Well it’s the end of 2007 and my thoughts are on how I can improve my online work schedule and tune out distractions.

I have found online business to have a lot of advantages.  The first is the fact I work from an office in my own home so I save a bundle not buying gas to commute to a day job.

My wife and I love to travel being baby boomers and with our own online business we can just plain take it on the road with us, pretty darn cool. Well as long as we can get internet access when we need it. Sometimes we get in some pretty out of touch places when traveling.

As great as working from home or the road is there are a few pitfalls just like those real world jobs.

For me personally one of the biggest challenges I face is staying on task and focused.  I can get distracted so easily at times that hours just disappear with little or no results. I have to constantly tell myself how important it is not to let distractions affect my productivity.

NOTE: Even if you’re not getting paid by the hour, time is still money.

Set Hours and Stick to Them

Another great advantage to being your own boss is the ability to set your own hours. Setting your own hours can also be a double edged sword. It is easy to become a workaholic or too be a slacker and never get anything done. It’s important to set a schedule for work as routines are beneficial for the mind.
During designated work time, avoiding Internet use for non-work related activities is essential.  Here are some ways you can help yourself do that:

• Keep one email address for your personal emailing and then your business email address. This will help you sort your email using filters. You will be able to put your personal emails on hold until your work is done or you have a scheduled break time. Don’t take work time to catch up on personal stuff. That’s A Big NO NO.
• I always have a notepad beside me when I work so that as things pop into my head I can write them down and continue working. Then I can deal with what ever it was later, after my work day is complete.
• Write yourself a note reminding yourself that work time is for work only, or put up an “Open” sign.  It can serve as a gentle reminder that business is the only thing that should be taking place.
• Don’t be afraid to tell your friends and family you have a work schedule to maintain. They shouldn’t call or they can just call back later, after the work day is complete.

Use Flexibility Wisely

Another great thing about working as your own boss is the flexibility.  There are times when something comes up and you need to attend to it right away, you can drop what you’re doing and attend to it.  But it’s crucial to only use that privilege when absolutely necessary as your mind can come up with an endless list of urgent things that aren’t really urgent.

When you have an unexpected interruption, you lose working hours.  If you were working at a regular job, you would have to either take sick time, vacation time or lose pay.  When you work for yourself, you can make the hours up at a time that is convenient for you.  It is, however, important to make them up at some point.

An online business is one of the most convenient and flexible ways to work from home and make money online.  It also presents more opportunities for distraction than many people imagine.  Online business success requires a lot of discipline, but the rewards are many.

Happy New Year

Tweet This Post

Like most hobbyists I have never had a problem spending money on my hobbies and I really enjoy buying new things for my hobbies. My beautiful and loving wife, Jennifer, says that my fishing buddies and I actually go out looking for things to spend money on. There may just be some truth to that, after all we wouldn’t want to miss the latest and greatest.

I will admit that over the years I have spent at least one or two small fortunes on my hobbies. As do so many others.

You know the story, if it’s not one thing it’s another

“I need new fishing line and of course new flies for fishing and some lures and and and….” Well the real truth is that I want new this and that.

“My guitar needs new strings…”

“Our gardening tools are all old and rusty, need new ones.”

See, I have no problem spending if it has anything to do with my hobbies, so trust me, there is great money to be made in hobbies.

Some of my hobbies and interests I make money online with.

Fishing is the hobby I have enjoyed the longest, about 40 years. It’s great fun, exercise and I get to make a lot of new like-minded friends.

For me fishing includes spin casting, bait-casting, fly fishing and float-tube fishing.

I like to buy new fly rods, spinning rods and bait casting rods every few years. Of course each type of rod needs it’s own equipment like reels and line.

I love buying new lures and I tie my own flies for fly fishing but that takes materials and hooks.

My chest waders and boots only last so long, especially because of some of the places I fish.

The list of things I love to spend money on goes on and on and will do so until I kick the bucket or can’t go fishing any longer.

Traveling is something we do as a family and at least once a year. We have mostly traveled to amusement parks in the U.S. as we live in Canada and can use our car to travel in. We don’t always travel by car we also travel by plane and spend a lot of money.

In the past I only spent money on traveling but now I also earn money by promoting a travel site blog and affiliate programs.

Playing guitar doesn’t cost me a lot at all but I have bought a few guitars and they all need strings now and then. The friends that have taken up guitar over the years could have made me money. Just in the past week two new friends have taken up guitar and will be spending hundreds of dollars each.

Backyard Gardening is new to us and costs money every year. We have friends that garden as well and they spend money every single years without fail.

These are some of my hobbies, I am sure you have your own hobbies that you spend money on. Use those hobbies to make money online and you may just find that you start taking up new hobbies.

I even have interests I don’t really want.

Two other areas I now have knowledge in, unfortunately are: Heart Attacks and How To Quit Smoking.

Speaking of New Hobbies: Cameras and Photography

Blogs and websites tend to look better with images but in the past I have had to buy graphics because I shake so bad that any time I take a picture it is out of focus. But now we have cameras that compensate for shaky hands like mine.

My wife and I will be able to document our activities now so that we can have images and possibly even some videos that will fit right into our hobby blogs.

Remember there is gold in them thar hobbies…

Tweet This Post

As your own boss and being a one person operation who do you delegate tasks to? In most large businesses, employees perform specialized functions.  Secretaries handle all of the filing and related tasks.  Marketing people handle the advertising and public relations.  Accountants keep the books.  Salespeople make the sales.

Many small businesses do not have the luxury of being able to hire employees.  So the business owner must handle everything herself.  While this may work out reasonably well in the initial stages, as the business grows it gets more difficult to keep up with it all.  There are some compelling reasons that business owners should consider outsourcing.

1. You can’t learn everything.  No matter how smart you are, you simply can’t.  Even if you could, learning takes time, and there are only a set number of hours in a day.  If you try to learn every minute aspect of the things that need to be done for your business, you’re going to end up disappointed and frustrated.
2. You have a life outside of your business.  Everyone needs time to spend with family and friends, even if they’re running a business.  If we try to tackle everything ourselves, we won’t have time to enjoy the finer things in life.
3. The stress of trying to do it all can adversely affect your health.  There are enough stressors in life that we don’t need to add to them unnecessarily.  But if we put pressure on ourselves to run a business on our own with no help at all, it can really stress us out.  Besides affecting our state of mind, too much stress can cause high blood pressure and put us at risk for many other ailments.
4. People who are trained well in their fields may be able to do a better job.  If you barely know HTML, it would take you quite a while to learn how to make a good-looking and functional website.  An experienced web designer could have your entire website up and running before you were finished learning what you need to know.  In situations such as this, it makes more sense to outsource than to try to do it yourself.
5. Outsourcing can save you money.  Some tasks require special equipment or software.  If you’re not going to need these things in the future, it doesn’t make much sense to buy them for one project.  Hiring someone else that already has what is needed to get the job done is usually more economical.

In many cases, outsourcing makes good business sense.  It allows us to concentrate on the things we’re best at, and it can save us time and money.  So the next time you find yourself with an overabundance of work, consider outsourcing.

Tweet This Post

It is not uncommon for an affiliate to join a program, promote it for a few months and then become inactive.  This may be due to a personal problem that takes their mind away from work or perhaps they found a new product that has caught their attention.  This brings up the question of how to motivate your affiliates to keep at it.  One way is to hold contests.

Affiliate contests are a great way to jump-start sales, motivate affiliates and add a bit of fun to your affiliate program.  By holding a contest, affiliates receive a gentle reminder of the product and program.  Contests also give affiliates a fun goal to strive for.  Plus, who doesn’t like to win a contest?

Some people are naturally competitive.  They do not want to think that someone else can do a better job than they can.   They will work hard to win the contest because they want to be “number one.”

Other people simply enjoy the recognition that winning a contest brings them.  They want to feel appreciated and by winning a contest they will know that you are aware of, and appreciate, their hard work.

There are many ways to hold a contest.  Many contests are based upon who has the highest level of sales.  You can base that on a dollar amount or the number of products.  If you offer more than one product, you can base the contest around one product in particular.

If your affiliate program is tiered, meaning you offer your affiliates a portion of the commission earned upon the sales of the affiliates they have personally recruited, you can choose to offer a recruiting contest.  The winner is the person who recruits the most affiliates in a given month.  This type of contest can help you add a significant amount of affiliates to your program in a short time as well as motivate affiliates to promote the program and products more.

If your affiliate program happens to be full of people who are not very active, offer a contest where the winner is the person who has shown the most improvement over their last month’s sales.  Let affiliates know that they don’t need to sell 10,000 products in order to compete with a super affiliate.  Let them know that someone who sold 1 product last month and 10 products this month, just had a 1,000% increase and could end up winning the contest.

You can choose any type of prize for your contest.  Cash is always a popular prize among participants, as that is something that everyone can use.  Some people may enjoy receiving an extra commission percentage, especially if they sold a lot of products that month.  Other ideas include a gift certificate to a restaurant or even a pampering treatment at the spa.

Holding a contest will definitely add to sales and provide some fun and friendly competition to affiliate program.  All the while, building the program and creating more income and less work for you.

Tweet This Post

Many affiliate managers wonder what they can do to make their affiliate program stronger, increase sales, and have happy, motivated, and hardworking affiliates.  The answer is simple.  One of the best things you can do for your affiliate program is to create an affiliate center.

Think of an affiliate center as the heart of an affiliate program.  There may be an affiliate handbook.  This can include a background on what affiliate marketing is, some examples of the methods they can use to market your products and services, as well as some additional resources you feel will be of help to them.

An affiliate center should also include tools affiliates can use to promote your products, such as articles, brandable special reports, sample emails, as well as both graphic and Text Link Ads.

Depending on the program used to manage the affiliate program, their affiliate statistics may be included in this area.  If the affiliate center is located outside of the affiliate management system, simply include a link to the URL affiliates can use to log in and view their stats.

While it isn’t necessary to provide these things to your affiliates, it is extremely beneficial to both the affiliates and you.  Having everything in one place makes it very convenient.  Your affiliates can log in and check their stats, pick up some new ads to use on their sites or an article to post on their blog.  They can also take a few minutes to look through the affiliate handbook and pick up some new marketing techniques…all in one central location.

It does take time to create these training materials and resources, but it will be beneficial down the road.  Providing these things to  affiliates makes their job easier, therefore making them more willing to do the work necessary to earn commissions.  They can simply grab the ads you created and post them on their site or take the sample email and send it to their mailing lists.

These tools let them get started quickly and easily.  A new affiliate can join a program and start receiving sales the same day.  This is a win-win situation for both you and the affiliate.

If you have already started a program, but have not yet created an affiliate center, don’t worry.  It’s never too late to start.  You can send an email to your affiliates and ask them how you can make their job easier, what tools they would like to see provided, and what aspects of affiliate marketing they need training on.

Once you begin creating the affiliate center, you should start seeing some great results.  Current affiliates will have a new drive and will become more motivated and new affiliates will be able to get a running start.

You will benefit from having such an amazing affiliate program, as well and will see extra profits for years to come as long as the affiliate center is maintained well.

Tweet This Post

affiliate programs allow sales while your affiliates do the legwork.  It’s a win-win situation, because both parties make money.  With the right software, most affiliate management activities can be completely automated.

There are lots of affiliate management software programs available today and new ones become available regularly.  There are expensive ones and inexpensive ones, simple ones and complex ones.  Finding the program that is right for your affiliate program will take some research, but getting a good fit is worth the effort.

Affiliate Networks

Affiliate networks are a type of third-party affiliate management solution.  Join one and have them do most of the work.  They will handle lead and sale tracking also affiliate payment and statistics.  They even do some of the promotion.

Getting an affiliate network to handle a program isn’t cheap.  Fees vary but they are usually calculated as a percentage of each sale.  Setup fees are also common.

Hosted Affiliate Solutions

There are many affiliate software programs that are hosted by a third party but controlled by the affiliate program manager.  These are great if you want control of the program but don’t want to fill up your bandwidth and hosting space with affiliate software.  There’s also minimal setup making this a good solution for anyone who is not technically savvy.

Some of these types of programs integrate with shopping carts and payment systems making running your affiliate program even easier.  Some also offer the option to upgrade to a dedicated tracking server if there are a lot of affiliates.  They offer lots of flexibility and lower prices than affiliate networks.  Generally there is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee thereafter.

Do-It-Yourself Affiliate Software

There are also plenty of options for those who want to run their affiliate programs on their own hosting.  This is usually the least expensive option, only requiring a one-time fee for the purchase of the software.  Setup is required and it may or may not be easy. Some providers will do it for an additional fee.

Some providers offer shopping carts with affiliate tracking features included in them.  This allows both features with one setup and provides for great ease of use.  It is important to make sure that such solutions have all of the features needed before buying.

Things to Consider When Purchasing Affiliate Program Software

When deciding which affiliate software is right there are several things to consider.  These include:

• Price- Affiliate software must be affordable.  Otherwise it will eat up the profits and that would defeat the purpose of having an affiliate program.
• Tracking- Cookies are the best way to ensure that affiliates get credit for their sales or leads, even if they don’t occur on the first visit.  Using a software program that utilizes them will make things easier and keep affiliates happy.
• Flexibility- Some programs offer multiple commission levels, the ability to pay for sales and leads and other features that allow customization of a program.  This is essential when offering these capabilities but if you want to keep things simple save some money by getting a program that does not allow for such customization.
• Payment integration- Ability to make payments quickly and easy can be a real time-saver.  Different programs offer integration with different payment systems.  It’s important to make sure that the program you plan to use will work with the payment system you choose.

Affiliate program software will help you keep your program running smoothly.  Finding the right program means less work for you and allows you to concentrate on other aspects of your business.

Tweet This Post

I truly believe that Content is King. The written word is important to any business.  Whether you create a blog to make money online, direct mail piece, or in a print publication, it serves to inform readers and entice them to take action.  So it is important to know how to use our words to motivate readers.

Emotion Is a Powerful Motivator

In order to get a response from our readers, it is important to evoke emotions.  People respond to emotion much more quickly than they respond to cold, hard facts.

There’s nothing wrong with presenting facts about your business or its products or offerings, but it’s important to do so in moderation.  Long, drawn out business and technical monologues tend to bore the reader, resulting in him leaving your website or tossing your mailing in the trash.  It’s much more effective to focus on what you can do for the reader.

Use Action Words

Writing in a passive manner does nothing to get a reader excited.  In fact, it can be quite boring and monotonous.  And bored readers rarely become customers.

It is important to use action words throughout our copy.  This facilitates emphasizing the benefits of what we have to offer rather than just listing humdrum details.  Action-packed writing is also more memorable, so if our readers should get sidetracked they are more likely to come back to it later.

What Do You Want Your Readers to Do?

Great copywriting has several important characteristics.  But one of the most critical is also the simplest:  In order to be effective, we must let our readers know what it is we want them to do.

The best way to let our readers know what we want from them is to simply come out and tell them.  This is known as a call to action.  Phrases such as “Order now” and “Sign up here” are good examples.  But a call to action isn’t complete unless you make it clear how the reader can perform that action.  That means you need to include a link, phone number, or address they can use.

Set a Deadline

Deadlines are powerful motivators.  If a customer is on the fence about buying your product or signing up for your newsletter, a deadline can make all the difference in the world.

You might only accept signups for a limited time.  Or you could offer a discount if the reader acts now.  Putting a time limit on things creates a sense of urgency, because readers fear missing out if they don’t act quickly.

Nearly everything we do has some sort of motivating factor.  So if we want our readers to act, we must give them the motivation to do so.  By writing in a style that evokes emotion and encourages action, we increase our chances of turning a reader into a customer or subscriber.

Tweet This Post

As an online marketer you are your own boss, motivation can be a tricky thing. Those who work for someone else are usually presented with incentives to keep them motivated and working hard. But when you have no boss, it’s up to you to find ways to motivate yourself to make money online.

Taking the road less traveled is difficult at times, my friends and family basically just smiled. By choosing to be your own boss, you put your success in your own hands. This can be much more rewarding than working at an hourly job, but it is also much harder in many ways. There will be times when any business owner feels like throwing in the towel.

It is completely normal to feel like giving up at times. But when that happens, it is important to keep on keeping on. Here are some ways to do that.

1. What made you want to start an online business? Make a list of the reasons. Just getting started in business takes a tremendous amount of motivation, so going back to that time can help us get back into a similar frame of mind. Once your list is finished, keep it in plain site so you can refer to it daily.
2. Setting reachable goals and reward yourself for achieving them. Setting goals for our businesses helps us stay on track, and rewarding ourselves with something meaningful gives us the extra incentive we need to attain them. Seting goals should start with a big goal and little goals that will help you reach the big goal.
3. Network with fellow business owners. It can be reassuring to know that others have been where you are and come out on top. They may also have helpful advice to share about any specific problems you are having. There is no shame in asking for help. It sure beats giving up broke.
4. Consider investing in some motivational videos, CDs, books, or seminars. The people who make these have a knack for getting people on their feet and helping them succeed. There are lots of choices when it comes to these items, so if you don’t know which speaker or author to choose, ask a fellow businessperson for a recommendation.
5. Get away from it all. One of the biggest motivation killers is burnout. If you’ve been working long hours and not seeing the rewards you think you deserve, consider taking a long weekend and going on a mini-vacation. Have someone else attend to calls and emails if possible. When you get back, you can get back to work with a clear head.Get out that fishing rod and let’s go fishing for a day. On those days I can’t go fishing a nice long walk helps to refresh my mind.
6. Outsource. If there is an aspect of your business that you aren’t crazy about, you might consider hiring someone else to take care of it. This will free you up to work on the things that you are passionate about.

Staying motivated is essential to success. When we lose our motivation, our work suffers and we lose ground. By reminding ourselves what we want to accomplish and taking steps to reenergize ourselves, we can regain the momentum we need to get through the tough times.

Tweet This Post

Alright I admit it. I am a BLOGaholic.

When I had a real world job I expected to have a day or two off each week. Working seven days a week would lead to fatigue and burnout. Well this is true for online business as your own boss.

When starting an online business, it can be tempting to work all the time to make money online. We want to get ahead, and we know that our success depends almost completely on us. But it is essential to give our body and mind some time for rest and relaxation on a regular basis. Aaaaah fishing…

As They Say – All Work and No Joy

We’ve all heard the saying, “All work and no joy makes James a dull, dull boy.” It’s true that we’re not much fun to be around when we’re strictly business all the time. I am guilty as charged. Work is an important part of our lives, but the fun stuff is important as well.

One of the top reasons that people choose to start their own businesses is so that they can choose their hours. Some want to spend more time with their families, while others have hobbies that they enjoy participating in on a regular basis. But once they get started, they sometimes lose sight of that in favor of growing the business.

If you find yourself working constantly, step back for a moment and think about what you’re missing. You may find that it’s the same things that you wanted to go into business so that you wouldn’t have to miss. If so, schedule some time for those things and don’t let anything get in the way of it.

Working Too Hard Can Be Counterproductive

It takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground. In the beginning, many business owners put in long hours in an attempt to get ahead. While putting in some overtime is often necessary, working 60 hours a week every week can be detrimental to our success.

We need some time off to recharge our batteries and attend to other things. Working too hard for too long can affect our concentration, as can worrying about other things that need to be done outside of work. So it is important to schedule time off in order to keep ourselves focused.

Scheduling Time Off When You Don’t Live By a Schedule

Scheduling can be a difficult thing when you’re in business. There are times when you need to work around your clients, and deadlines may necessitate working on a day that you would normally take off. But it is important to schedule some time off every week.

If you find yourself working when you had planned to rest and relax, try to reschedule just like you would if a work-related matter had to be postponed. Getting your work done is essential to your success, but so is taking time for rest and recreation.

Tweet This Post

Goals are a wonderful thing.  They keep us motivated and help us measure our success.  They help us get through the tough times and remember what we’re working for.  It is important to set goals high enough that we feel a sense of accomplishment when we attain them.  But it is equally important to set goals that we actually have a reasonable chance of achieving.

What Happens When We Set Goals Too High?

When we set goals, they usually represent milestones that are important to us.  You might set a goal of selling 1,000 copies of your new ebook in a month, for example.  If you achieve that, it will certainly be something to celebrate.  But if you don’t, it could leave you disappointed and lower your morale.

When deciding on goals, it is crucial to consider whether or not they have a reasonable chance of being met.  We need to push ourselves and give ourselves incentives to work harder and achieve more.  Yet if a goal has an extremely slim chance of being attained, it can do more harm than good.

How Do I Determine Whether or Not My Goals Are Too High?

Before you set a goal, it is important to examine its feasibility.  If you have been in business for a while, you may be able to look back on similar projects and see how well they turned out.  If you’re just starting out, it can be a little more difficult.

The Internet provides a way to check the feasibility of some goals.  Many small business owners blog about their experiences, and with a little searching you might find the details of how goals that relate to yours turned out.  It is important to remember, however, that circumstances differ.  What worked for others may not work for you, and vice versa.

If your goals are sales-related, some analysis of contributing factors might help in setting them.  Going back to the ebook example, finding information about conversion ratios can be helpful.  With these numbers, you can use your site traffic to estimate how many sales you can expect.  If the figure you come up with is substantially less than the goal you are considering, you may want to go back to the drawing board or find ways to boost your traffic.

If you do find that you have set a goal too high, don’t let it discourage you.  Consider it a learning experience.  Next time it might be wise to give yourself more time or lower your standards a bit.  There may also be something that could have been done differently for better results.

Challenging yet realistic goals can make a huge difference in your business.  Each time we achieve a new goal, we build momentum.  By considering the likelihood of attaining our goals when setting them, we set ourselves up for success.

Tweet This Post