No Time Like The Present

What's your excuse for not working toward your most cherished dream?


It could be to start your own Internet business or learn a new language or travel to Asia.

Do you think you're too old? Too inexperienced and unqualified? Too busy with other things? Too broke?

Age means nothing, other than time is running out for you to act. And other obstacles can be overcome easily... with the right attitude.


Spend Most of Your Time on What You Know Best


You may be used to working as part of a team. Somebody does the graphics. Somebody writes promotional copy. Somebody else develops the marketing plan. But when you're solo, you're in charge of everything.

Some tasks you can just ditch. And some you can delegate. Establish your priorities. Should you spend time on the phone with your website hosting provider? No, you should delegate that. Should you spend time on content and offers geared toward your market, which you know better than anyone else? Yes.)

Make Technology Your Friend

You may be used to letting others handle the "tech" stuff in your workplace. But when you're running your own business, you're the tech guy. And, as you will discover, it turns out much of it is pretty easy. For things you can't figure out, take a class. If it's really complicated, hire a freelancer.

You don't have to know everything. But you need to know enough so you're not at the mercy of your outsourced help. You don't want to be overcharged or told something is impossible when they just don't want to do it.

Don't Ask for Favors, Ask for Advice

At meeting with the mega-successful entrepreneur Richard Branson, MaryEllen Tribby was invited to talk about her business. Instead of asking for help, she simply explained what her venture was about and asked for suggestions. Richard offered his support. And, already, his charitable organization, Virgin United, has been in touch with her.

You don't have to know Richard Branson to take advantage of this approach. Just think about it. If you're constantly asking people for favors... how long will they feel like granting them?

Create a Network You Can Brag About

Get the best people in your industry in your network. Not people you've only met once or see once a year. I'm talking about people you can call at any time. People who will do anything for you. (Of course, you have to be willing to do anything for them, too.)

When you're starting out, you probably won't be in touch with industry giants. But you can still make great contacts. Start with likeminded people who are as focused as you are on growing their businesses. As your businesses grow, you will be able to help each other.

Create Accountability Partners

You are 65 percent more likely to accomplish your goals if you have someone watching over your shoulder. It probably has a lot to do with not wanting to admit to not doing what you said you would do. That fear keeps you motivated.

So set up a time to speak with a colleague or business partner once a week. Talk to each other about what you've been doing with your businesses. Call them out if they've been slacking. Ask them to do the same for you.

Understand Your Market Intimately

One of the first things you should do is research your market and your competitors. Using keyword research tools from Google, you can find the number of searches a month for search terms related to your ideal market. Visit every site in the organic results and pay-per-click ads.

Look in depth at their site layouts, sales letters, offers, products, and marketing strategies. Figure out what other marketers are doing right. And what they are doing wrong. (For example, many don't have sign-up boxes on their home pages to build their e-mail lists.)

Work on Your Business Every Day

You can't just work on the weekends. You have to do something every single day to advance your business. If it's important to you, you'll do it. Get up extra early if you have to.

If you want to sell supplements online, for example, you could start researching which products are hot right now. You could contact some suppliers. Buy a domain name. Build your website.

Learn, Understand, and Strive to Master Direct-Response Marketing

Direct marketing is the key to online success. An e-commerce site like Amazon may work. But you're not Amazon. You can't wait for customers to find your site. You must reach out to them, get their contact information, and start building relationships that lead to sales.

Don't Fall Victim to the Biggest Entrepreneurial Curse

Four projects halfway done yields ZERO revenue. One project 100 percent finished brings cash in the door.

Focus on one thing at a time -- the one most important thing -- and complete it before you start another project.

Stop trying to come up with rationalizations for not taking action. The truth is, now is always the best time to start a business.$

[Ed. Note: If you're not happy with your financial situation, you're in the perfect position to change it for the better – right now. Ray has just released a special video that covers an online business system that you can use to start growing your wealth. To watch this short video, click the following link: http://www.raybuckner.com]
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