Faith for Finances Online

Working on Character as Well as Success

2007-08-08T17:30:00.000-10:00

Ever since the “Law of Attraction” came out, there’s been so much hype about getting what you want. Don’t get me wrong. I’m trying to “manifest” some things myself, but the reality is that this concept in not new and moreover, it’s not easy to do. If it were that easy to do, every body would be doing it and experiencing great success and we’d all be holding hands singing “Kumbaya”.

Maybe one of the reasons why it’s not that easy to do is because of flaws in our character. Don’t scream at me just yet. Consider this. Maybe we don’t have all of what we want because our character doesn’t support it yet. You know the story of people who become instant millionaires only to find that within a few years or even shorter, they’re right back to where they started (and in worse condition no less). Who’d want to be in that position?

Now here’s the point I’m trying to make. Work on your character as well as your success. Begin focusing manifesting the things you want, but also begin working on your character. Many people want to live life in such a grand way, but the underlying motive is that they live in fear – the fear of losing it all. What I’m proposing is that you lose the fear. Many people want to horde all the money they can and party their way into the next decade. The reality is that to become a millionaire or even a billionaire, you’ve got to think about someone else other than yourself or your needs. Many people don’t have a clue as to what they’re going to do with the money once they get it. That’s also bad because the lack of goals will not sustain you when you have to go and claim your millions.

Part of the problem with the way that the Law of Attraction is being presented is that it gives the idea that money will somehow rain from heaven with little or no work. False! False! False! If you believe that you won’t have to work in order to become financially prosperous, guess again. Honestly, when has that ever really happened to someone’s benefit? When money comes to us that easily, there are no lessons that help build our character and we end up losing it all.

While some cases may encounter the “easy money” situation in their lives, eventually, people will ultimately realize that it’s really opportunity presenting itself that brings in the money rather than waiting for it to drop down upon us. Unfortunately, people will have to overcome character issues like laziness, fear and greed in order to get that opportunity pay off.

With all that being said, the Law of Attraction works. That part is not wrong, but what may be keeping you from your greatest successes in life is not that money is not flowing to you, but that you are unable to walk through the doors of opportunity to get it.

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Would You Know it if Success Hit You on the Head?

2007-07-30T13:58:00.000-10:00

Many people don’t look at their lives and see the positive in it. They allow society to paint a picture of what their success is like. People want and see success as being the Donald Trump’s or the Bill Gates’ and then try to measure their lives against that. Then they feel an overwhelmed as they find it getting more and more difficult to be up to par with an icon like that. They end up quitting the pursuit of their dreams and goals.

Remember that Donald Trump and Bill Gates are successful because they did not give up! Especially Donald Trump! He has such an amazing history in the business and financial world. At a point of defeat, when many of us would throw in the towel, he rose again to reclaim his fame and fortune and is still sitting among the top leaders in the business industry today!

Do you know what “success” means to you? What are you doing when you are a success? What does being a success feel like? What does it look like? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, take a look at your life and see what isn’t a success. Easily we can see those things that could use a little work.

If you still need some help painting a picture of your success, here are 5 qualities of an enriched successful life and none of these qualities are things.
1. Has a deep love for life and people
2. Pursues their own happiness
3. Gives and gains commitment and loyalty
4. Gives and receives honor and respect
5. Has a strong spiritual connection

Your success can only be measured by one person – you! Do you know that you are already a success and would you know it if success hit you on the head?

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Success Means Embracing Change

2007-07-29T08:38:00.000-10:00

All things don’t have to change all at once, but eventually everything changes. That’s life. Success means embracing those changes in order to move forward and reach your goals. If you’re like most people, you want to be a success. On your journey of success, there are times when you will come up against barriers and obstacles that will determine your fate. What you do in these times and how you handle the problem will determine if you move forward, stay in the same place or take steps backward. We want to help you take steps forward; even if they are little tiny ones.

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
- Albert Einstein

Successful people are flexible. Maybe they want to be flexible; but most times it’s because they have to be that way. On the pathway of success, there will be obstacles that prevent you from reaching your destination. If you remain inflexible or stuck in one way of doing and being, those obstacles can seem like insurmountable barriers.

Successful people are the ones who can see things in a different light. Instead of thinking “I can’t”, they think “How can I?” They are the ones who see the problem, but they are also the ones looking at all the angles to find a solution as well. They understand that there is more than just one way to complete a task and they won’t stop until the problem is resolved.

Successful people understand that what used to work before might not always work again. If your solution continues to produce the results you want to see, continue to use it, but if it doesn’t, it might be time to try something else. Don’t get stuck in your past success especially if you find that it’s not working! The bottom line is that it is up to us to produce results and not get stuck in how a thing is done.

If you already exercise all these qualities of success, then you are well on your way to success. If you haven’t noticed by now, true success is experienced when you are able to be creative and innovative in handling problems. The better you get at handling problems, then the more success you see. But just in case you don’t have all these qualities, now would be a good time to start putting some of these concepts into action. Stay true to your success by embracing change!

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Make a Difference This Year!

2007-07-28T02:10:00.001-10:00

Well it's mid year and if you're like most people, we're still wondering what happened to the first part of it?!?! These past six months have passed so quickly and JUST WHAT did we really accomplish? Did we make a difference in someone's life? Did we accomplish some of the things we set out to do in January? REALITY CHECK! We're still getting ready to get ready to do something!

Doesn't it always seem to work that way? So we decide to really take a good long hard look at what we really want in life (which should last about 30 seconds) and we decide to be determined to hit at least one goal - to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Here are three things to help you finish what you started:
1. Use what you have.
2. Do what you know.
3. Then just do it.

Simple concept. BUT it works!!!! A lot of times we look at what we don't have and that's the reason we can't get started. Maybe we have to back it up a little bit and start where we should start instead of where we THINK we should start. Get it?

Sometimes the things we set out to do, we already know how to do it. If not, we find others that do know what they're doing and get a "PLAN". This is of course where we find ourselves stuck in the "getting ready to get ready" stage. We really should move on to the next tip.
Just do it! Just do it! Just do it! Those who pay the price win the prize. Intentions just don't cut it. A dream that you're not fighting for is just an illusion! Scary thought, huh!

Now what is it that you want to accomplish? How are you going to make a difference this year? Are you ready to "Just do it"?

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You Are a Winner

2007-06-27T18:52:00.000-10:00

You are a winner
Because of the life you lead...

You are a winner
Because of the example you set for others...

You are a winner
Because you pursue what no one else will...

You are a winner
Because you fight when no one else fights...

You are a winner
Because you love when no one else loves...

You my friend are a winner and I am blessed to know you!

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Breathing Air Doesn't Make You Alive

2007-06-27T18:31:00.000-10:00

Neither does a beating heart. What fills your heart? What moves you to the point where you get out there again and again to fulfill your hopes and dreams?

The Random House Unabridged dictionary states that the definition of “alive” is having life; living; existing; not dead or lifeless. No wonder we settle for having a pulse and a breath as the qualifications for living!

This same dictionary continues defining “alive” as being in a state of action; in force or operation; active; full of energy and spirit; having the quality of life; vivid; vibrant. Now that’s better!

Are you in a state of action? Are you in force or in operation of accomplishing your dreams? Can you be considered to be active, full of energy and spirit? When our family, friends and customers meet us, will they say that we were alive?

The vibrancy of our life is shown in what we do and how we do it! Not only do we want to pursue financial freedom, but we also want to pursue a great quality of life!

Spruce up your business by putting some excitement in your sales! Send out some love to your customers and potential clients no matter what you sell.

With the right attitude, your sales and client base will increase because you will see my friend that in being alive, you will also give life to others.

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Make Money Online Using Your Skills and Talents

2006-12-04T00:18:00.000-10:00

Okay, maybe you're not quite ready to set off on your very own entrepreneurial adventure just yet... BUT, you are ready to start learning how to make some money online.

Just how are you going to do that? Freelance work. Find a job online. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about what kinds of things you can do. If you find that one of the ideas interests you, Google it. Start to find out information on how you can profit doing what you already know how to do. Use the work experience you already have or learn some new skills to enhance what you already know how to do. If you're feeling like you don't know how to do anything, guess again! Let's just take a look at what's available before you make any decisions.

Data entry
Medical transcription
Medical billing
Web design
Freelance writing - articles, copy ad writer / editor, research writer, technical writer
Event planning
Surveys - online, offline, forums, telephone
Mystery Shopping

These are just a few of the ways to get an online job, but here's another idea - telecommuting. Is there any possible way to turn your current job into one where you work from home or telecommute?

One of the main things to think about with competing for jobs like these and more is learning how to market yourself. Keep your resume up to date listing all your work history and experience and any credentials you might have. Keep building your credentials and find more ways to get your resume out there!

Here are some sites that can give you more information about working from home. There are more, but start with these to get the ideas rolling in your mind about what you can do to get some extra cash!

www.workaholics4hire.com

www.sologig.com

www.tjobs.com

www.moneymakingmommy.com/jobs/ongoing.html

www.portajobs.com

One word of caution... Be careful about any site that charges you to get work or gets lists of site for work. Keep in mind that some provide legitimate value, but some offer free information and then they charge you for it?!?! Just be aware about the kinds of information you're paying for. Maybe you might want to not deal with looking for the free information and you want it all done for you in one place. Then do consider paying for that information. My point is that you just need to be aware about what it is that you're paying for. Honestly, if you're looking at these places as potential sources of income, FREE info is always best! Do what's free first and then build it up to consider paying.

NOW, I saved the best for last! Here is something that just about everyone can do. BLOGGING. You can make money writing about what you love. You can get paid to blog. Blogging is one of the latest developments in social journalism. The more you write, the more people come to your blog. Expand your traffic by using sites like www.FeedBurner.com.

Here are some paid blogging sites to check out.

www.blogit.com/Blogs/

The opportunities are endless because of the variety of topics available to write on. You'll be sure to find one topic you're passionate about!

Have fun taking a look at these oppotunities! There's going to be a wealth of ideas flowing through your mind!

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Professionalism In Your Business

2006-11-27T00:59:00.000-10:00

Professionalism in character (the voice of your website) - I just finished reading a post where this guy seemed to be dogging "newbies" and how people who entrust them to build their website are going to lose all the way around. He was talking about professionalism and at the same time, slinging mud at the very people who probably read his blog. Honestly, I got offended! So much for professionalism! He did however, have a nice and tidy, professional looking blog.

Professionalism in Being the Expert - Whenever you attempt anything new in your life or your business, at some point, you're going to be a "newbie". You're not going to have all the experience you need. We don't all have the luxury of having PhD's as we roll out of the womb!

Regardless, he does have a point which we could all learn from and that is this. Do your homework before you start anything! See the process and how your idea is going to work on paper before you start "ringing the dinner bell" for people to visit your site.

Yes, we're all newbies at some point but at least be an educated newbie! Know your market. Know how your product sells. At least have some idea on how you will build your business! Study articles and reports about what you want to do. Search other blogs for reviews or other information.

The internet is your information hub that is available 24/7! Getting at least some information should not be a problem. Then use (apply) what you've learnt!

Now here's something to think about. I would rather try something new and fail at it than sit in fear of failing. If you're determined to succeed, then you will have success! Being professional commands a degree of excellence in all you do!

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Success or Defeat: Preparing Your Mind for Success!

2006-11-25T23:52:00.000-10:00

If you want success, you'll need to take some time preparing your mind for success. Everyone wants to be successful, but sadly, the mindset of most people is set up for failure and defeat. What follows are some simple things to do that will help you prepre your mind for success. Now, how can we best prepare our mind for success?

The first thing to do is read books about success - the Bible, T. Harv Eker, and many more. Your mind is like a cup - a vessel. If your mindset is polluted, it's like having stale coffee or moldy water in your vessel. The success principles and attitudes you'll read about is like fresh coffee or fresh, clear water being poured into your vessel. As the new liquid comes in to your cup, it eventually dilutes the junk and the cup overflows until all that's left is the good, fresh stuff. Clean out your cup. Start reading about success principles and mindset. Start reading biographies of successful entrepreneurs and what their mindset is/was.

The second thing to do is take the time to examine negative or defeating mindsets you might have. Even the smallest thoughts matter! What your goal is here is the equivalent of pulling weeds from the garden. Some are more deeply rooted than others, but either way, they have to go! Here's where positive confession help. To uproot the weeds, you've got to plant success principles and attitudes in your mind. Basically, speaking / confessing postive principles and attitudes.

Lastly, practice what you read - self application. Why read if you're not going to do a thing about it? That's just wasting your time and money (for investing in the book).

It's your life. The decisions you make this minute impact the next whether you want it to or not. Be on the path of success by clearing the junk in your mind!

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Success or Defeat: What's In Your Mind?

2006-11-25T23:04:00.000-10:00

You can decide today whether or not you will be successful in everything you do. What is your mind filled with? Are you focused on your upcoming bills, or having a little extra for this holiday season, or maybe you're focused on your work? What ever is grabbing your focus, decide today to spend some time being focused on your success!

The idea is this. You are what you think you are. You have what you think you have. If your mind is filled with what you don't have and your defeating circumstances, then that's exactly what you'll get. If that's the case, why not think about your success? Practice visualizing your dreams and goals. Practice thinking abundance. Practice visualizing a healthy marriage and family life. Practice seeing yourself as a success.

Clear your mind of the junk! Not that we shouldn't worry about bills or "the facts" of your situation, but rather focus on the successful life that's coming to you! Focus on the new life that you are deciding to have today!

Here's one way you can begin to clear your mind of the junk in it. Speak out loud positive confessions of your success! Declare that you have an abundant life. Declare that you are blessed! Declare good things to come into your life! Then start to picture in your mind, your success - what you are doing, your lifestyle, etc.

One of the things I really recommend is having a dream journal. When you have an image of your successful life right in front of you, it's easier to imagine that image in your mind!

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Add Ongoing Inspiration to Your Gift Giving

2006-11-25T12:28:00.000-10:00

We all want to give gifts that benefit our giftee. Consider adding an inspirational message along with your gift!

Did you know that during the holidays the rates of suicide are among the highest ever in the year? People need encouragement and you never know who might need it. It could be your next door neighbor, co-worker, or even a family member or close friend.

Give encouragement! Give inspiration! Reach out and give hope to someone with your gift! Brighten someone's day and let them know you were thinking of them by giving them a gift!

View 3 of our latest inspirational, tropical floral designs from our Faith for Finances Online Store! More designs available as well!

Find these designs on women's and childrens t-shirts, tank tops, baby doll tees, and other active wear. Also find these designs on various inspirational home decor like tile coasters, framed tile trivets, throw pillows, mugs, and tile keepsake boxes.

These beautiful, tropical floral designs add just the right touch to brighten anyones kitchen, living room or bath! Set up an aura of peace, faith, hope and love in your home!

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Journaling Your Dreams - Goals

2006-11-25T11:32:00.000-10:00

We all have dreams and aspirations - things we want to see or do in life. But somehow, somewhere along the way, we forget about what it was that we wanted to set out to accomplish.

Never let that happen to you! Post your dreams and goals in a dream journal and keep it fresh in front of you!

Here are 5 things to do to keep your dreams and goals alive!

Write your dreams down. Paste pictures of them everywhere. Post your dreams and goal in a handy book.
Review your dreams and goals daily to keep the passion for attaining them fresh! As time passes, we tend to forget. We won't forget if we review them daily...
Do something that takes a step towards reaching your dreams and goals daily. Research... Place an ad for your business... Take a leap of faith and network yourself...
Daily speak success over your dreams and goals. You are going to see success as long you don't quit and continually do something towards reaching your dreams and goals!
Be thankful that you desire something more than what you have. That's adding life to your life!

See journals like these at our Faith for Finances Online Store!

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Ceramic Tile Trivet Keepsakes - Perfect Home Accent Gifts

2006-11-25T09:53:00.000-10:00

Decorative tile coasters are a simple way to accent your kitchen, living room and bath.

Fairly inexpensive, these tile keepsakes start at just $6.49 USD (or $6 each when purchased as a set of 4 on our eBay listing!)

Use these trivets instead of napkins (or even worse for your furniture, nothing at all)! Hang them on your walls or place them in a trivet stand on end tables. These functional keepsakes add a warm touch to your home.

Need inspiring ideas for accenting your home? See beautiful tile keepsakes like the one above and more at our Faith for Finances Online Store.

Free ground shipping until December 20 on orders of $50 or more for US orders!

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Using Google Groups to Get the Word Out

2006-11-24T09:32:00.002-10:00

Need to get the word out about your business? Use Google Groups. Signing up for groups is free and you can post as much as you want in these groups.

Google groups are a good place to start writing copy for your email marketing campaigns as well as review your copy for improvement. Posts are text only, but you can add links to your other sites.

When you subscribe to any Google group, you will be asked if you want to receive emails listing some of the posts. If you sign up for the group, you will want to keep up with the group's activity. You can opt to receive an abridged email (1 email of posting activity), digest email (about 1 email per day with 25 full new messages bundled into the email), or email which will send you approximately 43 emails - each post as it arrives. You can always opt to not receive any emails.

Add Google Groups to your list of free resources to get the word out on your business!

*Note: Depending on what your business is, posting to Google groups may not work for you. Check it out and then decide if its worth your time and effort!

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Taking 1st Steps with e-Bay!

2006-11-24T09:11:00.000-10:00

I just completed my first official 25 listings with eBay. What an experience! That alone took hours - mostly because of my inexperience...

Why did I choose to do 25 listings on eBay? eBay is where the people are. Did you ever shop for a gift in a classified ad section or from a group posting? As for 25 listings, I was testing Turbo Lister. I placed my first 16 listings manually (one by one) and the rest using the program.

The "sell form" to list products is fairly easy to use. The only times I didn't know what to do was if the section had a multiple tab feature (as in shop inventory) or under the shipping section. I really spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to list worldwide!

I'm also in Learning to Sell 101 - just have to have that education and I'm also trying out some of the other features like having an eBay Store. It's not really a store, but rather a store front that lets you show case in one place multiple listings. The good thing is that this show case is added to every listing automatically if you are subscribing. They offered a 30 day free trial so I'm trying it out!

Like with anything, here are some things to keep in mind with every new venture.

Capitalize on the shopping season!
Learn and get educated on the how's and experiences of others. Read blogs, forums, take classes, apply what you've learnt to your business.
Keep trying and don't give up!

I'll be journaling more of my experiences in the blogs to follow.

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A Day of Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T22:03:00.000-10:00

It's days like these that remind me of what I'm grateful for in my life. It's days like these that also remind me of how much I take for granted in my life.

Here are some things I'm thankful for in my life:

I'm thankful for my children. Because of them, I want more out of life to share it with them. I'm sure everyone wants to give the best to their family and I'm sure you're feeling the same as well.
I'm thankful that I have great friends and family to share my life with. Not everyone will go out of their way to share their life with you and I'm very thankful for the ones that do. They really touch my heart.
I'm thankful I serve a God who daily loads me with benefits. May His power and His glory be ever present in my life.
I'm thankful that I have the ability to pursue life in order to make my dreams come true.
I'm thankful that I never cease to run out of creativity and inspiration with regards to reaching out to more and more people. May your life be blessed more and more that I might one day be able to meet you.
I'm thankful that I'm not bitter or cynical about life. Life is too short to stay that way. Sure people may have hurt me, but new people and new friends are surely in my midst. If I stay bitter or cynical, I'll miss out on the more in life coming my way!
I'm thankful that my health is good, my body functions, and I can function in full physical capacity!
Lastly, I'm thankful that the internet was created or else in order to reach you guys, I'd have a phone and postage bill the size of the national debt!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

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Gift Ideas for Hard-To-Buy-For People

2006-11-22T14:17:00.000-10:00

Looking for the right gift this holiday season? Find beautifully designed inspirational t-shirts, mugs, tile keepsake boxes, tile coasters, calendars, framed prints and more that'll spark your creativity and imagination! Give a message of faith and hope this season! Find your treasures all in one place! These inspiring gifts are sure to add the perfect touch to your gift giving needs this year! Check out our Faith for Finances Online Store!

Things to remember about your gift.

Personalize your gift
Maybe the gift that is desired is your time
Be creative with the delivery of your gift
Reach their heart
Show how much you care about them

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You Gotta Start Someplace

2006-11-22T13:55:00.000-10:00

Are you a perfectionist? Do you have to know everything about a given subect before you even attempt to do it? Do you suffer from information paralysis?

The path you're on is learning by doing. There are just some things that you can only learn about from experience - sort of like love. You can read up the ying yang about love, but until you're in it, none of what you've read matters.

Being informed and educated about a subject is one thing. You have to do that, but you don't need to get a PhD in Information Systems to learn how to be an entrepreneur on the web.

Your quest for perfection just might stifle your creativity which is the pits!

You're a novice and you gotta start someplace in order to get ahead!

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Don't Make Long Term Decisions Based on Your Short Term Circumstances

2006-11-22T13:23:00.000-10:00

Don't make long term decisions based on your short term circumstances!

All to often, we make decisions that affect us long term because of what's going on in our lives now.

Ever had this thought? "I don't have money to invest now so I'll wait 'til later to start." Or how's about "I don't have the skills so I can't build my business.

Try switching your focus to what you can do instead of what you can't do.

Remind yourself of your dreams! See this design and more at our Faith for Finances Online Store.

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CafePress Opportunity

2006-11-22T10:12:00.000-10:00

While I was building my website, I realized that I had nothing to sell. I had to create something to sell in order to make some money.

What is CafePress? It's a drop-shipper that allows you to add your creative touch to basic gift items like t-shirt, calendars, keepsake gifts, coaster tiles, tote bags, and more.

How do you use CafePress? You upload your pictures and/or designs in at least a jpeg format and add it to what ever products you choose. Jpegs may need formatting to fit well on the product, but Cafepress offers you templates to work with. They provide everything you need as far as the technical application of creating the product. All you have to do is create a photo or design or even a logo to get started.

CafePress pays you when you sell something and you get paid the difference between retail and cost. You set the retail price.

A starter site at CafePress is FREE! Yay! But if you want to sell multiple designs of the same product, the free option will not work. For example, you want to sell, a pink women's t-shirt in various designs. With the free option, you'll only be able to sell one design at a time using the pink t-shirt.

So what do you do? Sign up for the upgrade version which does allow you to sell multiple designs on the same product. The cost is to get started is $6.95 per month. That's pretty low.

They take care of the order placement and delivery of your product.

Try this site out to gain experience in marketing products. Try the FREE site first and once you get the hang of it, then upgrade if you choose.

Faith for Finances Online Store

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How Serious Are You About Your Business

2006-11-22T10:03:00.000-10:00

Just how serious are you about building your business. The fact is that there are millions of other people (not to mention businesses) that are trying to do the exact same thing you are.

Does that mean that you give up because you can't compete with the likes of Amazon or Microsoft? Absolutely not!

While you or I probably don't have the advertsing budget of these corporate giants, there is still a slice of the pie reserved just for you!

Do you realize that there are great companies who started off in basements and garages to become multimillion even billion dollar companies - You Tube, Google, Amway just to name a few!

We might not be a super techie but we've got all we need to succeed!

SEO for Beginners

2006-11-22T09:39:00.000-10:00

Here's a tip. I'm sure that by now, if you've been working on building your business, you've already heard about SEO Optimization.

You don't have to be a pro at SEO, but you do have to know how you can use it to improve your rankings with search engines.

The search engines pick up on several things - linkages, content (key works) and popularity (amount of different people who visit your site). I'm sure they do other things as well, but for the layman and newbie (SEO Beginner), these are the three things to focus your websites content.

To find other sites to do link exchanges with, check out www.linkpartners.com. Registration is free. You can add your site and view sites who accept link swaps. This is a lot of tedious work and I'm moving at snail's pace in this area, but I'll do anything to that has the potential to make my business a success - especially when it's free.

Have a lot of key word content for your site. For example, when you write an article or something for your site, pick a key word and include it at least 5 times in your writing. Honestly, that's SEO for Beginners.

Site popularity - basically, the more you get your business out there to be seen, the more people will visit your site. To see what I mean, check this. If you wanted to make more friends, would you stay at home waiting for friends to show up at your doorstep? No. You would go to where people were at. While there, you'll go and get in front of them and introduce yourself. Take your business to where the people are at. Once there, advertise, get your name out, reply to other people's posts, blogs, etc. Somehow initiate contact with them. MySpace is a good place to practice and just learn at the very least. There's so much creativity on that site! Anyway, the concept is simple, but it does take effort to get traffic to your site.

There's more to SEO Optimization than what I write, but the key idea here is to just get started doing something. You can perfect and fine tune as you go along. You and millions of others are in the same boat so I'm sure that some grace and mercy will fall upon you!

By the way, can you figure out what the keyword is for this post?

Help End Domestic Violence

2006-11-22T09:15:00.000-10:00

I just finished a write up on domestic violence and I feel like I just have to make a plug for it.

Support Awareness Against Domestic Violence

This is a season to embrace the victims of domestic violence. You never know who they could be, but the statistics are atrocious. In 2003, it was reported by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence that domestic violence in the workplace was the second leading cause of death on the job. Further more, statistics show that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime and 85% of victims in 2001 were women.

Want to know how you can help? Listed below are several campaigns bringing awareness to a major social issue - domestic violence.

Starting in mid-October, Chico’s launched a “Gifts from the Heart” Holiday Campaign selling its promise pin to support the programs and services that the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides. The pin is valued at $10 and can be bought online at www.chicos.com and in frontline store nationwide.

On November 9 continuing until December 31, Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated launched their 10/10 Campaign to raise funds supporting the continued provision of information and assistance to those in need. Donations start at $10 and can be made at http://www.omegaphibeta.org/serving/pr/10.10.htm. Donations of amounts other than $10 can also be made at that site.

November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women in Australia. This worldwide campaign is an effort to raise awareness of violent crimes against women and girls. Interestingly, this campaign targets men and boys who will wear a white ribbon symbolizing that they have made a pledge to never commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women. For more information on how to purchase these ribbons, visit http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au/order.

Hotel Ruby Foo’s will hold the December 6 Montreal Girl Conference which will provide interactive workshops and educational activities for girls ages 14 to 17. This event is held on the anniversary of the death of 14 young women tragically killed in 1989 in Canada. There is a fee to attend. For more information, visit www.fearlesstiger.com.

For more information supporting the awareness of domestic violence, visit the website for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence http://www.ncadv.org/.

Free Ad Resources

2006-11-22T09:04:00.000-10:00

There are many free ad sites and some of them are connected to each other. What I did was Google "free ads" and a bunch of stuff came up.

Here are the ones I used. Some of them are classified ads and some of them are directories. Keep in mind my mantra was "Free is for me!"

www.buysellbid.com
www.adlandpro.com
www.comcorner.com
www.inetgiant.com

Yahoo Groups
Google Groups
Craig's List
LiveDeal

www.reference.com

DMOZ

I'll add more as I try them out.

Advertising My Site

2006-11-22T08:47:00.000-10:00

When I completed the second draft of my website, I figured that it was time to start advertising. I put up many free ads, got listed with search engines, started this blog, and got a myspace.

You know what? No one came. Sure, there were a few trickles here and there of people, but nothing really worth jumping up and down about.

I thought back to a book I had read regarding making money on the internet. They made it sound so easy to do.

The problem was that I wasn't this mega marketing guru nor did I have any experience writing or posting ads. HTML made my brain spin. Nor was I willing to invest one dime in something that didn't produce. Even adjusting photo sizes was scary. That was really a "bummer" moment.

What do you do at this point? Give up? No!!!! The fact is tons of people are making money off the internet in various ways. I was watching "The Devil Wears Prada" and I learnt one thing. If you want anything, you have to take it seriously. The character that Anne Hathaway played had to learn about the industry she was in. She had to mold herself to fit the task at hand in order to be successful. In fact at one point, her forethought gained her the respect of her boss - the part where she got the book for the twins, made copies of it, and sent it with them on the train.

Okay, enough movie review for now. The fact is, I had no experience even building or having an online business. I had to learn the industry. I had to learn the technical stuff - HTML. Thank goodness for MySpace which gave me a start in learning how to work with HTML codes. I'm still a novice, but at least I'm not petrified at the thought of it.

What's my message in this post? Don't give up! Learn and apply and keep that cycle going as you build your internet business. Learn about your market and the industry your in. Read journals, other websites, other blogs, forum, and groups. Everyone's in the learning cycle so jump in there!

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http://www.myspace.com/faithforfinances