Forced to Focus

Forced to Focus

A recent injury required that I re-focus my priorities. We never think
about being out of work more than a few days for an illness or a week
for vacation but literally within the blink of an eye I found myself out
of work for 9 weeks.

What a rude awakening to realize that with paid time off and a tiny
bit of savings I would make it most of that time but not all of it and
there certainly would not be any frivolous spending.

No treats, no eating out, no entertainment other than TV and videos
already in existence or borrowed from family and friends. In fact I
almost had to consider letting the cable go.

And the most important refocus - my online business. NO programs
that weren’t self supporting or very inexpensive.

I was suddenly FORCED to FOCUS on the priorities of life - putting
food on the table, paying the utilities and the mortgage and if there
was any left over I would continue with my online business.

As a nurse I always had enough and have never given much thought
to where the money was coming from, how the bills would get paid.

After evaluation and budgeting I decided I could only focus on one
program. The others would have to go in the ‘trash’ - not even on
the back burner. Obviously I would stay with the programs that had
a one time fee and were paid for.

I would also stay with the one or two programs that were paying for
themselves, though not enough yet to live on.

I didn’t like the fact that I had to make a decision. I didn’t like the
fact that I had somewhere along the way allowed myself to no longer
have a ‘cushion’ to fall back on. That’s a whole topic for later discussion.

I had two choices:
1. Feel sorry for myself and whine ‘why me, why me‘.
2. Pick up the pieces and take a pro-active approach.

I chose option 2 - and have become proactive. I was FORCED to
FOCUS so I am choosing to FOCUS on my business, build it, begin
setting aside some funds and move forward in my life.

Don’t find yourself FORCED to make a decision. Become proactive in
your own life. Choose now to focus, build a business, and set aside
the funds that will sustain you should the unforeseen happen.

Writing Letters

A friend/business associate asked me to review several welcome letters that he had written and to make any adjustments that I thought were necessary. I agreed and when I came up with a 'compromise' of 2 of the letters he asked if I would consider a blog with some tips and guidelines.

I won't publish the letters here but will tell you that his first one was way too long. The second one was too busy and the third one left out some important points that he had made in his first one.

So I combined the first and third letters into a one page letter to send to those who had visited his website and with a few minor changes it would work for anyone who joined his business as well.

What do I mean by busy - just too much stuff that would be confusing to someone just looking at the program. Technical and saying he could join this or that and do this if he wasn't sure and go here for this.

Stuff that would make sense if you had been in the business but would seem like jibberish to someone just taking a look.

The outline of the letter:

Welcome and thank you for visiting
Why his company is the best and that it is growing
A few key points from his splash page
and finally
An explanation of why he was writing if the system did it all.

My thoughts are that if the letter is sincere and not an autoresponder cookie cutter that it is more meaningful to the person receiving it. Building a business requires communication.

Yes an autoresponder can do it for you but it's nice to know there is someone on the other end.

Reflections of 2007

Wow another year has come and almost gone. Mom used to complain about time flying. Well I have to agree with her. Wasn't it only yesterday that we were welcoming in a New Year?

So thinking back:
Did I keep my New Year's resolution? No. How about you?
Are my relationships improved? Yes
My work is certainly better than it was this time last year.
And my online business is definitely improving.

Late summer I decided to stop and take a look at where I was, how my business was going and if I was really any better than I had been a year previous. The answer was only slightly better but not to the point that I desired.

I made some changes and yes now things are better. Less monies going out and more coming in. I'm not rich yet but then money doesn't define how wealthy a person really is. My wealth includes family, friends, spirituality and improving my health.

I invite you to reflect upon you current situation and where you are vs where you were one year ago and where you will be one year from now.

May you have a blessed 2008

I Broke My Cardinal Rule

I broke my own cardinal rules with a recent ad that I sent out. To those who may have received it please accept my apologies. The link was to LCM.

The rules I broke:
1. Sending out an ad before I really had a chance to test the program and review the site.
2. Promoting a program that does not meet my criteria:
a. Affordable
b. Knowing ALL the costs up front
c. Been around for a while
d. Long term stability
e. Usable product/service
f. Long range plan for the company

I don't usually jump on the hype associated with the Internet or if I do I test the waters for myself before promoting.

I invite you to check out the recommended business links on the right hand side. These are all programs with track records, they are affordable and have usable products/services.

Again my apologies if you linked to LCM through one of my ads.

To your success,
Salley

My Personal Business Favorites

My Personal Favorites

The following are 3 affordable options for starting an online business. I think it is important to get the basics down without going broke in the process. There is a lot of hype and rah, rah, rah promises online of overnight riches. I prefer that my prospects know up front the cost involved. No hidden fees or charges.

I can't promise you great riches overnight. However I will offer support and resources to help you start making some money.

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My first choice for starting on a shoestring budget costs less than eating out once a month. Every one needs a personal website and this is an easy way to get one. We also have a team site that offers support and a step by step approach.

A great way to build a foundation and then branch into multiple businesses as you build an income.

Learn how you can get your own website . This is an online international opportunity.

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The second choice is for those who have a desire to improve their health and can afford $30 per month. This Health & Wellness product may be right for you. Your health should be one of the most important considerations in your life.

Are you ready for a change? Shipped direct to your home. Available to US residents only at this time

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My final choice is for those who have some money to put into their business but not a lot of time to spend online marketing, advertising and learning the ropes.

This can be a passive business. However, you must be willing to commit to the time frame of 1 year. This business is an online business. There are 3 easy steps to signing up. It provides a program for short term income, long term or residual income and advertising.

The cost is $72.90 per month.

Visit one of my team member sites

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I am looking for team members who are ready to make some positive changes in their life. Those who are ready to work together as a team and support one another. Those who are ready to create the ENERGY and maintain the FOCUS required to succeed.

Not sure that you are quite ready for this level of commitment - then I invite you to consider a downline building program, Reality Networkers to learn more about online marketing and to begin developing YOUR team.

I can not and will not guarantee your success but I will do my best to help you. Any business on or off line requires time, effort, money and consistency. You must be willing to do what it takes in order to succeed.

There are those who have been online for a while, who have a large list or who have lot's of time to promote that do indeed make quick money but for the average person I think this is rarely the case.

Don't go broke trying to earn extra income. Choose your business and your business partners wisely and grow/build a strong foundation.

To Your Success and Happiness
Salley

Advertising Resources

Marketing Resources

All the resources listed below have free options for becoming a member and/or using the source. Please stay with these no cost options until such time that you are beginning to earn a profit and then invest some of those profits back into the paid options.

Again it is my desire to help you grow a business on a shoestring budget. To become successful without going broke in the process. By using these resources you will need to do something on a daily basis.

However if you have the financial resources to advertise then by all means do so. These resources are in no particular order.

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ViralURL
Got Safelist
T2000
List Joe
List Bandit 123Clicks
WebBizInsider
OnlineTools
MintTeam
Responsive Hits
AdTactics
TrafficSwarm
Guaranteed Results 4 U
TopSurfer
FreeAdForum
PageSwirl has excellent articles and info.

To Your
Success and Happiness
Salley

My Personal Website is down.

While updating my personal website I somehow managed to destroy it. Tech savvy went out the window for some reason. Decided this was the quickest way to get back up and running with active links for my team and visitors.

I'll keep working on my personal site and maybe get it recovered over the holidays.

Thank you for visiting here in the meantime.

Salley