eSoup

Are You Ready To Get Your Black Belt In Article Marketing?

2008-06-27T09:15:33-05:00

I know I'm supposed to be on a semi-break, but I HAD to share this with you!

I know so many folks who are trying to market their online businesses and drive traffic to their websites on a shoestring budget (that's always the story, isn't it? :-)), that I know this resource is gonna help TONS of you guys, so I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible.

Drum roll please....It's...

The Ultimate Guide To Article Marketing

It's a free course in Article Marketing over at Squidoo, and it's chocked full of expert advice on everything from writing your first article, to finding publishers, to submitting articles, to...oh, you get the idea--this resource just has everything you could think of if you've ever wanted to drive traffic to your site for free using article marketing.

This skyrocketing Squidoo lens that I'm sharing with you is from article marketing mastermind, Steve Shaw, who also happens to be a client of mine. We just launched this Squidoo lens a couple days ago, and already it's in the Top 20 in the HowTo category and in the Top 100 out of all the half a million lenses on Squidoo!

That is AMAZING, and just shows you how much great info is in this resource and how much folks are eating it up like candy ( and why wouldn't they? ;-))

I have used article marketing to drive traffic to my sites and client's sites for a few years now, and it really does work--we're talking long lasting results. Aside from blogging, article marketing is my favorite way to market my business and my sites.

Here's why folks do article marketing:

Article Marketing builds links.
Article Marketing gets the word out about your website, bringing widespread exposure and an increase in targeted traffic.
Article Marketing can help establish you as an expert in your niche and build customer confidence.

So, if you or any of your clients want to give Article Marketing a go--go check this out!

This is a top notch resource that will teach you every tiny little thing to do from the beginning to the end. Really, this thing has more info in it than some products that you have to pay for--and this one is free!

So, save your money and check it out! Share it with your friends and clients too--they will definitely want to bookmark this page, and you'll be a hero!

****The Ultimate Guide To Article Marketing ****

Even if you're a newbie right now, you'll be a black belt at this in no time :-)

The DIY Entrepreneur's Motivational Poster

2008-05-28T19:01:10-05:00

I saw this photo (minus the caption) at Cute Overload and thought it would make a great motivational poster illustrating entrepreneurism.

But how do I make one of those motivational poster thingys?

No problem! Here's something cool that I found out about from Kristin Gorski--there is a DIY motivational poster generator called AutoMotivator. You can use one of their photos and insert your own caption, or you can upload a photo and use that (that's what I did here).

Pretty cool, huh?

So, do you think this poster will be a big seller for me? :-)

I'm taking pre-orders now! (kidding)

BONUS Question: How does this photo illustrate the entrepreneurial spirit?

Sidenote:

Psst! BTW, you may have noticed that this post has been sitting at the top here for a while now--I am on a little break from eSoup, but will be back soon. My writing plate is full--you know how that is! :-)

Do You Have A Cool Home Office Setup? BusinessWeek wants to see it!

2008-05-22T16:32:09-05:00

Tree House Office 03
Originally uploaded by BlueForest

Breaking news--and there's a deadline on this, people! This is a chance to have your business mentioned on a major mainstream news site, so hop to this--this is big!

BusinessWeek Online wants to create a photo essay of readers' standout home-based offices.

What do they mean by "standout"? Here's what they say:

"We are looking for unique spaces from which you run your home-based business today. Do you work from a tent on the beach, a tree house, or the back of a truck?"

Now, my home office is pretty hum-drum, but I know some of you folks work in some really interesting places--on yachts, from RVs, in trailers on the beach.

Some of you guys are very creative with your office spaces, so please enter this contest so I can live vicariously through you and your fame! (I will still enter cuz there's always a chance, but I am not expecting to win, seeing as though my office is bo-reen.)

The deadline is May 30--so hop on this! And follow BusinessWeek's instructions exactly (full details are here):

Send us a brief description of your workspace along with one digital image no more than 1MB in size to onphoto@businessweek.com by May 30. Be sure to write "Home-based Businesses Special Report photo essay participant" in the subject line of your e-mail. Tell us what you do and what distinguishes your space from a conventional office. Remember: Entrants must be running their own home-based business on a full-time basis, and have been at it for a minimum of one year. We will feature a selection of outstanding work spaces in an upcoming special report in photo-essay format and ask readers to vote on their favorites.

Doh! How I wish I could say that I work from a tree house (maybe next year--fingers crossed!).

And thank you to Gavin Heaton who was sweet enough to let me know about this opportunity.

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15 Misconceptions Virtual Business Owners Deal with on a Daily Basis

2008-05-19T19:16:00-05:00

Day 2: Now THIS is what I call telecommuting...
Originally uploaded by DDFic

If LOVE working from home and having a virtual business.

I love the flexible hours, the freedom to choose whom I work with, and the ability to work from the comfy-ness of my own home office. I can take breaks when I want and can actually have lunch out on a sunny patio rather than in a sterile cafeteria or "break room".

I also don't have to worry about having my lunch stolen from a community refrigerator --now that's a plus!

I wouldn't have things any other way, but I've noticed that there are some challenges and misconceptions that many of us virtual business owners run into on a daily basis. It can be annoying, but I can't really blame people who have never worked virtually for being confused about what it's really like.

Recently I bumped into a great post by Glen at LifeDev, which lists 10 misconceptions we self-employed folks deal with all the time. A few of these hit home, and these also got me thinking, "Hey, but what about such and such--that happens all the time too!"

Let's start the countdown! The first 10 of these are from LifeDev, with my commentary. The rest are my additions:

1. You’re ALWAYS open for business.

I actually don't have this problem (but I know many people who do) because I'm very clear about what my office hours are. I don't pick up the phone or answer IMs after my office hours are over, and I also don't interpret someone contacting me as them saying "Answer me now!"

I know that folks live in different time zones and I encourage them to contact me whenever they feel like it. They also know that I will respond when I get back in the office. I've never had a problem with this, but if you do I would really encourage you to set office hours and stick to them--don't answer the phone or be checking emails after you're off duty. Just let it go to voicemail and respond the next day--believe me, the world will not collapse if you're unreachable overnight :-) .

2. “You’re at home. How can you be working?”

Yeah, this one is more common for me. I think that a couple of my retired neighbors who are home all day might think that I don't work at all, because they see me out on the patio having lunch every day, and I will also do certain chores during the day if it's convenient (mowing the lawn, etc).

It's happened more than once that they will walk over and ask me if I work (not where I work, but if I work!), and I explain that I do, but I work from home and just happen to take breaks outside. I don't know if that sinks in with them or if they really believe that someone can actually work from their home via their computer.

3. You take too many breaks.

Yes, when folks see you sitting outside every few hours drinking iced tea, they will tend to think that you spend most of your day on breaks rather than working (if they think you work at all :-)).

Sometimes I just want to say to the retired man next door,

"Listen, I know that the last time you came outside I was sitting out here, and now you come outside again and see me sitting here, but I have not been sitting out here the entire morning--I swear. Since I saw you last I have been inside and have done 2 hours of very focused productive work. Now I'm taking a break."

I do take a break every couple hours (usually for just 10-15 minutes or so), and I do this purposely because it keeps my mind sharp and helps me finish more work in less time.

4. You don’t NEED decent office equipment.

Shhh--don't tell anyone: For the first few months I was in business I worked off a tray table in the living room.

It's not that I didn't have a real desk--I did and still do. But just for some reason when I first started out, I wanted to get away from the feeling of being in an office.

Eventually I realized that it was a much better idea for me to have a dedicated office space in the house--a room that had a real desk, with a computer that stayed on top of the desk. I used to like the mobility of a laptop, but I find that I work much better in a more structured office environment.

Also, as far as computers go--I make my living on the computer, so I've invested in the highest quality computer I can afford. Maybe I don't need a fancy iMac, but I have one, and at the very least I think it gives me a psychological edge knowing that I have high quality office equipment.

5. You never have to leave your home.

I don't usually leave my house to work, but Glen at LifeDev says he leaves home and goes to the coffee shop when he really needs to focus. I can relate to that, because that's how I started my 4-hour workday thingy--one day my internet went out at home, and I was forced to work from the cafe. I discovered that when I put my mind to it I could accomplish 8 hours of work in 4 hours of time.

In my experience though, it is not enough just to change your location. The reason why working from the cafe was a high productivity breakthrough for me was that I really took the time to organize my workday plan, and I also had a strict start and stop time. I also went to the cafe during off hours, so it was rather quiet. I think the planning and the restricted work hours really is what helped me.

I think a change in location can get your adrenaline flowing and help you focus, but it's not really necessary. Some folks find working from the cafe to have fewer distractions than working at home, but depending on what your situation is, the cafe with all the hustle and bustle and people wanting to say "hi" and such can actually be more distracting than working at home. Just depends.

6. You can work whenever you want.

I actually do work whenever I want to, but when I want to is usually the morning time. I never really work at 3am or any other off the wall time. Also, I have clients in other countries, so we don't even try to coordinate working at the same time during the day--we just work when we work and have a good communication system. It really feels like we're "in the next room" as they say. I do work whenever I want, but the days of working in the middle of the night for the fun of it are kind of passe for me.

7. You’re rich.

Haha--this is what Glen at LifeDev says:

"Maybe this is just my own experience, but it seems that when I tell people that I’m my own boss, I must be making bank. Completely untrue. Although I think I do pretty well, I’m not by any standard wealthy. I pay my bills, and that’s about it."

Hmm, I don't think I've had the experience of having anyone think I was rich, but who knows. Maybe they thought I was so rich that they were intimidated by my Donald Trump-ness ;-) . To-tally kidding.

8. You work in pajamas, don’t brush your teeth, and never see the sun.

Now, I know where this misconception comes from. When you work from home, it is very easy to get caught in a rut, not changing into "real" clothes for work, not having outside stuff to do. But, I really think that most of us learn that being a healthy human and having a home business are not mutually exclusive. We need to get outside, run, jump, play, visit with folks, and then go into our offices and work a reasonable workday.

When you work in a traditional office you have built in people to talk to, and you have a built in reason to get dressed up and participate in society. As you get more used to having a virtual business you will likely see that you enjoy things more when your life has balance, when you take care of yourself, exercise, do fun stuff, and have a social life outside of work.

Yes, you can have a virtual business and be a "normal" human being. In fact, from my perspective your life can be even more fun and satisfying having balance and working virtually because a) you can go out to lunch and not have to worry about getting back by a certain time, b) you can take a half day on Friday to do something fun c) you can have fun wearing your own style of clothes (I'm not talking about pajamas) because there is no dress code.

9. You only work 45 minutes a day, and the rest of the time is spent playing video games.

Yes, there is always the chance that someone will assume that working from home means you're a slacker (especially if they catch you wearing your pajamas at 3pm :-)), but the plain truth is that people who are self-employed and work from home are generally much, much, much more productive than people who work in traditional offices.

You know the statistic--the traditional office worker completes only 1.5 hours of work in an 8 hour work day. Yikes!

Especially for those of us who bill by the hour--that performance will not cut it. As independent business owners we are highly motivated to get stuff done in a timely manner. We work for our money--we don't have a set paycheck, we don't have sick leave, we don't get 2 weeks of paid vacation--we work very hard.

This is why I focus so much on productivity--I can't spend 8 hours completing 1.5 hours of work. I need to be much better than that. Self-employed folks can be some of the most productive people on the planet--we have to be or our wasted time is just money down the drain.

10. You know everything about computers and "the internets".

Hee hee, this can actually be kind of embarrassing, because I don't know squat about the inner workings of computers. I mean, just because I work on a computer on "the internets" does not mean that I can assemble a computer, or set up a home network, or do web design, or do coding, or do behind the scenes techie stuff on websites. I just know how to work my computer and do regular blogging and internet stuff. As hard as it is to believe, I will never be able to stand in for Matt Cutts or any other web techie guru.

11. Your internet business is not a "real" business.

To people who aren't online much, the internet seems like a sketchy place where folks look at porn and gamble at online casinos :-)--sort of a boulevard of broken dreams and sketchy get rich quick schemes.

But I have to tell you--there are other types of virtual businesses other than online casinos! In fact, I don't count those sketchy sites as being legitimate businesses at all.

Virtual business owners have real business licenses, pay real taxes, and must pay out the whazoo for the privilege of running our own real business. Just because this is not a brick and mortar business does not mean that it isn't real. For someone with an internet business the website that their business is on is their store. It's online, but it's real too.

12. There is no way in the world that you can work closely with people you never see in person. The concept of working closely with someone on the other side of the globe makes people cross eyed sometimes--they just can't fathom it.

One thing that folks need to understand is that when you collaborate on the internet, it feels like we share a mutual office--our office is our website, or our online team space, or any of the other places where we do work on the internet. I guess it is a mind shift to be able to think of someone far away as being near and to have no geographical boundaries. I am so used to it now that I don't even know how to explain it--it is just a natural thing for me now. It's totally not a big deal to not be sitting in the same physical office.

13. You don't have to deal with office politics. This doesn't happen much with me, but I do have friends who have major office politics to deal with. Working from home and being self-employed does not mean that you don't work with other folks, and it doesn't mean that you will always be able to control who you work with.

From what I've observed, the folks who time and time again get all wrapped up in "who stepped on whose toes" are not that discriminating about who they work with. Really, if you choose who you work with carefully and let them know your boundaries, you will radically decrease the odds that office politics will come into play.

14. You are less productive than traditional office workers because no one is watching you. The truth is that the quality of work that comes from someone who sees themselves as a self-employed, independent business owner is much higher than work produced by someone who thinks of themselves as an employee.

Business owners just think differently. We think more responsibly, more proactively, and we have a vested interest in making our clients successful. The beauty of working with someone who is a business owner themselves is that no micro-managing is necessary--we manage ourselves.

15. You have a virtual business because you couldn't find a "real" job.

When you tell friends or family that you have an internet business, they'll sometimes look at you in a concerned way, and it's like you can see a little think bubble pop up over their head that says,

"I didn't know you were that desperate for money. I have a friend in HR who could probably get you an interview at the Fortune 500 company I work at."

In my experience, the reason why people start their own businesses is because they have an idea and they decide to run with it. They love the challenge of creating something that hasn't existed before. They are proud of their creation, their business, their customers, and their products.

Owning your own business is not easier than working a traditional job--it is harder. It requires more thought, more effort, more planning, more responsibility, more risk. But it just so happens than the entrepreneurial types of this world thrive under those conditions. This is why we have our own businesses.

Soldier on virtual business owners! It is natural that doing such a cutting edge type of work will generate some misconceptions, but eventually folks will catch on. Working virtually is starting to break into the mainstream, and even folks who do not own their own businesses are starting to work from home.

We just might come to a time in the future when people assume that everyone works virtually, and people who still work in traditional offices will have to explain why they still work in such an archaic fashion.

What about you...

Do any of these misconceptions hit home with you?

Are there any that you think we've missed here?

Learning New Habits Stretches Your Mind--Literally!

2008-05-12T00:02:00-05:00

Stretch Your Mind
Originally uploaded by abv

I used to work in administration for a hospital, and one of my duties was to supervise the volunteers.

My favorite volunteer was Mrs. P, who was 80 years old, full of life and enthusiasm and always had a full schedule of activities going on. I'm telling you--this tiny silver haired lady had a work and social life that was more full than most people half her age!

If she wasn't volunteering at the hospital, she was organizing fund raisers for her favorite causes, taking computer classes, going to the gym 3 times a week to lift weights, playing pinochle or bridge with her friends, and sitting on various boards for the museum or the hospital or whatever.

I was just amazed at her passion and her energy, and when I asked her what her secret was she said, "I always keep trying new things. I deliberately set out to learn new activities and skills, and that's what keeps my mind sharp."

Her words have always stuck with me and made sense--by learning new things we stretch our minds, and stretching our minds increases our ability to think in creative and problem solving ways.

Recently I saw an article in the New York Times that supports this idea. Actually the New York Times article said that basically any type of new habit that we initiate has the ability to positively impact our mental dexterity and creativity:

“Getting into the stretch zone is good for you,” Ms. Ryan says in “This Year I Will... .” “It helps keep your brain healthy. It turns out that unless we continue to learn new things, which challenges our brains to create new pathways, they literally begin to atrophy, which may result in dementia and Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. Continuously stretching ourselves will even help us lose weight, according to one study. Researchers who asked folks to do something different every day — listen to a new radio station, for instance — found that they lost and kept off weight. No one is sure why, but scientists speculate that getting out of routines makes us more aware in general.”

~Can You Become a Creature of Habit?

Listening to a different radio station can help you lose weight--Pretty cool, huh?

I don't understand how it all works from a scientific point of view, but it's really liberating to think that getting into the habit of adding on new habits (even simple ones like brushing our hair using our opposite hand, or interlacing our hands with a different thumb on top) can tweak something in our brains that frees us to act differently in seemingly unrelated parts of our lives.

This is something I want to try more of in my life and you may want to experiment with it too.

Is there something in your life that you want to change but have been having difficulty with? Try implementing a new habit in another area of your life (take a different route home when you're driving around doing errands, listen to different types of music, or something else like that) and open yourself to the possibility that new habits create opportunities for change in other areas of your life.

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