Wow, I am so excited to have finally discovered a group of mentors who are helping me to uncover the business of my dreams.

I wrote about Corbett Barr, Chris Guillebeau and Pat Flynn in my previous post but over the past couple of weeks I have been reading a ton of content by Jonathan Mead of www.illuminatedmind.net.

Jonathan’s content provides personal development information that is different than typical self-help material.

That description may make the difference between Jonathan’s work and traditional self-help material sound very subtle but it’s quite the opposite. Jonathan’s work is powerful.

If you have been struggling to figure out a way to make a living doing something your passionate about (like I have) then you must check out Jonathan’s work.

Specifically, I would read his free E-books “The Zero Hour Work Week” and also “7 Keys To Discovering Your Passion”.

Once you have read those books (they are fast reads and chock full of awesome content) if the message rings true with you, then go take his free “Passion + Profits” test.

I’m not going to provide a link to the Passion + Profits test because I really think you should read the two E-books above and if I give you the link you will probably go right to the test.

I have been struggling for a LONG time to figure out how I could make a living doing something I love.

I’ve tried so many books, programs, courses not to mention the very large chunk of my Time, Money and Energy I’ve invested into figuring it all out too.

After reading those 2 books by Jonathan and taking the Passions + Profits test, I can say that I wish I had found out about his website a long time ago.  It would have saved me tons of time , money and frustration.

Thanks to reading those two books and taking the test, I’ve gotten a very clear picture of a what it is I should build a business around and eliminated a bunch of other ideas that I’ve had.

The ultimate goal for me is to build a business with these 5 attributes:

• To build a business that doesn’t feel like work, it’s something I love doing and talking about, something I think about all the time and something I would do even if I wasn’t getting paid for it
• To build a business that provides information, products and services that help people to significantly improve their own lives in very meaningful and important ways
• To build a business around my strengths to reduce the amount of time it will take me to generate a living doing what I love to do
• To generate enough income from this business to support my family without having to work for someone else
• To build a business that allows me to do what I want, when I want to do it

I am determined to build this business no matter what and I’ve committed to myself to invest all of the time, money and energy necessary to make it a reality for me,

But whenever you are chartering into new waters, it’s always best to have a knowledgeable guide who has “been there done that” to help ensure your success.

And for that reason, I am so thankful to have people like Jonathan, Corbett, Chris and Pat as my guides….even if they don’t know it yet.

Thanks guys for putting out such awesome content and for doing it in a way that doesn’t take advantage of people.

You could easily charge us for the awesome free material you’ve created but instead you’ve chosen to provide to us free so we can benefit from your wisdom without having to fork over our hard earned dollars. You are examples of what it means to give without expecting anything in return.

Thank you for putting so much value out into the world, I am deeply appreciative.

The past couple of days I took a step back to really reflect on where this site is going.

Quite honestly I had to question what the hell I was doing. Who am I to write about how to build a business.

I have a business but it haven’t generated enough income to support my family by doing that business full-time.

Over the past couple of days I slowly came to the realization of something that was staring me in the face but not very obvious, well I guess it was obvious but I just didn’t want to admit it to myself – I just don’t care enough about my consulting business to make it successful.

I finally realized that it is that very reason why I have always struggled to build it to the point where I can make a full-time living from it.

My heart is not in it. There may be some people out there who can build a business that they are just not that into. Not me.

I have this nagging feeling inside to do something that really means something, something that truly helps people on a deep level.

I’ve always justified my consulting because it was something that I did enjoy and I am good at. But enjoyment and being good at something really aren’t great reasons to build a business, at least not for me.

I want a business with a deeper purpose than helping companies streamline their technology and reduce costs. That’s cool stuff and there are a lot of great companies out there that do that stuff and they are needed.

But again, it’s not for me.

So once again, for like the eight hundred thousandth time I am questioning what kind of business I should build.

How can I provide tons of value? What is it that I know really well that I can teach or help people with that will provide tremendous value to their lives?

I’ve learned that in business, just as in life, the more value you put out into the world, the more value you receive. It’s that karma thing. Do good and good will come back to you. I truly believe in it.

I’ve also learned that we are all part of something greater that is very good and when we connect with that goodness, we are the best version of us. The best “us” we can be. It’s such an amazing feeling, it actually gives me the chills up my spine when I tap into it. It’s really incredible.

Whoever reads this site may be questioning where the hell I am going with this and why I’m talking about tapping into “goodness” instead of business stuff.

The reason is because I think it’s possible for everyone to experience this amazing feeling and to be able to experience it through their work.

It’s actually the real reason I started this blog in the first place. I went to a coffee shop to think about what type of business I wanted to build around a blog.

When I tried to buy my $1.50 coffee with a debit card, the miserable girl at the register told me they don’t take cards for such a small amount and that I’d have to pay cash. Coincidentally, I had learned a few days earlier that vendors who do that can actually lose their right to accept Visa, Mastercard etc.

But instead of calling her out on it, I decided to do what I thought was the right thing and go across the street to the ATM and get dinged with a $2.00 surcharge.

When I came back I sat there with my coffee and wondered why there are so many miserable people. I thought “she’s probably just miserable about her job and would rather be doing something else”.

Then I thought, “if only everyone could be doing something they love for a living, this world would be a much better place, people would probably be a lot happier”.

It was that realization that made me want to start a site that would teach people how to create a business around something they love.

So I started this site to journal my path to creating a business I love and somewhere along the way I tried teaching things that I probably shouldn’t be teaching. Sharing my experiences is one thing, teaching what I think is the “best” way to create a business is another. I have no “cred”.

If I  put myself in the shoes of someone out there in the world who happened to stumble upon this site for the first time, I probably would not hang around for more than 2 seconds.

So the past few days I just took a step away from this site and really tried to relax and let the answers come to me.  Some awesome things have happened.

I just read 2 manifestos that have completely re-energized me and given me inspiration to go out and create something amazing. Something that allows me to be myself and bring my uniqueness to the world to help people improve their lives in some way.

I enjoyed these Manifestos so much that I did something I never do, I printed them out and put them in a binder and then I highlighted, made notes and outlined them. At some point I think I’m going to put a page up on this site to encapsulate the amazing content in these 2 documents.

The 2 manifestos are:

“18 Months, 2 Blogs, Six Figures” by Corbett Barr

http://www.freepursuits.com/18-months-2-blogs-six-figures

And

“279 Days to Overnight Success” by  Chris Guillebeua

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/overnight-success/

The past 6 months have had my head spinning with all the stuff that goes into creating an internet business and the marketing side of it at times is a bit concerning. There is a lot of really compelling stuff out there that makes you want to open your wallet and drop a bunch of money on programs and information but I wonder how much value you really get from some of these programs.

It was really calming to read about who these guys are and how they are making a living online. These guys are such good people and it really comes out in their writing. It made me feel at peace to know that it is completely possible to be yourself and make a living doing something you love…..without using any potentially questionable marketing or sales tactics.

Anyway, I haven’t quite figure out exactly what it is I’m going to do but I do know one thing. I want to create deep meaningful relationships with the visitors to my site and I want to provide amazing value that truly helps them in their lives.

I’ve kind of got this f’ all the rules and do it the way I want to doit thing going on which feels scary but at the same time, it feels right.

So here goes. I’m not sure where exactly this site is going but I’m thinking it may be my platform to show people who I am and what I’m all about.

For now I’m going to keep trying until it feels right and I know that when it feels right, I have succeeded.

Last Thing.  I have to give a shout out to Pat Flynn from the www.smartpassiveincome.com blog.

I found out about Corbett’s Manifesto through Pat’s newsletter and Corbett’s Manifesto led me to Chris’ Manifesto so without Pat, I probably never would have come across either one.

Pat, is the man. The information he puts out is top-notch and he’s one of the most genuine and sincerely good people out there in the internet business world that I’ve come across. That’s the beauty of the internet, get connected with the right people and they will connect you to more of the same type of people.

I’ve been doing a ton of thinking lately about how I am going to build my business. Actually, about how I am going to build my two businesses – this site (which makes no money right now) and my technology consulting business ProfitRetriever.com which makes some money but not enough to pay all my bills.

It’s been six months since I quit my job to pursue  my entrepreneurial dream and although I’ve had some really hard times, it’s been the best six months of my life.

I have never felt more alive because I finally felt like I am doing what I am supposed to be doing….building a business.

But, pretty soon I will have to take another full-time job which scares me and pisses me off because of how much time it will suck from my life.

It will probably eat a good 12 hours of my day between actually working and commuting. My day will probably look something like this:

5:30/6:00 am: Wake up, get Leah fed, cleaned up, dressed and make her lunch for school.

7:00 am: Off to work to be in the office by 8:20 or at my first appointment.

8:20-5:15 (at best): Working

5:15-6:15: Commuting home

6:15-8:30: Hang out with the family, dinner, give Leah bath and put her to bed

8:30-9:30: Walk the dog, do dishes & other miscellaneous house chores that need to get done

9:30-11:00: Work on my business

UGH! I want to hurl.

It sucks plain and simple. But the bills need to get paid and so far my business income has been like a roller coaster so I need steady income.

I know a lot there are a lot of people out there who can relate to what I am going through and if I can help myself do it, then I can help other people do it too.

Trying to build a business while managing the demands of a family and full-time job is f’n nuts. But I think there is a way, I know there is a way….and I’m going to find it and do it.

Marketing your business to the general public is a waste of time, especially if the goods you are offering are tailored to a specific group of people. The key to building a successful business, whether online or off, is to identify a target market for your product or services. Targeting your advertising campaigns towards your target market will not only increase your conversion rate but will save you money as well.

Survey Your Existing Market
The easiest way to target your market best is to start by surveying people who already use your products. If your product hasn’t launched yet, survey a group of people who use a similar product. The results of your surveys will clearly indicate which group you should be targeting. You may be surprised to find that a product you thought would be suitable for single college students in their early 20’s is actually well-liked by high school teens. The data you collect will help you to create a new marketing campaign or make changes to your existing campaign.

Know Your Product Demographic
Before you begin surveying your existing market, you’ll need to sit down and take a hard look at the product you are trying to promote. What group of people (age, gender, marital status) did you have in mind when you created the product?
You’ll want to know more about the demographics of the market you’re aiming for. Take the following factors into consideration as you conduct your survey:

· Age
· Gender
· Education Level
· Type of work (self-employed, unemployed, underemployed)
· Marital Status (single, newlywed, or married for years)
· Family status (children, grandchildren, etc)
· Ethnic and religious backgrounds (often don’t make a difference but can sometimes impact buying habits)
· Social class (low, middle, upper)
· Spending habits (thrifty, conservative, open spenders)
· Activities and interests

High school graduates with no college education will spend money differently than married couples with children. All of the above factors, and others, can help you to carve out a very targeted niche market.

Identify Shopping Patterns
Once you’ve determined your target market based on income, education, and other lifestyle factors you will want to narrow the group down a little bit further. Does the majority of the group like shopping online, ordering products over the phone, or picking things up in a store? Will your product inspire a need for instant gratification or will your potential market be willing to wait a few days for your product to arrive in the mail?
Target the market that fits the needs of the product or service you offer. By doing so, you’ll save money on advertising costs and will automatically see a better ROI because you’re putting your product in front of people you know are interested in what you have to offer. You can always expand your market later on if you find a need.

I responded to a post today from someone who was frustrated that there really isn’t much information out there on how to market your business when you don’t have much money and you have some major responsibilities like a family to support.

I can totally empathize with that since I have a family to support too and have been through this challenge in the past. So I created a list of 5 Free and Low Cost Strategies to market your service if you have a limited marketing budget.

I’m sure there are a million ways but here are 5 that I came up with:

1. Email Newsletters

Cost: Free

Do you know some potential customers? Call them and ask them if it would be ok to send them an email once or twice a month with information that could help their business. Use your email program, Outlook, Gmail or whatever you use and start creating articles to send to them. Stay away from trying to sell them, you want to inform them about the benefits your service would provide them.

2. Blogging

Cost: About $100 for the year.

You can get a domain for about $10 per year and hosting for about $7-$10/month. You can start blogging and attract some potential customers to your business who are searching Google, Yahoo, Bing etc for the type of service you provide.

3. Create An Entrepreneur Network

Cost: Free

Team up with some other startup business owners and try to help them grow their business. I know this sounds really counter-intuitive but for me (and I think for most people) it is easier to think of ways to help other people than it is to help yourself. Plus, when you start helping other people, other people will start helping you. It’s a beautiful thing. Plus you will increase your network and that will help build awareness of your business and start getting you some referrals.

4. Contribute To Blogs and Forums

Cost: Free

What is your business? Are there any blogs or forums out there that are talking about topics related to your business? Yes there are. Type in a word to describe your business like “computer software” and then add the word blog or forum so the search would be “computer software blog” or “computer software forum”. You will get a list of blogs or forums that you can go to, search some of the conversation going on and then respond when you feel you have something valuable to add to the conversation. If you do a good job responding, you will show that you really know what you’re talking about and people from those blogs or forums will come visit your website, get to know more about you and contact you for more information or to buy your products or services.

5. Beat The Streets with a Flyer ($10 for Paper)

Cost: $5 for the paper

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about doing hard-core door to door selling. I always HATED that in sales. What I did a lot because it was easy and very effective was create a flyer on bright colored paper with a picture, an interesting or funny headline (that pertains to the picture), 5 bullet points that people should know about my product or service and a “call to action” that included some type of free gift.

So What Do You think?

Could you use any of these strategies?

Have you or used or heard about any creative ways to market a business?

Startup expenses for a bootstrapping entrepreneur  can be overwhelming since most of us start a business with little money .

It’s a challenge because you want to use the best services and tools but you don’t want to run out of money too quickly so you look for ways to get things done cheaply.

The problem is, the old saying “You Get What You Pay For” is usually true and you don’t want to take chances with your business.

But there is good news, there are some exceptions that will keep your startup expenses to a minimum without sacrificing quality. Skype is one of those exceptions.

What is it Skype?

Skype is a free software program that provides VoIP (voice over the internet) Telephone Service, Video Telephone Service, Instant messaging, and more.

The awesome thing about Skype is that it allows you to make phone calls to anyone in the world for free if the person you are calling is using Skype too.

But don’t worry, even if the person you are calling is NOT using Skype, the rates are SUPER cheap.

You can pay by the minute or you can buy a monthly “subscription” that gives you unlimited calls in the United States for the unbelievably low price of $2.99 per month!

What’s so great about Skype?

1. It’s FREE

2. It’s Easy To Use

3. The Sound Quality Is Excellent

4. You Can Make A Phone Call With The Click Of A Button

5. You Can Add Your Outlook Contacts In One Easy Step

How Do I use Skype?

You need Skype on your computer + one of the options below.

Note: These are my Amazon Affiliate links to the Best Rated Headsets and Phones for Skype. If you click on the link and make a purchase I will get a commission which helps to keep site running. So if you do, thank you!

1. USB or Bluetooth Headset

Best Rated USB: Plantronics .Audio 655 USB Multimedia Headset

Best Rated Bluetooth: FREETALK Everyman Wireless

2. Webcam with a built in speaker.

Best Rated: Logitech 2 MP Webcam Pro 9000 with Built-in Microphone

3. Plug-In Phone

Best Rated: Belkin F1PP010EN-SK Desktop Internet Phone for Skype

Best Rated “Travel” Phone: Philips VOIP1511B/37 Skype Travel Phone

4. Video Phone

Best Rated: ASUS Skype Videophone Touch SV1TW

How Do I Make A Phone Call With Skype?

Step 1: Download and install the Skype software

a. Go to www.skype.com

b. Click on the “Get Skype” button at the top of the page

Step 2: Download Skype Software

For PC Users: Click on the Green button that says “Get Skype For Windows”.

For Mac Users: At the top of the page just under the words “Get Skype” you will see the words “On Your Computer”, click on those words. On the right-hand side you will see Mac OS X, click on that to download Skype for Mac.

Step 3: Once you have downloaded the software you need to run the installation. Once it’s done installing, you are ready to use Skype!

How To Make A Phone Call

1. Go to your list of programs and open Skype.

2. Click on the button that says “Call Phones”

3. That will bring up a phone keypad. Just dial the number you want to call by using your mouse to select the numbers on the dial pad.

4. After you have entered the numbers, just hit the green button that says “Call” and you are making a phone call with Skype!

4. To hang up the call just hit the red button on the keypad.

Tip: If you want to add your Outlook contacts to Skype, you can do that very easily by clicking on “Contacts” on the Skype menu and then scroll down and click on “Show Outlook Contacts”.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to begin using Skype!

How about you? What free or low cost tools are you using to keep your business startup expenses to a minimum?

My friend Kate Madden, President of Fresh Start Resumes LLC (www.freshstartresumes.com), recently attended one of the Small Business Courses offered by the Wharton School of Business.

So I asked Kate if she would be so kind as to write up a summary of the course for those interested in this course so they could get an “insider’s” look into what it’s all about.

So here it is….thanks for the feedback Kate!

I attended the First Step: Starting A Small Business workshop hosted by the Wharton Small Business Development Center in August 2010. We met for two evening sessions with a wonderful instructor/facilitator who has ‘been through the trenches’ of several successful start-ups.

It was a collaborative, round-table discussion for the most part - everyone participated, volunteered their business ideas and brainstormed improvements & strategies. We discussed all the issues that affect new businesses…from concept to completion.

Our instructor covered topics including: funding/financing, target market identification, personal dilemmas, mission statements, regulations, and support organizations (just to name a few).

We even had a guest speaker who attended a previous workshop (2009). James Hammarhead was in the final stage of opening up his own custom motorcycle shop and accessory line by the name of Hammarhead Industries (HHI) in downtown Philadelphia. It was exciting to hear his story and see how far he had come since sitting in our seats just a year earlier. http://hammarhead.com/manifesto/mission/.

As a new small business owner (Fresh Start Resumes LLC), I found it helpful to talk with other people in similar situations and hear from the experts. I was officially in business when I attended the workshop, so I had already experienced a lot of what was covered. However, I’m looking to expand into other areas outside of resume writing (ie. consulting/staffing) so it was still very helpful to me and got me thinking of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Wharton Small Business Development Center also offers a follow up Strategic Business Planning course that delves into the business plan development process. This 5-session workshop meets weekly and covers the Financial Model, the Business Model and the Action Plan. I haven’t signed up yet, but hope to soon.

Anyway, the cost for First Steps was reasonable ($50) and the motivation level was high. I started on my business plan for expansion immediately after the course. I’m 25 pages deep and counting.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to start their own business!

Kate Madden (President/Owner) - Fresh Start Resumes LLC

www.freshstartresumes.com

Some businesses are successful right from the start. They seem to attract new customers almost automatically without much effort.

When I started my business, I thought I would get a flood of referrals from each customer. I thought they would be so impressed and happy with the value they got from my services that they would tell every busy owner they know so they could take advantage of my services and receive the same great benefits.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. So I wondered, “What are startup businesses doing to attract new customers”?

Instead of spending too much time asking myself that questions, I decided to post that question to a group of Entrepreneurs on LinkedIn to find out what have been the most successful strategies for attracting new customers to their businesses.

Here’s what they had to say:

“Periodic emails – never to sell but to educate and inform.” Arun Jain of  BayTech Services (www.baytechservices.com)

“Getting really good at SEO so we can get customers actively shopping for corporate training videos online.” Helen Whelan of Success Television (www.SuccessTelevision.biz)

“Doing Seminars and Community Events that get our Brand in front of Potential Customers. Once you position yourself as an expert in field the customers come to you.” Derrick Butler of Cache Mob Inc (www.cachemob.net)

“Referrals referrals and MORE referrals. Always the best source for us. We have numerous secondary marketing tools such as our blog, and SEO stuff, but our database is a gold mine.” Sean Carroll – President of Work Live Dream (www.WorkLiveDream.com)

“Face to face networking has always been key for my business. Although I work for an online marketing company that helps business owners see more traffic from geo-targeting technology, the networking really comes to play!” Linda King of Meetup.com (www.meetup.com)

So, are you using any of these strategies to build your business?

OR

Do you have a different strategy?

If so, shoot me an email and let me know. I’ll include it hear on the site and maybe even put it into an eBook for maximum exposure! Think that would help you get more customers?

Since the point of my blog is to help other entrepreneurs who are starting a business, I thought I would start sharing links to articles and sites that I have found to provide valuable information for startup entrepreneurs.

I am bootstrapping my startup business and I wanted to see if I could find some bootstrapping success stories to give me some insights into the quickest way to bootstrap my business to success. Just to be clear, success for me means generating enough income from my startup business so I can quit my job and focus on my business full time.

Here is an article from Entrepreneur.com that I thought was really good in terms of giving some examples of entrepreneurs who have bootstrapped their companies to success.

There are also a couple more articles related to this that I found very helpful.

At the bottom of the article click on the words “five tips” to get five tips to help keep your costs down when bootstrapping your startup.

In addition, the next article “Start With A Sale” contains some very important information if you are thinking about launching a startup business.

I thought this was interesting since I recently wrote about the importance of making a sale when launching a business in my post “Starting A Small Business Step One”

Enjoy and of course, let me know what you think by either submitting a comment to this post or sending me an email at tim@entrepreneur-startup-guide.com.

Here’s the link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneursstartupsmagazine/2002/october/55776.html

I have been reading and learning a lot lately about how to add additional revenue sources to my business. Specifically one book I am reading is by Michael Port called Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling

I'm almost finished the book and it is really quality information for any small business that is looking for ways to grow their business in a very natural, non-aggressive, feel-good kind of way...which is what I'm trying to do.

Anyway, in the book, Michael mentions having additional sources of revenue that you can sell like books and CD's. So I've been trying to figure out how I can create a book or CD for my clients but nothing has been coming to mind...urgh!

Then I was listening to Dan Miller's podcast again (this guy is really the man for coming up with creative business ideas) and he mentioned that he once sold an information product describing how to start a business for something like $400 bucks and he sold a whole bunch of that product for very minimal cost.

BLING! The light bulb went off. What if I create an e-book that teaches people how to do what I do?

This idea got me really excited, not because I think it's an automatic money maker, but because it actually would be more fulfilling for me to help people by teaching them what I know.

What I do is help small business owners save time and money on telecommunications products and services.

I save them time by evaluating their needs and then working with a variety of companies to find the right solution.

This saves a small business owner a TON of time and frustration. And time is money so there is a "soft" savings there aside from the other benefits like not dealing with meetings, phone calls and emails from aggressive sales people, not understanding the various offerings of the vendors, not knowing where to look to get the best deal for the best price and the list goes on.

The other way I save them money is that I can shave their monthly recurring costs by 20% on average.

So, that's how I help small business owners.

That feels great but my personal mission statement is this:

"To use my unique skills, talents and knowledge to help thousands of people make a positive difference in their own lives".

So even though teaching other people to do what I do would create more competitors for me, it actually feels like a more worthy cause and worth the risk.

My particular business creates residual or passive income for me and to me, that's the most important kind of income you make because your not trading dollars for hours. You work hard and do a great thing for someone else and then you are compensated for that work for months and years to come.

This income has helped me in so many ways throughout the years and I continue to generate income from customers I helped almost 10 years ago!

It's such a cool way to generate income but it's something that most people don't even know about. I was shocked to find out recently that a friend of mine who works for a very large company in the telecommunications industry had no idea this type of opportunity even existed!

Anyway, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would like to make a little extra income or maybe a lot of extra income but just don't know how.

I've done it and can teach others to do it in a way that doesn't take much time or even much knowledge about telecommunications.

I think that's pretty cool.

So, I'm going to get cracken on creating this training. I'm just not sure yet if I'm going to create a Physical Manual, an audio manual or maybe even just blog about it and then create the final product from my blog posts.

Hmmm? If you've got any preferences or suggestions please let me know. Shoot me an email at tim@entrepreneur-startup-guide.com.