Ditch the 9 to 5 and do something truly meaningful with your life.

Before you storm off and claim I am lying or that I am simply trying to sell a fool's dream I want you to just take a second to hear what I have to say.

When I first quit my job and started on a crusade to help others do the same most of those who knew me called me an idiot (if they were feeling kind). Nearly six months later though and more than a few of them have started to ask why I always seem so happy when they see me.

As of today I have to admit I only make about as much as I did before I quit, and that isn't exactly a fortune, but every week my income rises. This isn't about the money though. Hell in my first month or so I made next to nothing but I was still happier than I had been in a long time.

You see for me the money is just a way of ensuring that I get to keep doing what I love and what I love is helping to show people a real alternative to the drudgery and modern day slavery that is working for a wage.

90% of us think that that is just the way it is and that there really is no alternative. We are brought up to think that the only path to a good life is to go to school, do well enough to go to university and then to find a job. Even after we have a job we know we have to work harder and better than those around us to slowly climb the ladder.

By the time we are somewhere we feel comfortable most of us have, without even noticing, grown old and tired. Society though no longer needs to be like that. Sure we still need people to get that factory job, to be our lawyer and to serve us coffee but what we also need is more people with vision and with dreams. People willing to take a chance and to build a business all of their own.

While everyone else fights to hold onto their job in an ever more competitive market digital entrepreneurs are crying out for people to come and join them. So why is it that such a wonderful opportunity is being so badly ignored that many of us find ourselves begging our friends and relatives to ditch the desk and get online?

For me the reason I hear time and time again is disbelief and mistrust. So many people when I explain what I do look at me like I am one step from being a criminal. Like I am doing something morally wrong. It is a hard stereotype to get past. Don't get me wrong I am all too aware aware that there are a million and one scams on the net but if I am going to be honest the net is really no worse than what goes on on most high streets.

All I can really say though is do your homework. Don't give money to a Nigerian prince and make sure you get a money back guarantee. Always look for reputable sites and if in doubt Google or Youtube the company or person in question. Remember too that if your gut says t feels wrong you may just be right.

All that being said I stick to what I said in the beginning I am proud that I deliver people an education not a job. That I help them get the freedom of a self-controlled life and that I never have to put my morals to one side just to earn a living.

If you want to join the crusade and you want to be free from the 9 to 5 come and see what we can offer, after all what harm can looking do?

The Next Era Of Digital Life

With ever moving technology, and a world that has become almost entirely connected, now is the time to look to the future.

Being given the opportunity to receive news, information and even products at unprecedented speeds also places us in the unique position of having a responsibility to use this golden opportunity properly.

So many people have already been bitten by scams and by spam marketing around the net. So many people have become jaded and have chosen to hide themselves away from the choices and chances the internet holds out to us all.

As digital marketers, social media experts and representatives of our various online businesses the time has come for us to step up to the plate. The time has come for us to fight back, to give back and to provide value to enrich our followers rather than seeking only to enrich ourselves.

So many of us now owe everything we are and everything we have to those who had faith. We owe our livelihood to all the people who took the risk and trusted us to deliver on our promises. Let us not forget those promises. Let us not offer false hope. Instead let us offer only solutions to problems. Let us provide the same level of service and excellence we would like to receive ourselves.

Every time someone gets scammed, every time someone is sold a product that fails to meet it's sales pitch we lose another chance to enrich both our own lives and someone else's life. As an industry we owe it both to ourselves and to our various clients and customers to take a stand and defend the right of everyone to build, to grow and to buy without fear.

So, how many of us will stand by our products? How many of us will choose honesty over a quick buck? Can you say you would buy your own product? Are you proud of who you are and what you have to offer?

If you are all these things it is time to turn it all around. It is time to show the whole world that not only the lucky few can live a better, freer life.

Starting out can be hard, but don't despair

One of the biggest challenges to starting out in the social media or digital marketing world is the difficulty of getting your foot in the door.

It can often feel when you are first starting out that you have an insurmountable job ahead of you. The fact of the matter is no matter what you have been promised it is a long, often difficult journey to success.

The internet no more offers instant success or success for little to no work than any other industry does. So if you want a chance at instant cash while you do nothing to gain your goals then you are best to try the lottery.

If on the other hand you really do put the work in, do your research and keep your eyes on the prize then there is no reason at all that you can't make it big online.

The keys to digital marketing are really no different from more traditional industries, in fact the only real difference is in the amazing array of choices that going digital opens up to you.
Make sure you get the right information. Make sure you get the right tools for the job. Understand your market and get help from those that have gone before.

Remember even if you want to change the world you need to start by knowing how the world works now.

Just Let Me Ask...

If you have a quick look around you while you sit at your desk how many people do you see loving their lives? How many people do you see making a real difference to the lives of everyday people on the street?

I bet if you are honest the answer is not many.

If you are like me you have a feeling somewhere deep inside that tells you that even if you are working hard everyday you are just spinning your wheels. I'm not talking about money and I'm not talking about success. A lot of people have money and a lot of people have success however you choose to measure it. All of these people though tend to fail in one very important way. They don't actively make people's lives better.

I am proud to say that no matter how high the ladder you climb and no matter how many awards you win I still think I do better. I have almost never been promoted, I have almost never made much more money than I need to survive. Knowing all of this though I still feel good looking myself in the mirror every morning. I feel good because every day when I get up I have the chance to help someone. I get to take ordinary people and turn them into extraordinary people.

How do I do that? I know you hear a lot of promises and a lot of bragging about how much money YOU can make, but that is not really the issue. The issue is I know every person I introduce to the guys over at SFM has the chance to go from a worker ant to an entrepreneur. Granted not everyone does, a lot of people stumble, a lot of people fail and a lot of people are too scared to really take the first step into something new.

I wanted you to let me ask you a question way back at the beginning of this post so now let me ask: Do you think you have the will and the vision to make a start on changing how you see the world and how you live your life?

If you are not serious and if you have no interest then please turn back now. Go back to your T.V. show or the report you have due tomorrow and forget I asked. If you are interested though and if you want to hear some more of what I get to do everyday then put your email in the box and we will send you out a free week of videos that ought to give you a better idea of what I do and what SFM does.

So, are you interested? Get the videos here.

What Kind Of Education Do You Want?

We have all heard that information is money, but do we really understand what that means? Why is it that some people seem to make money at everything they do and the rest of us seem to simply stumble along making enough to pay rent or the mortgage?

The answer is information. Those we think of as entrepreneurs are not any smarter, nor are they any luckier than the rest of us but they do have something most of us don't. They seek information. They drink in new knowledge. They open their minds to the changing economy and society around them.
Ask any successful entrepreneur what sets them apart and I am sure several words will come up again and again. Words like drive, passion, need and determination. While all of these words describe the personality of the successful they still could not become successful without the knowing how to.

Education is an often forgotten side to entrepreneurship. Many of the greatest successes in our history have been made by people we could well think of as "under-educated" but that is I believe an unfair label. It is true that people such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson and many others including those as far back as Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie were not what would traditionally be called well educated. That however depends on what education means to you.

The traditional school and especially university education systems are proving incapable of keeping up with technology. They do not seem to be capable of teaching the skills and mindsets needed for this digital age.

When many young people are putting themselves into crippling debt to pay for an education that not only doesn't guarantee them a good job, but which actually now almost guarantees them a bad one* we know we are in troubled times.

So what is the solution? How do great entrepreneurs make it big? They still make sure they are educated they just choose a different more hands on form of education. They learn to use the tools they need to make themselves great. Take for example an online learning course such as this one. It costs no more than a college degree but instead of four years learning something that will have little impact on your job in the future it teaches you a wide range of skills you can apply to an even wider range of possible income streams.

I believe Alan Watts said it best:

You see the internet should offer us more choice not less. We should be broadening our horizons and seeking to better ourselves not plodding along blindly at the same desk job we hate for years. We should be making the future better doing what we love and sharing what interests us.

No matter what you want to sell, no matter what you are interested in someone else will be too so why not make yourself and the world a more vibrant knowledgeable place?
It is up to us to choose our future, and you only get one life, so make it count.

10 Things You Really Need To Know: Twitter Edition.

1. Your First Tweet:

     One of the first things people often worry about when starting a twitter account, whether it is a personal or a business account, is what their opening message will be. Honestly though unless you have bought followers or have been lurking and following for a while (see below) you should realise that really very few people will be listening. If you have something snappy to say go for it otherwise why not simply introduce yourself or say hello to the world that is Twitter.

2. Lurking is not a sin:

     No matter how or what you do on Twitter it is often best to watch and listen before you speak. Spend a little time seeing how others do it and getting a feeling for the kind of things you like to see and the kind of things you don't . Remember when marketing, or even when just looking to be social, you are looking to attract like minded people. Even once you've dipped your toes in the murky depths don't feel beholden to answer every tweet or comment on every passing piece of news. There is simply too much going on and making a few well considered and well aimed comments is usually far more rewarding than blasting and trolling your way to a bigger audience.

3. If you like it Retweet it:

     As they say sharing is caring and on Twitter a retweet can be a golden gift. Many feel that retweeting things especially when tweeting for business is akin to giving the competition a hand up but if the content or the message is good it can gain you just as much as the OP (original poster). Retweeting also goes a long way to building  a lasting and profitable relationship whether with followers or with competitors. Remember Twitter loves Karma and if you scratch someone's back they may very well scratch yours. Remember with such a huge audience visibility is key.

4. Following people doesn't make you a stalker:

     Really the whole point of Twitter, and one of it's major plusses when used for business, is that it allows people to listen to what they like to hear. This goes for you as much as anyone else and even if you don't know who someone is if you like what they say or they inspire you don't hesitate to follow them. Besides following someone is something of a compliment and if you think about it you want people, even people you don't know, following you don't you? The same goes for everyone being followed isn't creepy it just means you are doing it right.

5. Follows are just an introduction:

     When you follow someone you are telling them you like what they have to say or you are interested in their take on the world. What it doesn't mean though is that you are suddenly BFFs. Think about the fact that most people on Twitter are following and are followed by thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of people. Following someone gives you access to their tweets and being followed means someone is keeping an ear out for you but that's it. Don't go hunting your followers and hounding them and don't be expecting special treatment or recognition from someone else just because you followed them.

6. Your followers want to hear you:

     Having said all of the above most of your followers, if you have gathered them in the right ways, do want to hear what you are saying and do want to get involved. Keep them interested and keep them on the hook. The best way to do this is by providing them with great content, something to get involved with you about and above all keep it real. Good followers, the ones you really want, followed you because they feel the way you do about key topics so be honest and be yourself. Never go out of your way to avoid contentious subjects but at the same time don't go out of your way to be "edgy" or extremist either.

7. People will judge you but don't let it worry you:

     Just like in real life people are going to pass judgment on you. Whether they dislike something you said or disagree with a cause you have championed they can and often will start an argument or make a comment about you. If you are being true to yourself and to your followers though this really shouldn't stress you out too much. As they say any publicity is good publicity and you'd be surprised how willing like minded souls are to come to your rescue. besides the fact that it makes for great visibility when it happens it opens the door to great discussions and helps people to really get to know what you stand for.

8. You can't please all the people all the time:

     Following on from the above point people are going to unfollow you. It is going to happen. Sometimes they forget why they followed you, sometimes they dislike something you say and sometimes they just feel like it. Don't stress though unfollows are a natural part of Twitter and you will always find you gain more followers than unfollowers if you keep going and keep providing people with a reason to listen.

9. Share the success of others:

     Giving someone a pat on the back by telling them (and all your own followers) that you like what they did or what they said goes a ong way to making your account "real". A whole lot of people simply spam their own ideas and business material or retweet everything, but making personal, thoughtful and helpful comments single you out as a real person with real views and that makes you much, much more approachable.

10. Bring it to Twitter:

     Adding to that again, if you see something you like elsewhere on the internet bring it back to Twitter to share and don't forget to thank the author if you can find their account. Things that make for great sharing on Twitter are videos, blogs and great webpages. Gathering all of these resources on your own Twitter feed is a great way to engage whoever created them as well as a way to provide value to your own followers too.

For more go to The Online Business Expert

Canva Review - Using Canva to Create Awesome Infographics

Creating Infographics is a great way to get noticed and to get more social media attention. People love great graphics and easy to understand information. Infographics give you the best of both worlds and allow you to create shareable, linkable content that provides value to your followers.

Don't forget to visit us at The Online Business Expert for more.

Using Powerpoint for Slideshare - How to upload your powerpoint presentations...

 

Head over to The Online Business Expert for more and don't forget to get in touch with us.

10 Simple Steps To Not Failing Online - Infographic

10 Mistakes Not To Make: Be An Online Expert

     Starting your own online business begins with deciding you need to make a change. Businesses that thrive online do so because they were started with this in mind. Whether the change you want to make is in your own life, the life of others or both it is this that drives success online.

     While the barriers to building an online income are quite low nowadays, the majority of people who start an online business still tend to fail, or at the very best make marginal profits.

     A lot of the heartache and struggle can be taken out of generating solid leads and marketing your chosen products though if you learn to avoid mistakes that in hindsight often seem obvious.

     So what are the key mistakes that people who fail or who merely struggle along make?

1. Losing Yourself In Details:

     One of the first things that any good business coach will tell you is that you need to get your business off the ground. In the beginning you just need to be making a profit, even if it is a tiny return it gives you the traction you need to keep pushing forward.

     The reason this is the number one issue facing new Online Marketers is that all too many of us get bogged down in, and sidetracked by the small, often cosmetic details that we can come back to once we have the time and freedom to do so.

     The real secret here is that it doesn't need to be perfect it just needs to be functional. So stop fiddling with your company logo, your branding and your website and start creating content and making a name for yourself.

2. Not Spending Your Money Wisely:

     The next thing your mentor is going to tell you is that if you want results you are going to have to shell out for good training and good advertising.

While you can make it online without spending a cent it is going to take you a long time and you are going to spend long hours banging your head against the proverbial brick wall, not to mention making many of the common mistakes that come from lack of knowledge about the industry.

     The best advice I have ever been given by anyone about this business is that anything you spend either in training or on failed advertising is an investment in yourself as a marketer. The only real caveat to this is that you are far better spending that money wisely on good training than throwing it away on bad advertising.

3. Selling Trinkets To Stay Afloat:

     Most of the people you see floating around online trying to sell you something are only just making their way. The main reasons for this are not lack of effort or lack of audience but are down to a lack of quality.

     High quality products usually provide you with a higher profit margin and also build the trust of your leads. After all if someone sends you an email every day trying to sell you junk you are likely to stop listening. If on the other hand they provide you with valuable information and only ever present you with high quality value added products and services you are far more likely to listen to what they have to say.

     One of the best ways to secure high end products is to get involved with groups that are already operating at a high level such as the Six Figure Mentors.

4. Not Knowing Where You Are Going:

     I don't know how many times I have heard variations on the refrain of "Marketing without knowing your product or audience is like trying to drive a car blindfolded". Basically the only possible result is that you are going to crash and it is going to hurt.

     To pull another great quote on this subject, adapted from the famous Art of War by Sun Tzu "Know thy market, but know not thy audience, find defeat in every campaign. Know not thy market, but know thy audience, find victory and defeat in equal measure. Know thy market and know thy audience, and thou shall never fear failure again".

     With access to so much data on so many platforms there is no longer any excuse for not knowing who your customers are and what they want from you.

5. Selling Without Serving:

     One of the great problems posed by the internet is the fact that it makes it all too easy to sell someone a dud product, take the profit and disappear into the night. Because of this customers are becoming more and more wary and are, very sensibly, beginning to do real research before choosing not only what to buy, but also who to buy it from.

     With this in mind it is imperative for those that want to be more than a flash in the pan that they provide great customer service, great content and great value. If a customer likes what they see and how they are treated they will come back, and, chance are they will bring their friends.

     Remember that the meteoric rise in Social Media means that a bad review can get around the internet pretty fast and a good one may keep sending you prospects for a long time to come.

6. Giving Away The Product Instead Of Generating Value:

     Personally I am a great believer in the mantra that providing good value to your clients and customers is the best way to do business. It is also true that a well constructed and useful piece of content can snag you a loyal long-term prospect.

     The flip side of this though is that many people spend so much time or effort nursing possible prospects to a sale, either with time, gifts or extras that the sale then provides negative ROI or at the very least a massive drain on your valuable time.

     The real secret here is to strike a balance. Make sure you keep giving your followers, fans and customers great content and a great overall experience with you but try not to let yourself be sidetracked especially by lone customers looking to squeeze you for everything they can get.

7. Listening On All Channels But Hearing Nothing:

     The quickest way to waste an entire day is as I am sure many of you have found out at 4am is to get absorbed by social media. No matter your poison we all do it. The marketing strength that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide come from exactly this, people find it hard to tear themselves away even when they have better things to do.

     For those of us using these platforms as an integral part of our business the risks of getting too absorbed are even greater still. Combine this with the fact that it is all too tempting to blast your message across every site, blog and media platform you can reach and you can suddenly find yourself drowning in a sea of posts and pages.

     The remedy here is to take a step back, take a deep breath and make a choice. Choose which platforms you are going to use and focus on them, resisting temptation to have "just a quick look at Pintrest and Instagram".

     There are more than enough potential customers on any half decent social media site to keep you in business till the end of time so don't get greedy or you'll end up getting nowhere. Remember the dog on the bridge? Don't go trying to grab another bone just to see the one you have falling in the river.

8. Forgetting Your Mentor:

     If you have followed the advice so far then you have found and paid for some seriously good training. This is an investment and if the mentor you chose was worth what you paid them they will not only be able to help you out they will want to.

     Don't try to make it on your own too fast. It is really a temptation to forget all about your coach when you see that first shiny dollar land in your bank account, I know because everyone does it even me. When this happens though it usually isn't too long until we get stuck, get lost or simply start to run out of steam. These are the moments you will truly thank your lucky stars that you had the foresight to find proper training and a strong community to help.

9. Underestimating Just How Much Determination It Can Take:

     The main reason why you are here, reading this post, is because you have heard that being an online marketer or an affiliate gives you the freedom to follow your dreams. It does, but, and this is a big but, only if you have the strength of will to do the hard work first.

     There is no secret software, no special spell and definitely no magic course that will make you a marketer overnight, never mind a successful one.

     Don't despair though. If you are willing to learn, listen and take the time to get it right you will make it. People often think it takes a "born marketer" to be successful, I'm here to tell you there is no such thing. Anyone who ever made it did it by working hard and learning well.

     I'm going to say it again. Find a proper course and if you can a community of like minded experts to support and teach you otherwise you may possibly struggle forever to get any traction at all.

10. Forgetting Your Customers Are People Too:

     Just because you might not ever meet the person you are selling to, or even speak to them in some cases, that doesn't mean you can forget for a second that you are dealing with real people. Think about the way you would like to be treated and the support you would like to get from someone you were giving money to.

     If you would not be happy with the way you treat your customers chances are they won't be either. Don't be one of those people you see and hear from all the time who'd sell their own granny if they thought they'd make a profit. Try to keep your honesty and your pride no matter what you choose to do.

     If you want to hear more about us and our training and support community you should head over to The Online Business Expert

Stubborn, Passionate, Adaptable: Don't let fear clip your wings

     One of the greatest things about being an online entrepreneur is the freedom it gives you. Whether you are in online marketing, SEO, lifestyle guidance or any of a number of other relatively new and fast growing industries you have a huge amount of choice in where and how you do business.

In fact most digital entrepreneurs have no set place from which they work or set time at which they have to get that work done. As I am writing this for example I am sitting sipping coffee in my backyard on a surprisingly mild autumn evening.

     For many of us the choice to leave a career that was if nothing else a steady job that paid the bills was a hard one. It is a natural fear to leave behind a steady income, even if it is a job you have come to despise, for a less certain one that offers you more money and far more importantly, more freedom to choose the direction and style of your own life.

     The reason why people decide to make, what for most seems an irrational choice, varies greatly from individual to individual but from talking to others who have ditched the desk and are now building businesses and income streams from wherever they can get wifi I think there is one key theme that ties us all together.

     Unhappiness. Of all the people who I know that have made it in this industry I am yet to meet someone that says when asked about their previous job or life "Yeah, I loved it, it was great". In fact most people have a kind of burning dread of the life they used to have and in many it is that fear of falling back to earth, or maybe rock bottom for some, that keeps them hungry for success.

     Of course, not everyone is cut out for this kind of life. Those who do fly and who refuse to end up crawling back to their nine to five have a few traits in common that make them continue to climb and be successful when so many others have fallen by the wayside.

     Stubborn. The first trait I think that is a must have has got to be stubbornness. I am yet to meet a successful online entrepreneur who isn't as stubborn as the proverbial mule. Here though it is important I draw a distinction, stubborn is good, arrogant is not. Those that are stubborn are the ones that persevere no matter how hard it gets. Stubborn are the people who refuse to listen when friends and family tell them they will never make it and maybe they should ask their old boss for that job back. Those that are arrogant though refuse to take help when it is offered and this can be a deadly mistake.

     Passionate. Having, as I am sure we all have, worked with people who see a job as a pay check as well as those that see their job, no matter what it is, as a crusade and a lifelong passion it is easy to see the difference. There are a vast and every growing number of people trying to sell you something online. What separates them into two groups though is passion. Those without it will sell any tuppeny trinket to anyone without a second thought while those with it match seller to buyer and are proud to provide a service rather than spraying spam and hoping something sticks.

     Adaptable. The last trait that is a must have for the true digital entrepreneur is adaptability. The internet moves fast and the rules and strategies are forever changing. One day you have a great ad running on Facebook the next it gets pulled down for no apparent reason and you are staring at having an account blocked. For most people this sounds like a nightmare but for us this is the daily dance, the area where we let our talents shine and the area where all three of these traits come together to create the perfect storm.

     So why tell you all of this? Well we need more, more entrepreneurs more people considered a little crazy by friends and family, more people fed up of a boring life where the biggest choice you get all day is decaf or regular.

     You see almost two and a half billion people get online every single day, and the forecast shows that by 2020 that figure will reach somewhere close to five billion. This means that the Internet provides an effectively limitless source of potential customers and clients for us. With this in mind it is easy to see where the profits can be, and are already, being made.

     So why share? I'm going to be honest, online income or not, I'd be a millionaire already if I got a pound for every time someone has asked that. So let me put it simply. For internet entrepreneurship to survive and thrive we need good people to guide it. People who have empathy and passion, people who want to help make online marketing, lifestyle advice, social media and all the other joys of the internet safe and enjoyable for themselves and their kids.

One big difference between a digital business and a physical one is that the internet provides far more opportunity to spread good products and information but it also has the ability to push bad information and products just as easily if not more so. As Uncle Ben said "with great power comes great responsibility".

     So here you stand, and if you've come this far then maybe you too are ready to make the jump. To take that first step out of the nest and learn as we  all must how to flap your wings and fly. It won't be easy, but then nothing worth having ever was. The only difference is that unlike that little bird there is no need for you to go it alone.

     Already there is a community of experts, of professionals, who have taken the leap first. They can't guarantee you a soft spot to land on but they can at least be with you on your journey and show you how it works.

     So, if you are ready to take a chance then come and join us and let us show you how to truly get the best out of yourself and how to make a real change in yourself and in your life.

Find us at The Online Business Expert or you can get our 7 day video seriesand orientation webinar.