One year ago today, I weighed in at 225 pounds with a 40-inch waist. With just a 5'10" frame, I was unhealthy and on the road to very bad things. Today, I am 170 pounds with a 32-inch waist. I've never felt better in my life. And people continue to ask me what plan I followed. It's simple. Eat less and move your body more. Common sense, right? However, there are some things I did... 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

If you're not regularly reading up on ways to make your online business grow, you should be. And while blogs and ebooks are extremely valuable, don't overlook reading the old-fashioned way: print books. While some in the Internet world might argue that books are out of date the minute they hit the shelves, there is still a lot to be said for exposing yourself to ideas that stood the test of editors and publishers and... Continue Reading

You've hopefully heard that the point of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook isn't just to amass followers. You could have totally healthy numbers and still not see much of a return in terms of sales or clicks or engaged readers. So if the goal isn't just numbers, what is it? Some of the signposts that you are doing things right: People retweet your tweets. People comment on your blog posts and on other... Continue Reading

On September 1st, 2010, I weighed in at over 225 pounds. I didn't step on the scale often because it wasn't very good news. My energy levels were low. My blood pressure was high. And I was moody. I didn't want to feel that way anymore. I had lost weight in the past, but I wasn't sure I could do it again. After all, I DID balloon back to my previous weight AND put on... Continue Reading

A couple days ago I blogged about the lack of integrity amongst some Internet marketers. The post attracted thousands of readers and many comments were posted. Clearly, this topic is one on many people's minds. It almost feels like picking at scabs because there is a great deal of wounding in this area. While I appreciate the kind words people shared, this issue is NOT about me. This is about an industry that has been... Continue Reading

There are some things that I just can't do. Continue Reading

If you are a chronic consumer of information about Internet businesses and making money online, but have yet to do so yourself, this post is for you. What are you waiting for? Lots of people are waiting for that perfect idea, or maybe for a way to find extra time. Here's the thing: no idea is perfect and in the time it just took you to unnecessarily check your email for the fifth time in... Continue Reading

Online marketing provides a couple of very important advantages for entrepreneurs. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) I'm going to tell you a true story. When I was first hired at Infomedia, I helped develop an online training program that turned into what today is known as The Profit Vault (http://www.theprofitvault.com). It was designed to be a 13-week course that contained all of our company's knowledge about how to set up a website and start earning revenue from it. I was in charge of developing the... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) The other day I was asked by a colleague why developers in general have a hard time setting firm deadlines. I thought it was a valid question. I am by no means an authority on this issue, but I can speak for myself and for others that I have witnessed and talked to. I think that there are several reasons why developers find it difficult to set a firm... Continue Reading

WARNING: What you are about to see may traumatize you. Parents of small children are cautioned from letting their kids see the photos on this page. I will not be held responsible if they have nightmares! As you may know, I have struggled with my weight the bulk of my adult life. (See how I used the word "bulk" in a sentence? I'm a punny guy...) There are two reasons this has been a problem... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Joel Ownby) Accepting payment online for your products and services sounds like a pretty simple endeavor, and at a low level it is. Understanding what is happening behind the scenes is an entirely different proposition. Understanding the nuts and bolts of payment processing will grant you the ability to provide better customer service, generate more accurate cash flow and projection data, help you to better understand technical issues involving payment processing... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) This article is for three primary audiences. It's for the business owner who does his own programming and development. It's for the business owner who has hired or contracted a developer to work for him. It's for the developer doing the work. I will be discussing the single piece of software that can increase your efficiency more than any other investment. Yes, it is an investment in your business... Continue Reading