Catch Me Up Scotty

it's that time of the week when I am supposed to report on my progress again.

Although I'm inclined to report on other peoples progress instead as I have been speaking to so many of them lately!

But I will leave the discussions between us and contemplate on the looming redundancy. Well it's not really looming anymore as it is here next Friday.

As of the first of July I will have my last working day. I have some regular "consultancy" work coming in to secure the mortgage payment but that's it for my employed life.

I look forward to create the success I want, but frump me I'm terrified!

( but don't tell the wife!)

The calls took alot of mytime last week and even some more process that needed fixing.

So apart from doing that, I have NO other DUNN at all!

none.

nothing.

I WORKED on another xsitepro site, which I aim to have uploaded tomorrow - assuming the url has come through by then. I have some content in place - just need to create a decent opening statement for the frontpage and get it up there. But it AINT DUNN

I've been discussing with Pauline how to organise my time when I leave and I may even have access to a free office I can use on some days, just to get out of the house and feel like I am going to "WORK" - but the plan AINT DUNN.

And I completely and UTTERLY forgot about the experimental page! So THAT AIN't DUNN either!

SO I have some catching UP to do next week.

The next batch of membes are already coming on board again even though the price has gone up quite a lot. At this rate we'll be fully subscribed sooner than we can cope with!

I have a feeling I'll be VERY busy finishing off things at work as well.

So I will focus on WORK - helping members and getting the xsite pro sites live. ( and the publishing business? help!)

sounds easy doesn't it?
:)

haircut 100, no thanks, just a trim around the head!

On a mission yesterday to cut my hair to a more manageable "look". A trim around the ears is enough surely?

Oh, i'll do it myself.

say hello to mr brillo pad.

Anyway. This week has been utterly inspirational. I've been speaking to so many people that WANT to be successful and that WANT to be held accountable it's amazing.

We were told when we started to talk to people and potential partners about what we wanted to do, that we needed to make sure that we gave people what we want and not what they need.

The great news is that what we are providing seems to be in every way exactly what they want.

Which is incredibly inspirational for one single reason:

When I was working in a pc hell-center 8 years ago I told myself that my ultimate dream would be to work with people that would WANT to talk to me and would be positive about what we talked about and were actively seeking out my assistance because they felt that my assistance would add value to them. And that would listen and apreciate what I had to say.

I know it's early days. I know it is only the first call and I know we still have to prove to them that we are capable of delivering this value consistently and over time, but we're planning to reuse alot of the lessons we're learning.

We've got some great people on board willing and able to work hard to achieve their success. If a number of these people also start to work together to create wealth for each other and with each other, then it can become an amazing community.

And they give every impression that what we offer them in our calls are of genuine value to them and they appreciate what we are doing...

And I'm only 34.

Last week I said I was going to do all my jv tasks
and i did.

Last week.. etc: help pauline redo the website designs
the designs have been updated.

prepare for post-employment life
Well this one is so vague it's worthless really. But what I did was to take some days off, and I have also organised it so that I can do some merchandising a day a week- just to get out of the house on a regular basis. I've also started to look at ways to organise my working time in an way that is productive for NSS, the publishing business and the rest.

Also found out this week that it is increadibly easy for pauline and i to set up an ondemand printing business, but that is actually labour that doesn't really leverage our time. But I've already had someone tell me she'll have all her ebooks printed with me if I DO go for it.

I did in fact learn the basics of xsitepro.
and the tutorial site is up there to prove it.

Now all I have to do is crank out the content sites with it.
Should be easy...

Replicate the "experiment" is the only one i didn't do. It's not a time consuming task at all, but I am making things far to complicated for myself.

So i WILL have put up a page to experiment with before Sunday night or I will...

shave all my hair off? nah too late. Did that last night...

next week there are some more calls to do, and som excellent content to be added to the jv site.

I have to work out with pauline a structure for how to work when I leave employment.

I WILL be putting an experimental page up.

and I WILL create a content site with xsitepro.

For now, I'll sign off and have a short evening relaxing before it is my day off to spend with the family.

See ya,
Jon

Progress Is Chils Play if you're a child!

Sitting in my sons sandpit, philosophising over this week, I found myself interrupted when he wanted to join in.

Whatyadoooin? he asks as per usual, chumping away on his fishcake.

"playing and trying to figure out what life is"

He looks at me as if you say, "well everybody knows THAT!" but realising I am not joking he puts his hand on my shoulder and says:

"Life is cake" and trotts off to find his watering can.

"Life is cake? just cake?"

Looking under a bush, ( for the aforementioned wateringcan) he goes with passion and a little bit of indignation at my ignorance

"NOOO daddy. Life is PASTA & Cake. "

So I guess, taking it from Thomas,
life, it seems, is pasta and cake.

I'll leave that one with you to ponder over.

Meanwhile,
I have confirmed that I will be taking permanent leave from my employment on the 5th of July.

Next - with the niche service station we have a tremendous pre-launch going and a few glitches but nothing major. I am learning alot from it at the moment and it is great to see so many people WANTING what they actually need.

I have also been spending some time with conjunctivitis again, so I think I will join the band of one eyed computer Pirates. Hi Gary. ;) ( get well soon!)

I have also bought myself a copy of xsitepro to play with which should be fun! Although I'm sure it won't make me quite the stepford wife. I am simply FORCED to install it on my brand spanking new IBM laptop that I bought as a sweetener for leaving, simply because my HP lemon of a desktop machine won't let me have that installed at the same time as having any other software running.

And now i simply HAVE to try the machine while sitting in front of the TV down stairs... :)

Things to do for next week:
- replicate the "experiment"
- learn to use xsitepro
- nicheservicestation tasks !
- prepare for my life after employment
- help pauline out with the site designs.

Cheers,
Jon ( with shades on, wondering what pasta and cake means )

PS Welcome back Rob

- every day in every way i'm getting better and better -

Niche Service Station Progressing

This week I have mainly focused on the JV. There was a really long list of things to do, but we've done loads of them already so I feel great about that.

The rest of the time I have spent feel, well spent. seriously knackered i guess is another way to describe it. I've almost fallen over for no reason - and I've been doing it a number of times a day. Suddenly the ground gives way and I have to catch myself before falling flat on my face.
Oh and in addition I have this strange flu that keeps on varying in strength.
So with great trepidation I called my GP from work and asked to see him.
"Hayfever made worse by sleep depravation caused most likely by sleep apnea brought on by weight gain" ( yeah, i've shot up from 116.5 to 120.5 kg in the last few weeks. ( half a stone ) )
So the fatigue & dizziness is because I'm not getting quality sleep when I sleep. The flu i had wasn't flu after all.
So things are quite good after all! Shame... :o)
What's happening on other things? Not much change to be honest. Haven't worked on any of them this week at all so I expect them all to be ticking over nicely. Although adsense dropped off around the middle of May and hasn't picked up yet.
I also have to tend to the traffic generation activities of some of my other sites. One site I bought hosting for a month or so ago I haven't even sorted & uploaded yet!
I'm looking forward to getting the launch out of the way because then I can start to play with my new thinkpad ( sorry but factually, every OTHER laptop is just a poor copy if the thinkpad, the FIRST true laptop ) T41 that I got on the door today.
And get xsitepro. ( which we're giving away FREE with our membership site - we are infact BUYING it for our members)

Oh, do you remember that we published a book in March? Well it's currently set to be profitable before we expected, which is nice! So I'm gonna leave my employment and become a house husband. My new life starts on the 4th of July.

Next week, who knows what might happen. We'll be bringing on board our first testers and open it up to the early birds and then tweak and learn as we go.

I'm excited and apprehensive. I know what we offer will make a difference to our members, but can we get enough members to get critical mass, that's the question... For the price, I can't see why not, but who knows. And there are two of us from July being available to support our members full time so there is nothing lacking there.

Right, falling into the "superior product trap" again. Easy when we're making a superior product: PERSONAL care, attention & follow up. Making a rod for ourselves? Only if we don't enjoy it.
But is there a market for this and do we know where the market hangs out? Yup.
Are we Unique? I think so.
But not to worry, come the 4th of July I will have other things to focus on in this blog!