10 Ways to run an online business that makes 10k a month

Jimmy D Brown’s newest free online business building report is called 10 proven ways to to make at least 10k a month from an online business and is available for immediate blogging. Of course blogging is one of those 10 ways!

You can download it here

http://www.inspirationalguidance.com/freeproducts/10ways10k.pdf

Do you have any questions about blogging, podcasts or online business building

From October 2008 to March 2009 I will be running my teleseminar series.  I don’t want to run it each month and I figured the winter months when its cold outside are the best times because we will all be staying in!

The spring/summer months I will do more live workshops/offline work (more on that in another post)

I have set something up with Google Moderator that allows you to ask questions and vote on the questions that have been asked

Click on this link http://moderator.appspot.com/#15/e=412ff&t=416e9

and it will take you to a page where you will be asked to sign in.

Once you have done that you can then either vote on the questions that are already available or ask your own.  Around July/August time I will then start looking for speakers to cover any topic that I can’t/dont’ want to but this year most of the teleseminars will be run by me. I spent 07/08 hosting them and now it’s time to stop being so lazy and run them!

If you have a topic you would like me to speak to your group on either offline (I am in the UK) or online via a teleseminar or blogtalkradio show then just contact me.

For now though go along to this link http://moderator.appspot.com/#15/e=412ff&t=416e9

and include your question/vote on the questions that are already there.

If possible I will also use some of your questions and write them up as blog posts to help you now so you don’t have to wait until October to find out the answer and will highlight the best ones so people include your blog url so I know how to find you! Thanks

Mindset Of A Blogger : Cultivating the blogging habit

To become a professional blogger it is important you cultivate a number of “habits” that will help you stay motivated to blog. This article covers the no excuse habit which is an essential one to develop if you are going to blog regularly – essential especially for new bloggers.

We are all creatures of habits. We have great habits like brushing our teeth twice a day and not so great habits like smoking (because it damages our health!) and if you look at where your life is right now you can pretty much see where your good and not so great habits are.  For example if you have the habit of exercising 4 times a week chances are you are in great shape. If you’re not in great shape (like me!) just take a look at your “habit” called exercise.

So habits are important if we want to experience real long-term benefits (and not just dabble in this “make money online” thing) with our blogs and the habit you need to adopt is the “No excuses” habit. It’s a tough one but here’s what someone told me years ago “Diane. You can have your results or you can have your reasons and excuses for not getting the results you want.” Naturally I wanted results and got to work on become a “no excuses woman” – which I will add I still work on every day 

Of course when you begin to take on the habit of not making excuses first you become aware of just how many times an excuse for not getting something done falls out of your mouth like rain from the clouds and then you realise just how hard it is to stick too not making excuses!

Imagine a life where you committed to blog 5 times a week and spend time learning about how to blog at least an hour a day and you managed to do that without excuses. You just got on and did it! How would that make you feel?

Now I’m sure the excuses are forming even as you read this and let me tell you living this life isn’t easy. Wanting to be successful isn’t easy but it is possible and it becomes possible when you make a commitment to make it happen and leave your excuses behind.

In order to experience success as a blogger whether you just want to have fun blogging or you are looking to become a professional blogger you must create a new habit for yourself. This is something you are about to “fit in” with all the other things you have going on in your life. How much time you spend on it will be in direct relation to how important you see it and what it can do for you.

You should also know that the results of your bad habits will not show up immediately. My bad habit was not to plan work in advance for myself. I would enjoy work when I had it and always waited for someone to refer new work to me but never future planned. By the time I realised I had no work it had already stopped for three months. By the time I thought about finding new work it took me another two months. That’s five months with no income coming in because of my bad habit.

Even worse was my habit of buying things on credit cards because I knew I could pay it off in the future. Instant gratification when I bought it but then I spent my time playing catch up all the time to make payments as my spending far exceeded my income.  My chronic bad habit had consequences but they didn’t show up for many months.

If you know that running a successful online business using a blog  is YOUR THING for ultimate success then see what you have to give up to make time for it. Maybe less time spent in the bar drinking with your friends. Perhaps you can wake up an hour earlier than usual or maybe watch an hour less of TV at night. I am not asking you to give up living, just to sacrifice a little of your time to create a new habit and one that really does become a joyful addiction.

It is a good idea to plan your habit out and add it to your calender, especially at the beginning while you get into your routine tell yourself “At 6am for 60 minutes twice a week I will wake up and add content to my blog, comment on at least 4 other blogs and spend some time marketing my blog” – write down your commitment and get into that habit of getting yourself out of bed at 5.50am and ready with a hot drink to settle into doing your hour every Monday and Wednesday (or whichever two days you choose).

It’s been said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit (or to break an old one) so my challenge for you – if you choose to accept it – is to decide on what your new habit will be and stick to it for 30 days.  If you really want to be strict with yourself here is what you do….. if at any time during those 30 days you don’t stick to your new habit then you start again from day one until you can do 30 days straight of whatever you committed to get done.

Of course you can do more. So if you find yourself waking up three times a week instead of two then that’s fantastic but you must at least stick to the minimum plan of twice a week.

Here’s an important lesson I learnt when being mentored in how to build an online business (and paid a fortune to learn it too LOL) if you want to separate yourself from the sheep (the masses of people that do the same thing expecting different results) and enjoy an abundant, unique lifestyle that you designed by choice then you must understand this one thing – everything you do today will affect what happens in your life in the future.

Your habits (or lack of them) will determine how successful you are in the future so get used to telling yourself (especially when you don’t want to blog) that negative habits produce a lack of results and negative consequences.

Developing successful habits produces rewards on a consistent basis.

What you do today really does have an impact on how your life will be in the future. Maybe not tomorrow or even next week but months from now – so if you want to be seeing positive results months from now get into creating successful habits right now.

Until next time…..  Stay focused, stay committed and stay in (consistent) action

Do Wordpress integrated membership site plugins do more harm than good?

I have been looking at different Wordpress plugins that you can use as membership site scripts and I thought it would be a great way to go because it will save me having to write content for a membership site and blog. Instead I write my content on my blog and just hide the premium stuff away from non paying members – but how frustrating is that for people reading the blog?

If you found a blog with great information but every time you went to read a blog post you get half way through then it would ask you to “subscribe to read more” would you return or simply seek out the same information some other place?

I have been on a few sites offering membership sites that way and it is frustrating and I wonder how big a problem it is.

The other alternative is to not use a script and deliver all your lessons via email. Jimmy D Brown focuses on teaching how to run a membership site without needing to buy expensive membership site software and using your autoresponder account like Aweber – which you really should have anyway to build your own list. His site is called Membernaire and he walks his talk by running his own membership sites using this method including Affiliatenaire (how to become a super affiliate) and Outsource Weekly (teaching you how to gain more time through outsourcing)

The downside to membernaire is that you have to wait 12 months to get the complete course as it is delivered weekly. You are told right at the beginning how to build your site and then the focus turns to traffic, content and building a subscriber based of people who want to remain members – all of this is brilliant stuff and training you don’t always get with traditional membership site software. Most people sell you the dream of membership sites without telling you how to successfully fill it and keep it going!

Then of course there is the traditional membership site software. I built my make money blogging membership site using Launch Formula Marketing by Robert Puddy and will probably re-build a number of my membership sites using his membership script because the one I current use on sites like My Internet Marketing Mistakes are asking for a huge yearly fee to continue using them (which of course they never mentioned at the beginning!) that I refuse to pay.

The one thing I have settled on is that it is easier to buy a piece of software once and use it over and over again rather than pay monthly or yearly for something. Launch Formula Marketing actual give you free upgrades too. I have had access to Launch Formula Marketing since 2007 but never used it until now  – I received an email recently letting me know version 3 was available to I decided to give it a go.

I like the idea of the blog and membership site looking integrated and I tried amemberpro several months ago but just couldn’t figure it out! I will go back to the Launch Formula Marketing help forum and see if I can figure out how to integrate it into my blog.

If you have been thinking about running a membership site you might want to explore many of the different options there are available out there before deciding. Easy of use, easy of content delivery and automation are my three priorities. Once the site is up I want to know that I can leave it alone and it can collect and organise members for me! Of course I still neeed to do the job of promoting them but that is all and that (of course) is what I use my blog and/or audio/video for!

The merger went well and they are now living together

My blog is now complete (well just about) and all the content from my online business blog is now right here with all the content about personal growth.  Like any new relationship there had to be some give and take about what stayed and what went. I had to squeeze in a bunch of new categories, trim down quite a few blogs posts – especially where I shared the same blog post at both blogs and make room for some new stuff.

While looking for an image to use I came across these two gorgeous girls and the blurb about them said they are sisters by adoption which I thought was so cute. So now they will grace different parts of my blog as the reason why, as mothers, we really need to be at home.

All three of my children were ill this week with a bad cough/cold. My eldest Robyn is still off school, my youngest went back yesterday and poor Ryan (in the middle) is currently working through exams so had to go in feeling unwell.  What was great is knowing I can be here with them even when they are unwell because i work from home.

Now, instead of having a split focus with two blogs I get to focus all my attention on this one. As the months have gone by I have found myself becoming more and more clear on my overall objective and who it is I want to support and mothers definitely win for me. I believe we should all be at home – if we choose to – and if you that is where you want to be I recommend you start with your own blog.

The free membership site is available that will start you off and help you get going. You can find it here.

Eventually though if you are serious about success and building a business that will last you will need professional help and the only place I recommend is Blog Success. http://www.blogsuccess.com/diane

Sisters spread happiness while brothers breed distress

My daughter emailed me a link to the BBC website today that includes a report about research undertaken in families of sisters and brothers. It seems that while us girls bring sunshine and light to the world you guys do nothing but cause trouble

Lead researcher Professor Tony Cassidy said:”Sisters appear to encourage more open communication and cohesion in families.”However, brothers seemed to have the alternative effect.”

Here’s the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7977454.stm

You can’t argue with the facts….. well actually you can !!!!

If I merged online business building with personal growth would that enhance or take away from your experience here?

My Question

If I merged online business building with personal growth would that enhance or take away from your experience here? Do you think it is too strange to have one blog talking about online business building that also focuses on mindset, discovering greatness, faith, prayer and God?

Some background info

Late last year I decided to ditch internet marketing and focus on my love of personal development but I have always had a love for blogs, membership sites and audio/video. Instead of teaching it though I was happy just to use it to make me money.

Then I joined a membership site called Blog Success to learn how to improve my income using this blog and the co-founder of Blog Success Jack Humphrey asked me to stay and focus on mindset. Then he asked me to join the team as Membership Manager. So I restarted some of my online business building stuff as a way to promote Blog Success as an affiliate because the domains are already established in the search engines. Plus it is the only high value training I recommend for anyone looking to become a professional blogger – and I have a special offer link if you want to check it out – http://www.blogsuccess.com/diane

But running both blogs and being able to provide value at both is time consuming, it’s killing me…. literally!  Not to mention taking on clients and my coaching practice, being a single mom, raising 3 kids etc etc ….. so I am thinking about merging the two blogs together and value your input.

Outsourcing seems like an obvious option but in 2008 I made a very (very) huge property error – in terms of buying/investing – that wiped out all my savings and left me with some hefty bills to pay. Being online is what has saved me and keeps me going. Some of the other people involved were not as lucky because they had no other means of income – which is why multiple streams is so important. I’ll get through that and in a few years time it will be a lesson I learnt and dealt with but right now I am living through it

Thinking About Merging

If you came a across a blog talking about discovering greatness and faith would it seem too weird to also have info on building an online business?

In his latest product “the secret to having money” Joe Vitalie does just that. He talks about the law of attraction and then focuses on running an online business and even for me it seemed a weird combination but I could see the link. I felt as if I was learning one thing then he switched and focused on something else.

The one thread that could hold this all together is that I talk about mindset and focus on mindset in both camps because I believe mindset is a hugely important factor in the success of building a business – even if it seems (according to the poll on the right) that more people would rather focus on the technical aspect of blogging than they would mindset

Mindset and faith are both the reason why I haven’t given up and what keeps me going (and in mindset I include my desire and vision of course)

I want to eventually sell my business and so I have to start making it less about me and more about the brand. Inspirational Guidance is my main business and can relate to both personal development and online business building.

All of my blogging sites are used to promote Blog Success. They provide enough free information to get a blog started but eventually you really need to invest in your learning to proceed and that is when I recommend Blog Success. So the good news is I don’t have to focus on delivering content in this area. Just promoting Blog Success and enjoying my role of connecting with all the members. Because I love connecting with people

I guess this is a little bit of market research for me.

And the question is

If I combine personal development and online business building is that too different for you? Would it make a difference to whether you stay around or not? Would it enhance your experience or take away from it?

I appreciate your views/suggestions/questions

Diane

March For Babies

My friend Don Wilson is raising money for March of Dimes by marching for babies. March of Dimes helps families that have experienced giving birth prematurely and where the baby suffers from health issues as a result.

A lot more work needs to be done to raise awareness of the brilliant work that they do and if the work this charity does resonates with you please consider donating for Dons walk in March by CLICKING HERE

If you want to read Don’s blog about why he is supporting this charity you can do that HERE – if no can’t manage to sponsor him please leave him a comment/message of support. He would love that too.

Do you even care about me?

I have been reading what the “experts” say about blogging and providing information to an audience and it seems that you don’t really want to know about me, my life, my story, you just want to know information that will help you – which of course is why you read.

Do you have any thoughts about that?

I spend my time writing about my story because I can only really share my own experiences and I didn’t want my blog to turn into one that just tells people “what to do” because that is they way we have always lived. Our parents told us what to  do, our teachers told us what to do, our employer is telling us what to do and so rather than write a blog telling you what to do I thought I would be different!  Seth Godin is the only expert that encourages people to be different, to break from the crowd and do what feels right for you.

Here at my blog there are a few lessons that provide you with information but I also write a lot from my own perspective because that’s the only one I can really write from!

So who’s right? The experts that say you just want me to passive impart infromation to you so you can read it or people like Seth who believe I should be different and break with tradition?

Ultimately as one of my readers you are the best person to let me know so please feel free to do that.

25 Random and personal things about me

I’ve been tagged by Jack Humphrey. And when a man that you admire tags you then you pay attention!

So here is how this works……

Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose five more people to be tagged. You also have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you. To do this, you simply link to their blogs so that they know you responded to their tag.

You may include the above rules in your post so that the person being tagged knows them, too. You may also want to tweet your post to notify them on Twitter I found out through a Google alert that Jack had tagged me!

So here 25 random and personal things about me

1.  I love all films with Samuel L Jackson or John Travolta in them (except snakes on the plane)

2.  I have more ideas in my head than I can cope with and it drives me mad!

3.  2009 is about more groups and less doing things alone so now I am in a church, and part of a team at blog success as Membership Manager.

4.  I love football (soccer) and would love to be involved with a women’s team (as a supporter not player!!!)

5.  I love drumming - African drumming, Indian Drumming (and the Dohl Foundation), Chinese drumming… any kind of drum beat!

6.  I want to visit Dominica in the Caribbean this year. My parents are from the Nature Island and my last visit was in 1979

7. My dream this year is to get my book published and in book shops! Its called Discovering Greatness Experiencing Joy and if you are a publisher I need one!

8.  I love dancing. Salsa, belly, African…. the only thing I haven’t tried (yet) is pole dancing

9.  I really enjoy eating junk food and have to watch what I eat.

10.  Cake and custard is also my favorite… any kind of pie too… apple, cherry…. love it! Hot and sweet
Read more

Next Page »