Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

Early-Bird Special on Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar
I've been talking about Yanik Silver's Underground seminar for the past couple of days. Maybe you've thought out it. Maybe it simply isn't in your plans.

Either way, that's cool. If you've been thinking about it, though, I suggest you check it out quickly if you want to save a bit of money on it. Their early-bird special ends soon.

The price will soon go up. So if you've been waiting on checking out the seminar, I suggest you check it now. You'll save money and you'll get a couple of cool bonuses.

I'd tell you what the bonuses are, but that would be going against the hush-hush, "secret agent" theme of the seminar. So, it you're thinking about going, check out information about the seminar before you have to have to wave bye-bye to the early-bird special prices and bonuses.
Jeff

Labels: marketing, networking, start business, Underground Seminar, Yanik Silver

About Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar
I've mentioned Yanik Silver's Underground seminar the last couple of days. It's time I shared a little more about it.

It's one of the premier learning seminars in the world. It features underground entrepreneurs who have each made millions in their niches.

You get NO marketing gurus and NO pitches for marketing products. These people have no marketing products to sell, so you get nothing but the strategies that made them rich.

On top of that, Yanik offers a $10,000 "prize" to the presenter whom attendees vote as having given the most nugget-packed presentation. Yanik donates $10,000 to that presenter's choice of charity. But presenters compete like crazy to win the money for their favorite charity.

On top of that, it's a great networking event. You'll meet other marketers from all over the world.

Don't underestimate the value of networking. Even if you've always planned for your business to be something you did all by yourself with no outside contact, having other marketers to whom you can turn can be a lifesaver -- and a business-saver.

Frankly, I wouldn't still have my business if it wasn't for the networking I did at a seminar much like this one. But I've told you that story the last two days.

This year's seminar features Web 2.0 visionary Gary Vaynerchuk as the keynote speaker. The second keynote speaker is Jessica Jackley, co-founder of KIVA.org, an organization that connects investors with business startups in developing nations. KIVA, in four years, has helped loan out over $100M and connected thousands of people across 120+ countries.

As usual, most of the other speakers are unannounced. It plays in with the cool "secret agent" theme of the entire seminar. And it also protects them from competitors signing up for the seminar just to gather competitive intelligence on the precise strategies these presenters have used to dominate their markets.

These presenters, remember, are not the usual crowd of Internet marketing gurus that go around from seminar to seminar to pitch their stuff. They are highly successful business owners who are largely unknown outside their niche, but big names within them.

At any rate, those are the key points about Yanik's seminar. Check it out. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it. Will it make the difference in your business that the seminar that I attended made in mine? I don't know. That's up to you.

But whether you go to Yanik's seminar or another one, if you haven't started making connections with fellow business owners, it's time you started looking for a way to start. You'd be surprised what a difference that making those connections can have.
Jeff

Labels: marketing, networking, start business, Underground Seminar, Yanik Silver

A Tale of Two Internet Marketing Seminars
I related a major turning point in my business in yesterday's post. I described how going to a live, Internet marketing seminar led me to change my mind about closing my business and returning to my old, 9-5 work world.

I want to stress one thing, though. Simply going to a marketing seminar is not a magic wand. You need to go into it with the right mindset. The seminar that turned me around was not the first one I ever attended.

I had gone to one a year earlier as well. I went there looking for information. I took copious notes. I pretty much ignored everyone around me, though. I struck up few conversations. And those conversations I had, were all brief and functional.

I gave out no business cards and got none in return. I used my meal breaks to get a table by myself and study my notes rather than meeting other business owners.

I went home from that first seminar with lots of notes that I've never put into action. I went home from that first seminar still carrying the weight of my business on my shoulders, and carrying it alone. It wasn't that the seminar wasn't any good. It was that my approach to it stunk.

I came home from the more productive seminar with ideas that I've put into action -- because those that I met there were carrying them out, too. Sharing where we all were at in integrating those strategies into our businesses kept me focused on making use of what I learned instead of filing it away.

I came back with people to bounce ideas off of and share my insights with in return. I came back from that more productive seminar feeling energized, rather than feeling even more overwhelmed.

Why would I get more out of a seminar that I went to as my "last hurrah" before closing my business? I suppose it was because I wasn't so focused on information at that seminar. I went to have fun than to cram every bit of knowledge I could into my head for future reference.

And in having fun and making connections, I was able to realize that making connections was the most important thing I needed in order to succeed at the business I was about to throw away.

Business is all about making connections. You make connections with customers. You make connections with other business owners whose businesses overlap yours. Without connections, you're toast.

Like I said yesterday, a golden opportunity is here for you to experience the same boost to your business that turned mine around. Yanik Silver's Underground seminar is open for registration. You'll get prime opportunities for learning, for fun (check out the "secret agent" theme Yanik weaves through the entire seminar experience), and, most importantly, for the connections you need to boost your passion and find like-minded individuals who can make a big difference in your business.

I encourage you to check Yanik's seminar out. And if not Yanik's seminar, find another one. I can't stress how much a good seminar can do for your business.
Jeff

Labels: marketing, networking, start business, Underground Seminar, Yanik Silver

How a Successful Online Business Nearly Drove Me Back to Work
In January of 2007, I made a decision. I was closing my business.

It wasn't because I wasn't making any money at it. For five years, I had made my full-time living online.

But I was willing to shut it down. It had become a burden to me. Going back to the 9-5 work world looked more attractive than working from home.

Doesn't that sound crazy? I'm sure it does to anyone stuck in a 9-5 job that they hate, anyone who longs for the freedom that running their own business would bring.

But I missed certain things about working for someone else. I missed being able to pop into the next cubicle and bounce ideas off of someone -- or just shoot the breeze. I missed having someone say, "Good job!" for a job done particularly well.

I missed people.

I had structured my business to have minimal contact with others. I had a few clients, but I reported to them on a limited basis. I had some customers online, but interaction with them was pretty limited as well.

I sat at my computer -- on my own schedule -- and did whatever tasks I wanted. I made all my own decisions and didn't have to deal with any diverging opinions. I was my own boss.

Many people would kill to be in the position I was in. But I had grown to hate it. I had grown to hate it so much that I had decided to shut it down.

I was already job-hunting. I had one, last hurrah as a self-employed person. Then I would wind things down.

See, before I had made my decision to shut my business down, I had signed up for a big Internet marketing seminar. I had already paid for it. I already had the plane tickets and the reservations.

Other than the hotel cost and incidentals, I wouldn't get that money back anyway. So my wife and I decided to go ahead with the trip. My daughters would fly there, too, and see the town with her, while I would go to through the motions at the seminar. Then I would come home and shut my business down.

A funny thing happened at that seminar, though. My fire returned.

I made new friends. I formed joint ventures. I ate lunch with business owners who had gone through the exact same feelings of isolation and found out how they dealt with them.

Don't get me wrong. My renewed excitement wasn't just about meeting people. I learned a lot from the speakers, too. I learned strategies that have served me very well in building my business since then.

I came out of there with with a lot of quality ideas. Still, all of that would have been meaningless if I hadn't solved that feeling of isolation. The most important thing with which I came out of that seminar was the realization that I was not alone.

I had people to bounce things off of. I had people to share experiences with. Some of us formed a mastermind group that still meets regularly to encourage each other and hold each other accountable.

I would not still have my own business today if it wasn't for that seminar.

That seminar comes to mind right now because one of the biggest -- and best -- seminars is approaching. Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar is open for registration now.

Whether you've reached the point in your business where you're starting to miss the camaraderie of the job site or not, I highly encourage you to look into this seminar -- or whatever others you can find.

You'll leave there with new ideas and new strategies that will be immensely valuable for your business. You'll leave there with new, human connections that will be absolutely priceless.

One thing about Yanik's Underground seminars: Yanik always makes sure his attendees have fun!

It's not your typical business seminar. He weaves a spy theme throughout his seminars. Check out the information page and you'll get an taste of the fun he weaves in.

Bottom line, if you're isolating yourself in your business, MAKE CONNECTIONS! Take some of weight of working alone off your shoulders. And even if you don't feel that weight yet, MAKE CONNECTIONS before you do.

Going to a seminar three years ago made the difference between me having my own business now and being stuck back in my old 9-5 world. Consider going to Yanik's seminar, or whatever other one you can find. I think it will make a huge difference in your business -- and your life -- too.
Jeff

Labels: marketing, networking, start business, Underground Seminar, Yanik Silver

Is Online Business Really an Escape from the World?
Lots of people go into business online with the idea of escaping the daily work world. Many picture a life where they don't have to deal with bosses or irritating co-workers.

They picture a life where they can wear what they want, work when they want, and do what they want without bosses telling them otherwise. They picture a life without having to wrestle with co-workers over how to do things. They picture a life that doesn't force them to pick up the slack from a lazy or incompetent co-workers in order to avoid having their joint tasks fail.

In other words, they picture a life where everybody leaves them alone.

Internet marketing doesn't work that way, though. In any business, there's this little thing called CUSTOMERS. If you try to cut yourself off from potential customers, they never become PAYING customers. And if you don't get any paying customers... well your refrigerator gets miiiiiighty empty.

If you're starting a business to get away from people, you're going to change that attitude -- or you're going to fail. It's that simple. If anything, starting a business puts you that much closer to a lot more people.

Your contact with them involves more than just sharing responsibility with them for getting tasks done. You have to be able to get into their heads. You have to be able to identify and fill their needs.

Starting a business is not an escape from people. It's a commitment to embrace people more than ever. If you can't -- or don't want to -- interact with others, starting a business isn't for you.

Over the next few days, we look at embracing others. I'll share with you some stories of how I went from isolation to socialization in my business and the differences that change made. And I'll share some ideas of how to get started making any shifts you need to make in your thinking to make your business more successful.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you how working at home nearly drove me back into the 9-5 work world. See you then!
Jeff

Labels: marketing, networking, start business

Advice for a Brand New Business Owner
A mentor, Jim Cockrum, showed me an email he just got from someone who had bought his ebook and wanted some extra advice.

The email said that the buyer had just become disabled, but didn't want his new disability to be the end of his productive life. He felt he could still do things online and wanted to start a business, but his medical bills put a definite constraint on what he was able to spend on starting a business.

My mentor showed me his response to the guy and asked if I wanted to add anything to it.

Let's face it, many of you face similar financial constraints, whether or not you're physically disabled as the writer of the email was. And with a lot of people making resolutions at this time of year to finally get serious about starting that business they've always dreamed of, I thought I would share my response also with you.

"Don't give up!

"Focus on what you know and what you love. Lots of people, when they think of starting a business online, think they have to sell something they know nothing about. They completely overlook the things they know about.

"Starting a business is enough of a learning curve without also needing to learn about something you know nothing about as well! With the things you know and love, you've already had experience with them. You know the ins and outs of them. You know the problems you've encountered and how to overcome them.

"Feel that what you know isn't enough to help anyone else? Then consider this, whatever you know anything about, many people know even less about it than you do. The level of knowledge you already have can help them immeasurably!

"If you're reading Jim's book, you're already getting some great ideas on how to use the resources you already have at your disposal to help others find what they need -- and make money in the process.

"Don't be afraid to take the step. Whatever you already have is enough to get started with. As you build momentum (and revenues) with what comes out of your initial efforts, you can always grow what you're doing larger and more profitable.

"Just get started. Don't sit back and feel that you have to learn absolutely everything before you take that first step. Trust me, you'll learn more by taking action than you will from simply trying to absorb everything before you start.

"Good luck!"

Wherever you are in your dream of starting a business, leverage what you already have. You DO have knowledge of things that could help others. You DO have solutions that they will gladly pay for you to provide.

That's what business is all about, providing solutions to people who are looking for them. So start your business in areas of experience you already have. That's the best -- and most profitable -- place for you to start.
Jeff

Labels: start business

Are You Starting a Business or Just Throwing Mud?
A fellow marketer told me the other day about a friend of his who did something scary. Years ago, he sold office and school supplies.

He took the usual approach. Whenever he had a chance, he added more products to his store.

It seemed, though, that the more products he added, the harder he worked. Yet his profits remained roughly the same.

Finally, he took a good look at his business -- what was working and what wasn't. What he found surprised him.

His hottest sellers were maps. And not just any maps, either. People were buying those little dashboard map books at a rate that he could barely keep them in stock.

So he did a very counter-intuitive thing. He dropped all of his products other than those map books. Instead of adding more products to give customers more choices, he cut back on products and focused on finding more customers who were looking for that one line of products.

His results were just the opposite of what he was used to. Instead of working harder and harder to keep profits the same, he found himself working no harder, but reaping far greater profits.

A lot of business owners wouldn't think of taking such a step. They take the same attitude that this business owner had started with. They think, "The more mud I throw against the wall, the more of it will stick." And I think the reason that we fall into that thinking is because, deep down, we don't believe that anything we focus on will work.

We figure that we need something outside of ourselves to "save us." We need some outside tool or strategy that will attract and win customers. If it relies on what we put into it of ourselves, we fear it will fail and we'll be to blame.

But, hey, if all we're doing is throwing mud against the wall and it doesn't stick, at least our failure isn't our fault. We tried, it's the mud that failed.

In reality, though, the only way to succeed is through the unique effort, knowledge, and passion that we bring to it. Those maps did well for him, but cutting back to just maps was probably pretty scary for that marketer.

He probably heard more than one person tell him he was crazy to move away from being a nice, generic store to a tight niche. He knew he would have to bring his whole knowledge, passion, and perseverance to making it take off. His success would all be on him -- not on the product.

But by making the choice to move away from throwing mud at a wall and bringing all those dabs of mud together and shaping it into a single, artistic sculpture, he finally had something that others would really want.
Jeff

Labels: entrepreneurship, motivation, start business