interview

How My Biology Blog Landed Me My Dream Job

by Paul Joseph July 26, 2011 Featured

Yeah, I know. It’s not what you want to hear about on a blog about Blogging and Entrepreneurship. Who comes here to know how to land a job? Isn’t the entrepreneurial dream never to have to work for anyone but yourself? Isn’t it all about working smart and not hard? Can you be an entrepreneur and still have a full time job ? The fact is, for some “entrepreneurs”, the end goal isn’t ONLY to work for yourself. I fit in this category. I’ve started an online business, and the main thing it does is that it supplements the income from my job as a teacher. It gives me the ability to do things I wouldn’t be able to do without my own online business. However, there’s something that I’ve realized that I can’t deny – I’m a teacher, and I LOVE teaching . Not only that, but I love teaching at the university level, and ever since my days in grad school, in the recesses of my mind, I knew that it’s what I wanted to do. My Educational And Teaching Adventures When it comes to education, I’m somewhat of a sucker for punishment. I did a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and went on for a Master’s degree in Neurobiology. I LOVE neurobiology, physiology and all of those kinds of subjects (yes, I’m a nerd). However, there was a significant problem – I HATED the research (or I thought I did). Although my Masters Research involved traveling to the beautiful country of Germany for two summers along with all kinds of cool stories like playing piano for a gospel choir, staying in a Fraternity house for $80 a month with a chef that came in once a week to feed us AWESOME food, and hiking through the Hartz Mountain, it also involved coming back to a small research lab dissecting crickets and doing electrophysiological recordings for up to 14 hours in a day – YUCK! It was at that point that I abandoned my dream of teaching at the University level. I loved the people, but hated the crickets (and for me, that represented the research). When I was offered a job as a High School science and Math teacher, I decided to jump at it. Teaching, without the research – YAY! This is where the 2nd problem came – I was also teaching things I wasn’t passionate about, and it wasn’t at the level I enjoyed. So, I decided to do something about it. I wasn’t qualified to teach at the university level, but I was going to teach University-level stuff whether it was my job or not. How? By blogging of course . . . My Blogging Experience Since 2008, I’ve been actively blogging and have been having a decent level of success. Working part-time on my blog, I have been able to net anywhere between $500 and $3000 per month , much of which has been relatively passive. Not a ridiculously large amount like many others, but enough for me to feel like I know what I’m doing. I learned about SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Traffic Generation, Building a list, and all of those phrases the readers of this blog have come to know and love (hopefully). What I eventually realized was that I could take those same principles and apply them to Biology. So, I started my Biology Website , where I started making short video clips teaching the content I wanted to teach , with no one telling me what I could or couldn’t do, and it was very exciting. The website grew quickly, and my videos are being viewed anywhere between 1,000 and 2,600 times daily , thanks to a lot of what I learned in Gideon Shalwick’s Rapid Video Blogging Course . Not only that, but I started receiving emails, almost every day, from people all over the world who have been using the site and finding a tremendous amount of value in the content. These people included University Students and Professors, Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses and a variety of other professionals who have been using them as an integral part of what they are doing, or just as a tool to help them remember the things they forgot from Medical School or University. The Bad Story With A Good Ending Back in April, my father was diagnosed with a serious neurological condition, and was sent to a special hospital in Colombia (the country). Because we weren’t sure how things would go, I went down there to spend a month with my family. He was in an induced coma and was paralyzed to where he could hardly move his arms and legs even before going into the coma. While there, my main task was to help him with his Physical therapy. While he was in the coma , I would exercise his arms and legs twice daily, to help speed up his healing process, and when he was taken out of the coma, the exercises continued. During this relatively stressful period in time, there was a topic of discussion that kept coming up. My mother and aunt would constantly tell me that they thought that I should be a Physical Therapist. I actually let them know that it was something I had considered in the past, but that I knew that my calling was to be an educator. However, if there were one Profession I would want to do in the Health Care field, it would be Physical Therapy. At a certain point, with a lot of prayer, and some serious miracles, my dad’s condition took an abrupt turn for the better. We were planning for him to be in the Hospital for a few months, but in about a week, so many good things were happening that he was moved out of intensive care, into a different hospital, then to a hotel, and was then sent back to our country. The details of all of that would take many blog posts to get into, but the short version is that we’re praising God for the things that happened. The Invitation When I got back home from Colombia, there was a letter in my mailbox from the university I attended. It was an invitation to teach Anatomy, Neuroscience and Pathophysiology, in one of the top Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in the United States. When I received the invitation, I was quite surprised. I was not a Physical Therapist, nor did I have a PhD. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think how much of an “interesting coincidence” it was, with everything I had been experiencing. Well, I decided to apply. Yes, I was unqualified on paper, but I thought that my blog would give me some leverage to where they would at least consider me as a candidate. Then I called up one of my former professors for a recommendation. He went in to speak with the chair of the department, and then told me that I should consider taking a trip to the university to talk with the chair of the department, and show him the stuff that I was working on. The Importance Of My Blog Based on the recommendation of my former professor, I made an appointment and went to speak with the department chair. We had a very interesting chat. At the end of our meeting, the following was clearly established: There were over 30 people applying for the job, many of whom were actual Physical Therapists who were more qualified on paper than I was. The department had already decided that they were not going to hire someone with a Biology Background. They wanted someone with a physical therapy background. If I hadn’t come in, I would have never gotten an actual interview. BUT , he was blown away by what I had accomplished online . Based on my blog , he would make sure that, at the very least, I would get an interview. The Interview And Job Offer Then it was time for the interview. I came into a conference room and sat at the head of a conference table that was surrounded by eight highly educated individuals, most of which had PhDs and DPTs (Doctor of Physical Therapy) ready to grill me with their questions. I started off with an opening statement, highlighting my passion for Biology and the success of my website. I let them know what was happening at my site, and you could see their faces light up. Then they asked me all kinds of questions. I answered. I was cool, calm, and collected, with the confidence that whatever happened, I would leave the situation a better person. Now, I know that I didn’t do a great job with building up the suspense in this article. In fact, you knew the result by reading my title. Yes, I did get the job. In fact, it was a unanimous decision which, from what I understand, doesn’t usually happen in these committees. Why did I get the job? For a number of reasons. However, one of the main reasons was that I used my blog to demonstrate authority. In fact, I can proudly say that because of my blog, people all over the world have come to see me as an authority when it comes to biology. Does it mean that my blog is perfect? Nope. In fact, I make mistakes in my videos and get people saying things like “Umm, actually, that’s all wrong!”. Then I go in and correct the mistakes (sometimes). It’s a learning process, and I learn as I go, and then I share what I learn with people all over the world. If you would like to listen to this full story from my podcast, go to the podcast episode on my blog of How I left My Job because of My blog . The Importance Of Blogging Without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I now firmly believe that Blogging is one of the best ways to establish yourself as an authority in your industry/niche today. It’s a way of building credibility , nurturing relationships , and gaining an audience . These are factors that can help anyone accomplish their goals. Your goal might not be to get a better job. In actuality, that wasn’t my goal with my blog either. My plan was to eventually quit my teaching job and do internet marketing full-time. However, that was me settling because I didn’t think that teaching at the university level was plausible. For me, to a certain extent, doing internet marketing full-time would be settling. I know what I’m called to do, and now, because of my blog, I can do it. I don’t know what your goals are, but I want to encourage you to take this blogging thing seriously, because it has the potential to do great things . My Recommendations My first recommendation is that if you don’t have a blog, START ONE NOW . The concept of blogging is still young enough that most people don’t know how to do it well. You’re reading this blog, so you have access to resources to help you get started and to do it well. In other words, you’re at an advantage. At the risk of sounding like I’m writing this because this is Yaro’s blog, I HIGHLY recommend that if you haven’t taken his Blog Mastermind course , you need to get in on it. Without Blog Mastermind, I would NOT be where I am today. It gave me a strong Blogging foundation as a blogger, and has made me comfortable enough to start a blog and establish myself as an authority. The biggest thing is that it helped me to avoid making some of the common mistakes most bloggers make, and that is worth it’s weight in gold. My final recommendation is that if you are into video blogging, check out Gideon’s Rapid Video Blogging Course. It has really done a lot for me, especially when it comes to my Biology blog , and has helped me to go from hardly any video views to over 1,000 daily views in less than two months. Online video is thriving right now, and Youtube is allowing a lot of people to Crush it! Remember that you can’t keep doing the same ‘ol thing and expect to get different results. Well, you can expect it, but that’s the definition of insanity. Take action! Give yourself a kick in the butt and get going. Your Comments Have you started a blog already? If so, are you having success with it? If so, what has blogging done for YOU? Let me know in the comments below! Until Next Time! Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: country, health, industry, internet, interview, podcast, small-business, video, videos

0 comments Read the full article →

How My Biology Blog Landed Me My Dream Job

by Paul Joseph July 26, 2011 Featured

Yeah, I know. It’s not what you want to hear about on a blog about Blogging and Entrepreneurship. Who comes here to know how to land a job? Isn’t the entrepreneurial dream never to have to work for anyone but yourself? Isn’t it all about working smart and not hard? Can you be an entrepreneur and still have a full time job ? The fact is, for some “entrepreneurs”, the end goal isn’t ONLY to work for yourself. I fit in this category. I’ve started an online business, and the main thing it does is that it supplements the income from my job as a teacher. It gives me the ability to do things I wouldn’t be able to do without my own online business. However, there’s something that I’ve realized that I can’t deny – I’m a teacher, and I LOVE teaching . Not only that, but I love teaching at the university level, and ever since my days in grad school, in the recesses of my mind, I knew that it’s what I wanted to do. My Educational And Teaching Adventures When it comes to education, I’m somewhat of a sucker for punishment. I did a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and went on for a Master’s degree in Neurobiology. I LOVE neurobiology, physiology and all of those kinds of subjects (yes, I’m a nerd). However, there was a significant problem – I HATED the research (or I thought I did). Although my Masters Research involved traveling to the beautiful country of Germany for two summers along with all kinds of cool stories like playing piano for a gospel choir, staying in a Fraternity house for $80 a month with a chef that came in once a week to feed us AWESOME food, and hiking through the Hartz Mountain, it also involved coming back to a small research lab dissecting crickets and doing electrophysiological recordings for up to 14 hours in a day – YUCK! It was at that point that I abandoned my dream of teaching at the University level. I loved the people, but hated the crickets (and for me, that represented the research). When I was offered a job as a High School science and Math teacher, I decided to jump at it. Teaching, without the research – YAY! This is where the 2nd problem came – I was also teaching things I wasn’t passionate about, and it wasn’t at the level I enjoyed. So, I decided to do something about it. I wasn’t qualified to teach at the university level, but I was going to teach University-level stuff whether it was my job or not. How? By blogging of course . . . My Blogging Experience Since 2008, I’ve been actively blogging and have been having a decent level of success. Working part-time on my blog, I have been able to net anywhere between $500 and $3000 per month , much of which has been relatively passive. Not a ridiculously large amount like many others, but enough for me to feel like I know what I’m doing. I learned about SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Traffic Generation, Building a list, and all of those phrases the readers of this blog have come to know and love (hopefully). What I eventually realized was that I could take those same principles and apply them to Biology. So, I started my Biology Website , where I started making short video clips teaching the content I wanted to teach , with no one telling me what I could or couldn’t do, and it was very exciting. The website grew quickly, and my videos are being viewed anywhere between 1,000 and 2,600 times daily , thanks to a lot of what I learned in Gideon Shalwick’s Rapid Video Blogging Course . Not only that, but I started receiving emails, almost every day, from people all over the world who have been using the site and finding a tremendous amount of value in the content. These people included University Students and Professors, Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses and a variety of other professionals who have been using them as an integral part of what they are doing, or just as a tool to help them remember the things they forgot from Medical School or University. The Bad Story With A Good Ending Back in April, my father was diagnosed with a serious neurological condition, and was sent to a special hospital in Colombia (the country). Because we weren’t sure how things would go, I went down there to spend a month with my family. He was in an induced coma and was paralyzed to where he could hardly move his arms and legs even before going into the coma. While there, my main task was to help him with his Physical therapy. While he was in the coma , I would exercise his arms and legs twice daily, to help speed up his healing process, and when he was taken out of the coma, the exercises continued. During this relatively stressful period in time, there was a topic of discussion that kept coming up. My mother and aunt would constantly tell me that they thought that I should be a Physical Therapist. I actually let them know that it was something I had considered in the past, but that I knew that my calling was to be an educator. However, if there were one Profession I would want to do in the Health Care field, it would be Physical Therapy. At a certain point, with a lot of prayer, and some serious miracles, my dad’s condition took an abrupt turn for the better. We were planning for him to be in the Hospital for a few months, but in about a week, so many good things were happening that he was moved out of intensive care, into a different hospital, then to a hotel, and was then sent back to our country. The details of all of that would take many blog posts to get into, but the short version is that we’re praising God for the things that happened. The Invitation When I got back home from Colombia, there was a letter in my mailbox from the university I attended. It was an invitation to teach Anatomy, Neuroscience and Pathophysiology, in one of the top Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in the United States. When I received the invitation, I was quite surprised. I was not a Physical Therapist, nor did I have a PhD. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think how much of an “interesting coincidence” it was, with everything I had been experiencing. Well, I decided to apply. Yes, I was unqualified on paper, but I thought that my blog would give me some leverage to where they would at least consider me as a candidate. Then I called up one of my former professors for a recommendation. He went in to speak with the chair of the department, and then told me that I should consider taking a trip to the university to talk with the chair of the department, and show him the stuff that I was working on. The Importance Of My Blog Based on the recommendation of my former professor, I made an appointment and went to speak with the department chair. We had a very interesting chat. At the end of our meeting, the following was clearly established: There were over 30 people applying for the job, many of whom were actual Physical Therapists who were more qualified on paper than I was. The department had already decided that they were not going to hire someone with a Biology Background. They wanted someone with a physical therapy background. If I hadn’t come in, I would have never gotten an actual interview. BUT , he was blown away by what I had accomplished online . Based on my blog , he would make sure that, at the very least, I would get an interview. The Interview And Job Offer Then it was time for the interview. I came into a conference room and sat at the head of a conference table that was surrounded by eight highly educated individuals, most of which had PhDs and DPTs (Doctor of Physical Therapy) ready to grill me with their questions. I started off with an opening statement, highlighting my passion for Biology and the success of my website. I let them know what was happening at my site, and you could see their faces light up. Then they asked me all kinds of questions. I answered. I was cool, calm, and collected, with the confidence that whatever happened, I would leave the situation a better person. Now, I know that I didn’t do a great job with building up the suspense in this article. In fact, you knew the result by reading my title. Yes, I did get the job. In fact, it was a unanimous decision which, from what I understand, doesn’t usually happen in these committees. Why did I get the job? For a number of reasons. However, one of the main reasons was that I used my blog to demonstrate authority. In fact, I can proudly say that because of my blog, people all over the world have come to see me as an authority when it comes to biology. Does it mean that my blog is perfect? Nope. In fact, I make mistakes in my videos and get people saying things like “Umm, actually, that’s all wrong!”. Then I go in and correct the mistakes (sometimes). It’s a learning process, and I learn as I go, and then I share what I learn with people all over the world. If you would like to listen to this full story from my podcast, go to the podcast episode on my blog of How I left My Job because of My blog . The Importance Of Blogging Without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I now firmly believe that Blogging is one of the best ways to establish yourself as an authority in your industry/niche today. It’s a way of building credibility , nurturing relationships , and gaining an audience . These are factors that can help anyone accomplish their goals. Your goal might not be to get a better job. In actuality, that wasn’t my goal with my blog either. My plan was to eventually quit my teaching job and do internet marketing full-time. However, that was me settling because I didn’t think that teaching at the university level was plausible. For me, to a certain extent, doing internet marketing full-time would be settling. I know what I’m called to do, and now, because of my blog, I can do it. I don’t know what your goals are, but I want to encourage you to take this blogging thing seriously, because it has the potential to do great things . My Recommendations My first recommendation is that if you don’t have a blog, START ONE NOW . The concept of blogging is still young enough that most people don’t know how to do it well. You’re reading this blog, so you have access to resources to help you get started and to do it well. In other words, you’re at an advantage. At the risk of sounding like I’m writing this because this is Yaro’s blog, I HIGHLY recommend that if you haven’t taken his Blog Mastermind course , you need to get in on it. Without Blog Mastermind, I would NOT be where I am today. It gave me a strong Blogging foundation as a blogger, and has made me comfortable enough to start a blog and establish myself as an authority. The biggest thing is that it helped me to avoid making some of the common mistakes most bloggers make, and that is worth it’s weight in gold. My final recommendation is that if you are into video blogging, check out Gideon’s Rapid Video Blogging Course. It has really done a lot for me, especially when it comes to my Biology blog , and has helped me to go from hardly any video views to over 1,000 daily views in less than two months. Online video is thriving right now, and Youtube is allowing a lot of people to Crush it! Remember that you can’t keep doing the same ‘ol thing and expect to get different results. Well, you can expect it, but that’s the definition of insanity. Take action! Give yourself a kick in the butt and get going. Your Comments Have you started a blog already? If so, are you having success with it? If so, what has blogging done for YOU? Let me know in the comments below! Until Next Time! Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: article, country, health, industry, interview, mind, podcast, small-business, videos, young

0 comments Read the full article →

“The market for costume jewellery and accessories is estimated at $16.3 billion.”, Nandita Bose, Burnt Sienna

by Paul Joseph July 24, 2011 Featured

We at YourStory.in recently interacted with Nandita Bose, Fashion Entrepreneur & Founder of a jewellery manufacturing company, Burnt Sienna. In this interview for YourStory.in, Nandita tells us more about her journey so far. Nandita was also one of the finalists at the British Council’s Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards in 2010. To know more about the Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards, click… (Visit Yourstory.in for full news, other content, and much more!)

Tagged as: british, british-council, entrepreneur, frontpage, interview, journey, other-content, young, yourstory-in

0 comments Read the full article →

Keys for Hiring Right Every Time

by Paul Joseph June 30, 2011 Featured

With unemployment at record levels in much of the US, help wanted ads are likely to receive massive responses. Reports of a thousand people applying for two open entry level positions and other amazing stories are commonly heard, and even companies that haven’t placed employment ads are getting a fair amount of applicants – whether they have openings or not. You would think this is a good thing for business owners looking for employees. The larger the pool of applicants, the more likely it is that you’ll find the right person for the job. But if you’re going to take the time to weed through all those applications and interview so many candidates, you better make sure you end up with exactly who you’re looking for. Recruiting effectively is a several step process, but once you’ve got people applying, it really boils down to two basic steps: screening and selection. Screening is at the application/resume level, and selection takes place at the interviewing level. Of course there can be multiple steps within each of these processes, but they are the two primary ways you will go from a mountain of applicants to a position filled with the right person. Screening is the easier of the two steps. This is a matter of reviewing resumes, cover letters, any tests or personality profiles you have applicants take, etc. to find those who meet your specific criteria. For the most part, a computer could do this step. Either an applicant does or does not have what you’re looking for. While the appearance of their resume and other subjective factors can enter into your decision, you’re mostly looking at the facts: years in the industry, level of education, longevity at past jobs, etc. Selection cannot happen based solely on the applications you receive. It is a matter of meeting the applicants who made it through the screening process, and, in fact, probably only the few who came out on top. The Interview Interviews are the most important step in the hiring process and should be used as an opportunity to get to know the person you’re considering bringing into your company. You should already know they have the skills, education, and/or experience to do the job, based on their application and resume. Now is the time to see if they would be a positive addition to your company. Considering your company culture, the people they will be working with, and the “spirit” of the job they’ll be doing, are they a good fit? And the right fit goes both ways. It’s as important that an applicant will be happy performing the job as it is that they are well qualified. If you don’t take this into consideration, you just might find yourself repeating the whole process three months down the road. Asking the Right Questions During the interview, it’s time to learn about the person in front of you. Many businesses conduct interviews as though they are still part of the screening process. “Tell me about your education.” “What were your duties at your last job? …and you were there for three years, is that right?” What’s the point of these questions when you have the information in front of you already? In any other setting, you would get to know someone by having a genuine conversation. So do the same here. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed the interviewee will be, and the more he or she will be themselves. Just as important as the tone of the interview are the specific questions you ask. If you’re still asking, “Tell me about your greatest strength and greatest weakness,” or “What would you do if…” questions, stop it. These are the questions that every smart applicant is ready for, and they won’t tell you much about the person at all. Ask them what kind of music they like. Ask what they do for fun and how many friends they have from their last job. Of course you have to be careful to stay within employment laws and not ask the wrong questions (their age, marital status, etc.), but you can do so and still get a good feel for their personality and character. Turn the interview around too, and encourage them to ask you questions. You can learn as much about a person from the questions they ask as you can from their answers to your questions. If you go into the selection process with the goal of finding the right person for the job, not just the right resume, chances are good you’ll end up hiring someone who will enjoy their job, do it well, and stay with your company longer. Will you literally hire right “every time?” Probably not; but your average will go up considerably!

Tagged as: employees, entrepreneur, interview, small-business

0 comments Read the full article →

Young Entrepreneur Interview: Divya Gugnani of Behind the Burner

by Paul Joseph June 23, 2011 Featured

For anyone working in an industry that isn’t their true passion, inspiration can be found in our talk with Divya Gugnani, entrepreneur, TV personality, author, and founder & CEO of culinary media brand Behind the Burner as well as Send the Trend . Having created a successful career in the world of investment banking (a career with which many professionals in that industry would have been perfectly content), Divya never forgot her love for the culinary arts and finally left the finance world behind to pursue her true passion. Now, she’s doing what she loves, and doing it well. She and her company have been featured on MSNBC, American Express OPEN, CBS News, The Huffington Post, and Tech Crunch, just to name a few. She’s a shining example of what an entrepreneur can accomplish when they’re doing what they love. Enjoy the interview, and share your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page ! You are the CEO of Behind the Burner, CEO of Send the Trend, and the author of the book, Sexy Women Eat: Secrets to Eating What You Want and Still Looking Fabulous . You’re also on the board of New York Entrepreneur Week and appear regularly in all forms of media. How do you balance it all? Sleep is an indulgence! I also have a great team. At the end of the day, every successful endeavor comes down to people, and I surround myself with smart people. When you’re the dumbest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. You refer to Behind the Burner as a “culinary media brand.” For our readers who aren’t familiar with Behind the Burner, can you give us a quick overview? Behind the Burner is a culinary media brand that focuses on tips, tricks and techniques for food, wine, mixology and nutrition. We create videos that can be seen on NBC NONSTOP network across the US as well as recipes, blogs, and interviews with chefs, sommeliers, nutritionists, and winemakers that can be viewed on the site.

Tagged as: advice, book, business, entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, Featured, finance, interview, people, study, thoughts, women

0 comments Read the full article →

Notes from the Hiring Front

by Paul Joseph May 16, 2011 Featured

Our company is in the fortunate position of growing at a significant rate. We have more than doubled in size in the past year and anticipate the same rate of growth over the next year. Not a day goes by when we don’t have at least one candidate in the office seeking out a job in one of our many departments. For an entrepreneurial company, few decisions are more important than hiring decisions. Every hire is an investment in money, time and effort. A single bad hire can result in a significant setback to a business. A great hire, on the other hand, can be a godsend to a small business. No employer has a perfect record when it comes to hiring. There will always be candidates that seem like a perfect fit and then turn out to be duds… or worse. At Blue Fountain Media, we’ve been fortunate enough to make some tremendous hires, but we’ve also had our share of mistakes. Over the years, though, we’ve gotten much better at identifying individuals both with the talents we are looking for and the personal qualities we seek in our team members. Here’s how we do it: The Job Description Some job descriptions are written like a kid’s list for Santa. They ask for the impossible and hope someone responds who has half the skills listed in the job description. We have found that it is much smarter to take the time to focus on exactly what you’d need from the position and lay it out clearly. If you are an entrepreneurial company where everyone wears many hats, make sure you emphasize that in the job description. A lot of people aren’t cut out for working in small, hectic workplaces and you don’t want to be stuck with someone who can’t handle the pressure. Writing a clear job description also helps you to focus on exactly what skills you need to add to take your team to the next level. Reading the Resume I have found you can learn a lot from a resume. More often than not, a resume will have at least one significant red flag. Make sure you pay attention. Typos, Grammatical Errors, and Terrible Writing Skills: It all goes back to discipline. If you can’t take the time to do things right, then don’t waste my time by sending me your resume. Since I need the members of my department to have excellent writing skills, I always make a major point of this in the job descriptions I write. You’d be amazed how many people who can’t put together two coherent sentences profess to want to be communications or content specialists. The worst instance of this- and I’m not making this up- was a guy who misspelled his own name in his logo ! Ignoring the Job Description: A job description is not a wish list. It is a specific blueprint for the person we feel will be suited to the position. When I say “minimum four years communications experience,” that does not mean four years of texting your friends in college. It means working in the communications field for four years! Self Aggrandizement: When you are applying for a very junior position, don’t call yourself an “expert,” unless you can prove your expertise immediately and convincingly. If you interned at a large company, don’t tell me how you “coordinated the project” you were working on. I really don’t mind that you did grunt work- that’s what interns do . Liars: This may seem like a no-brainer, but misrepresenting your background can come back and bite you in the butt. I routinely do Google searches on job candidates and I can’t tell you how often information on the web contradicts information on a resume or in a cover letter. Social Media Inventory In this day and age, an employer who fails to check out a candidate’s social media presence is making a huge mistake. How a person presents themselves in social media can tell you an enormous amount in relation to what kind of employee they would be. Positives include a network of close friends, creativity, writing ability and humor. The negatives, of course, can range from clear substance issues to a dramatic lack of judgment. Also, social media pages can help verify or put into question information contained on an applicant’s resume. The Interview Don’t waste your time interviewing dozens of candidates for a job. If you’ve reviewed the resumes carefully and done your social media homework, you should be able to narrow the search down to a handful of seemingly qualified applicants. Once I see a candidate face to face, I’m looking for the intangibles. I try to see how quick they are on their feet, how much preparation they’ve done for the interview and how excited they are to be there. You are not looking for your next best friend, but you are looking for someone you will enjoy working with for a long, long time. A candidate who has only the sketchiest idea of what your company does is someone who is either a fool, interviewing at dozens of places or simply has no interest in the job. We have a website that gives great detail on our people, our services and clients. If a candidate can’t take an hour to carefully review our website in anticipation for an interview, then that person is likely to be sloppy or careless in doing Another great “test” of a candidate is to go through the resume and ask about specific results. Anyone can tell you that they are a great marketer or salesperson, but I want to hear them tell me about a project they were involved in, what they contributed to the project and what the specific outcomes were. Even if a candidate is right out of school, I ask them to tell me what you attempted and what the results were: “I wrote an article in the college newspaper about waste in the dining halls and a new program was implemented…” “I organized a fund raising event for my fraternity and due to my efforts (with specifics) we raised $12,000 for…” “While in college I started a web design business and was able to pay my tuition for junior and senior year…” In Conclusion Every hiring decision you make will either advance your business or damage it. Failing to take the hiring process seriously is one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make. When you hire someone, you are putting a piece of your business into their hands. So do it right! Jon Gelberg is the Chief Content Officer at Blue Fountain Media, where he oversees a wide range of content initiatives including Blue Fountain Media’s “Business Learning Center.” Read more about Jon here .

Tagged as: business, entrepreneur, friends, interview, media, office, people, personal, small-business, time, web-design

0 comments Read the full article →

How Scott Valdez Bootstrapped His Way To A 6-Figure Income Helping People Outsource Their Love Life

by Paul Joseph May 13, 2011 Featured

Press play to begin streaming the audio or right click the text link and choose save as or save link. Download the MP3 [ 60 Minutes - 57 MB ] This was a really fun interview for me. Why? Because Scott Valdez , my guest entrepreneur on today’s podcast, started a business called Virtual Dating Assistants . Scott’s business is all about outsourcing your online dating so you only have to show up to go on the dates. Online Dating I have a confession to make: I have done online dating. Back when I did it the first time in the early 2000s (I call this online dating 1.0) there was major stigma surrounding the whole concept. You wouldn’t talk about it to other people – it wasn’t something considered “normal”. I gave up after a few months and some not-so-fun experiences. Today online dating is an accepted way to meet people, with all kinds of regular guys and girls using dating sites every day (online dating 2.0 – it has become mainstream). I gave online dating a second shot in the last couple of years and had much better experiences, however, like all forms of dating, it still requires work. Finding people, approaching them, getting to know them and seeing if there is chemistry between both parties is a laborious, but hopefully enjoyable process. When it comes to online dating, much like Internet marketing, you have to figure out what you want, then start searching for people, initiate contact, make sure you have a good profile (sales page) to “market” yourself so they respond (this is like an opt-in to an email list – an indication of interest), and then you hope that it leads to a date, which you can call a conversion in direct marketing speak. That might not sound romantic, but as processes, online dating and information marketing are very similar. Scott Valdez certainly agrees . He trained himself to become an online dating expert simply because he found it his preferred method to meet people. He realized, as most people who use online dating eventually discover, it might take a few dates to find someone you click with, which takes time and effort. Automating The Online Dating Process Scott came to understand that he could free up his time and go on many more dates if he could find a way to speed up the online communication process. In short, he outsourced his online dating to other people, who he paid to help set up dates. This might sound simple, but there is an art to it, and it needs to be heavily integrated – you can’t simply tell someone to go find you potential matches, you still need to pick who you like and stay aware of whom you will go on dates with. That doesn’t mean that much of the process, including profile writing and email writing can’t be automated. Consider too that most people don’t know what goes into a good profile or how best to set up dates quickly. There is a science , something when applied that can drastically improve how many dates you have coming your way each month. Selling The Service Needless to say, helping people to get more dates from online sites is an in-demand service, and Scott was smart enough to see the need and launch a business around it. In particular those in busy careers, such as doctors, lawyers, pilots and yes – entrepreneurs – tend to use the service and have the money to pay a premium price. I won’t spoil the details, you will have to listen to the interview to learn how Scott went from quitting his job while living in Argentina and only a couple of weeks later having to put new clients on to a waiting list because he couldn’t service the demand (and the service costs as much as $1440 a month!). Today Scott has a six figure online business , which he manages living in Argentina, coordinating his team who help people to meet other people using the world wide web. You can find out more about Scott’s business here: VirtualDatingAssistants.com Here is the MP3 download. Enjoy the interview… Mp3 Download Download the MP3 [ 60 Minutes - 57 MB ] Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: audio, internet, interview, online, people, podcasts, podcasts pillar, small-business, time, young

0 comments Read the full article →

What Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Accountability And Leadership

by Paul Joseph May 12, 2011 Featured

Growing up, I could be described as very sensitive and at times even shy and introverted. I always thought that leaders were very loud, extroverted, had great senses of humor and that they had to be very arrogant. I have come to know there is no direct correlation between arrogance or likability and leadership . There will always be those who follow the arrogant, however, they’re so unsure of themselves that these are the types of people that you do not want on your team, and whom you specifically want to play against. There will always be those who follow the likable, but they quickly abandon their post when they see that there is no true monetary gain in sheer popularity . If arrogance and likability are not part of the leadership equation, what is? What Makes The Young Entrepreneur A True Leader Who Successfully Follows His Or Her Dreams 1. Expertise: Know that the right people will only follow you when you become exceedingly effective at what you do. People do follow the self-assured, however merited self-assurance comes with expertise. Since expertise can only be gained with hard work , dedication and passion , we can put to rest any thoughts that leaders are born and not made. My employees can vouch for me (and probably laugh) when I say I am quite flawed, and I’m wrong as much as they are. However, when it comes to business, I have developed and honed my skills, and sometimes I feel that this is my only saving grace. Only on certain days can charm save me, but on any given day, expertise will save my you-know-what. 2. Caring: The overly arrogant rarely win in business because those under them feel that no true loyalty or respect exists within the office. When you begin to take on staff, you can either appreciate them both professionally and personally , or somebody else will. There is one flaw with money: it doesn’t buy employee morale, nor does it buy loyalty. Don’t get me wrong, underpaying is just as bad, but the right formula when it comes to management and leadership is proper pay and proper respect, which mainly comes in the form of listening . I am the oldest in the office at 29, and the only male. Do not think that there is not a lot of bickering and teaming up on me. However, we all do our best to make the arguments only last about three or four minutes, then we go back to work and concentrate as a group, covering one another to achieve a common goal: a better life . 3. The Ability to Make Unpopular Decisions: The reason the arrogant fail here is that they make unpopular decisions just to assert their dominance. The likable fail at the completely opposite end of the spectrum, refusing to make unpopular moves in order to maintain their own popularity. The stomach to make unpopular decisions is something that I’ve had to train myself to develop. As a leader and manager of a team, you must take into account others’ opinions , but at the end of the day the final call if yours. You must do what you feel is best and rely on your expertise , which is the foundation of leadership and management. Jack Welch , who has been a mentor on paper to me, discusses this theory in his books, describing firing GE employees. Welch thought that if you feel that it appeals to the greater good of the team, make the decision whether it be popular or loathed among the group. I agree. 4. The Ability to Make Mistakes…and Be Big Enough to Admit Them: Finger pointing, finger pointing, finger pointing. Nobody finger points all the way to the bank. People finger point all the way to middle management, but not to the bank. If you remember one thing from this article, may it be that leaders are not born . If you remember two things from this article, may it be that real leaders hold themselves as accountable for their actions as they hold their employees for theirs . Weasels look for scapegoats. The Importance Of Accountability In Leadership This is one of the few times you’ll ever get very specific with a work story, but this should help the young entrepreneur fully comprehend how important it is in leadership to hold oneself accountable for their actions (plus it’s entertaining and makes me look witty): We had a client about three months ago who retained us to find them sales employees in three different cities. One day, someone came to me and said that the third candidate of ours in a row (who was interviewing in Texas) reported that during the interview, the manager spoke badly about the company. Every now and again we get a client who has a hiring manager who does not like their job and conveniently tells candidates so. Let’s call this culprit “Joe Middle Manager.” The problem here is that if “Joe Middle Manager” in Texas is telling the candidates his issues with the company, nobody is going to want the job. The second problem in this scenario is that if we anger “Joe Manager,” he is going to be even more miserable to work with. So, I tell “Bob VP” in California, who is a decently reasonable guy, about this. I ask him to take care of the problem without mentioning us because it will hurt the hiring process. Well, “Bob VP” goes and tells “Joe Manager” that I said there was a problem with his interviewing skills and that nobody would want the job if he continued doing what I said he was doing (that is, badmouthing the company). I knew finger-pointing was coming down the pike when there was a conference call set up between Bob, Joe, me, and a fourth (also from the client company). I timed it, and for the first 14 minutes of the call, all these people did was blame one another instead of wanting to improve themselves and learn how to interview and recruit more effectively. At the 14-minute mark, I loudly asked, “Why don’t we just get this project done?” Logic sometimes brings silence . True leaders know when they are wrong, and they say so. Only at that point, can you tell somebody else they are wrong, too. Until then, you’re simply arrogant and ignorant. In the end, leadership and management are very complex traits and actions. Luckily, leadership is not a prerequisite to start the journey that is entrepreneurship. Leadership is just gained along the entrepreneur’s journey. Ken Sundheim Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: article, books, interview, management, office, online, project, young-entrepreneur

0 comments Read the full article →

How Helping Newbies Led To Big Profits And A Closing Down Sale (Discount Price Ends Friday)

by Paul Joseph May 4, 2011 Featured

One the factors I like to hammer home to people when they create any kind of information, whether it’s blog or website content, membership content, or any kind of paid info product, is not to underestimate how much of your audience truly are beginners . Everyone starts as a beginner. If you are teaching something that requires any kind of practice or knowledge to become proficient in it, then you have a market of beginners ready to be helped. In growing industries, new people become beginners every day, especially online as more people to turn the web as a source of training resources. When I launched Blog Mastermind in 2007 I intended to create a course that would guide beginners through a process of learning how to build and eventually profit from a successful blog. I remember writing the first few lessons of the course, imagining what it would be like to be at the other end, reading my lesson having no experience at all with a blog. I referenced back to my own beginner phase and attempted to cover all the most important things I had learned that beginners need to know. I think I did a pretty good job of handholding people through the starting phase of blogging in Blog Mastermind (so much so that some people in the first test group quit the program early because they thought it was too basic, forcing me to create a second stream of advanced lessons to keep more experienced people interested long enough to reach the later lessons in the main stream of training). Despite this, I felt that there was one significant limitation that I wasn’t addressing that I knew many beginners wanted – I didn’t offer any video training to show people how to install a blog. Become A Blogger Is Born Although I initially said no to an offer from a reader of my blog to purchase the becomeablogger.com domain name, eventually I came back and purchased it once I had an idea how to use it. It is a good domain name, with good cadence, and a very clear message about what the site is about, given the plans I had for it. My idea was to release videos to show people how to install WordPress, which is something that definitely becomes easier to learn when you can visually see the process presented by someone else. Writing is my strong point, and although I had rudimentary camtasia video recording skills at the time, I didn’t feel I could do a good enough job to create the kind of polished and easy to follow video style to teach people how to set-up their first blog. I didn’t really want to spend the time doing it either, so I decided finding a person to create the videos was the way to go. Enter Gideon Shalwick . Gideon interviewed me in video format, we made friends over a period of a few weeks, and eventually I asked if he would be interested in the becomeablogger.com project. He quoted $5,000 to create the ten videos we talked about and I agreed. It was fortuitous that Gideon, who was learning a lot about online video at the time because it is his passion, was very capable of creating the kind of videos I wanted, and he also happens to have the perfect kind of voice and tone I was looking for – like a preschool teacher explaining to children what to do. I don’t mean this to sound condescending in anyway, but when creating content for beginners it is best you pretend you are dealing with children so you really do cover every little step with basic instructions. This is exactly what Gideon did with the ten introductory videos. We didn’t assume our students had any existing tech knowledge and just wanted to watch our videos and copy what we did and then get a result. The videos were challenging to produce and several times Gideon had to redo a video, but eventually the job was finished. Gideon also produced the very first Becomeablogger.com blog design to host the videos, which was one of the last times he did any web design work. We launched the site, I emailed my lists and told my blog readers about the videos and then sat back and watched what happened. It didn’t take long to see that we had a hit on our hands as the videos reached over 30,000 views in a short period of time, and we weren’t using YouTube as a traffic source at all. It was growing organically through word of mouth. Become A Blogger Goes Premium Due to the success of the free videos Gideon and I decided to team up and form a partnership to create a premium version of the videos that we would sell. We decided to follow my launch formula and market the course using the same methods I used to successfully launch Blog Mastermind (by then I had learned enough about launches that I knew the best format to promote our new course without making previous mistakes). When coming up with a new product it is really important you know who your target customer is , because your offer is derived from this knowledge. If you get your offer wrong, you won’t make sales. I was concerned that Become A Blogger Premium would be perceived as too similar to Blog Mastermind , since both courses fundamentally teach the same thing – how to build a profitable blog . Because of this I wanted to clearly define what made each course unique and different from the other. Become A Blogger was initially created to meet the needs of absolute beginners who want to do the technical things themselves by following step-by-step videos. Blog Mastermind has very few videos, most of the course is text (with audio versions of each lesson included) and I recommend that people outsource technology rather than do it themselves (and hence do not teach how to do it yourself in this course). This is how I saw the key difference, and as a result we would market Become A Blogger to a person who is an absolute beginner AND doesn’t have the money to outsource, so would rather learn how to do the necessary technical steps through video training. Despite doing my best to clarify the positioning of Become A Blogger Premium in our marketing materials I wasn’t sure at all how the course would sell. Gideon and I talked about taking on 100 members as a base level of “success”, where we would be happy to continue to build the course (we launched with about 10% to 20% of the course complete, as per my launch formula, the rest we built along with the first group of members). Anymore more than 100 people would be great of course, but I didn’t want to set expectations too high. We created the launch materials, went through the prelaunch process and opened the program at a charter price of $27/month for six months, raising it to $47 a month after the launch period was over (about two weeks if I recall). Much to my jubilant surprise, at the end of the opening campaign we topped over 700 members, which was incredibly successful, much better than I thought it would do. Soon after we added another 400 members even after the price rise when we conducted another marketing campaign. Within a matter of months we had created a course with over 1,000 paying members and an income stream in excess of $20,000 a month after affiliate commissions and expenses came out. Obviously I was pretty stoked at how successful the course was, and it went on from there to grow to over 2000 members and become the most successful program I’ve ever created based on total number of users. Don’t Underestimate The Beginners This experience taught me several things – Video is a viable and popular format for creating training products. Giving beginners the very basic steps to learn how to do something you might consider easy (and free to learn elsewhere online), is something you can charge money for, especially if you packet it up in a professional presentation. There are a lot of beginners out there – many more than you probably think there are. All these lessons can be applied to your situation. Even if there are plenty of free training resources, or other paid beginner training programs out there, don’t believe that you can’t create a product to target this market. You can pick a new media format or use your unique style or method and focus on beginners and create something unique that people will buy. Become A Blogger Premium Is Closing The story I just told you relates to a period from 2008 to 2009. Become A Blogger has since stayed perpetually available, although we did not do any more significant launch campaigns. Instead we focused on smaller promotions with individual affiliates and relied on existing traffic streams, such as this blog, to attract new members. The sign-up rate dropped significantly after the launches were over (I’ve yet to come across a better marketing method than a launch campaign, but they do take quite a bit of work), however the business continued to deliver a steady, albeit smaller income stream bolstered by affiliate income when we promoted other products and services. Gideon and I decided this year that it’s time to put to rest the current program because we are both focusing on other areas. We will likely replace it with something to service the same market, but that won’t be for a while. The course as it currently is, will be retired this week, and will not reopen. The program however remains full of great training videos, and although some of it has dated, much of the content is still very viable – especially the fundamental strategy videos I created on how to grow traffic and monetize your blog . As one last hurrah before we shut the doors on this course forever, we are offering a hefty discount on the course if you want to grab it before it closes. We’ve knocked over 30% off the price of the premium program, so you can grab the complete course for one payment of $147 (no monthly payments required). There is also an upgrade offer to bundle Blog Mastermind with Become A Blogger Premium (that’s definitely all you will ever need to know about making money with blogs in these two programs), which is also discounted at $200 off the original price . These are both one time fees, not monthly fees, and you get immediate access to the entire program after purchase. The course content will remain available to all new and past members, so although the doors to join will close, all the materials will be online for a long time still, so you have plenty of time to study the resources. You can find out more and join now at the special discount price here – http://www.becomeablogger.com/signup/ Don’t forget the course and sale price closes this Friday, 6th of May at midnight eastern US time . There won’t be any exceptions, once Become A Blogger Premium closes, that is it. Bonuses If You Join By Friday Gideon and I talked at the start of this week about what additional goodies we could give you as enticements to join (you have to have bonuses during a closing campaign!) and we came up with the following, which I think is a pretty cool bonus pack. You score the following SEVEN extra bonuses if you join Become A Blogger Premium during this closing down promo: 1. The Definitive Guide To SEO For Bloggers (by Yaro Starak) This is a comprehensive guide to search engine optimization specifically for bloggers, including 75 link building techniques and my methodology for dominating search results with a blog. 2. SEO In 2011 – Interview With David Jenyns David runs a search engine marketing company in Melbourne and thus has to keep up to date with all the latest SEO techniques. I grabbed him and asked what are the current SEO strategies used today and what has changed (this is a new unreleased interview, April 2011). 3. A Preview Copy of The 2-Hour Work Day Report (by Yaro Starak) This is my latest report, fresh of the press, 86 pages long, due for release later this year. If you want an advanced copy, this is the only way to get it. 4. The Ultimate Guide To Selecting The Perfect Video Camera (by Gideon Shalwick) This guide will save you a TON of time and money. It will help you select the exact camera you need for your exact situation, and prevent you from making costly mistakes! 5. YouTube Hacks For Building Your Email List Presentation (by Gideon Shalwick) This is a 90 minute long presentation Gideon did at an event where people paid 5k+ just to attend! Inside, you’ll learn all the tricks that Gideon uses for building his email lists in the tens of thousands using YouTube. 6. Six Figure Launch Email Sequence Swipe File (by Yaro Starak) This is 96 page PDF contains every email I sent for the prelaunch and launch of Blog Mastermind for the very first release, which netted over 400 members and created a six figure income. Not only do you get the emails, you also get hand-written commentary from me about why I sent each email when I did (you can copy these emails for your launch, or just take bits as you please). 7. Interview With Katie Freiling On The Power Of Social Media Inside this interview, Katie reveals how to easily build your tribe who loves spending money with you, using the latest social media strategies. You can order the course and score all these bonuses here – http://www.becomeablogger.com/signup/ We will send out the bonuses to all new members next week after the doors close. Thanks again for supporting our work and please please please , make sure after buying these products you take action and do something with them. I look forward to seeing you as one of our new members. Yaro Starak Blogging Since 2004 Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: business, guide, interview, knowledge, marketing, money, online, plans, price, time, videos, work, young

0 comments Read the full article →

How To Make Writing A Business

by Paul Joseph April 5, 2011 Featured

There is no doubt that to build your profile and earn attention (rather than buy it or beg for it), part of your job is going to be writing. Writing your book, your blog, writing articles, Facebook and Twitter updates. This requires knowledge and commitment, so I decided to interview Grant McDuling , best-selling author and respected journalist, for his input. Here is our interview: You talk a lot about practicing writers in your book, “ Write For A Living In 7 Easy Steps .” What does this mean and is there a difference between a practicing writer and one who writes to raise his/her profile? The word practice actually means to do something repeatedly or regularly to become skillful. So the practicing writer must work at the craft regularly. Notice it doesn’t imply it needs to be done continuously or on a full-time basis. But regularly . So, whether someone writes articles or books as a profession, or writes a blog to build his/her profile and communicate with his/her advocates, they are all considered practicing writers provided they do it regularly. What is required of a practicing writer? The great news is that the one thing you don’t need to be a practicing writer is a degree in journalism or communications. Sure it helps, but it isn’t a requirement. I am however assuming you know how to string a few words together. The number one requirement is your attitude . You need to take full responsibility for your future, for your life and for what you are and what you want to achieve. How does one decide what to write about that will make an impact? The first thing is to think about your interests . What are you passionate about? What are you experienced in that others would want to know about? Once you have an idea of this, it’s time to do some homework and check the market. What’s out there that will influence your choice? Will you be writing in a cluttered field or are you the only one or one of a few? Are there any obvious outlets for your writing? How important is story telling in your writing? Being able to tell a story is intrinsic to what writers do. And here I’m not referring to just writers of fiction. Have you ever been to a seminar and noticed how experienced speakers litter their talks or presentations with stories or anecdotes? They do this for a reason and it is this: people love hearing stories because it helps them to relate to what’s being said. So even if you are writing about a ‘dry’ topic like computer programming, using stories to explain your point works wonders. Tell your readers how something fits together or works by using a real example, for instance. Tell them how someone overcame that problem. What comes first – the blog or the book? I have found it’s important to have a ready-made audience before your book is ready for sale. And one of the best ways of doing this is by blogging. You see, not only does this give you access to some great test and measuring options when it comes to deciding on aspects of your book (like should the hero do this or that) but it can provide solid pointers to whether your soon-to-be-released book may be of interest to anyone at all. All you need to do is ask for feedback in your blog. Another great reason for blogging is this: if you are careful and follow a predetermined plan, your posts can become chapters in a new book. So, for instance, you could blog about internet marketing, with each post focusing on a specific area of marketing. Then, once you have written 12 or so posts, all you need to do is string them together, add some end matter, a cover and perhaps a dedication page, and you’re ready with your eBook. How do you create good habits for your writing? You really do need to treat your writing just as you would a job. You need to commit to it, you need to put aside time to write every day (maybe early in the morning before your other work starts), you need to have a dedicated place to write (just as you would have an office in a regular job), and you need to change your attitude to writing. By this I mean you really must treat it as a business if you want to earn money from your writing. This will involve spending a good proportion of your writing day doing things like self-promotion, marketing, admin and other business-like activities. Tell us about that big dirty phrase for writers – ‘writer’s block’. How do you overcome it? The best way to overcome writer’s block is to not think about it. Keep busy and focused on outcomes. Deadlines are a great way to keep you moving forward and focused. It’s what keeps journalists focused, isn’t it? What are the qualities of a good and engaging writer who truly understands the art of capturing their readers? I think keeping your readers in mind always is one of the most important things any writer can do. This will also help you to really engage them in your writing. Engaged readers will want to keep turning pages! What are some fatal mistakes you have seen writers make? I suppose underestimating what it takes to write a book. You know, it’s much like athletics. Most people prepare themselves for the 100m sprint instead of the marathon. Writing books is like running a marathon: you need stamina, commitment, focus and a good deal of self-belief . Writing is indeed a business, as has been demonstrated here, and should be treated like one, whether it’s just part of your business activities or it’s the business itself. Interview by Kerry McDuling Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: facebook, interview, life, online, young

0 comments Read the full article →