Donna Merrill

As a matter of curiosity, Les, what does a typical day look like for you?

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the encouragement. I certainly hope I can find the right track and the right work balance sooner rather than later.

Wow Julia,

It seems you are super organised and have become super disciplined. Without developing those skills I don’t see how anyone could make it work.

Your approach may well, in the future, compare with all the foundational groundwork and massive amount of posting done by Sean Mize to ezinearticles that, ultimately, kicked started his path to…[Read more]

As always Bruce wise advice,

That is one of the problems with groups like this, (or at least it is for me) I get carried away asking questions when Google and YouTube are always on hand and with a little research will usually deliver what I’m after.

Anytime I want to know something Les, I Google it.

I read perhaps a dozen results. Maybe more. It depends on how disparate the opinions are.

When you start seeing everyone say what everyone else has said, then you know that you’ve probably read everything.

The next step would be to watch some YouTube clips about what FB pages ought to look…[Read more]

There’s a lot of nasty bugs going around, Robert.

I’m into my fourth week with a virus. At least I’m sleeping all night now, but for three weeks, I didn’t get much done.

And now, I have to get caught up.

It’s as you say, you get all psyched-up, and then you’re sent back to the locker room.

Hang in there.

Hi Sean,

Getting involved in other FB groups where possible future customers/clients need help would seem like a logical starting point.

But what should my own FB page look like nowadays?

It was several years since I built a fanpage and over a period of about a month I added content in the form of Comments, Memes, video clips etc etc.

I added…[Read more]

Hi Bruce,

I get what you say. And to be honest I don’t think it would be wise to try and become expert or be “over” lots of Social media channels.

I have read that 4 is plenty. Now those 4 could be big boys like FB and Youtube…or smaller Like tumblr or Pinterest. Medium is obviously smaller, but could still be useful as it has proven to be for…[Read more]

Hi Sean,

I have a least one dormant FB fan page I made a few years back, that I could resurrect. But do Fan pages work anymore?

Or do I have to open another type of page?

As you can see I am totally out of the loop about how FB now works business-wise. That’s probably down to the fact that I’ve never really got my head around FB being the…[Read more]

Hi Steve,

Audience is always tricky, no matter what your niche.

I firmly believe that your audience – your clients – determine your niche; not the other way around.

Terry Dean told me a long time ago – I interviewed him – that hardly anyone ends up in the same business that they first started, and I think that this is why.

Initially, you sell…[Read more]

Hi Les,

In all fairness to Sean, he doesn’t have the time to stay up on everything. Nor do I, come to that.

The thing is that in my day job, I’ve had to create a marketing plan for a bricks-and-mortar company that’s quite set in it’s ways and has never had a marketing budget.

So most days, I’m thinking about what content to create and…[Read more]

How could you turn your interest in WWII into a business, Les?

The answer won’t be obvious, but there’s a lot of interest in it, so I would’ve thought that a side hustle could be created from it.

To get some ideas about how people have turned their hobbies into business, listen to their stories here: Side Hustle School.

Hi Robert,

There’s power in examples.

Our best ideas are often stimulated by our awareness of what others do.

And so I recommend that you listen to the descriptions that Chris Guillebeau gives of the 200+ side hustles that people with full-time jobs created.

Here’s the link: Side Hustle School

Bruce

Should have known it was you Bruce,

I think Quora is a viable platform for building a list. I, personally, have daily emails about different aspects of Word War 2 (a big side interest of mine) And I always make time to read them. It can become quite addictive in fact. So if it interests me, I’m sure that many others feel the same.

The many and…[Read more]

Thanks Bruce,

I guess you just confirmed my fears.

On the whole I tend to agree with you, but even more so with Facebook.

However, I have never heard of Medium, so it intrigues me a little. Maybe it could become a piece of the puzzle I’m missing. But I am surprised that Sean has not (to my knowledge) recommended Medium, especially because of…[Read more]

Bruce, a couple of thoughts:

You can create a short survey in Survey Monkey and post a link in your ebook toward the front of the book, in exchange for a cheat sheet, worksheet or video. I’d make it open-ended, but short – 1-2 questions only. Get the flavor of the words they use, and incorporate them in your marketing materials. Remember this…[Read more]

You don’t have to advertise to get Likes.

Anyone can search FB for topics and have the relevant posts, etc, listed for them.

I imagine that’s what people do, and then when they see your page, they Like it.

I’m reviewing a book that I reread recently.

The book is entitled If, by Mark Batterson.

Here’s a lengthy quote from it.

It’ll stop you in your tracks.

“If you wake up this morning with more health than illness – you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

“If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the…[Read more]

You’ve heard the age-old question, Les: Cheap, Quick, Easy. Pick two.

If you want fast results, then they won’t be cheap to get. End of story.

Cheap comes from finding a platform that you can dominate in your niche.

For example, Medium is a place where you can publish content for free. It strikes me as being the new EzineArticles, but it’s a…[Read more]