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Email Marketing Demystified Third Edition Now Available

Email Marketing Demystified

The third edition of my best-selling email marketing book, Email Marketing Demystified, is now available on Amazon. It is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats. The first edition of Email Marketing Demystified was published almost eight years ago. The social media landscape has shifted dramatically during that time. Some platforms like Vine and Google+ no …

How Eight Years of Angel Investing Lead to the Launch of a New $17 Million Venture Fund

Eight years ago, I made my first angel investment in a company called Tradesy via Tim Ferris’s AngelList syndicate. Within a matter of months, I made several more investments in startup companies via AngelList. I also made a couple of angel investments directly in local companies. I didn’t know what I was doing at the …

Two-Way SMS is the Next Big Marketing Channel

Over the last fifteen years of running online businesses, I have had the opportunity to test and leverage many different marketing channels, including email, browser notifications, Twitter accounts, Facebook messenger bots, Instagram accounts, YouTube channels, and a few others. Just about every year, some new social media company comes out and encourages businesses and influencers …

Apple is Killing the Email Tracking Pixel. Here’s How Email Marketers Should Adapt.

During the World Wide Developer Conference earlier in June, Apple announced that its mail client would start blocking tracking pixels which allow email marketers to know when a user has opened their email. Tracking pixels, which are referred to by some as “spy pixels,” are primarily used to determine which subscribers are active and which …

How to Find and Pitch Investors for Your Startup

Raising money for a small business or startup is perhaps easier now than it ever has been. There’s still a significant learning curve when it comes to identifying potential angel investors, getting a meeting with them and pitching your startup. Nick Horob from Harvest Profit and I recently did a webinar for Startup Sioux Falls …

How to Spot a Fake Business Growth Guru

Every now and then I receive a text, an email or a Facebook message asking me, “Hey, what do you think of [Person], that marketing and business guru that’s all over Facebook/YouTube/Instagram?” It can be difficult to determine if any given business expert or marketing guru is the real deal merely by looking at their …

Sioux Falls to Celebrate Entrepreneurship Day on March 3, 2021

Beginning this year, Sioux Falls will celebrate Entrepreneurship Day on the first Wednesday of March. For the 2021 celebration taking place on March 3, the general public is invited to join the festivities by participating in a host of events organized by the teams at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship (Zeal) and Startup Sioux Falls.  …

Preserving Cash is the Key to Your Business Surviving the COVID-19 Recession

We find ourselves in unprecedented times. Many small businesses have had to close their doors and furlough employees with no idea when they might be able to re-open. Unemployment claims have hit an all-time high and some are predicting that COVID-19 related job losses could reach 47 million. The United States economy is undoubtedly in …

How We Do Hiring at MarketBeat

(Watch this Video on YouTube) The topic of hiring has come up a lot recently in the Startup Sioux Falls community and this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone given our city’s historically-low unemployment rate. Chelsea Giedd, a local boutique owner in Sioux Falls, recently published a series of podcast episodes about hiring and that …

South Dakota, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (Video)

I had the privilege of being on a panel with Ryan Swanstrom from Swanstrom Analytics and Jodi Schwan from SiouxFalls.Business at the South Dakota Technology Showcase event, which is put on by SDN Communications. During the panel, we discussed artificial intelligence initiatives from South Dakota companies, the role that higher education plays in training technology …

You Become the Content You Consume

You’ve probably heard the idea that “You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There’s a corollary to that saying you might not have heard of. It’s that “You become the content you consume.” I talk about it in this video. (Watch this Video on YouTube) Prefer to read …

MarketBeat Featured at 1 Million Cups in Fargo

The 1 Million Cups community in Fargo, North Dakota invited Andy Jorgensen from Firebrothers Fireworks and myself to speak at their weekly event. We had the opportunity to travel to Fargo last week and talk about our businesses. The team at Forum Communications was kind enough to record our talks and the Q&A for posterity. …

How to Raise Money for Your Business in the Great Plains or the Midwest (Updated 11/18)

As the public face of Falls Angel Fund, I receive a lot of inquiries from entrepreneurs and would-be business owners that are looking to raise money to get their businesses off the ground. In the past couple of weeks, I have received inquiries from an entrepreneur running a medical devices startup, an entrepreneur running a …

Six Reasons I Won’t Sign Your NDA Before Having Coffee

As the chair of a community-based angel investment fund, I receive a lot of meeting requests from business owners that want to have a conversation about raising money for their business. These entrepreneurs usually have minimal business development and fundraising experience and are looking for a way to fund their future growth. I rarely get much out …

How to Build an Interest-Based Community on Facebook

Every successful community has a central hub for the sharing of ideas the facilitation of random social interactions. Churches have Sunday worship. Service clubs like Rotary and Kiwanis have weekly meetings. Geeks have game nights at local comic shops. These regular places of meeting provide members of a community a forum to engage other people …

Why MarketBeat Became Accredited by the BBB

Over the last 100 years, marketers have pushed the promises they make to consumers to the limit to generate sales in an increasingly competitive world. They have used sex, action, greed and urgency to capture the increasingly fickle attention of consumers. They have made outrageous claims and guarantees about their products that simply don’t stand …

Webinar Replay: How I Went from $500,000 to $4 Million Per Year Using Email, Web Push and Facebook Messenger

I recently recorded a webinar on how MarketBeat has leveraged web push notifications, email marketing and Facebook Messenger to grow our business from $500,000 per year in 2013 to over $4 million per year in 2018. We go over several practical tips in this hour long recording (and there’s no sales pitch at the end!). …

My 6 Tips For Growing Your Online Business Organically

woman working on a laptop

The following is a guest post by Victoria Greene. Victoria Greene is a branding consultant and freelance writer. On her blog, VictoriaEcommerce, you’ll find a wealth of articles covering how new business owners can get their brand off the ground. She is passionate about using her experience to help fellow entrepreneurs succeed. As anyone who has …

Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Sioux Falls Part 1: Creating Community

A picture from the first Open Startup Coffee event in Sioux Falls

A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted four things that I believe Sioux Falls will need if it wants to follow the footsteps of Austin, Boulder and other startup communities and become a city that regularly spawns startups that create new jobs, attract investment capital and foster economic growth. We will need opportunities for collaboration …

Startup Q&A #26: Outsourcing, Delegation, Customer Retention, and Email Marketing Technology

startup q&a logo

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 https://manychat.com/ to set up a facebook chat …

Four Things Sioux Falls Needs to Become an Entrepreneurial City

Over the last several months, the business community in Sioux Falls has taken a renewed interest in the role that entrepreneurship plays in bettering the city. The Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship has become more prominent in the community with their recent rebrand and remodel, as well as their launch of an accelerator program. The closure …

Startup Q&A #25: Venture Capital – Pitching and Making a Deal

startup q&a logo

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 short emails to engage your audience with …

Startup Q&A #24: Venture Capital – Who can invest and who can raise money?

startup q&a logo

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 session recordings of your website to find …

Startup Q&A #21: Evaluating an Idea, Choosing a Bank, Investing in IPOs, Building an Email List, and Partnership Agreements

startup q&a logo

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 an online invoicing system to get …

Startup Q&A #20: Partnerships, Convention Booths, SEO, Understanding Financials, and Book Publishing

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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: Switch your sites over to https This Week’s …

Startup Q&A #19: Learning to Code, Mentorship, Encouraging Kids, and Protecting Intellectual Property

startup q&a logo

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: Switch your sites over to https This Week’s …

Startup Q&A #17: Investment Asset Allocation for the Entrepreneur

startup q&a logo

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 investing books listed in this blog …

Startup Q&A #16: Investing for Entrepreneurs – When and How to Start

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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 Personal Capital to assess your investment …

Startup Q&A #15: Email Marketing – Getting to Your Customers’ Inboxes and Monetizing your List

startup q&a logo

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 After Offers to build your mailing …

Startup Q&A #14: Email Marketing – Why to Use It and How to Do It

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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 Mail-Tester.com This Week’s Questions Why is building …

When to Make Your First Hire 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. You might think that you don’t have enough work to keep an employee or contractor busy or that you can’t afford to bring on a team member right …

Startup Q&A #12: Bookkeeping, Networking Organizations, Selling a Business, and Politics in the Workplace

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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: split-test your subject lines This Week’s Questions What …

Creative Ways to Make Money from Your Online Business

public speaking is a way to leverage your blog

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 other creative strategies that you can use to make money in your business that don’t fall neatly into the broad categories of display advertising, affiliate …

Startup Q&A #11: Managing Your Email List, Funding Your Business, Knowing if You’re Ready to Start a Business, Scratching your Own Itch

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 …

How to Grow Your Business with Paid Advertising

paid advertising image of billboard

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

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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

Business binders with POLICIES and PROCEDURE words on labels place on process flow charts, pen pointing at document word

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

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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

I love my job

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

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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

Young candidate having an interview with his employer

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 …

Startup Q&A #7: Prioritizing Expenses, Attending Conferences, Performance Metrics, Legal Structures, Business Skills

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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?

contractors file vs having employees

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

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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 …

Starting a Business? You Need a Team

working inside a box to signify working in your business vs working on 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 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

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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

cat shopping online buying some 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. 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

a lot of old instruments in tool box

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

startup q&a logo

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

Grand opening ballon sign

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

Close-up Of Businessman Hand Planning To Do 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. 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

startup q&a logo

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 …

Startup Q&A #2 – Content Creation at Scale, Automation, Business Debt and More.

startup q&a logo

(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?

Deserted island With Palm Trees - wait for good traffic before launching 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. 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

Close up of a happy woman hand buying online with a laptop and paying with a credit card

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

reading ebook and 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 …

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?

variety of darts on dartboard

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

business , e-commerce

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

follow path along trail left by others stone cairn

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

man focusing on computer writing a guest blog

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

podcast tour to promote new 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. 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

brainstorming blog post content ideas

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

Working with the laptop and organizing monthly activities and appointments in the calendar

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

using facebook and twitter for 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?

social media options

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 Set Up WordPress and Launch Your Website

setting up 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. 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

Modern network and telecommunication technology computer concept: server room in datacenter

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 …

Simple Savings is Now Available

Simple Savings Book

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

A teacher hand cleans the chalkboard in the classroom

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?

male in suit with crossed hands and thought bubble, looking on camera

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

dot com domain name not available try other ones

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

brainstorming with post-it notes

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

eating sushi at computer business idea

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

search engine and keywords

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

customer ready to pay

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

sitting on racetrack with no competition

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

don't pick too small of a niche like goldfish breeding

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 …

Don’t Choose Your Business Based on Profit Alone

choose a business with good product-market-founder fit

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 …

Charitable Giving: How to Give Wisely and Joyfully

planting seeds and living generously

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

protecting assets

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 …

Why Dave Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki Are Both Wrong about Debt

staying out of debt to build wealth

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, …

Quit Worrying About Your Budget and Focus on the Income Side of the Equation

increasing income side of 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 …

The Plagiarism Problem in Online Business

how to keep your business ideas from being stolen

“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 …