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

"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 Nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable. Over the past fifteen or so years I have created dozens of websites, products, services and applications that run the gamut of new media. Content sites, information products, member sites, web-based software, iPhone applications, mobile marketing platforms, entertainment sites and more. During that time I have had some tremendous successes and some... 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

You've heard the old philosophical riddle "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Raising questions about reality, this question has undoubtedly claimed countless hours of debate in the halls of our colleges and universities. I find it relevant today as I make changes in my business and life. As I pull back from my business, I begin to wonder what would happen... Continue Reading

What would you do if you were God? We're talking about the Supreme Being; the Almighty; the Alpha and Omega; the Big Cheese; the Head Honcho; the Man in the Sky. You get the picture. Many of us behave as though we are God. We erroneously think the world revolves around us. Trust me, I've been there before. But if you had all of eternity on your hands and were just hanging out by yourself... Continue Reading

While the modern world we live in tends to be civilized, there are still peoples in third world nations that are not plugged in to our technology-laden society. As recent as fifty years ago, the Waodani people of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin lived very primitively. Cut off from the rest of the world, the tribe was in a constant war with other tribes. By seeking revenge after revenge, the number in the Waodani tribe was... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Andrew Albritton) To say they're the latest craze in online shopping would be an understatement. Groupon, Living Social, Social Buy etc. have taken the web by storm, revolutionizing how "deal of the day" type websites meet local brick and mortar business. Traditional "Deal of the day" type sites are typically affiliates that have great discounts from advertisers that have a large online presence and may not even have brick and mortar... Continue Reading

A few years ago I heard people in the Internet marketing circles talking about "The Secret." I was told it was an amazing film featuring successful people demonstrating a "law of the universe" that had been hidden from the majority of mere mortals. Starring in this film based on a book by Rhonda Byrne were such people as Joe Vitale, James Arthur Ray, Michael Beckwith, David Schirmer and Bill Harris, among otthers. I decided to... Continue Reading

The following email was sent to me by one of the creators of The Internet Marketing World Cup. I told them I would consider updating my previous blog entry based on what he shared with me. After further consideration, I thought I would just let IMWC's point-of-view speak for itself. With that said, here is the entire email sent to me. It is thoughtful and I admire the IMWC team for proactively contacting me and... Continue Reading

If you have followed through on the first two parts of this series, you will have discovered a wealth of opportunities to get free publicity. Both HelpAReporter.com and Pitchrate.com are great resources for connecting you with those who are interested in your topic. Today I will tell about a third site which is a must-see... Continue Reading

You've come up with a business idea you believe will rock the world. You have built your website... it's so beautiful it brings a tear to your eye. You are the expert in your field and you've got something to say. Now you just need someone to say it to! It's no surprise that the best way to become recognized is to be interviewed by others who want to leverage your expertise for a newspaper... Continue Reading

There's a very disturbing trend taking place in the Internet marketing world. I am specifically referring to the Infoproduct "make money online" niche. I've had one foot in this market for the past few years, but I am increasingly dismayed by what I see happening. I say "one foot" because my products and services are very diverse and most are not in the IM niche. However, it's time someone came forward to draw a line... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Alan Bechtold) This is a continuation of last week's article on getting inside the minds of your customers and prospects. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Alan Bechtold) To make compelling offers and to create sizzling copy that sells those offers effectively, you must enter the conversation already going on in your ideal prospects' minds. This is an edict that's been passed down through generations of successful direct marketing masters. It's never been proven wrong. Continue Reading