Monthly Archives: March 2015

Time to Spread the Word

You have finally decided on your best fit business idea.  You have researched it thoroughly to ensure a genuine interest exists in the market place.  Ideally your business idea is in a niche market where competition is in the low-medium range.  Now it’s time to start sharing your knowledge and experience with the world through your own blog.

What is a Blog?

As per the Wikipedia definition:

“A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first)”.

The best way to publish your most useful content is through the most popular www.wordpress.com blogging tool.  For new bloggers the WordPress tool is not only free to use, it provides numerous templates to best illustrate your specific content in a manner that is most convenient for your target audience to enjoy and engage with you.

What type of Blog Content will you Post?

Before you even begin to post your first article, you should prepare an overall plan of at least 50 topics of interest in your business niche.  Then decide how often (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) you plan to post these articles of interest.  There are so many different types of blogs.  For example, you could provide any of the following blog types:

  • Blogging.2Top 10 List Posts
  • How to Posts
  • Research Posts
  • Problem and Solution Posts
  • Case Study Posts
  • Inspiring Story Posts
  • Continuing Series Posts

You will need to give away lots of free content to have any chance of building an audience or a community of interest.   You will need to reach out to that audience in the future for potential customers of any digital information products you wish to market and sell.

What will you Name your Blog Site?

Have you been thinking of a catchy name for your blogging web site?  There are lots of web domain search sites that can be viewed to see if your site name and suffix is even available.  Once you decide on a good name, for example, www.yourblogname.com, then you will need to purchase that web domain name from a web hosting company, like www.godaddy.com.

Most host service companies will provide you with the ability to review available web domain names and provide you with the ability to select your monthly hosting service.  They also provide you with the ability to integrate directly with the WordPress framework to set up your blog seamlessly.

Your Initial Business Investment

This is the first monetary investment required in your journey to launching an online business.  Typically a domain name can be reserved for anywhere between $10-$15/year.  The hosting service for your blog content can typically be between $3-$5/month.  So the overall yearly cost of running your blog would be $46-$75/year.  An incredibly cheap investment to make for a new company startup.

Note, I have yet to mention any cost associated with setting up a legal business entity, be it a registered or incorporated company.  I would leave that until later when you decide to monetize your blog and actually start to make any income through the sale of digital information products, affiliate marketing etc.

Setting Up Your Blog Site

Now how best to go about setting up your blogging web site on WordPress?  Again, thankfully there are lots of free video tutorials out there that will teach you step by step what’s required.  One video that I particularly enjoyed was a free one published on the www.udemy.com site.  The instructor is Mike Omar, publisher of many books on the subject of online business.  The blogging course can be viewed at https://www.udemy.com/how-to-make-a-website-or-start-a-blog-with-wordpress/.  Mike provides a very thorough step by step instructional video that any beginner will be able to follow.

You are probably wondering how Mike can provide his course for free, well that’s where affiliate marketing comes in.  You will notice that Mike is suggesting to use a specific web domain and hosting service in this video.  This is one of many domain and hosting services available.

If you decide to click on the one Mike suggests and actually purchase the service, then Mike gets a commission on that sale.  Mike has been blogging and creating digital information products for a while so he can provide some valuable lessons learned.

Time to Take Action

OK then, are you ready to start creating your brand new blogging web site and your new blogging theme?  Are you ready to start creating your very first blog posting?  It’s time to take action and to spread your words of wisdom.  Be thoughtful, be genuine, be transparent, be helpful and most of all be yourself.

Researching Your Business Idea

Have you written down all of your good ideas for a potential online business?  Have you talked to your friends and family about any of those ideas?  Did you get any WOW! That’s a fantastic idea why don’t you do something with that?  Well before you launch into action might I recommend you do a lot more research?  If you recall, you and your friends might think it’s a good idea but will anyone else in the world feel the same way?  Part of the whole idea of the validation process also involves some internet research.

Google Searching Your Idea

Everyone surely knows how to Google a subject.  The amazing thing is you most likely will get a million results for whatever topic you key in.  The important thing is to note what are the top results returned on the first Google results page. This list of first page results tells you how many people are really interested in this topic.  Why because Google’s page ranking algorithm determines that very fact.

These first page results are there because they have received the most traffic to their individual sites and they are considered to be most relevant to the topic being searched. Now if the first Google results page contains a number of web sites that don’t seem to really satisfy your search idea/subject then perhaps there is an opportunity for your idea in this niche market.

On the other hand, if there are several sites that have valuable content on your idea, then you know your idea is in a very competitive market.  A rule of thumb that could be used is if your idea/topic has less than 15 million search results then you are most likely in a less competitive market with a better chance of being successful in this niche.  Anything that results in more than 15 million search results is likely way too competitive for your online business idea.

Keyword Searching Your Idea

Now the next question to be answered is how popular is your big idea.  You will need to do some additional research.  Keeping in mind, you are trying to find that great business idea where you could provide expertise on and potentially earn some added income down the road.  I suggest the following:

  • Keyword search forums for your idea subject thru a Google search
  • Searching amazon.com for book titles that match your potential big idea and look inside the book cover to see what chapters are being written about.  Perhaps your business idea has more relevant content
  • Doing keyword searching with adwords.google.com. Sign up for free and then click on keyword planner to check out if you’re topic/subject/idea is being looked for in google searches. This tool is used to estimate what it would cost you to purchase advertising on a pay per click basis and by how many times it shows up (impressions).  I’m not suggesting it’s time to purchase advertising, however, for planning purposes this tool can help you decide if the idea is a great one. For example, look at the competition level shown in the tool.  Is it low-medium?  Then perhaps your idea could work.  If it’s too high, then it probably isn’t a worthwhile idea because there is too much competition and little room for a brand new entry.  If you don’t find any results then it’s probably not a great idea at all.

Additional Research

As mentioned in my previous blog postings, I have learned a great deal about building an online business from my son, Trevor.  Trevor actually has three different online businesses.  His latest one is to blog and podcast on how programmers can learn to start up their own business by creating digital information or software products.  As of this blog post, he had already recorded over 20 episodes.  This episode on How to Choose a Business Idea provides some additional suggestions on how to go about finding that business idea that best fits your area of expertise.

Books to read

The Lean Strartup book

 

 

 

 

The 4-Hour Work Week

 

 

 

 

These books will not only help you find a business idea, they will inspire you to carry on.

So, make it your mission to do the research and find that niche market where you could begin your journey into building your awesome digital information product.

Why Even Work During Retirement?

You worked for so many years to finally earn that elusive right to finally say, “I’m retired”.  You just want to sleep in, relax and enjoy that leisurely life that you so deserved.  However, you will most likely find something missing in your retirement life.  It’s just human nature to explore.  For some people, the need for connection to the outside world becomes overwhelming.  Then thoughts of perhaps taking on a part-time or even another different full-time job start to creep in.

The reasons are not always about the money

Working in RetirementAs per the chart, the main reasons retirees prefer to keep working to some degree during their retirement is to stay mentally and physically active.  These reasons are followed by maintaining solid social connections and a strong sense of identify or self-worth.  Granted some retirees would prefer to keep working full time past that typical retirement age of 65 or 67or whenever government pension benefits kick in.  Others might want to balance their work life with some retirement pleasure by only working part-time.

Either way, it’s an opportunity to hopefully do something you love.  A chance for a do-over where you can try something you would have, could have or should have done, if only you had the knowledge and wisdom you have accumulated now.  Baby boomers have developed a significant number of skills over the years, not to mention, a very good understanding of what can be accomplished over the internet.  The question is – what wisdom could you share with the world that would help solve a problem, satisfy a need or provide guidance for a large number of people?

Time to learn new skills

Think about it!  If you’re retired or about to be retired, you know there will be hectic times and down times during retirement.  Why not challenge yourself mentally during those down times to do some research into an idea that could keep you mentally active and perhaps even earn some extra income down the road.  I am not the expert here on this whole subject of starting an online business but I have done the research, I have learned from my son’s online business as well as following a few experts in the field of internet marketing and online business.  It’s a very interesting and mentally challenging opportunity for anyone who wants to give it a try.  The sense of achievement can be so rewarding.  In effect you would be learning a new set of skills while leveraging your own knowledge, experience and wisdom.

Your big idea

Again, given the right mindset to begin the journey of launching an online business, the first thing you need is that big “idea”.  You probably have lots of good ideas, even some great ideas but will any of them have a chance at success.  Be sure to write down your ideas and research the internet to see what’s out there.  Don’t be alarmed if someone else has a similar idea or solution that just means there is a market out there for that idea.  One of the experts in the online business world I have been following for over two years now is Pat Flynn from smartpassiveincome.com.  One of his blog postings 5-reasons-your-next-big-idea-might-fail addresses the whole idea why some ideas just simply fail and what you should be aware of.

For example, you might have a lot of experience in woodworking, project management or consulting.  However, these topics might be too general or involve to large a competitive market where it would be very difficult to successfully launch an online business.  However, if you had a lot of experience, for example, in a niche market like teaching interested people on how to play bridge.  Then you could offer that experience, with some authority, a series of video tutorials as well as a series of eBooks on various bridge techniques, this could be a better opportunity for success.

Validating your idea

The next step would be to validate that idea by either surveying your friends and family, purchasing some reasonably priced Facebook ads that target a specific market to see if people actually like the idea or perhaps even pre-selling the online course and/or eBook to people online to verify any would be buyers.  If you receive any meaningful feedback and results, then you’re onto something.  If not, and you pre-sold your product, then you could simply refund the money.  It’s so critical to validate your idea before spending an inordinate amount of time developing your product only to see it possibly fail to launch let alone record any sales.

These are guidelines that have been published by the experts in this field.  They make sense.  This is only the beginning of this journey.  Having a winning idea is one thing.  Marketing that idea or product is where the real challenge is.  For that you need a presence on the internet and that’s where learning those new techniques and skills really begin.  The amazing fact is there are several online marketers who offer their wisdom through blog postings, podcast episodes and video tutorials – all for free. I will share with you some of these expert websites.  You will be amazed how much information is available.  All you need is time to learn.  As retirees or soon to be retirees, time is one thing we should have lots of.  It’s just a matter of balancing your time between something mentally challenging with your whole retirement lifestyle.

My disclaimer

I will state my disclaimer clearly and simply.  The techniques used by these experts were extremely successful for them but it doesn’t mean they will be successful for everyone.  Otherwise everyone would be launching online businesses.  However, as retirees we do have an additional advantage.  We have accumulated years of business knowledge and acumen that we can leverage throughout our retirement years.  The key is to find that “idea” for a product or solution that would be of interest to many others.  It’s time to start brainstorming ideas.  My suggestion would be to seek out a friend, your son, your daughter or your spouse and bounce off ideas to see if any of them stick.  Then let the momentum begin.