It was early September 2010. At over 225 pounds and sporting a size 40 waist, I decided it was time to make a change. After all, at 46-years old, I wasn't getting any younger. In order to hold myself accountable to my desire to get fit and lose weight, I went public with my goals. I wrote about the changes I would be making extensively on this blog. My first entry was posted 9/14/10. By... Continue Reading

Facebook can be very frustrating. Early on, I accepted every friend request that came my way. I was being social, right? Shortly after hitting my 5000 friend limit, my account was suspended. After creating a bit of a hullaballoo (don't get to use that word very often), my account was re-activated. Then came pages. Now I had a place to send people who wanted to follow me. The numbers quickly grew. But my Facebook stream... Continue Reading

How many times have you shopped at a store or eaten at a restaurant and been invited to take a customer service survey. Usually these survey opportunities are presented by the clerk or waiter who points out a web site at the bottom of your receipt. I have never paid attention to these in the past and often find them to be a nuisance. Sure, Target claims to give away $5000 gift cards. But who... Continue Reading

Despite what the doomsayers would have you believe, there is plenty of opportunity to conduct business online. However, there is a big difference between trying to make money online and running a business online. The make money online pitch has unfortunately become synonymous with "get rich quick." The mentality is that you simply create a product and make money selling it. That's NOT building a business. That's trying to make a few bucks. Maybe it... Continue Reading

I don't have to tell you how important video is your to sales process. It's a well-established fact that video is one of the best ways to build relationship, enhance your brand, increase conversions and make more sales. I've been using video for a number of years and it has been a very effective tool to accomplish all of the above. From time to time, we have video talent scheduled to film various spots for... Continue Reading

Twitter can be a great branding tool. If you are not already using Twitter to get the word out about your business, you probably at least know that you should be. There are lots of benefits to using Twitter, and some things that you should definitely avoid. And in the end, everyone needs to decide for themselves what kind of role Twitter will play in their lives and businesses. It's perfectly fine for your Twitter... Continue Reading

It's a new year and more than likely you have new ideas, goals, and plans for your life. And if you're reading this right now, you probably have more than a few goals for your online business. But where are they in terms of importance? Have you prioritized them to take precedence over your goal to lose weight or embark on international travel? Not to take anything away from your desire to be healthy or... Continue Reading

In order to be successful online, you have to put yourself out there. Running a business online is a very public endeavor, and it differs from running businesses in the past in that you can't just hide behind your storefront or LLC. These days, people want to know exactly who they're dealing with, and social media marketing works best when there is a face and a name. So you steel yourself and start making your... Continue Reading

Email lists are arguably an online marketer's best friend. They provide direct lines of communication to people who have already given you a vote of confidence, either by opting in to receive your updates, purchasing a product from you, or both. So how do you get a great email list if you are just starting out? And if you have been in the online business for awhile, how do you build yours and grow it... Continue Reading

Part of project planning is knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, as a wise man once said. No matter how exciting or cool you might think a project is, some of them just don't become as profitable as you would like. It's important to set some boundaries and budget limits at the outset, so that you don't keep pouring money and effort into something that isn't going to go anywhere. Here... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Dan Nickerson) In preparation for writing this article I thought I would look for a great quote about learning from your mistakes. You know what...that was a mistake, because honestly there are a ton of them online. They all boil down to one basic principle: You can learn far more from your mistakes than from your successes. Continue Reading

Consumerism has a way of telling us what we want without really knowing who we are. It's safe to assume that most of us want to be healthy, have significant relationships and not carry any debt. But that doesn't mean we all want to have a six-pack, bed as many people as we can or be incredibly wealthy. You would think that those are the ultimate goals for life, according to Madison Avenue. It's just... Continue Reading

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward How often do we gripe about the way things are in the world? How often do we complain about bad things that have happened to us? And how often do we lament that things in our lives should be different? If you are anything like me, the answer is likely to be "way too often." The... Continue Reading

If you have a book up your sleeve, or maybe even already written, a logical next question is how to bring your book to the world. There are more options out there these days than there ever have been before, but sometimes the various options can be paralyzing, especially for someone who's never published anything before. (And maybe even for those who have.) When you are considering the following options, always keep in mind what... Continue Reading