‘Business’ Articles
Written by John on 03 May 2009
Taking the time to really know yourself, to really trust what your attitudes, reactions and expectations will be in any given situation is one of the keys to being successful in anything that you do.
More and more business people are doing their own form of “restructuring”, except that it has nothing to do with the business that they’re in. Writers like Ekhart Tolle, Don Miguel Ruiz, Alberto Villoldo, Dan Millman and many others are influencing and changing the way that many business people view themselves and their lives. Increased self knowledge will only help you make better business decisions.
Before you set out on the rising path toward success, you have to be sure that you know who you’re working with.
- Image by Pet_r via Flickr
You are both your own best advocate and your own worst enemy. It all depends on your attitude and intent. If you allow yourself to fall into the corporate mentality that profit is the ONLY thing that you’re in business for you may be missing out on your true purpose and calling.
Just because you’ve always been an underachiever, doesn’t mean that you can’t turn those habits around and begin to trend toward choices that will provide more and better opportunities for you and your business. Begin right now to make the choices that will positively effect your tomorrows.
As they say, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery…today is a gift, that’s why they call it the “PRESENT”. Don’t miss the opportunities that arise each and every day. Don’t get caught up in the rhythms of the masses.
By the same token, just because you’ve always seemed to be in the right place at the right time for opportunities to “fall into your lap” doesn’t meant that the same will continually hold true. No matter what label you put on it, whether you call it karma, kismet, fate, destiny or luck, the fact is that what IS won’t necessarily always BE.
How secure can any of us feel in these trying times?
Millions of Americans are out of work right now. If you consider the scale and the value of the dollar, the chasm of this recession makes the great depression look like a golfer’s divot.
People want answers. They also want direction. Many have been in the same career positions for decades, only to find themselves now faced with a forced early retirement and a pension that won’t support them; if they were lucky enough to not lose that too.
Those same people are now having to look inside for the answers that they relied on their employers to provide. Simple questions that get taken for granted like; how will I pay for my groceries next week or how will I pay the mortgage?
What they’re discovering after looking within is that they have the strength and motivation to do whatever it takes to provide for themselves and their families.
As they re-evaluate and begin to re-structure their own lives many realize that there are things that they LOVE to do, but their corporate or factory job prevented them from ever enjoying them. That tinkering in the garage workshop or knitting afghans now becomes not only something that you love to do, but you begin to see it as a viable option for your future.
Therein lies one of the keys to success.
Make a living doing what you love and you’ll never WORK another day in your life.
Tags: attitude, depression, expectation, intent, opportunity, recession
Posted in Business, Inspirational, Motivational Entrepreneurship, Self Improvement, Success, Success Coach, Success Mentoring, Success Philosophy | No Comments »
Written by John on 18 November 2008
There’s a dark cloud looming on the horizon. It’s gathering in energy and getting bigger as we speak. It’s as destructive as a tornado and just as indiscriminate.
What I’m talking about is the next G-Slap; be ready for big changes from the monster of search engines around the first of the year. They’ve already been tinkering with the algorithms and are definitely trending away from current PR and content rich based results.
Early next year, though you may have noticed it already if you’re sharp enough, the big G will display rankings based on the intent of the searcher.
This means that your content will be less relevant if you’re not:
- Geo-targeting (G is doing this already based on users IP whether the user is signed in or not)
- Relevance – generically speaking, if a room full of searchers were to type java into the query box, some would be looking for software, some would be looking for drinks and yet others would be looking for travel sites.
- Using video on your site
- Preparing for the changes NOW.
(Video Courtesy of http://videos.webpronews.com/2008/11/17/pubcon-bruce-clay-ranking-is-dead/)
Getting prepared for the next ominous G-slap is an adventure in speculation. One line of thought says that if you concentrate your marketing on single keywords you may want to offer content for the other possible synonymous uses of your keywords.
It means a shift in methodology, but for the studious and adaptive marketers out there that can make the necessary changes and move ahead of the trend it can be the difference between having top ranking for you kw’s today and being off the chart completely overnight or keeping your top listings by adapting and overcoming.
The proliferation of “scraper sites” and “spam sites” that steal the top rankings by virtually scraping the content from its competitors and republishing it, most times without proper credit to the original authors, has prompted the change. They have managed to skew the results based on current trends at G and the other major search engines.
When you think about it, this change will mean even more success for the marketer that is savvy enough to ride the wave. It’s kind of like the analogy for marketing to baby-boomers; the bowling ball in the garden hose.
Baby-boomers make up the vast majority of the demographic of buyers that Internet Marketers target. When those boomers pick up on a new trend it’s like a bowling ball in a garden hose, thus the .com millionaire boom of the 90’s. Get in at the upswing of the trend and you’ll ride a very profitable and somewhat predictable course.
Transfer that thought over to this looming change and you can see how the change SHOULD actually bring even MORE targeted traffic, intent on BUYING your products.
As the video describes; in a room full of people searching the term java some would want software, some would want information on coffee and yet others would want travel information. Wouldn’t you rather have the searcher that was looking for your new java software product be the first at your site?
This change will ultimately alter the way that Internet Marketers promote products. The question is whether or not we should do anything at all. This new way of presenting search results only make a difference by weeding out those less targeted results for a particular searcher based on their search and usage histories. I think it will be a win/win/win situation.
Tags: baby boomer, baby boomers, generate traffic, geo-target, geo-targeting, geotarget, geotargeting, intent, intent based marketing, scraper, scraper sites, search, search engine, search engines, Success, targeted traffic, traffic, web traffic
Posted in Business, Motivational Entrepreneurship, Solutions Marketing, Success, Success Philosophy | No Comments »
Written by John on 17 September 2008
As an Internet business owner, finding new ways to increase website traffic should be one of your absolute top priorities. There are literally hundreds of ways to successfully generate traffic. Some methods are free and some can be quite costly. The free methods are fine to use if you don’t have a lot of money starting out. But when the profits start coming in, you should invest some of that money back into your business with some great paid traffic generation methods. Below are some vital things you must do if you want to get and keep quality visitors – before you even think about paying for your traffic.
One of the most effective ways to be successful in increasing your website traffic is to offer original, quality content on your site. You should have information on your site that visitors cannot find anywhere else. Make sure the content is useful as well as being uniquie. Give out information that will help your visitors solve a problem, achieve a goal or be entertained. Update your site at least weekly with more quality information to keep it fresh.
Another way to get website traffic is to focus on keyword related content for your site. This is called search engine optimization or SEO. The importance of proper SEO cannot be stressed enough. Don’t just stuff a bunch of keywords onto your site and think that you have optimized it. You want to make sure the keywords you use flow naturally within the content. Be careful not to overdo it with too many keywords because this can result in very low search engine rankings. SEO is a fine balance of the right keywords, in the right amount, placed in the right areas on your site. Become proficient at SEO and you will be unstoppable. Find balance and you will find success.
Now that you have your search engine optimized site up with original, quality, content, it’s time to get linked. This is a very powerful way to increase website traffic. Exchange your website link with other sites that are closely related to your site. Just be careful to only exchange links with high quality sites. You don’t want to ruin your online reputation by having links to junk sites on your website. By exchanging links with a website that is already doing a lot of traffic, you can get a lot of traffic of your own. This method is free and it works fast.
Finally, you need to advertise. There are hundreds of ways you can advertise your website. Find out ways to advertise from a reputable Internet marketer. This information will be like gold to you. Use the methods that he or she recommends and you can have thousands of visitors to your site each day.
Getting website traffic may seem like an impossible task at first. But the more you learn about traffic generation methods, the easier it will become. One thing that any website owner has got to learn is patience. Traffic doesn’t usually appear overnight. It builds up over time. As long as you are seeing a steady increase in the amount of traffic your site is getting, you are doing things right.
If you’ve been looking for simple, yet powerful ways to drive more traffic to your website – without spending a lot of money to do it – then you’re in for real treat.
For a limited time, internet marketer Justin Michie is giving away a free report that shows you how he generates 100’s of thousands of unique visitors each month and how you can do the same.
For more information, or to download your free copy, please visit: FREE TRAFFIC REPORT.
Tags: generate traffic, keyword related content, quality content, search engine optimized, search engine optimzation, seo, successful, website traffic
Posted in Business, Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Written by John on 08 August 2008
Equipping Yourself for Success—Must Have List of Gear for the Telecommuter
By: Sylvie Fortin
There are few things more aggravating for a business owner than hiring someone to work from home and finding out they don’t have the proper equipment or software. Worse yet is when someone has the equipment, but doesn’t have a clue on how to use it. Don’t be one of these telecommuters!
If you are a telecommuter, you need to equip yourself for success with the best must-have gear available. The actual equipment and software you need will be dependent on the type of work you perform, but the following list of barebones minimum requirements should help you get started down the road to work-at-home success.
Computer
It is critical that you have a superior computer system if you plan on telecommuting full-time. Computers are a lot cheaper these days than they once were. It is worth the investment to have a system that doesn’t crash constantly, can access the internet at high speeds, and can process documents rapidly.
Good Quality Printer
Consider investing in a laser printer. With professional quality proposals and documents, you’ll be stunned with how much more effective you can become as a telecommuter with a quality printer. Definitely recommended!
Fax Capability (fax machine or online fax service)
Whether it’s an inexpensive online fax service like j2.com that allows you to send and receive faxes using the internet or a traditional fax machine, having fax capabilities will be invaluable to you as you create a professional image with your customers.
Second Phone Line (if using dial up access) or use Cable / DSL
If you must use dial up access, rather than have a cable modem or DSL high speed, then you need to have a second phone line. There is nothing more frustrating for employers than to try and reach a telecommuter and cannot because they are online and there’s a busy signal. Remember: the faster your internet access speed, the more money you can make!
Software You Can’t Live Without
Part of what will make you very good at what you do is handling all the stress on behalf of your customers. They don’t need to hear “No, I’m sorry. I don’t have that software, so I can’t do that project you needed done yesterday.” So, make a concerted effort to have a wide assortment of software at your disposal. To save money, consider buying used software. You can keep an eye on local newsgroups to see what people are selling that they don’t need anymore. Also check out eBay.com and Bidz.com for software deals.
Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel, can set you up to handle just about any telecommuting need. Data entry, research, technical writing, web design, graphics…pretty much everything you’ll typically need to do can be done with this one set of software.
A Good Web Browser
Obviously, you need a good web browser, like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, but you also need to know how to use it effectively!
WinZip
As you know, size isn’t everything, but when you’re talking files and download speed, bigger isn’t better. WinZip opens files that are sent to you or downloaded, but more importantly, it is used to compress files that you need to send to your clients. Why is this important? Simply put, with zipped files, your clients won’t have to painfully watch their email being downloaded with large file attachments. Spare your clients the pain, download WinZip for free from http://www.winzip.com.
Adobe Reader
Put simply, Adobe Reader allows you to view .pdf files. Without it, there are very few documents that you will be able to read, including many eBooks. You can download the Adobe PDF reader for free (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
HTML Editor
You will need a good and simple html editor. This allows you to modify sites and website templates, but more importantly, you can take on projects that involve working with html files. The more variety in projects you can take on, the better for your bottom line!
Graphics Program
Even if you aren’t planning to be a graphics designer, you should definitely have a decent graphics program. No matter the reason—whether it’s resizing, changing a file type, or making a minor modification—you will need a graphics program.
Your Own Website
If you don’t have your own website, you’re seriously hurting your chances of getting the work you deserve! A web site shows the business world that you are serious, professional, and ready to get to work on their project. A telecommuter without a website is like a business without a building. Start building yours today!
As you know, to be a successful telecommuter takes hard work, dedication, and a commitment to excellence. When it comes to equipping yourself with the right stuff, make sure you get off to the right start by equipping yourself with the gear you need to succeed. To your success!
——————————————————————————–
=================================================
This article is excerpted from “You Can Work in Your PJs”, a real world guide to telecommuting. Sylvie Fortin works from home full time and wrote this book to share her unique techniques with others. You can download your copy of “You Can Work in Your PJs” by visiting You Can Work in Your PJs =================================================
Tags: equip yourself for success, equipment, equipping yourself for success, Success, telecommuting
Posted in Business, Success | No Comments »
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=d645c013-2ddc-4a48-abf8-14b04e7d6ef8)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=c4ea9578-07de-470e-a81b-ced8fc9e1ed6)
Copyright © 2010 The Rising Path All rights reserved