“How to fire-up your mental furnace before
you try to build your small business website”

By Curt Graham

Hold it!  We are talking here about a small business website that you have decided to build today.  You’ll find on the wide expanses of the Internet an incredible number of gurus that are stampeding towards your e-click fingers to help you make your own website. 

But first–you have to do some learning and research.  Most understand that, but many swagger into the ebusiness stadium and pretend to know a lot.  What they get is a good dose of disappointment.  You’ll need the right kind of weapons, and the right battle plan to succeed.

I knew you’d bring that up!  Yes, there are a lot of easy ways to build web sites such as using instructional CD’s, mentoring, or even “ready-made” websites that are flooding the Internet.  And you can easily publish the site on the Internet an hour after starting.  What is never obvious, and yet so important, are the necessary steps in the process of setting up a website that separate the men from the boys or ladies from the girls. 

You want to make some money using the website, right?  You want visitors to find your site, right?  You want those visitors to buy something, right?  You want them to come back again and again and buy, right?

If failure is not an option in your mind, then learn how to succeed!

                       Plan your work and work your plan!

Start at the end and work back to the beginning: Sounds dumb, but makes sense if you can follow me.
Many build a website, and then wonder how to use it.  You need to know what your website is for before you ever start one—that is if you really want to have a successful ebusiness. 

      How you need to proceed:

• Set a business goal in simple terms.
• Determine if the goal is realistic.
• Discover what is necessary to make it all work.
• Find resources that will be needed.
• Budget for every step.
• Make a backup plan.
• Build your business website.

1. Business Goal: This is where you want to end up.  Example: “I want to sell baseballs to every baseball fan that I can find.”  Not, “I want to sell sporting goods to those that need them.”  Pick out a specific business concerning things that you are passionate about, know a lot about, have a lot of experience with, or will be something that you will enjoy doing every single day. 

2. Realistic Business: If you find out there are 14,000 Internet businesses already selling baseballs, you might want to change your original product to something else that involves less competition, or present your product in a different light—-like selling autographed baseballs.  You need a business that not only provides the public with what they are buying and want, but also that has acceptable amounts of competition. 

3. Get Smart: Learn why customers are buying baseballs, why they buy them from certain businesses, and if there is an associated market relating to baseballs that no one has thought of—–like a personalized stand or holder to put the autographed baseball on.  Perhaps sell collector’s cabinets specifically for displaying baseballs. 

Learn advertising, marketing, promotion, traffic, list building, tracking, business structure, and all those tactics and techniques necessary to succeed on your business web site.  You’re laughing! 

Yes, it would take years to learn all those e-topics!  If you don’t at least get a superficial grasp of the ebusiness world, and even if you hire folks to do all that for you, you will not succeed.  What do you think all the older generation starting out does to get smart?  They only have a few years to pick it up and go!

If you are as smart as I think you are (just by being here and reading this), you will be a subscriber to the free ezines (newsletters) pertaining to the expertise you will need in all those areas of business—and you will continue to read them until you walk into the bright light.  Join Forums as well.  Know what they are?

4. Resources 101: Selling baseballs at competitive prices means that you have to obtain them at a much lower price to make money (for those new to business).  But you could be a billionaire and be giving them away on your Internet business website.  Do research and find the middlemen, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, and auctions where baseballs are available continuously at wholesale prices that can keep your stock shelves full.

5. Money 101: Never forget Church on Sunday, because sooner or later you will be praying for more customers, more income that you deserve, and for the cash to keep your business website rolling.  It isn’t a matter of, “Ok, max out your credit lines and hope that some day you can pay it all off.”  Knowing that 95% of small web businesses fail in the first 2 years—must mean something to you.

It’s a matter of budgeting for every aspect of the business carefully, and then spend your money for the best help you can find whether it is software, mentoring, or hiring.

6. Backup Plan: Suppose people stop buying baseballs for some reason, at least from you.  Suppose you become disabled and can’t run the business.  More often, it’s that the ebusiness entrepreneur finds a more lucrative venture, or more interesting one, or a better ebusiness niche to dive into.  Smart business folks always are prepared for the “What if” scenario. 

7. Web Site Project: It’s a hard lesson to learn—selling baseballs without having a business website.  Thankfully, the experts in Internet business strategies have provided umpteen ways to easily set up your website.  Inexperienced people do it all the time.  The trick is to construct a website that is ebusiness functional and can easily be revised to follow the marketplace. 

Maybe customers have become tired of catching baseballs in their bare hands, and now want to buy your disposable baseball mitts when they arrive at the game.  Did you just start a parallel business?

Comments: If you discover that the hen house is empty in the morning, don’t always blame the fox!  You, and only you, are completely responsible for the failure or success of your online business.  Expect to work long hours to get your ebusiness website up and running, and to keep it profitable. 

It’s always the right path, to obtain and use every bit of the knowledge and expertise available to you on the Internet—most of which is affordable and comprehendible by inexperienced ebusiness website owners……including you!

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Keywords = small business, build your own website, online business, Internet business, small business website, build a website, ebusiness, ebusiness website.

“10 Benefits Of Failure That Dramatically Increase Your Probability For Success”

By Curt Graham

Never doubt it for a second!  Your failure in any venture is a valuable learning experience that can’t be duplicated in any other way.  Not by a college education, not by expert training, and not by literary dogma. 

The only reason that failure causes depression, insecurity, loss of self-esteem, self-effacement is that you haven’t taken an unemotional look at what you have just been taught. 

For just a minute, analyze every pulsating fragment of knowledge swirling around in your brain right now, which you never had there before you were thrown on the ground and trampled by failure.

As incredible as it may sound, you have been force fed an intangible, almost symphonic, series of attributes, which not only fuel your ambition but also enable you to make music with something most people just tune out.  Testimonials to that effect by almost every highly successful individual are all the proof you need.

1. You learn from mistakes: It’s easy to remember what not to do.  You’ll have to admit that those blunders won’t be repeated.  And you have already narrowed down and reduced the risk of future failure.  Thomas Edison failed over and over until his light bulb finally lit up and stayed on.

2. Your awareness of failure traps increases: Being more gun-shy is a good thing.  You learn to be more cautious for booby-traps, more aware of the crippling effect of bad advice, and more aware of your own intuitive and instinctual responses that could hinder or prevent your success. 

3. You become much more defensive: Suddenly good planning with a back-up plan becomes central to your focus.  Not that you didn’t do that the first time, but this time you have a clearer vision of why the last plan didn’t work.  Details, options, priority, timing, assistance, and goals for every step of the plan are vividly critical.

4. You take research much more seriously: Where failure happens, knowledge is lacking.  It’s like being spit in the face.  Humiliating as it is you back off and face up to your inadequacies.  Researching every possible obstruction to your success uncovers your weaknesses.  It alerts you to the absolute necessity of knowing your enemy, and having contingency plans to bypass or overcome any of the obstacles that you previously might have disregarded.

5. Your ego takes second place: The act of having to prove yourself is one of the most disastrous personality traits.  Aside from the fact that snuggling up to your ego will do nothing more than create a temporary illusion of satisfaction, you
   have an obligation to yourself, this time, to use every source of assistance you can find to make it work. 

   The, “I’ll show them, there’s nothing I can’t do myself, my ambition and persistence is all I need,” attitude is eternal quicksand.  Learn from the experts, listen to the mentors who have been there and done that, because you now are able to listen to them. 

   The maturation process required of every recipient of success—the realization that you can’t succeed without help along the way—is a profound credo.

6. You notice the increasing importance of dumping your preconceptions about how to attain success: Holding on to old outdated concepts of how one can become successful is quite different than what your grandfather told you he did.  The technology explosion has reinvented the wheel, but this time, there is a motor attached. 

   It’s fast, continuously changing, and often unpredictable.  You must develop new tactics and strategies that are adaptable to conditions at the moment.  Are you ready for that?

7. You develop much more respect for learning: One common reason for failure is the fallacy of learning just enough to reach your goals—and drift from there—thinking that was all one needed to do.  Any success in any profession, in any field of endeavor, only survives by ongoing education, learning, and mind-stretching thoughts.  Don’t shortchange yourself!

8. Your “failure” experience often uncovers talents you never knew you had: A close friend created an Internet website and started an ebusiness selling camping equipment and supplies.  It quickly became obvious that he was not cut out to be a store owner and retailer. 

   However, while intensively delving into marketing his business, he discovered copywriting, writing articles, and creating effective ads was easy and satisfying as well.  When you love what you do—success is almost a “given.”

9. Your willingness to take advice, direction, and criticism soars: Humbling yourself just a bit works wonders with those around you.  Those who might be even smarter than you might be more savvy than you, and, above all, care about you and want to help you.  Most aren’t looking for glory, praise, fame, or even a share of your profits. 

   A fantastic quality of every person is a willingness to help someone who needs it.  Simply lowering your guard a little and permitting them to help you, gives them a special intangible gift—a warming heart-felt satisfaction of helping someone.

10. In knowing the above happens, the ultimate benefit is uncovered: The gift is free.  No strings attached.  Probably the greatest benefit gleaned from “failing,” coupled with the distinct benefits detailed above, is called “positive thinking.” 

    Don’t try to rationalize your way out of this reasoning.  It happens whether you want it to or not.  Like a blind date you are now married to.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.”

                                                                            General Colin L. Powell

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Keywords = secrets to success, college education, expert training, depression, loss of self-esteem, insecurity, Thomas Edison, goals, personality traits, ebusiness, create Internet website.

“10 Unique Advantages of Subscribing To Online Ebusiness Newsletters”

By Curt Graham

If you believe you can find any other source that comes anywhere near matching the value and credibility of these creative distributors of cutting edge ebusiness information, I would like to know what it is. 

Ignoring online Internet business email newsletters thinking they exist only as marketing gimmicks will insure you stay way behind the successful ebusiness entrepreneurs.  This fact becomes much more evident when you discover that successful Internet gurus subscribe to many ebusiness newsletters.  And they continue them for the duration of their business careers as they become more selective of content.

Awareness of how newsletters help you in your efforts to insure your in home Internet business is successful, build a free website, or start an ez web business can’t be overestimated. 

These are the hot advantages of ebusiness newsletters you benefit from irrespective of the online business you choose:

1.  Education: Most online business newsletters focus on information.  Successful people usually find great satisfaction sharing their experience and business knowledge.  And it’s free—at least for over 90% of newsletters.  You don’t need to spend $5000 to $10,000 for mentoring.  If you are willing to subscribe to newsletters over a period of time, you will gain access to all of the pertinent and credible information you will need to find an Internet business online opportunity.

2.  Advice: You have an opportunity to communicate with the authors of business articles published in the newsletter as well as the guru behind the newsletter.  It’s free.  A few questions are acceptable now and then—just don’t try to force them into being a mentor.  You will know if you are pushing your welcome when you stop receiving replies to your questions. 

3.  Access to resources: Almost all ebusiness newsletters permit subscribers free access to ebooks, reports, articles, and software that are sold to non-subscribers—saving considerable amounts of money over time.  The “12 Days of Christmas” program is the largest free give-away program on the Internet—from business ebooks to software programs.  There are several other similar programs doing exactly the same thing—but only for subscribers to their newsletters. 

4.  Referrals:  Ebusiness newsletters provide links to lucrative, valuable, and reliable resources that are used by experts.  Reviews of software products and programs by experts saves time and cost of finding out you purchased outdated or incompatible products that harbored major defects.  Start out with what the experts use, which they rely on for developing technology, and information materials that have withstood the test of experience over time.  

5.  Discounts and freebies: Limited to subscribers only, you have a distinct advantage.  Discounts are commonly 50 to 70% off retail—and for the struggling entrepreneurs it’s a windfall.  Offering freebies always draws business, attention, and buyers.  Newsletters would lose all their subscribers if they didn’t provide great value.  It’s a win—win situation.  The seller gives you something free, and you buy from them.

6.  Networking benefits: Within the “inner circle” of any newsletter category of topics is a tightly associated family of experts—or very knowledgeable individuals.  Subscribers can easily paddle into the fast flowing current of information and cutting edge strategies used by the experts.  Let them know who you are.  Ask good questions, be humble and polite, and anticipate that you can fit in using your knowledge and creative ideas. Your name will reach the ears of the “inner circle.”  You might even be invited to join, and share the wealth.

7.  Affiliate benefits: You find out what products or services are offered by each publisher or owner.  Once you are there, you can join their “affiliate program.”  You can sell their products and make a commission.  Usual Internet surfers aren’t aware of these programs for the most part.  Your commission might be increased, the more you sell.  You learn strategies for selling that work. You discover how buyers are persuaded.    

8.  Resell rights: Many Internet warriors make a full time living income from either buying products to resell or simply having products given to them.  Information products, e-books, articles, reports, e-courses, tutorials, and software are some of what you are allowed to sell and keep the cash.  Information and entertainment are the two most sought after resources.  Millions of web-surfers hit the Internet daily.  Does that raise a flag for you?  Newsletters let you into this selective kingdom.

9.  E-business secrets: Four levels of secrecy exist in newsletters—and three that benefit you:

• Comments from experts—tips and ideas mentioned in newsletters only.
• Confidential information—guru info restricted to personal use by subscribers (eg. E-courses, software)
• Expertise secrets—private info and strategies experts use, and reveal only to certain people under certain circumstances (eg. Paid seminars)
• Hidden secrets—those that highly successful individuals know and use, and never are willing to tell anyone. 

As a subscriber, you already have a head start towards the “inner circle.”

10.  Continuous updating of the Internet business world: The owner and/or editors of newsletters must (that is if they want to keep their subscribers) provide to subscribers every new and current bits of change happening on the Internet.  Subscribers see it first.  Others find it out much later when it’s no longer helpful.  This pertains to every ebusiness type or style. 

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Keywords = ebusiness, online newsletters, newsletters, email newsletters, in home Internet business, build a free website, start an ez web business, Internet business online opportunity, ebusiness articles, information products, affiliate programs.