 5 secrets are still pretty well kept.

Sure, maybe you’ve heard all of this before, but did you really? And even if you did, did you implement each and every one right away? Thought so.

Here’s the review:

1. Study the Experts
We all must start somewhere, and learning from those who have made it should be on the top of everyone’s list.

Not surprisingly, this is the greatest roadblock to the success of so many who simply insist on learning the hard way.

As the well rehearsed saying goes, “Don’t reinvent the wheel!” Reach for an expert’s latest book, audio program, newsletter, ebook, or workshop to get you going. And keep going back for more!

2. Learn Copywriting
Maybe you’re not going to work for the Ad Agency downtown, but you will need to master the art of persuasion.

The very core of marketing is copywriting. Start here and you won’t be disappointed in the amazing results of your next sales page.

This is also crucial and actually quite easy. But, again, trust the experts!

3. Pick a Niche
With the explosion of the web, it seems like there’s a new niche growing out of an old niche every day. In the world of information marketing, the niche defines everything.

In some ways, this is the only place where you have to dig in and do something different. Just take someone else’s approach and find your own angle.

Remember: this is an information economy! The rate of inflation is growing…

4. Plan Your Attack
What is your marketing objective? What is your sales funnel? What are you trying to achieve? Where do you want to go? Who is your ideal customer?…

Ask yourself all of these questions and more as you dig in and figure out what you really want out of all of this.

Setup a clear profit strategy. As one information-marketer once said, “Your in business to make money – it’s as simple as that.” He’s absolutely right. So where are your dollars today?

5. Refine Your Skills
Once you’ve been “around the block” a time or two, you’ll begin to find your own way. But don’t stop there! Keep learning from the masters – keep developing your copywriting – keep creating and recreating your niche areas – and definitely keep planning the next attack!

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Apr

14

Copywriting for the Online Eye

Filed Under Copywriting, Information Products | Leave a Comment


Readers hate monitors. They just don’t have any choice. We’d all much rather curl up with a book or magazine, hold it in our hands, and let the words pour easily into our eyes.

But you just can’t get Seth Godin’s blog in paperback. At least not yet.

That means learning copywriting for the web is a must for any internet entrepreneur. And it doesn’t matter if you’re into information marketing, building websites, or blogging – the same principles apply.

Since you’ve heard it all before anyway – a (or have you?) - here are three simple tips you absolutely must follow to keep your readers reading:

Headlines Don’t Matter!
Actually, they do. And the fact that you’re reading this text underneath proves the point.

Titles and headlines are perhaps the only thing most readers will actually read. I really don’t think there’s any science to this – it’s truly an art. The most important thing is that you’re paying attention when you create pages and blog entries. And don’t forget about subheadlines…

Font is Always in Your Face
Choosing the right font for your site can make or break the reading experience. Your font can go a long way towards communicating your message even before the reader starts “getting it.”

Are you going for a tech-look? Is your message casual but important? Are you trying to garner trust and confidence?

Stick to one or two font-themes per site to keep it consistent.

Your Readers Don’t Really Read
But they’re “readers,” aren’t they? I thought so too. In the modern world, and especially in the online world, “to read” really means something more akin to “scanning.”

It sounds like a hell of a problem, but it’s really not. If you know how to make effective use of bold, underlining, colors, font increases, etc., then you can actually help these busy readers find what they’re searching out. Put another way, you can lean on their laziness as a means of getting them to read what you want them to read.

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Apr

13

The Entrepreneur’s Key to Success: Feature Interview – Yaro Starak

Filed Under Mindful Bloggers, Mindful Entrepreneurs | 1 Comment


Over the next month or so, I will feature a new “Mindful Entrepreneur” who has achieved great success. Each of these accomplished individuals will answer my one interview question, “What is the single most important key to your success?” Today’s post is the first in that series.

Australia’s Internet Business Guru
Yaro Starak is the brains behind Entrepreneur’s Journey - a highly informative blog in the Internet Business genre. You can read all about Yaro’s very interesting personal history and the making of a present-day internet entrepreneur in these excellent articles at his website:

I’m always interested in the financial figures of other internet entrepreneurs, and Yaro’s full disclosure approach is very revealing, honest, and comforting. He’s definitely doing well, and it’s just plain fun to watch his success grow and grow!

The Key to Yaro’s Success
I asked Yaro my burning question…

“What is the single most important key to your success?”

Here is Yaro’s response:

“Luck! Well, that’s not true, but giving yourself the chance to be lucky is certainly part of the equation.

The best answer is TAKING ACTION. If I didn’t start many projects, most of which were failures from a profitability standpoint, I would not have learnt what I did, nor achieve what success I have now.

If you never give yourself the chance to succeed then I guarantee you never will.”

The notion that ACTION is critical to success is a really important one, and I’m glad Yaro focused on it in his response. And as he suggests, even ACTION that leads to failure is an important step in the right direction.

How Yaro Takes ACTION
Yes, indeed, Mr. Starak has definitely been busy. If you visit his blog, you’ll find plenty of links to his on-going projects and tons of information about the “failures” along the way. But Yaro has learned a lot and his latest products illustrate that quite well.

Soon, the successful Australian entrepreneur will be unveiling his latest masterpiece - a blog mentoring & mastermind program.

Even if you’re not ready for blog-business mentoring, you absolutely must sign up for Yaro’s Blog Traffic Tips Newsletter. I am a long-time subscriber and can definitely say that each and every e-Newsletter contains a useful tip. Yaro definitely has the Midas Touch with blog traffic building.

If you would like to nominate someone for “The Entrepreneur’s Key to Success” feature, contact me today. And by all means, if you think you qualify as a “Mindful Entrepreneur” and would like to be featured in an interview, I’d love to hear about your success.

Stay tuned for the next installment…

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