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Start an Internet Business on a Shoestring Budget: Free Webinar Series

2012-01-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

Working while traveling on the train

I am finally going to reveal to you exactly how I started my internet empire...and how I did it while traveling the world and enjoying life!

As an internet entrepreneur for the past 11 years, I’ve started several internet businesses and learned so much about what it takes to succeed. I’ve also talked to many people who have wanted to start an online business, but don’t know where to start. People have many beliefs about starting an internet business that are simply not true. For one, many people think they need money to start. Yes, there are some businesses that would require money to start, but there are a few business models that don’t require any money at all. So this year I’ve made it my mission to help people start their own internet business.

It’s frustrating to hear people talk about how bad our economy is. It’s also frustrating to see so many people out of a job when there are so many opportunities to make money online. I really, really want people to realize that their dreams of freedom and prosperity are out there for the taking.

My Story...
Back in 2001 I started to read about all these people making money online and enjoying the freedom of working from home. I loved the idea of being able to work whenever and wherever I want. I loved the idea of not having a boss. So when I was laid off after 9/11 from a position at a travel tour company, I was even more determined to start making money online.

I started researching online businesses and soaked up all the information I could find on the internet. I studied what the internet marketing "gurus" were doing and little by little implemented the marketing techniques I learned. When blogs started popping up all over the place, I discovered more ways to create websites for free and make money from them.

Fast forward to today…I now have several websites and numerous blogs under my belt. I’m finally living my dream of working from home. No more boss to answer to! I can work whenever I want from just about anywhere in the world. I’ve created multiple streams of income with all these websites and I’ve been helping other entrepreneurs grow their business through my business. Yes, you can do it too!

Start YOUR Journey to Internet Business Freedom

Are you tired of making someone else rich while you struggle living from paycheck to paycheck?

Can you imagine working from home and doing work that you truly enjoy?

Do you want to make a difference in people’s lives with your very own business?

One of the things I’ve learned when starting your own internet business is that you have to have a compelling enough “Why”. Is your vision compelling enough to carry you through the ups and downs?

When I first started my business I was on a very limited budget. I started with less than $10, so don’t let money be an excuse as to why you can’t start your own business.

Also, don’t let lack of knowledge stop you because as I mentioned earlier, I am on a mission to help you!

On February 1, 2012 I am hosting a FREE 4-part webinar series that is designed to help you jump-start your very own internet business. The webinars will take place every Wednesday from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PST. Even if you can’t log onto the live webinars, they will be recorded and made available afterwards.

During this information-packed 4 part webinar series you will learn:

What you absolutely must know before you even start an online business
How to develop a mindset of an entrepreneur so that you stay inspired and successful
How to set up and design a website - even if you have absolutely no experience
5 ways you can make money online. (Some of them don’t even require a website!)
My personal secret to getting a website ranked on the first page of search engines like Google and Yahoo.
10 ways to market your business for free
Top tips to effectively use social media and attract raving fans who market for you
The two things you absolutely must do so that customers buy from you again and again

This webinar series is only open to 200 attendees, so make sure to register now in the form below...

"Where I am now in pro-blogging, I owe it to Maria. She discovered me and walked me through the world of problogging. She's a generous person, and never hesitates to share what she knows." -- Meikah Delid, www.mamaisworking.blogspot.com

"I've known Maria since early on when I started blogging. Having people like her out there, especially in those early days, made a huge difference in me getting the ball rolling in my own building of a web presence."--Lance Ekum, www.jungleoflife.com

My RankPay Experience

2011-10-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

As a blogger, for me it’s important that my blogs can be found and ranked high in the search engines. However, managing 10 blogs is time-consuming and I just don’t have the time to write and work on search engine optimization anymore.

I did some writing for RankPay when they first started, and signed-up for their Affiliate Program. Over the years, I've referred a dozen or so clients there, and almost all of them have thanked me for the introduction, and have continued to work with RankPay for all of their SEO programs.

So, I've finally decided to make that move as well, and outsource my SEO because there are too many tedious things that need to be done in order to achieve high rankings consistently in the search engines. My time is just better spent working on the business, and not in the business.

If you run a small business or operate a blog, you should checkout RankPay. They were the first company to offer the Pay-for-Performance SEO Services, and their process to sign-up is quick, easy and informational:

1) Enter your domain in the search box at www.RankPay.com. There’s also a great video tour that I recommend watching that will give you quick overview of what RankPay' is about.

2) Explore which keywords you want to rank... (they have a pretty cool Keyword Opportunity Tool that has alternative Suggestions, Ratings, Search Volume, etc..)

3) Then, register to test any keyword or targeted phrases... no set-up fees and the pricing is upfront. RankPay's OnPage Optimization Support is free as well.

You are only charged after your site begins to increase rankings from its' original position, and must improve to at least the Top 30 rankings before you receive an invoice. They provide ranking updates each week, and have a Customer Dashboard to track everything. I believe their pricing seems very fair as well -- for example, if I want my blog, BabyChicBlog.com, to rank in the top 3 position for search term “stylish baby clothes”, I will pay $212 per month for RankPay to help maintain that position in Google for me.

I know it’s a challenge to outsource SEO, but if you decide to go down that path and want to partner with a Team that you can trust, definitely explore RankPay. I've been impressed with the commitment and results that they've produced for my clients and for my blogs.

For more information, visit: www.RankPay.com

5 Reasons Why People Don't Start an Internet Business

2011-07-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

There are many people who feel intimidated about starting their own internet business. Perhaps you're one of these people.

In my experience of talking with people who showed an interest in starting an internet business, I discovered a few of the reasons why they don't take action:

1. They feel like they need to be tech savvy or know special coding to create a website.

2. They have no idea what business or niche to get into.

3. They have no idea exactly where to start.

4. They have a fear of failure.

5. They feel like they don't have the time.

All of these are valid reasons, but to me they're just excuses. When I started my own online business, I had no idea what I was doing, but I had this inner drive to learn. I was motivated by this need to be my own boss and to be free from the rat race. I wanted to follow my passion and do something that I love while making money from it.

How about you? Are you ready to create the life that you want?

Don't let lack of knowledge or fear get in the way. Push through those fears and take some kind of action today.

If you're unsure of where to start, then do this exercise first: Take out a piece of paper and write down all the things that you love to do. If money wasn't an issue, what would you be doing now? Would you like to travel the world? Do you love to bake or cook? After you've written down all the things you like to do, close your eyes and picture yourself five years from now. What do you see yourself doing long-term? What would really get you excited when you wake up every morning? In what way do you want to help people?

I felt compelled to write this post today because I know that there are so many people who are looking for jobs and are just settling for something because "it's a paycheck" - even though they yearn to be their own boss and work from home. Believe me, I've been there.

Now that you're ready to take that dive into starting an internet business, then check out Internet Marketing Center's The Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Online. This is a complete, step-by-step A-Z roadmap that teaches anyone how to quickly and easily start a successful Internet business from scratch.

Using clear, easy-to-understand language, along with plenty of in-depth video tutorials, The Step-by-Step Guide carefully walks you through the six critical steps to building your business:

1. Find a lucrative niche market and decide what to sell...
2. Easily create your website, complete with winning sales copy
3. Attract your first eager visitors ...
4. Take your first credit card payment
5. Ramp up sales & traffic quickly
6. Automate your business to be "hands free"

For more information, visit: http://www.theimcmethod.com/step-by-step-guide/871281

Once you're done with the program, let me know how it goes. Looking forward to hearing your internet business success story!

Earning Income at Home: A Brief Chat with the "At Home" Entrepreneur

2011-06-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I managed to ask a representative of the highly-lauded Income at Home online program a few questions about the business's origins in the arena of entrepreneurship and what the program means for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for a way to earn money without leaving home. The transcript is given below:

Q: What were those first few years like for IncomeatHome?

A: Well, to tell you the truth, for the first ten years there was no such thing as IncomeatHome. We went through several trial and error enterprises before we eventually devised the money making strategies that we went to condense into Income at Home. But to answer truthfully, those first years were rough, of course. The first few years of starting your own business are always going to be rough. But anybody who is serious about being an entrepreneur already knows that.

Q: So the lesson here is stick with it?

A: Stick with it and don't be afraid to tweak what you have. Many small business starters get so utterly disheartened when they see that their original "dream" idea didn't catch on. But that happens to all of us. It's pretty much impossible to foresee what people are going to like and not like. Evolving your enterprise is essential. You will fail. Whether or not you let that failure keep you from ever succeeding is up to you. It took us more than a decade but we did it, and I'd say it was worth it. Wouldn't you?

Q: Moving onto IncomeatHome the program – who is your ideal user for this service?

A: Anybody who has access to a computer, plenty of free time they need to get rid of, and a determination to work hard for the chance to make serious cash, to be as general as possible. But if I understand what you're trying to ask correctly, I'd say that most of the folks who've so far participated in our program and have seen results are people who've been for whatever reason kept from getting the chance to achieve in the outside world. The disabled, those without adequate means of transportation, stay at home parents, all are who I would say are the types of folks who are most likely to remain dedicated to the program.

Q: Many aspiring home-based entrepreneurs can't help but view programs such as yours as "too good to be true", what can you point to as evidence to the contrary?

A: For starters I want to say that we never have nor ever will advertise the IncomeatHome program as a way to get rich quick. We promise two things: 1) You'll make money, and 2) You will work your behind off doing it. But don't take our word for it. Just ask the Better Business Bureau. We've kept an A+ rating with them for the nearly ten years we've been a registered dotcom. And if you're still not convinced, turn the radio on and give the Hannity Show a listen. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't have the kind of reputation and career Mr. Hannity has and risk it all on an endorsement that turned out to be false.

Q: Finally – if you have one piece of advice you can offer to aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?

A: Now, don't make it too easy for me! The first piece of advice I'd give is visit IncomeatHome.com and see for yourself that we aren't full of baloney and that it is really possible to achieve sustainable income working from home on your computer. But if you're dead set on making it your own way, just remember that without sacrifice there is nothing. If money were easy to make we'd all be billionaires. The simple truth is, don't give up. The famous and wealthiest of inventors, businessman, and explorers throughout history – Edison, Ford, Cortez, and so on, were famous and wealthy because they didn't give up. The ones that did give up? Well, there's a good reason you've never heard of them isn't there?

How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs With Your Internet Business

2011-06-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

As an internet entrepreneur, I go through times when I feel very unmotivated. I start to have these thoughts that my business isn't growing fast enough or that I'm not making the amount of money that I want. Those little monsters, a.k.a. "limiting beliefs", creep up on me seeking to sap my energy.

One of my favorite fellow internet entrepreneurs, Katie Freiling, offers some insight on limiting beliefs and provides her 4-step formula for overcoming limiting beliefs...

By the way, Katie recently created this great online community and resource called The Unified Tribe. If you've been working your butt off marketing your business via social media and haven't seen any results, I highly recommend checking out The Unified Tribe. I love the concept of this community of like-minded people working together to help promote each other.

The Value of Your Website May Not Be in Dollars, But in Your Sense

2011-05-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Robert Durango...

Figuring out the value of your online business can be hard, especially if you've built it yourself and are planning on selling it. The best strategy would be to seek a business valuation from a company that provides such service. However, if you're not in the position to afford such a consultation, there are a few simple points of data you can look at to better judge the value of your website.

The first and most obvious metric for figuring out your online business value is knowing how much income your website makes you. The only way you'll ever have hopes of selling your website is if it makes money. Professional valuation services will typically multiply your monthly income by 12 or 24 to better reflect the annual profit. However if your income fluctuates wildly from one month to the next for whatever reason, you may have a hard time finding anyone who is willing to put their name on a year or two-year profit projection.

Your website's traffic is the second biggest indicator of your online value. This isn't as easy as the simple income calculation, but it could mean bigger opportunity for you if the value based on traffic is greater than what factoring raw income gives you. The simple formula for figuring cash value from traffic is to assume anywhere from 25 to 50% of your visitor number is the number of dollars earned that month (so if your website had 30,000 visitors last month, an online business valuation might determine your income is anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000 a month). Be warned: the high end estimations are very rare to come by in real world application, unless your website is seriously popping with visitors.

The quality and quantity of links in your website are just as important a factor, if not the most important, in determining the potential value of your website. Many people confuse quality and quantity, focusing on the latter when they really need to be determined to stick with the former. Links that take you to neighboring blogs and sister sites are easy to compile, but they sure don't send anybody anywhere that indicates future potential for advertisement dollars on your website. You need quality links if you want your website to be a potential moneymaker. Basically anything that sends the visitor someplace popular on the Internet, like a search engine or news site, is worth the same as 20 links to fan websites and other locations with limited traffic and even more limited sources of income.

The bottom line though is that figuring out the value of your website objectively on your own is nearly an impossible task. My advice is to consult a valuation expert who has experience in pricing the potential of an online business. You might not hear what you want to, or you might be shocked to discover you're sitting on the next Facebook. Either way, you'll know the truth, and that's got plenty of value in and of itself.

The Best Online Business That Will Always Make Money

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Back in the early days of the internet I read about all the different ways that you could make money online. What really stuck with me is the idea of creating an information-filled website and making money through advertising and affiliate programs. That was absolutely fascinating to me. I loved to write anyway, so the concept of writing articles, publishing it online, and creating a business around a topic that I loved was right up my alley.

Fast forward 10 years and I now have a myriad of websites that provide information while generating passive income. I don't carry any type of inventory and I can work from anywhere in the world.

In all these years that I have been online, the internet has grown tremendously. You can find a site on just about any topic imaginable. People continue to share their thoughts, ideas, How To's, and more. The abundance of information is mind-boggling. That's what I love so much about the internet...People will continue to seek information and knowledge online.

What I've come to realize is that the most successful internet entrepreneurs are sellers of information. We now live in the "Information Age". Whenever we want to learn something new or have a problem we want to solve, we simply do a search on the internet to find information that will help us. Those who have created sites or have written ebooks that promise to provide that information or help solve those problems are the ones who continue to make money.

As the internet continues to grow everyday, I don't think the business of information will ever go away. It is the best online business!

What's so great about this is that each and every one of us is knowledgeable about something. You have a passion and have acquired information or experience that you can share with others.

So why not start a blog and share that information while monetizing that blog through advertising and affiliate sales? You can get rich helping others get rich.

One of my favorite probloggers, Yaro Starak, has developed The Blog Mastermind coaching program. He teaches you how to set up and profit from a successful blog. You can start making money from blogs by following this step-by-step, weekly coaching program.

If you already have a blog, but want to know how to make it better and attract more readers, here are two resources to make your blog more successful. These resources were written by Darren Rowse of Problogger - someone who has inspired many, including myself, to create engaging and valuable content for our blog readers.

Darren will be raising the price of "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" to $29.99 next Tuesday, May 10th, so now is a great time to get this resource at a discounted price. This book has helped thousands of people build successful blogs.

If you need help with setting up or creating a design for your blog, contact me for a quote: info [at] onlinebizresources [dot] com.

5 Ways to Fund Your Internet Business Venture

2011-03-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

So you’ve been working on your internet business for awhile now and you’re ready to take it to the next level. How do you go about funding your business so that it can grow and prosper?

Find an Angel Investor - Do you have a loyal customer or know someone who believes in your business? Many angel investors are entrepreneurs too, so reach out into your business networks and start asking people if they know of anyone who would be interested in being your business partner.

Apply For a SBA Loan or Grant - The government has money available for small business owners that you can apply for through your local bank or credit union.

Get a micro-loan from a local or state program - You can often find programs from non-profits that offer micro-loans to small businesses. These loans can go as low as $500 and up to several thousand dollars.

Apply for a merchant cash advance - If your credit is so-so and you don’t qualify for a regular business loan, you can get a merchant cash advance. In essence, you receive money in exchange for a share of future sales. This type of loan works for businesses who receive a significant amount of credit card sales. The only caveat with this type of funding is that you should expect to pay high interest rates.

Take Your Company Public (IPO) - Maybe you’re ready to play with the big dogs like Google or Facebook. Take your venture to the public and offer stock in your company. With an IPO, you can literally become a millionaire overnight.

These are just a few of the many ways that you can fund your internet business. Have any other ideas to share?

How to Build a Huge List of Subscribers: Notes From the List Building Summit

2011-03-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is the year that you make a six-figure income from your business. This is my intention for you...

This is also the intention that I've made for myself. Granted, I don't know exactly how that's going to happen, but I'll let the Law of Attraction work its magic in bringing the resources to help me with that goal.

One of the resources that has come my way is the List Building Telesummit which is being hosted by Vrinda Normand. This huge telesummit includes 16 interviews with experts which happen Tuesday through Friday of every week from March 15 until April 8, 2011. You can still listen in to past interviews and sign up for future calls by visiting: http://www.listbuildingsummit.com.

During the call today with Jeneth Blackert she talked about how to put on your own teleseminar/telesummit, how to get famous speakers to work with you, and how to build a huge list of potential buyers.

Here are some of the notes I took down from the call:

Share your event wherever you can: Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.
When contacting a "high-end" famous speaker to be a part of the teleseminar, tell them how it can benefit him/her - take yourself out of the equation.
If you don't hear back from the speaker, follow-up with them...and then follow-up again. (Remember that they are very busy people with many requests!) Also, remember that you can pick up the phone and call them too.
Get people who really want to "play" or engage with you.
Get people excited about the event.
Create front-end sales and back-end sales during the event.
Make your offer crystal clear. Clarity is key because people will not buy if they're confused.
Find your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
Come from a place of authenticity and service. Let people know who you really are. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. People want to be able to relate to you.

If there's anything that you want me to elaborate on, feel free to leave a comment. Again, if you want to participate in the List Building Summit, visit: http://www.listbuildingsummit.com

* Here's another resource you may be interested in if you want to build a list of targeted email subscribers. Click here to visit NitroListBuilder.com.

My Problogging Goal

2010-11-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

I've been faced with a dilemma lately, which explains my lack of posts here. I've spent a great deal of time doing a little soul searching - trying to figure out where I should focus my energy.

I have a jewelry business online, and although I enjoy making jewelry, I'm just not motivated to make jewelry every day. Well, actually, it's more like I don't want to have to make jewelry, take pictures of the jewelry, upload the pictures, create descriptions for each product, and then work on marketing my Etsy shop. All of that takes time!

Then there's my writing and internet marketing business which has really taken off this past year. I have a steady stream of income coming in and I really enjoy writing everyday. I wake up thinking about the next article or blog post I want to write.

Last night I read Darren Rowse's post, FeelGooder: The Backstory Behind My Newest Blog, which re-ignited a goal that I've had for awhile now: to create a network of successful blogs. I love the idea of being a problogger and writing about topics that I am passionate about. I want to inspire and connect with other people through these blogs.

That's what I really want to do...

As I'm writing this, I'm getting really excited about this goal. When I first came across Problogger a few years ago, I knew that making money through blogging is what I wanted to do as well.

Now comes the real challenge...

With over ten blogs now, I'm faced with a dilemma. How do I manage all of them? Do I focus on one or two right now and leave the other ones on the backburner? Or do I post to all of these blogs, but not as often? Actually, I have put a few blogs aside since I've been working on client projects these past few months.

Over the next couple weeks I'll be devising a strategy for my blogs. I'm at a point right now where I have a little more time to devote to blogging. I've also created a schedule to keep me focused, which I haven't been doing lately. Also, I'm going to meditate on my goals every morning when I wake up.

What are your thoughts about blogging for a living? Do you have a similar dilemma with managing multiple blogs?

Creating Your Own Job Opportunity and Pennco Tech

2010-10-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

There are many people who are talking about a “recession” and complaining that there are no jobs out there, but I’m here to tell you that now, more than ever, there are endless opportunities available to make money - especially on the internet. Making money on the internet takes faith, creativity and determination. You can create your own opportunity instead of waiting around for someone to offer you a job.

For instance, let’s say that you are interested in cars and you want to attend a trade school like Pennco Tech that offers programs in the technical industries. You decide to take classes in automotive technology from Pennco Tech so that you can fix cars.

Instead of going to work for an automotive shop, you decide to create a website/blog that offers information about cars. You can offer advice, tips, or any other type of information you think people would want to know. You sign up for affiliate programs related to cars and make money selling car parts, car magazines, etc. You also monetize the website/blog by selling advertising space.

You’re probably wondering - what about fixing cars? That’s why I took the classes, right?

Well, through your website you offer automotive services. You could be a mobile auto technician and make house calls for people who need minor help with their cars. Maybe you could help people restore their classic cars. Or why not open up your own car shop?

Basically, you can do this with whatever passion, hobby, or interest that you have. Anybody can do this! Yes, even you! Instead of worrying about trying to find just any job, why not take action right now and start doing what you absolutely love to do. If you have dreams of making money from the internet, then what’s stopping you?

Top 3 Keys For Achieving Online Business Success

2010-08-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Guest post by L. Brown

In today's economy more and more people are turning to the internet to find ways to earn additional income or to pursue a new career path.

Starting a small business online is much easier these days than one might think. Although just as any other business, putting in time and energy is required in order to achieve success.

The following are top 3 keys that will help you to channel your efforts towards success:

Overcome Your Fear:

When you are thinking about having a small business online it can be very exciting. Planning what products or services you will be promoting and selling, deciding what you business name will be or even what your logo might look like are initially a lot of fun. In reality, most people stop in their tracks thinking 'what am I doing".

The security of the weekly or monthly pay check from a large company or corporation feels like a huge weight of guilt and fear. Fear that some people can't get past. They just don't see themselves as an online entrepreneur. But you hear all the time how so many people are making money online with the internet. And it is true, so why fear that?

It is fear of the unknown that concerns new marketers. If you are not knowledgeable about starting a small business online, it is really the fear that is holding you back. Learning how to start and grow an online business can be accomplished. Overcome any fear by learning as much as you can to give you confidence in moving forward. The goal should be 'learn to earn'!

Overcome the Money Issue:

Even if you were going to start a deli or bakery, or even a hot dog stand you would have to have start up funds to get you going.

What is exciting about the internet, there is so much free information that you can obtain to start your online business for little or no money. And there are plenty of other tools that you can obtain for free as well.

There are sites that will offer you free websites, sites to post free ads about your business, product or service and sites that host forums where you can gain a lot of information and learn most of the basics to start your online business. Your social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, to name a few, are a huge way to share with others your new online business absolutely for free.

Fear of Success... What if I Succeed?!

Have you ever heard that people are afraid of success? There is a strong possibility that your business will succeed and has a greater chance to succeed than someone starting a brick and mortar small business.

The internet offers you millions of potential customers which affords a higher percentage of success rates among those that will work to profit from their online business.

An online business allows you to work from home, flexible hours, be your own boss and allows for your creativity and decision making. These are all great advantages of having your own online business.

At first, you will start small but when you build up your business and start bringing in the income, it will allow you to succeed and grow. Letting you have others do some of the small tasks to allow you more time to build the business. This is called outsourcing and because of the internet you are able to do this online. All of these things builds your confidence to overcome the fear of success.

Whether you are thinking about starting an online business or might have already started one, just remember these top 3 keys that will help to keep you motivated to grow into a successful online business.

About the Author
Lynn Brown, Online Business Professional - Learn It 2 Earn It - Sharing knowledge and experience for your business success.

Truths About Starting An Internet Business and Making Money Online

2010-05-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

Many of us have dreams of making money online. In particular, making a full-time income and being able to work from home. There were images that came to mind when I first started out...a nice car, fancy house, and a life of freedom. At least, that's what many of the internet marketing gurus made it look like. For me, I was more attracted to the life of freedom. I wanted to be able to wake up when I wanted to and work wherever and whenever I want to.

Darren Rowse of Problogger wrote a great post on the unsexy truths of making money online. If you're thinking about starting your own internet business, I highly recommend reading his post.

It's been about five years since I made the leap into working full-time from home. There were many times where I pulled all-nighters to get my internet business up and running. However, for me it never really seemed like work because I really enjoyed what I was doing. And because I didn't have any budget to begin with, I pretty much did everything myself. From marketing to designing my website to answering emails...I was a one woman show.

I still have yet to achieve super-star status in the internet business industry, but I'm actually in no real rush. Sure, it would be great to make a six figure income. That's what I'm aiming for. However, I'm just content with the idea of being able to work from home. To me, that's sexy enough!

Photo Credit: make-money-online

The SEO Keyword Challenge

2010-05-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

Would you like your website to rank in the top 5 spots for a certain keyword? Well, now is the time to take action and challenge yourself!

Brian of Blog Engage is hosting a 45 Day SEO Keyword Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to choose a keyword or key phrase and rank within the top 5 spots in Google within 45 days.

I've decided to choose "internet business opportunities" as my key phrase to rank for. I used Google's keyword tool to discover that there are currently about 33,100 global searches for this particular key phrase. Right now this blog doesn't even rank in the top 100, so this will definitely be quite the challenge.

However, I'm fairly confident that I can do it even though "internet business opportunities" is a competitive key phrase. This just means that I have stay very focused! Right now I haven't been doing much in terms of optimizing this blog for certain keywords. One of my goals this year is to increase traffic, so this challenge came at the perfect time.

The challenge will start on May 15, 2010 and run until June 31, 2010. I will keep you updated about this and share any tools or resources I find that could help with your own SEO efforts.

Find out more about the 45 Day SEO Keyword Challenge.

Free Tool For Social Bookmarking: IMAutomator

2010-05-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been working on SEO projects for clients which has taken up quite a bit of time. Getting a website to the top of Google search results requires focused energy - especially in a competitive market!

In addition to article marketing and writing press releases, one of the things I do to build backlinks to a website is submit to social bookmarking sites. Internet marketers still hail the idea that backlinks are the key to ranking high in the search engines, so until that changes, I'll continue with my SEO formula.

In my search for tools to make the process of submitting more efficient, I came across this free social bookmarking tool called IMAutomator that submits a website to 28 Do-Follow bookmarking sites.

My favorite thing about IMAutomator is that you don't have to sign in or create accounts with each of the social bookmarking sites, which can be very time consuming. All you have to do is enter the URL of the site and the software extracts the title and description for you. You also have a choice of having the software submit to all the sites in one day, submit one link per day, or submit one link every few days. It really is very easy to use.

After using this software I have noticed that a client's website has significantly increased in ranking in Google, Yahoo, and Bing. All it took was 5 minutes of my time, if that. Whereas before, it would take me a few hours to manually submit to social bookmarking sites.

What has been your experience with social bookmarking?

If you need help with SEO or marketing your website, contact me at info [at] mariapalma [dot] com or visit my other website for a list of internet marketing services.

Web Hosting Tip and Resource

2010-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

The one thing that every internet business owner needs is a reliable hosting company. You want your website to be up and running properly 24/7, right? Nothing is more frustrating than to have customers calling or emailing you saying that they can't pull up your website because your server is down.

I know that there is a plethora of web hosting providers nowadays, and pretty soon I may be looking for a new provider to take over some of my websites. I've been with Yahoo for many years now, but I've been a little unhappy with their level of service - considering I pay $13 a month and I can't even get someone on the phone when I have an issue. I tried to contact them about a month ago about my account and never received a call back. I called in to talk to a customer service rep, but because the call volume was so large, I chose to have someone call me. (When you call in, Yahoo gives you the option to leave your phone number and get a call back.) I know that I did recommend Yahoo about five years ago on this blog, but I've changed my mind. I did recently sign up with GoDaddy to host one of my blogs and I'm happy with their service so far.

So here's my tip if you're shopping around for a web hosting provider: Find a company that answers their phone calls! Seriously, you want a company that is dedicated to customer service and isn't so big that you can't get a phone call back. Sure, you can get speed, reliability, and the best software from a web hosting company, but if you can't get the support you need when there's an issue...

I don't know that much about web hosting, but fortunately there are many resources out there like Web Hosting Fan that can keep you updated on the latest web developments and offer web hosting reviews, tips, and resources.

Photo Credit: Tim Dorr

Internet Marketing Newbies: Are You Making This Mistake?

2010-03-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

When I first started my internet business almost ten years ago, one of the main resources I turned to for help was Internet Marketing Center.

Internet Marketing Center is currently run by Derek Gehl who took over the company after his friend Corey Rudl passed away about five years ago. The company continues to stay strong to this day.

In the video below, Derek Gehl talks about the #1 mistake that people make when starting their own internet business...

Derek offers some great tips, but I'd like to add something else...

I said it before and I'll say it again: When you're starting an internet business, make sure the niche you target is something that you're passionate about. If you don't believe in the product or service that you're selling, it just won't work.

If you're just starting out with an internet business, you may want to check out Internet Marketing Center's The Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Online.

Also, you can sign up to be an affiliate of IMC and earn commissions from promoting their products. Click here to sign up.

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Do you need a mentor who can personally guide you step-by-step on how start an internet business? Click here to learn more about my internet business coaching program!

Why It’s a Good Time to Start an Internet Business and 3 Ideas For Internet Businesses

2010-03-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

Is it a good time to start an internet business? If this a question you’ve been asking yourself, then let me tell you load and clear…

Yes! This is the perfect time to start an online business. Even though there is all this talk of a “bad” economy, did you know that there are still many internet entrepreneurs out there who are making thousands of dollars…even millions of dollars right now?

Why it’s a good time to start an internet business:

Very little risk - You can start an internet business with very little or absolutely no money. It also doesn’t cost very much to maintain an internet business. All you really need to start is a computer, an internet connection, and a printer to print out invoices (if you send out products to people).

You can’t depend on a “stable” job. Even though you consider the income you make from a regular full-time as “predictable” meaning you get paid on a certain day and you know that you will get paid, you can no longer depend on this income in this type of economy. A stable job is an illusion.

A down economy opens up endless opportunities to help people. In a minute I’ll share a few ideas for internet businesses that would be perfect in this type of economy.

You can work anytime and anywhere. This is especially good for people who live in remote areas, areas where there are not very many opportunities to make money, or areas where minimum wage isn’t so high. I was looking at minimum wages in midwestern states such as Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas, and I wondered how families can manage to survive on $6.25 or even $7.25 an hour. Instead of working for a company that doesn’t place real value on the work that you do, why not attend a business administrative training school in Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas, get a business administration management degree, and start your own business? Heck, you don’t even really need a degree, although it does help to have some business knowledge.

So, now that we’ve covered the reasons why it’s a good time to start an internet business, let me share a few ideas for businesses that you can start right now and help people in the process.

Always remember that those who have a sincere desire to help people will be the ones who succeed. Make your internet business about other people and not about you making a quick buck!

3 Ideas For an Internet Business in 2010

1. Create a website or blog about health care. Our changing health care system is going to open up many opportunities to help hospitals, independent physicians, or people who work in this field. Perhaps these hospitals will need more people to help process paperwork or work behind the scenes to make sure the transition goes smoothly. Of course, people who are going to work in medical offices will probably go through a medical office assistant training program. You could create a website that provides helpful articles and tips for medical office assistants. You can even create a directory of schools that provide training.

2. Create a system to help people become more financially independent. If you consider yourself an expert in personal finance, you could create an internet business that provides information and empowers people to take control of their finances. Too many of us depend on our stock brokers or financial advisors to manage our money. As we’ve witnessed here in the U.S., even big name banks who have been around for decades can go bankrupt!

3. Create a website that provides information for people who are going through foreclosure. Unfortunately, there are still many people who are experiencing this and they need all the help they can get. You could create a resource that connects people who are facing foreclosure with people or organizations who specialize in helping people save their home. If you’ve gone through this process yourself, it would be a plus because you already understand how everything works and can provide first-hand information.

As you can see, the three ideas I provided above for internet businesses center around the notion of building a resource where people can go for information. Most people go to the internet for research and to gather information. You probably came across this blog looking for internet business resources…

So, how do you make money with a website that just provides information?

The way you would make money with a resource website or blog is through advertising. You could incorporate Google Adsense on the pages of your website, add affiliate links, or sell ad space. If you’re highly knowledgeable about the topic, you could even write an ebook and sell it on your site. There are also thousands of ebooks that other people have written that you could sell as well.

The way I see it, there really is no excuse for not starting an internet business.

What are you waiting for?

Photo Credit: Per Ola Wiberg

What Is Personal Branding?

2010-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

In his book, Me 2.0, Dan Schawbel defines personal branding:

“Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal…”

Discover Your Personal Brand

Before you can go out and market yourself and your brand, one of the things you may want to consider is discovering who YOU are and why you got started in this particular online business in the first place.

What is it that you want to communicate to the world? How do you want to serve others?

Why Are You Special?

There are millions of people doing business online and it’s easy to get lost among every other internet marketer pitching an ebook. In my years of interacting with people online, I’ve found that the people who stick out in my mind have the following qualities:

They’re passionate about what they do. They don’t view their work as just a way to make money. They genuinely love helping others and money is just a side product of doing what they love.
They’re engaging. They don’t just use Twitter and Facebook as a bulletin board for what they’re selling. They use social networking sites to interact with others and engage in conversations.
They’re creative. They find a way to add their own special touch to just an ordinary product or service.

Personal branding is just as important, if not more important than your business brand. After all, people are essentially doing business with you.

If you are like me and have an online business, it’s likely that you’re working solo. I wear many hats including web designer, public relations rep, director of marketing - basically everything that needs to be done to keep my online business up and running is done solely by me. Even when I communicate with people via social media channels - it’s all done by me and not a virtual assistant.

So when I interact with other people on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, I’m creating my own personal brand. People may not necessarily know what my business is called, but they know who I am and they know what I do.

In Me 2.0, Dan Schawbel provides a step-by-step approach to discovering, creating, and maintaining your personal brand. The book is also full of tidbits and advice from other successful business leaders. I highly, highly recommend this book.

Find out more about Dan Schawbel by reading my interview with him posted a few years ago or reading his blog, Personal Branding Blog. Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @DanSchawbel

Do you have any personal branding tips to share?

Internet Entrepreneurs, How to Manage Your Time

2010-02-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

Below is a guest post by Yvonne Graham, a fellow internet marketer who put out a Think and Grow Rich program which I reviewed over at my other blog. I love the following article because managing time is something I've been working on all month! I'm sure many of you are in the same boat ;)

Have you ever had one of those days where you have been on the go all day, and yet, at the end of it you seem to have accomplished nothing?

It makes you feel frustrated and maybe even annoyed with yourself. How can it have happened? You just haven't stopped!

This week I am going to focus on Planning your Time so that you make the best use of it.

But before I start, I thought that you might enjoy this short article on Time.

TIME

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with 86,400 pence

It carries no balance over from day to day.

Every evening it deletes whatever balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do?

Draw out every penny of course!

We all have such a bank - it is called TIME

Every morning you are credited with 86,400 seconds.

Every night it writes off as lost whatever you haven't used.

It carries over no balance and allows no overdraft.

Every day opens a new account for you. Each night, it burns the remains of the day.

If you fail to use the day's deposit, it is your loss.

There is no going back.

There is no drawing against tomorrow.

You must live in the present, on today's deposits.

Invest it so you get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success.

The clock is running.

Make the most of today.

To realise the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realise the value of 1 minute, ask a person who has just missed a train.

To realise the value of one millisecond, ask someone who won Silver at the Olympics.

To realise the value of a lifetime, ask someone who wasted it and did nothing with it.

Treasure every moment you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special - special enough to spend your time with.

And remember - time waits for no-one.

Yesterday is history.

Tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

~Author Unknown

Planning your Time

Now before you hit the X because you think this is just boring stuff, please just hear me out.

Do you realise that the majority of people spend more time planning their next holiday than planning their life?

Remember, this is your chance to own a successful global business and you don't even have to walk out of your door to do it.

So, day to day planning mainly consists of two components:

To Do List
Weekly Planner

Why do you need them?

They will help you become more disciplined and focused on building your own internet business.

In these busy lives we lead, it is hard to keep track of everything you do, need to do and have done.

To Do List

Creating a To Do List every night just before you go to bed is beneficial in 2 ways:

It means your mind is emptied of jobs that need doing, which means you will get a better night's sleep and wake up refreshed ready for the next day.

You can then refer to the List in the morning, instead of trying to remember what you were thinking last night, and that means you can get cracking on your work straight away.

An added tweak to this is to prioritise the jobs in order of importance and do them in that order. It is so easy to put off the important jobs because you don't want to do them.

You will no doubt find that you have more jobs to do than you have hours in a day, which is another good reason to prioritise them.

Any jobs left over will need to be put on your next To Do List and again you need to prioritise. It doesn't necessarily mean that any left over jobs need to be done first the next day. If they are not important, then don't put them at the top of your list.

At the end of your day, you will feel a great sense of achievement when you look at everything that has been crossed off when completed. Well done!!

Weekly Planner

This is a chart with the days of the week across the top and your waking hours in hourly increments down the side.

What you need to do first is blank out all the time already taken up with other commitments, including work, family and recreation time.

This will then highlight to you what spare time you have available to focus on your business. It may also show how much time you waste.

Obviously, it is your choice how you spend your time, but remember, starting your own business does require time and effort, which may mean a few sacrifices to start with.

Let's face it, with today's technology, it is so easy NOT to miss a TV programme, so watch it when your jobs are done.

It is important, however, to make sure you include some quality time in your Weekly Planner for YOU!

Well, that's the boring stuff out of the way - hope you survived!

~ Yvonne Graham
I have been researching the Internet World of Business for over a year now and have had lots of unconditional help along the way. I now feel that it is my turn to help others succeed. You will find my articles and newsletters uncomplicated, chatty and simple to understand and follow. Here's to your success! :0 ) http://www.smartworkingideas.com

Photo Credits: Bart Hiddink & Justin See

Education For Online Business: Knowledge = Success

2010-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

If you want to be successful with your online business, it's important to get the right education. In this post we'll cover the different ways you can get this education.

The learning process is different for each person. Some people prefer to learn in group settings. These are the people that attend seminars. I have attended only one online business seminar a long time ago. I think this is a great way to meet other people, get feedback on your ideas, and maybe even collaborate on projects.

Other people like to take online courses through a college or university for their education. Some colleges now offer courses where you can get an online marketing degree or even an online degree in business administration.

Then there are people like me who prefer to learn on their own. Everything I learned about starting and marketing a business online has been self-taught. In my years of being online, I've read hundreds of articles, read dozens of ebooks, and have learned by trial and error. However, if it were available back when I was going to college, I think I would have gotten a business management degree online.

I did get my degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration, so I do have some knowledge of how to manage a business, how to analyze markets, and all the basics of running a business. Plus, I worked as a Manager for a retail clothing store for many years, so that added even more to my knowledge base. Working in retail gave me working knowledge of the sales process and the psychology of buying.

It's up to you to figure out the best way to go about gaining knowledge about online business. Regardless of which path you take, it's always good to have a mentor by your side. I have had some excellent business mentors over the years and I do highly recommend having someone mentor you, inspire you, and hold you accountable.

As always, I'm available to help you build a successful online business!

Photo Credit: David Goehring

Top 3 Reasons Why Internet Businesses Fail

2010-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Ermel Nolan Ngo....

The growth of the internet has opened a lot of opportunities for everyone. It has empowered people to make money online and has spawned the growth of internet marketing as an industry. Unfortunately, not everyone who will enter into this field of business will be successful. There are a lot of reasons why this happens, and these three are among them.

1. Not treating an online business as a "real" business

As in any "real" business, an online business requires work, patience, and time. An online business is no different from a restaurant or a hardware store. You need to put in an effort to achieve results. Nothing comes from nothing, and if you do not put something in, you will never get anything in return. Majority of people who decide to go into internet marketing do not realize this important fact. They think that if they buy this e-book or subscribe to a program, the dollars will immediately start to pour in even if they do not do anything. And if it does not, they will feel disheartened and disillusioned and come up with a conclusion that internet marketing does not work.

2. Fear of failure

Fear of failure is innate in all of us. After all, who wants to fail? This fear paralyzes most people who go into internet marketing, making them too afraid to act and take steps to ensure their business' success. But most entrepreneurs will tell you that they are successful today because they failed many times. The one thing they learned is not to repeat the mistakes they made in the past, and this has enabled them to make better decisions and achieve the success they want.

3. Lack of knowledge

In any business, knowledge is always important. No one should go into a business without knowing what they are getting into. However, a lack of knowledge is not really a reason to fail. Knowledge can be gained anytime, especially in this digital age where almost all information is available at the click of a mouse. It is the lack of action to remedy that deficiency which makes most internet businesses fail. A successful online entrepreneur should invest in his education and should be always be open to new ideas and information, and should always be willing to learn.

The success of an internet business venture ultimately depends on one thing - a proper mindset and a willingness to take action. And without action, there can be no results.

About the Author

Ermel Nolan Ngo is a freelance writer specializing in medical writing. His other field of interest is internet marketing and making money online. He currently maintains two websites - http://www.biznetmind.com and http://rheumapages.biznetmind.com.

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Need help starting your own internet business? Click here to get one-on-one personal coaching and begin a journey to internet business success!

Have You Set a Goal to Start an Internet Business in 2010?

2010-01-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

Imagine doing what you love and creating a full-time income from the comfort of your home...

Imagine being able to set your own schedule and not have a boss breathing down your neck...

Are you ready to build full-time income from home and spend more time with family?

What if you had a personal coach who could guide you step-by-step on setting up your internet business?

I've spent the past ten years creating and building internet businesses and helping people succeed with their online business. Although I do love blogging, making money through affiliate programs, and helping clients market their business online, in 2010 my goal is to step it up a notch.

I've always talked about multiple streams of income and this year I want to add another stream of income. Over the years I've come to realize that my passion is working one-on-one with people. I've really enjoyed talking to other entrepreneurs via my BlogTalk Radio show and I like connecting with people on a personal level.

This past weekend I was talking on the phone with Bill Perry of MindAudios.com about a joint venture and I was giving him ideas about how he could market his audios. After I got off the phone with him I started thinking how fun it would be to coach people with their internet business and teach them all my little "secrets" to success....things that I have done to build internet businesses that I've never revealed here.

As someone who believes in the Law of Attraction and taking action when inspiration hits, I've decided to start a new coaching program...

Right now I'm looking for 5 people who are serious about starting their own internet business...

In my Create a Successful Internet Business Coaching Program you will learn:

5 things you need to know before you even start an internet business
How to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur. (This is something that can make or break your business!)
How to create a website even if you're not technically inclined
How to build a successful blog even if you don't like to write
How to create passive income so that you make money no matter what you're doing or where you are in the world
How to create multiple streams of income with just one website
How to effectively market your business without paying a dime in advertising
How to get your website on the first page of Google results
The one thing you must do to guarantee business success (99% of internet marketing "gurus" don't teach this)

Plus more!

This is a personal, one-on-one coaching program and I work around your schedule. It's a month-long program in which you will get:

5 hour-long sessions with me over the phone or via Skype (If you live in the San Diego area we could meet in person) where I walk you step-by-step to setting up your internet business.
Weekly homework with worksheets.
Unlimited help via email if you have questions about your homework.
Access to my network of business associates.
Free ebooks and resources to help you with your business.
Free lifetime membership to the Online Business Resources membership site (Coming Soon)
Free custom-designed Twitter background to brand your business (Designed by yours truly!)

My initial thought was to offer the Create a Successful Internet Business Coaching Program for $977, but since this is a new program and I need testimonials, I'm offering this program to my first 5 students at a substantial discount...

This is your opportunity to jump-start your internet business success for only $497!

Most internet marketing gurus charge thousands of dollars for this type of coaching...and oftentimes you don't even get the personal one-on-one coaching like I'm offering.

Would you be willing to invest $497 if you could make an extra $12,000-$20,000 (or more!) in 2010?

Isn't it time to start living the life of your dreams? You've put it off long enough!

Take action now because there are only 5 spots available for this opportunity...

Once you make payment, you will receive a receipt via email. I will contact you within 24 hours to set up a schedule for our coaching sessions.

Click the button below to pay for the program:

To Your Success!
~Maria Palma

P.S. I guarantee that you'll have internet business up and running within 30 days or I will work for you pro bono for an additional 3 months!

Photo Credit: Search Engine People Blog

How to Achieve Your Business Goals in 2010

2010-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine being able to finally make that 5 or 6-figure passive income with your internet business this year...or imagine being free from your 9-5 job and working on your dream of having your own internet business!

Everyone has goals for their internet business, but the question is, are you achieving those goals? What can you do to achieve the goals you've made for 2010?

As a way to kick off the New Year, I'm bringing back my Studio 747 Blogtalk Radio show! The first show of 2010 will be on the topic of strategic goal setting. I will be talking with Maureen Orey of Workplace Learning and Performance Group about goal setting tips, techniques, and tools.

You can learn how to make these dreams into reality with strategic goal setting. During this show you'll learn:

Why people don't reach their goals

What SMART goals are

Goals vs. Vision

Developing a vision statement

Action planning

And more!

The show will take place on January 20, 2010 at 1:00- 2:00 pm (PST). You'll be able to call in with any questions during the show. Call-in Number: (718) 506-1306.

Click here to find out more about this show...

Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Photo Credit: lululemon athletica

Internet Business Success: It's About Attitude

2009-12-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

One of my missions with this blog is to inspire you and to help you build a successful internet business. Today is one of those days that I feel inspired to inspire you!

I've interviewed dozens of business people and what I've learned is that successful people always maintain a positive attitude - no matter what obstacles they may be facing. While everyone is whining about the recession, successful-minded people are looking for opportunities. When sales are down, successful-minded people stay focused on the bigger picture and continue to bring value to their customers.

In the video below, Jack Canfield, founder and creator of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series talks about creating your attitude...

Are you a reverse paranoid? I know I am!

On the other hand, do you find yourself feeling a little pessimistic? Anytime I need a little motivation, I head over to YouTube and search for videos of motivational speakers like Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, and Tony Robbins.

Do you have any success tips to share?