Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Tip of the Week: read Beyond the E-Myth by Michael Gerber …
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How to Grow Your Business with Paid Advertising
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. After your business is more established and you have begun to develop your own products and services, you can experiment with doing paid advertising to grow your email …
Startup Q&A #10: Web Hosting Issues, Marketing Spend, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Getting Started with Investing
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Tip of the week: do research with BuiltWith.com This Week’s Questions …
How to Use Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Your Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. A standard operating procedures (SOP) is a written document that explains how people working at your company should complete a specific task and why they should complete it …
Startup Q&A #9: Online Business Tools, Health Insurance, Finding Investors, and Formal Education
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Tip of the week: read The Automatic Customer by John Warrilow …
Seven Tips to Successfully Manage Your Team
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Many people think that managing others isn’t hard and that they would be a pretty good boss given the opportunity, but creating an environment with good communication and …
Startup Q&A #8: Building an Advisory Team, Learning from Failure, Evaluating a Niche, and Investing in Gold or Bitcoin
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Tip of the week: use similarweb.com This Week’s Questions What’s the …
How to Find and Hire Your First Team Member
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. I have probably hired about two dozen people between employees and contractors over the course of the last decade. I have never created a single job posting or …
What I Learned About Self Publishing in 2016 (and My Plans for 2017)
In 2014, I set a personal goal to publish a 200+ page non-fiction book. My friend, Andy Traub, had published a book on Amazon and I figured if he could do it, I could do it too. That effort culminated about four months after it began, with the launch of 40 Rules for Internet Business …
Startup Q&A #7: Prioritizing Expenses, Attending Conferences, Performance Metrics, Legal Structures, Business Skills
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Growth Hack of the Week: Go on a virtual media tour …
What Tasks to Delegate and Outsource in Your Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. If you are at your maximum workload capacity and are looking to bring someone on to lighten your load, make a list of your current work-related responsibilities and …
Should I Hire an Employee or Bring on an Independent Contractor?
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. In the United States, there are two broad categories of workers—employees and independent contractors. Employees tend to work for a single company and contractors tend to do a …
Startup Q&A #6: Bootstrapping vs. Investment, Networking, Business Banking, Industry Changes, Exit Strategy
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Resource of The Week: Built to Sell, by John Warrillow This Week’s …
What I Hope to Accomplish in 2017
“So, Matt, what are you working on next?” This is by far the number one question that I get when I run into friends and business acquaintances. I hear this question at least twice per week from people that I run into at coffee shops and networking events. I usually don’t have a great answer …
Starting a Business? You Need a Team
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. There are two broad categories of work related to your business—working on your business and working in your business. If you have read the book E-Myth by Michael …
Startup Q&A #5: Reinvestment, Marketing Responsibility, Pricing SaaS, Prep for Entrepreneurship, Vetting an Idea
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Resource of The Week: Kickbox.io This Week’s Questions How do you approach …
How to Generate Sales for Your Digital Products After Launch
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. You might generate a large number of sales during your initial launch period only to find that sales taper off after the promotional efforts for your launch conclude. …
Tools to Help Make Your Digital Product Launch a Success
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. There are several companies that produce software and services geared toward people selling digital products. Here are some software packages and services you might consider using as part …
Startup Q&A #4: Allocating Profit, Finding Service Professionals, Selling an Equity Stake, and Hiring
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Growth Hack of the Week: Export your contact list from LinkedIn …
How to Successfully Launch Your First Digital Product
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. In order to successfully launch a product to your audience, you need to make a really big deal about your launch and give your audience incentives to buy …
How to Create Your First Digital Product
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Before you begin creating an outline, writing or recording videos, the first step to creating your digital product is writing the marketing copy you plan on using to …
Startup Q&A #3: MLMs, Business Incorporation, Pitching Investors and Angel Investing
Watch or Listen to This Episode: Watch on YouTube (Video) Watch on Facebook (Video) Download MP3 File (Audio) Subscribe to Startup Q&A Subscribe via YouTube (Video) Subscribe via iTunes (Audio) Subscribe via Stitcher (Audio) Subscribe via Google Play Music (Audio) Subscribe via RSS (Audio) Growth Hack of the Week: Stop doing low-value tasks in your …
Automatic Income Is Now Available
Automatic Income, my first book specifically about investing, is now available. In my role as the founder of MarketBeat.com, and as an investor myself, I learn about a lot of different investment strategies. There are so many voices making recommendations in this space that it’s hard for most investors to sort it all out. I …
How to Develop an Idea for Your First Digital Product
The same strategies that you use to identify what kind of content to create on your website can be used to identify what kind of digital products to create. You can create products based on what your competitors are doing, build products around the issues that people in your niche are talking about on Quora …
Startup Q&A #2 – Content Creation at Scale, Automation, Business Debt and More.
(Note from Matt: Startup Q&A is an experimental video show that I am working on. It is in “beta” and production values will steadily improve from week to week.) Links: Watch on YouTube Watch on Facebook Download Audio (MP3) Subscribe to Audio Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher Subscribe on Google Play Growth Hack of the Week: …
When Should You Start Selling Digital Products in Your Online Business?
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Launching an online business requires an incredible amount of work over a long period of time and there’s never quite enough time to get everything done that you …
Why People Will Buy Digital Products from Your Online Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. You might think that you won’t be able to sell a digital product to your audience because there are people that know more than you that are already …
Startup Q&A #1 – Going Full-Time, Hiring Employee #1, Tackling Big Ideas and More.
(Note from Matt: Startup Q&A is an experimental video show that I am working on. It is in “beta” and production values will steadily improve from week to week.) Links: Watch on YouTube Watch on Facebook Download Audio (MP3) Subscribe to Audio Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher Subscribe on Google Play This Week’s Questions #1 – …
An Introduction to Digital Products
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. When you promote other people’s products and services on your website through display ads and affiliate offers, you only get to keep a small fraction of the revenue …
Worried That You’re a Failed Entrepreneur? Read This First.
Have you ever been trolling around Facebook and seen someone whose profile suggested they had their life all together? They have well-behaved children, have adorable pets, have lots of friends and regularly go on exotic vacations. You might compare what’s happening in your day-to-day life to the things that they share on their Facebook profile …
How to Make Money with Your Email List
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Your email list can be an incredibly powerful way to generate revenue from your audience. After you have built a sizable email list, you may find that you …
How to Make Money through Affiliate Marketing on Your Website
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Affiliate marketing is a type of online advertising that pays publishers and marketers a flat fee or a percentage of a sale when a user takes a specific …
What Ad Networks Should You Run in Addition to Google AdSense?
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Google AdSense is not the only game in town. There are hundreds of other ad networks that you can use in addition to or in place of Google …
How to Make Money on Your Website with Google AdSense
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Google AdSense (www.google.com/adsense) is the 800-pound gorilla in the display advertising world. Google AdSense enables publishers to access inventory from Google’s own advertiser network, Google AdWords, and from …
How to Make Money by Running Display Ads on Your Website
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. As I mentioned, placing display advertisements on your website will almost certainly be how you make your first dollar online. If your website is up and going, you …
How to Identify New Marketing Channels by Learning From Your Audience and Your Competitors
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. One of the best ways to identify missed marketing opportunities is to study what your competitors are doing. If a competitor of yours is consistently running a Facebook …
How to Set Up Web Push Notifications on Your Website (and Why You Would Want To)
You probably regularly receive notifications on your smartphone for things like calendar items, Facebook posts and emails, but did you know that a similar technology exists for desktop web browsers? Web push notifications are a relatively new technology that allows a website owner to send notifications to people that subscribe to notifications on their website. …
How to Promote Your Business with Guest Posting
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Writing guest posts for other people’s blogs is another effective way to leverage other people’s audiences. Just like a podcast tour, you have the direct opportunity to promote …
How to Promote Your Business with a Podcast Tour
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. A creative way to promote your brand and leverage other people’s audience is by getting yourself booked on podcasts that are relevant to your niche. A great time …
How to Find Topics to Write About on Your Website
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. When you commit to creating content on an ongoing basis, one of the biggest challenges you will face on a week-to-week basis is figuring out what to write …
How to Develop a Content Calendar for Your Website
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. When you have decided which publishing channels you want to use in your business, the next step is creating a content schedule. A content schedule is simply a …
How to Effectively Use Facebook and Twitter to Promote Your Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Every business should have a presence on Facebook and Twitter because they are currently the two most broadly used social media platforms. A study from the Pew Research …
Which Social Media Channels Should You Use to Market Your Business?
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. When developing your content strategy, your first task will be to determine what platforms you want to publish content on. Your website will serve as the hub for …
How to Get Help With WordPress
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. By now, you’re probably either saying “I already know all of this stuff, let’s get on to the good part!” or “This is overwhelming. I have no idea …
How to Set Up WordPress and Launch Your Website
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. After you get your web hosting account setup, the first order of business is to install WordPress into your hosting account. Almost every major web hosting service will …
How to Choose a Web Hosting Company
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. In order to launch your website, you will need a basic web hosting account that will provide the technology and infrastructure needed to serve your website up to …
How to Get a Logo Created For Your Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Before you launch your business, you will probably want to have a logo made for your brand. You should have some kind of logo in place when you …
Simple Savings is Now Available
Simple Savings, a new book I put together with Toi Williams, one of my long-time freelance writers, is now available. We wrote this book for people who are tired of having too much month left at the end of their money. Many people feel that there is just never enough money to go around, and …
How to Recover From Choosing a Crappy Name for Your Established Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. When I first launched MarketBeat.com in 2011, the business was called Analyst Ratings Network. I chose that name because I wanted to highlight the fact that we offered …
Should Your Business Center Around Your Personal Brand?
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Some online entrepreneurs actively work to build a brand around their name. They portray themselves as subject matter experts and teach their readers about relevant topics through blog …
Don’t Worry That the Dot Com Domain You Want to Use is Already Taken
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. All of the good dot com domain names are already taken. Domain squatters have gone through and registered every dictionary word, almost every combination of dictionary words and …
How to Choose a Great Name For Your Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. There are two schools of thought for choosing a name. First, you can choose a name that represents what your business does. Businesses like Bank of America, Ford …
How to Identify Possible Niches for Your Online Business
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for potential niches, there are several strategies you can use to come up with ideas for your niche: Consider Your …
Keyword Research Should Not be a Consideration in Choosing Your Niche
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Many other resources that talk about niche selection suggest that you choose a niche based on whether or not you can rank in Google for keywords in that …
How to Choose a Niche with Willing Customers and Strong Advertiser Demand
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com. Not all niches are created equally. Readers will have a much higher propensity to buy products and services in some niches than others. In some niches, customers might …
Why Choosing a Business Niche with Existing Competition is a Good Thing
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com As you begin to evaluate different niches, you will immediately notice that there are already people creating content and selling products and services in just about every market …
Why Niching Down Too Far Will Doom Your Business to Mediocrity
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com A common piece of advice given by Internet business gurus is that you should “niche down until it hurts.” The idea is that you should pick a small …
MarketBeat Recognized as Fastest-Growing Company in South Dakota by Inc.
Sioux Falls, SD, August 17, 2016 – Inc. Magazine has ranked MarketBeat No. 529 on its 35th annual Inc. 5000 list, an exclusive group of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States. MarketBeat was ranked as the fastest-growing company in the state of South Dakota, based on its three-year revenue growth of 729%. The list …
Don’t Choose Your Business Based on Profit Alone
Below, you will find an unedited excerpt from my new book about building Internet-based businesses, Online Business from Scratch. To receive updates about the book, visit www.fromscratchbook.com In 2015, I attended a conference for software entrepreneurs called Microconf (www.microconf.com). One of the speakers, Patrick McKenzie (www.kalzumeus.com), told the story about how he launched his online …
Business Growth Day by Day is Now Available
My newest book, Business Growth Day by Day, is now available on Amazon in Kindle e-book, paperback and audiobook formats. Get your copy here. —- Want to start or grow a business, but aren’t getting any traction? Worried that you chose the wrong business idea? Entrepreneurship is a hard game to play, but it doesn’t …
My 10 Favorite Business Books (Of All Time)
As you might know, I read a lot of business books. There was a good five-year stretch where I was reading anywhere from 3-5 business books per month. By now, I’ve pretty much read every best-selling business and entrepreneurship book that’s been released in the last 15 years. A lot of people ask me what …
Thought Leadership: How to Become Well-Known in Your Community through Content Creation
Three years ago, the name “Matthew Paulson” meant almost nothing to anyone in the Sioux Falls business community. I didn’t go to any business networking events. I rarely made it a point to meet with other entrepreneurs and business owners. My name never made it into the Sioux Falls Business Journal or any other local …
My Five Favorite Personal Finance and Investing Books of All Time
I don’t know about you, but I love to read investing books. Whenever someone comes out with a hot new title about their strategy to beat the market, generate alpha or reduce volatility, I gobble it up. While I take a lot of what I read with a grain of salt, there are some great …
Let’s Stop Playing “Fake It ‘Til You Make It”
There’s an old idea that if we pretend that we already are what we want to become, that our appearance of success will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The thinking is that if we present ourselves as successful, then other people will also see us as successful and we’ll have the confidence and the appearance necessary …
Why I’m Bullish on Book Publishing Through Amazon (and a Major Announcement!)
When I published my first book in 2014 through Amazon, I figured I would never make any meaningful amount of royalties. I figured that my friends, family and the people that read my blog would buy my books and that would be pretty much be the end of it. I wrote my book understanding …
Why I Decided to Launch an Angel Fund and Invest $150,000 in South Dakota Start-Ups
“How do I raise money for my business?” This is the number one question that gets asked in the entrepreneurial communities that I am a part of in Sioux Falls. The people that ask this question aren’t large enough to attract interest in any local venture capital firms, can’t get a bank loan and aren’t …
The Ten-Year Turnaround is Now Available
My newest book, The Ten-Year Turnaround, is now available on Amazon. In 2004, I was flat broke. My bank account balance never had more than three digits and I had to sell my DVD and video game collection on eBay and Half.com in order to pay off my credit card bill. I could barely make tuition …
Charitable Giving: How to Give Wisely and Joyfully
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” ~ Albert Einstein There are only so many different things that you can do with …
Pay Attention: Insurance, Taxes and Other Boring Financial Topics
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com “The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward.” – John Maynard Keynes While much of this book has been devoted …
A Beginner’s Guide to Investing
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas. –Paul Samuelson …
Why Dave Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki Are Both Wrong about Debt
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com Every time you borrow money, you’re robbing your future self. –Nathan W. Morris If there’s a topic that divides personal finance authors more than anything, …
How to Create a Monthly Budget That You Don’t Hate
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you. –Dave Ramsey Let’s face it. Nobody likes budgeting. Budgets …
Become a Life-Long Learner (The Smart Way)
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is …
How to Make Opportunities Show Up at Your Door
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. –Thomas Jefferson There is an intangible quality …
Quit Worrying About Your Budget and Focus on the Income Side of the Equation
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com “A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.” – Jane Austen For several years, I had the privilege of teaching …
Want to Achieve Financial Independence? Start Here.
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin There are very few people in the world that wouldn’t like to be …
Read The Introduction to The Ten Year Turn Around
Below, you will find an unedited chapter from my new book about wealth building, investing and personal finance, The Ten Year Turnaround. To get your copy of the book, visit www.tenyearturnaround.com It was August of 2004. I would be starting my first year of college in a few short weeks. My new school, Dakota State University, …
I am part of the 1%. Am I paying my fair share in taxes?
Wealthy people like me have gotten a bad rap lately. Politicians and the media will tell you that we are taking advantage of the system, that we are enriching ourselves off the backs of underpaid employees and that we aren’t paying our fair share of taxes. The release of the Panama Papers, a leaked set …
Introducing The Ten-Year Turnaround (My Third Book)
I got “the author’s itch” again early this year. While it had only been a few months since Email Marketing Demystified came out, I knew that I wanted to write another book. I have something to communicate the world and would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t publish my third book this year. Since …
Why SEO and Google AdWords Aren’t Right for Every Business
There is a computer repair business in the city of Sioux Falls called Craig Computer Service that is run by my good friend Craig Jurczewsky. I have been helping Craig with some of his marketing efforts off and on for the last six months. We worked on a wide variety of marketing strategies in order …
The Plagiarism Problem in Online Business
“What kind of products do you sell on Amazon?” asked one conference attendee to another at a lunch I attended while at Freedom Fastlane Live. Before the other attendee could answer, someone else chimed in and said “You don’t ask that question to another Amazon seller. Do your own market research.” There’s an unspoken rule that …
Email Marketing and Vanity Metrics: Why Your Subscriber Count Doesn’t Matter
MarketBeat recently crossed the 300,000 subscriber mark. We now send 24 newsletters per month and five-to-ten marketing emails per month to more than 300,000 people at a time. We also have a secondary list of 180,000 subscribers that receive a weekly newsletter. In total, we send out more than 13 million emails each and every …
Sometimes, You Have to Give Your Children Up for Adoption (In Business)
I used to believe that the best way to be an online entrepreneur was to have a portfolio of 5-7 different online businesses. Each business would be responsible for a portion of your income and there would be some level of protection if any one of those businesses took a nose dive. This is the …
The Right Time to Quit Your Day Job
When I finally got around to quitting my day job two years ago, my business was already generating significantly more revenue than what I was making at my day job. Frankly, I waited too long to quit my day job. I recently had lunch with an entrepreneur that has an e-commerce business who is currently …
Why Some People Peak (And, How to Not Top Out)
Why is it that some people peak and can’t get past a certain level of success when others continue to grow and reach new highs? You might hit a certain level of income, build an audience of a certain size or attain a certain job title. When you try to move up to the next …
Email Marketing Demystified Now Available
My new book, Email Marketing Demystified, is now available on Amazon. The e-book edition of the book will be available for free through Amazon from September 30th, 2015 to October 4th, 2015. Paperback and audiobook editions are also available. Get Your Copy of Email Marketing Demystified Here After I published my first book, 40 Rules …
How to Generate Sales by Sending Cold Emails
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. The majority of this book has focused on using email as a means of building an engaged audience and generating revenue by selling or recommending products to that audience. While growing a community …
How to Keep Your Email Legal and Stay Compliant with CAN-SPAM and CASL
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. While email marketing and other aspects of Internet business can sometimes feel like you are operating in the Wild West, email marketing is actually regulated in the United States, Canada and in some …
Email Deliverability: How to Make Sure Your Messages Get in Your Subscribers’ Inboxes
When you send a letter through the U.S. mail with a stamp and a delivery address, you can be fairly certain that your letter is going to arrive safely in a few days. This isn’t always the case with email. While you shouldn’t run into many email deliverability issues if you are following best practices …
How to Earn Money from Email Opt-Ins through Co-registration Advertising
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. In the list building chapter of this book, we discussed co-registration advertising from the perspective of an advertiser. As a mailing list owner that collects organic opt-ins from your website, you can also …
How to Make Money by Renting Out Your Mailing List
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit myemailmarketingbook.com. If you have grown your mailing list to more than 25,000 subscribers, advertisers may be interested in paying you to send an email to your mailing list on their behalf on a cost-per-thousand …
How to Earn Money with Your Email List through Affiliate Marketing
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. There are thousands of companies that will pay you commissions for any sales that you generate on their behalf, an arrangement known in the online business world as affiliate marketing. Promoting other companies’ …
How to Sell Your Products and Services through Email Marketing
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. Most companies use their mailing lists to market their own products and services. If someone comes to your website and completes an opt-in form, they have already expressed interest in your content and …
How to Write Email Marketing Copy that Converts
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. You have undoubtedly written thousands of emails in your life. You probably regularly send email to and receive email from friends, family, coworkers and even complete strangers on a regular basis for any …
Email Marketing Automation and List Segmentation: The Basics
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. If your company or organization sells a number of different products or has customers with multiple divergent interest areas, you might consider using marketing automation techniques so that customers only receive email content …
Broadcast Emails: What, Why and How Often
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. In addition to your auto-responder series, you will want to regularly send messages to your entire email list. These messages are known as broadcast emails because you are effectively broadcasting a single message …
How to Write the Perfect Welcome Email
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. The first email that every new subscriber will receive from your mailing list is referred to as your welcome email. Sending a well-written welcome email to each of your subscribers is the first …
How to Create an Auto-Responder Series that Actually Works
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. Creating an Auto-Responder Series An auto-responder series is a series of pre-written emails that every new subscriber receives in sequential order after signing up for your mailing list. A new subscriber might receive …
How to Select an Email Service Provider
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. The first step in building your email marketing empire is to put the technical infrastructure in place in order to handle the type and volume of email you will send. If you were …
14 Ways to Build Your Email List Independently of Your Website
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. Growing your mailing list through your website will allow you to steadily collect opt-ins and grow your list over time. If you want to accelerate your list building efforts, you can make use of …
List Building: Split-Testing Your Opt-in Form and Creating Your Thank You Page
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. The key to getting great opt-in rates is regularly running tests to determine if making changes to your opt-in forms will increase the percentage of people that complete your opt-in forms. In order …
List Building: When Your Website Doesn’t Get Much Traffic
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. How many opt-ins can I expect? Asking how many opt-ins you should expect to receive on your website is one of the most common questions asked by new email marketers. The volume of …
List Building: Selecting an Opt-in Form Plugin
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. In order to design and place opt-in forms on your website, you will most likely need to make use of an opt-in form plugin or a cloud-based opt-in form service. As email marketing …
How I Wrote a 45,000 Word Book in 18 Days
Toward the end of last month, I thought it might be a good idea to start working on another book that I could showcase at a few different conferences I’ll be speaking at toward the end of the year. The first of these is a local conference called Innovation Expo that I’m speaking at on …
List Building: Understanding Types of Opt-In Forms
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. Opt-in forms come in many different shapes and sizes and can be put on many different places in your website’s layout. Some opt-in forms are large, hard-to-miss and somewhat intrusive. Others are smaller …
List Building: Writing the Killer Copy for Your Opt-in Forms
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. After you have created your lead magnet, you will need to identify what kind of messaging you are going to use to get your potential subscribers to sign-up for your mailing list. The …
List Building: Creating the Perfect Lead Magnet
Below you’ll find an unedited version of a chapter from my new book, Email Marketing Demystified. To get your copy of Email Marketing Demystified, visit www.myemailmarketingbook.com. You should offer your subscribers something of value in exchange for signing up for your email list, such as a discount coupon, a free report or a resource list. In the world of …
I’m writing another book.
I published my first book, 40 Rules for Internet Business Success, last July. Since then, more than 10,000 copies of the book have been downloaded through Amazon. It briefly held the title of being the most downloaded book in Amazon’s small business and entrepreneurship category. The audiobook version of 40 Rules for Internet Business Success …
Business Expenses: How My Company Maintains an 80% Profit Margin, Every Month
When I founded American Consumer News, LLC in 2006, I literally spent no money getting the business up and going. I didn’t really have any money, so I started my online business using a free Blogger blog and zero-cost marketing techniques. After writing for several months on the personal finance blog I created, then called …
Everything You Need to Know about Saving for Retirement (in 1,300 words or less)
Most of us are very bad investors. We put very little effort into deciding what kinds of things we should invest in. We don’t pay much attention to the tax consequences of our investments. We often let ourselves get sold products that primarily serve to enrich the person selling said products to us. We buy …
Introducing MarketBeat.com, the New Analyst Ratings Network
I began using the name Analyst Ratings Network in early 2012 in order to differentiate our coverage of equities research (analyst ratings) from our general financial news that we publish on American Banking and Market News (americanbankingnews.com). When I selected the name, I tried to pick out something that had an available domain name and …
How I Sent My Parents to Las Vegas for Free Using Points and Airline Miles
Last fall, I started listening to a travel hacking podcast called Abroaders after one of the hosts was interviewed on another podcast I listen to. After listening through their back catalog of episodes and reading a few travel hacking blogs, I learned that there is a community of people that regularly travel around the world …
Keep Me Accountable: A Few Steps Forward for Analyst Ratings Network
Three weeks ago, I wrote a post about some of the major changes that need to happen with Analyst Ratings Network as a result what I learned at a conference for self-funded startup entrepreneurs called Microconf. I wrote that I needed to simplify my company’s product offerings, reboot the brand of the company under a …
Juggling 3 Businesses (My BizNow Interview)
I was recently interviewed for BizNow, a Sioux Falls-area magazine that highlights a wide-variety of entrepreneurs and their companies. I’m thankful to Charlotte Hofer, Jessica Newell and the rest of the BizNow team for involving me in this issue. You can pick-up a copy of the magazine at your local HyVee or see the full …
Some Hard Truths About My Business (What I Learned at Microconf 2015)
I had the opportunity to attend Microconf, a conference for self-funded entrepreneurs that run technology businesses, earlier this week. One of the challenges that they gave attendees was to identify three actionable takeaways that you can implement in your business in the next few months. While many attendees came away with tactical strategies they can …
Podcasts I’m Listening To (2015 Update)
A couple of years ago, I published a list of podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis. Of course, podcasts come and go and my interests have evolved over time. I’ve also scaled back on the number of podcasts I listen to (from 31 to 20) because I’ve recently started listening to audiobooks …
My 2015 Reading List (Part 1)
It’s hard to believe that we’re already through the first quarter of 2015, but here we are. My reading habits made a marked changed this quarter. Instead of the usual mix of repetitive business books, I’ve branched out and have read biographical works and more fiction. I read a total of 20 books during January, …
Why are there so many web design agencies in Sioux Falls?
If you wanted to hire an agency to build your website, you might search for a term like “Sioux Falls Web Design” or “South Dakota Website Design Agencies”. (Let’s assume you live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the sake of this post). Your search engine of choice would present you with more than 75 …
Reduce Email Velocity to Make Inbox Zero Last All Day
A while back, I shared the strategies that I use to work through all of the email in my inbox and attain inbox zero (an empty email inbox). I use a lot of the same strategies that other people use to work through their email, such as checking email at scheduled times, turning off notifications, …
How to Be a Lazy (But Incredibly Successful) Entrepreneur
Every Wednesday morning, I attend a local event called 1 Million Cups that showcases a local entrepreneur’s business. I typically end up staying well after the event is over to chat with other entrepreneurs about their businesses. A few weeks back, someone I was chatting with made a comment along the lines of “Well, I …
Two Major Announcements from American Consumer News, LLC
American Consumer News, LLC has changed a lot since December of 2006 when I started a now-defunct personal finance blog called Getting Green (which was later renamed to American Consumer News). In 2008, the company evolved from being a personal finance blog to a network of personal finance blogs. In 2009, the company started a …
Beyond Revenue: What Matters Most in Your Business?
Many start-ups believe that fast growth and attracting investment (angel and V.C. money) are the two keys to their future success. They identify a high-risk, high-growth business idea, form a team and try to raise venture capital funds to build a product or service that addresses said need. They try to show growth as quickly …
My Q4 2014 Reading List
Now that 2014 has come and gone, it’s time again to share the books that I’ve been reading in the last few months. I had the opportunity to read a lot of good books during the fourth quarter. The amount of day-to-day work that my business required has slowed down as I’ve brought on a …
Why Your Personal Brand Shouldn’t Be Your Business
There’s an increasing number of people that have created profitable online businesses by building a personal brand. If you can become someone that people know, like and trust to talk about a particular subject, there’s a ton of opportunity to create an income stream surrounding your personality and the content that you product. There are …
A Networking Strategy That Works for Everyone (Even Introverts)
Every Wednesday morning, I spend an hour with 20-30 other entrepreneurs at event called 1 Million Cups at the Sioux Falls Design Center. I enjoy hearing speakers every week and pelting them with questions during the Q&A time. Before the event begins and after the event ends, there’s typically 15 to 20 minutes of time …
The Best Way to Make More Money is…
Every January, I help coordinate a Financial Peace University class at my church. The class shows people how to create a budget, get out of debt, setup proper insurance, plan for retirement and make other important financial decisions. All of the teaching in the class is about how to better spend money you already have, …
AdSense Optimization: How to Maximize Your Earnings from Google AdSense
One of my company’s largest revenue streams is running contextual ads from Google AdSense. Our network of financial news websites garners approximately 3 million page views per month and we’ve found that AdSense is an extremely effective way to monetize our audience. Recently, I was searching for a good article about AdSense optimization tips and …
Seven Secrets for Getting Great Email Opt-In Rates
Over the course of the last 3 years, I’ve put a lot of effort into perfecting the opt-in mechanisms on my website. At any given time, I’m usually running 2-5 tests on my sales funnel to see if there’s a better way to get more customers from one step to the next. I know that …
How to Fail Miserably When Pitching Someone
I’ve made it a point to get better connected to the entrepreneurial community in the city I live in within the last year (Sioux Falls, SD). I’ve been going to a lot more events, have sponsored a few different things and have made some great connections by buying people lunch. As a natural consequence, my …
The Split Test That Resulted in a 76% Increase in Email Sign-Ups
One of the foundational principles that I use in my business is that you should always be testing. You should continually try out different ways of doing things to see if you get better results. Consider every step of the process that your potential customers need to take before they actually become customers. If you …
Why You Should Say No to Side Projects
A couple of weeks back, I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas for an event called Rhodium Weekend. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into the event, but there were a lot of people that I knew online attending the event that I was looking forward to meeting in person, like …
I Build Digital Vending Machines for a Living
Whenever someone asks me what I do for a living, I have a hard time explaining that I publish an investment newsletter, operate a press release writing and distribution business, offer a service to help animal shelters to raise money and build educational training products for golfers. The various businesses that I’m involved in have …
The Value of a “Million Dollar Idea”
When I was eleven years old, I spent a lot of time playing Sim City 2000 and its sister games, such as SimTower, SimCopter and SimEarth. I even made a website called “SimWeb” hosted on GeoCities that had cheat codes, saved games and demo downloads for my favorite games. One day, I had the idea …
Let’s Get Better at Saying “No!”
During the last few years, I’ve built up a wide network of loose business connections in Sioux Falls and around the world by attending events, buying people lunch, simply being engaged in business and being an active member in the community. Because I’m a person that’s more “out there” than most, there’s not a week …
My Q3 Reading List
I really only do a handful of things outside of building my business and spending time with my family. I don’t have a lot of crazy hobbies or extra-curricular activities. Of the few hobbies that I do have, I put a lot of energy and effort into them. One of those hobbies is reading. I …
How to Add Rocketfuel to Your Product Launch with a Podcast Tour
When most people release a book with a traditional publisher, they will make a series of appearances at local bookstores as part of their marketing strategy–commonly known as a book tour. Since my book was being published exclusively through Amazon, it only made sense to do a virtual book tour. Instead of reaching potential readers in persona few hundred people …
How to Recognize and Attract New Business Opportunities
When people ask about the various businesses that I run, one of the most common follow-up questions that I receive is “What’s next for you? What’s the next business that you’re going to start?” As someone that runs a few different profitable online businesses, it would be natural to think that I have a list …
Entrepreneurship is an Endurance Sport
If you have never built a successful business, you might think the dream of building a profitable company is something that you won’t ever be able to achieve. If you’ve tried to start a business that didn’t work out, you might think you just don’t have what it takes to build a profitable business. You …
The Biggest Mistake I Made When Writing My Book
When I launch a new product for any of my company’s brands, I’ll develop a product offering, identify the pricing, create a landing page and write a series of marketing emails to promote the product. The end goal of product launches is to convert email subscribers into customers and to create revenue. When it came …
Your Business Will Fail Eventually. Here’s What To Do About It.
Ten years ago, you might have thought Blockbuster Entertainment was an unstoppable entertainment giant. The company had a near monopoly in the video and video game rental markets. At its peak in 2004, the company had 9,000 stores and 60,000 employees. Just six years later, the company went bankrupt. Blockbuster simply couldn’t compete with its …
Marketing First: How to Avoid Having Zero Sales on Launch Day
I had the opportunity to chat with an entrepreneur who is building a mass-market physical product a few weeks back. We’ll call him Fred for the sake of this discussion. Fred has been working on his project for over a year and has put the vast majority of his business effort into perfecting his product …
My Next Project: US Golf TV
A while back, my wife Karine received an email from one of her former co-workers at Terry Redlin Elementary. The co-worker’s husband, Todd Kolb, was building an Internet business and wondered if I would be willing to meet with him to see if I had any suggestions to help grow his company. At first I …
Reflections on 40 Rules for Internet Business Success
It’s been a month since 40 Rules for Internet Business Success has come out. Now that the launch of the book is in the rear view mirror, I thought it would be a good time to discuss why I wrote the book, the content creation and editing process, how I marketed the book, and some other …
I sold a website and made $6,181.20
One of the lessons that I’ve learned during the last two years that you really need to focus on the handful of things that you’re better at than anyone else and prune out everything else if you’re going to be successful in business. Earlier this year, I shut down my consulting business and a variety …
How Much Financial Runway Do You Have?
When you work for an employer, you know how much money you’re going to earn in any month. You have a set salary or hourly rate and earn approximately the same amount of money each month. You also operate under the assumption that you’re going to have the same job or a similar job indefinitely …
My Q2 Reading List
I have a reputation for reading a lot of books. As a result, I often get asked for book recommendations, which I’m happy to provide. In order to streamline the process, I’ve decided to publish a list of books that I read every quarter in 2014. I had previously published the books that I read …
Don’t Become a Freelancer (Or, Why I’m Not Becoming a Commercial Drone Photographer)
A while back, I bought a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ aerial drone and have taken some pretty cool pictures and video with it. Soon after I started posting my work, several people asked if they could pay me to take aerial photos of their businesses and property on their behalf. I also had several people …
40 Rules for Internet Business Success Now Available
My new book, 40 Rules for Internet Business Success, is now available on Amazon.com. In my book, 40 Rules for Internet Business Success, you’ll learn the strategies I use to identify, build and launch my online businesses. You’ll learn the tactics I’ve used to get all four of my businesses to six figures in annual …
How to Price Your Product
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Give Up Equity in Your Business (Early On)
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Let Your Customers Develop Your Product
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
40 Rules for Internet Business Success: Launch Details, Pricing and Bonuses
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. My new book, 40 Rules for Internet Business Success, will be available two weeks from today. I’ve received a ton of positive feedback about the book from people that …
Don’t Write a Business Plan. Have a Business Model.
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Build Exactly One Business at a Time
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Drone Photography: Downtown and Kuehn, Sertoma and Dunham Parks
Here’s the latest album that contains photos that I’ve shot downtown, near St. Joseph Cathedral, Kuehn Park, Sertoma Park and Dunham Park. Click Here to View the Full Album on Facebook Post by Matthew Paulson. Here are a couple of videos that I took: Downtown Sioux Falls and St. Joseph Cathedral Kuehn Park
40 Rules for Internet Business Success to Be Released on July 21st
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Have you ever wondered if you could succeed in starting your own business? Do you already have an idea for your business but don’t know how to get started? …
How to Identify a Great Domain Name
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Identify Hidden Revenue Streams In Your Business
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Aerial Drone Photography
Here’s an album of the various aerial photos I’ve taken with my DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ in the last few days: Click Here to View the Full Album on Facebook Here are some videos that I’ve taken with the drone: Lake Mitchell Falls Park Near My House
Busyness isn’t Productivity
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
I Bought an Aerial Drone
A while back, I became interested in the idea of aerial photography. I’ve always loved the idea of taking pictures out of airplane windows and while riding in a helicopter. When you take photos from a thousand feet in the air, you get a sense of perspective that you can’t really get when taking pictures …
What Makes Your Business So Special?
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Break The Supermarket Rule
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Why You Should Work on Your One Best Idea
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Why Relationships Trump Knowledge
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Leave Your Family Behind (When Building Your Business)
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Please Don’t Pitch Me on Your MLM
A couple of weeks ago, I started a new LinkedIn group for entrepreneurs in the Sioux Falls area. There was an individual that I was connected to on LinkedIn, but had never met in real-life, that had joined the group. This person called me out-of-the blue one morning and asked if I was open to …
Make Your Product Launch a Can’t Miss Event.
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Want to Grow Your Business? Start Split Testing
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
What are Your Business’s Weakest Links?
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Why Are You Building a Business?
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Excuses are the Fuel of Failure
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Social Media, SEO or TechCrunch to Market Your Business
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (Too Early)
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Entrepreneurs: Quit Screwing Up Your Finances
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Be a Franchisee of Someone Else’s Business Model
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Not Everyone Needs to Be Your Customer
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of my …
Don’t Be an Employee In Your Own Company
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. Below you’ll find an unedited chapter from my upcoming book 40 Rules for Internet Business Success. To receive updates about the book and get a free digital copy of …
I’m Writing a Book
[UPDATE 7/21/2014]: 40 Rules for Internet Business Success is now available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle e-book and audiobook formats. Click here to get your copy. A couple of months ago, I attended a new event for entrepreneurs in Sioux Falls called 1 Million Cups, in which an entrepreneur shares their story for six minutes …
An Update on My Bitcoin Mining Experience: Complete and Total Failure
Last month, I shared the experience I’ve had mining Bitcoin alternatives, such as Litecoin and its various competitors, through a couple of custom computer systems that each have five graphics cards in them each. In early January, purchasing the two rigs at $4,900 each seemed liked a perfectly reasonable investment. I estimated that I would …
Want to Be a Millionaire? Become a Voracious Consumer of Content
Author Thomas Stanley did a survey of self-made millionaires and compiled the results in his best-selling book, The Millionaire Next Door. One of the interesting things that Stanley found in his survey results was that millionaires didn’t tend to watch a lot of prime-time television, but they do read one non-fiction per month on average. …
Which is Riskier — Getting a Job or Starting a Business?
Last week, I spoke about my business at Sioux Falls’ 1 Million Cups Event. One of the questions I received was “What are the biggest existential threads to your business? In other words, what keeps you up at night?” My answer was, “Well, not much. I guess SendGrid could stop delivering my emails or Stripe …
Why Paying Six Figures for a Dot-Com Domain Name will Soon Be a Thing of the Past
In the last decade, there have been at least 20 recorded sales of dot-com domain names for $1 million or more. According to this Wikipedia entry, the most expensive domain ever sold was Vacation Rentals.com for $35 million in 2007. Insure.com took a distant second at $16 million and Sex.com was the third-most expensive domain …
The Inside Story of Analyst Ratings Network (My 1 Million Cups Presentation)
I spoke at the Sioux Falls 1 Million Cups event last week about my investing newsletter business, Analyst Ratings Network. During 1 Million Cups events, the speaker has the opportunity to speak about their company for six minutes and the audience has the opportunity to ask questions for twenty minutes. During my talk, I discussed …
My Q1 Reading List
One of the most popular posts that I publish every year is my list of books. I frequently hear from people that have found interesting books to read from my list and recommend additional titles for me to read. I’ve even inspired someone to start reading on a regular basis. Typically I publish a list …
Will My Business Idea Make Any Money? Seven Questions to Ask…
If you want to start a business model and have several ideas in mind, it’s often hard to narrow down on a particular market you want to sell to. You might have several different competing ideas and aren’t sure which one to focus on. You might not be sure which part of a market you …
My Gmail Productivity Hacks: Getting to Inbox Zero, Every Time.
One of the things that I’ve discovered about myself is that I do email very differently than most people. While I get anywhere from 75-150 new non-spam messages every day, my inbox regularly stays at a status of “inbox zero” (having no emails in my inbox). There are a few strategies that I make use …
Online Business for Sale: WP Mechanic
I started a relatively-small side business last fall called WP Mechanic that has had some good initial traction. The business offers performance optimization services to individuals with WordPress websites and I think it has some good potential for growth. Unfortunately, I’m no longer the right person to grow this business, so I’m offering it up …
Investing in Bitcoin Mining Hardware: My Experience
I had first become aware of the world of Bitcoin and crytpo-currency mining in 2011 when Bitcoin first became a wide phenomenon and peaked at around $30.00 USD. I didn’t think much of it at the time and thought it was too volatile to get involved with. Fast forward to late 2013, my interest was …
Saying I Quit: Spring Cleaning in Business and in Life
As humans, we tend to get stuck in patterns and continue to do things simply because we’ve always done them, even if there’s a better way to do something or it no longer serves a purpose. Every now and then, it’s important to evaluate how you’re spending your time and cut out things that once …
My 2013 Reading List
Here’s a list of books that I read in 2013. Here are a few specific recommendations: My Favorite Business Book of the Year: The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson My Favorite Fiction Series of the Year: The “Silo Series” by Hugh Howey My Favorite Non-Fiction Book of the Year: Inferno by Max Hastings My Favorite …
How to Level Up in Online Business
If you were to do a search for the keyword “make money online”, you would get back thousands of websites that would teach you to build start-from-nothing businesses, such as long-tail AdSense websites, strategies to generate revenue with affiliate marketing and blueprints to make money with Facebook or Twitter. Many people in online business get …
Eight Strategies for Email Marketing Success
My company, American Consumer News, LLC, sends out about two million emails per month. The vast majority of these are the daily edition of our investment newsletter, ARN Daily. We do send out our fair share of marketing messages too, so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to do try things out to see what generally …
Don’t Build an Ecosystem-Based Business
In the last five years, there has been a major trend to build businesses on top of the platforms offered by major web companies, such as eBay, Facebook, Twitter, Apple (iTunes) and Google (YouTube, Search). Eight years ago, the big thing was to build an eBay business. Four years ago, the big thing to do …
Podcasts I’m Listening To
Like many entrepreneurs, I am a voracious consumer of content. I read a lot of non-fiction books and listen to dozens of podcasts each week (35 to be exact). Someone asked me the other day what podcasts I listen to, so I went through my feed and have compiled the most recent list below: Business and …
There’s Only One Problem with Passive Income Businesses
If you’ve spent more than a minute hanging out on internet marketing forums or listening attention to gurus, you’ve been pitched on the idea of generating a passive income stream. In order to get you to sign-up for a service or buy some sort of product, some marketer will sell you on the dream that …
A Sure-Fire Way to Limit Your Business’s Upside Potential
What’s the difference between a food-service employee and a high-price attorney? When it comes to their compensation structure, not all that much. Both offer to perform specific tasks for an hourly rate. Granted, an attorney can charge a much higher hourly rate for their services than a fast food employee can, but both the attorney …
How to Prevent Your WordPress Website from Getting Hacked
“Hey, did you know one of your websites is redirecting to a Viagra website?” Receiving that phone call or email is probably not the way that you’d like to start your day. There’s big money in hacking websites, and using them for black-hat SEO or marketing purposes or serving malware to your visitors, so you …
How to Implement the SendGrid Newsletter API in ASP.NET and C#
A while back, SendGrid announced its newsletter functionality that provides functionality for managing and emailing distribution lists. If you’re a developer that makes use of SendGrid, you’re probably managing your list internally in a SQL database and have no need for SendGrid’s newsletter functionality, but there are two distinct advantages to using the Newsletter API.The …
How to Automatically Backup Your WordPress Website with BackWPUp
What would happen to your website if the server that powers your website were to crash? You would probably assume that’s something the hosting company is going to worry about and would go on with your life while you wait for them to get it back up and running. Unfortunately, many companies that offer shared …