MargaretCollinsOnline – Thinking Out Loud…

You’ve probably heard that it is possible to make money on the internet.

The chances are you’ve bought stuff yourself – books from Amazon, shopping delivered from your not-so-local supermarket, maybe presents for friends and family. Yes, you know people have businesses that sell things over the internet!

You might also know that even in the middle of a recession, internet sales are buoyant. People are looking for more for their money and are shopping online.

The question is: How do you get a piece of the action?
Can you use the internet to make money rather than just spend it?

Actually, it’s really very simple to make money on the internet. Assuming that your house has it’s fair share of books, bought, read and weighing down the bookshelves gathering dust, assuming that you have a selection of unwanted presents that you’d be happy to never see again, yes, you could make money by selling your own unwanted items.

But that’s not a sustainable solution is it? It’s one way to make some money, but selling your second-hand gear is not a business.

There’s been some discussion on the Money Gym email discussion group about this recently. Personally I believe you can create an Internet Business System that makes  a regular, profitable income.

Would you like to know how?

You can create a business that generates regular income, that provides stability and security… and you don’t even need to have a product to sell.

The internet has changed the way we think about business.

Yes, we are all buying more things online, from plant pots to baby-grows – but the biggest thing being bought and sold online is… Information!

Information products come in many shapes and sizes, from free reports to $7 ebooks to secret “how to” seminars costing $4,997 or more.

If you’ve had anything to do with “Internet Marketing” you’ll have seen some of these products. If you’ve been trying to learn how to make money on the internet yourself, I wouldn’t mind betting that you’ve already spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on different products.

I can’t confidently predict that you will have made any money online!

The big problem with Internet Marketing is that, as an uneducated beginner, it seems much easier to spend money than to make money!

I’m going to say this upfront and possibly repeat myself many times.

It is very easy to spend lots of money on learning to make money on the internet and not make a single dollar – if you don’t do it right…

Now this isn’t going to be another hard sell either.
I’m not selling you my brand new, patented, 100% guaranteed magic wand to make money – magic wands don’t exist!

When I first started dabbling in internet marketing I read the hyped-up emails and sales pages, I spent my $19, $47 then $97 on the bigger and better package that would guarantee to make me money – and these packages sat on my computer hard drive as I hardly knew what to do with them.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not blaming the seller and I’m not saying for one minute that the products didn’t work.

The honest truth is that I hardly gave them a chance, didn’t know how.

And then the next guru offered me a different product, a new way, a proven system – and I bought another product that I never used to make a dime.

Unconsciously I was expecting a magic wand or a genie from a bottle to do the work for me – and they never appeared.

Passive income, that elusive promise of the internet world, isn’t un-earned income. It is more accurately, recurring passive income. This means you do the work once and then reap the benefits again and again.

Are you willing to do the work, even once? I bet you are!!!

To succeed in Internet Marketing you really need to pick something and really use it.

Focus on just one thing until it is profitable.

Now that is the best bit of advice I can offer you – FOCUS!

And if you come back in a few days I’l begin to fill in some of the gaps showing you how to create an internet business.

Come on…. you can’t have missed the gloomy news about there being a recession and all that….. the question is just how much doom and gloom can you take?!

I can rarely bring myself to listen to an entire news programme nowadays because of the relentless despair that is broadcast – and, while I’m not doubting that some people are being hit hard and that things really have changed, I can’t believe it’s as bad as the media paint it.

And grudgingly, it would seem that even the BBC agree – or at least one of the economics editors does.

Stephanie Flanders has written in her blog that entrepreneurs in the developing countries, Brazil, Turkey and India included, are talking about the opportunities that the downturn presents them.

Funnily enough, internet marketing businesses seem to be doing particularly well.

The point is, you don’t need to be an entrepreneur in India to take advantage of the internet and it’s opportunities – they are right here on your very own laptop!

So what exactly are you waiting for – permission to start making money?

Actually, maybe what you’re looking for is an opportunity, for a guide, for someone to hold your hand… coming to a blog near you any time now!!

Until then, you could do worse than take a look at My Online Income System from Kimberly Hoffman… this is a simple introduction to the ideas and systems in internet marketing. It takes it slow and lets you learn one day at a time. You might even make money from using it if you follow her daily action plan!

If you’ve been following my blog you cannot fail to have noticed that The Money Gym has been organising a property extravanganza to a) share information abut different ways of investing in property and b) raising money for The Big Issue.

We planned to sell 200 tickets for the event last Saturday, raising £4,500.

So how did we do????

Well, all 200 tickets were sold. We knew that some people bought tickets as donations in the full knowledge that they wouldn’t be able to attend the event so when we had a queue of people who showed up on the day without tickets – we collected even more donations and put more bums on seats!!!

It was a full house, the speakers were fantastic, the audience was inspired, the Money Gym team were exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure.

And The Big Issue – well exact figures are still coming in but it looks like they will be over £6,000 pounds better off as a result of this day.

Can you think of a better example of socially aware capitalism in action?

I begin many of my training workshops by reminding participants of the value of their time. Time is the most precious resource we have.

Rich or poor, healthy or sick, we only have 24 hours a day and, yes, I try to use them wisely.

How many times are we aware of the ways we invest our time? And the word “investment” is the most accurate because the way we choose to spend our time is a true investment in ourselves and our own lives.

So this last week I’ve been delivering workshops, preparing to visit the Money Gym Property Extravaganza on Saturday and developing plans to launch a new internet business site.

When not directly interacting with workshop participants I’ve been thinking about creating a new product to give away to people interested in internet marketing. Putting myself into my ideal client’s shoes I’ve been browsing the internet to look for ideas – what does my ideal client want?

Can you imagine how the time has flown…

Yes, I’ve seen many different products, lots of sales pages, a few things I’d never touch with a barge pole, avoided a few websites that my virus guard warned me were malicious and trying to install trojans on my website… but do I have a concrete idea?

Not yet.

And so this reminded me to reflect on the difference between being busy and making progress.

Even though I know I’m surfing with a purpose, this hasn’t been enough to keep me really focussed… I need to know what my outcome is.

Surfing is all well and good but I need inspiration for, and if at all possible, a real product to create whether that is an ebook, an email series or a piece of software to offer…

Time to put my computer away and talk with a business coach I think!

So what about you…

Are you just plain busy or are you making progress?

Making money on the internet – an online income system – is often portrayed as “easy money”, by which I mean, it is assumed that once you’ve understood how to make money this way, unlimited passive income streams continue to flow your way for no additional effort.

Many Money Gym clients come saying that they want to make passive income on the internet and a smaller proportion actually achieve it.

Internet income is one of those things that is both as easy as it says AND as difficult as getting blood out of a stone.

It does take some research to uncover a profitable niche. It does take some strategies and tactics for selling your information or products. You then need some way to actually collect payments… and then there’s the technology…

Is it sounding difficult already?

Don’t worry and don’t despair! The internet can be a great drain on your time and resources but can equally be a source of inspiration and freedom. However, to be a successful income stream you do need to treat it like a business and not like a magic wand!

One of the best introductory guides I’ve come across is Kimberley Hoffman’s programme: My Online Income System.

This is a day by day, holding your hand guide to selling information products through Clickbank and article marketing… I’ve looked at the first 10 days of the programme so far, and to be honest, it does a better job than most in explaining the ideas behind selling information products. Like most Clickbank products it also comes with a money-back guarantee…

Right now, I’ve scanned through the first 10 days and sort of stalled at the bit where you’re supposed to write 5 articles a day to promote the product… will let you know what happens when I skip forward.

If I like what comes next then I’ll be very happy to recommend it to my clients – if I don’t… then I guess I’ll be claiming my refund!

Now it’s a year since Hamsita Reardon won an award for Property Woman of the year…

See a news snippet below:

Hasmita Reardon – from homeless immigrant to 75 properties – Profit £2.9 million
Owns 75 houses and flats in Sittingbourne, Kent. Over the last 10 years, Hasmita, aged 44, has housed the homeless and single mothers whom nobody else wants. Her husband wasn’t keen but her portfolio is now worth £8.4m at a cost of £5.5m – last week she bought 5 properties. Husband Steve has now given up his day job laying driveways.

In the meantime, in spite of the credit crunch, Hamsita is expanding her property portfolio. As women continue to seek shelter and safe accommodation and are finding it more difficult to find affordable housing, they are seeking her out! This is another fantastic example of how a buy to let landlord is supporting herself and her family by providing a highly valued service to her community, this time in Sittingbourne.

Now you might still be thinking “Yes, that’s OK for her. There’s no way I could do that.” (Limiting Belief Alert!!)

Well, at the Money Gym Property Extravaganza, Hamsita is coming to share just how she did it and how she continues to make a difference. And she’s just one of many magnificent presenters Judith has lined up for us.

If you were still wondering whether it was worth paying your £25 donation to the Big Issue to gain access to this day, Hamsita is just one more reason.

Just how much does it take to convince you to come on down on 21st March and have a look – you might just learn something you like!! Have a look at http://www.themoneygym.com/events/property/ and then book a ticket for the day!

Remember…

LandlordsUrgentlyRequired

If the credit crunch is so bad for BTL, can you explain this photo…

Surely we just need to learn how to get the mortgage!

If you want some ideas, visit the Money Gym Property Extravaganza day on March 21st!
http://www.themoneygym.com/events/property

Come and join the fun…

Wouldn’t you just love to make this headline happen?

A major charity helping the homeless, receiving financial support from a business promoting property investment…

You can make this happen.

The Money Gym is organising a Property Extravaganza and all the profits are going to the Big Issue. You can come along – buy a ticket for just £25, all profits go to charity, you gain the wisdom and experience of some of the biggest property people in the UK today.

Below is an excerpt from an email Judith Morgan wrote earlier today – and if you don’t yet know Judith, it would be worth paying £25 just for the opportunity to meet her.

Have a read and then buy the ticket…. you know we usually regret what we don’t do far more than what we choose to do… so choose today and help The Big Issue!

Judith says:
Clients ask me all the time “what makes a good property investment and do you think this one will be OK”? The short answer is usually “I don’t know”…no-one knows in advance whether any investment’s projections will come true or not, only hindsight will tell. You can do your own due diligence, you can meet others who have done it and ask them why, you can quiz them till their brains hurt but in the end you just have to make a decision – are you in or out? All I can tell you is that I was a woman who lost out big time in the last recession and that I am buying property now. And I am investing in lots of different sorts to spread my “risk” across the UK, the Caribbean and the world’s property hotspots.

Yes, you know I am as rash an entrepreneur as they come, very top line, positively relishing risk but I am learning from observing the way our property clients invest. I have two clients who invest in completely different ways. One looks at the spreadsheet and only buys if it meets her very strict criteria. One assesses the investment and uses her emotional barometer to invest. Both achieve excellent results! I think I am somewhere in between these two ladies. I like to scope out great investments for our Money Gym clients. I like a wide variety because we are all in different financial places and have more or less money and time to get started.

The wide variety of Experts I have on offer for you at our Property Extravaganza on Saturday 21st March includes:
* Someone buying for you in Manchester for very small sums – £5,000 for one or £11500 if you want to bulk buy in handfuls of five!
* Someone who will hold your hand while you learn to do it yourself so you don’t have to pay a fee next time unless you prefer to
* Someone who will show you that BMV still works – you buy better so you still put in relatively small deposits.
* Someone who will show you how to double your capital PLUS create an income within 2-6 years in the Caribbean and how that can be 100% funded
* Someone who will teach you how to use the money in your dull old pension and make investments with it via a SIPP and that this works for all our commercial property investments
* Someone who will show you how to buy houses for only £1
* And someone who will show you how to build a Unique global property portfolio where your initial capital investment is GUARANTEED.

I have 200 seats at the venue, the fabulous Cavendish Conference Centre where we were for our Brett McFall event last September. I thought I had 250 seats but the capacity turns out to be only 232 and I will need those 32 for my Money Gym team, the back of the room gang, the facilitators and mike runners and the speakers and their entourages so that’s only 200 seats available and I have sold 26 at the time of writing to the early adopters and to some new names I’ve not heard of before but I am looking forward to meeting on the day. If we sell out all 200 tickets, we will be able to donate £4347.82 to The Big Issue who are coming along on the day to collect a cheque. At the time of writing, that cheque would be for £565.21 – better than nothing but not quite what I had in mind. Will you help me to help the homeless please?

And I am having the most extraordinary luck in persuading each speaker to give me some prizes I can raffle on the day – so far this stash includes a holiday in one of the Unique properties, tickets for Harlequin’s box at Wembley so you can watch sport or music live, Rick Otton’s Cashflow Investor pack work £1997, a year’s property mentoring with me, a day out and lunch with my Property Boardroom, priceless mentoring sessions with each of our speakers, books and various other goodies. I’ve even got Martin Roberts off the telly!

Steve and I are working on this project and we are rather beside ourselves with excitement about it. I bought a book of pink raffle tickets today for £1.49 and it made me almost deliriously happy. My hallway is filling up with booty – books and chocolate money and million pound notes.

We do hope you will support the Money Gym fundraiser in aid of The Big Issue and book out 21st March in your diary and come along and learn something new, meet the Property Experts who recommend you buy in 2009 using one of their cunning schemes and help us to raise in excess of four thousand pounds for the homeless.

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE: http://www.themoneygym.com/events/property

I’m so looking forward to seeing you there and sharing my new property secrets.

Judith

Many of you who know me will not be surprised to know I’m interested in property investing. There was even a letter from a contact at the BBC recently looking for landlords willing to go on TV and discuss their problems around rental properties…

So, do I still think property is an investment option in the current climate??? Absolutely!

My existing properties are going along very nicely – thank you. Mortgages are generally dropping and rentals are reasonably constant – a good combination! The excess (and more!) I’m investing in new boilers for my tenants (who said landlords were evil and grasping?!!) so that they stay longer and look after my property! But new investments – right – new investments do need a different strategy. Do you know what that is???

If you’re looking for ideas why not come along to the Money Gym Property Extravaganza and see wht the new wisdom is for investing in property. This is an ace opportunity with some big name speakers and, just like the last Money Gym extravaganza, all profits go to charity – this time to The Big Issue.

So, if you want to learn about property investing options and give some money to a worthwhile cause, come along and see the Money Gym in London on Saturday 21st March!!!

Why work? I’ve been listening to friends, colleagues, acquaintances talk about their jobs…

Many are re-evaluating their positions. Now this isn’t an epidemic of navel-gazing. Sure some have been shaken by insecurities arising from the global economic recession, some may be looking at contracts not being renewed. Others are experiencing the chill of a fresh blast of air as a new Director has stepped into the organisation throwing babies and bathwater down the plug-hole together or a changed job role. SOme in business are losing customers and wondering whether they can stay in business…

I’ve been listening to “reasons” why people come to work which include:

1. Money. The job pays well. Frequently we could complain that it could pay more but it covers the mortgage and the bills. It provides security if not peace.
2. The job is fun. This is usually when the job in hand is an outlet for a personal passion. The colleagues and environment also contribute to this feeling of fun. Colleagues are friends and form part of their social circle.
3. I’m learning lots. Often we know that this job is a training ground, an apprenticeship, a place to learn from the masters, to gain depth of knowledge, breadth of experience.
4. I’m making a difference! In this situation there is a mission in hand, a status quo to challenge or change, a new world to be created. People making a difference are not always big fish, sometimes hardly noticed. But that doesn’t stop them moving! They know there’s a job to be done and whether they change the world or change their neighbours or even change the way their shop-floor looks, they are going to move towards change.

I’m not promising this is an exhaustive list of reasons to go to work and the items are not mutually exclusive in any way but it did set me thinking… Reward comes in many shapes and sizes and money on it’s own rarely feeds the soul.

If you looked that those reasons in your own life and work, what order would they be?

What do you go to work for?