Tonsilitis Progress

Reading through last weeks post, I'm not sure I committed to anything at all?

Whops! But makes for an excellent week for me!

Unless you count the Tonsilitis I have had since Saturday. 5 days off work driving my wife up the wall with my constant motivational talks. ( you try sitting in your office or bed room or living room for a whole week because you may still be contagious. )

Or the chest infection my son has picked up from somewhere.
Penicillin administered to me, some yellow antibiotics for him and we're both on the mend, I have suffered through the pain, hoping that the severe discomfort when eating would have helped somewhat in the weight department:

the needle rests at 116kg
hmm. I suppose all that soothing icecream might be to blame. And the sweet and sour chicken balls I had yesterday. Right, I'd better go and look for that diet of mine again.

You know that gym membership I got for valentines day? I still don't have running shoes! They have a nice pool that I have used, but no shoes, no access to the equipment in the gym. ( my socks were almost clean... )

I digress.
This week I have mostly been writing content for our brilliant new service. I suggest you have a peak at the website and send andy an email if he's ever been helpful and if you'd want to know what we're up to:
http://www.nicheservicestation.com/ ( yes I know it needs work, but we're busy doing other things to get ready! )

The publishing business has been ticking over nicely without much interference from us this week. Our interference does have a positive impact, but atleast the "biz" will actually make us an income without us doing any more promotion at this stage.
Although having it "ticking over" isn't the ambition.

We've also discovered this week a channel that we have not touched, but who is responsible for 14 percent of the book sales in the UK. So in the last two weeks we've been able to approach two new channels and about 4 companies that already offer competing titles in their product range. and they could potentially add over a 5th to our current sales.

The "unreasonable" company should expect a letter next week.

Although my sales training tells me my wife should really make an effort to meet the decision maker to find out what else they are up to.

But then I DO have a tendency to make things overly complicated.

Adsense & adwords? Don't make me cry. Once the content work is out of the way, I need to spend some time getting my niche sites some traffic. Because the google income has all but vanished for me and it needs replacing somehow.

Due to the massivly lacklustre response to the idea of me re-purposing some of my blog entries into a book and selling it, I have decided to shelve that idea for now :o)

COMMITMENTS:
1. Buy running shoes after sorting out bank signatures with Andy and the nice but dim people of HSBC.
2. Complete other tasks for the JV company.
3. Complete 7 tasks on my task list.
4. Spend at least 2 hours this week reading "The success principles" and "the mind gym".
5. ( this is getting too long! ) try a Rapid Results approach on Saturday night.
6. Set tasks for the Rapid Results Evening.

Cheers,
Jon
Still Progressing.

Home Business Banking Progress

If I were to summarise this week right this minute
"hectic"
Would have to do. sorting my home business. Done my Business Banking as well to make sure business from home runs well

There is a risk that I am confusing "doing a lot" with "achieving a lot" so let me reserve judgement for a moment.

I'll drag out the bathroom scales first. I'm hoping they will show a number under 117.5kg
They did: 116kg.

Only another 41kg to spend according to the health websites. roughly. ( now there is a tangible target if I ever saw one )

It's not weight watchers so moving swiftly along.

Achievements this week:
===================
1. Sorted out a bank account number. What a mess! But now our joint venture has a joint bank account. Although I'm not sure banks wants customers...
2. One of my sales colleagues in the field has work accountability wise taken me by the scruff of the neck and pinned me down. He demands that I ring him every morning & every evening to first declare my tasks for the day and secondly to report back on the progress. It works WONDERS! I took on a sales role simply because it challenged my comfort zone to do so, and this week I personally feel it has been the best week I have had.
++++A LESSON++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Would I have taken the leap if I hadn't started this blog?
Highly unlikely.
I have no respect what so ever for sales and marketing trickery, "power words" and all that "evil" stuff. ( I'm sure those words will come back to haunt me! )
But I can not deny that it works. I don't like it, but it may not be a reason good enough to NOT use it. I would prefer not to, but the world it seems likes to believe in magic potions.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3. Cracking away with the business. Did I mention this last week, but we hit a mile stone in traidng last month and we have already beaten it by 60%. ? One of our smaller distributors who ordered our new title 5 weeks ago has already needed to re-order. And they ordered more than their usual quarterly supply the first time.
4. Google adwords: Bismal. Had to cancel my cash cow as the landing page I need to direct to can't be directed to with the cj links I am getting - and so my conversion rate has been reduced to NIL.
So no income at all from that this month. Which is a worry. The nice little earner is still ticking over at around 75p profit a day still though.
5. Made THREE sales on my moneytipsreview website this week!!

++++++A LESSON++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I launched the website 10-11 months ago. And NOW it is beginning to earn a little income.
Lesson? Things take time some times, but if it is quality, I am happy to wait!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6. I did blog ONCE, but I just haven't taken the time to blog daily. I have written loads though for the service we're launching soon.
But if I am going to take a leaf out of my work experience then I can only say, Daily accountability is GOOD!
7. Hickups this week have been rare. Or maybe I just can't remember them. no. I can't remember any. How bizzarre.
The Bank kinda forgot we had an appointment with them. No kinda about it, she spoke to me on Monday, and had forgotten me by Thursday. Which was nice. But at least Andy got a free cup of coffe in their finest china. Seriously. A GOLD rimmed cup that I imagine old ladies drinking tea out of in the tea rooms. WITH a saucer. No sugar though. But we still have to come and sign the paperwork after Paul takes his plastered leg into his local bank to get "verified". Paul that is, not his leg.

I have to smile when I imagine the great big STAMP on his forehead though! :o)

So has this week been a new beginning? Well IT's a start. There has been some good progress, and I could do with some ideas for organising my time. Although Andy & Pauline ( my wife ) is now in cahoots to stop me from playing stupid computer games.
My task list has 15 completed tasks this week and 17 not yet complete. Tip of the iceberg, really, but scary to think that I have actually done all these things.

So in all this "doing" have I achieved anything?
Apart from the 7 points further up there, I am ready to sort out the merchant account now. I have just set up the email address I needed for that you see, so that is proppa progress.
We - as in the publishing business - managed to stumble on a completely NEW market here in the UK we hadn't considered before, and it is actually a niche sized provider of our niche titles already, so out of the 3 companies in that niche, we've contacted all of them and all of them wants to see our books for evaluation.
We've also managed to open a dialogue with a well known retail chain that had up until now demanded silly terms. So we'll see how that goes now that they are more reasonable.

So, yes - I think it's been a good week.

Question - I'm considering putting all these posts into a book format, any thoughts anyone? would YOU buy it? Or recommend it to anyone else?

New personal record. 2 and a half hours typing this up!
I'd better sav

There should be A Lemon Law Against This!

You know something is about to happen when the forum headers change!
If you're not signed up with Gary's newsletters and blogs, I suggest you find your way over there http://www.oursuccesspartnership.com .
It's my way of tempting him to post here as I know he reads this forum and he has no idea I've posted the link here! :o)
Anyway. Shall I get on with it then? Two secs.
let me dig out my to-d... hmm. Task list and the bathroom scales first.

============= Accomplishments:
The scales this week insists on 117.5 kg. erk!
my task list is now up to 18 tasks. The software insists on calling it a to-do list, which might explain the odd linguistic slip up.
I completed 8 of the 13 tasks I had on that list last week.

Plus a few more that wasn't listed... I created a new website you see, and uploaded it, full with content and all. Got it via one of these pre-made niche package deals and I am not entirely impressed but we'll see what kind of traffic the typical marketing tricks can generate. Have har 3 search engines by already, so we'll see.
Never mind that I have 4 more lined up. And to think my goal for this year was to create 2. Now I have figured I need to create around 400 to meet my earnings targets from NPB sites. Although I suspect the JV will help towards the goal a little too ;o)
My first website, the money tips one is starting to see steady streams of traffic now as well. I wouldn't call it substatial yet, but enough to have made a few more sales this week.

I have proof read the wedding book and if I wanted to bother with setting up autoresponders I would have had it up already, but I have set up an ASK campaign for it and will create the landing page to hold the survey on Sunday.
This is what I would call arse about face. Classical mistake of getting a product done before knowing what the market wanted, or even checking out what the competition was like. But now I know, then I can set up an ask campaign & give away this "viral" book for free and still get some value from it.

====================== Lessons:
Healthy living regime. right. How about getting out of the office more often and actually do some exercise. I have a gym membership after all. And I do use it about once a week to go swimming.

I'm no guru material. I DO alot of things, but I am never ever satisfied with the progress I am making. Hey, I AM exceeeedingly happy that I am making ANY progress, and I am making money from this online lark, but I know full well I could make MORE progress. Having others doing what I do helps me focus though.
But this week has not been one of the sterling weeks. There is every opportunity that next week is though.

And, nope, I still can not get this typed up in less than an hour...

====================== goal for next week:
Pick up my daily blogging again.

As an overall goal for next week, I want to sit down next Friday feeling that I have accomplished alot. I want to feel how productive the week has been and I want the week to feel like it was a fresh start. One that some how brought about change and finally sets me up for the future that I know is right around the corner.


You know. That just looks sickeningly positive! Trust me, my day to day life is nothing like that rosy, and until 13-14 months ago I would have told myself -
geez jon, you're off the deep end! get drunk and come to your sense man!
but to Hell, Norway ( look it up, it's a place! http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-357551-rica_hell_hotel-i ) with it. I might be off the trolly, out with the faries, brainwashed, dreaming, out of my mind,
BUT.
In ONE year, I have gone from no hoper to owner of over 10 websites, I have gone from a complete salary slave to someone insane enough to buy a publishing business.
I have learnt LOADS about what it takes to make a difference to my life.
I have learnt loads about what it takes to help out others make a difference.
I've met some of the nicest, greatest people around, and I have met some seriously strange characters along the way too.
And if that is what I get from being insane,

Why ON EARTH would I want to be normal?

Ipod, you pod, we all apple pod

Sorry , but I thinkg I am going nuts! This ipodding is confusing me.

However, disregarding today's apple Ipod competition on the radio and continuing as I should, here is this weeks progress report:

============= Accomplishments:
It's been mainly work related achievements this week. I must have some issues with sleep / fitness at the moment as I am forever tired and never seem to get going in the evenings.

Weight is certainly contributing to the issue:
115.5kg (bmi around 38 - 25 is the highest value for "normal" weight)
I am also beginning to see benefits from the way I work in my job, so I have decided to transerf some of those things to my online stuff.
I did my first training session today for about 12 of my colleagues. What I did? Did a 2 minute overview of the topic I would like to train them on, and asked them to suggest problems they had on the subject, then got the other colleagues to suggest ways they had resolved those same problems.
I Guy Levined them!! And they all LOVED ever minute of it!
I suppose that's a lesson but I thought it was a bit of an accomplishment :)

And how many of you have considered that the techniques you taught to apply ONLINE, actually work in the real world too? I didn't!

I created a book cover for yet another book created by one of our writers, so that was good. It's getting proofed and should be available before the end of the month in a digital format.

====================== Lessons:
=============1=============
At work, I have a system in place to manage my task list, and it works wonders, but relies on ONE single thing:

= I have to update the task and re-schedule it as and when I work on it or it immediately creates more chaos than order. I HAVE to entere EVERY SINGLE task I have to do, or I have no way of remembering to do it.

It also helps me prioritise my tasks as I can only fit 22 in per work day. I drag and drop my tasks as I need to reschedule them. It communicates all changes immediately to all dependent parties. It focuses my mind to only work on important tasks, because I can only fit 110 tasks in on any single work week. Sounds like a lot of space but you'll be surprised how difficult it is to fit in everything important into those 110 slots. i think I will begin to call each cell a percent.

... and for those of you who DIDN'T see where I was going with that...

That way I always schedule my week so I can work 110 percent...

And on my internet business list there is only 13 tasks to do for next week.

A piece of cake!

( You can judge if that means I only put in 13 percent of effort ;) )
==================2====================
I have so many ideas going on in my head at the moment, I can only think it is because I have so much to do on the JV. Distractions I guess, are a way to test my resolve. But as far as I am concerned, this is a no brainer.

====================== goal for next week:
I'll make further efforts to manage my "home business" task list.
See if I can spend less than an hour and a half typing and publishing this thing!
I still need to get my cover and everything else done for the wedding book, although the idea seems better suited as an e course / content website that drives affiliate sales of all the other wedding related products out there. I do however have alteast one market interested in selling it for me.
And I'll aim to work through my task list.
It's bad form to call it a to do list apprently, isn't it Martin? ;o)

Diets, Toilet Paper & Progress

============= Accomplishments:
I said I was going to step up a gear. Fancy judging this for yourselves?
This is what I said I was going to do:
- finish my product and set out my marketing plan ( although I should have had the plan in place first! )
- complete my business tasks
- manage my tasks better
- apply my JOB skills to my task management.
complete all my current JV tasks next Sunday ( 3rd of April)
This is what I did:
+Finished most of a niche product website & have submitted it to the search engines.
+ Started and finished writing a second product ( still needs a cover and proof reading ) ( romance )
+ Started & is nearly finished with a 3rd product ( still needs a cover and proof reading plus the creation of the bonus product) ( wedding costs )
+ Did 3 tasks on my business to do list. ( had 6 )
+ Have started to use my least favourite software to manage my to-do list in a way that creates urgency better than before.
+ Worked on my JV tasks less than I would have liked.
+ Found out more about the reality "TV" offer.
+ got two new distributors on board for our company
+ had Easter holiday
+ found another niche I'd love to develop something in as the searches are insanely high and the competition relatively interesting.
+suffered a day full of the "runs... "
====================== Lessons:
The thought of being responsible for teaching, coaching and motivating people to progress simply terrifies me, but it is a great inspiration to me too. Also when two people take up the baton and creates similar blogs, my competitive streak kicks in and I want to improve myself as much as they do.
I succumbed to watching the stupidest program on TV this week - The apprentice UK. I have never seen so many pairs of short planks on one tv show in my life. But this week, it showed me how quickly I have been brainwashed into a sales person. The two teams had to raise as much money as possible for a charity by organising a charity auction, auctioning off celebrity items to raise money. The teams had to get 5 celebrities to part with some impressive gifts to auction off.
Both teams had a theatre related celebrity on their list.
One team secured 4 tickets to a premier show with VIP and backstage passes for the after party.
The other team secured 50. But only after trying to get 100!
Guess which team won?
..........
.........
the last team of course - because every time they got an agreement for something, they always asked for more, or they followed up really well on the information they were provided. As an example, they wanted Darmoid McGavin (?)( "dermot, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowens irish gardener buddy ) to donate his motor bike.
He blankly refused. They left it and continued to chat to him about what was important to him and what other things he could consider donating. They eventually suggested that he donate his favourite jacket - the one he wears so often on TV apparently ( his "signature" jacket )
Again he blankly refused, but as a flippant comment he said as part of a sentence - " you would have more luck trying to convince me to give you my bike", so what did they do?
ASKED for the bike! and they got it! It was their persistence that made them succeed. The other team said they didn't want to be rude or pushy, but if the celebrity thought their cause was a worthy one, they would not have minded them asking for more.


I'm sorry for the crudeness of the following comment, but did you realise how coarse cheap toilet paper is?!? Sand paper came to mind on my 9th trip to the loo this morning!
Apologies for the visual, but from a marketing point of view, I am now sold on the idea of "CHA CHA CHARMIN'" toilet paper being nice and soft.
====================== goal for next week:
=>administrative responsibilities for JV : post forms to paul & arrange a time to see the bank.

=> business - 8 urgent things on my todo list! need I say more?
=> my money website - proof the wedding spending book & get a cover created for it
=> my other niche website => content & promotions
=> respond to JV feedback on my work so far.