J18bravo’s Blog

Once you get you mind set straight and start thinking like a successful business owner and you have done lots of reading on self help and about every aspect of your business like marketing, ad copy what’s the next step? You have to decide on the type of advertising you are going to pursue. There are many different types of advertising to bring people to your website or capture page. You need to decide first and foremost how much budget you have. It is very important to figure out what is going to be the best for your financial situation. You don’t want to throw money away with something that won’t give you long term results if you have a small budget. If you buy 1000 leads and that maxes out your budget then that is not a good return if you only get 100 leads from that. You have to realize that if from that 100 list you get 5-10% return and then the leads are dead. It is a one time shot. So especially if you are on a limited budget you have to get the most for your buck. I have never had much luck with bought leads so I personally don’t recommend them. The best way is to produce your own leads.

There are several different types of FREE advertising you can do to promote your business. You want to get at least 20 new leads a day and then you might sponsor 1 to 2 new people a week. So according to statistics you need about 200 visits a day to get that. It is all about the numbers, if you don’t get the people looking at your presentation then you won’t have success in your business. Now I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time to find and contact that many people a day. I rely on my system to do it for me. That way my system is working 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Now there are methods like classified ads, press release, ezines, Blogs, direct mail, lead lists there really as many different types and you want to make. Just about anything that gets your name out there will work. Now saying that if you are putting flyers under windshield wipers in parking lots you might not have too good of return and you might get run off the lot or possibly arrested. Again I am looking at doing some type of advertising that will not only be cost effective but also long lasting results. I want to put my money where I will get lots of exposure or will help in my SOR for my web site.

You can start with classified ads. There are many free services that you can use so search for the free ones. One thing to remember when you are going to write a classified ad is the posting title. If it does not catch the attention of your target market then it won’t get read. Make sure that is goes with your product or service and will grab your target and pull them in to read it. Read though the other ads in that category and see the ones that pull you in. Then figure out what it was that caught your attention. Read between 50 and 100 classified ads and you will see what is good and what is bad. The ones that draw your attention and make you want to read them are the ones you want to pattern yours after. I said pattern not copy. You want yours to be different and look at the key words so that you can be high on the list that is searched for. Once you get your title you do the same thing in writing your ad itself. I can not stress enough that you should search and read all you can about ad copy. There is a lot of bad copy out there and you need to be able to pull people into your ad. If it is written poorly you will get little to no traffic. Next at the end of your copy you need a call to action. Tell them what to do and when to do it!!! That is important! You have to lead them to action and make it easy to follow. Something like “Do it now” or “For a limited time” have your link and before you post make sure that the link works. Test all links on your ads to make sure that they work and take you to where you want them to go. Nothing says you are a basement business than a link that goes no where. Also you want some type of tracking on them so you know what is working and what is not. If a certain ad or location is working then you want to work it and if it is not then you don’t want to waist your time with it. Now Classifieds will not explode your Network Marketing or MLM business but you will see some results and when you get your whole plan of advertising working then it plays a part in building a huge business. With Classified ads you have to post weekly or monthly you have to check and see what the time limit your ad will be there and in a place where people can and will see it. You have to start somewhere, so start and when you get the hang of it and you are seeing results then move on to the next form of advertising. Good luck and see you soon for more. Please go back to the first post and read all of my posts because they build on each other and the first ones are very important in your long term success.

I Just wanted to add some more things to my other post from the other day. Many people want to blame the business opportunity or their up-line for their unsuccessful business when it is their own fault. I know this because I was one of those people. I jumped around from business opportunity to business opportunity looking for that magic business that I would sign up for and then the money just rolls in. Well guess what? That business does not exist. I believe that you can make money from any of the legitimate businesses if you work them. The problem is some are a whole lot more work then others. I made some money with several different company’s, over $1200 a month but it was not what I wanted to do to make the money so I went looking for something different. I did not like going to meetings at the local hotels of cold call people that did not have any intention or want to start their own business. The businesses I was a part of in the past were lots of work and the work was not something that I wanted to do. You have to check out the businesses and see what it is that you have to do to make the money. You have to get educated about every aspect of your business. Learn everything you can and keep learning and you will be successful but only if you get you mind set on abundance and believe that you have a million dollar business even before you have it. What your mind believes the body will produce. So don’t blame the business or your up-line that is what so great about network marketing and MLM, you can move out and pass your up-line in every way. That is all for this post just remember that it is ultimately up to you to build your business not anyone else. I will help you but not build it for you.

Hello everybody! Sorry that I have not posted in a while but was very busy moving. But now I am back in the saddle again. Today I want to talk about something that is very important when you start or own your own business. That is your frame of mind! Even before you pick a business you have to get your head right. You need to think about what you want and how you are going to get it. One fact is, that the only people that make it big in network marketing or multi-level marketing are leaders. If you are not one you can become one with some work on your part you can become a leader and make it big. The first thing that you should do is get all the information you can about making yourself a better person like “Think and Grow Rich”, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and there are many others out there to choose from, getting your mind set in it’s proper place is the first thing then move on. Get as much information from on-line and the library as you can. Read, Read, Read and Read some more. You never stop learning, you have to keep looking for knowledge and you continue growing into a person that people want to follow. Truth is that if you are a mere follower then no one will follow you. How can you try to sponsor someone when you can’t even lead yourself? No one wants to duplicate someone that is not doing anything or is failing in their business. It is better to be pursued than to pursue a prospect. People don’t join a business or an opportunity they join you. If you are not getting any down line or business then you need to change they way people see you, become a leader.

You have to step outside of your comfort zone and do what you don’t really like to do. You have to educate yourself and work hard to find out things to build your business. Take responsibility for your failures as well as your successes and stop blaming the business opportunity or your up-line for your failures. You have to treat your business as just that “Your Business”. If you started a restaurant you would find out all you could about the restaurant business before you start. You would not expect someone else to do it for you. You would work on it day and night in the beginning and do any and everything you had to do to make it. You have to get all the information you can and keep on looking for new and better information. Read up on marketing and put it into action, as well as read about ad copy and learn why people buy and how they make decisions. There is no magic lamp that a genie is going to pop out of. You have to put in the work. Many people that start their own network marketing business don’t treat it like a real business. I have never understood why people get into these types of businesses and then treat it like a hobby or worse. The people that don’t show that they are working on themselves and reading up on things to do with their businesses don’t get any of my time. I have way too much to do and if they want help they have to start by helping their selves. The big change in my business was when I got really serious about education. When I stopped relying on someone else to do it for me then lots of things started to happen, again this is not a get rich or pie in the sky, it takes time and effort to build any type of business. There are no short cuts or magic spell that will make it happen any faster but you can get educated and learn from people that are doing it and things will go smoother and faster than if you don’t. That is all for today, I have some other commitments so I will be going on with more on this subject soon. Some really good if not the best information on this subject is “Magnetic Sponsoring” by Mike Dillard you can check it out here Magnetic Sponsoring and see for yourself why I think this is some of the best information you can get in one place! See you soon!

If you are looking at multi level marketing or network marketing then you have even more of a problem of people not taking your business serious. You really have to stay on top of yourself to make sure that you work consistently and keep working a little everyday! If you stay steady then you will see the results in time. Don’t let yourself get caught playing around with your MLM or Network marketing business. It does your business and the businesses above and below yours no good and it looks very unprofessional. Yes until your business is making thousands of dollars a month you have your up line and the rest of the businesses to show that this business is for real and there is lots of money to be made.

The next thing is in network marketing and MLM is compounding your time. There are only 24 hours in a day. There is nothing we can do to change that. You can only work so many hours with a max of 24 and you can’t work 24 hours a day for long. Now one way to make more money is to compound your time. When you get into MLM most businesses give you a commission or a percent of your down line. Now if you work 5 hours and you have 50 people in your down line each working 5 hours then you have 250 hours being worked in one day. What! You say, there are only 24 hours in a day. That is why you can blow the income potential out of the water with 250 hours in one day and more just to start. Most MLM and Network Marketing businesses the whole idea is duplication. You teach your down line to do the same thing. The more people that are working the system the more money you make and they make. Most MLM and Network marketing business you have to help other people get what they want. The people that don’t make money are normally not trainable and don’t help their down line achieve what their goals are. Now if you are in MLM and are not making any money I am not busting your chops. I am saying that you need to get plugged into your up-line and start to duplicate what the people that are making money are doing. Then you start to teach your down line everything you learn. Don’t hold back they will help you make money too. I have seen where several people in MLM don’t seem to want to tell there down line everything they know and do in their business. But you are only hurting yourself in the long run. So in closing there is only one thing to remember, learn everything you can about your business or product then teach it to your down line and do it consistently and you will reap the rewards.

So your looking for a home based business? There are many different ones out there. The fact is that you can make money with almost all of them. “What!” you say. “My cousin’s, girlfriend’s, father’s, co-worker’s, daughter’s, boyfriend’s, mother lost a fortune with one of them.” Truth is we have all heard stories about some scam that someone lost all their money with. I have looked at many different businesses from network marketing to door to door selling. I can see where you could invest a lot of money into some of these opportunities, but I still find it hard to see how you can lose money with them. I have been in about five different types of business from door-to door and on line businesses some I had to invest more money than others. I found some that I did not like and quit and I found some that was way too much work for me. I really didn’t lose any money it was an education and all the businesses I was involved with I did make some money with. Like I said before some were too much work for me and some were things that I did not want to do. That is why you should look at each business and get the facts. Do your research and then you can make a much better decision.

Now to the next point in my soap box presentation, when most people get involved in a business they are all excited about the potential income they could make. They started off well but they were not ready to put in the work. There is not a business out there that you don’t have to work some. Sometimes the opportunity is portrayed as so easy that you sign up and start getting checks! But ALL the opportunities you have to work at them. People get into a business opportunity and they don’t take it serious and then when they play around with it like a hobby and they are not making one hundred thousand dollars a day it three days they get frustrated and quit. Now I am all for someone that does not want to do my business to get out, no hard feelings. If you don’t want to do it you are not! If you really want to start your own business then treat it as a business. If you were starting a restaurant then you would be there twenty-four seven. The friends of mine that own restaurants tell me that the business owns them! People that start restaurants really want to have a restaurant and that is fine. If you started one and then said I am going to spend five minutes a day on it or ten minutes three times a week on it then what would you expect? If you don’t put in time and work then you will get nothing out of it and then you are one of the friend of a friend of a friend that lost his savings on some scam. I know that some people are starting their business part time while they are still working another JOB. I recommend that you do it this way. You still have to put time and work into your business and then if you want to quit your JOB then you can build it up to that and quit. Like all businesses in the world no matter if it is a restaurant or network marketing it takes time to build up your income. Depending on a lot of factors it can be faster or slower. My advice to you is if you truly want to start your own businesses is to first look at the different businesses and research each one that you are interested in. Then make a well informed decision and when you start your business you need to read, and read and do more reading and study everything to do with your business. You can’t do well if you do know your business and all things that affect your business. Then put in the effort and do the work. Keep consistent with your work even if you don’t see anything going on and then before you know it you will reap your rewards! No one can help you unless you help yourself, so please don’t blame anyone but yourself. Get off your couch and do what you need to do to build your business. Hang in there and hope to see you on the beach!

Many people are hearing the words that scare them to death. According to what I read yesterday 600,000 people lost there jobs in January 2009. That is a lot of people out of work. With a slow economy where are they going to go to work? Now I know that my construction company is very slow right now and there is not a big increase in the near future. From what I hear it is bad every where. I know that I can’t get fired or laid off! Now would you like the feeling that you can’t get fired? I know I love it and if I do well it is because on me and if I do badly it is because I did not work like I was supposed to.

Because of this economy and the layoffs the work from home Internet business is booming. Every where you look is some kind of work from home or Internet business being advertised. There are many to choose from and some work and some don’t. Some cost lots of money to start and others do not. You should look at the businesses with an open mind and not listen to me or anyone else, check it out for yourself. But what ever business you choose one thing is a must! You have to have an internet presence to make your business go. The second thing you must have is customers or leads or what every your business calls them. Now when it comes to web sites there are lots of options. You should check in to lots of different company’s because they all include different things and cost different prices. All I can say is look and look some more. I have my favorites but you need to look for yourself. As far as the customers there are lots of ways to advertise and they range from free to very expensive. You need to start at the level you can and go from there. Email marketing is good but lots of SPAM regulations. Network marketing has come so far and now they even teach it at business schools. Now you know that network marketing is Just if you go to a movie and it was good you tell people to go see it and they do. Using other people to add their hours to yours and get paid is a good way to work. Compounding your time is great because there is only 24 hours in a day and that is the same for everyone on this planet.

Remember all the people that are millionaires have their own businesses. They do not have a job. They worked hard to get where they are, so don’t think that you can sign up or start a business and in two days get rich. That does not exist! I know that I need to educate myself so that I can do well and there are all kinds of ways to do that on the internet and there are lots of books you can read also. You should do the same never stop learning about all the different aspects of your business. Ask for help if you need it. If you have questions feel free to ask. There are so many ways to work your business but you should not try to reinvent the wheel if you can start off ahead of the rest. I know that it was all worth it to me and I am happy to work my own business from home. Have a great day!

The big question for today is, “Do you have all the money you want?” I would guess that you are like most people today. Most of us are working pay check to pay check just trying to pay the basic bills. You work a long 40 hour week for your tiny check after they rape you for all the taxes. I looked at my check where it said gross income and it sure was! No matter how hard I worked I could not get ahead. I was in the Army and it didn’t matter how hard I worked or how long I got the same pay check every month. I was a police officer and it did not matter how hard I worked, I still got the same pay check if I worked over time they would complain and figure out some way to get around paying overtime. I could not make it as a single father on a police officers pay. I had to work at least two other part-time jobs just to make it. Now of course there was no extra things just paying the bills and putting food on the table.

I realized one day that they were not going to take care of me or my family ever! My job did not care about me, my family or my future. I knew that if I wanted something better I had to find something better. I started looking at all kinds of businesses. I tried network marketing and multi-level marketing. I started my own construction business and my own landscaping business. I made some money with all of them but it was just not for me. I wanted something that was more enjoyable and gave me the things that I wanted out of life. I liked helping people but that did not pay very well. I wanted to spend more time with my son and my new wife. I love to travel and wanted to travel at least once a year and on my salary that was not going to happen. I did not want to open a store. I did not want certain set hours that I had to be there. I did not want to worry about a big commercial lease. I did not want to have to deal with employees and all the problems that go with that. Trying to find someone that you trusted with the keys to the store and the money. Today that is almost impossible to find. So I set down and thought about what would be the perfect business to start and operate.

I started to make a list of the perfect “Dream” business. Well, lets see what would I want if I could have anything? It would have to be an internet business so I did not have to worry about a store front and employees. It had to be a product that I would not have to physically touch in order to make money. It had to be something that everyone wants or needs and will always use no matter what the economy does. Something that I could set my own hours so that I could go on vacation or sleep-in or go to my son’s soccer game with out having to beg someone to let me. It had to have no limit to my income potential so that I could have the life that I wanted. I mean if you have all this time and no money to spend to travel or do things it kind of kills the whole reason you do it. Something that I could make money 24 hours a day even when I sleep. I wanted to help people and if I could help other people in my same situation change their life for the better than I was on the right track. I know that sounds like a large order to fill, I have heard of the “too good to be true” business and other offers. I can dream can’t I?

Well I can tell you that with all the different business I have tried I was able to make money with them. Some were better than others and some were way too much work for me. It all comes down to you and what you want. What you like. I recommend that you research different opportunities because everyone has different likes and dislikes. Like me you might not like doing one of them even thou you might be able to make money at it. I got where I was making $1,200 a month with one network marketing business I was in but I got out because I did not like what I had to do. I did not like cold contacting people or trying to pretend that I had a billion dollar business when I just got started. How can I pull up to you at a gas station in my 1978 pinto to get $5.00 worth of gas in change and try to convince you to look at my billion dollar business opportunity. All I have is my credibility and if it looks like a big fat lie, I don’t think that you will look at the opportunity no matter how good it truly is. I leave you with this thought, No one can make a decision for you. You have to look at the opportunity for what it is worth. Don’t listen to anyone else. Research it for yourself and then you will know if it is right for you. The fact is that you can make money at almost all of the opportunity’s out there but you have to make a decision if that particular business is what you want to do. So look at the emails you get and check out the different opportunity’s to free yourself from what ever you want liberated from.

Hello World! How is everyone out there tonight? I will be writing about lots of things in reguards to work at home and internet businesses. If you have any questions go ahead and ask them.

Jay