Tag: marketing

A job I would like to do

Today I am asked what’s a job I would like to do for just one day?

I got my first job as a teenager, and I’ve pretty much been employed ever since, except for a few years when I was going to college full time under a grant. I still remember the first week at my first job. I hated everything about it. My feet were killing me from being on them all day. I remember going home and asking my mom, is this all there is to life? Just getting up every day and going into a job to earn a paycheck? She said, I guess so. That’s what everyone does. I said to myself that very first week, this place isn’t for me. I’m getting out of here as soon as I possibly can. Years later, I was still there doing the 8 to 5 thing, and barely paying the bills on my meager paycheck. Luckily, I didn’t have too many bills back then and there was family around, or I would have starved to death.

That’s my experience with jobs, so I’m leaning toward there being no job I would like to do for a day. What I would like to do is have no job and still get by, but unfortunately, you have to pay someone to stay alive in this world, which requires a steady source of income. Also, if there was a job I liked doing, I’d probably want to do it everyday, not just for one day. All this considered, there used to be a kind of job I sort of liked.

A few years ago, when I was earning my MBA, I started a corporation for fun, just to figure out how it all worked. I had a plan to launch a hosting business using it. The real fun part though, at least for me, was studying how to set up and run a corporation. It dramatically improved my knowledge of how businesses operated. Unfortunately, the business didn’t take off, so I’ve been filing annual tax paperwork on a company that I will eventually shutdown.

The real objective of this whole endeavor, and maybe even why I pursued an MBA, is because I wanted a particular type of job. I wanted to be a business owner. When you own a business, at first it’s a lot of hard work, but eventually, if it works as planned, you find yourself the CEO of a lucrative company. At that point, your income mostly comes from leadership and exercising your stock options.

Being a CEO seemed like a dream job to me back then, but it never panned out. The thing I learned is you really have to have an incredible product or service to sell, preferably a unique one, so that you can have the first mover advantage. Otherwise, you are going to find yourself in a flooded and highly competitive market.

During this discovery process, I realized the real reason I liked the CEO job, and decided there were other similar jobs. I liked the CEO job because it had the potential of allowing you to exit the rat race. Basically, it is a property ownership job. You invest time and money into a business, it eventually pays it’s own bills, and you start receiving an income from your investment.

Fortunately, there are other jobs based on the property ownership idea, and pretty much all of them are attractive to me. This is another reason why being an author calls to me so strongly. A book is basically a type of property. You own the copyright to it, and every time someone buys a copy, you get some of that purchase in royalties. It’s basically like a kind of mini business. Unfortunately, the book has to sell to a lot of people, and keep selling for years to come. Of course, you can always churn out new books with all the free time you have living off the royalties, but the books really have to be a hit to keep going.

The short answer is, the job I want to do most is property ownership. It is the only true way of escaping the dreaded rat race, so you can actually experience life and start doing your own thing.

What job would you like to do most? What was your first job like? Have you ever started a business? Do you desire to be an author? What other property based incomes can you think of? Do you have experience creating passive income streams? Do you have any advice on how to escape the rat race? What’s the key to living the good life? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

The brands I sometimes buy.

I buy lots of different brands, but I don’t know that I am associated with them. Sometimes I actually like unbranded things, just so I don’t look like a walking billboard. I mean, they aren’t paying me to wear a t-shirt that sports their brand.

What I’m lookin for is a product that looks good and is high quality, which usually means I get my money out of it. Some brands do seem to have one or more features that bring them to the top of my list for buying more. I mean, that’s the whole purpose of branding, so people will associate quality with your company’s products.

Below are a few brands I’ve been know to buy.

  1. Jeep – I drive a dark blue Compass Trailhawk around town.
  2. Apple – I’m an iPhone person, also like their computers.
  3. Starbucks – I drink a lot of their coffee.
  4. U.S. Polo Assn. – I mostly like their polo shirts.
  5. Columbia – Jackets, I own a couple, also like their belts.
  6. PGA Tour – I have quite a few of their golf polos.
  7. American Eagle – I like their jeans, and few shirts.
  8. Levi’s – Mostly Jeans, but I also own a denim jacket.
  9. Adidas – Athletic shoes, t-shirts, shorts, and joggers.
  10. Under Armor – A few t-shirts and polos.
  11. Old Navy – I mostly buy their t-shirts.
  12. The North Face – I have a jacket, but I like Columbia better.

Do you like or dislike any of these brands? What brands do you usually buy? Do you feel weird being a billboard for a brand? Do you have your own brand? Let me know in the comments, and please like, share, and subscribe!

Top 10 things every seller should consider.

Sellers often get a bad rap. Lately, I’ve been asking myself why that is. We all have to buy things, but sometimes we don’t like it when people try to sell to us, and practically no one likes advertising. I put together a few touch points that I think might improve a seller’s long-term success.

TOP 10 THINGS EVERY SELLER SHOULD CONSIDER
  1. Pick a safe product. Take steps to verify that the product is safe for the intended use. You don’t want to get sued when someone’s hair falls out after using the shampoo you sold them. Also, read the product reviews, and pay special attention to those who rated it badly.
  2. Pick a product you would actually buy. If you wouldn’t even buy the product, it’s going to be hard to sell it to someone else. You haven’t even made your own mind up about it, and you are trying to make their mind up about it. It’s going to be a hard sell.
  3. Determine who your customers are. If you don’t know who you are selling to, you won’t be able to pick the best products to sell to them. Some customers might stumble upon you, but targeted advertising might come into the picture at some point. It’s helpful to know where to send the ads.
  4. Understand your customer’s needs. You are not going to sell me a brassiere. I’d never be able to fill it out properly and I’m not sure I’m qualified to pick the best one out for someone else. If you have a customer base, think in terms of what they actually need.
  5. Don’t be the pushy salesperson type. It does sometimes work, but customers walk away with a bad feeling afterwards, and probably won’t be coming back. You will be that person they avoid eye contact with and unfollow because they get tired of being hit up. Take no for an answer.
  6. Conduct market research. If you are going to sell books for example, recognize that you are going up against Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be a hard sell unless you have something that they don’t offer already. Finding a niche market will probably improve your chances of success.
  7. Don’t forget the customer after the sale. If you really believe in the product, consider offering a full refund for dissatisfied customers. It’s really expected these days. Also, some products may need some form of customer service after the sale.
  8. Strengthen customer relationships. Do as much as possible to strengthen the tie that customers have with your business. If you treat your customers right, they are more likely to make future purchases, and your business will be spread through word of mouth.
  9. Take care of your reputation. No one wants to buy from a shady dealer. Keep your own reputation clean and make sure your business has a good public image. Seek to maintain good PR and quickly fix any customer problems that become publicized. Become someone they trust.
  10. Don’t involve your personal politics in your business. It does get you noticed in the news sometimes, but frankly it looks bad and drives some customers away. They might even boycott you. Your business is about the products and services you sell, not who you vote for in the election.

Possible discussion ideas.

  1. Do you know a pushy salesman?
  2. Have you bought any products you totally regret?
  3. Have you ever owned a shop or business?
  4. What products or services do you believe in?
  5. Have you ever been injured by a bad product?
  6. Ever feel like you are buying from an unscrupulous person?
  7. What type of products and services work best for bloggers?
  8. Do you think businesses should get involved in politics?

Thanks for being here! Let’s hear what you have to say in the comments! Subscribe if haven’t already, and please like and share!

The subjects I know best.

I do not consider myself an authority on any subject, but honestly, I wouldn’t blindly accept anyone else’s authority on any subject either. I will always think for myself and make up my own mind. That’s the only reason I can think of that we would have been given individual minds, so we can use them. There are quite a few subjects I know about though. Growing up, I was a very curious person and had a broad range of intellectual pursuits.

I’m also fairly well educated. I graduated summa cum laude with two bachelor’s degrees (double major), one in information systems, and the other in business administration, and I went on to complete a master’s degree in business. This means I’m quite knowledgeable of business, computer science, and information systems.

I also used to read a lot, sometimes over a hundred books a year, and they were mostly non-fiction and classics, so they were knowledge dense. Some of my favorite subjects are philosophy, psychology, business, personal finance, programming, internet, social media, marketing, blogging, spirituality, relationships, lifestyle, and society.

After all this learning, education, observation, experience and contemplation are done, I still feel like the fundamental questions in life have been left unanswered and no one is an authority on them. Going forward, the things I would like to become an authority on are having fun, being happy, making friends, enjoying company, staying healthy, talking much, staying relaxed, and enjoying a cold one. Cheers!

What are you an authority on? Do you think we spend a lot of time gaining our authority? Is it all worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!

Blogging Getting to $2,000 a Month in 90 Days.

Blogging Getting to $2,000 a Month in 90 Days

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Summary

Isaac Kronenberg does it again with another fabulous blogging book that goes above and beyond anything else out there!

This latest book by Kronenberg is the most advanced blogging book on the market, teaching nothing but the most effective blogging monetization strategies that exist to get your blog from zero to $2000 a month in 90 days.

Everything in this book is based on real strategies currently used by top-earning bloggers. Whether you’re new to blogging or an advanced blogger, if there was some magic pill that could take you from nothing to earning a full-time income from a blog, then this book is the closest thing in existence to that magic pill.

If you’re serious about earning an income blogging, then this book will be the best book which you’ve ever heard on the subject.

This one is free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

It is also available as an audio book from Audible.

I just finished this blogging book written by Isaac Kronenberg. It was a pretty short book and the methodology seemed more practical than the last one. The claim is that you can get to $2,000 in 90 days if you follow his exact method. His advice focuses on starting a review blog for a niche market with other suggestions thrown in to help build traffic. Maybe it could work. Now all I need is a niche market.

He also had a chapter on what he called the dark side of blogging. He made it sound very foreboding, but I don’t know exactly what he was talking about. I really didn’t expect that a blogging book would need an ethics chapter, but maybe there’s a lot of misuse out there. He mentioned that one of his students went astray like that, and it changed him, but I’m not sure what he meant. It felt like a scene out of Star Wars or something. Do you think there’s a dark side?

He mentioned that you have a lot of power in your hands and that it could be used for bad purposes. He also noted that the people reading your blog have real lives and they could be influenced in ways that might not be positive for them or society as a whole. I do think that’s a true statement about writing in general, but I also think that most people have a good enough head on their shoulders to not be easily misled.

Our whole culture seems to be based on written words handed down through countless generations. How does it feel to be adding to that every time you make a post? Don’t you feel important now? Writers are awesome!

If you have read this one already, or do so in the future, please let me know what you think in the comments!

What’s your best blogging advice?

What’s your best advice for people new to blogging? Do you have a different opinion about it now from when you first started? What did you learn from the process? Do you have a good strategy for gaining and keeping subscribers? Are there some things that worked better than others? How do you come up with content? Have you had any luck monetizing a blog? What is the best way, wordads, adwords, affiliate marketing, paid subscription, donations, selling products or services, consulting, or something else? Do you actually make money on your blog, or does it cost you out of pocket? Is there a plugin or theme you are really partial to? Did you make any mistakes along the way? What would you advise a new blogger to do or not to do? Any suggested training? Was it all worth it?

Now’s your chance to tell us all the dos and don’ts about blogging. What experience can you share to help us all be successful at blogging?

It wasn’t for me.

I remember there used to be a time when there wasn’t an internet, but I honestly don’t like to think about it. It was a time when everyone was expected to do everything in person or through paper. It was a time when people couldn’t work from home very easily. It was an era that predates blogging and many forms of self-publication. It was really not for me. I was born for the internet, and I spend a ridiculous amount of time there.

Some people like to blame the internet for everything, and there are some negative aspects, but if you really think about it, it has made the world a better place. Here are some things it has added.

  • Better connection to other people. Before the internet, it really wasn’t that easy to keep up with people you went to school with, or family that moved out of state. I remember my grandmother actually had to write to her cousins on paper and use snail mail. That definitely wasn’t optimal, though it did build anticipation and teach patience.
  • The internet allows for anonymity. Some people see this as an evil aspect of the internet, but I think it is absolutely critical. Societies and governments tend to silence and chastise people who criticize them out of fear that if enough people gather together, they will overthrow them. Without anonymity, those people would not be able to state the truth about their society or government.
  • It is more inclusive. The internet is pretty much everywhere now. Before it, you had to really work hard to connect with people outside your local community or state. The world has become much smaller and striking up a conversation with someone across the globe is trivial now.
  • The information age opened up tons of jobs that allow you to work from home, or anywhere there is an internet connection. You can literally work from the beach if you like. You can travel the world if you like, taking your work with you. You also don’t have to worry about that dreaded commute anymore. The only highway you have to be on is the information superhighway.
  • It provided an outlet for tons of creative minds. There are so many creators out there now. It’s almost becoming an expectation in our society. Without the ability to self-publish, you would have to get everything approved by a bureaucratic publishing system and advertising was pretty slow and expensive. Now, you just create an account on social media and start sharing.
  • Of course, the best part of having the internet is that you get to read this amazing blog. 🙂

So, what’s your favorite thing about the internet? Could you live without it? Tell me about it in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe.