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17 October 2009, 16:16
How To Quit Your Day Job by Fabian Tan
How To Quit Your Day Job And Be A Successful Online Entrepreneur Within 6 Months!
When is the right time to give your day job the boot? That’s a question that many entrepreneurs have asked at some point in time.
While it is possible to build an Internet business while you are still at your day job, many have also quit their day jobs as they were determined that they were going to succeed and simply found their time spent at their day job a waste of time. If you do quit your job and work hard at your business, you will have plenty of ti
me and you will have a greater chance to succeed in your Internet business.
To help you out, I have created a simple quiz (this should be used only as a guideline):
1. Do you have enough cash to survive for at least 6 months?
You should have enough money in your bank account to sustain your current lifestyle for at least 6 months if you want to quit your day job. You want to start your Internet business, but you also do not want to be starving or struggling to make ends meet!
2. Does your current online income match or surpass your job income?
This is an important question. The decision to quit your job based on this question depends on your risk profile. If you are more of a risk taker, have less financial obligations and you are confident in your online ventures, you can quit your job now even if you are not making a great income. The time you spend at your job can now be focused on your business. On the other hand, if you have more financial obligations, quitting your job now may not be a good idea at this moment. As you can see, it depends. Before you quit your job, make sure you also have health/medical insurance and life insurance.
3. Do you know how to setup a website?
This is one of the basics. You absolutely need to know how to setup a website to do business on the Internet! Spend time in the beginning learning how to set up a website, it is a skill you will be able to use for years to come.
4. Do you know how to build a subscriber list?
Most successful Internet businesses have huge subscriber lists that allow them to keep in contact with their customers. Having a subscriber list almost always increases profits if you do it the right way. You must know how to setup an autoresponder, drive traffic to your page to build your list, and market properly to your prospects.
Want to learn more about building a subscriber email list? Go to
http://www.ListProfitBlueprints.com
5. Do you have the determination to do what it takes?
Ultimately, your own success depends a lot on what actions you take towards your goals. Are you serious in starting an online business or are you just ‘playing’? Create GOALS and WORK towards them!
I’d like to know if you have any questions, comments or feedback. What actions have you taken towards your online business success? I look forward to hearing from you!
- Fabian
Enjoy!
Margarita Nomeikiene
Content
14 October 2009, 22:11
Is Copywriting the World’s Best Business?By John Forde
....But what could be the world’s BEST business?).
Dare I say it? Copywriting!
How to Spot the Best Business in the World).
Yeah … I know what you’re thinking.).
How can I, a humble copywriter, dare to make that claim? After all, I’ve yet to perform a heart surgery or land a plane.).
And I’m a parent, yes, but just getting started. As for the world’s oldest profession – frankly, not for me. (I don’t like the hours.)).
In short, you could say my experience is limited.).
However, I recently stumbled across a classic essay that has me convinced I’m right.).
It’s titled “The Ideal Business,” and it was written way back in the 1970s by legendary financial guru, Richard Russell.).
(Just as an aside, you may have heard about Richard. He’s been writing and publishing his “Dow Theory Letters” since 1958. And he’s contributed to all the major magazines. He recently celebrated his 85th birthday and he’s still going strong.)).
No, he wasn’t writing about copywriting specifically. Frankly, the copywriting we do – in the manner we do it, remotely with a laptop – wasn’t even imagined as a possibility back then.).
But what Richard did do was run down a list of criteria that described exactly what an “ideal business” for anyone might be.).
With kudos and thanks to Richard, let’s just take a look at the list from a copywriting perspective and see how it shakes out:).
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“Sells the World” – That is, it’s not local, it’s global. Now, I know lots of copywriters get their start writing for local businesses. And it used to be you had to dream of winning Fortune 500 clients to go global. Not so now, thanks to the huge demand for Internet copy.).
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“Enjoys Inelastic Demand” – Meaning that people need it, almost no matter what it costs. And with copy, that’s true. Sure, they’ll want to pay you based on your success record and experience. But there’s no question businesses need copy to sell. If you don’t advertise and do it well, you’re just building yourself a future cobweb colony.).
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“Cannot Be Easily Copied” – Richard was talking about patents and copyrights in his essay. But you could at least make the comparison that every great copywriter has a style, and every great headline leaves an imprint. Sure, rip-offs happen. But it’s the original ad writer who makes the big money and enjoys a lot more job security.).
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“Has Low Labor and Overhead Costs” – In other words, to run a freelance copywriting business, you don’t need employees. And you don’t need a warehouse or expensive heavy machinery (unless, er, you’re a VERY specialized kind of writer I’ve never heard of). All you need is a laptop and something to sell. And coffee.).
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“Takes in Cash Billings” – Freelancers might have to work out payment differences with new clients, but steady clients usually pay on time. And you know you’re usually getting half your fee up front and half when you’ve done the work. Plus royalties, if you’re in a copywriting field that earns them. (I am, and it’s nice to know you’ve got a stream of royalties coming in, especially when they start layering on top of each other.)).
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“Is Free of All Kinds of Regulation” – That’s definitely NOT true when it comes to what you can say in the ad copy you’ll write. Laws can box you in, and they can do it often. On the other hand, when you’re working for yourself, at least you don’t have to sweat the rules on office safety requirements. (Imagine suing yourself for getting your tie caught in your own fax machine or burning yourself with your own coffee machine!)).
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“Is Portable” – I get asked a lot about how to set up as a copywriter in Paris or any of the other places I’ve been lucky enough to work for an extended period (a London office, a New York City apartment, a French country farmhouse, etc.). It’s not always easy (those pesky laws again, the challenge of long-distance clients, and the costs sometimes involved). But as a copywriter, it can definitely be done. In fact, I can’t imagine another career – at least one that pays this well – being as moveable as this one.).
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“Satisfies Intellectual Needs” – I love what I do. Because I love ideas, I love reading, and I love writing. I love learning things and then turning them back around in my own words, while still trying to keep the topics interesting. Of course, that’s not for everybody. And if it’s not for you, well, consider anesthesiology (as a job, not a medical alternative to career depression).).
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“Leaves You With Free Time” – Okay, I’ve got to hedge my response on this one. On the one hand, you’ve got the freelancer’s curse working against you. When there’s no whistle blowing, and your home is your office, it’s possible to work all the time. Plus, as a writer, ideas will creep into your dinners, your walks, even the shower – and you’ll dash to write them down. On the other hand, I kind of like the energy of gears that churn on autopilot.).
Plus, while I may not have lots of free time, I’m master of what I have and how and when I decide to cash it in. Because my schedule is my own to shuffle around (though the older I get, the more I’m sure routine is the secret to success).).
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“Is Not Limited By Personal Output” – Now here’s the one where you might think I’ve hit a sandtrap. After all, some copywriters get paid piecemeal, while others collect royalties. But that isn’t what Richard meant. At least, it’s not the only thing. Ideally, it means you’ve got the chance to get paid exponentially for something you put effort into only one time. Like an information product you can sell over and over again. And certainly, once you’ve figured out how to write copy that sells, that’s an opportunity you’ll have no matter what else happens. Because selling is the key to virtually every kind of repeat business there is.).
Maybe you agree with Richard Russell’s list, maybe you don’t. Or maybe you’re still too new to this game to know, one way or the other.).
As for me, I think he’s hit pretty much all the key points. And by that measure, I genuinely couldn’t imagine a better way to butter my bread than what I’m doing right now (okay, maybe … maybe … some part-time work as a security guard in a lingerie fitting room … or wine taster at one of Paris’ best restaurants … but only if they came with stock options and dental).).
[Ed. Note: John Forde shares his masterful insights and 15 years of control-beating experience weekly in The Copywriter’s Roundtable. (A must read for all copywriters!)]).
to you from http://www.awaionline.com/2009/05/is-copywriting-the-worlds-best-business/
Enjoy!
Margarita Nomeikiene
Content
28 September 2009, 23:21
Michael Angier builds business by helping others build their
South Burlington company sells success
By Matt Sutkoski • Free Press Staff Writer • Monday, September 28, 2009
SOUTH BURLINGTON — Michael Angier is optimistic.
It’s all there on his Web site, SuccessNet.org, which is packed with information on how to become a success in business and in life.
The site oozes with ideas for success, how to win solid profits in a principle-driven business. Discover your life’s purpose. Get your book published in 60 days or less.
Angier says he makes a comfortable living, and greatly enjoys his job, offering memberships and subscriptions to his site for clients worldwide.
Not bad for a man who says his own success rose from the ashes of failures.
Angier grew up on Addison County farm land, raised hogs, and eventually established the Vermont Meat Packing Co. This was in the days before the interest in local food, and the prematurity of his business contributed to the venture’s death, he said. He moved on to found Creating Excellence magazine. “We did well right up until the recession,” he said. Money got tight, advertising diminished, and the publication fell victim to overhead costs and folded around 1991.
By 1996, he’d created Success Networks International and its flagship Web site SuccessNet.org, an early entry into online publishing. On this attempt, the timing was right. People were being drawn to the Internet, interest in small business was rising, and Angier discovered he could run a business online with little overhead, a problem that sank Creating Excellence.
Overall, Angier says people must continually strive to move forward, no matter the circumstances. In one of his blog posts he writes: “I didn’t give up, although I wanted to. Instead, I recommitted and went back to the basics.”
He described those basics as follows: “Get clear on what you want, why you want it, stay focused and take consistent actions toward your goals. You will succeed. And you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.”
SuccessNet helps mostly small-business owners find ways to focus, move forward and make their enterprises thrive, Angier said. The site offers plenty of free advice, but people can also buy memberships and subscriptions to receive additional help. That’s how Angier makes his income from SuccessNet, which has about 97,000 subscribers. Basic memberships cost $17 and “gold” subscriptions cost $99. He also sells his books and other publications online.
There is an element of nuts-and-bolts practical advice sprinkled throughout SuccessNet, but the site largely offers lessons in business and life philosophy. “What we look to do is work on principals of business rather than strategies and tactics,” Angier said.
Angier, who runs SuccessNet out of a basement office in his South Burlington home, calls himself the Chief Inspiration Officer. “People need to be inspired, especially people who work at home who need stimulation from outside.”
One feature of SuccessNet that people can buy is a way to meet up with other business owners, in what Angier calls Master Mind Teams. Angier facilitates online meetings between five subscribers who bounce ideas off one another, share tips, offer support and ask questions.
Angier is also organizing a SuccessNet Summit in Dallas on Nov. 6-8. He has a variety of business experts, coaches, authors and entrepreneurs lined up to give talks. He held a similar summit in Burlington last year. He said such meetings help people make connections, more so than is possible online.
Angier said making money is fine, and he encourages people to find ways to do it. But it has to be done in an authentic way, he says. That enhances the chances the business will last, and also makes running the business more satisfying, he said.
The authenticity Angier prescribes is in large part a plea for basic honesty and truthworthiness. Many businesses proclaim they can be trusted. “A lot of it is probably lip service. They’re looking for ways to stand out.
“If you say ‘We’re the company you can trust,’ you have to back it up. A lot of companies don’t do that.”
He said, in general, businesses owned by women have better odds of surviving than those owned by men. “Women have higher success rates than men. They bring a little humanity to the table.”
Every business needs a vision statement, Angier said. He said the vision should be somewhat unrealistic, painting an idealized picture of what the business will look like when it reaches its ultimate success.
“Your vision statement should be your best possible outcome,” he writes. “Remember that the purpose of your vision statement is to inspire, motivate and stimulate creativity.”
Angier said much of what he does stems from his voracious reading habits. Angier said his eldest son, a successful stock analyst, told him he remembered Angier’s remark from years earlier: “Leaders are readers,” he said.
“I read a fair amount and I subscribe to certain blogs,” he said. “Reading is kind of a catalyst for thinking.” From there, he thinks about how what he reads can be applied to business success. “I’m pretty good at connecting the dots.”
His passion for reading has translated into books for others to read. He has written such publications as “101 Best Ways to Be Your Best” and “101 Best Ways to Get Ahead.” Another book, “Growing You and Your Business,” is due early next year. He said he’s published about 1,500 articles and operates more than a dozen Web sites beyond the core SuccessNet.
The Internet has made it possible for anyone to easily start a business, but such Web-based businesses can be isolating, Angier said. SuccessNet aims to combat that isolation by connecting people with each other, and new ideas.
Internet and business possibilities are not endless, he said. He counsels business owners and would-be entrepreneurs to figure out how to marry whichever of their passions can work together, and maybe not purse some that can’t be part of the business.
“You can achieve anything you want, but not everything,” he said.
Angier said he has achieved the satisfaction he urges others to find. “Eighty-five percent of what I do, I’d do for nothing,” he said.
Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.
ENJOY!
Margarita Nomeikiene
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