Solo Gazette

Return of a Mensch

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:33:00 +0000

Hey Folks...
It's been some time since my last post. If you've wondered where I went...
all over the map, dropped the ball on my business and starting over.

One thing about good advice - you rarely listen to your own. Thanks to a
few ghost-mentors online, I'm back on track. Enough about that.
Let's move on, shall we.

First up
I'm on Twitter. Yeah, yeah I know in my post last year my opinion was to wait 5 years.
I still think some of you should. Here's why:

1. Tweeting Irrelevant Posts
Come on now. Do you really think that telling everyone on earth that
you have warts makes you more human? It makes you a schmuck.

No one cares except maybe your S.O., physician and family. Share that on
Facebook where it belongs. Not where your colleagues and people you want to
do business with are viewing it.

2. Following Any and Everybody
Do you really want to try and keep up with 1,000+ people. Who are they anyway?
Are they people who you can honestly say are prospective clients or
customers you want to do work with?

My take on Twitter is to follow those people who have something to say that
either:
A. Make me a better person
B. Help me be a better entrepreneur
C. Help me accomplish my goals (experience and common sense
required.)

Other than that, I don't want you to follow me expecting me to follow you.
I've seen too many internet marketers (their term,not mine) whose
sole Tweets are shortened links to bland, do nothing, who cares land.

Well, that's it for today and I leave you with this:

Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number
of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of
everything ~Sydney Smith

Twitter For Solo Entrepreneurs? Maybe 5 Years From Now.

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:14:00 +0000

Hey Guys,
Just read this post from GigaOm, Twitter Used By 8 Percent
of American Internet Users. And unless your customers are
18-24 year old, urban youth - you may want to take another
look at how you're using Twitter.

I've said it in prior posts: Know your customers and clients,
but don't spend stupid money playing follow-the-hype.

When you are an independent small business, income does
not equate to "getting the word out".

Either the people who have an interest in what you
sell and money to pay you are where your small marketing budget is
spent, or you're "spraying and praying".

For those of you who are wondering when I'll start giving
you these nifty tips again - have no fear, 2011 is a brand
new year for TSG!

We're going to go down rabbit holes to increase your business
income, market smarter and get more qualified prospects coming
to your business.

And yes - there will be more sources for you to ramp up your
Solo Entrepreneur Business like never before. Screw the economy!

Solo Entrepreneur's Professional Identity

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:35:00 +0000

I'm winding down one 2010 early and wanted to stop in and give you
another of those famous resources I'm always finding.

Keyword Localizer
Trey Smith makes software, and this one might help you out with
those keywords for your sites. Here's the thing I like -
it's easy to use and doesn't only stop with Google. You
also get the results from Yahoo and Bing.

Here's what may be confusing, it's for those who use
Adwords ads. I don't use Adwords or any paid ads at the
moment, but what it can work for is classified ad sites like
Craigslist or Ebay ads. Click the link, watch the short video
(you'll be asked for your email address to get it) but it
may be useful if the Google keyword tool changes aren't working
for you. Oh, and yes it's free:)

Do you consider yourself a solo entrepreneur, small business
owner, consultant...or something else? I've noticed quite
a number of online marketers calling themselves "consultants" lately.

It's as if they are having an identity crisis and want to down
play their independent business status.

The reason I'm asking you to think about this?
It affects your marketing, how you come across to prospective
clients and your credibility.

Now more than ever, it's important to be who you say you are in
everything you do related to your business. Because it's too easy
for clients, customers and prospects to "peep behind the curtain".

The last thing you want is for prospective customers or clients
to wonder what else you may be 'fudgeing the truth' about
in your business.

Many of you have never worked in the cut-throat
environment of a corporate office, trust me when I say
it's the last image you want people to connect you with.

Lacing your blog, brochures, and marketing with "we, us and our",
thinking it projects a professional image is misguided.

What it does is give your prospects the impression they
will not get the personal attention entrepreneurs are famous for
offering their customers.

My clients know I'm a one-woman show and 90% of my clients
are solo entrepreneurs who happen to be independent consultants.
None of us are starving because we're solo, so why should you
allow it to bother you in your business?

Here's a suggestion: Send a short email to your customer or prospect
list, and ask if you were an independent entrepreneur would they
still use your service?

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.~ Colin Powell

Tax Workshop - Entrepreneurs Update

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Hey folks,
Dropped by to tell you the IRS has their small business online tax
workshop portal active. With all the politicing going on here in
the U.S....best to get ahead of the game straight from the horses
mouth (Auntie IRS) - than the horse's asses making unfounded
promises.

Here's where to go: Small Business Taxes

Rant Coming
I have nothing against good government (the less of it the better
it seems), but when it's bad from the top it can only mean sludge
at the bottom:)

For those of you who think I'm bashing the US, that isn't the case.
What we have for the moment and yes, it could be much worse.

What gripes my butt is in the US, there are so many hard-working,
intelligent, educated people out of work the numbers rival
the population of a small country.

Whatever happened to Leadership? Stewardship? Having a pair?!
And somebody please explain to me what the hell does 'thought
leader' mean? I've read 1984, and a thought leader to me means
"I'll tell you what to think" - not a good start in my book.

For those of you going to the polls - it's time we sent a message
that Bull-Shit is not on the ballot. Tea Party, Garden Party, Republican
Pelican, Democrat, Ass Scratch - it's all the same crap warmed over.

Sarah Palin? Puhleeze - chick is one downstroke away from raising
her 25 cent hooker status. Americans are so demoralized over
street level bad economic news (while big companies are showing
record profits) even this piece of work is being
promoted as the second coming of Christ.

Barak Obama? Give us a break Puhleeze - he was the poster boy for
global PR and "Keeping Hope Alive". As far as leadership ability,
he can't tell bad advisors from a ham sandwich and it shows in
every word he utters (yells).

Cliches, mis-quotes, uhms and talking louder doesn't give you
credibility. Makes you just another loud mouthed idiot dressed
up in your Sunday clothes.

Rant Over:)

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious - 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

Lakewood WA Blog Setups - Local Solo Entrepreneurs Only

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:22:00 +0000

I'm back and have a treat for some of you. Do you need content
for your blog? For the next 2 months (November and December) I'm
going to be in Washington state visiting with my mom.

Here's what I've decided to do while I'm on 'vacation': For
a limited number of Solo Entrepreneurs, I'm offering a discount
on my usual writing and online marketing services.

Here's the details:
If you've wanted your own blog, I'm offering a
Micro Blog Marketing Package (Certain Industries Only)
$550 setup (1-5 pages)
*Setup and Configure Wordpress on your hosting account (*unless you want
to use Blogger)
*Create your Google/Yahoo Local listings
*Submit your business to 2 vertical online directories
*Setup your professional email service for your domain
*Optimize your blog (site tags, basic plugins, etc.)
*Write and submit 1 Free press release
*Setup 1 business social networking accounts

If the only thing you want is blog content, then
this is the package you want:

Monthly Posting
4 Blog Posts per Month (1 per week) - $125/mth
8 Blog posts per month (2 per week) - $175/mth
16 Blog Posts per Month (4 per week) - $290/mth (Limited availability!)

I've shared this on ExpatExchange, Robert Brown, owner of BSC Consulting, retweeted this post and will post this offer on Merchant Circle.

This offer is only good until November 15th, so if you are at all interested, be sure to contact me on Skype 206-855-3360 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 206-855-3360 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

"I care not so much what I am to others as
what I am to myself. I will be rich by myself,
and not by borrowing."

Late as usual BUT - Absolutely the Best Solo Freelancers Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:17:00 +0000

This will be quick, but signup now for this conference. If you
write your own blogs, website content or like me you're a
freelance writer - this is the "Don't Miss" conference of
2010. Dan Poynter, Bob Bly, Nick Usborne - Yes!

I'm getting in the groove again and ramping up my posting here,
so look out for some great Solo Entrepreneur content to come

FOR TODAY - Get on the email
list for this conference. It started today and runs through
Saturday - September 25, 2010. For those on the email list,
there there will be a replay. Get listed.

I'll be on the conference all day Saturday, phones are off. And
to my loyal readers and overworked clients - Take Saturday
off:)

Working For A Living

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:39:00 +0000

I've decided to limit my online activities and stick with my
fellow small business owners locally. Since I owned a small
business before venturing (and losing) online, this seems to be
where this solo entrepreneur is strongest.

Small business owners are a different breed from your
run-of-the-mill internet opportunity junkie. Most of them have
seen and heard what you are trying to sell them in one form or
another over the years.

Likely back in the day some entrepreneurial guy or gal told them
the hot new thing was e-mail systems, or voice mail, or
self-publishing, or Voip, or e-fax or free ads on late night
cable.

When it comes to the internet, you can bet your last
dollar they have heard about it in one form or another from their
neighbor, their spouse, their kids, their employees ad nauseum.

Yes, there will be some who are brain-dead stupid enough to pay
$5,000 or more for someone to build them a website. There may
even be a few who will think the Yellow Pages is deader than
Elvis - but not all.

The Yellow Pages isn't dead, it's online. And sales reps are
selling online marketing as a bundled service right along with
the regular tree-built version.

One little thing that's interesting about these 'Mom & Pop'
business owners: they are easy to piss off!

With running a business, watching their elected officials vote
for changes that steal their money before they can get it and
employees haul-assing out the back door with the
merchandise. They might not be happy to see you. As far as they
are concerned you are just somebody else with a hand in their
pocket.

Listen up: If you live in East Podunk County just down the
road a-piece from Hoot 'n' Holler junction making thousands
selling a website isn't going to happen. Nice to wish for but
don't bet paying your bills on it.

What does this have to do with you? Simply this:
If you have sold to a small business owner in your town prior to
this run of the bull, you might have something to offer
them because of that relationship.

But if you are chasing what you think is a quick easy sale
because "everybody" needs to be online - get ready to have your
head handed to you. Some of these folks can be really, brutally
blunt.

So what you know a little search engine optimization (or read a
book, watched a video or attended a webinar on it) and you have a
Get Response email list you built giving away a free ebook?

That and $1.25 will get you a large cup of coffee at McDonald's
and will mean diddly-squat to most local small business owners.

They want to know why if you're so good - You don't have
your own business listed on Google Places? I'm not joking here.
I've been in forums where the person that claims to be making
thousands a day doesn't have a website nor do they have their
own Google or Yahoo map.

They want to know why if you do what the yellow pages
can't - You show up with the same Power Point presentation
the last guy/gal had and spewing the same gibberish.

They want to know how you can grow their customer base -
But you don't ask questions about the kinds of customers they
currently have.

See a pattern here? I'm not telling you not to try and
help local business owners with their online efforts. Just
don't be an idiot. Start small by offering a simple service
they can get their minds around with little cash outlay.

Kyle Tully offers a simple system to help you get
started locally and build a relationship with small business
owners. Here's an example of the kind of small business owner
his system is designed for you to offer real help:

Joe the plumber has been in business 15 years in Ashland Ohio.
Recently he put an ad on Angie's List because one of his best
customers told him about it. Once in a while he gets a call from
someone who sees it.

How are you going to convince him you can get him a better
response from more qualified prospects? He's in a city of at
most 25,000 people. Sell him a website?!

Good luck with that. As far as he's concerned he knows
his customers by name from his invoices. And that's free to
boot! He also knows which ones refer him business with a good
likelihood of making some money.

Some of you are going to jump in blind, no matter if I recommend
something or not. Before you do and make an ass of yourself, take
a look at Kyle's Course.

It's not the fanciest, or most expensive service to offer out
there. But it is simple for a solo entrepreneur and opens doors
for you in your local business community.

Entrepreneur Update Status

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:04:00 +0000

Have quite a few things to share with you upon my return. As solo entrepreneurs, you are likely thinking about the rest of the year and how to increase your revenues.

Those of you in retail, or wanting to explore this avenue should have your plans together for the upcoming holiday season. I've been seeing more junk emails promoting Halloween - don't fall for it. I'm not trying to imply it's not a profitable time of the year for some, it can be. But it's also seasonal.

Remember - evergreen, evergreen, evergreen. Christmas and Thanksgiving in some form are the primary holiday seasons in more countries around the globe. Follow the money. Halloween may bring in a few hundred bucks, but Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring in a few thousand with - business or religious gift giving, meal planning, travel, clothing, and trends being talked about in the online shopping forums. Major retailers are definitely paying attention, so should you.

I'd rather focus my attention on multiple sales opportunities than simply hoping to get a few scraps from a "Johnny One Note" that's celebrated in at most 2 countries. Think about it this way - Cinco de Mayo was celebrated this year all over Central, South and North America. Can you say the same thing for Halloween?

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Early to bed and early to rise - till you get enough money to do otherwise ~Peter's Almanac

Proof Working For The Government Makes You Stupid

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:19:00 +0000

For those of you who are in fear of losing your job or home and
becoming a part of the 14 million unemployed who are no longer
receiving unemployment because it ran out - this guy thinks you
are stupid for questioning the economic mess we're in.

Normally I stay away from politics, but I've about
had it with those who are blaming the victims for this shit
sandwich we are all being forced to eat through no fault of our
own.

Evidently, it was fine to have jobs sent out of the country
beginning in late 1985 because it was cheap labor and then
pillaging the treasury for corrupt car company executives when
they needed to keep their pensions with bailout money.

But for those who had the common sense to live within their means and
were laid off anyway when they either hit 50 or weren't in a government
protected industry (pharmaceutical, banking, auto, aviation), screw you!

Go live on the street for all your elected officials care, afterall if
your unemployment benefits run out - screw you, I got mine!

If your job disappeared because the banks called loans on the
small businesses trying to keep people employed during the
economic downturn - screw you, I got mine!

For the rest of you now suffering from continued stupidity by
your elected officials - screw you, We got ours!

Simon makes an excellent point on his blog about this Phd Federal Reserve of Richmond Idiot. If this is the advanced degree required idiots the government has working for us,
it explains a lot.

One final rant on this topic and I'm going back to trying to eak-out a
living with my weight loss blog.

For those self-proclaimed experts who point fingers
saying it's your own damned fault because you did what you believed
was right (showed up and did your job to the best of your ability)
but are now facing living on the street: Kiss our collective asses!

You have not stopped sending your crap to our inboxes trying to sell your crap (crap is about as politically correct as I'm going to get because it's not the word I want to use) in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

What that tells me is this - You are part of the problem too.
In fact, the next expert/guru/ass-wipe/shit weasel that sends you anything about their hot new 'Beat the recession by making money offline/online/on Mars' crap - unsubscribe. Seriously.

You will feel better and can focus on what's important - living indoors and finding money from somewhere to stay alive. That's your priority now. The truth is this: It's all about hanging on for one more day.

It's no joke that those of us in the United States are teetering
on the brink, and I still believe it's not the economy. No word
has created this problem, it's the bucket-heads that we
trusted and elected that have put us in this position.

This administration with it's entitlement mentality is
almost as bad as what Communism was claimed to have been in the
50's.

Website Flipping -

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Found this video on flipping small websites for profit and thought it might help start making some money online. If you have an affiliate site or blog you no longer want - this might be a good option.

At worst you get something for the time you spent creating it, and at
best you make a tidy profit from something you like to do. There's a niche
in itself made up of people who do no more than buy and sell websites.

Hope you like the video -

If the video disappears in your email, click here to watch it.

Solo Entrepreneurs On Local Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:05:00 +0000

Stopped in to share this local networking tip for you. BNI is one of the longest running small business networks globally.

Here's The Latest News - Straight from the site.

This will auto-update for those who subscribe to my feed,
you'll get the updates.

Where have I been since March? More on that later:)

Until next time, I leave you with this-

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t
live long enough to make them all yourself.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Twitter and Other Social Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:31:00 +0000

Busy working on the Natural Weight Loss Newsletter blog and
setting up the paid subscribers section, so this post will be
brief.

Those of you operating a business online (or off), how are you
tracking the effectiveness of your social media marketing
efforts? I asked this before and half of my readers ran for the
hills...or gave me the 'party-line: "Everybody is doing it and
it's the thing for the future of online marketing".

Don't be an idiot. I know everyone is 'trying' to use it, what I want to know is are any of you tracking your results using it. Let's be
specific: Has the traffic converted into sales? Is it more
effective than other marketing methods you are using?

Even the newest online denizen can build a list of freebie
seekers and tire kickers. Traffic isn't hard to get,
targeted-credit card carrying-ready to buy prospects is the
problem.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.~James Callaghan

Why Do You Want To Be Rich?

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Everywhere you look online, somebody is trying to sell you the latest shiny box and they always tack on - 'make millions' you just have to buy the shiny box they are selling.

So today I have a video (with commercials no less) that may help you realize something I've been preaching forever - it ain't the shiny box that's going to make you a millionaire. Enjoy.

Work From Home: Find The Fit

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:16:00 +0000

I've been reading quite a bit these past 6 months about ideas for creating a
home-based business. During that time, the "internet opportunities" and "work-at-home scams" have exploded.

This overload has also created a lot of very frustrated and broken spirit entrepreneurs.

Here's what I mean -
Not everyone is cut-out to work online nor want to create a business that requires sitting at their computer everyday. Some of you would prefer to get outside in nature, others want to work with their hands (and not on a keyboard!) and still others want something but have no idea what that something will be.

What I've done in the past with TSG was give you marketing and business tips heavily swayed towards using the internet. Most were on the various options for you to consider working from home as an affiliate or information marketer.

I missed the mark totally and for that I apologize.
In my last survey, I asked what made you start your home-based business. 2 of you responded to that survey and I thank you because it helped me make a decision about TSG.

This survey is going to be a bit different. The 5 questions are right here that I'd like you to answer for me! Simply post a comment with the question number, can't get any easier than that:)

what I want to know:

1. What is the #1 question you have about starting your own business?
2. Where would you prefer to grow your home business, locally in your area or strictly on the internet?
3. When you think of business ideas, which ones interest you the most? For example import/export or running a laundromat or having a little vending machine route. Think about it.
4. How many "business opportunities" have you tried to make work in the past 3 years and what were they?
5. How do you choose a good work at home opportunity? How did you choose the last one.

5 Easy Little Questions. Some of you haven't been to the archives in a while, so let me give you this tip before you answer those questions: Take money out the picture.

Yes, your business must make a profit (profit=money in the bank). But it is not how you make a decision on what business to start. I can make my business profitable, I'd suck running Microsoft. Bill Gates would likely suck at running my business too, so we're even:).

Here's why I'm asking for your feedback. I've been writing this little newsletter offline for my coaching clients (yeah I do that too). What I've learned working with them is - I may have not helped quite a few of you really create the work at home business you want with this blog.

The only way to know going forward is to ask. What more would you like to see on this blog? No there's no money in answering the questions?! I might send you a sample of my paid newsletter or a product that I own you can have rights to - but no money will be changing hands here:) That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes~Napoleon Hill

Entrepreneur or Social Butterfly?

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:59:00 +0000

I was totally emersed at the Warrior Forum last night and it was well worth the time spent. Insights gleened on working with local offline clients was phenomenal and found 4 people I really admire (Tim Castleman, Gordon Alexander, Lynn Terry, Leanne King) are members of the War Room.

Why am I telling you about my foray into WF? Because some of you are also on the same forum and you can either waste time whining that no one will help you or use it to shorten your learning curve as a Solo.

There are forums like Warrior that really are worth the time for getting your questions answered by more experienced business owners. Doesn't matter if you run your business out of a hut on the beach or while sitting in the bathroom on the throne.

(That's one of the perks of being a Solo Entrepreneur and running your own show. You get to work wherever and whenever you want.)

Don't misunderstand, the Warrior Forum isn't the subject of my rant. It's the others that could take the best ideas from WF and make their forum better and won't do it!

I can bet you are definitely on one or two you consider a brain dead, time sucking waste of space. You know the ones...everyone is hustling the same "latest hot widget" or having a "mental meltdown" because their personal life is in a shambles and everyone must want to know about it.

I've been on those too over the years. They left me feeling depressed and of course, gave me an extreme dislike of the people on them. Why would I leave a job that paid the bills to surround myself with the very 'walking dead' I needed to get away from? No Thank You!

My next rant is the drive to hop on the "Social Butterfly" bandwagon. Maybe it's me but doesn't these things remind you of speed dating? 140 characters or less to 'build your brand' or 'make new friends'. What?! At least with speed dating you get 10 minutes to Hit-N-Run on a living, breathing person.

As a Solo Entrepreneur, your time is limited from the get go. Sure there are tools you can use to quickly 'hit' whichever social networking site you like but how effective are you being really?

Here's where I'm going with this:
Getting targeted and ready-to-buy eyeballs to your sites, including blogs is your goal. But that's only step one in the process of building long term wealth and marketing what you sell.

Let's be blunt for a moment: Who is going to be interested in 'marrying' you simply because they passed you on the street? These drive-by shooters from the social networks are those strangers passing you on the street. And some of them you pray don't visit your sites at all!

The spikes in traffic to your site might make your hosting company happy and that little thingy that counts visitors spin like a propeller, but how much of that is putting money in your bank account?

Think about how many people you're following or that are following you. How many of those 'friends' have spent money with you. 10,000 friends and you're still working a job to pay for your hosting and broadband account? What's wrong with that picture?

Can you do a better job of targeting who visits your site? Of course and you should have a solid marketing plan to do that. Does posting on forums just because you can mean somewhere in there someone might buy something you're selling? Maybe not.

It comes back to deciding why you are doing something, and not simply doing anything because someone you don't know told you it was the best way to do it.

Your time is limited, your funds are limited and so is your energy level. Pick your own battles.

If you get 1 out of 100 visitors from social networking sites buying what you sell, work out how you can increase sales with the same amount of visitors.

If you visit one forum regularly that brings in highly targeted visitors who signup for your newsletter, then that's the forum that's paying for your time.

That's if for today and I leave you with this -

Business is the art of extracting money from another man's pocket without resorting to violence~ Max Amsterdam

A Bit of Fun For All Solo Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:13:00 +0000

This post is for you to get out of your chair and do a Happy Dance! Why? Because you've taken the steps to move your life and income forward. THAT deserves acting
crazy today. Enjoy

Artist: Bruce Sprinsteen
Title: Dancing In The Dark
Album: Born In The USA

I get my music from: Songza.org. Where do you get yours?

Solo Entrepreneurs: Offline or Online?

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:07:00 +0000

As solo entrepreneurs you may have been convinced the internet was going to change
the way business is done, and in some ways it has -
1. Faster market research
2. Easier to target niches with more profit potential
3. Wider audience for your offerings...
and more.

But I've noticed a trend lately of more guru marketers moving offline. Wonder why that is? Here's my opinion (then you knew I had one, right?)

Because no matter how many affiliate networks, ebooks, webinars and so forth there are, people do not spend their lives online. Unless they had no life to begin with or their idea of living is playing games.

Here's where I'm going with this: Really rethink the business you're in long term. If you are spending 90% of your time trying to get people interested in what you're selling, being a whore to the search engines for traffic or stressing over trying to keep up with every affiliate "new shiny box" - you are working a job, no matter what you call it for less than someone will pay.

I'll admit when I first started out, every guru or wannabe had me on their list. In fact I spent more money trying to make money than actually making any, which is a bad business decision in anyone's book.

This past few weeks while deciding to overhaul The Solo Gazette, I went to visit some of the local businesses in my area. Guess what I found?
1. Most didn't have a website and could care less about getting one.
2. There were many that have been in business 10+ years or longer and didn't fire, layoff or reduce any staff. Yes, they all have fewer than 20 employees but the fact is they haven't missed a payroll.
3. The internet is for entertainment maybe a couple hours at night, or on weekends but none feel they are at starvation's door because they have no "web presence".

All knew I "do something" on the internet and a couple had even visited a site or two of mine. Know what the one thing they all wanted to know. I'm embarrassed by this but here's the question: How stable is your income from it.

See we forget that marketing our services or products on the internet may be fun, but if it's the only revenue stream you have then you are in the same position as someone with a job.

At anytime the search engines, affiliate networks, or payment processor can change the rules to suit them and your business will be affected. Period.

I'm not telling you to jump on the "offline marketing" band wagon, far from it. What I am telling you is to consider diversifying your business. You may think network marketing is a pyramid scheme (which tells me you have never been in the job market) or that affiliate marketing is here to stay (Hydra just dropped 15,000 affiliates who aren't going to be happy this morning). As a solo entrepreneur, you might want to start thinking: What if?

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but
that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative
thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not
financial science; it's about trading: buying and selling~ Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

Solo Dilemma: Mentor or Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:58:00 +0000

With the "on again-off again" news you keep hearing about the
economy, you may be rethinking if starting your business was a
good idea.

Before you throw your hard work away and consider how to explain
the gap on your resume, consider getting a mentor or hiring a
coach. It just might be what you and your business need to keep
going.

When I lived in Nevada, I lucked up on a coach to business
executives. At the time, I was neither a business exec nor had
any clue what to do except quit being an accountant. (I'm too
short to be a showgirl and inept as a blackjack dealer.)

His advice then is the same as it is for me now, ask the hard
questions and take action on the answers. Before you get
'caught up' in the knee-jerk reaction to unemployment that many
of you may be feeling right now, especially if the income isn't
flowing - figure out where you may be stuck.

If sales aren't coming in or the business isn't what you
envisioned it to be by now, it's time to get an objective and
knowledgeable mentor or coach on your side.

Ideally, you want a mentor who currently or has been a
solo entrepreneur and can relate to the same path of doing
everything alone. Someone who understands the fear you may be
feeling about slow or no sales and can take an objective view of
your business to help you move forward.

The primary question you need to answer before you get a
mentor is: Where am I trying to go? Please don't be an
idiot. "No one is going to tell you what business you
should start or how to make a million dollars without any work on
your part".

Some of you may do better with a coach, who will draw out your
original vision of your business and can help you clear your
thinking about how you are operating.

What's the difference? A mentor can help you avoid or
diffuse the landmines in your business and locate those resources
you need. A coach monitors your progress and suggests course
corrections.

Whichever you choose to work with honest communication is
critical. Both will check in with you from time to time, but
more importantly you should check in with them.

Finding a mentor or coach you can work with comes down to first
knowing yourself. It may sound artsy-fartsy, but if you think
you're social and are not then working with anyone who pushes
"going social" on you defeats the purpose.

How much bluntness can you handle? My coaching clients know they
can whine to family and friends, but with me it's "5 minutes,
once a quarter!". They don't pay my fee to join the Pity
Party. They come to me because I ask questions that may be
uncomfortable and that helps them move forward.

How much coddling do you need? Your mentor and coach need to know
that you may want a bit more handholding, depends where you are
in your business. Be honest about what you are going to need.

Is your problem technical or financial or something else? It
makes no sense and wastes your time if the mentor you choose is
an expert in affiliate marketing when you operate a detailing
shop.

Get the focused help you need in your business, whether that's
someone to find the landmines you are stepping on or someone to
keep you accountable to completing what you need to do in your
business.

Still Crazy After All These Years

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:13:00 +0000

You've heard or read it all over the net, you have to switch to
all the new changes and adapt to the new thing or go out of
business. Bullsh**!

In the past couple hours, I did a copy and paste of all the blog
posts on this from 2006 through 2008.

Here's what I learned:
1. Technology may have changed, but the needs of small business
owners and especially Solo Entrepreneurs has not. Business is
still business.

2. Most of the tools and sites I referenced are still available.
A few have changed their business model, but they haven't gone
anywhere.

3. Static websites, ezines, building links and getting targeted
traffic is still the order of the day for marketing online. The
emergence of the current options to market a product or service
are nice and may in time prove to be evergreen. But they
haven't replaced anything.

Does that mean you can remain unaware of the changes? No, but it
also means you must make the business decision if using any of
them will matter whether you have a profitable venture or not.

No matter what comes out of the current or future bright shiny
package, it will still come down to planning, adjusting and
taking action that moves you forward in your business.
Period, no arguments.

I've beaten this horse since 2005, and from what I see in 2010
it's pretty much the same view.

There will always be people willing to suck on that illusion of
'something for nothing'...there will always remain the 'get
rich quick junkies' living in the fog and there's nothing any
of us can do about it.

That's my little history lesson for today and I leave you with
this:

Early to bed and early to rise - till you get enough money to do otherwise.

~Peter's Almanac

Solo Traffic Observation: Blogs, Articles, Social Or Other?

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:53:00 +0000

As I begin to rearrange some of my scattered projects, I've made some
observations that many of you may be wondering about and some of you
already know:

Depending on the topic, blogs may work in some instances better than
other ways of getting targeted traffic.

This post came about due to an observation from my own traffic
testing numbers. As I only check them once a month, it was
interesting. In the past 30 days, here's what I see:

Blog A
= 3 months old: 1,043 visitors - health topic
Static Site
A = 5 months old: 98 visitors - information product
Blog B
= 6 weeks old: 104 visitors - food topic
Static Site
B = 4 months old: 30 visitors - business topic

Every bit of the traffic for these came from only two
things I do weekly: Ping and comment on blogs I find
interesting. I have a lot of interests, so I may not be
commenting on a blog that relates to my sites.

Do I always include one of my site links? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Then how does this help in search engine rankings or getting traffic?
Beats me. I don't gauge my sites profitability by traffic or page rank.

Here are a few steps I'm considering for my static sites:

Static site A: Simple Information Reports
Create a retail store type theme on the front end and subdomain the information products on static stand alone sales pages.
Static site B: Wholesale Information
Have someone convert the entire site to a blog using pages only, no posts or comments. This is an affiliate site built for a wholesale dropship merchant.

Many of you know how I like the idea of article marketing, and it
is a viable option for getting passive traffic for your business.
Over the next couple months, I'm testing article marketing
with a focus on conversions and not traffic.

Conversions for me = $$$$. The idea of writing tons of articles
to increase page rank or simply to get traffic but not have any
sales to show for it is plain dumb to me.

Here are a few steps I'm testing for my blog sites:

Blog Site A: Natural Weight Loss
Submit one article a day for 1 week on a targeted food related article directory or health related site.
Blog Site B:Espresso Coffee Drinker
Submit one article a day for 1 week on a targeted coffee or ask a targeted question on one of the "Q/A" sites - think YahooAnswers or Ask.com. (I'm new to espresso, so this helps me with content for the blog too.

Why would I test something everyone and their dog just know
is the best way to get massive traffic to your sites and make sales?

Because until I test and have my own numbers as proof, it's
guessing.

The Solo Gazette Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:55:00 +0000

As you know, the site has been left stagnant since December due to my lack of time to update it or add any new content. There have been challenges with this blog, one of which was my wanting to focus on the business side of being a Solo Entrepreneur.

I've shared with you many things over the past few years, resources, tips, rants and raves about "doing business" in a way that would allow you to make money but also sleep well at night:)

At one time I considered making this blog into a members only site, which still is on the drawing board. None of you seemed to care one way or the other, and that may be because what I've written hasn't been either flashy enough or entertaining.

If that's the case for you, then this wasn't the site for you. I make no apologies for attempting to help those who had never operated a business before think like "business owners", instead of an employee or opportunity junkie.

With that said, this site won't be going away completely. Over the next few months a final decision on the transformation of The Solo Gazette will be made. It will likely move to my hosting account as a wordpress blog...Never could get the hang of making Blogger show my domain:)

I wanted to say Thank You to everyone who signed up to receive my infrequent ramblings from Solo Gazette and for your continued support. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for you.

This blog will remain here for the next couple months for those tired of reading the next "make $300,000 in 5 hours" mega-watt, super video-licious, fork over your credit card launch". My hope is it leads one person to take action on starting their own micro-business.

Again, thank all of you for 5 years of fun.
Georjina Sinese

Expired Micro-Niche Domains

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Hey all,
Up to my eyebrows in alligators completing projects for 2009, but thought
I'd give you a heads up on some expired domains I found at the end of
November (yeah, better late than never.)

Before you get your knickers in a twist, remember these were
expired and on the open market as of December 1st. Some are still
available (I checked for some projects I'm doing in 2010), so
hustle your buns over to the links below to check.

Here's The Expired List:
ZEN-COMMUNICATION.COM
YOURPROSPECTREPORT.COM
YOURINFORMATIONDIRECT.COM
YESTOGETHER.COM
YESCLEANINGSERVICES.COM
WHITETEETHBRIGHTERSMILES.COM
WHEELDOLLYS.COM
WEBGREATCOFFEE.COM
WAXBEANPRESS.COM
WATERCRAFTMAGAZINE.COM
WASTEAMERICA.COM
WASHERDRYERSTACKABLE.COM
WARRIORSSPIRITS.COM
WALLPAPERTECH.COM
WALKINGSHOESWOMEN.COM
WALKBEHINDBRUSHMOWER.COM
WAKEUPTOYOURDREAM.COM
VIDEOLEARNINGSTORE.COM
VETERANSKILLS.COM
VERIFYANYBODY.COM
VEGGIESFORDINNER.COM
VEGANSDIET.COM
VALUEBOOKSELLERS.COM
VALENTINEFLOWERSSHOP.COM
VABUSINESSADVISOR.COM
UTILITYANDPOWER.COM
UTILITYSMARTSOLUTIONS.COM
USFASHIONBLOG.COM
USEDTREADMILLSALE.COM
USEDMOBILECRANES.COM
USBSTORAGEMEDIA.COM
USATTORNERYFINDER.COM
USAREALTYREFERRALS.COM
UNUSUALPHONES.COM
UNIVERSALTOWELS.COM
UNIFORMCLIPS.COM
UNARMEDGUARDTRAINING.COM
ULTRAWELLNESSOPPORTUNITY.COM
ULTIMATEFARMINGTOOL.COM
TWOWEEKMORTGAGE.COM
TWITTERANDTWEETER.COM
TVSHOWSDVDCOLLECT.COM
TUTORSTART.COM
TURKEYORGANIC.COM
TUMMYSTUFFERS.COM
TRYBALLET.COM
TRUSTEDTEMP.COM
TRUELIGHTCANDLES.COM
TRUEBLUEBOOKKEEPING.COM
TRUCKFOGLIGHTS.COM
TROPICALLATINSOUND.COM
TRICITYWINDOWCLEANERS.COM
TREKKINGDIARY.COM
TRAVELMARKETINSIGHTS.COM
TRAVELLOYALTYPROGRAMS.COM
TRAVELGEARMAGAZINE.COM
TRAILRUNNERSPORTS.COM
TRADITIONALHEALTHINSURANCE.COM
TRACTORANTIQUE.COM
TOYRESALE.COM
TOYCLAY.COM
TOWABLEAIRCOMPRESSOR.COM
TOTALNUTRITIONBLOG.COM
TOPCAMERASREVIEWS.COM
MINDBODYFITNESSONLINE.COM
MINDBODYSPIRITBOOKS.COM
MINDSETMASTERYINSTITUTE.COM
MYCATSHOP.COM
MYCLUTTERBUSTERS.COM
MYCREDITSCORERESTORED.COM
PERSONALBANKRUPTCYFAQ.COM
PERSONALCREDITSOLUTION.COM
INVOICESFORCASH.COM

Here's where you can go to find more or see if these are still
available to register. I register my domains at Namecheap and
they are good to me.

Here's where to go check if they are still available or to find
some new ones:
Snapnames

Enom - domain reseller

Pool

Name Jet

One Domain Tool. This is pretty slick if you want
to check the domains without visiting all the auctions
Domain State Toolbar

There you have it and I'll be back with some more great
resources in a week or so. These will be the tools I use.

BTW, Natural Weight Loss Newsletter finally went live last week. It's
a simple blog, original content and has a back-end paid newsletter.

Take a peek, let me know what you think. I may be flipping it after
the first of the year - yes, I have a year's worth of content to
pass along to the new owner! Sheesh, why would I leave someone
hanging.

Anyway, that's it for today and I leave you with this -

The economy depends about as much on economists as the weather does on weather forecasters~Jean-Paul Kauffmann

Operation: Quick Start Update

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:18:00 +0000

If you've been sitting on the fence for Jeff Johnson's Quick
Start program, you may want to go see if it's still open.
November 30th at midnight it closes!

I'm in the US, so those of you reading this in Asia, Australia
and my Kiwi's in New Zealand may have missed out. Maybe next
year... for the rest of you: Decision Time.

Forgot what it's about? It's all about getting you more
traffic, more leads, more money... faster. You can literally
create traffic and on demand with this system.

It's an absolute bargain for those of you ready to take your
internet business to a higher level. I'm not kidding.

But it's closing down today. I'd really hate to see you miss
out on such a great deal, especially if you know you're
ready...So I suggest you check it out sooner rather than later:
Operation Quick Start

PS. That is my full affiliate link - it won't make me rich by any means,
but it will definitely make me smile:).

Solo Entrepreneurs | Free SEO Blog Software

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:51:00 +0000

I know some of you are "lizard crazy" about Wordpress, and
you're going to love this.

Jeff Johnson's Underground Training Lab coaching club is in
pre-launch, and for now you can get his Free Traffic-Getting SEO
Plugin (that's what Jeff calls it).

All you have to do is plug it into your blog and his software
does all the rest. If you already have a WP blog you can simply
plug it in and let it work its Traffic-Getting magic.

And if you don't have a blog... Jeff shows you how to install a
free one in as little as 2 minutes using a secret "push a
button" technology that even the newest of newbies could use.
(If I can do it with my non-techno self, you can definitely do
it!)

100% free and Installs in minutes. Check it out: Get Yours Right Here.

Before you go, you may have to enter your email address to get
it. I'm on Jeff's list, so it wasn't required for me - but
wanted to warn you before you go there.

Be back after Thanksgiving with a rant and more tools I've found.

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving for those of you who do participate, and for those of you who do not - Be Safe and Happy anyway!

**If you can't see the image, visit the blog**

Solo Entrepreneurs - Effective vs Efficient

noreply@blogger.com (Dee) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Normally I leave my rants out of things (yeah, this year!) but
while looking at the number of posts I've written here for
2009-this will make 159. Why it's strange...

For the first couple years, I pushed myself to post any and
everything I thought would help a solo entrepreneur, working at
home alone. Well, it took me the middle of year 3 to realize
this blog wasn't making any money and my readers soon got
distracted by the new flashy, shiney what-the-hell-is-it-for gadget.

So I decided going forward to only post when I felt like it,
instead of being the poster child for 'helping people who don't
want help'...in other words I stopped posting for a while.

Yeah, I did what the 'pro' bloggers said:
Post every day or at least 3 times a week.
Give good information in your content.
Don't be a whore for links or comments.

By following that advice I got a blog out here in cyber space
with 2 readers and a lonely damned cricket.

I think to be effective with your blog, the first thing you need
to decide is how it helps you make an income and then figure out
where that income will come from...does that make sense?

Having a Wordpress or Blogger or Typepad or any other platform
you like to use for blogging is one thing. They, like Twitter, are
useful tools to get something going online.

But what separates them from having a static website that makes
you a couple bucks with Adsense if you don't monetize it?

It doesn't matter how good your content, how pretty or
entertaining your video nor fun it is to post on your blog, none
of it has anything to do with making you money.

You can have thousands of people hanging on your every word, but without a way to make money from your work, you're a sucker who knows how to write.

Harsh? I'm beginning to think not. Claude Diamond told me this
years ago and it has proven true: If you're giving all your
information away for free, when someone would gladly pay you for
it - then you're a sucker. Ouch!

Where is this blog going? Who the hell knows at this point.
Yes, I'll like continue to share tools and tips I find that
might help some of you.

But...and this is to cover my ass with the FTC, FBI and anybody
else with a 3-letter moniker: I will be including affiliate links
from time to time and if you buy something, I'll get a few
bucks.

Since I don't want your email address, don't put it in a
comment because whoever else gets it has nothing to do with me.

What have I missed...
Covered making money finally with this blog - Check!
Covered your email privacy - Check!

That about covers my turn around to being effective instead of
efficient, don't you think.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen.~ Anon