Thanks

Hi again.

First of all a thank you for all the feedback I got after last weeks post. It's good to find out that you actually read and enjoy my ramblings, but you DO know I do this for selfish reasons don't you?

Even so. I will post some news about accountability calls later this evening.

My selfish reasons? Well I need help with my focus and making sure I don't take on too many things. Or more than I can comfortably handle. And I am not getting that help from these posts in their current format.

I've tried to limit the time I spend on my blog every evening as well. Ok. I confess. I forgot to post this week. And last.

If there is a lesson I can take from the last two weeks is that writing about what you are supposed to do for the following week helps you stay focused.

And at the moment my focus is on two things. It should be on 3, but it is on two. because I've been slacking. No need for excuses as I guess there is only one person responsible for my progress. Am I going to beat myself up about it?

take a wild guess!

now on to the progress update

How I'm Doing This week:

I did say last week that google ads were doing quite well. Sorry Pearson, but I'm afraid to say I'm doing well out of this one at the moment. It turns out August was the best month I have had so far. By about 26 per cent. Don't be fooled into thinking that it is making me rich though. It's not.

I am currently only running the two campaigns that regularly make me a profit, but the profit is enough to pay for other investments like seminars, webhosting, software and so on. just.

One thing I'd like to mention about adwords though - ebooks don't work. For me at least.

I personally think it is because people like to buy from somewhere they feel they know, like a brand or on a recommendation from someone they trust. I don't pre-sell via my own website, but direct all the google adwords traffic to the merchants website, so I am finding that I have better luck when I promote the industry or niche leader.

Like when I made over £300 in the three months before christmas last year promoting to the keyword [freeview] in the UK. it cost me 5p per click to stay in the top 8 adverts. I held the top spot most of the time in fact. But now the searches have drop to a third of what they were and the adverts from my competitors remain. And about 9 others. Although the search to results ratio is very good at 29.

Feel free to give it a go, but be warned the profits I earned from this amazon promotion was under £30. At 5p per click...

But that's better than some of the others though. Allposters.com is all I have to say to that one. And about 23 others merchants as well.

And freeview isn't as hot this year as it was last year. Or I asume so anyway, until the TV adverts tell me otherwise.

And for my SECOND trick this week -
My intrepid business (ad)ventrue shuffles along. The To-Do list is beginning to look a little less cluttered as the DONE list gets longer. And by Monday "visit the premises" and "meet the current owners" will have moved over to the DONE list. I've found a number of helpful websites both for business plans and about the e-myth, but will I ever tell you what this busines is about?
The THIRD trick?
Now, I said initially I was focusing on only two things this week. And I meant to say that the third one was ignored. And that would have been my money site. Although I haven't sent out a newsletter for the site in - hmm - quite a while - I actually didn't ignore it this week. I am just not giving it my all. I have added articles and reviews to the new server but not at the rate I need it to happen. And I have had some ideas about how to re-brand it as well, but that will have to wait until I have migrated this stuff over!

New things I will do:
Add "next weeks targets" to the template

I have also dug out my trusted two wheeler which I intend to use at least 3 mornings a week. I have the pleasure of being woken up by a wet nappie on my face every morning at 06:01am so I might just as well spend the time before work doing something about my fitness.

Things I am Dropping:
Hollyoaks.
It wasn't really my thing initially, but it has become a bit of a family wind down time. I'm not going to be able to abandon the living quarters and escape to the office during Hollyoaks, but I will be able to spend that time doing some housework.

But I will never give up Neighbours! (when I become a full time home worker, I will watch the lunchtime airing, but while I am in the office, I am unavailable after 5:35pm )

This weeks lessons:
Writing every day about what I am going to do the next day or what I have learnt from today is a great help.

Although I must admit that I am inclined to think that looking BACK at what I did shouldn't take longer than thinking about what I should do tomorrow.

Getting into the money saving market was a decidedly BAD idea. The model I chose didn't make me stand out, but I think an audio format, as well as a "progress" ( funny that really, don't you think? ) style blog / weekly article series along the lines of: THIS week I will try the stupid money saving tip over THERE.

Why will I try this when I have completed my money website migration? Because the best feedback has been about the stories about ME and what I went through. And I love to talk about money as much as I dislike writing about it.

Next Weeks Targets:
=> On my bike 3 mornings before next Friday. (while it is moving at speed)
=> Get one more review categories relocated to the new server by Friday
=> No goal for google. Other than to keep the spreadsheet current.

This weeks audience question:

Paul C - Do you have those mindmaps with Mike Litman anywhere convenient? I'm on mindmanager x5 if that helps.

Anyone know how to value a business with a max turnover in the last 5 years of £52k ( ca 10k average per annum ) & stock/equipment valued at £5k (representing a max potential revenue of ca £56K ? ) I have a fair idea, but if anyone would like to offer their insight, drop me a line to glenesha42 AT btconnect.com

Cheers,
Jon
(still progressing)