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Am I the only one that noticed a brand new thing in my mailbox today?  An Aweber price increase. Now $10 per 10k leads. Not a big deal for the smaller players and lists, but a BIG deal to me.  As you all know, I use www.ShoppingCartCrazy.com, my all is one (branded) version of the big player 1SC. I make no bones about telling you its single, ONE, greatest shortcoming. Email deliverability!

Thus, when I enter a niche, I have, on occasion, used Aweber to offer greater email deliverability. It’s not easy! Whenever you have multiple tools to do various things, it’s simply beyond the scope of the Basement Empires I create.  However, I’ve done it. Now, I really regret it. I mean, it’s easy to see how my secondary AR service will cost MORE monthly than my integrated shopping cart, in short order! The one benefit of Aweber beyond deliverability (and a few small things, like hover ads/lightboxes) was the fact that it was 19.95 regardless of number of leads. Wow - big change! Heads up y’all.

What does this do? Reinforce my reliance on (and unseperable partnership with) www.ShoppingCartCrazy.com (for good and for bad).  Simple the best integrated solution out there for beginners and intermediates (and for people now, whom like me, are too large to change).

Choosing the right tools to build your business on is quite possibly on of the single greatest indications of your long term success (at least in the top 10)! Tools, Tools, Tools.

Anyway, on to more news! Yaro is realeasing his Blogging program and in so doing has released a couple of videos that are pretty good. As you know, I have little space for people whom earn big money, and produce shoddy video, but we’ll give him a break, since he’s running his own Basement Empire too.

This is the second video, and it’s interesting!  I’m starting to warm up to this. Go ahead, take a looksie for yourself and see what Yaro Starak (that name - killer…) is up to. I’m changing my name to Bailo Lightfoot (no I don’t know what that means, I just want a cooler name).

Of course, the blog, Entrepreneur’s Journey, is a raving success too (for those people whom can actually spell Entrepeneur).  Lucky he’s in Australia!

To your blistering, crazy, Immutable success!

MC

I know, I know. Follow your own advice dammit!  No review copy, no testimonial, no promotion. That’s right, I haven’t seen this.  I have not reviewed it. There’s the disclaimer.

However, I am going to get it. That’s right I am going to get it. Likely, I’ll be first in line. And in so doing, I thought I’d let ya’ know, and if you want to get it too, you can join me.

It’s on sale tomorrow, and I’m sure it will bring down the internet, freeze the servers, and melt the polar ice caps.  I’ll be first in line though - let me know what ya’ think of the Traffic Secrets!

So, a few questions arose about why partners are so important, and why having competition is such a good thing. I can see how that might not be readily apparent, and contra to what others may tell you. So, I’m gonna chalk it down to a list of three big reasons:

1) No competitors means… Likely, there’s not much there (in terms of people, or business). In this day and age, eight years or more after the proverbial internet gold rush, and many years since every niche has been filled and gutted (although micro niches still exist) , if you find something with NO people in it, you better be a little nervous. There’s more work ahead of you… why? Read on..

2) Good Competitors grow your market! If it’s only you… well then, you have to do it yourself don’t you? A few good competitors in your market, especially those smart enough to focus on not simply servicing a niche, but growing it, and there’s more "pie" for everyone. Good thing eh? But the biggest reason by far is the JV!

3) there is NO faster way to grow, there is no faster way to start from scratch, there is no faster way to jumpstart sales, have huge launches, reach thousands of people (and yes, make oodles of money), than partnering iwth others in your niche (or in adjacent niches). For this to happen, you need people in your niche. SMART people, doing GOOD business, ideally, for the right reasons (although, that’s a hard one to find - morals and ethics are saved for a different discussion). Competition benefits everyone!  More email lists, more websites, more visibility, more ability to create win-win situations (my absolutely favority business model).

A niche without good people, doing good business, is a niche you have to think about carefully. Are you up to the challenge of building it entirely yourself? It’s harder, and less effective, but the spoils can (of course) be greater.

Just a quick explanation to people’s questions!

Well, I am in three big niches, but the only one to really talk about today is Dance. The others are not widely known, or public, so people can’t readily discover them, but in dance, and salsa dance in particular, I’ve clearly made my participation in the niche known.

In fact, I dominate it.  Dominate is a big word, I know, but … it fits. In every metric that matters, I absolutely crush everyone around me.  I would say… I’m likley 10x larger than my nearest competitor, That’s a big discrepancy. You’d think I’d be happy about that wouldn’t you? Guess what! I’m not. I have very few whom I can actually partner with. 

It’s not even that hard for me to dominate. I should have to work harder to do what I do. I am willing to work harder to do it. Hell, I even want to work harder to do it. But in this niche, it’s doubtful that I’ll have to - for many reasons. If I had competitors, on any level, I’d have partners. I don’t actually believe in competition as a bad thing. Sure, I suppose it’s not great to lose a competition, but in my heart of hearts, I am simply not a competitive person. I like to win, sure, but I don’t seek out competition for the sake of it. I seek out…partners!  I want partners. I want people in my niche that I can work with. I want people that want to make a difference.

First, as in all my niches, people seem to have no grasp of exactly how big we are, what we do, and how we do it, and they simply aren’t inquisitive enough to ask.  I can’t even remember the last time we were approached for any kind of partnership or deal. That’s both a good and bad thing from a business perspective. I’ve been able to be the major and completely dominant player in one of my niches (and a major player in the other two), without anyone actually knowing about it. Isn’t that incredible? If you don’t know why that’s important, that’s ok, we’ll get into that later, but regardless, isn’t it interesting that people don’t know who I am, nor what I do, nor try to reverse engineer my business?  I mean… this is big business, you think people would try to do that huh? You think they’d simply want to partner with it, be part of it, come along for the ride… but no. Nothing!

Once again, I’m not saying this to gloat. Once again, quite the opposite. I’ve often been bummed and dissapointed at the lack of professionalism in this specific market, and the typical artistic disdain for all things "business".  It’s ironic that all too often, that disdain, turns into shoddy products, and ripping off their own customers. I’ve often yearned (yes, yearned) for other people whom might raise the bar, whom I might work with, whom were similarly motivated to do great things.

It’s hard to find people passionate about things. Really, anything! Passion is hard to find. Passion with a desire for business is a harder thing to find. And passion in business that is not motivated out of greed, or the singular desire to make money, is damn nigh impossible. Unfortunately, I fall into that group. Sure, I’m motivated by money, but I’m far more motivated by a desire to reach people, to improve lives, to actually leave a positive mark on society and people’s day to day existence. Perhaps that’s why I can still do what I do…

Yes, every now and then people popped up. There was even one Yanik Silver follower whom did some really great things, and whom I admired and helped me up-my-game. However, he’s long since left the niche. Moved on to greener pastures? Perhaps. However, one or two people out of hundreds, if not thousands, of people that are in the niche? That’s a small percentage is it not?

And guess what? It applies to other niches as well.  Yep! It’s both part of my success and a reason for my personal failure, that I haven’t created more competition for myself, started more people on the road to success, created competitors so that I might partner with them.If you’ve read the MarketingCrazy into, you hear me briefly touch on it. It’s part of the reasons I am entering my new niche - the marketing niche, and the business building niche. See, I can even publicly state my next niche, I am certain in my ability to be a major player. However, whether that translates into a known player, or simply a powerful one, remains to be seen.

Am I crazy? Will I be a victim of my own success? Will I create a young apprentice who’ll then rise up and take me down (ok, too many Star Wars episodes).

Why Do I dominate my Niche(s): Because no one else cares to, and those that might, either do not have the skills they need, or do not have the correct motivations to last.  I’m going to fix that shortly … or at least give people the ability to fix it themselves. My question is - how many will rise to the challenge, even when it’s handed to them?

Why Do I have no Real Competition: In business, especially small, niche based business, you better be fast, agile, and belive in partnerships. That’s the way to growth. I am a big believer in the JV. In my other niches, it is the prime reason for my greatest successes. In the dance niche, it barely exists (affiliates obviously not included).

Actually, it was closer to 8k dollars, but the interesting part of the story is not that I made that much money in a day. It’s not that I was going to the movies in the middle of the afternoon (Hancock, not that great). It’s not even that I woke up at 11am, made myself a hot Coffee Press coffee, and didn’t even turn on my computer before heading off to the movies…

So, what is the interesting part?  It’s simply that, until looking at my blackberry, I had no idea (nor, crazy enough, really cared too much) about how much money I had made that day. I admit, when I looked at my phone, and saw the dollar number, I did do a double take.  That’s a nice day’s work for anyone right? Even more impressive in that I hadn’t actually done any work that day.

I was happy! But the interesting part is that my business runs in such a way that, regardless of my individually daily plans, and regardless of how I choose to spend my freedom and free time, I am always making money.

I remember the days where I would actually sit glued to my computer for every sale. I would be ecstatic over every single one. $10 a day was great, then $100 a day, then $1000 a day. After a while (ok, it did take me a few years), you eventually get over it. You simply don’t check every day. It takes greater and greater amounts to even make you interested.  Don’t worry, we’ll get you there eventually … If you want.

Because the point of this email is not what you think. It’s not me gloating over a good day and it’s not me telling you about the freedom this kind fo life provides, it’s actually quite the opposite. As I went to this movie downtown, as I enjoyed my lunch outside, I saw the enormous number of workers. Office workers. They are everywhere. They get a paycheck every week, and they don’t need to worry about their jobs from month to month. I’m fairly certain I could have offered this lifestyle to each and every one, and actually had the knowledge to give to them to make it happen, and yet I couldn’t get over the fact that likely only a fraction would even want it.

They might not believe me. They might not believe they could actually do it. They might have excuses or ideas of why it wouldn’t work for them.

Even more than that, conventional society, and those that work within it, don’t ever have to worry about what they’re going to do everyday. They’ll be at work right? So easy. All the days of their week are spoken for. All their hours are determined. They have their free time after work right? It makes life… structured!  Structure …

Some people need this structure. They simply can’t, or don’t know how, to live without it. I find it excpetionally interesting. As you’ll hear me say shortly, I think that everyone can do what I do. I believe that everyone can turn their passions into businesses, if they are shown how, As i’ve told you before, I’m going to show you just that.

However, just because I believe that people can do it, doesn’t mean I think they will, or that everyone will even try. In fact, I think only a small portion of the people around me, and the people that I reach, will even try to create a business online. I think those that try, and those that follow in my footsteps, are in for an amazing life, and a thoroughly rewarding experience, beyond anything they can possibly conceive, especially from the vantage points of their 9-5 jobs.

So, it’ seems only right that on July 4th, we should talk of freedom. Because one thing you find in the MarketingCrazy lifestyle is freedom. What you’ll find is freedom … freedom of your time, freedom of your money, freedom in every way imaginable.

However, with freedom, comes greater responsibility, and that’s what people rarely see, or even want to talk about. 

Yes, I’ll teach you how to build a business online.Yes, you’ll likely find freedom, in many, many ways. Yes, it’s great to have ten dollar days that turn into hundred dollar days, that turn into thousand dollar (or 10k, 20k or more dollar) days…

It’s also extremely difficult to keep focus, to plan your days, to manage your time, to find your passions and keep them strong, to be disciplined, to manage your money, to be solely responsible for your business and your finances…

All those things that convential "jobs" do for you will be gone. What’s left is your time, your family, your days, your passions, and your freedom. So what’s so hard about it? Well, I hope one day to discuss it with you. I couldn’t imagine that I’d be in the position I am today, as I left my last 7 day a week, 24 hour a day, corporate job - but here I am, living a life that’s in many ways unimaginable, and all I can say is … why wouldn’t everyone want this?

Yet many don’t. They simply don’t, regardless of the reason. So I ask you, do you?

We’ll take it one step at a time, let’s get you that business first…Let’s prove to you that yes, you can actually do this too.

Happy July 4th! Enjoy your free time…