We’ve talked about getting started online, creating a digital income source, and have identified several obstacles entrepreneurs face.  Check out these blog posts for more: Here, “2 Reasons”,  and this one (“Can I Make Money Online?”), and here (How Hard Is It To Start My Own Business?)

 

Today I want to look deeper, at what’s inside, what you control about your online journey.

There are books and videos that will teach us (if we take the time) how to do the technical pieces of registering a business entity, set up tax structures to keep the most income, help us build a list, drive traffic to that list or to an offer to build a list of potential buyers, and so on.  

 

But the one thing these tools can’t do is personalize your outreach for you.

Connecting with your buyers means thinking about what makes YOU unique. That's what makes your story! Click To Tweet

 

This is a useful activity as you’ll use your story in many different ways.

Is this a grey area for you?  Or have your tried to create a compelling story only to get tangled up?

I’ve gotten so many questions on this that I am creating a course specifically to teach this start to finish- today we’ll take a high level view that should get you well on your way.

Too often entrepreneurs blindly follow the guides that offer “swipe” mail templates, pre-designed pages and send it off, never adding any personal touches at all.

That’s a huge red flag to buyers! (Hopefully you’re not in that situation!) It isn’t that those products are bad, it’s that people don’t take the time to personalize them for their specific niche or circumstance.

 

So let’s talk a little about what a story is and why it’s important for you.

 

Getting Yourself Out There: Dos & Don’ts

 

When it comes to pulling the trigger on an email campaign for the first time, or doing something new, most of us have felt that momentary case of nerves and adrenaline jitters. 

Having confidence in your story, why you’re doing what you’re doing, comes from knowing your story, what in your background has led you to this point is necessary to carry you through the implementation point.

It’s what compels you to offer this solution to potential buyers experiencing the same issue you did once. You feel their pain and want to help- that’s your why!

Or, at least it should be.

Read this quote below and tell me in the comments how this makes you feel- would you buy from this guy? 

Can you tell from this short question what his focus is? How does his approach make you feel? Even though this is just a question, what can you understand about doing business with him?

 

Okay, I love the concept of Affiliate Marketing, but for me, though internet and advertising savy, it’s just a concept.

Would love some highly successful affiliate marketing guru to teach me the ropes. Anybody that wants to do something fun, like teach a 53 year old the how to of this fantastic system? I’d be forever greatful : )

I just lost a huge chunck of money with an account that just dropped of the map. Need to put something solid together quickly that’ll pull in at least a grand a week. Anybody up for the task? Thanks,

 

Ok, what’d you think?

 

Now, let’s look at another example. 

(Just FYI, This business has been sold and is no longer available for sign ups, though if the video does its job well, you may wish you could!).)  Watch this one and take some notes and tell me what stands out for you on this one.

 

 

 

This video clip of Chris has the story elements that connect well with an audience. He has sincerity, humility, and concern. You feel that Chris is not talking down to you, but sharing a story with you.

 

Make sense so far?

 

Sharing You: The Framework of an Effective Story

 

There are any number of patterns that writers use to craft an effective story, but each method uses a similar, basic framework:

  • A Broken World
  • The Humble Hero
  • The Mentor
  • A Magical Gift

 

Now before you laugh and say that sounds too froo-froo for you, let’s put it another way:

Problem

Solution

Method

Offer

 

Better? Does that sound more like you? 

 

It’s the same concept, but in the second version there is the potential to overlook putting “you” into the mix.  I’ve seen many newbies look at that standard format and make it all about the product, and forget that it’s meant to be about them.  As we discuss this framework, keep in mind that YOU are the secret sauce, not your product.  This is key.

 

People Don’t Buy Products, They Buy YOU

 

Think back to Chris’ video. 

Can you identify the broken world (the problem)? 

Right… it’s the people struggling, down on their luck, looking for a way out.

 

And the Humble Hero (Solution)?  It wasn’t his iPAS system.  It was his heart.
Russel Brunson has often said, “An entrepreneur is someone who takes responsibility for a problem.”  I like that.

You as an entrepreneur see a problem (a broken world) and take ownership of providing a way out, a better life.

 

Let’s keep going…

 

In Chris’ video, who or what is the Mentor (Method)?  Were you able to identify the turning point for the Hero?

Sure… the guy who had been where Chris was and had the idea of a system.  Chris took that information, and then integrated it with his vision of helping people.

 

In my life, I had what I call my Scarlett O’Hara moment (the one where she is on the hill, hungry, and shakes her fist at the sky, saying, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”). 

I was newly divorced, frustrated, feeling powerless being outside the United States and couldn’t get back home. 

Never again!  I decided then and there to make changes and help others avoid that feeling of not being in control of their own lives. It took me 5 years to recover, but step by step through a lot of weird twists and turns, my story has a positive outcome. I survived to tell it and teach you how to thrive as well.

 

But… What If I Don’t Have a “Moment” To Build On?

 

Believe it or not, I have had people tell me they’ve had nothing unfortunate happen to them. (Lucky you!) Does that mean they don’t have a story?

Not at all.  Your story doesn’t have to be a rags to riches, or homeless to mansion, ordeal.  It only has to be what motivates you to be in business.  What’s your purpose for starting an online business?

If you’re telling me that the only reason you are in business is because you want to make quick money, good luck! 

Connecting with people is all about caring about them and their issues. If you don’t really care, it will be evident and the bad reviews will mount up quickly.

If you don’t have a turning point moment to build on, think about why you chose the niche you want to build your business in.  Is it a craft you like? Are you a jewelry maker, skin care consultant?  A Realtor?  Do you have a Shopify store selling e-commerce products?

Without a higher purpose, the chances of getting frustrated or bored are pretty steep. 

Think about what it is you want to do for your customers.  Why should they buy from you? 

What separates you from the next guy is your heart, your connection and ability to meet your buyer's need. Click To Tweet

 

Look back at your journey and see if there is a memory of the moment when you decided to start this kind of business.  You likely had some thought why this and not something else.  Hang on to that thought.

 

Writing My Own Story: The Process

 

In writing my story, I thought I didn’t have a Moment.  I have never been on drugs or alcohol, never skipped school, never got into trouble with the law- what could I possibly have to write about?

Where did this passion for helping people come from?

 

This tip, #5 in the upcoming “Be The Hero You Are Meant To Be” course,  was really helpful in sorting out all the conflicting ideas in my head.

 

Here’s the process I used to figure it out…

 

Create a story board or notebook- or use sticky notes to make notes of your memories. 

Starting in your early childhood, think back to memories that stand out for you, ones where you remember learning something or realize that it affected you in some way.  Write each one down in any way you want as long as you can sort them out easily as you work. Sticky notes worked well.

Here’s what came up for me…

I remember:

my dad preferring my little sister and me not knowing why

being punished for not doing the dishes “right” 

having a Saturday job at 13 cleaning house for an older couple- I made $5, and always worried that I wouldn’t do a good enough job

being welcome next door- the first place I felt no judgment

the shame of nearly failing a math class- after being so advanced that they skipped me a grade

being abused

 

Don’t worry if you remember sad, or bad things. It is often that we are changed by adversity more than cheerfulness. And, don’t feel bad reading my list, there were good things too. I  managed to be outgoing and social- I just kept a lot hidden away. These just shaped me along a different path than I would have had otherwise.

In my case, it was clear that I became a survivor who wanted to help others survive, thrive, and avoid pain. 

I wanted to help others gain confidence and achieve their version of success.  I realized the reason I was so afraid of taking a risk was because I had been punished so harshly for making any kind of mistake.  I wanted others who are shy or worried about making mistakes to learn the ropes and gain confidence.

Six key memories out of a lifetime aren’t much, but from these I saw a pattern,  enough for me to see where my “Broken World” was and to understand that I had come out of all that with a mission to teach others what I had learned.

I sorted memories into categories as you’ll see in the workbook.  For me, things I learned fell into rough categories of family, failings and successes, influencers in my life, and other strong reactions that left a mark (never again, and repeat this often)

Looking back I also recalled:

My Grandmothers were both writers- which meant words were important

Plays I put on with neighborhood kids for our families

Creating make-believe “stores” by collecting cans and empty food/cereal boxes

Going to summer camp in the mountains- working with my team to win points

I led games and taught other kids how to do things (apparently I  was smart and bossy as a kid)

At age 12, being in charge of buying groceries and preparing dinner each night after my mom and dad divorced

 

From those memories I saw that I had early leadership potential, organizational skills, vision and drive.

There were patterns I can continue to see at different points in my life.

 

So how does this create a story?

 

From these sticky notes on my board, I could see my broken world. 

I could understand my passion for helping others avoid the pain I felt, I had a couple of mentors who showed me that I could do things well, and this all added up to…

 

The magical gift (offer)…

 

It took a while to be able to distill this down to the take away.  If I had had this process laid out first, I think it would have been more easily apparent. But dealing with both the process, going through the memories, and with figuring out what it all meant at the same time took a little more effort.

 

Now though it is clear that the gift was understanding I was here to help others who lack confidence.  I have always felt my talent was in being an encourager, but never knew how or in what way I could use that. Now it makes sense.

Once I had gone through this process, and identified the memories that shaped me, I gained confidence that this was something I was capable of doing, and even more clear, that I had a way of making a difference for others.

 

Take a look at my About page here on Strategy Links/About.  Can you see this story in that text?  It’s always been about helping those who aren’t able to succeed alone.

 

Now It’s Your Turn…

 

"Be The Hero You Are Meant To Be" course workbook image

 

Download the workbook and learn how to write a compelling story to use in your Bios, About pages, use snippets in emails, blogs, and more.

 

Using this framework ensures your story will be consistent across the board, building more authority for you as people read and learn about you!  

 

Good Luck!  Let me know how it goes, and especially if you have any questions or issues downloading the workbook…

 

 

 

 

Image of Hurricane Harvey Flood Houston Texas August 2017

#HurricaneHarvey Disaster Aftermath, Houston Texas August 2017

 

How To Survive A Disaster…
& Keep Your Home Business Running

 

You’d have to be living in a cave or under a rock not to know that the summer of 2017 has been challenging for many in the US.  

This is going to affect multiple millions of people, not just in the US but globally, and it will for a long time to come.

This is also the anniversary of 9-11… I don’t know anyone who hasn’t got a memory connected with that tragedy.

So all in all, a good time to talk about how to keep your business up and running when you have to evacuate or are faced with disaster.

We’ve touched on how to start an online business, and whether you can make money doing it. But today I want to talk about how you can survive, what you can do to keep your business running in the face of disaster- what you need to think about ahead of time, and when you are affected by disaster.

After all, if there is no computer, there is no way for your business to operate when the power and internet are restored.  What can we do to prepare and survive to see another day with our families?

I’m a Texan-in-exile (as I put it)- I’m from Houston, my family has been in Texas for nearly 150 years, so our roots go back a ways.  

My daughter is carrying on the family tradition in Houston, having completed her undergrad university, grad school, residencies, and post-doc fellowships around the country, she is now back in Houston as a geriatric neuropsychologist, working with Alzheimer patients.  So we talk about a lot of “What if…” questions. How to prepare for disasters, especially if you have older loved ones to care for as well.

#HurricaneHarvey and #HurricaneIrma have tested our “what if” scenarios, and allowed me to refine some lessons I’ve lived to tell about into this checklist that will help you survive disaster in general and keep your business going.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with my background, I’m here in Washington, DC right now and have worked with Homeland Security, FEMA, and the Defense department prior to setting up my own business, Strategy Links, almost 9 years ago.  IN 2008 I started a blog about my work overseas when the former Soviet Union collapsed – I was there from 1996-2005 (WhatTheWorldTaughtMe.com). More recently I built a network marketing team with affiliate system that just last month went belly up.  So, yeah, #^%$t happens!

I’ve known my share of disaster.  And I know how it can touch each of us in some way.

My goal is to help you prepare, even if you’re not convinced you need help… yet!

True story from last week: 
My aunt & uncle flew from California INTO Florida last week to visit friends- friends who said,  “Oh, these storms never hit the Gulf side of Florida…” – the friends who live just south of Tampa!  “Hasn’t happened since 1921…” they said.  But it happened yesterday in 2017.  Ok then…

 

What Do You Need To Know? Why Is This Important?

You’ve been working hard to get your business set up and to get it running.  You depend on regular content to get the traffic that will be your fans and purchase your products or sign up for your system, plan or program, right?

When the time comes to board up windows or shelter in a hotel or school, how do you keep your content posting and getting viewers who may be unaffected in Michigan, or sleepless in Seattle? 😉

I went back through all my experiences with earthquakes and fires in California, political unrest in Baku, the derecho in DC, “Snowmaggedon/Snowzilla” plus my time with FEMA and more to make this checklist of important steps to take before, during, and after a disaster to make your life a little easier- or at least to avoid adding one more headache on top of all those about to happen!

 

 

Now, keep in mind, this checklist is not exhaustive, nor should it replace local authorities directions for you and your family.  First things first. Let’s just get that out of the way.

 

But, assuming someday you need to evacuate, make plans to shelter elsewhere, or some other action that will take you out of your normal home business in a hurry or under stress, I want you to have this plan set up before that day comes. Like I say, I’ve been there in floods, fires, earthquakes, and political unrest overseas. You do need to plan ahead for these events because sometimes you’re given very little warning – like  this time... (https://whattheworldtaughtme.com/2013/09/09/ex-pat-living-how-do-you-survive-life-in-a-war-zone/)

 

With all the situations just this past 30 days, you can see why it is important to your family that you think about how to continue your source of income coming in while disaster swirls around you.  This may sound callous, but if you went into a home business for any reason other than to have fun and meet people, protecting your income could quite literally be a lifesaver.

So here is what I would advise… I’ve laid this out in 3 columns: Pre-, During-, and Post-Disaster Preparations in a Checklist with a column to check of when the action is done.

Download the whole Checklist  here (.pdf)        

 

 And, as always, please ask your questions in the comment section at the end and share this with your friends and family.  Also, if you’ve just gone through a disaster and have a tip that worked for you, or have learned a lesson for next time, please share your hard-earned wisdom here!  We can all learn something for the future… Glad you’re here!

 

Disaster Prep Checklist 2017 image of Disaster_Prep_Checklist_Page_1

 

  I hope this gets you thinking about what to plan for ahead of the next event.  You know what they say these days: “Disasters are like buses-  there’ll be another one along in a few minutes!” 

 

Be safe, and be prepared! Your family and your business need you!

 

 

 

When we talk about starting an online business, becoming an Entrepreneur, the ads make it all sound so… EASY, right?

Just get a domain name, set up your web hosting, install an instance of WordPress, load up a theme you like the looks of, and in minutes (multiples of 60 to be really honest) and start typing.  You are a blogger! Congratulations!

What? What’s that? You don’t know what a domain name is or how to redirect it to the other place it should open? What are preferences? And how do you set them up?

Beyond that, there are more details no one even mentioned in the slick ads.  If you want to make money with your blog, exactly how do you do that?  It really was a lot easier when we just wrote letters by hand… Lol!

Having “A Why That Makes You Cry”

I wrote out some of the questions I had to grapple with when I formalized my business after having a blog for already 4 years.   This is the thought process and questions that need to be addressed when you decide you want to start an online business- it’s more than just having “a why that makes you cry”.

 

(I could have retyped all this- put it in a Cheat Sheet, made it look pretty, and left it sitting on my desk till I got it just perfect…)

 

UPDATE: As you can see I did go back and put this in a mind-map after all to make it easier to read and use. Download the free .pdf here!

 

When looking back, I wanted to start an online business. Why? Because the network marketing group I was in had so many people who just gave up.  That bothered me… a lot.  Why should people buy systems and products that “should” give them a turn-key business to build, only to find they need to sink more money in and still not get anyone to stay past a 7 day free trial?

This computer business idea, instead of being simple as the ads say, was just too foreign, too complicated, too unknown. What is a back office?  When did a dashboard go from being a part of my car to being something I need to watch?  I just want to blog- and now you tell me that to blog, I need more viewers and to do that I need to build a list… and to build a list I need to do that SEO thing. And then I need to jump on a Skype call to get the time for our Hangout; or check a FB group to get the link to our ZOOM!  Ay, yay,yay!  No wonder people just walk away without making that easy cash!

So You Want To Start An Online Business… 

If this sounds like you or someone you know, subscribe and make plans to read these posts.  Either we’re having these questions or we’ll laugh because we remember when we did!

My plan is to write about each topic, sharing what I did, what I learned and what I would do now if I was starting again.  I want to bring hope- you are not alone in this- and guidance to get you out of whatever quicksand you find yourself in. I want you to think about next year’s taxes and what you need to do today to maximize your deductions- yes even from a blog- and provide resources to get you official and legal so that you can keep more of what you earn.

If that sounds good subscribe here and let’s get this party started!

 

First things first… Can I Succeed?

Everyone talks about passion, mission, the why that makes you cry… but really, most people just want to make some extra money to make a better life for their family.  It doesn’t matter how as much as that it can happen.

The good news is that there are billions of people using the internet to learn things, to buy things and to share things. That means theoretically at least, that you have a market that can be taught, sold, or serviced in some profitable way.

What keeps some from making their first dollar while others tout the millions they have made is a thing called hustle.  Gary Vaynerchuk has it, and preaches it daily. Tony Robbins has it and uses it to motivate others. Kim Garst has it and that’s how she got to be the Queen of Periscope then Facebook Live.

If you have it you know it. It’s that restless feeling that you have to do more, be more- make a difference.  Just wanting to make money isn’t hustle.  The feeling that to make $100 you would do anything it takes, that’ s hustle… If you don’t have it naturally, don’t despair. You can learn it, and I’ll show you how.

What is it that you’re better at than the next guy?  Writing a blog with no “So What” factor will just cause people to read and say, ok, that was pleasant. But it won’t make you money. That’s not hustle.

People part with their cash when you show them how to make double that amount back.  Or because you have solved some problem that was costing them twice that each month.

What can you do for others to make their lives better?  What product or invention can you bring to the market that will make them more productive?  What will you do to make a difference in people’s lives?

In my case, I saw confused new sign-ups sitting in a group orientation. You’ve seen this a hundred times- in any meeting there will be the 10 really engaged people, the middle group listening and taking notes and the back row who had to bring 3 projects to do at the same time, while going through that onboarding process.

If you’re one of the 10, I want to save you time- with products that make list building and SEO super easy, a membership that brings products to you. I want you to get where you’re going faster and easier.

For you in that middle group, I want to give you the shortcuts, sharing what it takes to be successful, the behind the scenes tips uplines “forget” to mention (like how they spend $10,000 per month on traffic to generate those 5 high-ticket sales per day!) Yeah… I didn’t think that was part of the overview!

(Note: the people in the back row, they haven’t got the time or attention to take on a new business, so this isn’t for them!  Not to be mean, but seriously, let’s think about what it takes to win… )

 

You Know What You Want To Do, For Whom, And Why… What’s Next?

Deciding HOW to provide your products or services brings you to the legal side of things. Once you know how you want to sell, teach or coach, you have a good idea where this will need to happen.  Will your blog have an “online store” to sell the products you review?  Will your coaching service have a website from which to make appointments and hold coaching classes or one-on-one sessions?

These answers will tell you whether you need a business license, what kind of business form will be most beneficial to you, and what fees and taxes you’ll need to prepare for.

Four years ago, after having my own physical business- teaching business skills to people who wanted to work for western oil companies in Baku- I wanted to set up an online business to prepare me to transition from consulting to that “massive passive income” everyone was talking about online.

I followed a link, listened to the video and made the decision to join that night at 11:30pm- Halloween night!  I “got all in” and spent the entire night listening to video after video, filling in form after form. I understood the potential and decided how I wanted to use it.  (Relax- I am not here to recruit anyone!)  But as a teacher of business skills, I knew if I was challenged,  people like my mother would be lost and at the mercy of those who would say, just buy more stuff!  That annoyed me…  I want people to succeed, not feel like failures when they run into walls of hype and complexity.

 

Decision Time

I decided that night,  in order to do what I wanted (help other newbies succeed) I needed a business license.  I registered a business (an LLC,meaning a Limited Liability Company)  here in Virginia (I did it online) and applied for my IRS EIN (tax ID number).  Not hard to do, but you do have to do things in order to ensure the right numbers go in the right boxes.  Ideally we would all know to do this before we wanted to join a plan or program. It would be so much easier!  But as a first time business owner in Virginia (my physical business was incorporated in Delaware when I lived in Texas and worked in Baku… whew!) I faced the same unknowns as you will or have. 

Once I got the business type decided, and got my IRS forms sorted out, I could register for this network marketing system not as me but as a business.  The best advice they gave that night was to sign up with their bookkeeping partner.  Why? Because if it had not come from them that night, I would have put it on the back burner until I was making money. Then tax time would have rolled around and I would have missed out on about $28,000 of tax deductions.

**Disclaimer; not everyone will invest this much into their business in the first year, and therefore not have much to deduct, but because I talked with the planners, we organized it so that I could invest as I began making small sales to legitimately be able to deduct my set up costs etc.

This is why it makes sense to plan in advance so that we don’t leave money on the table… or even better, we can take money off Uncle Sam’s table legally!  We’ll get into more of that in the next post…

For now, if you are one of the new business entrepreneurs- solo-preneur, mompreneur, dadpreneur- whatever flavor you want to be, please take time to read the questions above and tell me which ones spark your thoughts and questions.  And what questions have I not put on the list that you are thinking about?

Don’t forget to subscribe so we can keep the conversation going.  Leave me a comment below with your thoughts on this subject– has it been easy for you or have you had more challenges than what I listed today?  Let me know, and let’s discuss!

 

The Power of Perseverance

When You Feel Like Giving Up… Take My Advice – Don’t!

Recently, as I have been re-vamping my previously serviceable-but-limited blog-only website, I hit more than a few snags along the way.  
You’ve been there, I’m sure… we all have at some point or another.  “I’ll just make this one little change…” and then boom, you’re in the depths of a full-blown re-make and don’t know how you got there.  Sound familiar?
I took my StrategyLinks blog down at the beginning of this year.  Yes – more than 6 months ago!  I thought I would just update the theme and be done. simple enough. I had done this any number of times on my 4 other sites, and never had any major indecision or complications.
Keep in mind, I have been doing this for more than 8 years, have made money on 4 websites and blogs. I know my way around font-ends and back-offices, so this should have been a relatively “no-brainer” .
But this time… whew!  This was the mother of all updates!  And about half-way to today, I wanted to give up, scrap it all, and start over.  

When we feel like giving up, or settling for
second-best, we risk losing our passion.

And without our passion, what’s the point?

But I was conflicted by all the time I had spent working with this new site that I just knew was “this close” (another 3 months close!) to being what I liked or could live with.
Note that I didn’t say it was what I wanted. No, I was only up to the point where I could “settle for something” just to get it back up and running.  And that is a dangerous place for an entrepreneur to be!
I was disgusted with the lack of progress, my inability to make this thing work,and not understanding why this particular theme was so difficult to work with.
Fortunately for all of us, the story doesn’t end there!
I’m all about lessons learned- a hold over from my teaching and corporate communications days.  Everything I do, I view as a bit of experience I can pass on to you.
So I kept thinking about what I was learning through all this ordeal, and what I could share as takeaways you could use to become a more successful Entrepreneur.  

         So here are my top lessons:    

 

image of man standing in the middle of a road, seeing his future stretch out before him

 

  • Things will always get harder before they get better!
  • Don’t be that guy who stops digging 3 feet from the motherload of diamonds.
  • Think of tough experiences as “fish tales” you’ll tell later. You know, “it was ‘thiiiiisss’ big”- just like we used to joke with our parents about walking 10 miles uphill-both ways- to school… in the snow. You’ll get through this and be better for it, I promise!
  • You’ll never gain any knowledge if you don’t have to try hard to learn.
  • Buy products that teach you and you can resell these as proven tools to your customers.  Without struggles, how can they be sure you know your stuff?
  • Always look at  problems and know there IS a way out.  It is there, you just have to keep looking, ask people (like Fiverr) for help seeing it.  Thanks to Usman for all his wise advice!
  • Success you fight for is so much sweeter than anything built for you. So just keep on going, reach out to me and tell me how I can help you “earn your wings” as my grandad used to say!