Advice
Applying the 80/20 Rule To Get More Done With Less
The last week or so, I’ve been having to balance out work and family even more so than usual. For obvious reasons. 
And family has mostly won. But, it really brings to mind the whole balancing act.
Over at TheInfoPreneur.net, I talked about the 80/20 rule briefly in a post and I thought I would expand upon it somewhat today. It is otherwise known as the Pareto principle. Simply put, it says:
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Why You Need To Raise Your Game- NOW
This is a guest post by my friend, Nathan Hangen.
Spending time on the web is part of my job, and I do a lot of it. I read sales pages, product pages, check out new apps, and always try to find new blogs to read.
Design on a Dime
Although there’s never a lack of good content on the web, for a while, there was a lack of good presentation.
For instance, 2-3 years ago, a blog could get by without a fancy design, but these days, I’m not so sure that’s the case. As design continues to improve, premium themes get cheaper, and good designers become easier to find, even a small-time blogger has the power to create a stunning design that screams “read me.”
Product Launches Became Commonplace
When Jeff Walker created the product launch formula, very few people were using that technique to sell products online. Sure, records labels and movie studios had been using it for decades, but on the internet? Not so much.
Now, if you look hard enough, you’ll see new launches every day. We’re not talking the basic, cut of the mill launch either, we’re talking polished and professional, the kinds that make even marketers want to buy. Click Here To Continue Reading »
The Danger Of Maybe
Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless rat-wheel of indecision? The kind that just paralyzes you and nothing happens?
It is a rat-wheel. You just sit there and spin, but you go absolutely nowhere.
There are three options to any decision or action in life:
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
There are only two answers you should ever accept in yourself: YES or NO.
“Maybe” is dangerous. It hangs you up. It leads to inaction. It leads to confusion. It leads to overwhelm. Habitual indecision is not a good thing no matter how you slice it.
If you look at any successful leader, they have one thing in common: They made decisions. They did it quickly, and they didn’t look back.
Some mental incompetents look at people who do that and call it simple-minded, unpolished, unsophisticated. They couldn’t be more wrong. Power lies in simplicity. Complexity is the result of doing something wrong. The worse leaders are the ones who get stuck in figure-figure mode, second-guess, make decisions slowly.
How can you apply this in daily life?
- When you open an email, make a decision on what to do with it. If more data is needed, move the email to a different folder then schedule time to deal with it decisively. If you can handle the email right away, do so and then delete it. Don’t let a bunch of indecision pile up in your email inbox.
- Got an idea for a new blog? A post? A strategy or tactic? Well, make a point to take action on it or decide to forget about it. Yes or no. A bunch of maybe’s just clog your mental pipes and nothing will happen.
You should be brutal about this, my friends.
Life could be viewed like an assembly line of decisions. Yes or no keeps the belt moving. Getting stuck in a maybe stops the progression.
If you find yourself stuck in a “maybe” rat-wheel, then determine exactly what information you need in order to resolve the maybe. Then, go get that information and bring the matter to a close. If you simply can’t decide, then just say “no” and move on with your life. Any decision is better than none.
You want more time? You want more mental clarity? Apply this advice to your life.
Yeah, this is a bit philosophical for a blog about blogging, but I think it is very applicable to us all. Do you agree with me?
What Tiger Woods Can Teach Bloggers
Trust.
It is everything in business. It can take a while to build it, but you can ruin it in minutes if you are a big enough idiot.
Tiger Woods is just such an idiot. He is a gifted athlete and a man (I thought) worthy of respect. He had it all, but most of all he had the respect of his fans. And he lost it all. Sure, there are those who say it is his personal business and nobody should talk about it. Whatever… it doesn’t alleviate the fact that he’s an idiot.
Tiger Woods had trust. Lots of trust. He had a beautiful family. He had sponsors and people lining up to do business with him. He has 2 children. And what does he do? Screw it all up because he can’t keep willy in his pants. At this juncture, it looks as if he was cheating on his wife with multiple women, and all while having kids. Cheating on your wife is disreputable enough, but when kids are in the picture, that’s REALLY bad. As a family man myself, I find that just lowest of the low.
But, this post isn’t about Tiger Woods. His business doesn’t concern me. However, there is a lesson in it – a lesson for all businesses. I am going to address blogging specifically, however.
Trust is an important currency. It takes a while to build, but you can lose it all quickly if you’re an idiot.
Make sure that everything you say on your blog or to your mailing list is truthful. Never lie. Never endorse something that you do not fully beleive is worthy of your endorsement. Because, you know what? Eventually, it will come back to haunt you.
Be authentic on your blog and out in social media. Be truthful. If you are a straight-shooter, then that trust becomes part of your brand. It is valuable. Once you have it, don’t ruin it.
As an opinion leader in your market (as is easy to become with skillful blogging), your word is your value. Don’t squander it.
The Downside Of Self-Inflicted Ignorance
I had a small exchange over on Twitter this afternoon that moved me to write an impromptu blog post. This post is NOT an attack piece or anything personal AT ALL. It just brought to mind an idea I feel is important.
I have been working on tightening up the funnel over on PCMech.com. My goal is to drive more readers onto the email list. This is, of course, always good for business.
One of the many things I did was create a simple squeeze page to drive people onto the list. I sent out a tweet about the squeeze page. In response I get this on Twitter:
Hope you’re not trying to turn into a gimmicky internet marketer! Saw your tweet yesterday about Product Launch Formula!
Yes, the day prior, I sent out a single tweet about Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula. I did not use an affiliate link. I just really like PLF. I consider PLF to be a must-have for any serious online businessperson.
So, the fact that I talked about PLF and made a squeeze page puts me into the same category as a “gimmicky internet marketer”, apparently.
Then, I got this tweet from the same person:
Well, I respect you as an expert of sorts, but not for using "internet marketing products"!
Huh? So the fact that I learn from those who came before me is a bad thing? A gimmick? By using “internet marketing products”, I have managed to almost double my business in the last 2 years. I’m on track to break the $200,000 mark in revenue for 2009 – as a BLOGGER.
Put more accurately, as a BLOG MARKETER.
The knowledge to do that doesn’t come through telepathy. That knowledge doesn’t spontaneously combust into my head while I sleep. Of course I study other people’s teachings!
What motivated me to write this post, however, was my strong belief that this attitude of natural distrust is one of the most concrete barriers to one’s success that you could ever have.
I have no idea if this person has an aim to build a business or not. But, the attitude exhibited is one of an employee. A person who will always be an employee.
That kind of knee-jerk reaction is one which keeps you from learning new things in life. It effectively bars an entire field of knowledge from you, which you know nothing about, all because you’ve concluded that it is all a big bunch of BS.
The Important Message
Always be willing to learn new things.
The moment you write off entire subjects that you have never personally inspected, you are just sealing your fate exactly where you are right now.
The moment you take somebody else’s judgment of a subject (one which they probably never inspected either), you’re just allowing THEIR stupidity to rub off on you.
The opportunities lost because you jumped to a conclusion rather than personally inspected something could be mind-boggling.
And that is why I decided to write this post. Small things lead me to a larger idea. And, like a good little blogger, I thought I’d share with you. 
Peace out.
Why You Need A Mastermind Group
Yesterday, I was over in Celebration, FL for a meeting of the minds. It was a mastermind meeting. Several people in internet business gathered in a board room and talked shop for several hours.
The way it worked was this:
- First, presentations. Nothing formal, but if any of the group members wanted to present some useful information, that would happen.
- Hot seats. Each of us would take our turn on the hot seat. We could talk about our businesses and our challenges, and get help from the rest of the group.
It is incredibly powerful.
In 2009, one of the biggest contributing factors to my business has been the power of others. I routinely mastermind with folks here in the Tampa Bay area and occasionally from elsewhere in the state.
Forming A Group
I highly recommend that you work to create a circle of people around you who are doing the same things. If you are interested in growing your blog, then find others in your area who share similar interests. Namely, bloggers.
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Twitter On Your Business Card – Duh!
As might be expected, I picked up a lot of business cards from folks at BlogWorld Expo. When I get these cards, the idea is that I can check these people out after the show is over and see if they might be of any interest to me.
Nothing personal, but many times I end up with a card for somebody I barely remember.
So, as a person designing your business card, put yourself into my shoes. I don’t really remember you. And all you’ve given me is some phone numbers, a snail mail address, your name, your email.
Well, I’m not going to call you if I don’t even know who you are. Likewise, I’m not going to email you unless I have something to say.
So, it is your job to build the relationship. Let me form a little line between you and I which doesn’t have a commitment to it and doesn’t put me in the awkward spot of asking “I know I’m emailing you but who are you again?”
In other words, PUT TWITTER ON YOUR DAMN BUSINESS CARD!
How can you show up to a blogging conference without this stuff?
Even worse, some of the people I’ve got cards from are “PR professionals” (or so they say). Yet, they’re not using Twitter? What gives?
Some people did put AIM or Skype on their business card, but that is pure interruption. Am I going to chat you up just to ask you who you are again? That’s a douche maneuver.
Twitter isn’t a toy, guys. It is a powerful tool for relationship marketing. It is important. If you don’t have Twitter on your business card, throw it away and make a new one.
Without Twitter, you’re just future trash can liner. With Twitter, I’ll be able to get exposed to your tweets for the next year. And guess what? Next time we meet, I’ll recognize you and I might even approach YOU and say hi.
Here, if you need some help, check out some of the things that went through my mind when I did my latest biz card. Check out these 5 tips for your business card.
Lesson From Izeafest (Day One)
As I sit here in the conference room getting ready for Day 2 of Izeafest, yesterday made clear a lesson…
This business is NOT complicated. The only secret there is is TAKING ACTION.
Yesterday, we listened to people like Brian Clark (from Copyblogger), Sarah Evans, Ted Murphy and others. All of them “experts” and at the top of their game when it comes to online/social media. They are on stage and they’re talking. They are perceived by the audience as experts because of that.
However, are they really experts?
The answer is yes, however so are a lot of people in the audience. And that’s my point. All of these experts are basically saying the same basic things when it comes to building brand, building traffic, etc. When I go to BlogWorld in a couple weeks, they will be saying the same things.
The truth is that this business is not really that complicated. It comes down to the basics.
The difference between those people on stage and those people in the audience is that the audience hasn’t used their knowledge and taken the same actions as the people on the stage.
When I come to these events, whether I am speaking or not, I have people who want to meet me, perceiving me as some kind of expert. Am I? There are people in this room who know as much as I do (if not more). The only difference is that I have DONE things that others haven’t. That’s it. And the people on stage have done things that others haven’t.
So, by all means, learn. Keep learning. But, don’t ever stop DOING. You’ve got to BRING IT!
And if you do that, you might find yourself on a stage some day.
Overcoming The Technology Hurdle To Blogging
Hey, how’s that PHP programming going for ya? Not so good?
Hey, you want to modify your blog theme? Well, just FTP into the themes directory, put the proper theme template tag in there, with the right function attributes, throw a little cascading style sheets into the mix, and you’re done! See how easy that was?!
I feel for new bloggers today. I really do. Those of us who are already successful with our blogs take the technology side of things for granted. It is second nature and we think nothing of it. Or we just hire somebody.
For a lot of new bloggers, it isn’t so easy.
Technology is, for many, a chasm that must be crossed before you can get to the fun stuff on the other side.
Deep inside the closed doors of the Blog Masters Club, I also have students who are running up against the barrier of technology. And it is a tough issue to deal with. After all, Blog Masters Club isn’t a course about web design or programming. It is about the business of blogging. Unfortunately, though, that business cannot take off if you’re still struggling to get Wordpress set up and route your domain name to it.
In the Club, I have over 40 videos designed to cover those basics. But, watching a video and translating that into the real-world is still sometimes daunting for a newbie. And, when they go out into the world to get help with tech issues, they get even more frustrated. More words they don’t understand. People who do understand things are perceived to be fairly snobby about it, perhaps.
What to do? Click Here To Continue Reading »
How This Problogger Is Dealing With Uncertain Economic Times
As you guys know, my business is problogging. I make my living as a blogger, and more recently I am making a business of showing other bloggers how to do the same.
However, it is really easy to get so involved in MAKING money that you forget to figure out how to KEEP it.
At the same time, it is really easy to get so involved in the business that you forget to look at the world around you and see what’s happening. After all, this stuff is a lot of fun! I really enjoy learning new ways to make money and improve the business. I enjoy following the world of technology.
If we look at the offline world, however, I see a storm brewing. I see a federal government increasing in size. I see a volatile economy and a government which seems quite insistent on doing the wrong thing to fix it. After all, no economist in the world can justify the logic of spending more money and raising taxes on the producers in society in order to avoid an economic downturn.
The “stimulus” is anything but, and is just putting another huge nail in the coffin of the U.S. economy. The U.S. debt is now totaling around $600,000 for every family of 4 in this country. All signs point to a period of high inflation ahead, and some are even wondering if we’re facing a new Great Depression in the years ahead. If that happens, some are going to use the confusion to seek to institute anti-capitalist policies which will only seal the fate.
I’m just telling it like I see it. That said, I am not a doomsday kind of guy. I am, however, an “eyes wide open” kind of guy.
The answer to this lies in understanding economics and in practicing sound fiscal policy on yourself, your family and your business.
Over the last few weeks, I have been spending a little time thinking about my long-term financial security. After all, I have a family and I am responsible for them. I have been able to provide a good living for them thus far by blogging for a living, but there are bigger things to consider than just my own business when it comes to future.
After all, all of us who work online also operate in the real world. And that world is changing. The economic environment ebbs and flows and it affects our online businesses.
In this article, I’m going to provide my advice. At least as I see it.
I'm David Risley. I've been making my living as a blogger for over a decade. Blogging is my business and how I support my family. With this blog, I'm just gettin' REAL and telling you how this business works. 
