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

I remember the first time I encountered an "easy button" at Staples. Push the big red button with the word "easy" printed on it and the family "That was easy" voice was played. I loved it and had to have one. A couple years ago I came up with an idea for another button which I thought would have great appeal to business people around the world. A green button with a dollar sign on... Continue Reading

I have surveyed online business owners a number of times over the years. I have discovered a common thread in the problems that the majority of them are experiencing. 1) They are frustrated with the amount of traffic they get to their websites. Can you identify? 2) They are concerned that their online presence is not generating enough leads and new customers. Does that describe you? 3) They are upset with themselves (or vendors) for... 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

(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

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

Providing your audience, customers, and potential customers with free, valuable information is a cornerstone of running an online business. If you give enough stuff away for free, and make sure that that stuff is high-quality and indicative of your high standards, then enough people are going to want to pay you to get to the rest of what you know that you will be able to make a nice living from your online income. One... Continue Reading

If you look around at successful online businesses, you will see many things that they all have in common. Maybe they have a good design, have a well-written blog, convincing sales pages, or some combination of these and other characteristics. But many successful sites an businesses share another characteristic: they know and take advantage of the power of a unique business idea. Because let's face it, you can have all the other pieces in place... Continue Reading

I wasn't always a fan of roller coasters. When I was a little boy they terrified me. I think my mother took me on one and in my mind that would be the last time I would ever ride one. I remember seeing Space Mountain at Walt Disney World and thinking to myself "no way!" Sometime around fifteen years old that changed. I was at Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, with my best friend... Continue Reading

Starting your own online business is a lot like a long journey. You will need perseverance, stamina, and some faith, and you will reach your goals. But lots of people burn up all of their energy right out of the starting gate. Have you ever gotten really excited about a business idea or an online mentor, thrown a lot of money at it, and then never done anything or really learned anything from it? There... Continue Reading

Death. Now there's a way to start a blog entry! It's been said by Steven Covey that we should "begin with the end in mind." Well, it doesn't get any more "end" than death, does it? At least as far as our lives on earth are concerned. We live in a culture that is death-averse. We are fascinated with concepts of the afterlife, but death itself is a horrible thing that we'd rather not look... Continue Reading

There is a counter-intuitive truth to monetizing websites and online businesses: the more you give away for free, the more money you tend to make. Sounds crazy, but it has proven to be true time and time again. The reason is that through giving away your knowledge and possibly even products for free, you build customer trust and loyalty and you solidify your brand. Since your readers and fans don't have to worry about you... Continue Reading