Start a Business Blog

First off, if you haven’t yet, start a business blog asap.

Especially if you have a MLM or network marketing business it is essential to have a nerve center or some sort of a ‘home base’ online. The reason behind this is, that you want to brand yourself instead of promoting your opportunity.

When I first started blogging I made all three of the mistakes below (and then some) and they cost me a lot of money.

Well, I didn’t know that when I first started, but by hanging around the right people I found out what I did wrong and corrected my mistakes very quickly.

So here they are … the 3 Costly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Blogging for Business

1) Wrong Blogging Platform

When I started blogging two years ago I set up my blog on Blogger.com. But as I found out, if you want to blog for business then Blogger isn’t where you want to be. You want your blog to convey a professional image and the best blogging platform to accomplish this is to set up a WordPress blog.

2) Not Having Your Own Domain

I said earlier that you want to brand yourself. The best way to do that is to get your own domain name. (You can get your own domain name for very little cost at GoDaddy.com) If you don’t want to use your own name, then pick something that best reflects your business. For example, I picked “Enlightened Networker” because that best reflects me and what I do.

By the way, the best hosting service (in my opinion) is HostGator. I have a “Baby” account there which lets me host unlimited websites for under $10/a month. (You can set up your WordPress blog with just a few clicks in your HostGator back office once you get your account.)

3) The Missing Opt-in Form

This is a BIG one. Remember, you are blogging for business. So you need a way to build a list and build a relationship with that list. As we all know, people only buy from those they know, like and trust. And they don’t buy the first time they see our product either. It will take some time.

Once you have decided which autoresponder service you want to use, (I am very happy with Aweber) create an opt-in form and place it at a strategic place on your blog. The best place would be above the fold (top right or top left) so your visitors can see it and don’t have to scroll down for it.

(And yes, those links above are my affiliate links. So if you click on them and decide to use the service I will get some pocket change.)

Now the only thing left to do is write some eye-catching,  attention-getting and money-pulling emails.

By the way, my friend Jason Better  just happened to write a post about this subject today. Go over and visit his blog and click on “3 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Write “Better” E-mails”

So, there you have them, the 3 mistakes to avoid if you are blogging for business.

To your success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. If you enjoyed this post why not share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook? It’s truly appreciated.

Oh, and please make some noise and leave your feedback in the comment box below. Thank you!

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The other day I read, on one of the many blogs I read on a daily basis, that attitude is not everything.

I was shocked, because to me, it absolutely IS everything. Having the right attitude is a key ingredient not only for building a successful network marketing business, but for anything else in life as well.

But may it be as it may be, even if it isn’t everything it is still 100%.

And I will prove it to you.

What makes up 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%. We always hear people say that they give more than a 100%. Heck, I’ve even said that myself on occasion. But, I will be a lot more careful about that in the future.

And here is why…

Let’s say if:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as numbers:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But ,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far a** kissing will take you.

A-*-*-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, it is pretty safe to say with mathematical certainty, that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, Attitude is right on. But it’s the Bullshit and A** Kissing that twill put you over the top.

I have often wondered what it means when people say, “I give it a 110%. Or 120%”. Or whatever. How can you give more than the whole?? You can’t give more than there really is. Or can you?

Have you ever said anything like that? Have you ever wondered? Let us know in the comments below.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. As always, if you liked this post share it. Thanks!

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Ha, I really had this coming. For months now I have been burning the candle on both ends, ignoring everything around me including my health.

Then WHAM!  The freight train hit me on Wednesday afternoon.

Game over!

I had been feeling ‘under the weather’ since Sunday, but thought it would ‘go away.’  Yeah, right! Who did I think I was? Wonder Woman?

Anyway…,  I felt miserable. My body ached all over and the chills felt like I was sitting in ice water. Everything hurt. My eyes, my head, my throat, even my hair. To add to all this that nagging cough I had for the past two days totally exhausted me.

I crawled in bed Wednesday afternoon and didn’t get up until noon today, Monday.

For the past 6 years, I hadn’t had as much as a sniffle. But I guess my luck finally ran out. My number was up and I had to pay the price.

There’s a German saying, which I remember well, because I have heard my mother say it so often.

“Wer nicht hoeren will muss fuehlen!” Which roughly translated means, „if you don’t want to listen you’ll have to feel it.“ Guess I’ve never listened well.

Knocking me out cold was the only way for nature to get me off this computer and finally get some rest. My husband had been after me long since to stop working 24/7. But it seemed there was always something “that needed to be done before going to bed.”

Well, surprise!

“Cars don’t run without fuel and you don’t either,” that’s what my husband told me. Yeah, I did need some rest to recharge my battery. And if getting the flu was the only way to accomplish this, then well, so be it.

I feel a lot better today. And to my surprise, the world is still turning as it always did. It didn’t stop because I didn’t answer my emails since Wednesday afternoon (OMG, really???), or I missed some of my other “must-get-done-before-bedtime tasks.”

And look, the kids didn’t starve to death either, because they missed mom’s cooking and had to eat pizza two days in a row.  Oh, and as it turns out, dad’s quite the chef if given the chance to shine in the kitchen.

So, I guess I’ll have to face it, … I am not Wonder Woman after all.

Looks like I’m quite expendable. Life would go on without me… But, I’d rather be in it.

Slowing down and taking time to smell the flowers is something I will have to learn. It’s not my nature.  So we’ll see how that goes.

But for the time being, I’ll be listening to the General of this household (which I mistakenly thought I was) and there won’t be such thing as …”this has to get done before I go to bed.”

Goodnight everyone!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood

P.S. Can you relate? Have you ever worked until you ran out of fuel? If so, share your story with us in the comment box below.

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With A Little Help From My Friends

My Mom always told me, …”Tell me who you hang out with and I tell you who you are”.

There’s also another saying that goes something like this … “Surround yourself with successful people and you yourself will become successful”.

If you want to learn how to become a champion golfer, you hang around people like Tiger Woods.

If you want to learn how to become a top notch business person, you hang with the likes of a Donald Trump.

If you want to become a world class network marketer you hang out at Jason Better’s blog and BetterNetworker.com.

And that’s exactly what I have done.

As a network marketer we wear many different hats and we have to accomplish many different tasks. Especially if we market on the internet, there’s just so much to learn. We can’t be experts in everything, so the next best thing is to hang around people who are.

Part of marketing online these days involves blogging. If done correctly, it can result in new leads and/or referrals for your business. It’s not as easy as just setting up a blog and people magically appear. Nope. There’s a whole bunch more to it than that.

I had been blogging for a little while before I started visiting Jason Better’s blog on a regular basis. But what I soon found out was, that there was a group of very talented people who were regular visitors there like me, whom I could learn a great deal from.

Each one of these regular visitors has taught me something. These little pieces of knowledge when put together, made a very complex puzzle of online marketing much easier to understand.

For example, I learned about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) from Josh Garcia. Josh also shared a wealth of information about Facebook Marketing on his blog. Dubbed the “Comment Ninja” he’s an expert on commenting on blogs. His witty writing style keeps you coming back for more.

I am improving my copywriting skills with the help of Derek Alvarez. I always pick up some golden nuggets visiting his DriveTheLine.com blog. BTW, when you’re there, check out his wife, Monique’s videos.  They are Super!

Chris Owen keeps me inspired, makes me laugh and always leaves me some kind words of encouragement when he visits my blog. Here’s a person who’s been through a heck of a lot in his young life but he’s a true Go-Giver. You’ve got to check out his blog, ChrisOwenAcademy.com.  It will truly inspire you. Lately his beautiful wife, Tragena, is stealing the show over there though.

Dwayne Huggins is just simply amazing. A very talented young man who is eager to learn and put into immediate action what he’s learning and sharing it with others. Check out what he has to say about “The Betters”, Jason Better and The Better Networker.

Jerome Ratliff is always good for some sound advice on network marketing and some encouraging words. I love visiting his blog. His MaverickBusinessBlog.com is another great place for very valuable information.

Twila Jacobs. Gosh you’ve got to love her. Here’s a young mother who although very busy with a 4 year old whirlwind.  She still finds the time to fill me in on the Twitter Scene and other “Must Know” social media stuff.

Susanna Hess, my newest online friend, has a great writing style. Her videos are a must see. So make sure you stop by her blog.

Mitchell Dillman, my ‘neighbor to the south’ shares his knowledge about network marketing and I’m always learning something new there.

There are more cool people over there you’ll get to meet. Like Wayne Vassell, Eric McMillan, and Tommy DiPietro.

(I hope I didn’t forget anyone. I feel like I’m at the Academy Awards giving my acceptance speech in thanking everyone and they’re cutting me off, lol.)

These are the friends I’m hanging out with and learning from. It’s all about sharing what you know so others can learn from you and with you. I would have never met all these cool people had I not one day stopped over at JasonBetter.com and got hooked on all the valuable information there.

So if you find yourself navigating the hostile waters of network marketing in your canoe without a paddle, or if you are looking for some cool new friends to hang out with, come on over so we can lend a helping hand.

If you liked this post, don’t forget to re-tweet it and share it with your friends.

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See what your website or blog visitors focus their attention on or where they are zooming in at when they come to your home page or landing page.

Now that you’ve put so much time and emphasis into creating the perfect website or blog for your home business, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what exactly your visitors focus on when they get there? What do they look at first? What second? Do they even pay attention to the things you want them to pay attention too? Wouldn’t it be great to find out? My husband recently shared this very valuable business building tool with me, that lets me find out exactly what the visitors to my blog look at first, second, third, ect.

Attention Wizard is a visual attention prediction tool. A business tool, that points out the hot spots on your page. Pretty cool! It’s kind of a simulator of how the human brain works. Don’t you think it would be kind of cool to get right inside your visitors brain and guide them to the most important info on your marketing blog or business website?

I took a screenshot of my blog and ran a heatmap. It was quick and easy to do and within minutes I found out exactly what my website visitors look at first, second, third and so on.

Although I am pretty happy with the results, I wish I could zoom in their focus a bit more. But, since I am using a WordPress template that won’t be as easy to do as if I would have designed my blog from scratch. However, if you have a squeeze page or a landing page you can definitely zoom in your visitors attention right to the call of action.

I hope this free business building tool will help grow your home based or network marketing business.

Try it out and share your thoughts in the comment box below.

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I have listened to a lot of leaders in my 10+ years in network marketing. Only a handful have really inspired me. Jordan Adler, my upline in SendOutCards is one of them. I listen to him every Monday when he makes his team call and then I listen again to his recordings. Jordan has the ability to paint pictures in my mind. Very vivid pictures. He makes me think. He gets my imagination flowing. He truly inspires me.

Here’s what he shared on one of his first calls of the year and I would like to share it with you.

2010 can be your best year ever. Begin to imagine what life is like living each day without regard to what things cost. Imagine what life is like knowing that when you spend your money it comes back again next month whether you go to work or not. Your bank account is overflowing. Each month, you give excessively to your favorite charities. You see money as a life giving tool that can help people. You feed your source of inspiration by donating your time to worthwhile causes because you have the time and you don’t have to work quite so hard to make your money.

You are in your perfect home with your family.
You are taking the dream trips you have always imagined.

You practice saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘we can’t afford it’. That nagging underlying fear doesn’t exist any longer. You are free. You feel empowered and alive. You have money set aside to secure your future. You have money to invest and to play with. You have more than enough money to live your life exactly the way you want it.

Money isn’t everything but it certainly makes life easier.

Let those pictures run through your mind. Imagine it to be reality. Imagine it in the present. You’re sitting at the beach feeling the warm sun on your skin and the sand between your toes. You hear the sound of the waves and the wind in the palm trees. It’s real. At this moment it is very real.

Have you ever imagined something and then it became reality? Your imagination is a very powerful tool. Keep using it to make your dreams realitiy. Imagine the life Jordan painted for you…because you deserve it!

“If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.” ~Walt Disney

Who inspires you? What does your dream life look like? Leave me your comments in the box below.

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I have been a fan of Safelists ever since I started doing business online. List Volta is very different though. It’s a Safelist with a twist. It’s not only a place where you can post your ads, it’s also a social network where you can connect with like-minded people. It’s pretty cool!

List Volta is very easy to use and simple to set up. Once you join List Volta, (you can do that here)  you can immediately start advertising your business or programs.

I recommend that you at least upgrade to Pro Level so you can send out your advertising to 1000 random members of List Volta EVERY DAY! It’s very affordable (under $10 a month) and well worth it! (Yes, I do receive a little commision if you join under me – Thank You!)

If you are serious about advertising I recommend upgrading to the GOLD Level. It’s just $89.95 for the whole year and you’ll have access to send your mailings to the ENTIRE Database EVERY DAY! It’s a great value!

Once inside you can set up your profile, submit your adds, set up your banner advertising, invite your own friends or invite other members to be your friends. You can also write a blog and even post blurbs about your business. Like I said, it’s very cool!

Give it a try!

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By Changing Your Thinking,
You change your beliefs;

When you change your beliefs,
You change your expectations;

When you change your expectations,
You change your attitude;

When you change your attitude,
You change your behavior;

When you change your behavior,
You change your performance;

When you change your performance;
You Change Your Life!

Author unknown

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1. Attitude Might Not Be Everything But It Is 100 Percent

That’s a really good question! Over the years our family has lost numerous computors, printers, scanners and monitors to a power surge. Yes, we had them plugged into surge protectors and thought they were safe. However, as we found out surge protectors protect a computer only one time. Once a power surge went through, they’re done*. You might as well plug your computer (or any other electronics like tv, scanner, printer, etc.) straight into the wall outlet.

A few years back, after our 3rd of 4th computer had been fried by a power surge, we called Juvio to find out if any of the data could be saved. That’s when the technician there gave us the great advice to invest into a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Battery Backup Surge Protector. Ever since all our electronics have been plugged into APC Surge Protectors.

Well, until two weeks ago, when I found my computer plugged into a regular surge protector strip by our son, after coming back from vacation. By the time I noticed it, it was too late. That afternoon we had numerous power surges and I just knew I had lost yet another computer. I unplugged it immediately and when I tried to turn it back on a few hours later there was no sign of life. Hoping for a miracle, I tried a couple of more times during the week. Nothing. The results were always the same.

So, my husband and I went out and bought – yet another – computer. When we took it to Best Buy to have the old data transfered over to the new computer we were in for a big surprise. As soon as the technician hooked it up and turned on the power…it came back to life and started right up. How could that be? I had tried the same thing several times at home to no avail. Even changed power cords. It was dead. (Funny thing, the same thing had happened to the young lady infront of us in the customer service line.) But whatever had happened, I was very happy that it worked and I still had all my data.

The tech told us that sometimes that happens after power surges hit a computer. Guess we were lucky. He also reaffirmed the importance of having your electronics plugged into uninterruptible power supply so they receive an even amount of power. No spikes, no lowes. Spikes from power surges can destroy electronics…as we found out numerous times.

You can find APC Surge Protectors at Best Buy and Walmart.

P.S. * As we found out from our friendly tech at Best Buy, there are also new (regular) surge protectors now that do work more than once and have a “reset” button. However, they do not protect your computer more than a couple of times. So, since there’s not that much difference in price you might as well invest in an uninterruptible power supply surge protector.

I would love to hear your comments. Especially if something similar has happened to you.

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I know I am the only person on the planet this happens to, but I still want to share it with you. Just in case it will ever happen to you too….Procrastination.

Lately I have gotten into the habit of using “post-it” notes to write my “To Do” lists and then stick them on my computer in hopes to get things done. Well, other than clutter up my computer or monitor not much else happens as most of the items on those lists are things I don’t like to do in the first place. Then a week or so later, I take those post-it notes down and… replace them with new ones.

In the past I used to do those things I didn’t like to do first so I could get them out of the way. But in recent years (I hate to admit it) procrastination got the better of me.

Well, if you have a problem, try eating it. Brian Tracy wrote a fantastic little book called “Eat That Frog. 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less time.”

Watch “Eat That Frog”, a short little movie that I know you will enjoy.

“You cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond, but you can eat the biggest and ugliest one.”

So, what do you say? Let’s eat that frog together, shall we?

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