Sometimes life events can hit us like a sledgehammer to the solar plexus, but it’s important to move past them and get back on track as quickly as possible. This year has certainly been a challenging one for me on a personal level, but I found that once I got my bearings my life and business benefited in a huge way. On more than one occasion I was reminded of this quote from a great man…

‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at moments of challenge and controversy.’ ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

So what do I recommend when you encounter a situation that gets the best of you and leaves you feeling drained and like you can’t, or don’t want to go on? Here are some techniques that work well for me and for others.

• Step outside of the situation so that you can see it more objectively
• Make every effort to see the other person’s perspective on the issue
• Give yourself and the other person time to heal by giving the gift of time
• Get busy with other aspects of your life and business to clear your mind
• Revisit the situation at a later date to decide how you should proceed
• If and when you decide to move past whatever has happened, do it slowly, carefully, and respectfully
• Learn from what has happened so that you can make wiser choices and decisions in the future.

I have found that dealing with emotional issues can be physically draining, so make sure to eat well and get enough sleep. This allows your mind and body to heal and move you through the process more easily.

Lessons learned can be hugely beneficial to your growth as an entrepreneur. I have learned more about myself during the past seven months or so than I have during the past twenty years. When I found fault in the other person I realized it was a reflection of my own thoughts and actions. As I examined my behavior and traits  I began to make small changes that made a difference in my interactions with others as I went forward. Consistency of thought and action will propel you to deeper insights and awareness of what works most effectively in your life.

Even though I was hurt at what had transpired on a personal level, I have no regrets and choose to remember this experience forever. No matter what the final outcome, our life experiences are what make us feel alive. Choose wisely and know that we are the creators of our own reality. What seems like a sledgehammer to the solar plexus at the time can actually be the turning point of your life.

Video Marketing for Your Business

Driving massive, targeted traffic to your websites has never been easier than it is today with video marketing as a growth strategy. When I got started with my online business in 2006, I was not ready for my close-up. I was one of those people who shied away from the spotlight and preferred to be the one behind the camera instead of being the center of attention. That all changed when I attended an event and one of the speakers wanted a picture of us together. Instead of declining, I silently said ‘Thank you, God, that someone wants a photo with me’ and flashed my brightest smile. I have never looked back since that day.

Video marketing has finally hit its stride in business. It has never been easier to get your photos and videos up online and out to the world. My YouTube channel is very popular, and I describe it as being a ‘lifestyle channel’ in which I share my travels and other life experiences that are available to me as an entrepreneur. You can see for yourself by visiting my Channel, and be sure to subscribe while you’re there to learn more about how I’m using videos to grow my business.

Something new to the scene is called Periscope, and you can download the free App for your iPhone or Android device. Then go to this site to see my most recent scopes. This platform allows you to host a live stream video from anywhere in the world using just your smart phone. I’ve hosted my own videos from the beach in Santa Barbara and joined others in their living rooms, nightclubs, and even riding a surfboard off the coast of Sydney, Australia. The possibilities are endless.

Instagram can also be used for videos, and you can see what I’m doing there by visiting my profile. I’m Connie Ragen Green on Instagram. This site has been particularly instrumental in helping me to show a more personal side of what I do in my life and business on a day to day basis.

YouTube can also be done exclusively from your smart phone. Just remember to turn the phone horizontally while recording for best results. You can then upload the finished video to YouTube and it will be live in minutes. I recommend waiting until you are plugged in and connected to the Internet so you can upload it as an HD (high definition) video for a superior final product.

So, what am I recommending when you are an entrepreneur or small business owner in regards to video?

• Brainstorm ideas on exactly what you’d like to show your prospects
• Make a list of the steps you could show in a short video presentation
• Record a few short videos and then show them to others for feedback
• Go back and record some new videos that explain your business

Remember that you may show yourself in these videos or be behind the camera just voicing them. Different scenarios will dictate how you do this. Or, create a short PowerPoint or Keynote with some bullet points and then explain them each very clearly. These training videos will add great value and bring clarity of message to those who may wish to do business with you.

For example, a massage therapist may want to create short (fewer than five minutes is best) videos showing the process of massage with a subject. Always get written consent before showing someone in your video. They could also voice a video where they show their office or work space and take a short tour, explaining in great detail what each piece of equipment is used for during massage. Finally, they could create a short slide presentation that gives the history of this type of healing practice, describes how the process works, and explains what a new client should expect if they should decide to work with a massage therapist for a period of time.

Allowing your prospects, and even your current clients to view your videos about what you do and have to offer will go a long way in getting the word out to the right people about your unique approach to your field and industry. Even though there are several learning modalities that resonate with people, visual continues to be the medium that the overwhelming majority of people will relate to most readily. How are you building your business with video marketing?

Tanya Brockett, copy editor and authorpreneur, was my guest for this episode of my podcast series. I initially met Tanya in Austin while presenting at Joe Vitale’s live event on entrepreneurship and mindset. We spoke briefly, yet I felt a connection with her right away. It wasn’t until she contacted me over a year later that I found out that she is a professional copy editor. She ended up attending my live event in Los Angeles earlier this year and being the most well-received of all of my speakers. Now we work closely together in a variety of ways.

Tanya has operated an editorial services firm for more than ten years now. During this interview I asked her exactly what an editor is and why does an author need one when we have friends or writing critique groups who can read our work for us and tell us what they think. You may be surprised by her answer. She agreed that many authors believe that editing is just something you do quickly before you send your manuscript to the publisher or printer, but she doesn’t agree. I can speak from personal experience when I tell you that having a professional editor look at your manuscript and recommend changes can make the difference between publishing a book you are proud of and one that will make readers cringe at every page turn.

She shared some advice for finding and working with the right editor for your book, and the importance of working with someone who will help you to get your unique message out to the world. We all have a natural fear of someone changing our ideas, and Tanya understands that concept due to her years of working with authors in this capacity. We also discussed some common errors we tend to make in our writing.

Tanya authored a book called The iPad, the Manifestation, and the Law of Attraction which we discuss as well here. It is in this writing that she share her seven step process for creating your best life now. She shares how this can apply to authors and entrepreneurs in every aspect of our lives. You’ll want to grab a copy and go through the seven steps for yourself. She also shares her TAN-TAN (pronounced Tawn-Tawn) strategy and where that originated.

Whether you have already written your book or are just in the planning stages, Tanya Brockett is someone you’ll want to know. She’s set up a special page for my community here.

Subscribe to this Podcast in iTunes to Hear All of the Interviews

Getting Started With An Online Business

In this podcast I share how to become an author to build credibility, visibility, and profitability, as well as the recommended length and word count for your non-fiction book. I’ve written eleven books so far, as well as contributing to other people’s books and compiling books of my own. Check out my published book titles here.

Next I discuss how to get started building a responsive email list, your free giveaway, and staying connected with your list over time.

Then I share more about my Book-Blog-Broadcast marketing strategy, and why each of these is crucial to your success. Hosting and domains is part of this discussion as well.

Finally, I share more about my all new program, The Online Marketing Incubator, my upcoming live event in Los Angeles at the beginning of October, and a book I have recommended to my own clients, The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.

Are you already on my list and receiving my daily updates? If not, please give me your first name and primary email address in the form on the right-hand side of this site. If you are brand new to my podcasts, you will be interested to know that this specific training call, as well as all of the calls in my podcast series is intended to teach you and other new online entrepreneurs how to take your business to the next level quickly and effectively, and as a way for me to share my exact methods, techniques, Case Studies, secrets, and advice on creating a profitable and lucrative online business using the ‘multiple income streams’ approach. People on six continents have now discovered that starting an Internet business is the very fastest way to achieve both time and financial freedom, as well as to great success in all areas of your life, and you need help to get there quickly. That’s why I started this online marketing tips podcast for my community.

You will see that each podcast session is first recorded live as a teleseminar, and then repurposed into a podcast to extend my reach to the world. Please join my list (opt in on the right) to be included on these calls, and be sure to introduce yourself and share your site for optimal exposure for years to come! Also, check out my Podcast Show Notes site to see how you can subscribe at no cost to both of my podcasts, and please leave me a review on one or both of them if you are so inclined.

You may now pick up my popular training on winning affiliate contests and other online marketing tips for only seven dollars at Affiliate Contest Secrets. Use the discount code CONTEST to bring the price down to $7. This training has been completely updated for 2015 with the latest information, strategies, and Case Studies for you to use in your own business.

Please be sure to leave your comments below so that I may get to know you better and to serve you as you continue your journey as an online entrepreneur. Getting started with an online business will change your life forever and your success is my reward!

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Facebook Groups for Business

Are you leveraging the power of Facebook groups for business? If you’re not yet familiar with them, here is what Facebook has to say about groups…

“Facebook Groups make it easy to connect with specific sets of people, like family, teammates or coworkers. Groups are dedicated spaces where you can share updates, photos or documents and message other group members. You can also select one of three privacy options for each group you create.”

When you’re a member of a Facebook group, you get notifications when someone posts a new message in the group. This happens for anyone in the group when you post something as well.

For example, let’s say you own a flower shop business. You can join groups related to your floral business on Facebook. Then every day you will get notifications in your newsfeed from those active floral groups you follow.

Keep in mind that you can only join groups using your personal Facebook profile rather than your business page. One way to show that you are a business is to have a link to your business Facebook page on your personal page. This make it more like traditional marketing. The only difference is you are using business page links instead of exchanging traditional business cards.

To find Facebook’s suggestions, look in your left sidebar and click Groups > Find New Groups. You can choose from local groups, groups that your friends are part of, new groups and groups you’re already a member of.

Dennis Becker runs an excellent group on Facebook that I have been a part of since the very beginning. It’s called the IM Inside Track and I’d love for you to join as my guest. Introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you’re working on in your online business. Now you might be tempted to simply post a blurb about yourself with a link to your business several times a week, but this isn’t a good idea. For one thing, many groups, including ours, discourage blatant selling. The goal of joining Facebook groups is to network and build your relationships to grow your business over time.

I’ve prepared a list of eight ways to take advantage of Facebook groups and make them your secret weapon for networking. I hope these tips are helpful to you.

1. Share good stuff. Just like any social media site, it’s a social place. That makes it a great place to share helpful, and relevant, stuff. Share funny advice or articles you’ve come across that others in the group would enjoy. Share discounts on productivity apps, industry events and services or products that are widely used in your industry when you come across them. This raises your visibility and shows others that you are keeping on top of certain topics.
2. Give support. Build your credibility by supporting others. Provide helpful answers and advice. Support other group members if they are having problems with something. If you don’t know the answer to a problem, point them to someone who does.
3. Get more leads with kindness. Being supportive and helpful draws people to you. Keep your responses and posts within the group upbeat and positive.
4. Don’t overly self-promote. How annoying is it when you visit a group and all the members are promoting their stuff? These aren’t helpful posts. To network and really grow your business, you should be helpful and giving away your best tips.
5. Build quality relationships. In any business, building relationships keeps customers and clients involved and coming back to your brand. One way to build good customer relationships is to be involved in what is going on in the groups you participate in.
6. Attend events. Many groups will hold events like webinars or meetups. These are excellent ways to network and get to know the members of the group. You want to be where these people are gathering. Both Dennis and I host live events and this is where you can connect in person with the people from the Facebook group.
7. Participate. It’s one thing to join a bunch of groups in your niche. But what good will it do you if no one knows you’re there? You need to participate to become visible. By being visible, you become known. Even if you are extremely busy, mark it on your calendar to stop in at least once a week with a helpful comment or status update.
8. Ask group members to test a new product or service. You could offer a discount or freebie to a certain number of members. This works well in almost any niche. Invite people from the group to test a new dish you’ve created, a service you are offering or a product you are creating. And don’t forget to ask for feedback.

As you already know, using Facebook is an easy way to build relationships with others. The secret to building relationships and networking with other like-minded people who are interested in what you do and offer, is to belong to and participate in Facebook groups.

Valuable Tip: Connect your business page to your personal profile. Since you can only join Facebook Groups using your personal profile, you need to have your business information easy to find on your profile. This is easy to do; just add your Facebook page to the list of places you worked.

Entrepreneurial Success Factors

I’ve been reading The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan and making some changes in my thinking about my own business. In Chapter 16, entitled The Three Commitments they explain the three commitments required in order to achieve extraordinary results in your life and business. These are:

1) Adopting the mindset of someone seeking mastery
2) Seeking the very best ways of doing things
3) Being willing to be held accountable to doing everything you can

They describe mastery as being a way of thinking and acting, as well as your journey to your destination. If you choose to master the correct thing, then pursuing mastery will make almost everything else you do easier, or no longer even necessary. Once we know the basics of what we want to achieve, it is simply a matter of spending enough time to achieve mastery. I think of my writing as an excellent example of this; once I knew how to write blog posts, short reports, and books it was time for me to start writing every single day so that I could continue to perfect my skills over time. The journey of mastery is never ending, and you will be pleased with your success over time.

This all goes back to the theory of ‘10,000 hours’, a rule first discussed by by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson in 1993. The thinking behind this is that establishing the habit of regular practice with any skill will lead to enhanced performance over time with that skill. We’ve all known people who spent endless hours practicing a sport, a musical instrument, or other activity and have observed how they improve over time. I think back to when my grandson took up the guitar at age six and am still amazed at how proficient he has become over these years. This theory assumes a direct correlation between the hours invested and your level of proficiency.

They also discuss the idea of ‘doing your best’ versus ‘doing something in the best way that it can be done’. This requires you to change what you are doing, something many of us are simply not willing to do. Moving from an ‘Entrepreneurial’ approach to one that is more ‘Purposeful’ will change your life forever.

Be sure to pick up a copy of this book and share your experiences with us here.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Have you adopted the mindset of mastery for your life?

Podcasting for Beginners

I have known D’vorah Lansky since 2009 and have had the pleasure to work with her personally as she began her online business. She is now a marketing rock star and one of the few people I’ve had as a guest for my podcast series for the second time. D’vorah’s true audience is authors and speakers, but she has proven herself to be versatile in her work with people from a variety of communities. She is now teaching podcasting for beginners and I knew I wanted to share this information with my audience and community.

During this podcast interview D’vorah and I discuss the history of podcasting and the how and why of when we were both first attracted to this medium for getting our messages out to the world. Podcasting was highly technical and out of reach for most entrepreneurs in its infancy, but has now evolved into a fast and easy way to connect with your target audience on a regular basis. Beginning in 2016, many new cars will have a feature that allows you to search and listen to podcasts in your car the way you currently access AM and FM radio stations. This will bring you closer to millions of potential listeners who wish to learn about your topic while they are driving.

I shared with her how I first began my podcast back in 2007 and quickly gave it up because I felt like I didn’t have anything valuable to share with my listeners. She gives her insight on how best to narrow down your focus so that you will be able to teach on a topic that makes sense for you and your target audience.

Recently D’vorah teamed with respected entrepreneur Doug Foresta to begin teaching podcasting to those who wish to use this as a marketing and content creation strategy for their businesses. We talk about how they decided to form their partnership for their trainings on podcasting and what made them realize this was a worthwhile venture.

Take a moment now to download your complimentary copy of ‘The Insiders Guide to Getting Featured on Podcasts in Your Niche‘ so you can get started right away. In addition, you may be interested in my complete course on how to set up Really Simple Podcasting to grow your business quickly and join the ranks of becoming an online entrepreneur.

Be Sure To Subscribe To The Podcast Series

Social media marketing to grow your business just makes sense. I’ve been on the most influential social sites for seven or eight years now and continue to use them for my business in a variety of ways. Let’s have a discussion of the sites I feel are the most important during 2015 and how they will help you to accelerate your success.

The ‘Big Three’ of social media continue to be LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Additionally, YouTube is crucial to your business success, and this year I have added Google Plus, Pinterest, and Instagram to my list of ‘must have’ sites for your online presence. Let’s take a look at how each one of these sites can help you.

Facebook can be time consuming and trivial if you are there to connect with friends and family. Instead, I recommend creating a Facebook ‘page’ using the name of your business or the name of your city and industry. For example, if you visit https://www.facebook.com/SantaClaritaDentist you will see a page for a dentist in the Santa Clarita area. This is an excellent way to connect with existing and new clients and customers on a regular basis.

LinkedIn was more of a corporate site in years past, but now the social aspect of it has taken precedence. Set up your profile and then allow it to search through your email contacts to see who else you know that is already there. Then start reaching out to people in a systematic way to build your connections. I’ve done this over the past two years and now have a network of more than twenty million people around the world! The next step is to set up a profile for your business. They have a step by step way to do this quickly.

Twitter is much more than just the one hundred forty characters you can ‘tweet’ out at any time. Use it to send messages about your business throughout the day. There are sites you can use to do this for you so that you hit several time zones across the country or around the world. You can now also add photos to your tweets, so use this feature to show what you are doing in your business. For example, the dentist could tweet about the importance of brushing and flossing, and start a discussion about how often people should come in for a routine checkup and cleaning. Once you get the conversation started people will take notice.

Pinterest is also all about pictures, photos, and images. Set up a business profile there and add some photos of yourself, your business, and what you do to serve your clients and customers. This site uses something called ‘boards’ that are intended to share details on a specific topic. Using the dentist as an example, one board could talk about cosmetic dentistry and show some examples of people who have had work done. Another could be about the office itself and show photos of the dentist and all of the support staff. Search for the keywords of your business to see who else is using this site to get the word out about their business and connect with them.

Google Plus requires you to sign up through a free Gmail account. Then you can update regularly with the happenings of your business. Use it to announce anything that customers and clients would be interested in knowing about. Again, updates with images are always more interesting. Also, connect with others there using your email contacts.

YouTube is also an excellent way to get the word out about your business. See what the dentist has done at http://YouTube.com/SantaClaritaDentist. The idea here is to tell the story of your business through short (under five minutes is best) videos. You can easily create these with your smart phone and then upload them to YouTube on your phone as well.

You can see that social media is here to stay, so have some fun with it and let the world know who you are and what your business has to offer. Make sure visitors have a way to follow up, such as including your phone number, blog, or website address. The best part of this, in my opinion, is that social media is free. There are paid advertising options available, but they are optional and too complicated to discuss here.

Here are the links to my social media pages – let’s connect!
Connie Ragen Green on…

LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram

How are you using social media marketing to grow your business? Share with us by leaving a comment.

Shawn Hansen is a published author, as well as a graphic artist (she has designed several of my book covers) and someone who now teaches others how to be successful writing and marketing books online. When I realized that I had not yet interviewed her for my podcast series I made it a priority to do so immediately. Shawn is definitely someone you’ll want to know as you build your online business.

Recently we were both presenters at the annual Earn 1K a Day seminar in Las Vegas, hosted by Dennis Becker. This year I became more excited about the possibility of finally writing the children’s

Shawn is a former college professor, and decided to leave that profession in order to write full time. She is currently collaborating with her father on a book she is writing and he will illustrate. She taught English, so we shifted the conversation to the topic of using proper grammar in your writing, as well as the role of an editor in your writing process.

We then delve into the world of writing children’s books, and briefly discuss her course on how to do this. Shawn strongly believes, as do I, that the world has changed to the point where the parents of young children are now more comfortable allowing their kids to read on a variety of devices, in addition to paperback and hard cover books. This opens up new opportunities for those of us publishing on Kindle and makes it possible to give children a great reading experience that is also meaningful.

Shawn lays out the situation with traditional publishing, which in the case of children’s books is typically done with in-house writers and illustrators by large publishing companies. She also talks about the Kindle Kid’s books creator software, which she teaches in her course for proper formatting and alignment of illustrations.

We also discuss the children’s book I am writing currently, and how it came to be. I asked Shawn how the outlining and writing process may differ from what I do for all of my non-fiction books and she explained her perspective on this is a way that you will want to hear. She shares that she has written at least a thousand words a day since 2006, and I have done this for the past five years as well. We end our interview with a frank discussion of controversial topics and how they should be approached by authors as a way to expose children to a variety of stories and situations that will enhance and enrich their lives.

Be sure to check out her training on writing Kindle books for kids if you would like to get started in this field.