by miami | Nov 21, 2007
I love change. Maybe it is just doing something new, or being in a new place, or the excitement of new challenges, but change has always been an integral part of life for me.
Four years ago in February, we purchased a house and ten acres of land with the intention of fulfilling a goal to build a working horse ranch.
At that time our long term goal was to use the 10 acre project as a pilot project – a test sort of to see if horse ranching was
a) something we liked to do and
b) financially feasible as a business
Our long term vision was to find some property in southern Colorado to build a much larger ‘dude’ ranch.
We know now it is feasible – and we can do it. We built the farm from ‘scratch’ (you can see pictures here) and made it a profitable working farm with a very loyal, stable and growing client base.
But the long term plans have changed somewhat. We have inserted a new phase into the plan. We want as a family to find a catamaran sailboat, sell the farm and the business and live and travel on the boat for a while. A ‘short break’ you might say.
To accomplish this, we must move our income streams from horses and face to face business coaching clients to some form of recurring, passive income.
This is why – if you have been here long – you have seen the changes coming. I have been working hard to create an Internet presence and then created products based on my expertise- (like the one here) – which is coaching and consulting small business owners.
It has been, and continues to be, fascinating, challenging and invigorating to expand into a new field. Marketing on the internet is huge business and will continue to grow exponentially into the future.
Along the way I have been asked repeatedly how this internet marketing thing works.
To answer those questions I am creating a free program to help anyone who wants to learn about internet marketing including blogs, Web 2.0, auto responders, email newsletters, html, social bookmarking, and all the things that are changing so fast we either have to keep up – or let it go on by us. This program will allow anyone to learn at their own pace – no pressure, no tests, no cost. Teaching others will help me be a better learner as well.
Some people I know are saying they don’t want to learn this new stuff and they are going let it go. I refuse to let it ‘go on by us’.
If my 9 year old can understand it – so can you and I.
The difference is that we can use that understanding to help provide a lifestyle when the 9 year old will use it for entertainment.
I can use it to allow the next change – drifting on the last of the day’s tropical breezes in beautiful azure blue water to come to anchor at a deserted crystal white sand beach somewhere in the Caribbean.
by miami | Nov 5, 2007
Part of the ongoing search as an entrepreneur is to find exactly what your clients crave – and give it to them.
Like personal development training.
Robert Allen said:
"The serious money in the future is not just in providing information or raw data. We are already drowning in information. We are on information overload. We are data drunk. The problem is not a lack of information or ideas but a lack of information that is packaged properly. Your job in the future is to convert the mountains of raw data into specialized knowledge presented in a way the consumer can assimilate and use quickly"
Well that is all well and good, but the key is to hone in on exactly what it is your clients want!
For years I have written books and articles, developed products and seminars based on MY wants and needs which have revolved around self actualization and happiness. In fact I wrote a book about personal development training called BeDoHave Find Happiness Now.
This has been a great interest of mine for at least the last ten years and I have spent a LOT of time in this field.
As the Internet became mainstream, and more and more people turned to their computers for answers, it actually became more difficult to reach out and find those with the same needs unless you knew the exact words the computer users were typing into the search fields.
Over the last several years, some of the bigger companies like Google, Overture and others have steadily gathered information through better organization of the massive data and come up with fairly accurate reporting to help people like me find people like you.
For instance I have targeted the term "Find Happiness Now" for years. Go ahead and search Google for "Find Happiness Now". See were I am?
Whoopdedoo. It turns out no one searches for "Find Happiness Now".
When I started researching this lately I found the word "happiness" is not really searched at all.
I think people I am looking for are typing in "Personal Development Training". If I am to get to these people I have to appear on the first page of "Personal Development Training" on a Google search.
Let’s see how long to takes me to do that!
BTW – I have other terms I know people search for – and I have products for those people. And I am implementing the process to rank on those terms on Google as well.
All part of my own personal development training!
by miami | Oct 29, 2007
I have been talking a lot about the way I find happiness in my life. A few have shared their ideas of what happiness is to them, but I would love to hear more!
There is a great post here on three simple ways (depending on how you define simple!) to live a great life,
and more posts here on personal development subjects.
Alex Blackwell does a nice job on his "The Next 45 Years" blog with some great posts on personal development and happiness.
It is all too easy to spend too much time looking, searching and learning and not enough time actually doing! Do you best not to fall into that trap!
by miami | Oct 26, 2007
Bloggers have a thing called blogging carnivals – where a bunch of bloggers add their posts to one site.
We do that for a couple of reasons:
a) We get links to other sites that help our search engine rankings.
b) It allows others who might not see our blogs to visit us.
c) It gets us out into other blogger worlds.
The latest carnival I am in is a cool blog about Georgia for Georgians
Have a look at what other Georgians are talking about!
by miami | Oct 24, 2007
When I began writing articles and sending them out seven years ago, who would have thought there would be a thing called ‘blogging’ and a whole new world opening up of earning an income using a medium called the internet?
Just to be sure there is no misunderstanding here, I am not saying the internet is a where you can create income – it simply provides a new method of reaching clients and customers.
Four years ago, we bought a house and 10 acres outside Atlanta and set out to build a working horse farm. At the time our long term vision was a horse ranch in southern Colorado – sort of a ‘dude’ ranch for guests to visit the great outdoors, learn about themselves through programs we would offer.
So the ten acres was to be a pilot project. Could we build a horse ranch business? Would we like it? Was it feasible on a big scale?
Yes, we could build it. (You can visit us at www.highcountrystables.com)
Yes, we could make it work. We have been very successful. (Give huge credit to my wife, her personality and her love for horses.)
And yes, we are fairly sure it would be successful on a bigger scale.
But there is a small challenge. I love to sail. In sailboats we live on out in the ocean. And visit lots of places I have never been.
Plus our boys are growing up quickly. The oldest just turned 16. How much time before the fumes get him? (Car fumes and perfume)
I want him to know the sailing life before he goes, and I can sure use the help on a boat!
Which brings us back to the internet, this blog and the last seven years of articles.
I have invested a ton of time and energy into learing this thing called the internet. I have always been intrigued by the possibilities inherent in operating a business model that cares not where you are physically.
Like most things worth having, learning to create an income online is a huge challenge- but one well worth the work.
Changes are coming soon.
I love change!
by miami | Oct 19, 2007
I love this story of the Mexican villager and the American Investment banker,
probably because I relate so much to it! Enjoy it!
++++++++++++++++++++++++
The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one
fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria,
stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the
proceeds, buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually
you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly
to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.
You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC
where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then?"
The American laughed and said "That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and
sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions.. Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late,
fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you
could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Anybody up for a little fishing???
Don’t worry Be Happy!
