I just watched a great video from Amy Porterfield, who is someone I have on my Facebook friends list because she is always full of great business tips. The video is free and will take about a half hour of your time to get through the intro and the 1st video in the series, but I promise it is time well spent! (If you want to shave 5 minutes off your time, just fill out the form and go straight to the first video — she will go back over the intro material in the that video.) The video covers social media automation, productivity, and strategy is a very clear and concise way. I hope you enjoy! I know I took some notes of things I can personally use in my own business today.

Link: Amy Porterfield’s Simple Social Media Formula

Part 1: Sue Berk of Sue Berk Designs

Sue Berk Designs, founded in 2002, makes painted ceramic crosses, frames, and baby blankets. Sue Berk had no formal art training, but always had a love for it. Her background includes a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, working in high tech marketing and product management, renovating houses, and making her own tiles for home renovations.

I think the most important thing that Sue Berk did was make the jump from a service-based business (where she was hand-making all her own ceramics for customers) to product-based business (where she could replicate her product in mass quantities). Service-based businesses limit your income because you can only make as much money as you have hours in your day. Sue could only paint so many items in a single day, and the more she painted, the less time she had to live the life she wanted. Switching to a product-based business allowed Sue’s income to take off while still allowing her to enjoy the rewards of seeing her designs in customers’ hands.

Website: Sue Berk Designs

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures

Part 2: Mike Koenigs of Traffic Geyser

Mike Koenigs got started at an early age, teaching himself how to program at the age of 14. His first company, Digital Café, a multimedia agency that produced games, movie websites, and other interactive experiences. He’s created over 300 web sites and more than 30 products, and has a quite impressive list of clients under his belt. Mike is also credited for inventing the "Internet Infomercial" for marketing and selling products or services with video on the web.

Mike Koenigs does two things that I really like:

1. He solved a problem in his own life, and then went to help other people like him solve the same problem. For every niche entrepreneur out there, there are many others who are in the same boat and have the same struggles you do. Being a DIYer who solves a problem for yourself puts you in an excellent position to solve that problem for others in your situation. Also, by serving people similar to you for your product, you already have an excellent understanding of your target market.
2. He takes a lot of notes. Whether you use a notebook or a mind-mapping program, I have found that jotting things down serves a record of my ideas and helps me process or refine an idea. Sometimes I see my notebook as a business colleague that I am bouncing ideas off — the ideas are inside me and I have the power to bring them to market, but I need a sounding board to help me refine and clarify them.

Website: Traffic Geyser

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures, Part 2

Part 3: Matt and Emily Griffin of Bakers Edge

Matt Griffin came up for the idea for his specialty brownie pan in 1998, but didn’t launch the company with his wife until 2002, and didn’t get the pan to market until 2005. They followed a very unconventional path, from winning an ideas competition (and $25,000 in cash from VISA and MSN), to being picked as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

I think Matt and Emily Griffin are an excellent study in perseverance — their product took 5 years of thought and processing to come to the market, but they still did it. Many people think they have to be first to the market to have any success, but a solid idea with a strong plan will make it whether it takes 1 month or 10 years.

Website: Bakers Edge

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures, Part 3

Part 4: Steven Woolley of ooTunes

ooTunes doesn’t have an exciting website or celebrity endorsements, but it is the #2 iPhone app of 2010 on CNET and one of Tech Digest’s Top 10 apps for 2009. Steven Wooley’s one-man software development team created an app with an average of 4 stars on 798 ratings with raves on both the app’s functionality and on Steven’s customer service in adding new features and addressing problems.

Steven Woolley is proof that you don’t need heavy funding to launch a serious business — he got started with nothing but a laptop and iPod, both of which had been given to him as gifts! You also don’t need many products to keep your business running strong, as Steven only really makes money from one. The important part is that he works hard on the one product to make it the best it can be, so that his customers keep giving him rave reviews and the sales of his app continue.

Website: ooTunes

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures, Part 4

Part 5: Rob Walling of Software by Rob

Rob Walling has been building web applications professionally for 10 years, working as as a consultant, a freelance developer, the development manager for the City of Pasadena, and a team lead for the world’s largest prepaid credit card company. His current "internet portfolio" includes sites like Dot Net Invoice, Wedding Toolbox, and Apprentice Lineman Jobs.

The thing that stands out about Rob is DIVERSITY. He doesn’t rely on any one income stream to meet his monthly numbers, which softens the blow to his finances if one of his sites doesn’t do well in a given month. I think Rob should also be applauded as being one of those small business owners that keeps the economy strong, as he not only pays himself income, but also employs virtual assistants (VAs) to help him run his day to day operations.

Website: Software by Rob

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures, Part 5

Part 6: David Wood, author of Get Paid for Who You Are™

David Wood is fast becoming one of the foremost voices in online marketing and lifestyle design, having built a rewarding hobby into a million-dollar online empire that allows him to work and play from anywhere in the world. His book and website helps entrepreneurs turn their passions into rewarding careers by building internet businesses. He breaks his launch plan into five simple steps, and incorporates giving back into the overall vision of building a business.

I think David is spot on when he describes his only limit as being himself now. When you work for yourself, as I do, I have the choice of launching my idea today or one year from now. All I have to do is decide to "feel the fear and do it anyway" (as David says), push through it, and get it done.

I also like that David had so many coaches assist him along the way. So many solopreneurs think they have to do everything on their own, but that isn’t true. It is important to build your own tribe (colleagues, friends, coaches, or financial advisers — whoever it may be!) to see you through your business. Just find the key people who you need to succeed in your business and surround yourself with them.

Website: Get Paid for Who You Are

Read the whole article at How to Make Six Figures, Part 6

Starting a Small Business

• How to Write a Great Business Plan
  Sure, you might be able to start a simple business without a business plan if you are not looking for funding, but writing out a business plan is an important step to help you clarify your offerings and goals with your business. I have seen many businesses fail from a lack of focus and direction.
• How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Brand
  From your website to your business cards, the colors you choose shape the opinions people will form about your business. Even if you are hiring someone else to create your branding, you should read this article to know what to watch out for.
• 10 Things to Do Before You Start Your Start-Up
  Planning is an essential part of starting a new business, so do your research before you start your business to save you from a lot of costly mistakes down the road.
• How to Write a Marketing Plan
  Even the most innovative products on the market can die a slow and painful death from a lack of sales. The difference? People who meet their sales goals have a clear marketing plan, which enables them to make the right move at the right time.

Your Home Office

• The Basics of Home Office Design
  Some people can just grab a laptop and go, but I find that I am more productive when I use a space that is designed for working. Mine happens to be in half my bedroom, which would kill some people but it is a good location for me. The goal is to design a space that works for you and meets the needs of your business.
• How to Set Up a Home Office
  This one goes into detail about tax deductions for home offices, which is an important consideration for those who work at home.
• Deducting Your Home Office Expenses
  Knowing what you can and can’t deduct off your taxes before you set up your home office will empower you to make more financially sound decisions for your business setup.

Running a Small Business

• How to Run a One-Person Business
  If you’re looking to run a one-man (or one-woman) show, you’re going to need a variety of skills to get the job done.
• 25 Ways to Jump-Start Your Business
  Has your business become stagnant? Get it going again — fast! — with these hints and techniques.

Sales and Marketing

• How to Improve Your Cold-Calling Skills
  I know that I generally do well on a sales call, but I only make warm calls (and I dread those anyway). The ability to turn a call into a sale without seeming like a pushy salesperson is a valuable business skill that everyone should have.
• How to Manage a One-Person Sales Force
  An efficient system is vitally important to a successful solopreneur business. This article will show you how to get there.
• How to Make Money on Etsy
  Are you a crafty person? You can make a great living on Etsy, selling your handmade goods, if you start with some sound business principles and some marketing know-how.
• How to Use Social Networking Sites to Drive Business
  The key to successfully using social media is to drive sales for your business is creating an efficient system so that you are not wasting all of your valuable time online.
• 7 Common Sales Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them
  By learning from others’ mistakes in sales, you can set your business up to be more successful from the start.

Your Web Site

• 7 Deadly Website Sins
  Before you spend money (or hours of your own time) on a web site for your business, read this article to educate yourself on the issues you should avoid.
• How to Design a Great “About Us” Page on Your Website
  This article is a great read for two reasons: 1) The About page is an important piece of your web site; and 2) The process of writing the About page will get you thinking about your marketing messaging, business goals, and how you will sell yourself both on- and offline.
• 10 Vital Items You Should Give Your Web Designer
  I’m not a big fan of the term "web designer" being used here, but gathering this type of information and handing it over to your designer/developer/marketing lead will save you from having to redo the site a day after you finished the first version.

Small Business Inspiration

• And the Money Comes Rolling InMarkus Frind started Plenty of Fish out of his home, in his spare time, and now his site serves up over 1 billion of pages a month and he pays himself $5mil USD a year.
• How Would You Like to Make $6 Million Sitting on Your Couch?
  Paul Mann runs Fetch! Pet Care, a service with thousands of employees all across the nation that brings in over $6mil in revenue yearly — and he does it all from his home.
• How to Make a Million in Your Pajamas
  If you think you can’t make "real money" working from home, think again — not only are entrepreneurs making sustainable income from their homes, they are increasing their profits by saving on overhead for their business.

Out of 49 entries for this edition, these 26 were chosen according to the rules of the CotC and my own editorial discretion about what constituted quality. And now, on with the carnival:

Marketing and PR

From Trader’s Narrative, we get Google Trends: Hunting For Sentiment Data, an unorthodox way of looking at market sentiment. This was actually pretty interesting because it uses techniques to gage human feelings and predict behavior in ways I had never thought of before. I found the whole concept really creative and enlightening. For a primer in the subject, you can start with the Wikipedia definition of market sentiment and an article on Sentiment Measures at the same blog.

Jon Greer at Catching Flack brings us 2008 PR and Marketing Trends to Watch, some pretty accurate predictions (in my opinion) of things we will be seeing in the coming year.

Paul McCord warns us all about The False Promise of Word of Mouth Marketing. I had often thought about how false large viral marketing campaigns are, so I am glad that someone finally put it into such clear terms. I also have to to thank Paul for defining the differences between "word of mouth marketing" and "referral selling", because I often tell people that all of my business comes from womm but in reality it comes from both of these sources.

I’m not sure why you’d use letters for your bullet points in an article titled "Re-evaluate and measure your marketing strategy in 10 steps", but regardless this advice from 4entrepreneur is solid (and timely for anyone currently setting their business goals for 2008).

Catalyst Exhibits gives us Impact – 2008 Tradeshows, a mnemonic to assist your marketing plan in 2008.

Liz Fuller at More Than We Know kicks us into gear for the 2008 holidays by starting the planning now with 5 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before It’s Too Late.

Financial Hack shares some great ideas for business cards in Cool Business Cards That People Will Never Throw Away. He seems to downplay the phonecard thing, but I think it’s actually quite brilliant. For more information on business cards, check out this article on business cards on this site or check out some of the cards we’ve made.

Jim Logan at blog tells us how to test online campaigns in The power of multivariant testing.

I have a confession to make: I read the article A subtle conversion rate & response booster from 3 masters about 10 times, going back and forth on whether or not to include it. In the end, James does have a point about consumer psychology and the use of colors. I also have to thank him for making me rethink my opinions on internet marketers, but that tangent is for another day.

Economics/The Market

From Ian Welsh at the Agonist, we have Has the Dollar Hegemony’s Tipping Point Been Passed?, a stirring conversation on the future of the dollar.

From Jessica Hupp at CurrencyTrading.net, we get 20 Reasons Why a Falling Dollar Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing, which has a pretty darn self-explanatory title.

Alan K. Rudi of Successful Business Leadership offers us a really nice overview of economics in Understand the Economic System.

Mike Buckley at Mine Your Own Business gives us a bit of economic optimism in Is the Sky Falling? (He thinks not.)

Of course, it’s a lot easier to be optimistic when you know what you’re doing, so check out Leon Gettler’s Bear market danger signals at SoxFirst.

This week, Phillip Lyon of Intelligent Speculator asks (without bias), Is There Any Money in Internet Search Stocks?

HR

InsureBlog submitted Hey, some GOOD news for a change!, an update on litigation regarding employers coordinating retiree health care with Medicare.

I’ve included Queercents’ Back to Work: Queers and Family/Work Balance not because it’s terribly business-related, but because it’s important to understand the family responsibilities of those who work for you in order to provide them with the support they need to do their job well. This goes for all families regardless of what they look like, what religion they practice, their genders, or how many members they contain.

Entrepreneurship

THE source in business opportunities, Business Opportunities and Ideas, gives us Evaluating A Business Opportunity. This extensive list of questions to ask when evaluating a new business opportunity is a must read if you are looking for a new business but trying to protect yourself from potential scams.

Five Things Racquetball Taught Me About Succeeding in Business … well, it’s not reality TV and business but I’ll give Change Your Tree credit for being creative!

While you’re in the process of setting your business goals for 2008, you should give David Bohl’s Entrepreneurs: 5 Sure-Fire Business Resolutions for 2008 a read to help you run more efficiently and profitably in this new year.

Scott Allen at About.com ponders Does Bad Personal Credit = Bad Business Money Management? I have to say that I agree with him, but the reality is that many people check your personal credit when you are starting a new business, so you may find this to be one of the biggest hurdles in entrepreneurship. The Catch-22 in the business lending world is that if you have excellent credit, you probably wouldn’t need to apply to these programs that check your credit!

Operations

Only Wally Bock could weave a tale that starts with an opportunity in stinky cheese, swings past "It’s a Wonderful Life", and ends up in the mortgage industry. Read about it in Requiem for a Cheese and Simple Trust at the Three Star Leadership Blog.

Wayne Hurlbert at Blog Business World tells us to quit pushing and start listening to sales prospects in Boosting sales: Become a problem solver.

Laura at Business and Blogging shows us the ropes of business blogging in Blogging and PR: Six Principles to Live By.

Now I don’t normally include two entries from one site, but I made an exception for Leadership Secrets of New England Patriots because it features a picture of my long lost love, Tom Brady. The one thing I think Jay missed though, is that for the Patriots, there is no "I" in "team". It is a team without stars—even when they name Brady an MVP and praise him in a press conference, he immediately thanks his lineman and his receivers for making it look easy. In my opinion, that is the most important part of their success: mutual respect to utilize every talent in the organization, a tight lip that prevents them from airing dirty laundry or fueling press speculation, and very strong teamwork that binds them together for a successful season.

Dorian Wales asks us Uncertainty and Risk differentiated – Is a Tactical Surprise Preferable to a Strategic Surprise? at the The Personal Financier.

I am glad that I was able to get this out on time, as we lost power for a while thanks to the storms and high winds for the past few days here in California. That is all for this edition. If you would like to submit something for a future edition, please send your URL and info to thecotc@gmail.com. I hope all of you have a wonderful and successful year in 2008!