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We all love holidays.  Perhaps the number one reason most love holidays is time off from work.  If you’re a traditional employee in a traditional job, this applies to you.  On the other hand, employees at Wal-Mart and Starbucks are unlikely to enjoy a reprieve from their workaday world. 

Labor Day is really a funny holiday. 

At this point, the first Monday of September is little more than a last shot at long-weekend summer fun.  That, and reminder to not wear white. 

I think Labor Day should really be “Entrepreneurship Day.” 

Really – think about it: Instead of giving everyone a day off to grab the jet-skis and head for the lake yet again, let’s open the door for real change. 

Think of it: one day off to recalibrate your life and consider how the principles of entrepreneurship can make real change happen.  Want another long weekend for trekking out-of-town?  How about a long weekend *every* weekend?

Established entrepreneurs could come together and give free seminars.  The Small Business Administration (SBA) could offer similar workshops on starting a business.  Financial planners could provide free consultations for learning more about investment opportunities and retirement plans.

We could also honor all successful entrepreneurs for their hard work and significant contributions to the American economy.  Talk about a great way to celebrate some of our most important cultural values – initiative, independence, ingenuity, etc. 

This could be an amazing holiday with real purpose and not just another wasted Monday off from the office.  Think about it and spread the word!

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:

• All About Yaro
• How I Have Made Money Online (series)

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…

Related Articles:

• Entrepreneurs are Artists: Two Keys to Creative Success
• The Mindful Entrepreneur’s Journey – Part 1
• How to Write a Focused Blog

This Wendesday’s “Mindful Resources” don’t exactly fit a theme, but I know you’ll find each of them as useful as the next!

Steve Pavlina on Sex Energy
I love this article! Heck, I love this guy!

Pavlina has impressed me once again. Check out this thought-provoking article that expands on the original concept of sexual transmutation presented in Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think & Grow Rich.

Evan Carmichael’s Entrepreneur Network
I had no idea this site even existed until Evan linked to one of my recent posts. Now I’m returning the favor with a well deserved link. Forums, expert advice, mastermind groups – Mr. Carmichael has it all!

Hit Tail
Still offering their free service, the Hit Tail website makes it easy to track your site’s Long Tail – one of the latest web marketing concepts.

Sign-up today!

Related Articles:

• Mindful Startup Resources

I want to begin by referencing Yaro Starak’s blog, Entrepreneur’s Journey. I’m alluding to his clever blog-name for this particular post, so I want to give credit where credit is due. If you aren’t yet familiar with Yaro’s work, check him out today!

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The following two-part series offers a closer look at how I became an internet entrepreneur and how I intend to continue developing a mindful online business down the road. Some of this post is personal in nature, but I believe many of you will find it illuminating. Reviewing personal history is a good way to take stock of how things are developing for you and to really consider if you’re headed down the right path. I hope this series inspires you to consider your own personal and business journeys…

The Path to Today
My career in internet business began by surprise. When I started my first online venture, I was still in college. Before the idea came to fruition, I never once thought, “Hey, maybe I’ll make a living online.” If you would have asked me about the potentials of running an online business at the time, I probably would have laughed and made some snide comment about “getting a real job.” Funny how things change.

In college, I took many classes and developed a wide range of interests. I focused my major studies in the English department. A lifelong love of reading and writing made that a natural choice. And the professors in that particular department were outstanding to boot!

While completing my college studies, a few things fell into place that definitely contributed to my current position today. First, during my final year I completed research on blogging as a form of discourse. I fell completely in love with the blogosphere and created my first blog (lost to posterity today). While engaged in this project, I also started developing a website for a student organization on campus. It was my first *real* crack at creating a website from scratch. There were plenty of hang-ups, but I learned a great deal about the web and some basics of computer programming. Someday I’d like to really dig in and learn more. I’m completely self-taught. I actually taught myself Basic Programming at 13 from some old texts my Dad always had on our bookshelves. That said, by no means do I consider myself a techno-wiz. Far from it. But I’m getting better every day.

As the end of my college career approached, I began thinking seriously about life after the 4-year degree. I thought a lot about graduate and post-graduate school, but the job market was bleak. Somehow forces beyond me came to the rescue…

I’ve always loved books. But I never considered making a profit from the hobby. Yet that’s exactly what I started doing several years ago – selling books online. I got my start by selling used books from my own collection. I used Amazon almost exclusively and saw great results! I was turning a small profit when it suddenly dawned on me that I could make a great profit by simply “scaling” the results. In short, with more books to sell, I would turn more profit.

At its all-time high, my online bookselling business was hedging close to $3000 per month. I was immensely happy.

That is, until my life took an unexpected turn - upside down. Just last year, my former wife and I separated. The separation itself was quite civil and loving. The differences that had developed between us were mostly circumstantial and had more to do with the paths we were chasing.

Despite my business success, I was still considering other paths. I wanted to pursue writing more exclusively and had strongly considered graduate schools across the country. My thoughts were not aligned with her desires to travel every summer as a working choreographer while remaining open to options for permanent work elsewhere. Our dreams were just not compatible any longer and neither of us wanted to stand in the way of the other.

With the separation from my wife came a separation from my business. I decided to liquidate the inventory. I sold the entire stock of books and washed my hands of the work I was doing. I began teaching writing classes at a local private college where I rekindled my deep passion for writing.

As time passed, my attention turned again to entrepreneurship and the internet. Initially, I tried to start everything over from scratch to rebuild my book empire. But something kept holding me back. Finally, I realized that returning to the bookselling was not the answer. There was some greater reason for my separation. I started asking fundamental questions about my life purpose. Writing kept coming up again and again. I wanted to write for a living. I wanted to share my talents with other people. But I also wanted to help other people develop their own talents to find greater success and happiness. I wanted to teach.

Everything started coming together. My first project was writing an eBook to teach other people how to find success in starting an online business. I knew others could really benefit from my inside experience in that world. And I wanted to share my knowledge in an accessible way. I wanted to create a partnership with my readers by giving them important information and a real sense of presence in the writing. As I was working to develop the first eBook, I also started this blog, the Mindful Entrepreneur.

If I could sum up my mission as an internet entrepreneur, I would do so in this simple statement:

I work to inspire other people to find congruence in personal, spiritual, and financial success. In everything I do, I strive to live congruently, to work with real purpose and intention in my business and personal spheres.

Related Articles:

• 10 Steps to Writing an Ebook - Part 1
• Keeping a Business Journal
• What is a Mindful Entrepreneur?
• The Tipping Point

The following article is part of the ongoing series - “Mindful Entrepreneurs: Feature Articles from the Blogosphere.” Each installment offers a brief bio of a blogger who offers a unique perspective of entrepreneurship. To learn more about this series or to submit a post for consideration, submit an email to the Mindful Entrepreneur.

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If you haven’t yet visited the eMomsAtHome website and blog, take a minute and add this inspiring entrepreneur to your favorites bar.

Wendy Piersall is the author, entrepreneur, and all-star Mom who runs this comprehensive site. My first encounter with Wendy came by way of a personalized email campaign requesting “blogging partnerships” with worthy bloggers. The eMom’s audacity and optimistic approach to self-creating inspired me to contact her right away. Since that first email exchange, I have become a regular follower of her blog and have watched her ascend to the heights of blogging success.

Today, I’m featuring a post from Wendy’s blog: