Entrepreneurs-Journey.com Down-To-Earth Advice For Bloggers and Internet Marketers

Continuing with the theme of giving you advice on how to launch a membership site or information product, I direct you back to two videos I did earlier in the year, which talk about some of the most powerful techniques I’ve used to build my online business.

This information is especially valuable if you’re just starting out as a beginner asking questions like this -

• How can I figure out what people will spend money on?
• What language do my customers use to describe their problems?
• I don’t have a list or an audience yet, how can I build one?

The first video I recorded to show you a technique I used before creating my first information product that helped me understand exactly what my customers wanted and what language they used to describe the problems they faced. You can listen to me explain the technique in this video here -

Video: How To Find Out What Your Members Want Before You Launch

The second video is half a slide show where I show you some of the places I visited in 2008 during a trip around the world. The second half of this video talks about building lists and shows you a couple of examples of people who are using blogs and videos to foster relationships with an audience in preparation to launch a membership site or coaching program.

You can watch the second video here -

Slide Show: How I Made $211,969 While Traveling The World & Two Unique Case Studies

You may have seen these videos when I first published them, but don’t let that stop you watching them again, the lessons never grow old.

I’m highlighting this content now because next week is the final opening of Membership Site Mastermind for 2009.

I’m really looking forward to working with the next group of students who will actually implement the techniques talked about in the videos. Watching videos and understanding the process is great, but taking steps to actually do it is the only path to success. If you want help in that direction, my course is available from next week, or you can do it alone – as long as you do something!

Thanks to everyone who replied with such positive feedback about the Conversion Blogging video and the interview with Alborz, a million dollar blogger. It’s been truly overwhelming how many messages I’ve received plus there’s nearly 200 comments made to my blog in reply to the content, and it’s not even a week since I released it!

What I’m most happy about is how inspired you all sound and how you are ready to take your blogging seriously. If I can help a few more people realize the full time income from a blog dream, then I consider it job well done.

But we’re not finished yet!

How Does A Blog Make Money?

Next I have two videos, which are not quite as long as the previous videos, but definitely as compelling and full of great tips to help you make more from blogging.

Both videos are completely free and take you behind the scenes of this blog. The first shows you how I make money and the second shows how much I make. You can view the practical implementation and the financial outcome as a result.

These two videos should help demystify ambiguity you might be experiencing regarding how a blog like mine can make $10,000+ a month. Here are the videos…

Please reply with comments and let me know what you think of the videos.

Blog Mastermind Opens This Tuesday at 10 AM

By now you should well and truly realize that I’m not just giving away these videos because I can (well, I am in some ways… it is gratifying to see my work benefit people regardless of financial outcomes for me).

I’ve distributed all of this great content in part because I want to convince you to come work with me in my blog coaching program, Blog Mastermind.

I showed you some of the concepts I teach with Conversion Blogging and the Blog Profits Blueprint. I brought Alborz on stage to demonstrate that other, normal people just like you, can do this if you stick to it long enough to realize success. Today I’m showing you how I do it and giving you proof of what I earn.

All I want you to do in return is consider whether what I’ve shown you has been helpful and if so, whether more training of this quality, delivered in a structured format and all nicely packaged in a friendly community environment, is something you would like to take part in.

My coaching program opens on Tuesday July 29th – that’s this Tuesday. I’m aiming for a 10 AM EST USA time opening.

We should make that deadline, but of course I’ll let you know if there are delays. We have a couple of tests to run Monday and if they go okay, we will be good to go on Tuesday.

You might be wondering whether there will be a time limit or a limited number of spaces in the program. Let me put your mind at ease – I’m not closing the doors this time, nor will I be capping the number of people who can become members.

I will have some fast-action bonuses for the first 100 people who sign up, thus demonstrating their eagerness to participate (I like to reward the eager beavers with extra goodies). However, if you live on the other side of the world (Hi Australia – I miss you – I’ll be back soon!) or for whatever reason you can’t get to a computer when the doors open, don’t worry, you won’t miss out.

Get to a computer when you can and you will still be able to join my program.

How Much Will Blog Mastermind Cost?

The program is six months worth of training plus a members resources area and online community. You can participate in two ways -

Option 1: Pay $97 for the first month, try it and if you like it, continue to pay $97 a month for six months total. You will have immediate access to the member resources and online community and receive one lesson per week until you graduate in six months.

Option 2: Pay $497 upfront, save yourself $85 and get access to all the materials at once. You get instant downloads for all the lessons, the member resources and access to the online community.

There’s also a third “all you can eat” option, where you get all of the Blog Mastermind content (all of option 2 above) PLUS my second course, Membership Site Mastermind (currently not available to the public), which is my coaching program for people who want to start a membership site using a blog as a launch pad. You can get instant access to both these programs for the one time fee of $1497.

The sign-up page will break down every tiny detail about my coaching program, so bookmark the page below and on Tuesday you will be able to see all the details and join the program -

http://www.blogmastermind.com/coaching/

That’s it from me, enjoy the videos and get ready to begin your training with me from Tuesday onwards.

Yaro Starak
Demystifying Ambiguity

Robert Kingston spent some time last week visiting the Why Do Work website for a review. Here’s what Rob had to say about the site…

WhyDoWork.com is a relatively well established website, focusing on the employment market and providing people with opportunities to work from home, in positions worldwide. Sporting a job search engine, freelancing information and a community of freelancers, this website promises much but does it deliver?

If you’re a freelancer/student/stay at home mum/dad, this site might be just the thing for you. Otherwise read on anyway as we take a look at what this site has to offer.

First Glance

When you first arrive at the website, you’re hit with an interface which strikingly resembles parts of LinkedIn. I’m not sure about the technicalities/legality of it but it sure did instill a sense of trust, that the site could influence my career. I signed up and gained access straight away. The navigation links at the top were extremely easy to use, denoting the exact content of the pages they heralded.

Job Search

Read the rest of this entry >>

I’m not sure this will teach you a whole lot about Internet business but hey, you get to see what I had for lunch. Give a guy a camera and this is what happens…

Last year I had an office in downtown Brisbane (well almost, up a hill downtown Brisbane is more accurate). I needed an office to run an English school but after I shut that down the school in the second half of 2004 I was running a home based Internet business from an office. I was paying $1400 a month for the privilege too. I spent a lot of time scheming ways to either reduce my rent bill by inviting sub-tenants or breaking my lease early and seeing how much that hurt. I tried the first with little success and then negotiated to break my lease a few months before contract end. I left the office in 2004 after throwing a lot of money away on rent. It was a lesson learnt of course and one of the main things I reaffirmed was that I did not require an office for what I wanted to do and would not likely get one again in the near future.

A lot of small business owners worry that running a home based business can hinder their ability to convince clients to buy because of the perception that they are not professional if they do not have an office. Another possible concern is hiring new employees – will they be willing to come work at your home? Obviously the industry you work in will determine how much the “office” factor impacts you but I do not believe having an office is justifiable unless you are starting to grow into a multiple employee business.

If you are a solopreneur you do not need an office. Rent is wasted money. If you absolutely have to convey professionalism to a specific client put on your suit and arrange drinks at a classy venue. Then impress them with your personality and let your product or service do the talking. If the client sees you and what you do as valuable to them they are not going to care where exactly you go to work.

When it comes to hiring employees you simply tell them that they must be prepared to work from your home office as part of a condition of employment. A good employee will be excited to land your job and unless they are considering a lengthy commute to get to work at your place, the home office factor should not be a concern.

Sometimes the lack of a physical address for mail is a worry since you don’t want to be listing your home address publicly. I maintain a city post office box which I use for all mail, even when I had an office. I do this for two reasons – 1) I would not want to list my home address on a website and 2) if I ever move the postal box doesn’t, as long as I keep paying the rental fee (about $150 annually – it’s a tax deduction too!) I have a permanent address for mail that I can use for both business and personal purposes. Occasionally you cannot use a postal box for a particular service or delivery in which case I give out my home address.

I used to be concerned about the psychological impact of the home office. My housemate works a standard 9-5er at a big Australian company. One of the things that she really enjoys about her work is the clear definition of when she is “on” and “off” work. When she leaves the office that’s it, no more thinking about work. With a home based business I roll out of my bed and switch on my computer to be at work. This could be a considered a bad thing since whenever I am at home I am also at work. The lines are blurred. Worse still I take my laptop to cafes and restaurants so it appears that work is invading all aspects of my life.

Of course though if you are a true entrepreneur you will know the “my business is my baby” feeling. If your business is your hobby, what you love and enjoy then you would choose to be at work doing what you love anyway. My housemate wouldn’t make this choice – who would choose to be at work?!? Having the lines blurred is only a problem when you don’t know how to stop working. I for one am very good at recreational activities and have no problem finding time for them. If that’s not you and you are at your computer in your office all the time then perhaps you need to set yourself some strict time guidelines to control your working day. Discipline is a good skill to have in business and a little self imposed structure can go a long way to beat both the procrastination and overwork demons.

Adding to the benefits of having a home based business is having all your familiar amenities available to you. You are able to cook a fresh meal cheaply whenever you are hungry and listen to your music as loud as you like without worrying about disturbing anyone around you. Heck if your house is empty during the day while you are working at home you can even go to work in your underwear and walk around half naked. Okay maybe that’s not a good idea and maybe some self discipline in this area is a good thing, but I think I make my point about the freedoms available to a home based business entrepreneur.

The benefits of a home based business are significant and the drawbacks of having an office (rent, lease contracts, having to be somewhere at a certain time) are added worries that you don’t need to opt for unless you can see a clear reason why you need an office. Personally I am glad I have been there and done that regarding an office so I know what it takes to locate and contract for commercial space. One day if I ever want to start my own retail business or restaurant I will have skills to fall back on. For the time being I’m happy working from home and enjoy watching my bank balance increase rather than syphoned away to rent.