Tag Archives: Entrepreneurs

Daily Productivity for Entrepreneurs

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Daily Productivity EntrepreneursDaily Productivity: Achieving Your Goals

Since coming online to work exclusively in 2006 I have been obsessed (in a good way!) with my daily productivity. It is my goal to feel accomplished at the end of each day to ensure that my business keeps moving forward. When I mentor entrepreneurs I like to instill this same type of work ethic in them. Over time these small, daily tasks and activities turn into larger projects and goals accomplished, and a larger bottom line. Here are just a few of the ways you can do this as well in your personal life and in your business.

  • Decide in advance what it is that you wish to accomplish. For example, during November and December of 2015 I wrote down my plans to create a series of eight courses for 2016. They would have the “Really Simple” branding and cover the topics around entrepreneurship that I was most proficient in already. Over the next couple of months I refined these plans and made sure to implement my ideas quickly.
  • Know that you do not have to do everything yourself. Once I learned how to properly delegate the specific tasks and activities that I do not know how to do, do not want to do, or that would not be an effective use of my time to others, this freed me up to only work on the things that only I can do in my business. These include writing, teaching online, presenting in person, and mentoring/consulting.
  • Work in time blocks each day. I wrote about this part of daily productivity in detail in my bestselling book on Time Management for Entrepreneurs. Decide which hours of the day are best for the specific activity you need and want to work on, and then block out the time it will take to achieve your goal. For instance, each morning I block out one hour to write a new article such as this one to share with my community. Because I have been doing this for so many years it takes much less time and the results are much better than it was when I began over a decade ago.
  • Leverage your transition time. I define “transition” time as the time it takes to move both physically and mentally from one activity to another. This time can really add up throughout the day and make or break your goals for daily productivity. Look for ways to make the most of this time so that you do not end your day with two to three hours of wasted time.
  • Protect your time with family, close friends, and the activities you most enjoy. Recently I spent almost three hours at my local art museum with close friends for an opening that was of great interest to me. That time brought me great joy and I made sure to block the time so that it enhanced my daily productivity goal instead of detracting from it.

Now you can see that your time can be managed and that being productive each and every day is a doable goal. Over time this will account for your great success and a feeling of well being that cannot be overstated.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future. And please be sure to check out my Internet Marketing Six Pack training course.

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Why Entrepreneurs Must Think Like a Publisher

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Think Like a PublisherWhy Authors Must Think Like a Publisher

When I got started as an online entrepreneur over a decade ago things were very different than they are today in regards to writing and publishing. In those days authors went through traditional publishing houses to publish their books, information product creation was in its infancy, and entrepreneurship was still attached to the brick and mortar world of business. These days one person can wear all three hats, and it is very common for someone like myself to be an author, publisher, marketer, and entrepreneur. Thinking of yourself as a publisher from the very beginning will serve you well over time.

The writer as a publisher is not a new idea, and before the 1950s self-publishing was widely accepted. For a period of fifty years this strategy was looked down upon to some extent, and since about 2010 it is once again a widely accepted method for authors all over the world to become published. When you think like a publish you are in control of your destiny.

Also, when you think of yourself in these terms the future of your business opens up in a way that was not even possible years ago. For example, I created Hunter’s Moon Publishing as my own publishing house back in 2010. This immediately enabled me to have the final say over everything I wrote and wanted to publish. I was also able to help other authors and entrepreneurs to publish their books more easily.

Information products also fall into the realm of publishing. You are, in effect, teaching someone the solution to their problem in written format. Once you think of yourself as a publisher of this type of information than as simple an information marketer, your business will evolve to the next level more easily. Being a publisher is very different work than what is required and expected of a writer.

Make a list of the ideas and messages you wish to convey to your target audience over the next three months. Create an outline to work from and write down everything you will include, along with the information you will exclude. Then plan out an eBook or short report you could publish on your topic, information products that would make sense, and a full length book that could be the ultimate goal for your business. Also, don’t forget about creating an online course where you teach the content contained in your information products, reports, and book. When you think like a publisher, your horizons are broadened.

Take some time to incorporate the ideas I am presenting here into your own business. I truly believe that online entrepreneurs must take it upon themselves to elevate their status to that of a publisher so that their businesses will grow. It also changes the thinking and allows you to take full responsibility for your life and for your business. Once you begin to act and think like a publisher rather than an author and/or information product creator and marketer you will experience a new world of opportunities.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future. Be sure to take a look at my Really Simple Content Marketing training course to help get you started on how to think like a publisher.

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Social Media and Forums for Entrepreneurs

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Social Media TipsSocial Media Tips

When I first came online back in 2006 the only way to connect with others using the Internet was through bulletin boards and forums. It was quite primitive and sometimes technologically challenging, but it was the only way to “talk” to others who were online. You might be wondering why we didn’t use social media, and that is because this was before social media! Here are some social media tips to help you get started.

Facebook was still for college students at this time, and even though I was taking classes as part of a graduate program at a university I was not aware of this site. Twitter was not even a gleam in its founders eyes, and LinkedIn was strictly for the corporate world. Once these sites opened up to the world our lives would never be the same.

One of the only negative things about social media is that these sites can be a time and productivity “black hole”, meaning that you may have the perception you are working but actually you are accomplishing very little during that time. The posts and comments can also be quite negative at times, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like religion or politics. That’s why these social media tips are so valuable.

I have made it a policy not to get involved in any way with anything that does not relate to my work or the people in my life. This has kept me positive and focused for all of these years. My motto has been and continues to be “Get in, get out, and get back to work!” when it comes to social media and forums.

Forums are probably the best places for you to spend a little time each week. The one I prefer by far is the Earn 1K a Day forum and membership group founded and run by my good friend and mentor Dennis Becker. I’ve been a part of his group for more than five years now and have been able to connect with some of the smartest and kindest entrepreneurs in the world. I give them credit for helping me to write a few of my bestselling books, create successful online training courses, and even plan and host live events. The comaraderie is so valuable, helpful, and even comforting at times. And if you’re looking for outsourcers or joint venture partners it is second to none.

These days there are most social media sites than anyone can name or think of, so be careful when it comes to how you divide up your time for each one. I recommend starting with the “big three”, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and then adding YouTube, Google Plus, and Instagram. Don’t go any further until you have achieved your goals on these six sites in a way that makes sense for your business. And Dennis Becker’s Earn 1K a Day forum is also a must-have resource and membership.

I believe you must have a strategy in place before you start spending endless hours reading, posting, and commenting in social media or forums. Instead, think of the message you want to disseminate among the people who follow you and then look for ways in which you can make that happen. In addition to the content I share regularly about my overall topic of online entrepreneurship I also include content that shows my lifestyle and the charity work and volunteering that are such a big part of my life.

There is no doubt that social media makes everything we are working to accomplish as entrepreneurs more fun and interesting, but your goal must be to make sure the people you connect with know who you are and what you have to share with them in terms of your business expertise. Please leave a comment to let me know if these social media tips have been useful and helpful.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

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Joint Ventures for New Online Entrepreneurs

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Joint VenturesJoint Ventures Used Wisely for Online Entrepreneurs

Joint ventures can be defined as a commercial enterprise undertaken jointly by two or more parties that otherwise retain their distinct identities. This business entity is generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance and participation. Many people seem to think of a partnership as a type of  joint venture, but for the purposes of this discussion I’d like to consider these two arrangements – joint ventures and partnerships – as separate entities. You may want to consider these options when you get started as an online entrepreneur, especially if your previous business experience is somewhat limited.

My first experience with a JV project came in 2009 when Dr. Jeanette Cates and I decided to teach an online class together. She had already been working online for about fifteen years when we met, so it did not make sense for us to become partners. There are also legal considerations to take into account, but since I am not an attorney or other professional in the areas of business, finance, taxes, or anything similar I will not share my thoughts and opinions on this part of the equation. Instead, I’d like to focus on exactly how a joint venture can be beneficial to you.

Because of Jeanette’s vast experience, she was in charge of handling all of the behind the scenes pieces. This included using her shopping cart to take orders and her autoresponder service to stay in contact with the people who registered for our training. Once a week she updated the spreadsheets in our shared Google Docs folder so that I could see what was happening.

We shared ownership of the course, meaning that we both worked on the course content, the membership site, and presenting the material to our students. Her tech team completed the work we needed done for this and that worked extremely well. We used Jeanette’s hosting company, while I purchased the necessary domain names.

This was quite a learning experience for me, and being able to work virtually alongside someone of Dr. Cates’ caliber made it possible for me to have some on the job training in my newly founded and conceived online business. If I wasn’t sure of something we were doing, I would simply contact Jeanette to discuss it. In fact, our arrangement progressed so smoothly that we went on to create additional courses and programs, as well as a series of workshops and conferences throughout the next several years.

Then we decided to create a course on exactly how to set up and implement a joint venture as a new entrepreneur. We offered this training for two years and many people told us how grateful they were to learn from two people who had actually been quite successful with this business model.

My primary advice if you are considering this is to make sure you choose a joint venture partner you can see eye to eye with when it comes to specific choices and decisions that must be made. Start with something small, like Jeanette and I did with our first course and then move on to bigger and more sophisticated projects over time as the relationship evolves, You’ll be glad you did and your success will be all the sweeter.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

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Relationship Marketing for Entrepreneurs

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Relationship MarketingRelationship Marketing

I’ve incorporated something called “relationship marketing” into my business since the very beginning, and now many people are doing the same thing. The idea behind this is that it focuses on client and prospect loyalty and long-term engagement rather than shorter-term goals like customer acquisition and individual sales.

A couple of years ago I was having a phone conversation with legendary marketer Marlon Sanders when I mentioned that I had just got off the phone with one of my new customers.

“Stop the presses!” he exclaimed, just loudly enough to make me jump out of my chair while halfway across the country.

Marlon could not believe that I took people offline to connect with them at various points during our relationship. He insisted on knowing more, so I spent the next two hours sharing what was working for me and answering each of his questions in great detail.

I knew that Marlon did this as well. Years ago I had purchased something from him and had difficulty with downloading the file. When I put in a support ticket I was pleasantly surprised to hear from him personally on the phone. He still does that to this day from time to time.

I shared my thoughts on why reaching out to a prospect, new customer, or to an ongoing client by picking up the phone or scheduling a call with them is such as excellent idea.

First, just about no one else is doing this. Second, when you are speaking directly with someone in this way you quickly establish a relationship with them that is unlike anything you can do through emails or even small group calls or webinars. It’s even better than meeting them in person at a live workshop or conference in that you do not have the distraction of the crowd and the event.

Finally, speaking with them on the phone allows you to control the situation and truly listen to what the other person is telling you. Many times I will make them an offer that I wouldn’t have otherwise because now I know more about their situation and what they need.

Marlon asked me how long these calls typically lasted, and if I followed up with people in the future. I told him that the calls were best when limited to thirty minutes. That way we both stayed on topic and took the conversation seriously. And yes, I do follow up with people by email several days or a week later.

Then Marlon asked me if I had a specific funnel or path I would encourage someone to follow. My answer was no, because one size will never fit all. Each person’s goals and needs are different, depending upon a variety of variables. For example, someone could be brand new to online marketing and need more basic and general online marketing training. Or someone could be working on a book and need my Write – Publish – Prosper training program to help them finish writing the book so they could begin marketing and selling it to their target audience.

That day Marlon and I had one of our most productive conversations ever. We discussed the sales process, what’s new in online marketing, and how we could best support each other in the coming year. Then we got back on the topic of relationship marketing and why it is more important than just about anything else.

After that call my head hurt from so much thinking and analyzing, but it was a satisfying pain.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, an Online Marketing Strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker. Let’s connect to find out how we may work together in the future.

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Taking Risks for Entrepreneurs

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Taking RisksTaking Risks in Life and in Business

When I worked actively in real estate over a twenty year span during the eighties and nineties I developed a reputation for being a risk taker. Always one to have a positive outlook on life, it was not unusual for me to purchase the ugliest and most run down house in the neighborhood, or the smallest, non-conforming property in a questionable neighborhood. I believed that I could overcome the shortcomings of the property or the location by making up for them in other ways.

These strategies proved quite lucrative to me over the years. It also made me a popular speaker within my group of real estate friends who wanted to do something similar but considered themselves to be much more risk-averse. They were reluctant to take on projects that were not “sure things” for fear of losing some, if not all of their initial investment. That gave me access to even more of these deals, as my friends were more than happy to pass on the information to me and then watch to see what happened. Even back then, I had the confidence to move forward with opportunities others, much more experienced than myself would pass up.

This is not to say that I didn’t lose some money at times, but overall I was always on top and loving every minute of the process.

When I decided to resign from the classroom in 2005 and come online as an entrepreneur, the risks were similar. I would be leaving behind my guaranteed salary as a teacher and venturing into the unknown on the Internet. Yet somehow I was not fearful, as this situation seemed to me to be very similar to what I had done in real estate for more than two decades.

As you read this you are more than likely making judgments and coming to your own conclusions regarding your ability and willingness to take risks in life and business. That is perfectly natural and something you must experience internally before you take action. And there are many things to consider before doing so as well.

Often I will say that when I made the conscious decision to leave my job and also give away my real estate clients I was more confident because I no longer had children living at home. I also knew that I was someone who had always been willing to do whatever it took to make sure a situation would work out favorable for me. These two factors made my decision much easier, and I would make it in exactly the same way in the future.

You must decide for yourself how much risk you can afford to take in your life and business. If you’re considering the life of an entrepreneur, be willing to ask yourself some hard questions and answer them honestly regarding taking risks.

  • Who are you financially responsible for at this time?
  • Do you have a history of sticking with something over time?
  • Have you done any research into the area you would like to be a part of?
  • Are your immediate family members supportive of you?
  • What steps must you take right away to get this into motion?

There is an excellent article from Julie Zeilinger on “7 Reasons Why Risk-Taking Leads to Success” I would also recommending reading. Being willing and able to include taking risks in your life experience is a choice only you can make. Doing so from a place of personal reflection will make it all worthwhile and with a much better outcome.

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Co-Working Space: Wave of the Future for Entrepreneurs

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Co-Working SpaceCo-Working Space: The Wave of the Future for Entrepreneurs

I live in two cities – both in Santa Clarita, California and also in Santa Barbara – and have home offices in each. This has been my way of running my online business for many years now, but this past week I added something completely new to the mix; I joined a co-working space in Santa Barbara. Little did I know I’d be in for a huge surprise.

This concept of sharing a work space is not a new one, but I had never been even remotely interested in having an office of any kind away from home. It just didn’t seem necessary to go to a remote location in order to get my work accomplished. But I was intrigued by the networking possibilities, and loved the European design of the co-working space Santa Barbara had just opened.

I chose a day to experiment with how it might work for me and showed up around nine in the morning. With my laptop bag slung over one shoulder and my sack lunch in my hand, I was ready to begin. The staff showed me a few things, like where to plug in and why you must put your name on your lunch if you expect it to be there later and I got to work.

At first I was keenly aware of the nature sounds playing in the background. Water making its way down a creek, going from a trickle to a stream to a waterfall, along with the unrelenting chirping of birds turned my hopes for a quiet day at work into a cacophony of torturous sound. I started writing anyway, and within fifteen minutes I forgot all about this background noise.

Also, I had decided to be open to anyone and anything around me that day. When people stopped by my desk and struck up conversation, I stopped what I was doing on my computer and engaged them fully. When I went into the kitchen area to have my lunch, again I interacted with the people there. Unlike my home offices, where I demand complete silence in order to accomplish my goals, here I was actually having conversations with other entrepreneurs throughout the day.

One of the projects I had planned to work on that day was to outline and summarize a book on preparing and presenting TED Talks. I had brought along my headphones so that I could listen to some of the speeches I was using as an example without disturbing anyone. This was perfect in that fewer people stopped to speak to me, and I ended up leaving the headphones on for a couple of hours after I had finished listening to the speeches.

Then I went on to finish outlining and summarizing the book, putting together a training on how to create online courses, and writing the sales copy to offer that course to my community. And it was joyous work that flowed effortlessly through me and out onto the internet. What a joy!

During my eight hours at the co-working space that day I accomplished more than I would have in three days at home. Not only was I massively productive, I also enjoyed my time there and believe that more creative ideas flowed to me because of my surroundings. And as for that annoying background noise I mentioned earlier? I now own a CD of similar sounds from nature I can play while working in my home offices. It turns out these sounds help with focus, clarity, and productivity.

Would you ever consider working at least on a part-time basis at a co-working space in your community?

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Simple SEO Tips for Online Entrepreneurs

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Simple SEO TipsSome Simple SEO Tips

Search engine optimization (SEO) is something you’ve likely heard about before. It can help you attract organic (unpaid) traffic to your website. There is a lot more to SEO than keywords to learn about. This post is not comprehensive; but it will give you the meat of what SEO is, the different types of SEO, what it does, and how to do it. Now to the simple SEO tips you need as an online entrepreneur…

On Page SEO           

Essentially on-page SEO is any SEO that you do directly on each page of your website and it all starts with content. But, it also includes architecture, and the actual code within your website.

Content

Anything you put on your website that disseminates information to your audience is content. Posts, articles, memes, images, and graphics – all of it is content. You want to have a variety of different types of content for maximum SEO value.

  • Quality vs. Quantity – While it’s true that you want to put up a lot of content for your audience it’s more important for the content to be of high quality. You do want to put up content more often than monthly but you don’t need to put up several things each day if it will compromise the quality of the information you put up for your audience.
  • Keyword Research – many people choose not to do keyword research but if you do it, you’ll waste less time creating content that doesn’t get results and end up with more time to create awesome content that does get results.
  • Use Words Strategically – Try to figure out what type of power words make your audience feel something and want to do something. There are general power words that you can use such as “devastating blow” or “majestic views” or something that gets their attention and makes them feel.
  • Hot Topics, Updated, and Fresh – A great way to make use of the time you have to create content is to focus on hot topics and trends of the day. Keep the content updated and fresh by using headlines of the day to evoke curiosity. Warning: Don’t try to trick your readers with clickbait. It only works a few times then it stops working and you’ve lost something important: Trust.
  • Horizontal & Vertical –You want a combination of both types of content. Think of it this way, horizontal content overs everything on your website is full of content on all pages like your about us page, or home page and that it’s consistent throughout. Vertical content concerns itself with a specific topic and goes across all channels and how they work to improve your website.
  • Provide Solutions – Your content also should seek to provide solutions for your audience. They want you to help them solve their problems. They should be able to solve some of their problems without buying anything and your content can fulfill that need.
  • Authoritative – Longer more in-depth content such as long blog posts, white papers, and articles as well as guides can help people and search engines know that your site is serious and that you are there to help your audience. I recently created a Focus Guide that is almost seven thousand words in length, and this can most definitely be considered as authoritative content.

When it comes to content and SEO you have a lot of ways that you can improve your content by using good SEO practices such as using keywords within the first paragraph, the title, subheadings and headings as well as anchor text. It is my hope that these simple SEO tips will be helpful in your business. What are your thoughts on this topic?

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Personal Branding for Entrepreneurs

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Personal BrandingPersonal Branding for Entrepreneurs

Are you incorporating the smart business strategy of personal branding into your online business? Think of your favorite brands. They all stand out for one reason or another. For example, Apple is known for its sleek product designs and cutting-edge technology. Coca-Cola is branded as a fun, enjoyable beverage. My branding includes sharing how to “make huge profits with a tiny list” as well as “really simple” online marketing training courses and programs.

Just like businesses can become known for their brand, so can entrepreneurs and small business owners. Developing your personal branding is the smart way to position yourself and stand out in the mind of your clients.

Branding Makes You Memorable

But first, you’ll need to set aside time and energy to reflect on who you want to be and what you want to be known for. Doing this will save you energy in the long run since you’ll be able to focus on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Another benefit of developing your personal brand it that it become easier to present yourself consistently, no matter where you go. Imagine being able to intentionally place pictures in potential clients’ minds so that they will remember you.

Personal Branding Makes You An Authority

Not only will potential clients remember you better, it’ll also be easier for them to tell others about you. Then you’ll be viewed as an authority in your field, all because you took the time to work on your branding.

But this is only the beginning. As you become more well-known, your ideal clients will become more attracted to you. You won’t have to spend as much time marketing because your customers will naturally flock to you. When this began to happen in my business I was overjoyed and my confidence soared.

Branding Makes You More Money

As a result of increasing demand for your services, you’ll also be able to raise your rates. Think of doing the same work you’re already doing but being able to double your rates. With smart branding, this is a real possibility. When I tell my own clients to double their rates for coaching, products, and trainings it’s because I am able to see them as a personal brand.

Of course, higher rates aren’t the only reason to build your personal brand. You can also expect to get more attention from other entrepreneurs and business owners that want to offer you high value partnerships. Imagine getting to work on projects that you love with other business owners that you’ve admired for years. I have been able to do joint ventures with some of the biggest names on the internet because of the personal branding strategies I’ve implemented over the years.

All of these things and more can happen when you’re willing to stand up and own your brand. You were made to shine, so embrace your personal branding with gusto.

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