Back the days of the Old West, gold was discovered in California by a man named Jim Marshall. The year was 1848. The gold rush had begun. It ended approximately seven years later. During that time, hundreds of thousands of people made the (sometimes) perilous journey to California in search of instant riches. While very few discovered the “instant wealth” they’d hoped to find, some were wise enough to recognize the wealth of opportunities awaiting them in the young, developing country.

These individuals were responsible for building the businesses, companies, towns and cities that changed the face of the country. Their spirit of entrepreneurialism continued on for many years to come.

The Internet, in many ways, is a modern version of the land of opportunity that existed in the 1800’s. Fortunes were made by people who “struck gold” with a variety of ground floor opportunities between 1997-2005.

Things have changed a lot since 2005. Today, the “easy gold” has already been found, gathered and monetized. Like the people who made big money selling shovels, tools and picks to the gold prospectors in the late 1840’s, you could make an easy living in 2000 selling product “shovels” to the gold rush crowd. Today, however, things have changed. The easy-money chasers are basically broke and to a large degree – disillusioned with the overnight riches story-line.

Like the America of the 1870’s, however, the Internet continues offers unlimited potential for those seeking to build real, lasting businesses.

THE TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

The technical tools you’ll need to bring your ideas together are cheaper than ever and the prices continue to fall. The main tools you need, however, aren’t available for immediate download. The most important tools, the ones that can make or break any business, are inside you. I’m talking about the ability to focus upon building a real online business and laying the foundation necessary to do so. Building a business takes a little time, but it’s a lot less time than you’ll waste bouncing from one idea to the next.

When I first started online, I didn’t have the money to outsource anything. I did everything myself. I built my own websites, created my own ads, wrote my own content, etc. During this time I learned what skills were worth developing, at least from my own perspective. These would be skills I wouldn’t have to rely upon others for. For example, if you learn how to write good copy, you won’t have to rely upon others for this service. If you learn how to develop websites, you’ll receive the same benefit in that area.

Either way, you’re making an investment. This kind of investment takes time. On the other hand, hiring someone to write sales letters, develop websites, etc., takes money. Time IS money, as the old saying goes, so you can clearly see… one way or another, you pay. In my case, my investment in time paid off because I wound up developing multiple business sites.

WHAT KIND OF INVESTMENT ARE YOU MAKING?

How about you? Are you still caught in the trap of searching for instant riches that require little to no effort? There are plenty of real opportunities to start, grow or develop a REAL online business in 2012.

All you need is a “get-going” strategy to get started.

For some people that means acknowledging certain distractions and making a decision to cut them off for a certain period of time. For others, it may mean investing in developing a certain skill set – taking your ability in that area to the next level of proficiency.

Some people put off committing to specific plan of action because they’re unsure they’re heading in the right direction, making the best choices. As a result, they follow after a variety of leaders, invest in courses, go to seminars, etc. Eventually, this approach creates a pattern of relying on other “experts” instead of developing your own insights, intuition and personal experiences which you can draw from. You become a lifelong follower instead of a leader in your chosen niche.

Sooner or later, the focus needs to be shifted from what the “herd is doing” to your own individual projects and pursuits. This is the place where creativity can flourish and you can finally leave a path created from your own, unique footprints instead of following the shadow of someone else’s.

The landscape has shifted and the skyline we see in the online world of 2012 is different than that of the past. Adjust and you can prosper from these changes greatly. Keep looking for easy gold, though, and you’ll probably have a very long road ahead of you.

Times are changing. And although people generally remain the same, they do change the way they do certain things as new technology becomes available. Over the past several years, text messaging has become very popular among the masses. The reason is simple. It’s not that people enjoy reading tiny messages on their cell phones. They enjoy the convenience of having a quick, simple means to communicate with others when they’re on the go.

Reading devices such as Kindles and Nooks make easy to carry an entire library of books and novels with you anywhere you go. They also fee up valuable space in the home.

More and more people are opting for the Internet over newspapers as their source for local, national and world news.

As you can see from the above examples, people still are interested in reading. They’re still interested in keeping up with what’s happening in the world. What they’re losing interest in are the old “slow” channels through which the information has traditionally flowed. New “traditions” are being created as we speak.

This brings us to special reports. What is a special report? Special reports are short, publications designed to deliver specialized information. The emphasis is on the word SHORT. Sure, people still read full length books. There’s a difference though between reading for pleasure and reading a publication designed to instruct. You can read a book on how to write sales copy. Or, you could skip the book and read a special report and get just the facts.

Most people are in a hurry these days and will choose the special report. In most cases, special reports are cheaper than full-length publications, too.

Some special reports are called “White Papers.” A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem.

If you don’t like either of those terms, you could always call the publication an eBook and represent it with a graphic of a slim or narrow eBook.

HOW I’VE USED SPECIAL REPORTS          

For many years I’ve used special reports to gauge interest in certain topics and subjects. I used to sell these eBooks, but now, I give them away for free. Actually, that’s not completely true. Let me back up for a minute. I make special reports available at no charge to potential business clients. These reports act as “frontend products” which promote a much larger backend. The backend products and services is where the profit is.

I also create special reports for clients, who in turn use them to market their own products and services. Recently, I created one for a client who practices a certain type of medicine that’s an alternative to traditional surgery. The doctor uses the eBook to promote his practice. The eBook also promotes his seminars which in turn – promotes his practice.

This is just one example of how you can use special reports to promote a “brick and mortar business.”

Another friend of mine owns a restaurant. It’s a high-end restaurant that’s been in operation for 7-8 years. Like most restaurants, he has a mailing list. Unlike most restaurants, however, he doesn’t use the list to send “buy one, get one free” offers. Instead, he uses the list to send out special report-type newsletters. These publications talk about the special ingredients he uses to prepare his dishes. It’s like getting a short, culinary education every month.

Sometimes he talks about how to prepare certain types of fish, what to be aware of and what to watch out for.

As a master chef, people appreciate getting instructions and education from him. Obviously, if you’re selling greasy burgers, your clientele probably has little to no interest in this sort of thing… but you get the idea.

The soft sell beats the hard sell more often than not, don’t you agree? A special report can be the perfect bridge between your business and new clients.

• Special Reports  provide up-front value to reader
• Special Reports are more personable than traditional advertisements
• Special Reports have a longer “shelf-life” in the mind of the reader
• Special Reports are easy to create
• Special Reports will separate you from the countless others in your niche

The list can go on and on.

Once your special report is created, you can create a sales page to professionally present your product to your market.

*HINT: If you’re terrible at writing sales copy, find a sales letter that advertises a book that’s about the same or similar subject as your special report and use that as the template for your own product.

If you’re going to charge for the report, create a “free page” with the same offer on it. In place of the BUY NOW button, put a download button instead. Give a real prospect access to the free version, but give them the paid link, too. This way they realize they’re getting something free of charge that everyone else is paying for.

TESTING NEW MARKETS

Special reports are also an excellent way to test new markets. I was going to create product for Google Plus and LinkedIn, too. Before I did so, however, I created special reports for both. The results? LinkedIn bombed. Obviously, very few in my niche were interested in using LinkedIn to promote their businesses. Google Plus did much better, but not good enough (in my opinion) to develop a new service around it. Those are just two examples.

The point is, why invest in an area or why branch off into something new without first testing the waters? A special report is an excellent way to scout new areas of interest.

*HINT: Don’t get hung up creating cover graphics for your special report. Simply go to a site live Fiverr.com and do a search for “ebook cover design.” You’ll find plenty of people there who will design a great cover for you for only $5. You can’t beat that!

SUMMING IT UP

1. Special Reports can be written for any topic and niche.
2. If you’re bad at writing sales copy, find a book online under the same or similar topic and use their sales copy as a guide for your own (where to add graphics, testimonials, etc.).
3. Create the graphic image of your special report or pay someone on Fiverr.com to do it for you.
4. Create two versions of your sales page. One free and one paid. This lets a potential client know up front you’re not giving them free crap but a genuine product others have and continue to pay for.

Every day I get affiliate offers in my inbox selling a variety of software programs, get-rich programs, how to market online programs, SEO programs, etc. I once bought a package containing sales graphics for direct marketing websites. The same person later bombarded me with offers for all kinds of marketing products and software programs. It got to the point where I forgot what it was that I originally ordered from him to start with. The end result was – I opted out of his list.

I realize the guy was just trying to make a living. As it turns out, he was an excellent graphic designer and had a good product. I rediscovered him two years later when I stumbled across another graphic design product he was offering at the time. I would have remained on his mailing list had he continued to send me the kind of information that caused me to sign up in the first place – namely, graphic design.

The lesson here is simple. Stay on topic. That’s how you develop yourself as a BRAND.

Believe me; I made this mistake myself over the years. Occasionally I send out an affiliate offer for a product I believe the people on my mailing list might be interested in. By “occasionally,” I mean – a few times a year. Not a few times a week.

My area of expertise is ONLINE PUBLISHING. The people who sign up for my list and buy my products are people who are interesting in using publications to promote themselves, their businesses, their knowledge, etc.

Sure, Internet marketing is a part of that process, but it’s not “the” process itself. Publishing is.

By staying on message, you will separate yourself from hundreds of thousands of “me too” clones that pop up every day in the online world – hawking one affiliate offer after another. Believe me… the biggest and best investment you’ll ever make in the online business world today – won’t be found in promoting everyone else’s brand. The best investment you’ll ever make will be in developing and promoting your own.

I started marketing small, simple publications back in the late 1990’s.They were the basic, paper and ink kind with the two staples in the side. It wasn’t easy getting started because I’m naturally the type of person who had (notice the past tense) a knack for over-complicating things. Couple that with the “Opportunity Seeker” DNA and you have a recipe for going in circles without getting much done.

It wasn’t until I got mad that things finally changed. It finally dawned on me that things didn’t have to be difficult. I’m sure you realize there are a lot of industries and niches whose business and income rely upon things being kept difficult for the average person? That’s the absolute truth.

Back to my story. I finally got to the point where I was able to understand the simple process behind how marketing works. Once that happened, everything changed. I had a simple process for writing publications.

After that, I developed a simple process for marketing them.

Let’s face it, the simpler anything is, the more likely you are to stick with it. The more you stick with something, the better the chances are that you’ll get the kind of results you’re looking for! Two plus two always equals four, right?

WHY PEOPLE CAN’T “STICK WITH IT”

In the past, I spent hours every day exercising and keeping fit. I even went through a few of those 90-day Boot Camp programs. I stuck it out, too. At the end of 90-days, I looked and felt in great shape.

Life isn’t a Boot Camp, though, is it? Sacrificing your time, energy and life for a space of time is fine. Doing it as a lifestyle, however, isn’t for most people unless they fit into the category of professional athlete, actor, model, etc.

People CAN follow a simple exercise routines for life, however, and enjoy the benefits that come with good health and fitness. It’s much easier to stick with a simple routine isn’t it? And like anything else, the things you stick with are the things that produce the most results.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some simple online marketing formulas you could use to sell products or promote yourself during the New Year.

PLAN 1: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

The Pros: If you enjoy Facebook, online forums and other similar communities of people, this plan may be a natural fit for you. It’s not just about exposure to numbers… you have to be KNOWN by as many of the people behind those numbers as possible. My partner, Lori, is a social media expert. She started when Facebook basically went public. Over the course of time, she’s amassed thousands of “friends” who actually interact with her about the topics and happenings relative to her niche.

Other’s she’s helped have built followings like hers in their own niches. When I asked her what the real “secret is,” she said, “You really don’t need a fan page anymore. All you need to do is enjoy interacting with people in helpful (and sometimes humorous) ways. The rest takes care of itself.”

When she opened up a local business, thousands of people showed up from the community, all because of her spending time building a Facebook presence.

The Cons: Interacting with people takes time, whether it’s on Facebook or another forum-type of community. If you enjoy it, it won’t seem like work for you. If not, you’ll get burned out pretty fast. In Lori’s case, she did the whole thing with Facebook alone. Afterwards, I helped her design a website.

The Bottom Line: You can use a single social media site to funnel traffic to your website. It can be that simple. I know people are get loads of traffic with this method. They’re not spread out doing a little of this and a little of that… they have laser-like focus.

PLAN 2: PLR – Private Label Rights Marketing

The Pro’s: Buying a product someone else wrote has a few distinct advantages. First, you’ll save a lot of time writing! To be honest, however, you’re going to want to add your own content to the existing product and tweak the existing content to make it better. This isn’t as difficult as you may think because the basic skeleton of the product is already in place. The idea is to have a unique product at the end of the day.

Make sure when you buy a PLR product that it comes with the website and sales materials.

Next, you’ll use the existing sales copy – improving it to say what you really want to say to your prospects.

Upload your new product and product page to your website or blog and you’re in business. When I say “in business,” I mean – you’ll be able to test a product idea in a particular niche to gauge the interest level in the product.

I did this about six months ago with a LinkedIn guide and a Google Plus guide. The Google Plus guide didn’t do badly with my offline market. The LinkedIn guide bombed. It was a quick way of testing new ideas for an existing market and I very much recommend it.

The Con’s: There are so many “list building gimmicks” out there it’s getting harder to build a list unless you really have a very good sales letter you’re using to promote your product. Building a list in some niches is much harder than others… it all depends upon the topic your choosing.

The Bottom Line: If your product is GOOD, your reputation will develop quickly and your readership will come to look to you as a valuable source of information in your niche. Keep in mind, most publications these days fit into the poor-to-fair spectrum. Yes, you may have a lot of competition, but separating yourself from them isn’t as hard as you think.

PLAN 3: BUILD AN “AUTHORITY BLOG”

The Pro’s: If you really enjoy a particular topic, writing an authority blog may be just what the “doctor ordered” for you. In the course of your writing, you’re killing three birds with one stone. Firstly, you’re creating content people in the niche will enjoy reading because you’re writing for like-minded people. Second, you’ll be creating original, relevant content which Google absolutely loves. And finally, you’ll be establishing both yourself and the blog as an authoritative source of information in your particular niche.

Believe me, this works! Recently, I was interviewed by a writer from the Wall Street Journal who was searching for several expert opinions on a particular fighter. He contacted me because he found me through one of my authority blog sites dedicated to the history of boxing.

I enjoy reading and writing about the sport of professional boxing. I sell ad space on the site. It’s a very simple business model. When your traffic reaches a certain point, your ad space profits can grow accordingly.

The Con’s: Of all the methods mentioned in this article, the authority blog takes the longest to establish. How long? In my experience, it takes about two years to two and a half years to really hit the higher traffic volume.

Bottom Line: Let’s face it; if you’re not in it for the long haul, it’s a lot tougher to make an impact in just about any market these days. Even if you do hit it big, you need start with the mental attitude that refuses to get discouraged if you don’t hit it big in the next 90-days.

It’s been said that information and knowledge are two commodities that will never go out of style. I completely agree. Information can be packed in so many different forms, you have to determine which is the best for your market. Some people prefer the printed page. Others, video.  Depending upon your audience, you may want to combine both together.

I prefer the printed page (or text). It doesn’t matter if it’s a book I can hold in my hand or on a computer screen.

There are exceptions, though. If I’m looking to perform a simple task that has me stumped, the first place I’ll turn to is YouTube. This is especially true if I have a software or programming issue. Videos, most of them, get right to the point.

About a year ago I was looking for a way to resize about 60 photos without having to do them individually – one at a time. I knew Photoshop was capable of doing the job, I just wasn’t sure how to do it. Couple that with a deadline and several other issues all vying for my attention and I’ll tell you, it wasn’t a pretty picture. A few video searches was all it took to find the specific solution I was looking for.

In the past, I’d buy a whole book (usually spending $30-$60) and keep it as a reference, just in case. With software changing so often, that route got to be very expensive. I abandoned that method about a decade ago.

These days, for software or programming issues, I go to YouTube. Yes, the videos are free. If you’re going to make money publishing information on videos, the business model is very simple. Offer freebies that help the end users solve problems or issues. Then, have premium videos available for those who are interested in purchasing detailed instruction.

You can set up an account at Amazon.com using their AWS service and not have to worry about paying much for larger amounts of bandwidth taken up when purchasers download the product.

I’m using videos as an example because they’re so popular these days.

Videos are just one way of packaging knowledge and information.

eBooks are another way. Actually, they’re my favorite way. Specials reports work great, too. Back in the late 1990’s I ordered a half-dozen special reports from a “How-To” author from Boston. They arrived in the mail and they were even personalized!  I’ve kept them till this day. With downloadable reports, I still have the habit of printing out the publications I really enjoy reading.

As I type this, I’m actually thinking about adding the words, “feel free to print out and read” to some of my downloadable products. Again, think about your audience.

Make your customers and clients happy and good things will come back to you multiplied many times over.

Audios (MP3’s) are another method to consider. Back in the days when I used to spend a lot of time driving, I loved listening to audios. If you have things to do around the house and some time to yourself, listening to audios can really help move kill two birds with one stone. First, you get the things done that need to get done. And second, you learn as you’re working.

Obviously, this isn’t a good message for certain subjects, but for others, it works great.

Delivering information and knowledge-based products will never go out of style. Yes, the delivery methods will change and as they do, you may want to update the form your products take.  If you’re not sure which method will work best for your niche, do a little experimenting. Ask for feedback. Above all, don’t be afraid to try something new.

Blogging is a great way to test different ideas to gauge interest in a particular subject. Whether you get direct feedback or not, you can always review your traffic stats to see which articles get the most traffic. If you have a web host with a CPanel installed on it, login and look for the smiley face logo and the word “Fantastico” beneath it. Fantastico is a program that automates the installation of a variety of software programs that would otherwise have to be installed manually. In other words, it’s a non-tech solution for software installs.

Once you’ve opened Fantastico, choose WordPress and install it in either your main directory or a sub-directory. For instance, www.simplepublications.com is my main, top level directory. www.simplepublications.com/blog would be a sub-directory. If you already have a full working site, it’s no problem at all to install a blog on a sub-directory. All of this is done through Fantastico with simple, fill-in-the-blanks boxes that will appear on your screen once you choose to install WordPress.

There are plenty of online video tutorials available to help you through choosing a WordPress template design, what plugins to use, etc. WordPress comes with a very basic default template design that many people find perfectly fine to use once they replace the header graphic and modify it with their own. Google “Wordpress Templates” for more information.

The main purpose of using WordPress is this – you now have a quick and easy way of writing, publishing and marketing articles with any subject or in any niche you can think of.

GET READERS – FAST!

You can invite friends on Facebook or Twitter. If you go to discussion forums, you can create a signature link that will appear at the bottom of your posts that contains your link. Yahoo Answers is another great way to stream additional traffic through to your site with people who share common interests.

A friend of mind had an idea for a news-type blog. Over the weekend, he installed WordPress on his new domain and by Monday, he’d written his first article.  My initial advice to him was to understand the difference between posts and pages.

Pages are generally static. Below are examples of WordPress Pages

• About Page
• Contact Page
• Map Page
• FAQ Page

Posts, on the other hand, are basically articles. These are the articles that appear on the front page of your site. The new article appears at the top and pushes the older ones down. When you login to WordPress, you can create a new page or a new post. As long as you know the difference between the two, you’re basically all set.

Yes, there are a lot of technical tweaks you make and there are many built in SEO features you can use… but if you’re just starting out – get started. You can pick up the rest as you go along. If you have questions, feel free to send me an email. I’ve built over 60 WordPress sites and can certainly point you in the right direction.

After your new topic resonates with your readers, you can then step it up a notch. The sky is the limit. About a month ago, a writer from the Wall Street Journal contacted me to interview me about information on one of my niche sites for an article he was writing. Think about it. In what other time could a simple blog publisher attract the attention of a national publication?

Attaching a Blog to an idea can give a business wings faster than almost any other method in existence today.

ARE YOU A HUNT AND PECK TYPIST? NO PROBLEM!

If you enjoy writing, there’s no reason not to get started today. If you hate typing but want to enjoy the benefits of blogging, I’ll give you the same advice I recently gave to my better half. Get yourself a copy of Mavis Beacon teaches typing… but in the meanwhile, buy Dragon Naturally Speaking. This program has helped millions of people (not just a few of which are physically handicapped and unable to use a keyboard).

It takes a little bit for the program to get used to your speech patterns… but after it does, the inability to type will no longer remain a hindrance. Here’s the link: http://nuance.com/dragon/index.htm

Remember, it all starts with a single step… so get out there and take your first step today!

Every business has a plan. Some better than others. When it comes to the online world, though, much of common sense approach that’s associated with offline business become blurred by the lure of secret methods, magical software and fast cash on autopilot.

Let’s face it, if it’s for sale on Clickbank, the secret is long gone if there ever was one. Clickbank isn’t the place to conceal jealously guarded secrets while offering them at a reasonable price. If you had a money making method you genuinely wanted to keep secret, you wouldn’t create a direct marketing letter to tell people about it.

And yet, countless dollars have been cast to wind since the 1990’s ushered in the newest version of the “Get Rich Quick” while investing fifteen minutes a day enterprise.

Business has been and always will be about building trust and providing quality products, services and solutions. It’s always been about helping people achieve a desired end result. The larger the scale you accomplish this on, the great the revenue and profits.

Along the way, however, a lot of unscrupulous individuals have gotten rich of the ignorance of people believing otherwise. Actually, many of these people fit into two categories. The first are the gambling type. I’ve personally known a few people who’ve gotten rich off the gambling mentality. Unfortunately, it was the same mentality responsible for them losing it all.

I’ve never heard of a gambler who stayed rich. Not one. Sooner or later, they all run out of time and luck. And it usually comes at the worst possible time.

There are no guarantees in life. You’d have to be God to genuinely assure anyone of anything and be capable of backing it up under all circumstances and in every situation.

The second kind of person is the overload sufferer. Overload suffers have downloaded more information than they can possibly process in a reasonable amount of time. They read nothing, skim everything, and considering their total time investment researching every method that comes down the line – seem to be none the better.

Yes, they may have a lot of useful information, but their bank accounts reflect otherwise.

Does all of this mean you’re not going to make money online? Of course not.

Businesses (online or offline) are legitimate vehicles capable of taking you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow. Spending your time building a legitimate business, however, is much different than investing your time, money and energy – chasing shadows. FOBO’s (Fake-Online-Business-Opportunities) deliver little to nothing at the end of the day.

Good products, services and information created by real business people have been outnumbered by scam artists and conmen about 100-1.

The tide has turned though… and things are about to change.

Stay tuned!

When you’re good at something… it shows. I have a friend who’s a Master Chef. At it takes is one bite and a few “chews” to realize the difference between his cooking and just about everyone else’s. A world class sprinter only needs about 40 yards to show the difference between what they can do as compared with just about everyone else. Masters, regardless of the skill, rise to the top. They’re impossible to compete with in their niche… unless you’re one yourself.

Masters also get paid more in their field because they’re the individuals who are recognized as the standouts.

That brings us back to where we are today. More specifically, were you are today. If you have an online business of some sort, like most people, you probably divide your time between being the chief, cook and bottle washer. At the end of day, though, learning how to do is a great way to get started. But like anything else, what doesn’t move forward ultimately goes backward.

Growing in business is much like growing in life. When you’re young, you try different things and you have different experiences. Ultimately, though, those who succeed in a big way avoid being all over the map. It’s really up to you. You can be good at many things or GREAT at one thing. Of course, “belief” is often the real driving force behind everything else. Belief enables or prevents people from choosing, focusing and putting everything they have behind a single focus or goal.

Belief is what keeps people going when others are falling by the wayside.

On the other hand… sometimes the lack of options is what it takes to create the type of focus you need. Circumstances have a way of limited options. Too many options can be just as bad as not having enough options. Not taking any kind of action is the end result. Eliminated distractions and committing to a single course of action can be the most difficult things you’ll ever do – especially in the beginning.

Is there a solution?

There’s a simple solution but it’s not necessarily easy because your mind is apt to fight you each step of the way. The solution is – make a choice, don’t look back and start taking action (however small) that will move you in the right direction. Realize this; you can only move in one direction at a time and you’ll never get very far by continuously changing directions.

You may be thinking, “That sounds hard!”

In the words of a Wiseman, “If change were easy, everyone would be doing it!”

Recently I took some time off and headed out on the open road. My journey took me through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.  I ran my entire business from the road using a laptop with a Sprint AirCard connection. The first thing that hit me was how much the United States has changed over the years. If it weren’t for the landmarks, each of the States seem to look more or less the same.

Yes, it’s true; you can still get better peaches in Georgia. Better corn in Illinois. There’s still blue grass growing in Kentucky. Those things aside, you see Walmart’s, McDonalds, Lowes, Dominos Pizza, Malls and all the other chains that have virtually choked out the Mom and Pop businesses across the nation.

There are limited options for the “little guy” in 2011. Fortunately, the Internet remains a viable alternative to reaches the masses with your message, product or service. Back in 2000 I saw this coming and made the switch, slimming down my overhead to create a lean, fast, easier-to-turn-a-profit type of company became the goal.

Unlike many of today’s Internet marketers, instead of just selling the “picks and axes” to those wanting to “mine for gold,” I decided to go right on ahead and mine for the gold directly myself.

Was it easy?

Let’s put it this way… after cutting through all the crap and junk out there, it became a lot easier. The hardest part was cutting through the multiple distractions along the way.

The temptation to purchase a “short-cut” product or service that will speed up the success process is always present. More often than not, these products usually waste more time than they save.

Are you familiar with the history of the Wild West? If you are, you’re probably familiar with the Donner party. The infamous Donner party and their wagons were making their trek westward to California. Instead of following the time tested path, however, the wagon leader decided to take a shortcut. He’d read an article back east about a shortcut through the mountains. The author of the piece said the “little known” (sound familiar?) mountain path would save a significant amount of miles and time from the traditional path.

The information was wrong. In fact, the opposite was true. The path was actually longer. Once the harsh winter snows began falling… tragedy was right around the corner. Most of them froze to death before the rescue party could finally reach them.

You can apply this lesson to a lot of things in life. The easy way is usually anything but. Of course, there are exceptions, but they’re just that. They’re exceptions. There are certainly ways to do things better, smarter and faster with your business. Just make sure the source of this information is solid. Look for product reviews online other than the ones contained directly on the site or affiliate sites (if they exist).

It only takes a little bit of time to check things out. Your wallet will thank you for it.

The concept of setting goals is, surprisingly enough, only about 100-years old.  This fact really surprises some people.  The term “goal-setting” became part of the American vernacular with the advent of sports into the American culture as the 20^th century got under way.  If you read the writings of self-help authors of the 1890’s and earlier, you won’t find any mention of the “goal-setting” at all.

Rather than debate the semantics surrounding this topic, let’s take a closer look at what it would take to accomplish something meaningful in your life. More precisely, what it takes to accomplish something meaningful in your own life over the next twelve months.

Although many analogies can be drawn from sporting events to illustrate the tests, trials and challenges of life, upon closer examination… you’ll find that life itself is really nothing like a sporting event at all.

In the real world there aren’t any off seasons, next seasons or starting over with game one.  It’s one continuing story.  Life doesn’t afford us timeouts or halftimes.  If you collapse in a heap along the sidelines, life just keeps on moving forward with the “ball” continuously in play, regardless.  Friends and loved ones have to pick you up off the floor because no one’s going to blow a whistle and stop the action, right?

In spite of all the uncertainties that go with life, people have risen up throughout the ages and have accomplished great things.  The majority are people who never attended a seminar or read a self-help book in their entire lives.  Some were educated, some weren’t.  People, educated and uneducated alike, have accomplished great things without using the goal setting processes that are so popular today.

People like Edison and Ford accomplished what they did without reading, “The Secret” or the book the secret was based upon “The Science of Getting Rich.” They did so without self-help books, life coaches, gurus and any of the other popular ideas people have today about achieving success in their business and in their lives.

How’d they do it?  What was their formula?

1. The decided what they wanted to accomplish.
2. They rearranged their priorities so they could focus their time and energy to accomplishing what they’d set out to do.
3. They had enough faith to take a step in that direction.

When you’re committed to the road that lies before you, your priorities change and your unconscious actions work with you instead of against you as you proceed along your path.

The problem is, most people never make a decision to take a specific course of action.  As a result, their priorities never really change.  And finally, as a result of the first two, they never commit 100% to a single course of action.  Many believe they’re keeping “their options open” by taking this approach, but more often than not – they’re simply sabotaging their own success without realizing it.

This was one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever learned in my lifetime.  It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you’re willing to change your priorities so they begin the mirror the things you’re saying you’d like to accomplish.  There was a time in my life that – when the going got tough, I’d just roll over and take a nap while trying to think positive thoughts.  Funny, but true!  And guess what?  Not much ever seemed to change.  Finally, it hit me.  I was investing my energy into so many different directions; I was going nowhere – fast!

Whether you’re trying to do a 180-degree turnaround in your life, or just trying to change one aspect of it, the principles work exactly the same.

1. Decide what you want to accomplish.
2. Make a commitment to sacrifice as many unimportant things as you need to in order to make progress – every single day for as long as necessary.
3. Take a step in faith in that direction.

Accomplishing anything worthwhile takes work.  And sometimes, the work is hard! There’s a price to pay to build a business.  There’s a price to pay to get into shape or lose weight.  There’s a price to pay to learn a new trade or skill.  Conversely, there’s a price to pay to sit back and do nothing, too.  And sometimes, you don’t realize you’ve been paying it until years later.