The Solo Gazette

Operation: Quick Start Update

2009-12-01T06:18:00.000Z

If you've been sitting on the fence for Jeff Johnson's Quick
Start program, you may want to go see if it's still open.
November 30th at midnight it closes!

I'm in the US, so those of you reading this in Asia, Australia
and my Kiwi's in New Zealand may have missed out. Maybe next
year... for the rest of you: Decision Time.

Forgot what it's about? It's all about getting you more
traffic, more leads, more money... faster. You can literally
create traffic and on demand with this system.

It's an absolute bargain for those of you ready to take your
internet business to a higher level. I'm not kidding.

But it's closing down today. I'd really hate to see you miss
out on such a great deal, especially if you know you're
ready...So I suggest you check it out sooner rather than later:
Operation Quick Start

PS. That is my full affiliate link - it won't make me rich by any means,
but it will definitely make me smile:).

Solo Entrepreneurs | Free SEO Blog Software

2009-11-25T05:51:00.001Z

I know some of you are "lizard crazy" about Wordpress, and
you're going to love this.

Jeff Johnson's Underground Training Lab coaching club is in
pre-launch, and for now you can get his Free Traffic-Getting SEO
Plugin (that's what Jeff calls it).

All you have to do is plug it into your blog and his software
does all the rest. If you already have a WP blog you can simply
plug it in and let it work its Traffic-Getting magic.

And if you don't have a blog... Jeff shows you how to install a
free one in as little as 2 minutes using a secret "push a
button" technology that even the newest of newbies could use.
(If I can do it with my non-techno self, you can definitely do
it!)

100% free and Installs in minutes. Check it out: Get Yours Right Here.

Before you go, you may have to enter your email address to get
it. I'm on Jeff's list, so it wasn't required for me - but
wanted to warn you before you go there.

Be back after Thanksgiving with a rant and more tools I've found.

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving for those of you who do participate, and for those of you who do not - Be Safe and Happy anyway!

**If you can't see the image, visit the blog**

Solo Entrepreneurs - Effective vs Efficient

2009-11-18T03:45:00.000Z

Normally I leave my rants out of things (yeah, this year!) but
while looking at the number of posts I've written here for
2009-this will make 159. Why it's strange...

For the first couple years, I pushed myself to post any and
everything I thought would help a solo entrepreneur, working at
home alone. Well, it took me the middle of year 3 to realize
this blog wasn't making any money and my readers soon got
distracted by the new flashy, shiney what-the-hell-is-it-for gadget.

So I decided going forward to only post when I felt like it,
instead of being the poster child for 'helping people who don't
want help'...in other words I stopped posting for a while.

Yeah, I did what the 'pro' bloggers said:
Post every day or at least 3 times a week.
Give good information in your content.
Don't be a whore for links or comments.

By following that advice I got a blog out here in cyber space
with 2 readers and a lonely damned cricket.

I think to be effective with your blog, the first thing you need
to decide is how it helps you make an income and then figure out
where that income will come from...does that make sense?

Having a Wordpress or Blogger or Typepad or any other platform
you like to use for blogging is one thing. They, like Twitter, are
useful tools to get something going online.

But what separates them from having a static website that makes
you a couple bucks with Adsense if you don't monetize it?

It doesn't matter how good your content, how pretty or
entertaining your video nor fun it is to post on your blog, none
of it has anything to do with making you money.

You can have thousands of people hanging on your every word, but without a way to make money from your work, you're a sucker who knows how to write.

Harsh? I'm beginning to think not. Claude Diamond told me this
years ago and it has proven true: If you're giving all your
information away for free, when someone would gladly pay you for
it - then you're a sucker. Ouch!

Where is this blog going? Who the hell knows at this point.
Yes, I'll like continue to share tools and tips I find that
might help some of you.

But...and this is to cover my ass with the FTC, FBI and anybody
else with a 3-letter moniker: I will be including affiliate links
from time to time and if you buy something, I'll get a few
bucks.

Since I don't want your email address, don't put it in a
comment because whoever else gets it has nothing to do with me.

What have I missed...
Covered making money finally with this blog - Check!
Covered your email privacy - Check!

That about covers my turn around to being effective instead of
efficient, don't you think.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen.~ Anon

Solo Entrepreneurs: If You Are NOT This Passionate -QUIT!

2009-11-07T03:39:00.002Z

Don't panic, my coffee supply didn't run out, but I watched this
and decided you needed to see it too.

Many of you are worse than a crackhead - you're picking up anything
to make money online and even though your brain is telling you it's a
scam or downright unprofitable, you're still spending stupid money
chasing the illusive...Millions In A Minute Program.

Watch the video, I need more coffee!

Solo Entrepreneur - Internet Tools & Affiliate News

2009-11-04T19:42:00.001Z

Lots going on this month, so hang on to your seat!

Affiliate Convention
December 3-4, Los Angeles California. Got this one late, but if
you register before November 5th - you'll pay $595USD. Before
November 27th and it goes up to $675USD, which is still a bargain
compared to registering at the door $850USD!

Hotel this year is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in 'lovely'
downtown Los Angeles.

I'm not going, saving up for Affiliate Summit West 2010 in Vegas!

Now for the tools, which is what you came to see.
1. Swagly
Is another 'word of mouth sorta' social media site with a slight twist. They
make it possible for users to buy products they see in their "friends"
photos or videos. If you're promoting with video or using merchant photos,
this might be something to take a look at.

There's a hiccup though and you won't see it until you go to their FAQ:
Your users have to join to vote on a product. It's still in Beta and for
US or Canadian affiliates at the moment.

2. Zaypay
If you've been considering using mobile marketing and need a way to accept micro payments on your sites but couldn't figure out how to make it work - this might be your solution, especially if you live outside North America.

Essentially, it uses one API to track everything all your sales but make sure
you click on the payments tab! Because it only tracks payments made by phone or text message. I have no experience using it but the only thing that would concern me is how you would handle the privacy issue, not to mention how you prevent fraudulent orders.

3. Faststone Capture
This is a nifty but powerful, full-featured screen capture tool that allows you to easily capture and edit anything on the screen including windows, objects and even scrolling windows/web pages.

It also allows you to record screen activities and sound into highly compressed video files then you can save your files in BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, PNG, TGA, TIFF and PDF formats.

At only $19.95USD for a lifetime license, no adware or spyware you can't go too far wrong getting a copy.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

It is not enough to just do your best or work hard.
You must know what to work on ~W. Edwards Deming

Solo Entrepreneur - Tools You Can Use

2009-10-27T07:43:00.000Z

Hope your week is starting great! Have a couple tools you may find of
use courtesy of Killer Startups.

These are the ones I find most interesting for those of us who operate
our businesses alone and need to make our lives as organized as
possible.

Zoodles
This was a really cute site and primarily for those of you with
the daunting task of finding a safe environment online for your
kids. This site is to give kids a safe and interactive learning
environment online.

Ecycler
Silly name but this is a social network that brings together
people giving away recyclables and those interested in collecting
them.

Ez dot com
This is strictly business and if you get tired of typing in
url's or do any kind of affiliate marketing, you're going to
love this.

Not only shorten those ugly long url's but it lets you choose
your own custom domain name and provides real-time statistics on
every click!

The Swop
This may prove useful, especially when money is tight and you
need something done. It's a social network meets barter service
for startups to swap the services and products they need.

Roaming Threads
This can either get you banned or make you a forum rockstar! Use
your mobile connection to stay in touch and make posts on the
fly to your favorite forums. Check it out - but don't be an idiot!

There are other startups with potential, and yes there are some that
makes you wonder who in their right mind would even waste the time.

Killer Startups also has a widget you can add to your site if you want
to keep track of what's coming down the line for new business ideas

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Hell, there are no rules here. We're trying to accomplish something ~Thomas Alva Edison

Solo Entrepreneurs: Learn Blogging From The Master-Shoe Money!

2009-10-24T22:06:00.000Z

Back to you later but wanted to let you know,
Shoemoney is going to shut down his 12 week free training
for better blogging on October 30th.

Danielle sent me the link and I'm sharing it with all of
you! Here you go - ShoeMoney X Training.

Enjoy, get on this because it's definitely worth it if you suck at
blogging and I'll be back with a couple cool tools on
Monday!

Solo Entrepreneurs - Jam On! 18 Karat Reggae

2009-10-14T00:46:00.000Z

Music is my passion and the new classic reggae musicians are making
Bob Marley proud! The new "18 Karat Reggae: Stepping out of Babylon" official release date is November 17th, fans can now download the pre-release on Itunes and from Amazon.

Here's a sample folks, plays a bit funky but it's Youtube - Enjoy!

Special Request Post from James S - New Pledge of Allegiance US Only

2009-10-13T07:01:00.000Z

Before some of you get your panties in a twist, I am fulfilling a
special promise. It's religious based and is not meant to offend
anyone reading this, at least not from me.

I will add this for those of you who are not of the Christian faith, or
want to argue that this post is inappropriate: It's your opinion. A
promise made in my world is one you keep and it's non-negotiable

James, here's the post I promised:
Subject: A 15 year old teen from Ohio ~
God Bless this Kid and all that stand for God and Country.
Written by a 15 yr. old School Kid in Ohio:

New Pledge of Allegiance:
(For those who don't know, the Pledge of Allegiance & The Lords Prayer are not allowed in schools anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned)

A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached: NEW School prayer
Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule for this great nation under God finds mention of Him very odd..

If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green, that's no offense; it's a freedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, and the 'unwed daddy' our Senior King. It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, we're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.. but the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess, when chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen

For anyone interested, here's the "former" United States Pledge Of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to the republic for which it stands, One Nation, under God, Indivisible
with Liberty and Justice for all.

Unfortunately, the word 'liberty' is in dispute, some remember saying 'freedom' and others remember saying 'liberty'...depends which part of the country you lived growing up.

That's it for this post and I leave you with this -

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.~ Heavy

Solo Entrepreneur: FTC & Covering Your Butt

2009-10-11T20:04:00.000Z

I'm always getting my panties in a twist over something, and this
new "ruling" is no different.

Ok, I do understand about making false claims (no Acai berries will not
make your penis hard or take you from 450 pounds to 120 overnight),
but come on here - most folks online are not being irresponsible.

But tell that to the FTC! They are using a shotgun to kill a mosquito
and everyone is paying for it. Read it here.

It means, in a nutshell that:

You better have real endorsements and not
those you get from your affiliate merchant (makes sense).

You better tell people they will not make money from what you're
endorsing unless you can prove it (makes sense too, because if they
buy your stuff and don't use it - you're on the hook).

You better tell people you're going to make money when they
follow your endorsement (sorta makes sense - transparency and all
that).

What bothers me about this? Except for the knuckle heads that use an
affiliate letter 'word for word' and haven't a clue what they are promoting,
the rest is common business practice.

When I buy a product it's a given that it does me no good if I don't use
it! Maybe on first reading it was something that simply pissed me off, who knows.

So to keep it simple, here's a snip from Randy Smith for a product he's promoting on his site:

(It might not, You may completely waste your money buying this,I'm not typical, I'm not a lawyer, I will be paid a commission if people buy this through my link, I haven't paid for this product, I got it cos I'm friends with the creators, and yes they are hoping I'll promote it, I don't promote product I think are crap, I think this is cool - but what do I know, repeat - I'm not a lawyer...etc.)

Now that's what I call 'Covering Your Butt'!

Only a couple tools you may be interested in checking (no affiliate links) out
if you're an affiliate.

Wordpress Easy Ads

This one is for those of you using Wordpress on your own hosting account. Allows you to host different ads with more ease than trying to make those suckers line up to fit your template.

Easy Clickbank Ads

This one is from the same guy and for Clickbank affiliates. Nice he thought to add this one for those of us in more than one niche.

Crazy Egg

This one I haven't used as yet but intend to. You install a piece of code on your pages to give you a visible way to track what people are doing and where they're going on your site. The basic install is $9 a month but you can put it on 10 pages, and track up to 10,000 visits per month. Currently I use only Google Analytics, but adding this may save a bit of time weeding through all the numbers.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

"The most handicapped person in the world is a negative thinker" ~ Heather Whitestone, former Miss America

Simple Information Reports & A Rant!

2009-09-22T20:46:00.008Z

Simple Information Reports has been Google indexed! There's still work to do on the site but it's active and that's a short miracle in itself. This is the reports list:

Home Schooling Basics. This report is strictly for parents
who are in the process of considering homeschooling their
child.

Plus Size Fashion. Women aren't the only ones who are plus
size or know someone who wants to know where to get fashionable
clothes at reasonable prices online.

Family Caregiver Stress. Tips and techniques to take care of
yourself during this highly stressful time.

Eco Friendly Home. Going green doesn't have to be expensive
nor an "all or nothing" choice.

Woman's Used Car Buying Report. They see us coming, so avoid
the scams and negotiate like a seasoned pro to get into the car
you want.

Emergency Action Plan. Most of us don't think of preparing
for a natural or man-made disaster until it happens. This covers
steps you can take now to make sure you and those you love can
fend for yourselves until help arrives.

The next step is to put a site together to sell private label
rights to a couple of the reports. Many of you are not in the IM
market and may find your market could benefit from these reports.

Keyword phrase lists will be included with the raw report for you
to reuse (resale rights are not included and you can not sell the
reports 'as is' on auction sites).

Rant Coming - Hide The Children!
I've noticed something lately that just pisses me off no end and
it has to do with all the membership sites popping up.

Having a membership site is one of the best things around for
consistent income and that can be great for solo entrepreneurs.

My rant is how many of them are promoting rehashed garbage
that didn't sell 5 years ago turning up as membership sites this
year!

I know you've seen the ones that offer MRR or PLR products that
actually have dates on them from the early 90's. In fact, one
marketer who has been online since the dawn of the dinosaurs is
pushing this crap.

Before you join any membership site, find out what's in it
first. If you can look through the junk gathering dust on your
hard drive and find it, why would you pay monthly or yearly to
get it again?

And if you're starting a membership site, respect your
customers. See, I'm getting better at this politically correct
speech thing...for today anyway.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it's greedy or loving.~ Dan Millman

New Tools & Gadgets

2009-09-20T05:09:00.008Z

Have a couple new tools and gadgets in my SOHO Toolchest for you
that came in handy while building Simple Information Reports.
Hope you find them useful and as always, take what you can use
and leave the rest!

Bookmarking Directory
Been looking for more social media sites? Then take a look
through this list to see which ones you've missed. How useful
are they, time will tell but I am seeing traffic from places I
hadn't used before.

Bob's Gadgets
Now have all your Google Gadgets on one page with easy access. If
you've clicked through on Google's front page, you know how
much of a hassle this is to use but this site puts them all on
one page. Check it out.

All Scoop
This is a technophiles idea of heaven. RSS submission software,
stats log formatter, safe color wheel and all sorts of tools for
you techie types.

My Fax
If you're looking for an online alternative to send a fax, then
you might want to check this out. Straight from your computer and
allows for large, high volume internet faxes when sending a page
or two isn't enough.

Format My Email
This is a handy-dandy little tool to add to your site or blog. It
formats your long text messages into something that at least
looks normal (normal is relative!).

Personally I use the one on Yaro's site and it works for me
because it forces me to pay attention to what I'm writing and
allows me to set the number of characters.

Couple of quick updates

Affiliate Summit West
Coming to Las Vegas January 17-19, 2010. I'm in the process of
moving back to Vegas, so if any of you are planning to be there
give me a shout-out. Registration opened last month, August and
you might want to go register....see you there!

You can still get into the Meet Market, Exhibit Hall, Keynotes
and access to the Affiliate Summit Social Network if you register by
October 19th for $79.

PubCon
This is WebmasterWorld's Search & Internet Marketing Conference
and it's taking place November 10-13th, at the Las Vegas
Convention Center.

A bit of short notice for you information marketers, but the
Classic Friday evening networking event is still only $100 up to
November 9th and for only $150 you get both an Exhibit Hall Pass
& access to PubCon Friday networking.

I'm so cheap I squeak, so the $150 will be my limit unless one
of my sites pay me for it...then I'm going home to enjoy the
goodies they're giving away!

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

In the old days, a man who saved money was a
miser; nowadays he's a wonder! ~anon

Solo Entrepreneur Online Tools & Tips

2009-08-26T16:58:00.005Z

Recently I've had a chance to go through and look at the
tools I have listed in my SOHO Tools folder. When you're
the only "employee", it helps if you can make your tasks
as easy as possible.

Some of these I use, some I haven't. That means take what
you can use and leave the rest.

Wizard Responder
This was recommended for those of us with lists of less than
10,000 subscribers. There are other options of course like Aweber
or Get Response, but if you don't need or want all the features
they offer for your autoresponder this is a more reasonable
option at only $8.97 a month.

Countdown Timer
We've all seen those timers the "Goobers" put on their OTO
(One Time Offer) pages and this is where you get one for your
site. Quick and simple to customize skins to fit your site
design too.

Your Voice On Your Pages
Haven't tried this one yet, it was on someone's page and I
thought it was pretty slick because the audio didn't sound as if
the person had the hiccups when the audio played. This one sounds
very clear and it's a simple copy and paste to your site.

Protect Your Forms
This is something I'm testing on one of my sites, and noooo you
can't have the url! I know you'd go there and play with it:-).

Spam in your email is bad enough, it really starts to suck when
it comes from your website or blog. That's what this service is
about - reducing the amount you get and fighting the spam bots.

Copyscape
If it hasn't happened to you yet, consider yourself fortunate
because the content thieves are alive and well online. Copyscape
isn't just for big sites.

When you also use articles in your marketing, it can save you a
lot of headaches when people use your articles and remove your
resource box linking to your site.

Article Video Robot
If you're like me and video isn't high on your list of things
to do, then this service is going to be exactly what you're
looking for. These folks turn your articles into video so you
can submit them to whatever video hosting sites you want.

Yes, there's a 14 day free trial but they hide the monthly fee.
What they do show on their site is a video submitter component
with a $47 setup fee. My suggestion: Get a "throw away email"
account and do the trial. Then if it doesn't seem worth it,
unsubscribe!

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me~Ayn Rand

Growth Industries

2009-07-12T20:16:00.003Z

Everyone is still speculating about the recession but
there are also those so busy making money, the
recession is missing them altogether.

A couple weeks ago Andrew Beattie Investopedia did a post on
industries that are thriving. Head over there and see if you're
watching the money side of doing business, or still hanging
out with the talking clueless herd.

Domaining
For those of you getting into domaining or looking to scoop up
some good domains before they show up in the usual places
here's a site you might want to register for updates.

You can get real time available domain keyword alerts.
Of course there are those you wouldn't want anyway,
like 00-5.org (can you tell this was a newbie?).
But there are some that you might want to wait list.

Lynda
Great for small business owners looking for a cost effective
way to train your staff for about $250 a year. Also can save you
some money if you have software that you want to learn

It's limited to commercial software like Quickbooks and
Microsoft but hey, for the price it's better than wasting
hours trying to figure it out on your own.

What I've been up to since June:
Working on a PLR content membership site for BUM Marketers that
should be ready in the next week or so. These are rough products.
That means you have to know what you're doing because I'm not
giving you a finished product.

Some will come with graphics, but all will have long tail keyword
lists, and there will be a few surprise thrown in. Once it's ready,
I'll announce it here.

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem resembles a nail~Abraham Maslow

Did Somebody Steal Your Name?

2009-06-17T02:27:00.003Z

I've been watching the herd do a stampede on Facebook to grab
their name, anyone's name they think they can get away with
taking and it's nuts!

Did somebody steal your name? A loser stole Larry Wingets' and
dig this - the stupid Village Idiot then tries to 'schmooz' Larry by
saying he wanted to meet him. Loser! Read it here

Anywho, if someone else is wearing the name your name as their
own at Facebook - have no fear! Google to the rescue!

Google has this little personal profile page that you can
enter your details and get ranked at the same time for any
sites you own. Waaay Cool, Google!

Here's the link and don't say I'm not looking out for you!
Personal Profile

Focused, Concentrated Action & Gabor Olah

2009-06-04T15:06:00.004Z

This is definitely out of character for me to post this often,
don't get used to it because I'm in the middle of 2 projects
and will likely not post again until they are completed.

With that said, I wanted received this in my email from Gabor
Olah, PLR Wholesaler and for some of you still chasing your tail,
you might get some value out of this.

Instead of my constant ranting about it here's the entire
email, and remember - take what you can use, leave the rest.

Gabor Olah,
PLR Wholesaler

By now you're probably tired of 'learning' about
Internet marketing an would actually like to make
some money...

Am I right?

I don't blame you.

When I see 1000 different people selling AdWords, eBay,
AdSense, SEO and BLOG information I get this overwhelmed
feeling.

Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in information and
instead of actually making money - I'm too busy trying
to keep up with all the latest marketing fads...

The good news is you don't need to know all the newest fads...

You really don't... Internet marketing is no more
complicated than offline marketing.

You need 3 simple components:

1) A good product
2) A good offer
3) A good list

But the simplicity of actually making money is complicated
by one thing: FOCUS

From my discussions with hundreds of entrepreneurs it
appears they do not know how to make decisions about
marketing and business in general.

They have no framework for making important decisions - how
to weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and the ability
to make decisions quickly.

Most people wait to make a decision until they have all the
information available... and they postpone important
decisions because they do not have all the facts.

Well, guess what?

You'll NEVER have all the facts.

The ability to make decisions quickly even when you do not
have all the available facts is the hallmark of a true
entrepreneur... and it's a skill you need to develop, if
you want to succeed.

You have to make the best decision possible, and make it
quickly, even if you do not have all the facts, if you want
to be successful.

Then take ACTION.

Test and studies have shown that even wrong decisions, if
acted upon, can make you successful, if you use a 'course
correction' strategy.

Course correction strategy is simply the ability to be
flexible after a decision is made and acted upon, but
appears to be off target, so that you can get back on track
by learning what went wrong so you can correct your course
of action as you move your business forward.

Making a decision, then taking action is more important to
your success than doing nothing because you're waiting
for all the facts.

Even if you're wrong, the process of decision making and
taking action is critical to your overall success.

It's more important to DECIDE and ACT, then correct your
actions as you go rather than postpone a decision and never
act.

Did you see that? Did you hear what I said?

It is critical to your success and I wish you success always.

Sincerely,
-Gabor

That's it for this week and I leave you with this -

Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the
evening, and sleep at night~ William Blake

America Is Not The Cause Of Your Problems!

2009-05-30T18:31:00.004Z

Get over it.

Normally I stay clear of sex, religion and politics on this blog.
It's for good reason but today I'm breaking that rule.

I've been watching the economic meltdown, as is everybody but
I'm noticing a trend that has me setting up this rant.
Everybody seems to blame the US for their own economic problems
and that's what pisses me off.

Get a damn life! No matter what country we're talking about,
when citizens of the US were buying your cheap ass products, you
didn't have a problem with us.

When your governments wanted to 'borrow' money you knew damned
well you had no way of paying back, and the US ponied-up to help
your ass out your own mess, you didn't have a problem with us.

When your 'wealthy' classes wanted to stop paying taxes in
their home country because they got tired of being 'raped and
pillaged at will', the US was a safe haven and no one had a bad
word to say about it - didn't have a problem with us then
either.

And for my fellow Americans - Stop the effing whining! Times
have been tough in one way or another, for some more than
others, for years. We've always come back and now is no damned
different!

Instead of relying on the government or the military to solve
your problems, get off your ass and solve them yourself! You
made them, so take the consequences of your actions.

Instead of acting 'brain dead stupid' over the latest cell
phone, get off the phone and help clean up your own neighborhood.

Hate the drug dealers and gang-banger-wannabes at your kid's
schools? Get off your lazy ass and support the cops who are
trying to get them off the streets and out of the schools!

Instead of running to the welfare office every generation to ask
for a handout, get off your ass and start digging the ditches
immigrants are working daily to feed their families!

Instead of complaining about businesses closing, which you can't
do a damned thing about - get off your -owe me- ass and create
a business that provides jobs.

Instead of spending your time looking for easy money and lottery
winnings, attend a parent-teacher event at your child's school
so we don't have to wonder why the Spelling Bee has turned into
a Spelling Can't!

Pissed off? Not enough because if you were really pissed off and
tired of the stupidity, you would do something about what you see
happening in your own back yard.

It's easy to point fingers, blame everybody and everything else
for your problems. The hard part it seems is getting your hands
dirty to help be part of the solution.

Should we create more jails isn't the issue. Should we come
together and believe in our country enough to help get back on
our feet is the issue.

Black, white, red, brown, purple or green - we're all in this
together! No one is immune and unless we intend to flap our
arms to leave, this is the battlefield we are on. Right here,
on Earth, right now.

And for those of you not in the US - Clean up your own house
before you give advice on how I need to clean mine!

Remember this - Your enemy today may be your partner tomorrow.
History repeats itself, always have and always will unless we
learn from it.

That's it for this week and I leave you with this -

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of
your own arm.~ Anonymous

Keep Your Email Private & Clean!

2009-05-25T16:18:00.003Z

Quick update.

I've noticed the 'viagra' spammers are trying to cash in on the summer
travelers and that means your inbox is going to get slammed (especially
on Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and the like - which is where these losers
are now hanging out it seems).

Found this service I'm using that appears for now to work in
helping to keep my primary email private and inbox clean.

Give it a shot, and as always - take what you can use and
leave the rest!

My Trashy Mail

Webinar Crusher Is Live!

2009-05-24T18:32:00.004Z

2 Anti-Social Nerds Do 312+ Hours Of Live Webinars

These are the marketing techniques they are currently using in 2009. Not
a 'Tire-Kicker' or 'Freebie' product, so if you're looking for something
for nothing - don't go there!

Only for those serious about making bank from internet marketing!

Direct from the site:

Secret #1

Secret #2

Secret #3

Secret #4

Secret #5

Secret #6

Secret #7

That's it for this week and I leave you with this -

"Faith can move mountains. Doubt can create them."~ Howard Wight

Solo's Plan B - Expect the Unexpected

2009-05-02T02:12:00.005Z

Have you noticed how many people that are left holding a job probably
shouldn't have one?! After finally getting my computer back, I examined the
fiasco that got all this started, and of course it had to do with
my bank.

While attempting to use one of the bank's services, I received
an error message I hadn't seen before related to Java
that ended up being the problem (do not allow that sucker to auto-
update! Especially if you're still on XP3).

Anywho, the bank's IT department tells me "Oh, it must be a virus
on your system because it isn't anything wrong with ours." Really?

I'm not going to get into the muck of Java Runtime, if you're
any kind of tech person, you already know what happened.

Here's how they handled it: If you can't dazzle them with brilliance,
obfuscate with bullshit!

They had no idea what the problem was (instead of checking),
yet assumed everybody was scared of having a virus so that was the
expedient answer.

I hang out with black hatters (yes, those guys and gals) and was 99%
certain it wasn't a virus causing the problem.

Here's why this should bother you: When you choose online banking and there's a problem, can you trust the IT staff or department of your bank to fix it?

Tellers have no clue and those in customer service may have no idea what you're talking about - data which? Ja-what??

As a business person, don't only look to your personal banker as
the reason for choosing your bank. Ask questions about their
online banking capabilities.

Everybody promises security, but what good does online security
do you if the technical end of their service doesn't work?

When was the last time you really looked at the activity on your
bank statement?

Was that really a hacker attempt or did the IT department during one of their improvements screw up and now your banking transactions have become transparent without your knowledge? Might want to check.

I believe in 'full disclosure' and you know by know that I'm up to
naming names when it comes to business stupidity (even my own), so
here's the name of the bank: Sound Community Bank

Can I be sued?! Ask me if I care because as I've been telling you folks for years: I am a close blood relative of Jack!

That's it for today and I leave you with this -

Do what you can do with what you have, until you can get what you need to do what you want to do.

Everybody Is Star Potential

2009-04-17T17:46:00.002Z

Not about business and you may have already seen it, but take this
to heart: It doesn't matter where you are from, how much money you
think you need or even how low your self esteem may be - You Are
A Winner & Success.

Susan Boyle - Thank You!

Happy Easter & Membership Sites Resources

2009-04-13T04:37:00.003Z

Thought I'd stop in this week and do a post (my birthday week is not the best time for me to write anything - I'm having a Mai Tai Overload!)

Anywho, found this blog Easy Membership Sites that can help those of you still not using Wordpress or who (like me) don't find it as 'easy' as everyone claims.

Speaking of membership sites, I have 2 membership site projects
waiting for my return, thought this would be a good time to encourage
you to at least consider it.

We're not all expert copy writers, guru product launch folks and simply
want to get something going to pay the bills. A membership site,
even a tiny $10 a month site that's autoresponder based can go a long
way in keeping that feeling of 'hungry wolf sitting at the kitchen
table waiting for dinner' away.

You may remember some time back my talking about joining the Rhodes
Brothers membership. Well here's the video that inspired me to
get started with membership site projects, Simple Business Model.

Before you get overwhelmed and think membership sites are
entirely too much work, watch the video. This one does work and I'm
seeing more of them come online daily.

Gotta run but watch a couple of the videos, signup if learning to
put together a membership site is on your list.

That's it for today and yes, I'll leave you with this:

It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating~ Oscar Wilde

Fake Working or Networking?

2009-04-01T18:02:00.011Z

Some of you will remember how much I like Seth Godin, well
Mike Fortin is coming up fast too!

On his blog today he did a post about using Twitter, and it's something that has seemed a bit 'worthless' to me in using social media. And that's 'following' any and everybody that sends you a Tweet.

Seriously, how many of these people can you really say bring you money
in fist business from all the following?

If you are lonely, go by a dog or get a job but following everybody simply because you think you have some kind of instant connection friendship is being an idiot!

3,000 friends? Really. And exactly how many of these friends do you know anything about? Can you ask them to mentor you in an area of your business that has you stuck. Do they offer friendly tech help when your website or blog looks like crap, for free?!

I joined LinkedIn, Merchant Circle, Twitter (one post to date), and other trangeness that came along when 'social networking' became the 'Hot-Now' thing to do.

Using them to get traffic to your sites, connecting with other professionals
who may help your career or refer your business - yes.

But relying solely on any of them to build your business is a big mistake, my
opinion like it or not.

The only way I know anything about you is a 140 character 'this is my day' piece of crap with a url (that I have no idea where it goes) does not build confidence.

Let's see, maybe all those 'friends' are salvageable. What if you spend a little coin this year and actually go to one of those seminars or workshops the 'guru you love to hate' promotes? Maybe that nameless Twitter Tweet might actually be a real person.

Or maybe on LinkedIn's next Meet-Up in your city, contact the coordinator and
go mingle. If this seems to be too much trouble or you are still looking for
'free-cheap-eats', then Tweet On!

That way, when you're still stuck at your 'Day Job' this time next year (if you
still have one), you can always tell your co-workers about what a scam internet businesses are. They'll sympathize with you. Afterall, they're your friends.

Ooooh, blasphemy!: Go Outside the internet - circle jerk - world?! Yes, in the world where flesh and blood people have coffee at Starbucks, chat about their upcoming projects or share information about what's going on in the world.

How can I suggest such a thing? Because not everyone wants to be a voyeur into the Jerry Springer minutiae of other people's lives nor want thousands of fake friends involved in theirs. Surprise,surprise.

So are you maximizing the networking capabilities of Twitter, Linkedin or any of the other hundreds out there? Or are you simply playing follow-the-leader (which means your view doesn't change, you're still looking up the caboose of the train) with garbage that wastes everyone's time.

Until next time: Don't Be An Idiot!

Hosting With A Personal Touch

2009-03-23T00:48:00.002Z

I'd been looking for a new hosting account that would allow me to
host my reports and affiliate minisites for over a month.

What I didn't need was a lot of bells and whistles, because from
looking at my site reports, Google likes my static little pages (they
aren't one page sites, most have at least 5 articles on them).

Personally page rank falls short when it comes to profits, when you
are in business you have to know your priorities! Anyway, I found
this one hosting account that works for 'non-technical, can't be
bothered with junk I will never use' me.

With 3000gb transfer rate and the ability to host 6 top-level domain names on one account, it was right up my alley.

Sure, you'll read about reseller accounts and all that but until I
see where it's worth all the hassle for me to manage on my own, I
nixed that idea.

I'm no expert in Cpanel, but I know Cpanel has a site with tutorials
that walked me through getting done what I needed to do. Works for
me!

Of course I made a couple silly mistakes with my domain name, but and this is the important part:

Tech support was in action on my email faster than 24 hours,
which in the Web2.0 - We Hate Newbies world of the internet, is something to be appreciated.

You can also use Paypal (which was a must for me). Another nice option when I could pay because money management is critical to a micro entrepreneur like me.

Arvixe offers: Monthly, every 6 months, by the year or you can pay for 2 years at a time.

The Solo Gazette Is No More - Sorta!

2009-03-17T10:12:00.005Z

I've been going over this blog again and have decided to eliminate
how it's being done. For the past 3 years or so, I've been
attempting to tell people how to operate a micro business.

From time to time I'd add some resources for you to check, give you a
few 'real world of business ownership' articles to think about and
my hope was that the 95% failure rate would go down by at least one
person.

What happened was it increased by one person - Me! This blog has not earned me a penny and yes, I know it's been because I refused to follow the crowd. It's something about "if you're not the lead dog, you're left looking up someone's ass" that made me decide to not follow everyone else.

That was the wrong way to look at it, I must admit. See, I'm not a joiner, don't want a list of people following me on Twitter
nor do I want to keep giving away information no one cares to know - screw that!

I'm in business to make money in the most ethical and legal way
possible for me, pure and simple. This blog hasn't produced any.
It's been fun to write about BOA's brain dead employees, my absolute
failure with Wordpress and share some of the people who are doing
business the way that follows my idea of
good business.

This blog was supposed to be for those who had never
owned a business and coming from an accountant's view, there were a
whole lot of you out there really screwing up. But you know what I've come to
realize, you like screwing up and complaining about the money you
lost.

Sure Frank Kern, Russell Brunson and Ewen Chia figured this stuff out in their teens and twenties, it took me a bit longer to get it: Out of 100 people who buy something from you, maybe 5 will ever do anything with it.

Ok. Georjina Sinese can either continue to be the Mother Theresa of
the freebie crowd (her ass will starve doing it) or she can Cowboy TFU like everybody else and do it to make money!

Here's how The Solo Gazette will play out from this day forward: Highlight the affiliate programs I promote and keep track of the projects I'm working on.

The projects in motion for this week and my affiliate links (yes, I'm using TinyUrl and if you don't like it take your sorry ass elsewhere):

Email ROI Calculator - Palo Alto Software.

Conversion Rate Calculator - Palo Alto Software.

Pure Play Redirects

Salehoo Wholesale Shippers Guide.

Fat Burning Furnace - Weight Loss Without Pills or Potions

Mini Affiliate Sites To Go Live March 20, 2009

World Wide Brands - Wholesale Dropship Resource

Meal Plans 101 - Easiest Dieter's Meal Planning Software Ever (personal opinion only).

From here on those of you still looking for free information or have nothing better to do, you'll be disappointed.

The worst time wasters are those who aren’t going anywhere and want company ~ Brian Tracy