Checking In With Ideas

Getting this post in early because there's projects
a-waiting! Trying a new format on the blog to
see how it works. Since I also get a copy in
my email accounts, it helps to see the format.

Quick take on what I've been doing for
about a week that some of you may want to do
to begin getting your 'expertise' known online.

Since I'm doing more entrepreneur coaching and
less life coaching (my choice to change), I've been
going to Yahoo Answers and sharing business
tips.

It's not for money (you don't earn
any) but to let people know there are
real people operating businesses that don't mind
helping new business owners or those just
getting started.

Before you get carried away, some of the things
being asked are just plain stupid (it's the internet),
so pick where you spend your energy. Click on the
link, go share what you know.

There are so many business journals and resources on
small business, you have to pick through the ones that
can help you operate your solo business better.

I found Blackwell Synergy has free excerpts on what's
being written in over 850 business journals. Do a topic
search and see what's available for the industry you're
in or just to find out what the government is up to that
may affect you as a solo entrepreneur.

I've been using a new software I learned about from
James Barusch's Internet Business 101 called
Artemis.

I'm using the lite version and may upgrade to
the Pro version later. But for learning this version
works for me for now.

If you do any kind of article marketing for your business
online, Artemis Pro makes submitting original
articles to directories 100 times better than doing
it by hand.

Put it this way, I submitted 3 original articles to over 100
directories with my own unique resource box without
spamming. Took me only about an hour,
but remember - I'm still learning to write shorter
articles. The writing took up the most time.

Take a look and get the full details, I'm loading more
articles after this post. Click the link to check it out,
and yes, that's my affiliate link! (Have to keep food on
the table and the lights on.)

Speaking of directories - if you aren't using them you
are leaving money on the table! Strongest Links
is where you go to check the actual page rank and listing
cost for roughly 100 directories.

That's it for today and I leave you with this

The best car safety device is a rear-view
mirror with a cop in it ~ Dudley Moore

New Resources To Help You Run Your Enterprise

It's been a hectic week, planning a move in January and didn't realize - you can accumulate a lot of junk in 7 years! Ok, my drama is over....let's get to it!

Went looking for some resources that can save you a bit of time, save your business in case of a black out and just some neat things you might want to read.

Box Net Online File Storage.
Do you send large files to your customers by email? This might be something you want to give a once over. It seems to be quite useful if you're keeping huge video or marketing files on your computer. Especially useful is that it enables you to save, browse, share & retrieve your files from any computer or mobile device. At the time I checked, you can sign-up and receive 1GB of space for free or 5GB for only $7.95/mo.

It's a time saver if you or the person you're sending the file to has a slow connection.

Business Email & More Hyper Office What I liked about this service is they have quite a few tech tools for solo entrepreneurs that make it easier to work virtual with other people. This is great for teams or those who collaborate on projects. When I last checked, you get 500mb of space for 5 members at $44.99 a month. Your email is branded with your business name, without having to buy a new business domain! Yes, you can have a business email with all the others but you don't get to add people you regularly work with at the same address. This service kicks serious butt!

Data Backup
This is something we all should be doing on a regular basis and keep setting aside - backing up our hard drive and data files. What happens to your office files if there is a natural disaster or your UPS goes down (ups=unlimited power supply)? Would you be up and running within hours or will your business shut down permanently?

Because we are solo entrepreneurs, we're more at risk than a larger company if something happens to our files. This service specializes in online backup and data storage and you get easy access to your files from anywhere you have an internet connection. What would you expect to pay for 50gb of storage space? Surprise! it's only $49.95 a month last time I looked and that comes to a bit less than $1 per gb.

This next resource is a must see. Entrepreneur's Phone System Govt Mail isn't what you think. Let's admit this up front - many of you need another way to stay glued to your telephone like a chicken needs reading glasses but here you go!

This is one you have to see for yourself, there's no long term contract works like the old PBX systems (PBX=telephone operators switchboard. Watch old black and white movies, you'll see one.) but this is soooo much better. It's virtual, a good start but then it gets much better with unique nationwide toll free numbers, unlimited voice-mail and more. So if you are tired of cherry pickers running up your cell phone bills when you're on the road (or taking a nap) then this could be what you've been looking for.

Finally something for you parents out there, or those of you still thinking about getting in on the social media bandwagon.

You know about my dislike of MySpace (yeah, I still think it's a pedophile super market) and I'm giving you the link to a report down load: The Darkside of MySpace

It's in a zip file so you'll need WinZip or some other zip utility to open it. It is a good read and food for thought if you're still thinking of using this social bookmarking site for business marketing. I want to thank super marketer, Tony De Bree over at Go 4 Strategy for the link and heads-up.

That's it for today and I leave you with this:

The things which matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least. -- Goethe

Productivity Tools, Business Ideas & Phone System

Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to regroup, recap and get thy shit together (need I say more?!). The links today are strictly to help you begin getting it together and if you miss it because, oh! She said a bad word, your lost.

For the adults reading the blog, here are some links that I may have given you before and would not repeat if it didn't matter to helping you be a more effective (doing those things that move you forward) solo entrepreneur, instead of efficient (employee's way of killing time until they go home!).

Getting Organized. The short version - Life Hacker offers you tips and downloads for getting things done. Think this person does more web research than I do and that's a lot over a 24 hour period!

I found one of the tips in Productivity Tools that really took care of those stray articles I have lying around. Good site.

Being late is my forte, so sue me!

2. When the postal rates in the US went up to $0.41 for a First Class stamp back in March, I missed the news release about the "Forever Stamp". It's supposed to be one stamp that will be used on any first class postage in the US....forever.

Here's what the USPS Top Pin Head said about it at the unveiling of the image at the National Postal Forum: "Who said nothing lasts forever?" "The Forever stamp is a consumer innovation guaranteed to deliver unprecedented convenience and value to our customers. It's good forever."

Funny, he said nothing about the service getting any better...oh well, can't have everything! The stamp became available on April 12th in booklets of 20 through USPS or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 and in Post Office lobbies nationwide at $0.41. If you are doing any limited (under 1,000 pieces a month) mailings this could be useful.

3. If you're like me, privacy is an important thing with you. I went looking for a way to improve this blog and a couple of my other sites for visitors, and decided audio would be the best way to make them more visitor friendly.

I liked this service because it truly is an Entrepreneur's Phone System and was different than anything else I saw available. Right on the index page, as direct as I could ever want it to be was the price of the service - $29 a month after a 1-3 week trial.

Initially it was for Ebay Power Sellers and auction sites only. Now it's available to all business owners and that makes it a plus in my book! Plus it's really easy to use for getting audio on your site or blog. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Unique Business Ideas
A. Nursing Agency
I know someone doing this and with the shortage of nurses rising, this may be a way for you to contribute to the community and make a nice income for yourself. Basically what you are doing is providing qualified, bonded and reliable home health nurses and aides to consumers or physicians on an 'as needed' basis.

It's great for those of you looking to do this part-time from home and they give you access to what's important, like doing background checks - it sounds like a win-win startup.

What you get for the money: A thorough start-up guide with the forms you'll need, plus there is also the Background Check software and a check writer, back office business modules and a medical recruiting firm business guide. Last checked the entire package was $349US.

B. Around Town
This is for those of you who have money and business contacts but have no time to build your solo enterprise from scratch, especially if your city also gets its fair share of tourists. Users can search for local restaurants, night clubs, special events and transportation needs in your area direct from your website.

When I checked the site, it appeared that Raleigh NC, Tucson AZ and quite a few other high ticket cities were still available. You make your money through approaching local business and selling them advertising on your site.

What you get for the investment: Complete administrative tools built into a turnkey business that includes a full featured website. The system allows flexibility and control over all the data that you provide.

Here's the premier site for Charlotte NC. Investment last time I checked ranged from a low $15,000 to a reasonable $30,000 US.

That's it for today and I leave you with this:

In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular.-- Dr. Laurence J. Peter

Travel Warning, Offline Report and Opportunity

I'm back from 2 weeks of conferences and trust me, don't try to fit 3 into a two week time span - you get off the plane babbling like an idiot.

Speaking of travel - found this while reading Meadow Free Press. Before you head off to Latin America to beat the winter doldrums, read this article. I'll miss you if you succumb but here's a warning every one of my friends have heard for years: I'm not going with you or in your place - happy trails!

As you know (if you've been around here a while) I'm a big fan of direct mail, because where else can you stay in contact with your customers and clients without being harassed by stupid spammers.

You'll see online marketing being preached as the "holy grail" of marketing. But ask the big information marketing powerhouse Agora Publishing (who publishes multiple information based newsletters, including International Living) about creating true wealth and you will understand why I've been preaching where the REAL money is made. They absolutely know what it takes to make money using direct mail (off-line to you internet only marketing junkies)...eating the lunch and dinner of any online information marketer who comes up against them.

Here's why I'm telling you, doesn't matter if you only want to market on the internet or have absolutely no interest in direct mail: Millionaire marketer Russell Brunson (from somewhere in Idaho no less) has just released a special report about why it's important to add the basics of direct mail marketing to your business. In the "The IM Myth Russell gets to the point and shatters a few myths about using only internet marketing as the "be all-end all" for your business marketing. Grab a copy and give it a quick read - it will be an eye opener for some of you.

While hanging out this past 2 weeks, I received my last issue for Business 2.0, Time Warner has come to the decision to close the publication down. Why? Yep, the internet caught up and 2.0 is here. A moment of silence please..Let's rock! Here's a couple 'ah-ha' moments to get your idea genes flowing with the next big industries for the new millenium.

Biodiesel. The market for this combustible stuff has more than doubled every year since 2004 in the US alone. The hows, whys and what fores is irrelevant but if you're dreaming of IPO, million dollar venture funding and so forth - this is where you want to start doing your home work. One of the biggest players in the group, Renewable Energy Group, is out of Iowa and had its humble beginnings from a 3,000 member farming co-op. So if you want to get into this business, now is the time.

Business Class Jet Service. Them skies is gettin crowded! But for business travelers and road warriors, we're loving it! This is for those of you looking for an upscale service to offer private airlines that just might turn you into the next billionaire. Silverjet is a new player in this arena and their model is to find more business travelers needs to fill. So what would be your idea to ease the hassles of business airline travel?

Here's what Silverjet has implemented already: Dedicated women's bathroom (other airlines thrones are unisex, next time you fly-watch who goes to use the bathrooms) and seats that recline to 6'3" (sleeping reclined is better)!

My idea: Linen service including napkins. Ok, not a brain twister, but I detest paying upwards to $2,000 for a ticket and then get a paper napkin. When was the last time you had a real napkin on an airline other than 'spoil you silly' Singapore Airlines?

That's it for today and I'll be back in a couple days for sure, so I'll leave you with this:

Success is easy if you think of it like rust: It's inevitable if you keep at it. Guys claim there are 'Magic Moments', but that's bullshit! - Fred Franzia, Bronco Wine cofounder