Starting your own business has never been easier. Thrive Learning is one resource that can help you improve what you’re already doing, but before that I think it’s time we address one simple fundamental that keeps many people from their dreams. The Flee.
When thinking of everything we have access to these days the easiest thing you can do, if you really want it, is make money online. It’s really not that hard. However; a lot of people are trapped into thinking it’s impossible and because of this they leave it to others to go out and start businesses that they’ll just simply seek to work for. This can be summed up in this illustration: Flees are one of the smallest insects in the world but their ability to jump is up to 3 meters. If you catch a flee and put it in a regular mason jar and place a lid over the top with a hole or two for it to breath but small enough so it can’t jump out the flee will jump for a period of time smashing its head into the lid. After a short period of time the flee will adjust and jump just shy of hitting its head, pretty smart right? Once this happens you can take the lid off. The flee will continue to jump, but it will never jump hirer then when it had the lid on. It’s been conditioned and given the mindset that it cannot achieve anymore then what we limited it to. And yet, we know it can jump up to 3 meters with ease.
Owning your own business and making money online is easy. It only takes a bit of effort on your part to get it done. If you’re unsure about how it would work exactly and want to wait until you know everything there is to know about it, remember this: you can imagine all day long what a pizza smells like, what it looks like, and what it feels like, but until you’ve actually had a slice you’ll never know what it tastes like. Go out and start your business today. It doesn’t have to be perfect when you set it up, that’s the beauty of the whole thing, you get to improve it over time as you learn. And, if it turns out you don’t like it, fine, scrap it and start over, or better yet, sell it.
In closing, are you still stuck in the mason jar even though the lids off?
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
How Double Chocolate Changed PR
Today I had the fortunate experience to relive what it truly means to be in PR and the power that it can have in online marketing. When you want to really thrive learning from what others have done is key in making great improvements. Here’s the story:
Its not secret that many large, hotshot companies want their products in the faces of customers around the globe and that a lot of that happens through social media and popular bloggers. In this particular case it was a combined effort. Scott Stratten is one of the many online social bloggers I follow. I always find that his posts show facts and his personality. So instead of just reading words blindly I’ve come to understand and know Scott more. That said in his most recent post he talks about the caliber of the PR/Agency People that are “Awesome”. You’re welcome to go and read his post but what I really wanted to emphasize was the matter in which things happened not only for him but the company in general.
When we approach customers with our products and ideas it’s important to always remember they have the freedom of choice. They can choose to accept or reject our offer. Our main goal in marketing is to provide the customer with the information and the ability to get what they want. When Scott was approached Duri and Magnum he tells us that they just wanted him to be him. To be honest about what he thought, to blog and tweet only if he wanted to. And it paid off big time, but only After a follow-up. We’ll come back to that. After shipping a crate of ice cream to Scott and trying several flavors Scott got on and made a quick little video talking about how dumb the title was of one of the ice creams. It was labeled something like double chocolate. In the video he expresses, that’s impossible, it should be called quad chocolate because there’s four layers of chocolate. Scott mentions how his regular readers, family and friends enjoyed the video. He also mentions that he really wasn’t trying to sell the product. In fact, the title of the video was “Magnum’s False Advertising”. Now lets skip ahead to the follow-up.
The main reason this became a big story and that Scott wrote the post was based off of the follow up. The PR group from Duri and Magnum watched the video and then shipped Scott a special package. Four cartons of “Magnum Quadruple Chocolate”. It also had his name across the top.
This type of follow up is key in our efforts to not only get on the good side of our customers but to get a better idea of how we can improve ourselves as a company.
Its not secret that many large, hotshot companies want their products in the faces of customers around the globe and that a lot of that happens through social media and popular bloggers. In this particular case it was a combined effort. Scott Stratten is one of the many online social bloggers I follow. I always find that his posts show facts and his personality. So instead of just reading words blindly I’ve come to understand and know Scott more. That said in his most recent post he talks about the caliber of the PR/Agency People that are “Awesome”. You’re welcome to go and read his post but what I really wanted to emphasize was the matter in which things happened not only for him but the company in general.
When we approach customers with our products and ideas it’s important to always remember they have the freedom of choice. They can choose to accept or reject our offer. Our main goal in marketing is to provide the customer with the information and the ability to get what they want. When Scott was approached Duri and Magnum he tells us that they just wanted him to be him. To be honest about what he thought, to blog and tweet only if he wanted to. And it paid off big time, but only After a follow-up. We’ll come back to that. After shipping a crate of ice cream to Scott and trying several flavors Scott got on and made a quick little video talking about how dumb the title was of one of the ice creams. It was labeled something like double chocolate. In the video he expresses, that’s impossible, it should be called quad chocolate because there’s four layers of chocolate. Scott mentions how his regular readers, family and friends enjoyed the video. He also mentions that he really wasn’t trying to sell the product. In fact, the title of the video was “Magnum’s False Advertising”. Now lets skip ahead to the follow-up.
The main reason this became a big story and that Scott wrote the post was based off of the follow up. The PR group from Duri and Magnum watched the video and then shipped Scott a special package. Four cartons of “Magnum Quadruple Chocolate”. It also had his name across the top.
This type of follow up is key in our efforts to not only get on the good side of our customers but to get a better idea of how we can improve ourselves as a company.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Small Niche Web Sites: Lots of Patience and Hard Work
With hundreds of home business opportunities, how is a person supposed to be able to choose one that's going to be good for them. Perhaps things are going well for you financially, but you could still use a little extra spending money or some money to replace your savings spent on holiday gifts. So, what is a person to do? You want to make some cash without putting too much of a monetary investment into the endeavor so you decide to start a small niche website.
Hundreds of get rich quick schemes tell you that you can make thousands of dollars a month or even a week, immediately. I'll be honest with you, unless these people are going to give you a gold or diamond mine for free, there's very little chance that you're going to make that much money in a week right away.
What if I told you there's a way to make money and you only have to spend about ten dollars a month plus any fee your supplier may charge. I'm not saying you'll make thousands of dollars a week, you may not even make that in a month, but I can tell you that if you choose a good niche and work hard, you will see great results a few months after starting up a small niche website with Thrive Learning Institute.
Have you ever needed something very specific and you couldn't find it in any brick and mortar stores but you did find it on a small website? Well, that website was probably a niche site. Good news, it's not that hard to set one up, if you give it the time and the effort that is needed to begin.
To begin, you will need a tax ID number, a business license, a website, and a supplier. You may hire someone to build you a web page or you can build your own. There are sites on the Internet such as Weebly.com and Yola.com that will allow you to easily and quickly set up your own website. You can also use blog sites such as Blogspot and Wordpress. These sites are free to use but may require a small fee to forfeit advertising on your page.
Once the site is up, you have a business license and a tax ID number (when applicable), and a supplier, you can get going on your business. However, I would suggest getting started on optimizing your business in search engines shortly after purchasing a domain name. You can put a placeholder on the site and begin building links to it which will help your site rank higher in search engines such as Google.
So you see, it's not terribly difficult, all you really need is a lot of patience, hard work, and someone to show you the way.
Please visit our site for more information about Thrive Learning Institute.
Hundreds of get rich quick schemes tell you that you can make thousands of dollars a month or even a week, immediately. I'll be honest with you, unless these people are going to give you a gold or diamond mine for free, there's very little chance that you're going to make that much money in a week right away.
What if I told you there's a way to make money and you only have to spend about ten dollars a month plus any fee your supplier may charge. I'm not saying you'll make thousands of dollars a week, you may not even make that in a month, but I can tell you that if you choose a good niche and work hard, you will see great results a few months after starting up a small niche website with Thrive Learning Institute.
Have you ever needed something very specific and you couldn't find it in any brick and mortar stores but you did find it on a small website? Well, that website was probably a niche site. Good news, it's not that hard to set one up, if you give it the time and the effort that is needed to begin.
To begin, you will need a tax ID number, a business license, a website, and a supplier. You may hire someone to build you a web page or you can build your own. There are sites on the Internet such as Weebly.com and Yola.com that will allow you to easily and quickly set up your own website. You can also use blog sites such as Blogspot and Wordpress. These sites are free to use but may require a small fee to forfeit advertising on your page.
Once the site is up, you have a business license and a tax ID number (when applicable), and a supplier, you can get going on your business. However, I would suggest getting started on optimizing your business in search engines shortly after purchasing a domain name. You can put a placeholder on the site and begin building links to it which will help your site rank higher in search engines such as Google.
So you see, it's not terribly difficult, all you really need is a lot of patience, hard work, and someone to show you the way.
Please visit our site for more information about Thrive Learning Institute.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Importance of Tracking Traffic to Your Website
There are so many people out there who believe that as long as they're getting traffic to their website, and they know they're getting traffic to their site, that it doesn't matter where the traffic is coming from. Those people are wrong. To be honest, if you're not tracking your traffic effectively, you could be losing thousands of dollars a month. How? Well, are you paying for Internet advertising of any kind? If so, do you know how much traffic is coming in from each ad? Perhaps there isn't any traffic coming in from any of your paid advertising which means no conversions, if so, why are you paying to advertise if you get nothing in return?
The interesting thing is that you may be getting the majority of your conversions through various sites that are ranking on the first page of search engines for your specified keywords. If this is the case, you are receiving thousands of dollars of free advertising; something any business should be ecstatic to get. I mean, really, what business doesn't like receiving free advertising, free traffic, and free conversions.
Adwords
It's about time you stop paying for unnecessary adwords that aren't even bringing in any conversions. Keeping any kind of ad that you're not actually making any money off of is like pouring money down the drain. If an ad isn't converting, it's time to change it. Constant corrections and changes are a necessity when advertising online. So you're getting clicks, good for you, but if you're not getting conversions what's the point of paying for people to simply view your website?
Social Media and Articles
How much of your traffic is coming from social media sites and articles you have posted on the web? This is something to consider as you try to link it to ranking organically. What exactly are you doing to help your site rank? It's very important to track the percentage of conversions that are actually coming from social media and article marketing. If it's working for you and it's getting you ranked in search engines, keep at it.
Ranking in Search Engines
If your site is ranking high in search engines for your designated keywords, you may not even need paid advertising. In fact, you might be funneling thousands of dollars into pay per click ads that aren't actually converting. If this is the case, perhaps it's time to reassign your marketing budget and decide if search engine optimization should carry greater weight than pay per click advertising.
All in all, it's up to each individual company to decide what is going to work best for them. Assess the marketing goals of your company in order to discern if your current marketing strategy is helping you reach them. If it is, keep up the good work but continue to search for anything else you could do in order to make even more improvements. If it's not working at all for you, it's probably a good time to do a marketing overhaul.
For more information, please visit Thrive Learning Institute.
The interesting thing is that you may be getting the majority of your conversions through various sites that are ranking on the first page of search engines for your specified keywords. If this is the case, you are receiving thousands of dollars of free advertising; something any business should be ecstatic to get. I mean, really, what business doesn't like receiving free advertising, free traffic, and free conversions.
Adwords
It's about time you stop paying for unnecessary adwords that aren't even bringing in any conversions. Keeping any kind of ad that you're not actually making any money off of is like pouring money down the drain. If an ad isn't converting, it's time to change it. Constant corrections and changes are a necessity when advertising online. So you're getting clicks, good for you, but if you're not getting conversions what's the point of paying for people to simply view your website?
Social Media and Articles
How much of your traffic is coming from social media sites and articles you have posted on the web? This is something to consider as you try to link it to ranking organically. What exactly are you doing to help your site rank? It's very important to track the percentage of conversions that are actually coming from social media and article marketing. If it's working for you and it's getting you ranked in search engines, keep at it.
Ranking in Search Engines
If your site is ranking high in search engines for your designated keywords, you may not even need paid advertising. In fact, you might be funneling thousands of dollars into pay per click ads that aren't actually converting. If this is the case, perhaps it's time to reassign your marketing budget and decide if search engine optimization should carry greater weight than pay per click advertising.
All in all, it's up to each individual company to decide what is going to work best for them. Assess the marketing goals of your company in order to discern if your current marketing strategy is helping you reach them. If it is, keep up the good work but continue to search for anything else you could do in order to make even more improvements. If it's not working at all for you, it's probably a good time to do a marketing overhaul.
For more information, please visit Thrive Learning Institute.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thrive Learning Institute Podcasts Help Students Learn
Press Release - For Immediate Release - December 7, 2009
Thrive Learning Institute Podcasts Help Students Learn
Students of the Thrive Learning Institute are getting fast-breaking tech news and up to the minute internet marketing advice via the "Audible Commerce" Podcast. The weekly half-hour audio show shares discussion of the latest in tech business.
The podcast often includes interviews with SEO gurus and other computer professionals. A recent episode featured discussion with a top Utah-based SEO firm. Their rep shared his insights into the value of inbound linking, and strategies to get those links.
"It's often difficult for our students, many of whom are still working out the building of a website or a blog, to understand the intricacies of the news in the tech world." Said Jim Young, "But that news can have a strong impact on their businesses." Recent tech news segments in the podcast have included commentary on Windows 7, and discussions of how mergers among the big companies can impact smaller mom-and-pop web shops.
The Audible Commerce Podcast resides within the Thrive Learning Institute's online learning center, recently updated to version 3.0. This update included not only a revised interface (completely reworked to facilitate access and learning), but a full revision of the curriculum as well. The podcast was added along with the new material, to give students an additional method of receiving the information. The podcast format also allows for discussion of more immediate and timely topics.
Jim Young continued, "The Audible Commerce podcast shows Thrive's committment to helping our students learn, no matter what background they bring to the table." He added that the podcast hosts are experts at taking complex technical issues and making them understandable to those without a deep tech background. Those that are more experienced in the computer world are still finding benefit by learning about the money-making applications.
Some of the more business-related topics that have been covered include the importance of branding in the long-term promotion of a website, as well as how having a secure computer can impact your business. How can having an obviously secure website impact your ability to convert visitors into buyers? How can having good keywords impact your search engine ranking?
For more information on how to access the Audible Commerce podcast, visit the Thrive Learning Institute's website, http://thrivelearninginstitute.com.
Thrive Learning Institute
http://thriveli.com
customersupport@thriveli.com
1-866-334-3672
512 W 800 N
Orem UT, 84057
Thrive Learning Institute Podcasts Help Students Learn
Students of the Thrive Learning Institute are getting fast-breaking tech news and up to the minute internet marketing advice via the "Audible Commerce" Podcast. The weekly half-hour audio show shares discussion of the latest in tech business.
The podcast often includes interviews with SEO gurus and other computer professionals. A recent episode featured discussion with a top Utah-based SEO firm. Their rep shared his insights into the value of inbound linking, and strategies to get those links.
"It's often difficult for our students, many of whom are still working out the building of a website or a blog, to understand the intricacies of the news in the tech world." Said Jim Young, "But that news can have a strong impact on their businesses." Recent tech news segments in the podcast have included commentary on Windows 7, and discussions of how mergers among the big companies can impact smaller mom-and-pop web shops.
The Audible Commerce Podcast resides within the Thrive Learning Institute's online learning center, recently updated to version 3.0. This update included not only a revised interface (completely reworked to facilitate access and learning), but a full revision of the curriculum as well. The podcast was added along with the new material, to give students an additional method of receiving the information. The podcast format also allows for discussion of more immediate and timely topics.
Jim Young continued, "The Audible Commerce podcast shows Thrive's committment to helping our students learn, no matter what background they bring to the table." He added that the podcast hosts are experts at taking complex technical issues and making them understandable to those without a deep tech background. Those that are more experienced in the computer world are still finding benefit by learning about the money-making applications.
Some of the more business-related topics that have been covered include the importance of branding in the long-term promotion of a website, as well as how having a secure computer can impact your business. How can having an obviously secure website impact your ability to convert visitors into buyers? How can having good keywords impact your search engine ranking?
For more information on how to access the Audible Commerce podcast, visit the Thrive Learning Institute's website, http://thrivelearninginstitute.com.
Thrive Learning Institute
http://thriveli.com
customersupport@thriveli.com
1-866-334-3672
512 W 800 N
Orem UT, 84057
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Search Engine Optimization vs. Pay Per Click
There are a lot of people out there who are dumping more and more money into what some would call a lost cause. They are literally throwing money away, apparently with the idea that money is made to be lost. There is, however, an easier way, a way to multiply money instead of giving it up. In this article, I will be discussing the difference between search engine optimization and pay per click.
Okay, so the biggest difference should be inherently obvious to everyone, yep, you guessed it. Search engine optimization is free, whereas, pay per click uses that one little word that sends shivers up and down the spines of new business owners and seasoned veterans alike, “pay”. I suppose it's all well and good until you begin adding up all the costs of pay per click, it's then that your tongue swells and it all of a sudden becomes hard to speak, hard to breath. This is the point where you finally realize that you have actually lost $20 on the sale you just made on your small niche website; it's the point where you realize that your pay per click campaigns are eating giant holes in your profit. In fact, they're not just eating giant holes in it; they're devouring it, eliminating it all together.
You find yourself scrambling for a solution, a way to kill that ugly beast that continually eats without lamentation. You find the solution, could this really be? A way to get more traffic by paying nothing at all? After pinching your arm to wake yourself, you find that this is not a dream. The answer, search engine optimization. A way to give your site notice in search engines without spending a single red cent on it.
You know, there is a much easier way, get rid of the profit eating beast. Within months, you can actually be ranking on the first page of Search Engines. This happens if you're smart about things and build good quality links. Of course, you may have to lean on pay per click for long enough to get ranking on your own so that you don't lose traffic all together. Once you're ranking high in search engines, you may decide to get rid of pay per click, I would. You'll find that when this happens, your traffic will rise and so will your profit.
Give it a shot, it can't hurt, right? Get out there and do some research on Search Engine Optimization and Marketing. You may be surprised at some of the simple things one may do to help their site rank higher in search engines such as Google. You can start with working on the obvious things (ie. Your title and content) then you can move into some of the more intricate details of search engine optimization. For more information about search engine optimization, please read the Thrive Learning Institute Blog. And, trust me, it will be worth your effort to get very familiar with search engine optimization and how it can help you save expenses.
Okay, so the biggest difference should be inherently obvious to everyone, yep, you guessed it. Search engine optimization is free, whereas, pay per click uses that one little word that sends shivers up and down the spines of new business owners and seasoned veterans alike, “pay”. I suppose it's all well and good until you begin adding up all the costs of pay per click, it's then that your tongue swells and it all of a sudden becomes hard to speak, hard to breath. This is the point where you finally realize that you have actually lost $20 on the sale you just made on your small niche website; it's the point where you realize that your pay per click campaigns are eating giant holes in your profit. In fact, they're not just eating giant holes in it; they're devouring it, eliminating it all together.
You find yourself scrambling for a solution, a way to kill that ugly beast that continually eats without lamentation. You find the solution, could this really be? A way to get more traffic by paying nothing at all? After pinching your arm to wake yourself, you find that this is not a dream. The answer, search engine optimization. A way to give your site notice in search engines without spending a single red cent on it.
You know, there is a much easier way, get rid of the profit eating beast. Within months, you can actually be ranking on the first page of Search Engines. This happens if you're smart about things and build good quality links. Of course, you may have to lean on pay per click for long enough to get ranking on your own so that you don't lose traffic all together. Once you're ranking high in search engines, you may decide to get rid of pay per click, I would. You'll find that when this happens, your traffic will rise and so will your profit.
Give it a shot, it can't hurt, right? Get out there and do some research on Search Engine Optimization and Marketing. You may be surprised at some of the simple things one may do to help their site rank higher in search engines such as Google. You can start with working on the obvious things (ie. Your title and content) then you can move into some of the more intricate details of search engine optimization. For more information about search engine optimization, please read the Thrive Learning Institute Blog. And, trust me, it will be worth your effort to get very familiar with search engine optimization and how it can help you save expenses.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Marketing: Back to Basics for Small Business
Writing a business plan can be the most difficult element of business. Executing the business plan is also very difficult at times but writing it presents a myriad of challenges. It can take months to write a decent business plan, but don't loose patience. Then again, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you're struggling writing a business plan, perhaps it's time to consult an expert.
This article will walk you through the sections of a business plan. After reading this, you should have a pretty good idea of what you need to do in order to get started on your plan. Doing research on and including these sections in your business plan, will help you formulate better decisions about your business and how to lay it out.
There are several sections every business plan should contain. These sections include: executive summary, company description, product/service description, market analysis, operations, web plan, management summary, critical risks, financial plan, and the appendix.
Executive Summary
The executive summary should be a summary of everything that is in the document as a whole. One should be able to read your executive summary and understand what each section of your business plan will cover.
Company Description
Your company description will describe the legalities of the company. It will also tell about how the company got started and its history.
Product/Service Description
What exactly are you selling? Describe the product or service you are putting out on the market. Make sure you describe the benefits which it has and how it is going to benefit your target consumer.
Market Analysis
Who is your target market? What is the demographic and psychographic of your customers? What needs are you fulfilling with your product or service?
Operations
How is this whole thing going to operate? What kind of management plan are you going to have? Create a calendar of how your plan will be implemented; make this trackable and fulfillable
Web Plan
This section is included if your company or service is online. Discuss any and all aspects of your business which are online.
Management Summary
This will show how your company is going to be organized and also tells about the management team such as who is on it, etc.
Critical Risks
Describe any risks which are in the area such as competition and environmental risks.
Financial Plan
Include any accounting information such as cash flow tables and information on your predicted profit and loss on a profit and loss sheet.
Appendix
Include any sheets such as the complete financial results in this appendix and then site that it is there in the actual document.
You don't have to start writing a business plan in this specific order, in fact, I believe it will be easier not to. Simply use common sense and complete it in an order which makes sense to you.
This article will walk you through the sections of a business plan. After reading this, you should have a pretty good idea of what you need to do in order to get started on your plan. Doing research on and including these sections in your business plan, will help you formulate better decisions about your business and how to lay it out.
There are several sections every business plan should contain. These sections include: executive summary, company description, product/service description, market analysis, operations, web plan, management summary, critical risks, financial plan, and the appendix.
Executive Summary
The executive summary should be a summary of everything that is in the document as a whole. One should be able to read your executive summary and understand what each section of your business plan will cover.
Company Description
Your company description will describe the legalities of the company. It will also tell about how the company got started and its history.
Product/Service Description
What exactly are you selling? Describe the product or service you are putting out on the market. Make sure you describe the benefits which it has and how it is going to benefit your target consumer.
Market Analysis
Who is your target market? What is the demographic and psychographic of your customers? What needs are you fulfilling with your product or service?
Operations
How is this whole thing going to operate? What kind of management plan are you going to have? Create a calendar of how your plan will be implemented; make this trackable and fulfillable
Web Plan
This section is included if your company or service is online. Discuss any and all aspects of your business which are online.
Management Summary
This will show how your company is going to be organized and also tells about the management team such as who is on it, etc.
Critical Risks
Describe any risks which are in the area such as competition and environmental risks.
Financial Plan
Include any accounting information such as cash flow tables and information on your predicted profit and loss on a profit and loss sheet.
Appendix
Include any sheets such as the complete financial results in this appendix and then site that it is there in the actual document.
You don't have to start writing a business plan in this specific order, in fact, I believe it will be easier not to. Simply use common sense and complete it in an order which makes sense to you.
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