Archive for Starting Over

Apr
26

New Look Unveiled

by Jeanette

As we approach our 15th Anniversary online, there are some changes going on.

First on the list is a NEW LOOK for my blog!

My mastermind has been nagging me for years to update the look of my sites, so I’m starting here. And even I have to agree – it’s a nice change. So thanks everyone for staying on my case about it.

I want to send a special thank you to Armand Morin, my friend and mentor, who personally created the header for me. Thank you, Armand!

I also want to thank Marcus, my webmaster, and the team at iThemes – who answered a LOT of questions for me – and even fixed multiple things I messed up here and there.

Even my good friend Michel Fortin got involved as part of a class I was taking from him, giving me valuable feedback and a list of  invaluable plugins to use!

As with anything online there are three things that are important here:

1. It takes a TEAM to put together a bigger picture and a bigger business. Sure, you can start alone, but when you want to grow, you need help beyond yourself.

2. It takes TIME to evolve. Not only do you need to learn and get comfortable with new technology and tactics. But you also need to evolve yourself.

3. The most important aspect of any change you make is that it must matter to your CUSTOMERS. If they don’t like it – it won’t matter!

So now it’s YOUR turn. Please take a look and let me know whether or not you like the new look – and what else you’d like to see here! I’ve put up a poll on the right and I’d love your comments below –

Thanks for your help and inspiration!

33 Categories : Starting Over
Apr
25

Online Business Daily Should List

by Jeanette

Business Task ListOn a regular basis, people ask what they should be doing to run their business. After all, if you’re in an office, you can watch the person next to you to get an idea of what they do every day, how they do it, how often they do it – generally model what they do.

But when we’re each working from our homes, it’s hard to model what someone else is doing unless you ask.

So as part of the Starting Over series, here’s how to determine what you “should” be doing daily and what you “must” do daily.

Start by listing out everything you think you should do daily. As you’re making this list of “shoulds” be realistic. Yes, we should create World Peace, but it’s not gonna happen on this list.

Just as an example, here are some of the “shoulds” from my list, as an information marketer. The times are my estimates on how long I should dedicate to that task daily.

[gn_list style=”star”]
  • Respond to client emails. (15 min)
  • Respond to staff emails. (10 min)
  • Write or distribute an article. (30 min)
  • Send an email broadcast or add to an autoresponder sequence. (30 min)
  • Record or edit a video. (60 min)
  • Create or monitor ads. (30 min)
  • Social media (3 sites x 10 min each x twice a day = 60 min)
[/gn_list]

Now I “could” go ahead and add product creation, writing sales letters, adding to membership sites, etc. But those are additional tasks, on an as-needed basis. All I’m trying to capture above are those things I “should” be doing daily.

And suddenly the job doesn’t seem that big! After all, if I do everything I “should”, I’m only spending 4 hours a day!

And now for the Musts – the positively, even if I don’t feel like working that day tasks. For me they are:

[gn_list style=”thumbs”]
  • Respond to client emails. (15 min)
  • Respond to staff emails. (10 min)
[/gn_list]

Essentially in a half hour a day I could maintain my business. Of course that doesn’t provide any time for marketing or growth. But it does show me that on those days “I don’t wanna” – I don’t have to.

And that’s a good feeling!

A disclaimer: Your tasks and time estimates will vary. But be realistic for YOU. For example, I am a fast writer. Other people can’t crank out 500 words in 30 minutes. But as long as I have a topic, that’s a realistic time frame for me. That’s the result of writing curriculum full-time for six years! But you want to be truthful with yourself.

The important thing is to take a few minutes to do this task. If you don’t you’re either a slave to every thing that comes across your desk or you’re not doing what needs to be done in your business.

Need more help? Then use the system in Plan Your Online Business to work through your “shoulds.”

What did I leave off the list that you consider a “should” or a “must”? Share it in the comments below:

0 Categories : Productivity, Starting Over
Mar
7

Starting Over: How Are They Looking

by Jeanette

When you’re building an online business you recognize that you attract and serve people online. So when it comes to them looking for solutions to their problem, it’s important that you recognize how they do that in an online setting.

You’ve already discovered the problems they are discussing and those that the major publications in your field are targeting for them. They definitely use those sources.

But another way they look for solutions is through keyword phrase searches in the search engines.

Google provides a keyword tool that lets you search for keywords. (Just search for Google keyword tool and you’ll find it). Now it’s just a matter of putting in your major keyword phrases from the problems they have – and see HOW they are searching for answers. Read More→

1 Categories : Starting Over
Mar
6

Starting Over: Solving Problems

by Jeanette

It has been said that sales is actually just solving problems for your customers. So if you are to make a living selling online, then you first need to know what problems need to be solved.

Now that you know exactly who you are working with, you need to find out what problems they have.

There are several “standard” problems that nearly everyone has:

 

  • Make more money
  • Save money
  • Save time
  • Improve relationships
  • Guarantee safety / Prevent loss

You can always offer solutions to those problems. But the more specific you are, the more likely you are to attract your audience. Read More→

1 Categories : Starting Over
Mar
3

Starting Over: Your Audience

by Jeanette

One of the joys of creating an online business is that you get to choose who you work with. If you’ve ever been in an office with kooks or mean people, then you truly appreciate this aspect of self-employment!

When you originally started your business you may have chosen a target audience out of naivete. You may not have recognized who YOU liked and just gone along with your mentor or the crowd.

You might have chosen to work with Internet Marketers – because that’s who YOU were at the time.

But over the perspective of reflection, you are much wiser. And you may have found that the group you chose to work with isn’t really a group you enjoy at all.

Read More→

0 Categories : Starting Over
Mar
2

Starting Over: Why?

by Jeanette

When you originally started your online business you probably had several reasons:

It sounded like fun.

You may have been curious about creating your own business.

You may have been temporarily unemployed and needed an income stream.

You fell for the hype of getting rich overnight.

You attended a conference and someone sold you on the idea.

Regardless of the reason that you originally started your online business, you now have the opportunity to make a new choice. Or to keep the same reason that you started with. Read More→

0 Categories : Starting Over
Mar
1

Starting Over In Your Online Business

by Jeanette

There may come a time in your online business (or it may already have arrived) when you think “If only I could start over…”

Why would that happen? What would cause you to want to start again from scratch? There are at least three reasons:

1. You lost your motivation. It happens. You get busy or overwhelmed and you can’t quite remember why you were doing this. The amount of “work” outweighs the perceived rewards. So you slowly stop doing anything. Read More→

8 Categories : Starting Over

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