At Least You're Out There Doing Something!

Mistakes!  Have you ever made one?  Goodness knows I have!  Time and time again.  And you know what?  I don't care.  I'll keep right on making them.

Every mistake is a learning experience.  I know.  Most of us think mistakes are terrible things to be avoided at all costs.  Successful people don't make mistakes!  Smart people don't make mistakes!  Only losers make mistakes. 

That thought process is exactly why so many people give up on their goals.  I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this but if you are trying to do anything new, if you are in any way stepping outside your normal comfort zone, you are going to have setbacks.  Yup!  You are going to make a mistake. 

Does that make you a failure or a loser?  Absolutely not!  What does is not admitting the mistake and taking the opportunity to learn from it.  For example, I did not put gas in my car last Friday.  It was cold and rainy and I didn't want to mess with it.  I told myself I would go do it over the weekend.  But the weekend came and went and I didn't do it then either.  I didn't want to run all the way into town just to get gas.  I had an appointment Monday morning.  I would just leave early and do it on the way. 

Well I'm sure you can guess what happened Monday.  Everything that could possibly go wrong did and instead of being early I was actually running late.  And of course, I had completely forgotten about needing to stop for gas. I was so focused on everything else, that I didn't remember until I actually turned the ignition and saw the gas gauge.  I had made a mistake.  And a big one because I was 20 minutes late for my appointment.  Not a good way to make an impression! 

Stupid mistake?  Oh yeah!  Did I learn from it?  You betcha!  Will I ever do it again?  Absolutely not!  And instead of making excuses, I truthfully explained to the person I was meeting what had happened.  They were a bit irritated because they were going to have to reschedule our appointment.  But they did reschedule.  Because they too had made stupid mistakes.  And they respected the fact that I had admitted to my foolish decisions.

And so tomorrow we have another meeting set up.  My gas tank is full.  I have set the alarm to make sure I don't oversleep.  I WILL be on time.  I will not let the past interfere with my goals for tomorrow.  Persistent action and continual learning lead to success. 

Some of you are probably already judging or laughing at me for making such a ridiculous mistake.  You think you would never do business with someone as irresponsible as I appear to be.  Well you know what?  I don't care.  The real battle is not with you.  It's with me.  I have to learn to get past this.  I have to make the changes to be sure it never happens again.  And you soon as you learn that lesson - that the real battle is not with others but with ourselves - you will be one step closer to success.

If you're making mistakes, it means at least you're out there doing something.  Make your mistakes your motivation, not your excuse.

Clean The Air With Houseplants For A Healthy Home Office

For many decades, we have been sealing up our homes as tight as a drum to conserve energy. As heating and cooling costs have risen, so has the effort to weather-proof our houses.

This is all fine and good when it comes to saving money. After all, who needs to let their warmed or cooled air leak out of the cracks and crevices around doors and windows? We spent good money to get our temperature inside to a comfortable level, so let's keep that air inside.

However, since we've started super-sealing and insulating our homes and businesses, we have found one drawback - the lack of fresh air. These tightly closed environments became associated with illnesses related to the pollution created in buildings that were sealed off from any source of air cleaning or filtering mechanism.

After years of study by NASA researchers and scientists around the world, the answer became evident. Man does not live on this planet alone. In fact, our existence depends on our close relationship with other living things; namely plants. Yes, one of the answers to indoor air pollution is the simple houseplant.

That brings us to our healthy home office.

Many of us work in a tightly closed environment. If you have a home office and a busy family, you probably spend most of your time with the doors and windows closed.

If that's the case, your air quality may not be as healthy as it should be. Air pollution can be causing you and your body stress. Perhaps you are getting headaches more often than you should, or you are battling a cold constantly. Itchy eyes, a nagging sore throat, or other ailments may be caused by what's in the air in your own home office.

According to a NASA study, if we are to close ourselves into these sealed environments, we must take along with us our own natural fresh air system - plants. In their research, NASA found plants, along with their eco system (roots, soil, etc.), reduced the air pollution created by man within these air-tight environments.

The houseplants found to be good air purifiers include:

English Ivy

Mother-in-Law's Tongue

Golden Pothos

Janet Craig Dracaena

Chinese Evergreen

Spider Plants

These plants are typically low-light loving and easy to grow with just a bit of care.

Of course, you'll want to have your home checked for radon and install a carbon monoxide detector. Once you have taken care of those issues, consider the air quality of your home office. Are you constantly feeling ill when you are in your home office? There could be reasons why your tightly closed office isn't feeling like a healthy haven.

Now we know that little houseplant does so much more than brighten up a room - it actually cleans the air. Isn't it time to add a bit of greenery to your home office?

Small Business Internet Marketing

Too many people think that online marketing is about building a nice site and sitting back waiting for the cash to roll in. Not so! It requires a lot of work and patience to generate results and that means working on your website on a regular basis.

Here are some things you can do:  
     
1. Your internet site must feature keyword and phrases. But if you sell shoes, you've got to understand that if someone puts the word shoes into a browser, millions of results will come up.

This is where longtail keywords come in. Longtail keywords are essentially phrases that someone will put into a browser, for example "leather shoes".

So if you have leather shoes as a keyword, you're going to be somewhere in the results. Longtail keywords are very important in getting found on the internet and Google offers a keyword tool you can use for free to find these often-used phrases.

By entering the phrase "leather shoes" Google will tell you how many searches there were in the past month for that phrase, both globally and in the US. If you want to conduct much more in-depth key phrase research there are a number of other programs you can purchase. Whichever tool you choose, you will have to pay very close attention to the results it returns and decide which keywords you will be targeting for your articles.

If a keyword returns around five thousand searches a month locally, that's an ideal number. Whether you use local or world search numbers relies upon the product you are promoting. You must be on page 1 of the search engines and it will take a large amount of persistence and hard work to get there but that's where the money is. 
       
2. Google likes websites that are continually updated and contain relevant content. So get into the habit of writing at least a five hundred word, keyword=rich article every day or so.

Use your keywords within the first few words of your initial paragraph and again in the closing paragraph. Dependent on the length of the article, use the phrase a couple of times more. If you're employing advertising through Google Adwords, this may also help Google to serve tighter targeted advertising to your website.

3. Backlinks Getting backlinks is a pain. Most website owners outsource this task as quickly as they can. The only possible way is to get into the practice of finding important DoFollow blogs and adding nicely-written, informative comments to ten of them daily. Google knows about link farms and penalizes for their use. Don't bother with them. They're a waste of money and will do no good.

The easiest way to get backlinks is thru marketing articles. This is because of the fact that many article directory sites will need authors to have at least a single link to his / her site. People will be required to submit articles to article marketing sites or to other sites using a 'hub'. This is generally cheap and saves time. The best article directory, in my opinion, is EZine Articles.       

There are many other strategies involved in small business internet marketing. The above points are crucial if you want to be successful. These techniques are the least expensive but effective and can be used by anyone that is just getting started.

7 Ways to Take Your Business from Blah to Booming!

Starting your own business can be a great way to earn some extra income.  And many home-based entrepreneurs are very content with that.  But if you want more - if you want to one day replace the income from you job - then it's time to step it up! 


Here are some suggestions to help your business grow!


1.  Get online!  By now, most business, even home-based businesses, have some sort of online presence.  It may be a website complete with shopping cart or other order mechanism.  Or it may be a simple blog.  So I almost feel like I shouldn't have to say it.  But for the few holdouts, here we go.  Get ONLINE!  Ecommerce is the wave of the future.  Quit stalling and just do it!


2.  Build a mailing list.  Preferably an email list.  You have surely heard it said that the money is in the list.  Truth!  If you aren't doing this already, start capturing the contact information of all your customers and prospects.  Then send a newsletter to your list a few times a month (at least) or even every day.  Use it to announce new products or services, provide company news, share helpful information about your niche and just connect with your customers and prospects to build that know-like-trust factor.  The mailing list is one of the most potent tools a business can have.  It can make the difference between just getting by and a six-figure income. 


3.  Get in front of your prospects.  With all of the technology available today, there is no excuse for not connecting on a more personal level with them.  Live streaming, video, and webinars are all great ways to get that connection with your market.  It enables them to put a face with the business and create that personal bond with you. Give presentations on your area of expertise wherever you can.  Marketing whiz? Teach social media marketing at a local  college.  Health and wellness expert?  Give a presentation on staying healthy as you age at your local senior center.  No matter what your area of interest is, someone somewhere wants to hear it.


4.  Attend networking events.  Not to hand out business cards.  95% of people you give your card to won't follow up.  But you are not part of the 95%,.  You DO follow up!  And so you go to networking events to collect business cards.  Get as many as you can.  Make notes on them so you remember what you discussed and any points of common interest you may have.  Wait 48 hours and then follow up with a short email or phone call.  Remind them where you met and then use the information from your notes start a conversation.  Do not discuss business on this first contact unless they specifically expressed interest earlier.  The goal is to schedule a face-to-face meeting, even if it's just for coffee.


5. Social media advertising.  Yes, you can now pay to advertise on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a host of other social media platforms.  Learn how to do so effectively and then advertise!


6.  Referrals.  Ask your existing customers for referrals and reward them if you get new business from someone they referred.


7.  Article marketing.  Write articles for local newspapers, magazines, other websites and online article directories.  You should write about what you know and establish yourself as an expert in your field.


To learn more about ecommerce, creating an e-mail list, and other strategies that will bring you more customers and bigger profits, join the Tecademics Internet Marketing College.  It costs absolutely NOTHING and the training is invaluable!  Click here to register!

Ultimately It's All About Persistance

When opportunity knocks, how many times will you answer? 



We've all answered the knocking on our door.  Only to find it wasn't for us. Wrong job.  Wrong person.  Wrong business.  It's enough to make you want to give up.  Opportunity may be knocking, but it obviously isn't looking for us.  Right?



Wrong!  Disappointment is part of life.  Failure is part of success.  Success is all about persistence.  You must keep on "keepin' on" if you crave it.  You must press on, even on those days you feel like quitting. 



Patience and persistence pay off.  All the experts will tell you that.  And they are absolutely correct. You should listen to them.  Wrong job?  Stick with it until you find something better.  Use it as an opportunity to learn some new skills, get more experience, and pad that resume!  Your perfect job is waiting.  It might even be waiting right where you are.



Wrong business?  Okay.  So what?  Did you learn something from the experience?  Good!  Do you want to know how many things I tried before I found what I was good at?  And I even failed at that a few times before I finally figured it out.  And I'm not alone.  Google Sir Richard Branson and see how many businesses he's tried that have failed.  Or check out Bill Gates.  Yes, he's had a failure or two also.
   

Wrong person?  You'll have to figure that out on your own.  I'm a business success coach, not Dear Abby!



Babe Ruth said, "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."  We all fail.  But what separates those who go on to win from those who go on to quit is one thing - persistence.  No one has enjoyed great achievement without it.



Do you have dreams?  Do you have the persistence, perseverance, patience, and discipline to realize them?  Yes? T hen the power to change your life is in your hands
.

So...when opportunity knocks, how many times will you answer?  The correct response is, "As many times as it takes!"

De-Stress Your Home Office With Four Feng Shui Elements

The notion that clutter can distract us from our work and generally cause us to lose focus is not new. There are countless articles and books about how to de-clutter our surroundings to create a more productive work space. This is all very helpful. However, there are other elements to our environment that go beyond piles of clutter.

Feng Shui is a complicated system of spatial orientation used to create a favorable flow of energy. People who understand and arrange their homes and offices using these principles claim improvement in their overall well-being and productivity.

Now, I don't claim to be a Feng Shui expert. As mentioned, this is a complicated system, if one chooses to follow the ancient principles of Feng Shui to the letter. What I do know, I have learned from reading and research. However, there are elements that we can take from Feng Shui to easily and simply improve our surroundings.  Will these elements increase wealth and improve health? Maybe, maybe not. But, one thing is sure; implementing these four elements into your home and home office will make your working environment more pleasant!

Let's take a look at these four elements of Feng Shui and see how we can use them in our home office.

Wind

You may think of this element more easily as 'air.' As an essential element for life, we definitely want to incorporate air into our home office as much as possible.

Big windows open to a balmy breeze would be ideal, right?  An open window is certainly a wonderful way to bring in the element of fresh air. However, many of us don't have home offices in the most ideal location for this method.

Fresh air can be produced in other ways. An open door and/or a fan can be used to move air around in your office. If you have a small office that tends to get stuffy, consider installing an ionic air purifier. There are also small portable air conditioner units available to handle a larger office space.

Even the sound of wind can improve your mood and lower stress. There are many sound machines, either physical or computer programs, that produce soothing wind sounds. Make sure your office has fresh air to breathe and the sound of wind through the trees, real or recorded, and feel this Feng Shui element do its magic.

Water

Again, the trickle of a stream or the gentle ocean surf outside our office window would be ideal, but many of us are limited by our location to have these water sources available. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to duplicate this Feng Shui element.

There are many simple tabletop water features you can install in your office to create the sound and sight of water. Choose a bubbling fountain or tiny waterfall to add the water element to even the smallest office. Just make sure it is placed well away from your work surface and computer or other hardware.

Another option is to re-create the sound of water using a sound machine or computer program. Most will give several options from which to choose; a waterfall, surf, babbling brook, rain, etc. You can even combine several elements with most programs, allowing you to choose, for instance, wind and water together.

The sight and sound of water is only a part of this element, however. You should also include a water source in your office from which to drink. A pretty pitcher filled with fresh water is essential. Put the pitcher on a tray with sparkling clean glasses and you have a water element that would please the most ardent Feng Shui practitioner.

Light

If you are lucky enough to have a window in your office, take full advantage of all the light you can get from it. Pull back the drapes, pull up the blinds, and let the light pour in.

Of course, you will need to position your desk and computer so the light doesn't fall on the monitor. Facing the window or having your back to the window are not good solutions, since both cause glare on the monitor. Place your desk and computer monitor perpendicular to the window, keeping the light from the window on your left or right side. That way you can enjoy the light and the view while keeping your monitor out of the glare.

Unfortunately, home offices are often tucked away in a forgotten corner of the house, spare room, basement, or even a closet. When it comes to light in these situations, the choices may be limited.

If you have even one small window, make sure you utilize every bit of light coming from it by keeping the window clear of drapes and blinds. If you must hang something, choose a sheer panel. Even diffused light is better than none. Use mirrors throughout the space to reflect the light that comes in through the window, creating faux-windows on the other window-less walls. 

If you must use lamps for your only light source, be sure you light up all corners of your office. One lamp on the desk may be adequate, but those dark corners are not helping create a proper environment. You may also want to check into installing full-spectrum light bulbs which produce a light similar to natural sunlight. Again, installing mirrors to reflect any light you have will help lighten up your space, and your mood.

Beauty

This is an element that is open to interpretation. What is beautiful to you is not necessarily beautiful to others. You will need to decide how to introduce this element to your home office.

Many of the de-cluttering articles we read suggest the elimination of family pictures and other personal items from the home office. However, as an element of beauty, those personal items may be just the ticket. No, you don't want to have so much of this stuff that it becomes clutter, but a few family pictures and your child's artwork may be the beauty that is needed in your office.

Other people find beauty in fresh flowers and potted plants. Still others see classic sculpture, paintings, or photography as the element of beauty they seek. Perhaps the beauty of music is what your home office needs.

You will know what your particular element of beauty is when you feel it. Try placing a vase of flowers in your office, then place a picture of your family or friends over your desk, then hang a favorite painting, then play some music. The right combination will come to you in time. Add and subtract; subtract and add; until you feel the beauty.

Most of us have heard about Feng Shui and been intrigued by the principles. But, for many of us, studying and understanding the intricate details of this system is way beyond our needs. Using just these four elements is the simplest way to incorporate the Feng Shui method of spatial arrangement into our surroundings to help de-stress our home office environment - and ourselves!

How to Choose a Network Marketing Opportunity

Lots of network marketers will tell you that the company doesn't matter.  If you are a "good" marketer or a "true" network marketer, you can be successful anywhere.  I disagree.  I am not saying that there are only certain companies that are good.  But I am saying that success can only occur if you choose the network marketing company that is right for YOU.

Network marketing companies come and go.  It seems like a new one is launched every week!  Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration.  But there are certainly more opportunities to choose from today than ever before.

The internet has made it possible to keep an eye out on these new network marketing opportunities easily. Although it is going to take you some time to judge these new opportunities, you must take some time to make sure you are making the best choice. Network marketing has been in existence for many years, and it's a good marketing model that works, if it's done correctly.

This is a speedily changing marketplace and you will have to have the confidence the company you select will last.  A product that might have been popular 10 years ago may not be so desirable now, so you should make sure that the products the company offers are good quality and something people will always need to purchase or that the company is regularly adding new or improved products to keep pace with the market.

Lots of New Network Marketing Programs Appear Suddenly and Vanish Just As Quickly

Dozens of new network marketing programs come into the world each month, so you've got to select carefully. The internet does make it easier. When you have whittled your choice down to one or two companies, it's a good idea to keep a close eye on these companies' websites and also monitor what folks are saying online. Watch how these companies are advertising. Are they using print advertising television advertising, online advertising, or promoting through email marketing? Usually, the more the company spends on advertising the better it is for you. But be aware that many firms spend way too much of their primary budget on advertising, and therefore fail.

You will have to learn how to judge blog comments too.

Frequently you will get network marketing experts whining on blogs they are not making any cash and you've got to see why.

Take some time to pose questions on these blogs. You may find out that these "experts" have failed because they spend more time complaining on blogs than getting out there and working!

Also be wary of  "review" sites with bad reviews.  These are frequently written by reps from other network marketing companies as a way to discourage competition.

The Dangers of New Network Marketing Programs

Once you have made your choice, you're going to require some help and that's another minefield too.  There's a ton of shady characters on the internet trying to earn money from you, selling all their "secrets" and "latest" systems of earning money with network marketing. Be exceedingly careful.

If they offer you a course for, say $37 dollars that sounds reasonable. But when you click through they may tell you they want a monthly membership. That $37 magic course may end up costing a bunch of cash!

Don't get suckered in to all that and do not believe all of the hype. There isn't any magic pill or secret formula available so you can be an immediate success at network marketing.

If you are not a risk taker, find a network marketing company that has been successfully doing business for no less than 5 years. Avoid brand-new network marketing companies. These frequently promise huge wealth but do not deliver. The truth is hundreds of network marketing companies fail inside their first 3 years. So that would imply you fail too.

If you do not understand how to market and promote your business, you had better find out . While you don't necessarily need a large amount of money to promote your business, You ought to have set aside at least some money as a marketing budget. You need to also put aside a considerable amount of time if you would like to be successful. 

If you do not know how to build an website and steer traffic to it that is something else you should know. Some companies do provide you with a replicated website.  The only problem with that is that it looks just like every other reps website.  So you really have to understand how to drive traffic to your site.  After all, the backbone of a network marketing business is leads. You need to learn how to get those leads. I will tell you is that the best investment you can make is a lead generation system, which can get you and your business off the ground swiftly with minimal quantity of advertising cost.

Do I use one?  You betcha!  And you can check it out here!