Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Hidden Factor Behind Most Business Failures
You've always heard the grim news about the high percentage of new business failures. Depending on who you listen to, you'll hear that 80%, 90%, or even 98% of all new businesses will fail.
But you rarely hear anyone explain why that number is so high.
I think a lot of it has to do with this hidden factor that most business owners never realize:
When you're an employee, you can easily hide your weaknesses. If you don't prioritize well, you don't have to worry. Your boss will assign what work to do. He or she will, to a large extent, set your priorities for you.
If you don't carry through on assignments well, you don't have to worry, either; project deadlines, set by somone else, will motivate you to get them done.
When you're on your own, with no one setting priorities, deadlines, strategic vision, or anything else, those weaknesses can become fatal to your business.
It's not enough simply to say you want to make a lot of money and work in your pajamas every day. You have to bring to your business everything that your bosses, their bosses, and all of your co-workers brought to your old job for your business to be a success.
That is no small assignment!
But it's essential if you want to avoid becoming part of those grim statistics. Learning how to identify and overcome your own weaknesses needs to be as much a part of building your business as learning how to build a website or drive traffic your site is.
Jeff
P.S. You wouldn't bet your business' success on being able to guess how to get visitors to your site. You seek out someone or something who can give you that specialized knowledge.
You wouldn't bet your business' success on being able to instinctively understand what it takes to make a sale. Again, you seek out help from someone who knows what to do.
Similarly, you can't afford to brush off the weaknesses in your entrepreneurial mindset and assume that they'll work themselves out on their own.
WRONG!
You want to find guidance in recognizing the weaknesses that hold you back and in reversing those weaknesses so they become strengths.
That's why I urge all the new business owners I work with to get help in these areas from what I have found to be the most effective, no-nonsense course on building a better you: BANABU multi-media personal growth course.
Unlike many of the more famous books on personal growth or building personal wealth, it doesn't just urge you to think more positively and leave you at that. No, I've found that BANABU offers solid teaching and effective, real-life exercises to build a more effective you.
Click here to read my review of BANABU and get the inside story on it.
Or click here to go right to BANABU's main page.
You've always heard the grim news about the high percentage of new business failures. Depending on who you listen to, you'll hear that 80%, 90%, or even 98% of all new businesses will fail.
But you rarely hear anyone explain why that number is so high.
I think a lot of it has to do with this hidden factor that most business owners never realize:
When you're an employee, you can easily hide your weaknesses. If you don't prioritize well, you don't have to worry. Your boss will assign what work to do. He or she will, to a large extent, set your priorities for you.
If you don't carry through on assignments well, you don't have to worry, either; project deadlines, set by somone else, will motivate you to get them done.
When you're on your own, with no one setting priorities, deadlines, strategic vision, or anything else, those weaknesses can become fatal to your business.
It's not enough simply to say you want to make a lot of money and work in your pajamas every day. You have to bring to your business everything that your bosses, their bosses, and all of your co-workers brought to your old job for your business to be a success.
That is no small assignment!
But it's essential if you want to avoid becoming part of those grim statistics. Learning how to identify and overcome your own weaknesses needs to be as much a part of building your business as learning how to build a website or drive traffic your site is.
Jeff
P.S. You wouldn't bet your business' success on being able to guess how to get visitors to your site. You seek out someone or something who can give you that specialized knowledge.
You wouldn't bet your business' success on being able to instinctively understand what it takes to make a sale. Again, you seek out help from someone who knows what to do.
Similarly, you can't afford to brush off the weaknesses in your entrepreneurial mindset and assume that they'll work themselves out on their own.
WRONG!
You want to find guidance in recognizing the weaknesses that hold you back and in reversing those weaknesses so they become strengths.
That's why I urge all the new business owners I work with to get help in these areas from what I have found to be the most effective, no-nonsense course on building a better you: BANABU multi-media personal growth course.
Unlike many of the more famous books on personal growth or building personal wealth, it doesn't just urge you to think more positively and leave you at that. No, I've found that BANABU offers solid teaching and effective, real-life exercises to build a more effective you.
Click here to read my review of BANABU and get the inside story on it.
Or click here to go right to BANABU's main page.
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Friday, April 13, 2007
Hottest Offers for April 13
Each Friday I share with you the hottest online marketing deals I've come across in the past week.
FREE Trial Subscription to "Secrets To Their Success"
While no one could accuse the price of Derek Gehl's "Secrets To Their Success" membership site of being excessive, it just got even better for this week.
He's offering free trial memberships to "Secrets To Their Success" for this next week.
That means you'll get to see two extensive case studies of successful web businesses in which Derek's interviewers tear into every aspect of the businesses to find out what made them successful.
Personally, I have page after page of notes that I've taken on these case studies over the years. And I've put many of those tips that made other businesses successful to work in building my own profits.
But remember, time is limited on this one. Click here to find out more
Or click here to go right to the trial offer of "Secrets To Their Success"
$7 Report Secrets
What's a quicker way to create a saleable ebook than creating a full ebook and ten times as viral?
I just came across a hot new way to create a paying digital product. The idea behind it is pretty ingenious and it has a powerful viral component that can extend the reach of your product far beyond what you could do on your own.
And, in many cases, you may already have enough content available to you to create a product in next to no time at all. Click here to find out more
Or click here to go straight to $7 Report Secrets
$7 Offer Site
In case you're skeptical whether the $7 Report Secrets idea I described above will catch on, here's proof. Catalog sites are already popping up specifically set up to sell these low-cost, highly specific reports.
Here's the most popular one. It's set up to be compatible with the scripts that have the capability built in to allow affiliates to promote the reports without lengthy signup and to collect their money the instant they make a sale. Click here to find out more
Or click here to straight to the $7 Offer Site
Those are my picks for this week.
You can still check out some of the top offers that are still available from previous weeks. Check it out for some exceptional bargains that cost next to nothing.
Jeff
Each Friday I share with you the hottest online marketing deals I've come across in the past week.
FREE Trial Subscription to "Secrets To Their Success"
While no one could accuse the price of Derek Gehl's "Secrets To Their Success" membership site of being excessive, it just got even better for this week.
He's offering free trial memberships to "Secrets To Their Success" for this next week.
That means you'll get to see two extensive case studies of successful web businesses in which Derek's interviewers tear into every aspect of the businesses to find out what made them successful.
Personally, I have page after page of notes that I've taken on these case studies over the years. And I've put many of those tips that made other businesses successful to work in building my own profits.
But remember, time is limited on this one. Click here to find out more
Or click here to go right to the trial offer of "Secrets To Their Success"
$7 Report Secrets
What's a quicker way to create a saleable ebook than creating a full ebook and ten times as viral?
I just came across a hot new way to create a paying digital product. The idea behind it is pretty ingenious and it has a powerful viral component that can extend the reach of your product far beyond what you could do on your own.
And, in many cases, you may already have enough content available to you to create a product in next to no time at all. Click here to find out more
Or click here to go straight to $7 Report Secrets
$7 Offer Site
In case you're skeptical whether the $7 Report Secrets idea I described above will catch on, here's proof. Catalog sites are already popping up specifically set up to sell these low-cost, highly specific reports.
Here's the most popular one. It's set up to be compatible with the scripts that have the capability built in to allow affiliates to promote the reports without lengthy signup and to collect their money the instant they make a sale. Click here to find out more
Or click here to straight to the $7 Offer Site
Those are my picks for this week.
You can still check out some of the top offers that are still available from previous weeks. Check it out for some exceptional bargains that cost next to nothing.
Jeff
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What You Really Need to Beware of on Friday the 13th
Well, here we have Friday the 13th: the day that many fear. Personally, I don't remember paying much attention to the day since I was a kid.
Even then I seem to recall an underlying logic that questioned, "Why should this day be unluckier than others?" It just didn't make sense.
There is something, though, that you should beware of on this day that is supposedly so full of mishaps: the idea that some impersonal force outside of you determines your fate.
The idea runs rampant among new business owners. Many people see success as something that comes because you found the right system or use some secret technique.
They see it as a matter of luck, as the result of some impersonal force making everything perfect.
That idea, my friends, is pure garbage.
Sure, setting up a solid system for your business is crucial. Using proven techniques are important. Learning all you can about running a business is extremely helpful in running your online business.
But what separates those who succeed from those who don't is their willingness to apply what they've learned into action.
Buying some turn-key, "guaranteed success" business-in-a-box won't bring you success. What will? Crafting a business that builds on your strengths and solves people's problems in a way that only you are capable of doing.
So rather than lying low on this day whose impersonal forces supposedly ensure you of bad luck—or rather than trusting in some sort of impersonal forces to bring you success—simply take action today. Your personal action today will do a lot more toward your success or failure than any impersonal forces ever will.
Jeff
Well, here we have Friday the 13th: the day that many fear. Personally, I don't remember paying much attention to the day since I was a kid.
Even then I seem to recall an underlying logic that questioned, "Why should this day be unluckier than others?" It just didn't make sense.
There is something, though, that you should beware of on this day that is supposedly so full of mishaps: the idea that some impersonal force outside of you determines your fate.
The idea runs rampant among new business owners. Many people see success as something that comes because you found the right system or use some secret technique.
They see it as a matter of luck, as the result of some impersonal force making everything perfect.
That idea, my friends, is pure garbage.
Sure, setting up a solid system for your business is crucial. Using proven techniques are important. Learning all you can about running a business is extremely helpful in running your online business.
But what separates those who succeed from those who don't is their willingness to apply what they've learned into action.
Buying some turn-key, "guaranteed success" business-in-a-box won't bring you success. What will? Crafting a business that builds on your strengths and solves people's problems in a way that only you are capable of doing.
So rather than lying low on this day whose impersonal forces supposedly ensure you of bad luck—or rather than trusting in some sort of impersonal forces to bring you success—simply take action today. Your personal action today will do a lot more toward your success or failure than any impersonal forces ever will.
Jeff
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
The REAL Reason to Set Your Goal on Being a Millionaire
A successful marketer once told me that his mentor had urged him to set his goal on becoming a millionaire.
This marketer found that bit of advice to be quite agreeable. "Sure, I'd love to have a million dollars!" he exclaimed.
His mentor rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point," he said. "If your desire to be a millionaire is based just on having a million dollars, you'll never make it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, at this point, you're probably thinking the same thing I was when that marketer told me this. And we're both probably thinking exactly the same thing the marketer said: "Huh? How would a desire to have a million dollars keep you from becoming a millionaire? And what, besides that million dollars, would make being a millionaire something to shoot for?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mentor answered those questions for him and for us.
He said, "Simply having that million dollars is actually pretty worthless. Most people, if given a million dollars, would find a way to burn through it in a couple of years. The ultimate value in becoming a millionaire is not in the million dollars, but in what you learn in the process of becoming a millionaire.
"You learn how to manage your time. You learn how to identify and solve the problems that your potential customers have. You learn how to interact with people, how to determine which tasks will make the most money for you, when to delegate a task to someone else.
"You learn how to decide which opportunities to pursue and which to drop. You learn how to identify and hire the best people to do the tasks that would otherwise keep you from doing more profitable tasks that only you can do.
"You learn how to bring out the best in others. You learn the difference between profitable strategic thinking and merely daydreaming. You learn how to focus on what will be profitable.
"In the end, what you learn along the way to becoming a millionaire is far more valuable than the million dollars itself. Because, with what you know, you never have to worry about what you would do if something suddenly stripped you of that million dollars.
"If you've learned what you need to know to become a millionaire, you're perfectly equipped to make another million—or another—no matter what happens to that first million."
The mentor's words really struck me. Unfortunately, we all—me included—often get seduced by the lure of the quick big score. More often than not, that quick big score doesn't exist.
But lured by the dream of easy money, we look for shortcuts. Yet even if we succeeded at winning that quick big score, we'd get nothing lasting out of it.
For if we don't learn those lessons that make us both a better businessperson—and a better person—on our way to earning that million dollars, we have no way to keep it safe from drifting away as quickly as it came.
I've said it many times before: don't treat your business just as a way to make more money. Use it also as a way to make you a better, more effective, human being.
Jeff
P.S. Becoming a better person is no small assignment. It's not something you can do on your own. It helps to get the insights of someone who has already traveled that route before you.
The tool I've found most helpful to me in doing this is BANABU Personal Growth Multi-media Course. I've found it to be a no-nonsense, no-all-theory-and-no-reality pieces of junk that litter the Internet.
It's realistic, easy to understand, and easy to follow. I recommend it for anyone who wants to change their life for the better in any area they choose.
A successful marketer once told me that his mentor had urged him to set his goal on becoming a millionaire.
This marketer found that bit of advice to be quite agreeable. "Sure, I'd love to have a million dollars!" he exclaimed.
His mentor rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point," he said. "If your desire to be a millionaire is based just on having a million dollars, you'll never make it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, at this point, you're probably thinking the same thing I was when that marketer told me this. And we're both probably thinking exactly the same thing the marketer said: "Huh? How would a desire to have a million dollars keep you from becoming a millionaire? And what, besides that million dollars, would make being a millionaire something to shoot for?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mentor answered those questions for him and for us.
He said, "Simply having that million dollars is actually pretty worthless. Most people, if given a million dollars, would find a way to burn through it in a couple of years. The ultimate value in becoming a millionaire is not in the million dollars, but in what you learn in the process of becoming a millionaire.
"You learn how to manage your time. You learn how to identify and solve the problems that your potential customers have. You learn how to interact with people, how to determine which tasks will make the most money for you, when to delegate a task to someone else.
"You learn how to decide which opportunities to pursue and which to drop. You learn how to identify and hire the best people to do the tasks that would otherwise keep you from doing more profitable tasks that only you can do.
"You learn how to bring out the best in others. You learn the difference between profitable strategic thinking and merely daydreaming. You learn how to focus on what will be profitable.
"In the end, what you learn along the way to becoming a millionaire is far more valuable than the million dollars itself. Because, with what you know, you never have to worry about what you would do if something suddenly stripped you of that million dollars.
"If you've learned what you need to know to become a millionaire, you're perfectly equipped to make another million—or another—no matter what happens to that first million."
The mentor's words really struck me. Unfortunately, we all—me included—often get seduced by the lure of the quick big score. More often than not, that quick big score doesn't exist.
But lured by the dream of easy money, we look for shortcuts. Yet even if we succeeded at winning that quick big score, we'd get nothing lasting out of it.
For if we don't learn those lessons that make us both a better businessperson—and a better person—on our way to earning that million dollars, we have no way to keep it safe from drifting away as quickly as it came.
I've said it many times before: don't treat your business just as a way to make more money. Use it also as a way to make you a better, more effective, human being.
Jeff
P.S. Becoming a better person is no small assignment. It's not something you can do on your own. It helps to get the insights of someone who has already traveled that route before you.
The tool I've found most helpful to me in doing this is BANABU Personal Growth Multi-media Course. I've found it to be a no-nonsense, no-all-theory-and-no-reality pieces of junk that litter the Internet.
It's realistic, easy to understand, and easy to follow. I recommend it for anyone who wants to change their life for the better in any area they choose.
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Latest Newsletter and Latest Video E-Course Review Posted
I just posted last Sunday's newsletter online.
One of the most common questions new business owners ask is, "What do I sell?" So this edition focuses on how to find products for your online business. Here's what you'll find in it:
I also added a new review of the free online video course "How to Find Wholesale Products to Sell Online." Don't forget to check out this new review!
Jeff
I just posted last Sunday's newsletter online.
One of the most common questions new business owners ask is, "What do I sell?" So this edition focuses on how to find products for your online business. Here's what you'll find in it:
- A Primer on Finding Products
- Reviews:
"How to Find Wholesale Products to Sell Online" free video course
Garage Sale Strategies for eBay Success - Guest article by Chris Malta and Robin Cowie—
What Should I Sell Online?--Ideas for Choosing Product Lines - Success quote by Albert Einstein
I also added a new review of the free online video course "How to Find Wholesale Products to Sell Online." Don't forget to check out this new review!
Jeff
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Monday, April 09, 2007
Monday Video - SiteBuildIt! Video From the Heart
It's time for our Monday video again.
Each Monday I choose an example of effective video marketing to show you from the growing library of videos that other SiteBuildIt! owners have done about SBI! Watch it closely to get ideas for videos you could use to market your business as well...
Note: I have had to move the videos from my Monday Video series to pages on my website because of recurring technical problems from having them in my blog.
See this video and the full tip.
Or see the whole series of video critiques.
Jeff
It's time for our Monday video again.
Each Monday I choose an example of effective video marketing to show you from the growing library of videos that other SiteBuildIt! owners have done about SBI! Watch it closely to get ideas for videos you could use to market your business as well...
Note: I have had to move the videos from my Monday Video series to pages on my website because of recurring technical problems from having them in my blog.
See this video and the full tip.
Or see the whole series of video critiques.
Jeff
Labels: site building, SiteBuildIt, video
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