Life as an Internet Entrpreneur

Fearing Failure in Business Fearing Failure in Business

During a recent mastermind, some of us were discussing why people don’t want to succeed and I suggested that it was probably due to the fact that they might be fearing failure and did not know how to overcome their self-imposed barriers.  This got me thinking… Fearing Failure is a Choice! Have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make... 

Switchback Entrepreneurial Planning Switchback Entrepreneurial Planning

In case you don’t know what a switchback is, it’s a road that swings sharply in one direction, and then sharply back in the opposite direction. You may be thinking this is going to be yet another lecture about finding one thing and sticking with it and not jumping around switching business models every other week… or day…err…... 

Are You Confident or Arrogant? Are You Confident or Arrogant?

There is a huge difference between being confident or arrogant.  This is a fine line that we often walk as we manage in our personal and business relationships. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on professional relationships but the information does apply personally too. It is completely true that we must have confidence in our abilities... 

Heroes and Villains Heroes and Villains

As our nation pauses to reflect on the events that occurred a decade ago, we are reminded of the qualities that define us as humans and leaders.   Standing up in bravery during a time of utter chaos is not an uncommon.  The heart of humanity does tend to pull together time and again, so history has proven. The tragedy of that event will never be... 

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Marketing and Branding Your Business

How to SEO Optimize WordPress Images How to SEO Optimize WordPress Images

Have you ever wondered how to SEO Optimize your WordPress images? It is commonly understood that on-page SEO can be optimized through the proper use of image attributes for placing keywords, appropriate keyword density, the use of H1 and H2 tags, and decoration of keywords within your post content. Tip:  SEO Optimize Images But Don’t Keyword... 

Are You Using Social Media Effectively? Are You Using Social Media Effectively?

I know I’ve been struggling with the best way to apply social media strategies to my business.  How about you?  Not only did Don Crowther deliver 5 content-packed videos with solid strategies for leveraging social media in any niche during his pre-launch, today (July 11, 2011) and Wednesday (July 13, 2011), he is over-delivering again by hosting... 

Is Providing Relevant Content Important in Your SEO Strategy? Is Providing Relevant Content Important in Your SEO Strategy?

Is providing relevant content important to your SEO Strategy and business success?  With Google enforcing relevance and becoming more strict about content sources, the answer is an emphatic Yes. Your readers are seeking solutions when they set out on the search engines.  If your content comes up in search results and clicking through to your page... 

Social Monkey Automates Building Backlinks for SEO! Social Monkey Automates Building Backlinks for SEO!

Building backlinks to your pages is an essential part of SEO (short for Search Engine Optimization) for two reasons. The first reason is that it helps your pages get indexed faster, which is very important because you want the search engines to find them as soon as possible and crawl them regularly. The second reason is that it helps your pages get... 

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Business Basics

How to Create Blog Content that Attracts Subscribers How to Create Blog Content that Attracts Subscribers

The goal for any blog is to build a following. There are many different ways to attract new visitors to your blog, but convincing them to become repeat readers and subscribers requires one thing – great content. Some of the results of more subscribers are: · More profitability. Whether you are selling your own products and services, promoting... 

Free Programs and Fine Print Free Programs and Fine Print

Yep! It happened again today. I was invited by a Skype friend to look into a free program. Their claim was that it was free to join and I would not have to pay anything to earn money. I’ve been around the internet long enough to not believe claims of overnight wealth and to distrust “free” joins but I indulged their request to click on the link... 

Eliminating Blog Spam on Your WordPress Website Eliminating Blog Spam on Your WordPress Website

The longer your wordpress website is online, the more pages that are listed in search engines.  Getting pages listed is good for your business, for sure, but it also makes it easier for blog spammers to target your site in their efforts to get links to their own sites.  One method of doing this is referral spam.  Perusing some of the comments blocked... 

With all the outsourcing, is anything made in the USA anymore? With all the outsourcing, is anything made in the USA anymore?

Enough with all this outsourcing talk!  This is the season where many of us are overtly shopping.  Economic circumstances may be forcing greater frugality but, as you are scanning shelves for stocking stuffers and gifts, take a moment to read the labels.  When I did this yesterday, none of the products on the shelf were made in the USA. If you’re... 

Don’t Should on Yourself! Don’t Should on Yourself!

A wise man with whom I worked during my earlier years once came up with a profound New Year’s resolution at our annual marketing support meeting.  The entire group laughed out loud when he said his resolution was to never say “it should work” again. There does seem to be a resurgence of people not thinking through the answers to questions that... 

The Proposal … The Proposal …

In my business, potential clients sometimes ask for me to submit a detailed proposal that outlines deliverables and costs for milestones on a project.  This usually follows a lengthy phone conversation.  This is not an unreasonable request but preparing these proposals takes time that cannot be spent on other business activities and exposes details... 

Email Marketing and Your Business Email Marketing and Your Business

Email marketing came of age after direct marketing practitioners realized that their methods of engaging customers with postal mail could be applied to the Internet.  For those who are unclear about what email marketing is, it is using email to promote offers and/or obtain new customers.  Reports have proven that this is the next best marketing technique... 

Are You Email Marketing or Spamming? Are You Email Marketing or Spamming?

Email marketing is a proven method of developing a relationship with your customers and, if that relationship is properly developed and nurtured, a way to generate affiliate cash flow when you need it.  All that is well and good, but when your opt-out doesn’t result in being opted out, email marketing campaigns can result in driving business away. One... 

Website Copyright:  It Matters! Website Copyright: It Matters!

Last week, a colleague, who also is an RSS email subscriber to my site, told me they had copied a recent post and published it on their site.  Because I also had helped them set up one of their blogs and coached them a little, I presumed that they meant they had syndicated my content using a WordPress plugin that had been recommended.  However,because... 

Website Conversion Tactics Website Conversion Tactics

Designing a website for conversion is something that every business owner cares about, if they are savvy and have a solid business goal for their sites.  Top gun internet marketers sell memberships and consulting services to people who want to get income online.  It is a good idea to have a mentor when you are starting out, for sure, but I wonder... 

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