Is Indecision Paralyzing Your Business Progress?

Posted on April 28, 2013, 8:37 pm, by Ian Douglas and received 2 Comments ».

I have been debating which niche to build my NAMS website on for ages. There have been so many choices flood into my mind that I have been swapping between ideas almost daily. The problem is that my indecision is holding me back. I can see that all my ideas may be profitable but by being unable to choose which one to start on my progress has ground to a halt. Choosing a niche had become a major stumbling block. A brick wall I needed to break through.

Are you paralyzing your business because of indecision?

Sometimes we can focus so much on something, and trying to make sure that something is perfect, that our progress grinds to a halt. I was stuck looking for “the perfect niche” to build my business on. It was only when talking my problem over with a friend that they pointed out that several of the niches I was debating over could be profitable so I should try them all. It then suddenly struck me that they were right. Although I should FOCUS on just one niche to start with I could repeat the process with the others once my initial blog had started being profitable.

So, as I am a professional Genealogist I have decided to keep things simple and start with the genealogy niche. I have made a start creating a basic blog and am now ready to start adding posts and using it as my test-bed as I work my way through NAMS100.

I realize that there are several other niches on my shortlist which may eventually turn out to be more profitable but it is time for me to stop debating and start moving forward otherwise I am never going to finish the training.

Time to start making some progress!

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How To Restore Your WordPress Database

Posted on April 9, 2013, 12:25 pm, by Ian Douglas and received 4 Comments ».

Unfortuantely it is a fact of life that sometimes your blog may get hacked, or it’s database may get corrupted.  If you have taken regular backups then you should have a “.sql” or “.sql.gz” database dump on your computer which you have downloaded from your blog.  If so then it is a simple job to restore it.

Log into your webhost account cPanel and look for the Database Wizard icon:

cPanel

Doubleclick on this icon and the Database Wizard will appear:

Restore Backup

Click on the “Restore” Button and the Restoration page will appear:

Restore Databases

Click on “MySQL Databases” and a screen will appear asking you to select the backup you wish to restore:

Select Database file to restore

Click on the “Browse” button and navigate to the database backup file (should have the suffix “.sql” or “.sql.gz”) stored on your computer and then click on the “Upload” button.

There will be a delay of a few seconds while your database backup file is uploaded to your webspace and then you should get a message saying the restoration is complete.

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The Importance of a Mastermind Group to your Online Business

Posted on March 8, 2013, 7:21 pm, by Ian Douglas and received No Comments ».

Building an Online Business can, at times, make you feel lonely and isolated.  You spend long hours working on your business which limits your opportunity for social interaction and you can become fixed in your mind about various aspects of your business which should really be changed.

In order to make progress with your business I feel it is important to find a group of fellow entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off and who will hold you accountable and keep you on target. The group needs to be built on mutual respect and trust (what is discussed in the group stays in the group) and there needs to be a positive attitude where ideas can grow as you help each other develop and grow their business.

Sometimes others can see undeveloped strengths, or potential weakness, in your business ideas which you, yourself cannot see. An atmosphere where honest views can be exchanged and constructive criticism given and taken is beneficial to everyone in the group; from those starting out who are still trying to identify their strengths and niche in which to focus, to those experienced members who may already have an established income stream but need the fresh input of younger members to help them think outside the box and discover new ways they can boost their business.  If the Mastermind Group has a positive atmosphere of mutual trust and respect which allows the free and open discussion of ideas then it has the potential to really explode the business of all it’s members.

Are you a member of a Mastermind Group?  If not why not find one or start one?

Niche Selection Report By Kevin Riley

Posted on March 3, 2013, 11:50 pm, by Ian Douglas and received 2 Comments ».

Using Your Head Heart and Wallet to Discover Your NicheIf you have been following my journey on this blog you will realize that I am current stuck choosing a niche in which to build my business.  Well I came across a free Niche Selection Report By Kevin Riley which has helped me a lot.  If you haven’t come across it before I would recommend downloading it and reading it.

The Report is titled “Using The Head, Heart and Wallet to Discover Your Niche” and is a presentation by Kevin Riley with questions asked by David Perdew.  In it Kevin explains:

  •  How to find the niche that’s right for you
  • Three factors to consider when selecting a niche
  • Detailed instructions and resources for researching a niche
  • How to find out what’s popular within your niche
  • How to find ideas for creating content within your niche
  • How to find affiliate products to sell within your niche

I think that you will find this free Report really useful if, like me, you find yourself stuck for ideas in choosing a niche.

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Choosing a Niche for my new Online Business

Posted on February 18, 2013, 11:03 pm, by Ian Douglas and received No Comments ».

Many moons ago, when I was knee high to a grasshopper, and I was wandering wide-eyed in cyberspace when I came across a wild, hairy, man from Japan.  This seasoned Guru took me under his wing and taught me the ancient art of product creation.  Under his guidance I created over a dozen Internet Marketing Newbie eBooks teaching people what I had learned.  Then, my mind filled with greater things, I had a vision of becoming a teacher myself and passing on my knowledge to help others become successful.  I purchased a couple of Domain Names to use for my coaching program, purchased a Webhosting Reseller Account to host my student’s websites, set up Help Desk software and a Forum… then exhausted and out of my depth cursed the day I heard about Internet Marketing and sank into depression.

Ironically, it was during this dark period that I wrote two of my most popular blog posts (“The Dark Side of Internet Marketing” and “The Tears of an Angel“).

Looking back now I can see some of my problems: I had the technical knowledge to achieve my dreams but lacked experience.

I still feel that helping others become successful is what I am supposed to do with my life… but I need to gain some experience in becoming successful myself first!  I need to go through the process so I can share it with others.

So what should I choose as my NAMS Niche?  I enjoy writing so should I focus on Blogging?  Should I try writing articles for Article Directories? Should I try the craft of creating an ezine and learn to gather a massive following of loyal subscribers?  Then again maybe I should look outside of the Internet Marketing bubble: I enjoy writing short stories so maybe should try and get a few published in magazines or go through the process of having a short fantasy fiction book published and share my experiences in a blog aimed at budding Writers?

The problem is that the more I keep thinking of choosing a niche for my NAMS homework the greater the number of possible niches that spring into my mind!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggh!

Chosing a niche for my new online business is going to be much harder than I thought!

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Focus – The importance of remaining focused when building your online business

Posted on February 10, 2013, 10:54 am, by Ian Douglas and received 2 Comments ».

Things seem to be going well.  I am quite enjoying myself in the NAMS training program but I have hit a problem…  I have posted a “Hello World” message in their Forum introducing myself, and also posted a few questions and received a few replies.  I have created a Blog in their Members Area as well as creating and posting on this; my personal Blog out in CyberSpace. I have also been happily commenting away on other member’s blogs sharing thoughts and ideas and liking every minute of it.  Life is good and I am enjoying myself.  Even although I have been a member for just a couple of weeks it already feels like home. But my glasses are getting steamed up.  NAMS do offer free membership but in order to access the structured training I have signed up for there is a monthly fee and it becomes due in a couple of weeks.

PANIC!

OK, OK… keep calm Ian, Keep calm… lie down… relax… take deep breaths…

I have been enjoying blogging and the forum so much that I have lost sight of my reason for joining NAMS which is to create and grow an online business in order to bring in a regular income.  My glasses have become steamed up; I have lost my focus.

Looking at the training schedule I am realizing that I have so far only completed Module 1 of the NAMS100 (newbie) training program.

The problem is that in Module 2 I am supposed to choose a niche in which to build my business and the niche I choose will be the one I have to stick with throughout the rest of the training. OMG!  Talk about being under pressure!  Making this decission is really freaking me out! My gut reaction is to hide away in my little warm, safe, corner and carry on blogging and generally distracting myself from having to make a decision. Perhaps if ignore Module 2 long enough it will go away? Perhaps if I keep quiet and stop posting messages in their Forum and stop updating my Blog people will forget I exist and I can quietly cancel my membership, sneak away and try to forget NAMS every existed?

Anyway, even if I do ever pluck up enough courage to make a decission, what niche should I choose?  If I go with my heart it would probably be about birds… A niche blog related to chickens or parrots for example would be something I would really enjoy… but would it bring in the dollars?  There may be quite a few people interested enough to visit a Blog about these pets; but would they be clickers and spenders or people just looking for cute video clips?

Looking at some ideas in the forum the preferred niches seem to be subjects I know nothing about and, although they are probably high traffic niches, they also seem packed with quite fierce competition too. I can see the niche attracting spenders but would I be able to make my Blog visible to visitors amongst all the other stronger, more well established, better designed, competing Blogs?

Looks like I need to pluck up courage to go through the Module 2 lessons and regain my focus!

Free Legal Pages For Your Blog

Posted on February 9, 2013, 3:56 pm, by Ian Douglas and received No Comments ».

I was feeling quite pleased with myself.  I had found a structured training program (NAMS) to guide me to success with my online business.  I had created this Blog as a Diary of my journey and everything was looking good… Then I received an email pointing out that, as an affiliate, there are certain Legal statements I need to put on my Blog.

After searching the internet I discovered that, although these ready-made Legal Statements can be purchased from several legal companies, there are also some available for free.

Disclosure

The main statement I was looking for was a Disclosure Statement formally letting my Blog visitors know that I may receive payment or reward if they purchased some of the products and services I recommend.  I found a very newbie friendly website called http://www.disclosurepolicy.org on which you could create a custom Disclosure Policy for your Blog.

 Privacy Policy

The other statement I was after was a Privacy Policy.  I found that the free WordPress plugin “WP-Insert” enabled me to add several free Legal Pages to my Blog:

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright Notice

I suggest that you take a look at these sources of free Legal Statements and set up the Legal Pages on your Blog a.s.a.p.

Finding Your Ladder Online Business Success

Posted on February 3, 2013, 10:39 pm, by Ian Douglas and received 3 Comments ».

Have you found your Ladder To Online Business Success? I have wasted too many years drifting form one promise of success to another and getting nowhere. Whatever I try I still feel like I am trapped down the bottom of deep, dark pit with no hope of escape.

My problem is that I don’t have a plan nor focus.

I continually drift from one shiny promise to another. Then a new shiny promise catches my eye and off I go. I don’t have a plan, don’t have focus, don’t have any organised step-by-step training to follow.

The inevitable has happened and I waste month after month running from one promise to another getting nowhere and still stuck on the bottom of this pit of failure.

Have you found your own ladder out of the pit?

I have recently come across a training series called NAMS (Niche Affiliate Marketing System) and am impressed with it’s Sales Page. At last I feel I have found my ladder and by signing up I have stepped up onto the first rung of my journey out of the pit.

I want to cover many things in this Blog but, hopefully, my journey through the NAMS training will become an important part of my journey from the pit of despair to financial freedom. I have stepped up onto the first rung. I have begun my journey. Looking up I can see a tiny spot of daylight above me and I know that if I can methodically step up each structured training lesson, one small rung at a time I will reach the top of that ladder and freedom. I have only stepped up one rung but I am sure I can already start to feel the warmth of the sunshine from that tiny speck far above me starting to warm my back.

I hope that you will return to this blog regularly and follow me in my journey and that if you decide to sign up to NAMS and join me on my journey we will both achieve success.

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Planning Your Online Business Part 1 – Finding your reason to succeed

Posted on December 10, 2012, 10:05 pm, by Ian Douglas and received 2 Comments ».

Some time ago I decided that I wanted to start an online business and started searching the internet for business opportunities. I found loads of promises and before long my hard drive was jammed full of downloads. I came across so many shiny promises which turned out to be empty.

My lack of focus and the resulting information overload became a real problem for me.

I have mentioned in my About Me page how I have a lot of respect for a guy called Dennis Becker. If you have not come across him, or his products, before I would recommend that you download a free copy of his eBook 5 Bucks A Day Jnr v3 by filling in the simple form to the right of this article. It contains loads of good advice about developing the right mindset to become successful online.

I think I am now on the right track in developing a success mindset but I feel I need to crush the information Overload Demon and find a structured step-by-step training program I can follow. When I find it I will report back and, through my future blog posts, you will be able to follow my progress.

So I feel (thanks to Dennis) I now have the correct success attitude and am about to begin my task of seeking out a structured training program. But this is life and things don’t always go according to plan so I need to think deep about why I want to succeed. What is it that will keep me motivated and moving forward when problems get in the way? What is my overriding reason for wanting to succeed? What is YOUR reason for seeking success for your own online business?