Well, after an absence of three and a half months I’m getting back into a rhythm of living and working online at my home based businesses.  I took a break from life as I knew it, put everything on hold or trusted my auto-pilot function.  I handed the reins over to … well … no one!  That is the wonderful thing about working at home and having a serious online business.  I set it up to run on auto-pilot so that I could concentrate on marketing it to the online community.  This meant that when I wanted a vacation or take time away from it, I could simply check up on it or delegate tasks to an associate who could successfully operate with no or minimal input from me.  Thankfully, everything did what it was supposed to when I had to step away unexpectedly.  It has proven to be a win/win situation while I’ve been out of action.

With relief, I found out that my businesses would still function and generate leads or income without me.  Shouldn’t I feel insulted that I was not needed?  They did not rely on me to actively perform daily routine tasks.  Insulted? Most definitely NOT!  The downside was that my businesses did not grow exponentially but they did remain consistent and productive entities to an acceptable degree.  I put them to the test and they are still here with me.  They did not die or wither away because of my neglect.  Although that really was the purpose in my choice to start an online business, I had no intention of putting it to the test.  I have to admit I’m thankful for their capability and durability and congratulate myself for my good choices.

I’m definitely relieved because it is going to take a little time for me to get back up to speed and consistently do what I was doing before I took my sabbatical.  Simply put, I’m happy to be back and active online and I’m looking forward to working with my partner and online associates again!

Posted: November 21st, 2007 under Serious Home Based Business opportunity, Inspiration/for Inspiring onesself.
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On July 30th, I read an article by Rick Butts in Online Marketing Monthly (OMM) entitled “Summer Time Internet Marketing Business Blues?” Rick was questioning why and how Internet Marketers were finding the decrease in their summer marketing activity and invited marketers to respond. He received some very interesting and actually very positive responses. I totally missed his point however and zeroed in on a comment he made. He said, “…you don’t hear anyone talking about struggling - but we know for a fact some are. The absence of comments about big success are apparent if you read between the lines.” My thought was that he may have just opened a whole new can of worms (or maybe it was time someone actually voiced it). My reaction follows.Come on now Rick, do you think I would admit that I was not successful? Weeell… maybe I would because that is just who I am but human nature being what it is, the vast majority likely will not and do not admit it. In this case, “no news” is likely not “good news”. The subject will be avoided or a non-issue because:

1. admitting that acquiring only a low level of internet generated income implies failure; or
2. remaining upbeat and positive while struggling to put necessary actions into play to generate the high income level they were expecting, keeps them busy and focussed on future successes (hopefully just around the corner); or
3. it is recognized that it takes good honest hard work using SEO techniques (sometimes a trial and error game) to become “branded” and properly positioned to obtain a meaningful presence on the web. The timeline to generate consistent and quality Internet traffic that will produce optimistic if not positive results, has been planned and implemented carefully. Of course it is usually not an instantaneous success story but through dedication and commitment can be achieved by routinely establishing obtainable goals in measurable steps. Planning, implementing, assessing and continually tweaking or restructuring the steps of the plan are all part of a successful business plan.

With the teachings of the power of positive thinking being so prevalent since the release of “The Secret”, the trend is to always remain on the upbeat about ourselves and what we do. The emotional value of becoming more positive surely has helped more people to improve their personal and business lifestyles. Thus, the evolution of Internet marketing thought processes has been structured in a much more affirmative manner.

I believe that less and less people are listening to the “hype and buzz”. Maybe that is why it is quiet? Are the people who once opted into the “get rich quick” schemes now learning that planning, preparing and scheduling routine actions are necessary for online success? It’s been my experience that more and more people are searching out legitimate and ethical marketing programs that will provide them with consistent passive or residual income for the long term (hopefully for the rest of their life). These people have been burned in one way or another with some losing little investments while others have blown hard earned life savings on fly-by-night or the-seat-of-your-pants schemes. They have been lied to and cheated so their trust value is at rock bottom.

Faith has to be regained and renewed so that the burnt fingers are once again willing to take a chance on even the most credible and honest online businesses. Frankly, it is sometimes a tough sell for those legitimate businesses. Many of the fallen marketers will admit they were too hasty but now will hold back and are cautious about committing themselves to venturing into a new arena. The desire to recover even the simplest previous investment usually wins out and they carefully make sure they are affiliating themselves with a trustworthy and reliable marketing program. The best news is that their insanity of doing the same thing over and over again with the same disastrous results is now a bad or dim memory with a shift to more sincere marketing practises. They are no longer acting out of desperation by spreading false claims or creating inaccurate hype, cutting corners, portraying a lack of commitment and looking for that quick fix. Now they are settling in to spending quality time to develop an honest and serious home based business. Sometimes that is where we acquire the most loyal and dedicated affiliates who are now willing and able to perform the necessary actions to ensure their own success, trusting our guidance and support from a distance.

Even though we are working a business at home we must still follow a certain serious protocol in our home based business. My marketing strategies are:

• “Plan your work then work your plan. If you fail to plan you plan to fail.”
• “Treat your home based business experience like a job outside your home.”
• “Work at it everyday to ensure you have some results from your actions”
• “Don’t QUIT… keep fine-tuning what you have done and keep up with new developments to get the results you wanted or expected.”
• “Experiment with different routines and techniques.”
• “Everyone can have success, if they are willing to learn the secret!”

So … let it be quiet … listen to the silence and to each other. Keep your eyes open for opportunities, be faithful to your heart’s desires and follow your gut instincts. There are credible, honest and successful businesses out there and we are the real deal.

Posted: August 3rd, 2007 under Serious Home Based Business opportunity, Internet Marketing Techniques.
Comments: none

“Your purpose explains what you are doing with your life. Your vision explains how you are living your purpose. Your goals enable you to realize your vision.” - Bob Proctor

One of my primary businesses has a banner using these words “Success is not a goal. Success is not the destination. Is success a positive attitude? Is success a strong work ethic? Is success having great wealth?” Hmmmm…I wonder if that means success is only in the journey?

I also read that “Quitters never win and Winners never quit” and it was further explained: “You only win when you do not give up. You only lose when you give up. Sometimes you have to affect people in a positive way.”

It made me feel very relieved as I interpreted what I read as telling me that I do not have to have guilty feelings about someone else (that I have been associated with) not achieving their own objectives. Really, it does make sense. I cannot take personal responsibility for the other person being a “loser” because it was they who gave up…not me! They have to be the one who has to take the responsibility and accept the blame for giving up because I was always there to provide them with support, not do their work for them nor make the decisions for their business. After all, they were the CEO of their business not me!

Did any of what I quoted or the questions that were posed get your thought juices and processes flowing? I did want to lend you a different perspective on building a serious home based business. Does any of this remind you of you or someone else you know? Would it help to change your focus just a little? Would it be catastrophic to even change your mindset? What it comes down to is, anyone who really wants to work from home in their own business for time or financial freedom, has no choice but to develop and embrace a CEO mentality and a dedication to THEIR business.

If you want a hobby to dabble in, one that will pay for itself; give you some flexible time freedom (including a little pocket change) then by all means you are entitled to do that too. On the other hand, if you truly want:

• extensive time and financial freedom for the rest of your life;
• to flex your time between business and pleasure;
• to also possess a sustaining and meaningful income level;and
• to do it all without leaving your home to go to an outside J.O.B.

then get serious NOW (and contact us too if you like!).

Change your mindset to have a positive impact and influence, make plans and decisions and most importantly take action! Success is not an option or expectation, it is an unquestionable surety. How, when or where will be up to you as it is a process. You have the key to the ignition and are doing the driving so get off your high hobby horse and confidently get onto the highway.

Posted: July 20th, 2007 under Serious Home Based Business opportunity.
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I used to be so tired of seeing the same subject line in my emails from different email addresses or people day after day, week after week. Each one was trying to tell me that their business was the ONLY one to consider as it would make me wealthy (often with no or little work done by me, I might add). It just made me want to delete the whole mess and ignore them but at the same time I did have the compulsion to respond to them and tell them my reaction. I certainly did so upon occasion and even volunteered some reasonable and practical alternate suggestions! But alas, no return response from them! Have THEY even opened my emails or simply ignored and deleted them? What an opportunity they missed to connect with me in the world of reverse marketing.

I do believe that people are not wanting or have not been taught to use some of their own creativity or ingenuity to think for themselves or outside of the box. They are under the impression or have been coached to think that only duplication is the road to success. In other words they have inadvertently jumped onto what they saw as the fastest road to wealth without doing more homework to really understand what it was they were doing. It is no wonder that people “fail” at online businesses. They have not been taught to work as the CEO of their business. They are still followers or employees of someone else’s business. If they only knew that delegation has the higher degree of success. I am thinking that they are not serious about a home based business and are treating it like a hobby or just something to fill in their time for the moment. I wonder if they will pay attention to what I say next?

Posted: June 26th, 2007 under Serious Home Based Business opportunity.
Comments: none

Wow, what an advanced marketing idea!  Getting paid before the company gets paid!  This is a new approach in an innovative marketing system and takes marketing to the next level.  What company allows you to get paid before they get paid?  Well …. mine does and I have to say that I like it … no, I take that back … I LOVE IT!

How does your company pay you and how long after you do the work do they pay you?  Do you only get a small sum of money when you finally do get paid?  Now come on, don’t you know that it takes just as much work to make the big sums of money?  Yes, I am serious.  It takes just as much time, just as much effort and just as many contacts to pull in the large sums of money.

So who wants the small sums of money?  Not me!  I’m sticking to putting my own time and effort into building my business to earn those big sums and showing others how to do the same.  That will be my reward … getting paid first, being my own boss and working with others.

Posted: June 8th, 2007 under Serious Home Based Business opportunity.
Comments: none

If a company is reliable and reputable there should be a convenient way of contacting the sponsor or owner of the company.  Asking questions about your potential affiliation with a company is the right thing to do and a responsible move on your part.   Proceed with caution if you have to jump through hoops to find the contact information.  Ask yourself… if they are this hard to contact BEFORE I affiliate myself with them just how easy will it be AFTER I have paid them money?  Can you talk with people who are or have been involved in the business?  What do they say?  Remember, the ones that are no longer involved with the business may be very vocal and dissatisfied for a variety of reasons:

• they jumped the gun and were not prepared with a plan to work an online business;
• the company did not fit with their morals, ethics or conception as an ideal business for them;
• they did not earn the money that was claimed in the time frame declared (expected a get rich quick scheme);
• they did not follow through on the necessary training steps nor did the work necessary to be successful (there is a learning curve to all businesses);
• they tried “duplicating” what others did;
• their sponsor may not have been a good match for them or was just a “bad apple” in the barrel who does a disservice to the company by not providing excellence in meaningful communication with their affiliates.