5 Things An Internet Entrepreneur Must Do to Survive the Online Business World

"I feel I'm able to serve my customer by knowing what she or he wants. One of the ways I'm able to do this is through my website, and email: people give me great ideas, tell me what they want, what they don't want. It's really instrumental, and helps me stay in touch with people." --Kathy Ireland There are millions upon millions, if not billions, of websites and blogs out there on the internet these days. Needless to say that there is quite a bit of "noise" out there. Everyone is vying for attention and major corporations are beginning to realize the power of the internet - more so the power of blogs as marketing venues. This online business world can seem a little intimidating if you are a newbie. How do you make your way around this virtual world? How do you get your business noticed? More importantly, how do you survive once your online business is up and running? Through my experience of launching a myriad of websites, I've discovered exactly what an online internet entrepreneur must do to sustain longevity: 1. Find a mentor. I never fully realized the power of a mentor until recently. A mentor can help you get through those rough patches when you feel like it's time to just throw in the towel. A mentor keeps you motivated and we all need that once in awhile, believe me! Your mentor doesn't even have to be someone you personally know or have met. Just find someone who expresses the same values and business ethics that you do. Find someone who fuels your energy and makes you want to keep on going. 2. Network with like-minded people. Now, there's a right way and a wrong way to network. I've been reading all kinds of information and tips on social networking and one of the things people encourage you to do is visit other blogs and leave comments. Well, this is good advice, but how many times have you visited someone's blog, left a comment, and then left their blog never to return? I used to experience something similar to this when I attended local networking events. People would shake your hand, introduce themselves, hand over their card and then be gone forever. If you discover someone's blog that has a great deal of interesting things to say, then by all means leave comments on their blog (notice I said "comments" - that's plural!), subscribe to their RSS feed, become their friend on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., or offer to do a guest post on their blog - anything to show that you like what they have to offer. Meanwhile you're establishing your own credibility and letting people know that you are trustworthy and have an interest in helping others. 3. Keep up with the latest online communities. We're all social creatures, so let's face it, social networking websites are here to stay. I'm not saying that you have to become a member of every one of the social networking sites, but at least be aware of these online communities where people are going to share information. Some of these places could be where your target market is hanging out! 4. Learn how to write for the web. Blogs are becoming the content of choice when people come online to find information. Bottom line is, content is what people are drawn to and is the driving force of the internet, so it's important to have some decent writing skills and learn a little copywriting. If you're an internet entrepreneur, you want to sell things, right? How do you expect to sell anything if you don't know what to say? What makes people push that "Buy now" button? Of course, writing can be outsourced to someone more skilled than you are, but it's still good to know the basics, especially if you want to maintain a blog. Two of my favorite copywriting websites to visit for tips is Michel Fortin's blog and the Copyblogger blog. 5. Have patience. Have patience. Have patience. I can't stress this enough! An online business is just like having an offline business in terms of getting people to visit your website. You have to invest the time to market and build a website that is worth visiting. Just because the online business world moves at a fast pace, that doesn't mean that traffic will flood into your business right away! There's this big misconception - especially among those just starting out - that "if you build it they will come". I agree with John Chow in his post titled "If You Build It They Won't Come" when he says, "Nothing happens without traffic". Bonus tip: Just remember that building and maintaining an online business is a journey. If your intention is one of helping others succeed with your business, it's inevitable that you will succeed. The most important thing is that you have fun doing it! If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

The Power of Videos in Marketing Your Online Business

Not too long ago I introduced you to the internet reality tv show, The Next Internet Millionaire. They're now on the fifth episode which was centered on producing a video for YouTube. I just finished watching this fifth episode which gave me some insight on the power of video to market your product, blog, or website. A couple months ago I produced my first video for YouTube which I used to market one of my blogs. I uploaded this video back in early June and it has received roughly 585 views per month. That's 585 potential readers to that blog. To get people to that blog, I included a link to it both in the video and the video description. When you're creating a video for YouTube, there is one thing you should know: The video needs to be entertaining or provide valuable information. Most people go to YouTube for entertainment - they don't want to be sold to. Personally, when I click on a video and it starts to look like an infomercial, I immediately click away. We get enough commercials and infomercials on regular TV! Even if I am looking for business information, I am attracted to those YouTube videos that are funny, creative, or provide valuable information. Are you using YouTube or any other video hosting website to market your business? If yes, have you been successful with it? Tell us your story by leaving a comment... If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Affiliate Marketing and Online Business Tip

For those of you who have just started out researching this concept of online marketing or affiliate marketing, you've probably comes across many sales letters that pitch the idea that you don't have to carry an inventory or even have a website to start your online business. Well, if you thought it sounded too good to be true, this is probably one of the very rare instances in which it is true - you can start an online business without carrying inventory or a website. In fact, as I've said before, it's one of the easiest ways to make money online. I recently found out about a company, XYZ Bikes, that has an affiliate program. If you know people who are really into beach cruiser bicycles, then this might be an affiliate program you might want to sign up for. When you refer people to your affiliate website and they purchase a beach cruiser, then you earn a 5% commission. No website to maintain and no inventory to carry! How's that for easy money? Online business tip: Before you join an affiliate program make sure it's a reputable company that offers great customer service. I did a little bit of research on the web about XYZ Bikes and didn't find any complaints about them. You would also want to check via a web or blog search to see if there are any affiliate complaints regarding commissions that weren't paid out. **Sponsored Post If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Blogger Tools You Should Never Leave Home Without!

As a professional web blogger, I'm constantly on the lookout for fresh content. I maintain about 10 blogs and people are constantly asking me, "How do you do it? How do you manage all those blogs? Don't you ever run out of ideas?" Well, thanks to these three blogger tools that I carry around with me wherever I go, I'm never short of inspiration and content for those blogs: 1. A notebook - I literally have a dozen notebooks that I've collected over the course of three years. I always have a notebook nearby in case an idea pops in my head that would make for a great blog post. I could be anywhere - in line at the grocery store, on a train ride overhearing a conversation behind me, or watching a TV show. I'll write down famous quotes, a magazine headline...So many ideas are out there waiting to be discovered if you just pay attention! Even if you aren't a problogger, but you do have an internet business, I still highly recommend carrying around a notebook because you never know when an idea for your business might strike you! 2. The Trusty Ole Camera - A camera is great to capture anything funny or out of the ordinary that might be related to your blog. You can also take a picture of anything that might further illustrate the points you are making in your blog post. The camera I use is an old version (circa 2002) of the Sony Cybershot. I almost always add a picture in my blog posts because photos add interest to the post. Besides, pictures slow down the eyes of the reader. From my own personal experience I tend to skim articles that just have text in them, but when blog posts have pictures, my eyes will stop to check out the picture - then I'll continue to read. Plus, I'm just a visual person to begin with, so any post with a picture will catch my attention. 3. Voice recorder - I have a digital voice recorder that has been instrumental in capturing people's words verbatim. I never learned short-hand, so the voice recorder is my tool of choice when interviewing people. You could also use the voice recorder in place of a notebook to record your thoughts, but since my thoughts are so scattered, I find it easier to just keep a notebook. It makes it easier to find information at a minute's notice. I use an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder. As far as managing all those blogs, I have a three-ring binder that holds all the contracts with partners, pages from ebooks that I find inspiring, and a blogging schedule that I really don't follow. However, it's there for those days that I feel overwhelmed and just need some structure in my work day. Are you using any of these blogger tools to keep the ideas flowing? If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Online Business Link Love, Resources and How To's

Well, I'm officially back from my little blogging getaway! You can read about how I overcame the blogging rut over at my personal blog. I just logged in to my Bloglines account and have been going through all the inspiring blog reads from the past few weeks. I thought I'd share some of them: Darren Rowse shares how to make a custom 404 error page for your blog. It's geared more towards Wordpress users. Terry Dean offers 7 Ways to Expand Your Products and Services which I found via the Work at Home Blog Carnival Ja Kel Daily offers 20 tips on what makes a great website Are you a people person? Find out over at Blogger Lounge Ben Yoskovitz asks Are you Using the Five Types of Links Properly? One of my biggest supporters, Easton Ellsworth, gives advice on how to launch a business blog I leave you with an inspirational quote... If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Success Quote

I've been on a blogging vacation this week, but wanted to leave you some "food for thought" for the weekend... "Take the time to understand what's behind your success. It's the best way to ensure it will continue." --Stuart R. Levine Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

What Can You Do To Actually Make Money On the Internet?

If you're wondering what it is you need to do to make a great deal of money on the internet, then look no further than what you're doing right now - that is, if what you're doing makes you happy! I see way too many people chasing this dream and trying to strike it rich, but getting nowhere because they've been looking too hard. It reminds me of that old Waylon Jennings song, "Lookin' for love in all the wrong places..." Does this sound like you? Have you been going after all these get rich fast schemes thinking that these businesses are going to be "the one" that puts you over the top? What if I told you that you're not going to make money unless you're doing something you're passionate about? What's that one thing you would do even if you didn't make any money doing it? Well, that's the thing you should be doing! That's the business you should start! I was reminded of this when I read this Fast Company article about 17-year-old Ashley Qualls, the founder of Whateverlife.com. Ashley has made over a million dollars (and counting!) from a website that gives away free MySpace layouts. Imagine getting 60 million page views per month! Her company was created virtually by "accident". She started teaching herself graphic design and eventually got into creating MySpace layouts. She gave away these layouts and made money from the Google Adsense ads on her website. Next thing you know she's living in a house she bought herself and is raking now in about $70K a month. How's that for an inspirational story? Then there's the woman who was sitting around with her daughters one day playing around with arts and crafts when she decided to put a silk flower through one of the holes in a pair of Croc shoes. That was when the idea for Jibbitz was born. The key thing to remember here is that becoming rich through the internet doesn't have to be a struggle. If you're trying too hard and you're working too hard, then all you're going to do is burn yourself out. That's when people quit. Your online business has to be something that you absolutely love. You have to feel inspired every day that you wake up and go to "work" and you have to look forward to doing it. What I have learned from studying successful internet entrepreneurs as well as on my own journey into this online business world is that what you do doesn't feel like "work" - it's just something you do because you love it. The money is just a by-product of that. You just have to be patient and simply let the money come to you! One man who is very good at inspiring you to make money doing what you love to do is Bob Doyle, the creator of a program called Six Figure Streams . Get two free audio lectures from Bob Doyle by visiting his website. __________________________________________________ If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources! **Photo Credit: Jonathan Castner

Interview With Phil Gerbyshak, Author of "10 Ways to Make It Great!" Part 2

Today we continue the interview with published book/ebook author, Phil Gerbyshak of Make It Great!... MP: What kind of "bumps in the road" have you experienced in the process of marketing your book? Phil: The biggest bump was when my book was first available from BookSurge, I sent out a blitz to about 100 of my friends, posted to every blog I could, and got links from everywhere I could. You'd think that'd be a great thing, but unfortunately, Book Surge's database got hacked and their website was down for 60-90 days. Nobody could buy my book, and all my friends and other bloggers that were nice enough to link to me didn't update their backlinks, and I sold zero books for this whole time. To this day, the links going to Book Surge still don't work, so anyone who helped me out in the beginning are sending folks into the land of 404. MP: Is there ever a day when you don't feel Great? If so, what do you do to combat that negative energy? Phil: Absolutely Maria. There are a few days I don't feel as Great as I'd like to. I think that's very normal for us humans, don't you? So how do I combat that? A few ways. The best thing is to reframe the attitude. What can I learn from this bad attitude. Is there a reason I can control that I'm having a bad day? If I can control it, I do, and I change it. If I can't control it, I'll let it go. That usually works, but sometimes I'm still stuck. In case this happens, I'll call a friend or one of my co-workers that can make me laugh. This is a HUGE help, because sometimes, you can't do it alone. Slowing down to say a quick prayer is also helpful, again to ask for help from the One greater than me. MP: I really liked the post on your blog when you told the story about all those people who didn't think you would ever be "someone". In retrospect, do you think it helped you to become a better person? Phil: Yeah, I think it's definitely helped me become a better person. It definitely was a kick right in the face for me, a wake-up call if you will. Had all those folks not believed in me, I don't know I'd be the person I am today, though for most, being treated poorly is a big DEmotivator. MP: Where do you see yourself ten years from now? 10 years from now, I'll be speaking 10-20 times per year, publishing 1-2 books, per year living with my wife and son somewhere warm, and frequently enjoying the company of good friends whereever I am. Who knows, I just might end up in San Diego. My wife Kim LOVES San Diego, and so do I! Get Phil's ebook by sending $7 to makeitgreat [at] gmail.com. You can also order it in paperback at MoreBetterBooks.com If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Interview With Phil Gerbyshak, Author of "10 Ways to Make It Great!"

As many of you know, people have made fortunes by creating and selling their own book/ebook. Writing a book/ebook can be quite a challenge - especially if this is your first time doing it. That's why I decided to interview someone who has been there and done that - and has lived to tell about it ;) Phil Gerbyshak is the author of 10 Ways to Make It Great!, a book that will inspire and help you achieve any goal in life. I recently did a review of the book over at my other blog, The Good Life. After reading the book, I wanted to pick Phil's brain about the process he went through and he was kind enough to share...Here's part one of the interview: MP: How did the idea for your book come about? Phil: It started slowly, first with my blog, just called "Make It Great!" I'd been writing 2 or 3 times a week, just all the thoughts I had to improve my life, and I thought others might benefit from the things that worked for me. MP: How long did it take to write the book and what was the process like? From the time I first thought "I should write a book" until the time it was first in my hand as a real book, it took about 18 months. The last 6 months were the hardest, as I almost through the book in the trash because the editing and formatting was so hard. Looking back, I should have asked for help MUCH sooner! MP: Why did you decide to go with self-publishing? Phil: While self-publishing is a lot of work (you have to find your own designer, editor, do all your own marketing, formatting, etc.), it really was my only option at the time. I had little if any audience, and honestly had no idea how to even get started contacting a traditional publisher or agent. Self-publishing also allowed me to keep full control of my book, so I can give it away if I want to, or I can charge $1 million for it. It's all up to me, though really, it's up to the folks interested in the book will tell me what they want and how much they're willing to pay. It's why I offer the ebook for $7 (just Paypal $7 to makeitgreat@gmail.com and I'll send it to you right away), for $12.99 for version 1.0 via Amazon, and for $14.99 for version 2.0 from http://www.morebetterbooks.com Phil: If you could give just one piece of advice to someone who wants to write a book, what would it be? Write more than you think you need to, and don't worry about the formatting at first. Just write! Part 2 of the interview will come tomorrow! In the meantime, read Phil's Blog... Stay tuned and subscribe to this blog if you haven't done so already! Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Kiva.org: The Power to Change the Lives of Entrepreneurs in Other Countries

Lately I've been reading quite a bit about Kiva, a company that lends money to entrepreneurs in "third world" countries. (I put third world in parenthesis because I don't really believe in ranking countries - we're all the same in my eyes). Anyhow, after reading about Kiva, I'm being compelled to discover how I could help in some way. Yes, I could help out by donating money, but part of me wants to travel the world and actually meet these people...Perhaps do workshops on how to be a better business person...or donate computers to make their work easier. Even teach them how to take their business online! Oh, the possibilities! Read more news about Kiva... Check out the Kiva Chronicales... Also, check out this YouTube video about the Kiva Story...You'll learn more about the people behind the organization and the how some "crazy project" could turn into something so wonderful... If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Milestones Hit and Lessons Learned

As I head into year three of this blog, I'm just beginning to get my mojo and feeling really, really excited about blogging here! Finally, I've discovered what truly inspires me...and that is inspiring other people to start their own online business. As you can see from the first few posts on this blog, I really had no idea what I was doing! However, all that has changed... As the blog archives continue to grow, I realize that some of the gems have been buried. So today I thought I'd share some of my favorite posts: The Keys to Building Relationships Online - What many people don't realize is that it's not the quantity of customers or blog visitors you get that determines your income - it's the quality of your relationship with them. Before You Start That Online Business - Fortunately I started a business that I had a passion for, but I have started businesses that was money-motivated... Lessons I've Learned As an Entrepreneur - These are qualities I've found that every successful entrepreneur has A Theory of Success - There are six disciplines I've learned to create a well-balanced and successful life Five Tips To Help You Start Making Money With Google - I've included this post because lately I've been reading all these complaints on people's blogs about how they can't make money with Google's Adsense program. I will tell you that it took me two years before I got my first Google Adsense check! It wasn't until I wrote that post and followed my own advice that I started to see my income increase. Now I get a check about every three months. So, instead of sitting around complaining about how little you make, go out and do something about it!! If you have a blog, have you gone back through your archives to reflect on the things that you've learned on your journey to success? _______________________________________________________ Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!