Kimanzi Constable's Blog, page 29

5 Tips to Get Published on the Largest Websites in the World

There is an audio version below.

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As a writer, podcaster, or YouTuber, you can get your content featured on some of the world’s largest websites. You can get exposure to millions of loyal readers who would be curious to see what else you’re up to. There’s no better way to build an audience and business in the online space today.

You’ve probably heard me talk about same audience syndrome—this is common today. Large publications offer you a chance to get massive exposure to an untapped and always changing audience. You can leverage that exposure to build and land bigger opportunities. Here are five tips to get accepted as a contributor.

1. Stop listening to self-limiting beliefs.  

Whenever I talk about this stuff, I hear a lot of the same responses. People feel as if they’re not a writer, or that they’re not a good enough writer. There is also a fear that can come from putting yourself and your words out there in front of millions of people.

If you are going to write an article that gets accepted, you have to get over those fears and self-limiting beliefs. They WILL show up in your writing if you don’t. One of my rock star coaching clients is Anya Hollis. This week, she had her first article published on The Good Men Project and caught a lot of flak for speaking her truth. She didn’t let it stop her from writing. Today, she became a contributing writer for The Huffington Post! She wasn’t published anywhere before sending in these two articles. If you’re wondering if you can write for the largest websites in the world despite your experience, the answer is YES. 

2. Research each publication individually.  

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to write an article and then see where you can send it. The articles that get accepted are written specifically for that publication. As an editor, I can tell whether or not an article was written for our publication. Start with researching what that site publishes.

Study the style, the length of the posts, the point of view the posts are written in (first or third person), and what topics their readers respond best to. Take each publication one at a time and get a deep understanding of what they publish every day. Your research is what will help you write the best kind of article and one that an editor will say YES to. 

3. Write from the heart.  

As a Lead Editor for The Good Men Project, I see too many articles that feel like the writer is preaching at people—those articles DON’T do well. Even if you’re writing something a little more technical, it should have some heart in it. You have the first two paragraphs to make an emotional connection with the reader on a publication. If you don’t, they won’t read any more of the post. This is the reason “listicle” posts do so well on publications.

You should ask yourself two questions as you’re writing; “What am I trying to say? And, “Am I saying it clearly enough?” Each article should focus on ONE thought or idea. When you try to bring in too many topics into an article, you will confuse and then lose the reader. Dig deeper and write about what you fear the most. Here are several articles that I was super afraid to write and publish, but that had a strong connection with the reader:

How To Rebuild Trust After An Affair

The One Decision Every Man Must Make to Live a Happy Life

I’m a High School Dropout

An Addiction That Ruined Our Sex Life and Almost Ended Our Marriage 

4. Stop looking for a connection to get in.  

Every day I receive several cold pitch emails that ask me to make an introduction to my editor at a certain publication. I have NEVER made an introduction. If I did, it would not be for someone I don’t know. You probably could find a connection eventually, but why would you want to waste valuable time chasing when you can get in without one?

Cold pitches to contributors who write for publications rarely work. A connection would be easier, but the chances aren’t very high. Instead of looking for connections, use that time to research a publication and write a better article. You can do this on your own. 

5. Pitch better than most.  

A lot of pitch emails are bad. They focus on themselves instead of what’s in it for the editor or publication. Editors don’t care who you are or what you’ve done. They have one job: publish great content. If your article isn’t researched and written for that publication, your social proof will be meaningless.

A good pitch starts with a well-written and researched article. The email is short and to the point. Begin with a subject line that’s specific to that editor. Google them and find something they’ve shared or written. Pull a nugget as your subject line. If you were pitching me, you could say something like, “Taylor Swift knows how to write music.” That’s specific to me, and it would catch my attention.

The first paragraph should expand upon that specific nugget. Again, for me, it would look like:

“Hello Kimanzi,

I enjoyed seeing the pictures you posted when you attended Taylor Swift’s concert. I know you a HUGE fan, so that must have been exciting. I’m a big fan of your site and would love to submit an article for consideration.“

You have shown me with the subject and first paragraph that you took the time to research—editors like to see that. Next, share some writing samples. It’s best if they are from somewhere other than your blog. If that’s all you’ve got, roll with it. After the writing samples, a thank you, and put the article IN THE BODY of the email. Never send attachments to editors because they will NOT open them. If you have done your research, the article will speak for itself.

If you read my stuff, you know my story. I started writing for The Huffington Post and Entrepreneur Magazine a year and a half ago. Since then, my business has exploded. Conferences have found me, new clients have hired me, and I have sold thousands of books.

What I did is not unusual and can be repeated. This is a strategy you can use to build a profitable lifestyle business if you use it right. It’s NOT about who you know or what experience you have. It’s all about the article you write and how you submit. There’s nothing stopping you; use this strategy.

Audio version:

Do you plan on pitching any publications this year?

The Opportunities Are Bigger Than You Think

There is an audio version below. Don’t miss out on Freedom through Online Business. It’s practical at a great price 

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I’m a high school dropout.

I had a difficult upbringing that involved a lot of physical and mental abuse. At 17, I chose homelessness over being beaten with a lamp cord. To survive, I had to get three jobs, and that meant dropping out of high school.

My dream was always to be a writer. I had written since I was young and had big plans for my words. During the survival period of my life, I gave up my dream of being a writer. In fact, I hated writing because it was a dream that I could never do anything about.

I did get off the streets and met the love of my life while working at Burger King. We got married and started a life together. The next 12 years weren’t great, but better than how I had grown up. In 2011, everything in my life fell apart.

The debtors were coming for their money, my bread business was falling apart, and my marriage was collapsing before my eyes. It was during this time when I couldn’t talk to anyone else that I found writing again. Once I started, I couldn’t stop.

Today, almost five years later, I’m the author of four books—three of which have been traditionally published. My books have sold over 100,000 copies and counting. I also have the opportunity to write for major media publications—some free and some paid.

Think about that: a high school dropout who writes for the largest websites in the world. Each month, my words are read by millions of people. This exposure took my lifestyle business from $50,000 in 2014 to over $200,000 last year (2015).

Dream Bigger

I don’t share any of this to brag—I’m trying to demonstrate a point. I didn’t build some great connection that got me into all these publications. I didn’t luck into. I identified the opportunities and put a plan in place. Once in, I leveraged them to grow my business. Guess what? This can be repeated, and in fact, there are many who read my words that are doing the same thing.

You can never land these opportunities if you don’t believe it’s possible. Personal development starts with your mindset—you probably know this. But, knowing and living it are two separate things. You have to see that with some work, you can land bigger opportunities and leverage them.

In fact, one of the best ways to build your lifestyle business is through the bigger opportunities. There’s a lot of “same audience syndrome” happening in the online space right now. It’s better and more profitable to go after the untapped audience that comes from getting exposure.

Getting featured on the largest websites in the world can lead to income, email subscribers, and the social proof you can leverage for cool opportunities such as speaking. I’ll be in nine countries and three states speaking this year, and all of it came from articles I’ve written for various publications. You can do this, too, if you take action.

My goal today is to open your mind. Over the next several posts, I’ll be teaching you how to land these opportunities. At the end of this month, I’ll tell you how you can get deeper help through my Exposure through Large Publications class.

For now, I want you to look around you. Identify some bigger opportunities that you’ll chase this year. It can be international speaking, coaching more people, booking consulting work at a company, or selling thousands of your book through exposure.

I don’t know where you are in your life and business; I do know what’s possible. This former homeless, high school dropout is landing bigger opportunities. It just goes to show that it’s not always about who you know, but what you’re willing to do.

Audio version:

Will you dream bigger? How?

 

The #1 Reason a Lifestyle Business Doesn’t Make Money

There is an audio version below.

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Money isn’t everything or the only reason to start a lifestyle business, but it is needed in life. You have bills to pay and a family to support—you have to generate income. Too many people quit their dream because of a lack of income.

I remember the first time I heard of this idea of a lifestyle business, it was on a podcast while I was delivering bread. I worked hard for eight months before I ever made a dollar. It was stressful because I had invested $2,500 in getting a website designed, a book put together, and I hired a coach to help me generate income. It also led to fights with my wife because all I was doing was spending money.

After taking a step back, I realized something important was missing. I see this missing piece lost in a lot of online businesses. When I start working with a new coaching client, this thing is usually the “missing piece” of the puzzle. The reason I wasn’t generating income was because I didn’t have an audience.

Build an Audience

When you start building a lifestyle business, your focus is on the “busy work.” That work would include getting your website nice and tight, establishing your social media presence, and creating things to sell. The busy work can easily take up all of your time if you let it.

The busy work is important, and you should have those things established, but at some point, you have to focus on building an audience. If no one sees your foundation, you won’t be able to generate any income. People have to know it’s there.

In 2012, I realized that I wasn’t selling books because no one knew it was there. I spent the first half of that year focused on building an audience instead of getting caught up in the busy work. Three months after I started this focus, I got a check from Amazon—it was the first real money generated in my online business. The check was for $1,236.

How to Build an Audience

Social media is NOT an audience. The people following you on those platforms belong to the platforms. If they decide to change things up, which they frequently do, you’re left trying to figure out how to recover. New York Times bestselling author, Crystal Paine, broke this down on Michael Hyatt’s blog.

Your audience is the people who read your blog and sign up for your email list–especially your email list. They are the ones who have given you permission to share what you’re doing—people on social media haven’t done so in the same way.

The good news is there are a lot of ways to build an engaged following. It starts with being authentic. People recognize and connect with the real thing. When you don’t put yourself on a pedestal, they can see who you are and see that you’re like them.

After that, use the different ways to get exposure. Get interviewed on a podcast—there are thousands of shows looking for great guests. One appearance on Pat Flynn’s podcast earlier this year exploded my business. Guest posting also works. In 2012, guest posting on 80 blogs was the main reason I was able to sell 40,000 books that year. You write an article for someone else’s blog, they give you links back to yours. It’s a win-win.

Writing for large media publications is currently my favorite way to build an audience. The problem I see in the online space is that everyone is chasing the same people. Large media publications offer you a chance to get exposed to an untapped audience. You can also get sales, email subscribers, and major social proof that you can leverage. I just wrote about this topic.

These are a few ways to build your audience. In the next few weeks, I’ll dive deeper and get specific. Don’t let the busy work keep you stuck. It’s important to establish your foundation, but you need an audience to see what you’re up to.

If this is going to be the year you build a dream that supports you, focus on building a group of people who will support you through sharing or buying the things that you sell. If you have an audience, it’s much easier to figure out the busy work.

Audio version:

What are you doing to build an audience?

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Photo: Flickr/ Julian Youllhavetobuyme

5 Life-Changing Lessons Learned in 2015

There is an audio version below.

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It feels good and a little weird to be back in the United States–I traveled so much this year. I’ll be here for a month. I start my 2016 speaking calendar in January—in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’ll be speaking in three states and nine countries in 2016 at this point.

I wanted to share five lessons that I learned this year. This year, more than any other, shattered what I believed was possible for my life and business. These last four years have been surreal, but this year was the cherry on top of the cake. I hope it’s inspired you a little and shown you what’s possible.

Lessons Learned in 2015

There are opportunities to book paid speaking worldwide. This is perhaps the biggest and most interesting lesson I learned. I started this year with ZERO speaking engagements booked. I continued to work hard and get articles published in major publications. Around March, I started getting a few offers to come and speak. Different events and companies found me through various articles I had written. I traveled over 100,000 miles and made over $80,000 in income from speaking at conferences and companies in 2015. I don’t share this to brag—you know me.

I share this to show you what’s possible when you get exposure and look for the bigger opportunities. I always want to show you the behind-the-scenes of building a lifestyle business. I’m not special. I write for as many major publications as I can, and make that content as actionable as I can. I also did a TEDx talk this year—that helped.

When you put yourself out there, you will be found. You can also pitch conferences and get booked. I did a training on this very topic. What I’m trying to say is that you can do this, too. This is duplicable. If you want to see pictures of all my travels, follow me on Instagram

Large publications can lead to income. Yes, large media publications are good for exposure. They help you build your email list and give you the social proof you need to pitch paid speaking gigs. They can also lead to income directly and indirectly.

One major way directly is through book sales. Most large publications give you a book widget or a link. I’ve had several articles that went viral and led to thousand’s of book sales and continue to sell. Here is one example:

Here is another example:

The main indirect way is through strategic linking to something you’re selling—like a course or class. NEVER link to an affiliate thing—that’s the quickest way to get banned. You can write an article on a topic related to your class or course and link to content. This helps people see why they should think about buying it.

There are paid writing opportunities. The one thing that has surprised me this year is all the places that pay for your words. I now make $1,400 a month from paid writing. I write for two publications that pay. One publication pays .75 cents per word. The other pays $200 per article:

There are MANY more paid opportunities that you can find with a little research. If you write for non-paid major publications, it will help you have the social proof to book the paid ones.

You can build an engaged following despite not being an influencer. Jared Easley and I wrote a book called, Stop Chasing Influencers. We are launching the book in a much different way than people usually launch. We launched a Kickstarter campaign last week so we can move physical copies of the book, which will help our efforts to hit the New York Times bestseller’s list (you have to sell a certain number of physical books).

We didn’t know what to expect. We reached 100% of our funding in 6 hours and 53 minutes, and the campaign continues to climb. It’s crazy! You can build influence and a network without being some big name. Make real connections and connect with your audience.

You have to live fully present. I’ve talked to you about all the business stuff because that’s why most of you are here. But, the business stuff is meaningless if you’re not living life. I created a lifestyle business to give myself the freedom to spend my time with my family. The travel has been crazy, but when I’m home—I’m home. I’m there, in the moment, and there for my wife and kids in every way they need me.

You can’t be so focused on building a dream that you push your loved ones away in the process. You have to focus on your why and that why is probably related to control, time, and freedom.

I don’t know how your year has gone—I hope it was unbelievable. Even if it wasn’t, the New Year is coming. You’ll have a chance to create new goals and work hard to make them your reality.

I share all of these lessons in hopes of showing you a few more opportunities that you can land. You can book paid speaking, paid writing, and leverage large publications. I hope many who read this will do the same in the New Year. My goal is to keep it real with you—so add some of these opportunities to your goal list.

If you want help building your online business, check out Freedom through Online Business. Three week live class for $97.

Audio version:

What are two major goals you’re setting for the New Year? 

How to Start an Online Business (Part 5)

There is an audio version below. NONE of the links in this series are affiliate links. I just want to give you value!

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Thank you for sticking with me during this series on how to start and grow an online business. Here is part one, part two, part three, and part four if you missed them. If you want to take what we learned and get help applying it to your situation, check out my Freedom Through Online Business course. Registration is open!

We started this series talking about picking a topic. Ask yourself who you want to help and what you want to help them do. It’s frustrating when you try to think about what you’re good at to help you pick a topic—I would avoid that kind of thinking. Think about experience and passion—those are good starting points.

After you have a topic, it’s time to create your foundation. Create a simple and clean website that’s packed full of good content. Have a presence on all the major social media platforms. Choose the ones where you will be active.

Start building your email list. Social media is not enough to reach your audience. When they sign up for your email list, they’re giving you permission to talk to them about what you have going on. After all of that foundational stuff is established, build traffic and your audience.

Use large publications to build your email list, get massive exposure and a few sales. After you’re building, it’s time to think about what you want to sell. You can create digital information products, offer services, and coach/consult.

7. Leverage and Scale

What I love most about large publications is the ability to leverage them for more. If you want to become a paid speaker or consultant, large publications can give you tremendous social proof that you can include in your pitches. If you get yourself out there enough, the events and companies find you. That’s how I have speaking gigs booked in three states and nine countries in 2016.

Once you build up some momentum, it’s much easier to get more. For example, if you get into one publication, you can use that name to get into another one. If you are a guest on one podcast, you can use that name/interview to book another one. Leverage the opportunities bit by bit.

Creating steady income with an online business is easier said than done, but it’s possible. The key is to have several ways to monetize. When you have several ways, you can plan your months around those ways to monetize. For example, if you have a course, you can sell it in January. You can sell coaching in February and then count on income from public speaking in March. You get the point.

I released a post a few months ago about my business plan. That plan helps me understand where my income will come from in 2016. You can do this, too, but it might not look the same. If you have fewer offerings, spread them out over a few months. After all of this is in place, it’s all about sales. I’ll be writing about sales soon.

I hope many that read my stuff will start or grow an online business in 2016. I hope you’ll take it step-by-step and not give up when the challenges arise. Don’t follow all the bright shiny objects, study what works for where you’re at. You have what it takes, and people need your message.

If you want more specific help, and a way to get your questions answered, check out Freedom Through Online Business. It’s a three-week $97 LIVE class.

Audio version:

Are you ready for success in the New Year? 

How to Start an Online Business (Part 4)

NONE of the links in this series are affiliate links. I just want to give you value!

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We are continuing in this series on how to start and grow an online business. If you missed it, here are part one, part two, and part three. I hope you’re getting excited about the possibilities. Creating side income or a full-time income is a real option with an online business.

We’ve talked about picking your topic: Decide who you want to help and what you want to help them with. Create a strong foundation that involves your social media presence and your website. Start building an email list because that’s where the sales will happen. Build your audience and use large publications to reach an untapped audience.

The last four years have been surreal, but it shouldn’t feel that way because I worked hard to get here. The hard work does pay off if you stay consistent and don’t give up. Today, let’s talk about the money aspect of this. Money isn’t the main reason to start an online business, but you do need it to live. And, businesses make money.

6. Create things to sell.

The cool thing about an online business is that what you sell is mostly digital information products. The idea of “passive income” can be a little misleading because things like, speaking and consulting, aren’t necessarily passive. You can create digital offerings to go with the speaking and consulting. They work nicely together.

There are many options that you can create to generate income. The simplest is a guide—a 10 to 20 page PDF that works your audience through something specific. You can price it at $5 to $10 bucks. Chris Guillebeau does a nice job creating guides.

You can write and publish a book(s), which is how I made all of my money when I first started out. You can create and run a class like the one I will offer at the beginning of January. A class doesn’t have to be complicated—remember, the content is what people want. You can use a free conference service like Free Conference Call and host the video/audio on a password-protected page on WordPress. There are also many great plugin options that keep the cost down.

You can also create a full-blown course. This usually involves videos, audio, some documents, and a closed group for support and encouragement. You can also make money through ads or affiliate links on your website. There is no shortage of ways to monetize.

Start slow. The best thing to create is what your audience is asking for; you should listen to what they’re telling you they want. Test your idea. Set up a page that talks about what you’re creating and offer pre-sells. If no one buys, then maybe you might not be on the right track. If a bunch of people buy, finishing creating that thing.

The cool thing about large publications is that you can leverage them for sales. Some examples. This one article on The Huffington Post led to over 2,000 book sales, this one on Mind Body Green led to 1,600 book sales. Large publications give you a book widget for you books.

You can get indirect sales by strategically linking to what you have going in. My client Nick did that when he launched his membership website, and a got a ton of new members from this article. BUT, you have to be super careful. Editors hate it when you come off as promotional.

The best way to sell your offerings is through your email list. When you add value through your free content, you will then have the opportunity to sell a few things. The value has to come first and use your free content to give a peak into what the paid offerings will be like.

We’ll pick this up in part five, which will be the last post in the series. The key with all of this is to study what will work for you and what you’re trying to do. Then, create a plan and take action. Don’t give up before you give yourself a real chance to build something.

You can build a business that supports a life you love. It will take time, and it will take overcoming failure along the way, but it’s possible. I can’t wait to see all the success stories that come out of 2016. I know there are many who will take massive action. Cheers!

How are you going to monetize your online business?

How to Start an Online Business (Part 3)

There is an audio version below. NONE of the links in this series are affiliate links. I just want to give you value!

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We are in a series about how to start and grow an online business. Here are part one and part two if you missed them. An online business can be an excellent way to make some extra money on the side or something that supports a lifestyle you want to live.

It can involve travel, location independence, and freedom to spend your time on the things that are important to you. You can create it on the side and over time. It can grow into a business that brings in real money and supports your family.

I think we all know it’s not easy. Despite the challenges, I’m living proof of what’s possible. I wouldn’t be writing these words to you from Panama if it weren’t. I wouldn’t be getting ready to speak at a company here—far from my home on Maui—if the opportunities didn’t exist. Let’s continue.

5. Use exposure.

When I say “exposure,” I mean getting featured on the largest websites in the world. You can have your writing, podcast, or videos featured on websites that get millions of visitors. This is an untapped audience versus trying to reach the same audience in the online space that everyone else is trying to reach.

First, identify the websites that make sense for you message. I edit at the Good Men Project, a website that gets 10 million visitors a month. However, if your message isn’t specifically to men, it might not make sense for you to get featured on the Good Men Project.

Once you have found the sites, research what type of content they publish. Study what’s popular and why. To get the best picture, find a contributor whose work is close to yours, and look at their first article on that site. That first article is their pitch article, and you’re pitching.

This is a two-part process. First, get in and then you get a contributor account—you can then write about what you want. Write an article based off of what that site wants. For the Good Men Project, for example, it HAS to be about or for men. We don’t accept general articles that you can see anywhere else. Each site is looking for articles specific to their core message.

Next, find an editor to pitch to. For a guest blog, you pitch the blogger. For multi-author sites, such as Mind Body Green or Addicted 2 Success, you send the article to one email address. A large publication, such as the Huffington Post or Entrepreneur Magazine, has a submission portal. But, everyone will hit up that portal, so you want to pitch the editor directly to avoid the crowd. The links I gave you above will take you to the page that has the editors. You can find their email by checking their profile on the site they edit, or by googling their name.

When you pitch an editor, be brief—they won’t read a novel. The subject line should be personal to that editor—do your research. The first paragraph should continue what you said in the subject line. Tell the editor one specific way you got value. Give some writing samples—preferably not from your website. Say thank you and post the article IN THE BODY of the email. NO attachments (please read that again). To hear this step-by-step, listen to my interview on Smart Passive Income:

Once you get into some of these publications, leverage them to get into others. It’s much easier to get into more after you land that first one. It also does something for your mindset. In the next post, we’ll talk about how to leverage large publications for income.

So far we’ve talked about picking a topic. Ask yourself who you want to help and what you want to help them do. Then, create your foundation. Social media and your website should make it clear what value you offer to your audience.

Next, we talked about building your email list. Social media is a great start, but your email list is where the sales and communication will happen. And then we got into the most important part: building your audience. You need people who will see what you’re doing and spend a couple of bucks on your premium offerings.

Use exposure to build in a bigger way. There are more than enough people trying to reach the same audience. You’ve seen it: the podcast coach who’s trying to reach the audience that follows a bigger podcaster like John Lee Dumas. The book (insert editor, launcher, expert) who posts in Facebook groups about their services. They’re working hard to reach a saturated audience. Large publications offer you access to millions of people who haven’t been approached 100 times by the same people. Use that to your advantage. See you in part four.

Audio version:

How are you building your audience?

How to Start an Online Business (Part 2)

There is an audio version below. NONE of the links in this series are affiliate links. I just want to give you value!

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We live in the Information Age. Today, 2.5 billion people log onto the Internet every day. We have access to knowledge and people in an unprecedented way. This idea of making money and creating a sustainable business from the Internet is no longer just a myth.

I’m writing this post from a hotel room in Panama City, Panama. I’m here to speak at a company. The company bought me First Class tickets from Maui to Panama and back. The booked me in an executive room at the Veneto Hotel and Casino. And, they are paying me $10,000 as a speaker fee. If you had told me I could get booked to speak through simply writing articles online, I would have said that’s crazy. This company found me through my Entrepreneur Magazine articles.

I’m living proof that the opportunity exists and that you can build a successful online business that gives you freedom. In the last post, we talked about your foundation. Build a strong social media presence. Have a simple and clean website. We also talked about how all of this starts with picking your topic/message. Figure out who you want to help and what you want to help them do. Let’s continue the series.

3. Build your email list.

Social media is not enough. There are many social media marketers that will try to tell you it is, but we’ve seen how the organic reach continues to decrease. Today, you have to pay if you want to significantly reach people on social media. Your email list is the best way to convert actual sales.

One way to build an email list is by offering a freebie to get people to sign up. Your freebie should be more than a simple eBook or manifesto. The type—as in whether it’s a PDF, some videos, or audio—is not as important as what your freebie helps people do. Even if it’s just one thing, people should be able to take away a tip from your freebie that they can take action on as soon as they’re done consuming it.

Think about your core message. Think about the average person’s biggest struggle related to that message. Create a freebie that helps them get started in solving part of what’s holding them back. For example, if you were in the relationships topic, one struggle in relationships is communication. Your freebie could be something that helps couples communicate better. It could be tips, exercises, or identifiers of bad communication. You then package that in a medium you feel comfortable with.

Use Fiverr to have a cover for the freebie—no matter how you decide to deliver it. People are visual and need to see what it is. You will need an email service like MailChimp or Aweber to build your list and send out communications. There are others, but these two are the most common. Send your email list things you don’t post anywhere else. Here are some tips to grow your email list.

4. Build an audience.

At this point, you should have your foundation established, your email list set up and clarity on who you’re trying to help. It’s now time to build your following. One major reason someone doesn’t make money from an online business is because they have no audience. They have all of the other things they need, but no one to see them. Building your audience should be most of your focusing when you’re starting out. You can build your audience in a number of ways.

You can form a Facebook group. Despite the reach of social media being limited, Facebook groups are still the one area you can organically reach people. Abbie Unger (an all-star coaching client of mine) is a good example of this. She had a passion to help people become flight attendants, so she started a Facebook for it. That group now has over 19,000 members. Abbie has done so well that Facebook itself featured her. The point is that a Facebook group could work well to help you build your audience.

Be a guest on a podcast. In 2012, when I was building my business, I was a guest on 80 podcasts. Being a guest on a podcast exposes you to people who don’t know you or your message. Some will appreciate it and come back to your foundation to see what you’re up to. You can use services such as Radio Guest List, HARO, or Blogtalk Radio to find shows. Get booked and shared your story and message.

Guest post on blogs. In 2012, when I was building, I guested posted on 60 blogs. I was even on Michael Hyatt’s blog. You can write for another blog, and they will give you links back to your foundation. There are some great lists to find blogs to guest post on. Here’s one example.

For the sake of length, I’m going to stop right here. We’ll pick this up in the next post with talking about using large publications to build your audience. I want to get in-depth because I know many of you see value in using exposure as a strategy.

What I hope you take away is that it’s possible for you to build a freedom-based online business. Use all the links and info. Build a dream that allows you to travel the world while still generating income (if that’s one of your goals). We’ll get into more in the next post.

Audio version:

How are you building your audience?

How to Start an Online Business (Part 1)

There is an audio version below. NONE of the links in this series are affiliate links. I just want to give you value

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For 12 years, I was a bread delivery driver. When I say that to people, they tell me they have a hard time picturing that. My business and audience have exploded in the last few years, and many didn’t see how things were when I started my journey to create freedom.

The first time I made money in my online business was in late 2011. Someone—who wasn’t my friend or family—bought my book at $4.97. I was over-the-moon excited that a stranger would spend money with me. That first sale was important in helping shift my mindset. It helped me see that you can make money doing something you love.

Today, four years later, I have a business that involves writing—paid and free—for some great publications. I speak at conferences and companies all over the world. I consult three companies, and I have coached over 100 dreamers. I’ve built a six-figure-a-year online business coming from a place of not knowing anything about this stuff.

Today I’m starting a series that’s going to walk you through the basics of starting and building an online business. In January, I’m launching a $97 (three-week) course that will help you take what you learn in this series and apply it.

1. Pick a topic.

Picking the idea behind your online business is easier said than done. Your topic comes from this idea: Who do you want to help and what do you want help them do? This group of people/the idea can come from personal experience or research, but having clarity helps you build a business people will understand. Here is a podcast interview that could help you pick your topic and audience.

Take some time to get clarity on your topic. Look around at who else is talking about your topic and see how they’re doing. Your goal is NOT to copy them; your goal is to make sure it’s a profitable topic. Remember, this is a business, so it should make money. Too many dreamers treat this as a hobby—that’s not the way to achieve success. Talk to other entrepreneurs who are talking to your audience. You’d be surprised how helpful people are—we’re in this together.

2. Create your foundation.

First and foremost, it’s your website. I prefer WordPress as the platform for a website. WordPress powers a lot of websites on the web and gives you the functionality you’re going to need for your business. I suggest a “self-hosted” WordPress website, which means you’ll need to buy hosting from places such as BlueHost or GoDaddy (I use GoDaddy). There are other website platforms—such as Square Space and Wix—but Google doesn’t like those platforms as much. We witnessed this recently when Google de-indexed Wix websites. Plus, those platforms just don’t have the functionality.

Your website should be simple and clean—try to have the least amount of pages as possible. You have seven to 30 seconds when someone visits your site, if it’s confusing or too busy, people will click off. Have a home page and an about page that’s personal. When you put yourself on a pedestal, people will click off. Eden Dranger demonstrates this in a funny way:

Your goal is to make a connection, and that doesn’t happen if your about page isn’t very personal (we’ll get more into this a little later). After your home and about page on your website are covered, you need a “services” page that tells people what you offer. If you have a book, have a book page and courses page if you offer courses

The next part of your foundation is my least favorite: social media. You should have a “presence” on all the major social networks. Presence means you have a profile, and you post on a semi-regular basis. The best advice I can give you is to find one or two where you will be active. For me, I’m active on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram is an interesting one because it’s still a pretty untapped platform. I have a coaching client who sells $2,500 worth of book sales a month through Instagram. He doesn’t spend time on any other platforms. Yes, you read that correctly.

Just don’t get too caught up in the hype of social media. The organic reach of social media is super tiny these days. You have to pay to reach people, and I think you can build your business without spending a bunch of money. You get the idea. I broke down your foundation in this video:

In this series, I want to break this all down. I want to show you how you can build a profitable, location independent online business that you love. I want to take away all the mystery and show you what works today. There’s a lot of contradictory advice—you have a decision to make.

I know there are many reading this post that are frustrated. You have been trying to build this dream for a while, but things haven’t fallen into place. Go back to the basics. Make sure your topic is good and profitable, and that your foundation is solid. Focus on where you are at in this journey. I’ll see you in part two.

Audio version:

What part of your online business do you need to work on?

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How an Online Business Can Give You a Life of Freedom

Today is our 17th wedding anniversary. I wouldn’t be here without her. Thanks, baby  

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I used to hate the word “lifestyle” business. Every time I heard it I thought of those spammy ads you see on Facebook talking about the “laptop” lifestyle. UGH. I have come to see in the last few months that a lifestyle business isn’t a negative thing—or at least it doesn’t have to be.

In 2011, I self-published my first book. I hadn’t joined social media before then, and I never touched computers. I heard a podcast called Smart Passive Income and was intrigued by this idea of making money from an “Internet business.” To be honest, I didn’t think it was possible for a blue-collar guy like myself.

The first year of doing this was kind of a joke. I had no clue what I was doing and spent that year chasing my tail. I listened to 20 podcasts regularly and read all kinds of blogs that talked about this topic. A lot of the information was contradictory and confused me into inaction.

In the financial world, they have a term for this. When someone is pushing an investment they think is right, they say that person is “pushing their book.” It could be stocks, bonds, oil, or whatever; that person has a vested interest in you believing what they’re pushing. This happens a lot in the online world.

Someone believes and makes money in SEO, so that’s what they push. Another person makes their money from affiliate marketing, so they push why you should be doing it and why you should buy their program. Marketers and online people are pushing their book because that’s how they make money.

An online business is simple. You create a website that tells the world who you help and how you help them. You get exposure in the places your audience respects and frequents online—like large publications (I’m pushing my book). A few of those people sign up for your email list to hear more.

You create courses, products, and services that offer different ways to solve several of your audience’s problems. A few buy and you scale. Yes, that’s what an online business is at its base. Somewhere along the way we, or the people we follow, complicate the process. We get off track thinking we need to have things a certain way, or we copy someone who’s successful. Some even chase influencers thinking that’s their key to success, Jared and I have written a book that talks about this.

An online business is something you create around a burning desire to help a certain group of people get a specific result. It comes from your why and is built using the access and knowledge the Internet and social media have created for us today.

You have the ability to create something that’s digital. You get paid for the knowledge you have or the research you do. A lot of people struggle with what kind of online business they can create. There’s no easy answer. You have to take some time to think about your passion. Yes, passion is important in deciding even though it’s not enough on its own.

FREE guide to helping you find your passion: The Little Guide To Figuring Out Your Dream.

You may have multiple passions; it’s your job to work through them and narrow them down to what you want to do. If you follow “my book,” writing for large media publications is an important part of this equation. When you write for publications that get millions of visitors, being a little more general works in your favor.

Think bigger topics and bigger problems. Idea niching rarely works, but industry niching can be powerful. This month we’ll get into specifics. An online business is an excellent way to create a life of freedom while making enough money to support the kind of life you want to live.

Audio Version:

What’s your “why” behind the online business you’re creating?