Getting Noticed in the Crowd—The Need for Professional Support

Technology is the great enabler. Whether you're creating a logo, putting together a website, publishing whitepapers or broadcasting e-mails, today's technology makes it all so easy that anybody can do it. Or at least they think they can. And this is where the problem comes in—it's not nearly as easy as it might look.

The fact is that these technologies are really tools—the tools of the trade. In this case, the trade is that of the pros who create logos, design websites, write copy and issue press releases. In this age of increasing specialization, literally everything that you see, read, watch, or listen to on the Internet represents a field of highly trained, specialized professional people who are experts at creating whatever it is you've encountered.

Of course, what you've experienced may or may not represent the efforts of those professionals. In fact regardless of your training or skill level, it's almost a certainty that you can recognize the difference. Let's face it—a homegrown video clip looks nothing at all like something done professionally in New York. And in some cases, that might even be a benefit. But regardless of whether it's intentional or not, there is a discernable, very obvious difference.

It would be like going into a Home Depot and plunking down thousands of dollars on tools to build a house. Granted, it could be done. But realistically, unless you're a pretty good carpenter with lots of experience, you've actually built a house from scratch, or both, just having the tools by no means guarantees success, far from it!

Even more outrageous would be to buy medical equipment on the Internet to perform surgery on yourself or your friends. As ridiculous as that sounds, so is the notion of buying a high-end graphic design program, or a sophisticated web development package if you are not a graphic designer or a programmer. Although they might be advertised as user-friendly so that anybody can use them, the fact is that unless you have the talent and training, they're really not for you.

When you're operating an online business, your brand identity is of paramount importance. Your web presence should be professionally designed and maintained. Your content should be professionally developed. To realize true success, focus on what you do best—marketing to your customers. Put your brand in the hands of the professionals, and rise above the competition.

Take Yourself and Your Online Business to the Next Level

Here are my top three Get-Off-Your-Duff motivational truths:

• "Your next level of success demands a new you."
  
• "To get what you've never had requires that you do what you've never done."
  
• "90% of getting what you want is knowing what you have to give up to get it."
  

These "timeless truths" —quotes from some of my favorite writers— have impacted me and my business and my decision making more than any other factor. But what do they mean to an Internet Marketer and how can you create something actionable from them?

1) Reexamine your "WHY". The first step to shifting your home business success to the next level is to revisit your fundamental reason or driving desire at the core of your efforts. Be clear about your WHY so that you understand what you're working towards. If your WHY is not larger than any obstacle you will encounter on your way to the "next level", you will not have the fortitude to get there. Re-examine your WHY so that you know what is at stake.

2) Adopt new approaches to mastering your online marketing craft. Breathe new life into the level you are at by taking your expertise to a new level. This in turn will bring new levels of results. I experienced this when my high-tech job started to get stale. Instead of abandoning it for greener pastures I decided to get out of my comfort zone and acquire new technical skills. That did the trick for me at that time, and I went on to enjoy a whole new level of professional responsibility and accomplishments. A new approach to mastering the skills of an engineer brought all new results in my career.

3) Mastermind with people already at a higher level, educationally and financially. On the path to the next level you can find your own way —usually a slow and costly process— or you can strategize with people who know the way. My suggestion: leverage others who are ahead of you on that path. Most often they will graciously offer their guidance. Every powerful leader has strategized with a mastermind group. And if they're worth their salt... they share with others the wisdom they've acquired along the way.

4) Prepare to move on. When my 25-yr corporate career no longer met my expectations for occupational fulfillment in life, I had a choice: accept it and adapt, or reject it and move on. I chose to move on; but it wasn't easy. In fact, it hurt. But the alternative would have been worse. So I sought out new role models for where I desired to be, and I followed their path. I set new goals and took new risks in my life. Without the willingness to move on in life, you can't get where you want to go.

Someday in the future... I'll move on again in my pursuit of yet the next level in my life and in my entrepreneurial businesses. And when I do, these four steps will lead the way.

The Rewards Of a Home Based Business—A View From the Window of a Corporate Refugee

I'm a high-tech corporate refugee..I left that industry not because it sucks, but because after twenty-five years it no longer met my expectations for fulfillment. I'm not a hate-the-corporate-world kind of guy. The corporate way of life was stifling, but it provided for my family quite well and enabled us to live overseas and explore the wonders of the ancient Middle East. It was amazing.

Walk the deserted hot and dusty paths between tomb entrances in the Valley of Kings and you will understand why I count myself blessed to have worked in the corporate world when I did. Snorkel with your family along the hundred-meter wall of the Ras Mohamed Underwater Park and watch the sea turtles slowly surface from the inky-blue depths of the Gulf of Aqaba, and you will know why I cherish those experiences.

But now I'm a full-time home-based entrepreneur—an Internet Marketer, to be precise. It's a unique experience. In retrospect, except for the fact we would have missed out on some incredible adventures abroad, I don't know why I didn't make the move from corporate-cubicle life to work-from-home life years ago.

As I write this article, I am sitting at my home office windows overlooking 400 acres of farmland, protected green space, and golf courses. The daily stress of the corporate grind has been completely replaced by a worry-free existence, where I can view my idyllic surroundings at my leisure. Well, perhaps not entirely at my leisure—I did have to shift my chair and open the blinds to look out the window. The late afternoon sun was making it hard to see my laptop screen.

This morning when I got back from my sunrise walk with the dogs there were two large does with their fawns browsing under the apple trees. A red-tail hawk was circling over the bluff and a large blue heron was in our pond. Another day in paradise—a typical morning on our small farmland property.

I had forgotten what I missed all these years working in an office building. The sea of cubicles stretched for hundreds of yards in all directions, from window to window. One hallway ran straight as an arrow through four adjacent buildings. I used to count my footsteps walking that hallway from one end to the other: 550-ish, from what I recall. With a big stride, that's almost five football fields. The number five doesn't do the hallway justice...

I grew up in Richland, Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers. The desert river country was our backyard and it was there that I spent the years of my youth hunting, fishing, camping, bike riding, and exploring the nooks and crannies of river estuaries. What I feasted on as a young boy—the outdoor experience—I fasted on as an adult. And I didn't know how much I missed it until I was working from home and experiencing the great outdoors again, as if for the first time.

So why am I rambling on about a couple of windows overlooking some land? Simply because without the home-based marketing firm that I created, and the opportunity to work from home, I would still be standing on my toes trying to see over a cubicle wall to the far-away windows instead of watching the hawks rise on a thermal just outside my home office door.

I sometimes ponder on how far I would be in building my business if I had made the move years ago. But on a day like today, I'm just grateful that I'm here now.

By the way, did I mention that the 400 acres below our home becomes a wintertime lake for 4 months of the year? The migrating Snow and Canadian Geese that stop over on the property create an outdoor cacophony that is hard to describe. But that's the topic for another time...

What Does Leverage In Business Really Mean?

As a seasoned business professional, I've learned that one of the most important aspects to success in business, is leverage. Far too often, entrepreneurs fall into the trap of essentially buying themselves a glorified job. At the start, the thought of running your own business, "calling the shots," and writing your own paycheck, sound like a dream come true: show up to work when you want, decide when you want to work and have the freedom to create the business of your dreams.

This dream is often quickly shattered for many business owners. Before they realize what's happening, they're caught up in dealing with overhead, employee issues, insurance, and the list goes on and on. Not only that, but many entrepreneurs get caught up in working longer hours, and working harder, than the people they employ. They end working around the clock so that their employees can live a comfortable life, but that's it. The owner ends up working for the business, instead of the entrepreneur owning a business that works for him or her.

All of the above issues can be solved by finding a business that provides true leverage. So what does leverage really mean? It means that you are not trading time for dollars. The ultimate goal of leverage is that you own a business that can operate, without you having to show up for work each day.

Think about leverage this way: Would McDonald's be the empire that it is today if the owner was the one who had to flip all the burgers? Of course not. While this sounds silly, this is how many entrepreneurs operate their businesses.

What is a viable solution then?

Find a business that has systems proven systems incorporated that do most of the work. Leveraged systems are why McDonald's is a billion dollar company that is staffed mostly by 17 year old high school students with no other qualifications. The system do most of the work. This is why franchise businesses have become a popular business solution among entrepreneurs because they are built on replicated systems.

Now imagine you incorporate the power of automated systems (the same kind that are used in franchises) but you're able to leverage the power of the internet in a business that can be operated from anywhere in the world with just a laptop. Sound like a pipe dream? Well my friend, that's exactly what I do.

Whether you choose to move forward with a traditional business, or you're eager to discover the power of leveraged systems online, I encourage you to take a close look at how you operate your business on a daily basis. Take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Am I still trading time for dollars?" If you answered yes, understand there are solutions and systems out there that can provide you with the lifestyle you truly deserve, without the headaches of a traditional business.