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BLUEPRINT 3 rd E ditio n
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C R E AT I V E D I R E CT I O N & L AYO U T BY L E R OY F O R D
Online Business Blueprint 2 www.LeroyFord.com
FROM THE DESK OF LEROY FORD
Starting an online business is soul enriching endenvour, it enpowers you to live your dreams and
follow your true passions, and with almost no overheads and very little training to get started.
All you need is an internet connection and some basic computer skills. This basic check-list below
will tell you if you can start your own online business and start making money quickly.
If you have answered yes to the questions above then there’s nothing stopping you from starting
an online business, and earn income doing what you love, This Blueprint Will Show You How!
DOWNLOAD
FREE
PREVIEW!
LEROY FORD.COM
7-Time Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur
Author, 7 Pillars Of A World Class Life
Creator, Passion To Profits 7-Step System
Founder, Success Mentors Academy™
P.S. If you want to achieve success, then you must decide you’re going
to be a success no matter what it takes. Without once doubting yourself,
you must believe deeply in your heart that you can achieve success.
163 PROMOTE
047 PSYCHE Generating High-Value Content
Developing Entrepreneurs Mindset Social Media Marketing
Understanding Your Belief System 7 Sources Of Free Traffic
6 Steps To Manifesting The Big 5 Traffic & List Builders
How To Start With No Money List Building & Email Marketing
The Iceberg Illusion The Money’s In The List
Rising Above The Fear 10 List Building Mistakes
Moving The Target Closer Sales Funnel & Landing Pages
LET ’S CONNECT
$90 Billion
WA S S P E N T O N
ONLINE
LEARNING
LAST YEAR
(And How To Get Your Share!)
While the world gets more digitized, passionate, perseverant and hardworking to earn
the number of Internet users keeps on growing multiple income streams from the comfort of
daily. Back in 1995, less than 1% of the World’s their homes. If you were born in this 21st century,
population was connected to the Web, today we then you are amongst the lucky set of humanity
have 40%. That is your opportunity, to grab a that has several options of achieving financial
slice of a $51 Billion industry. But are you up to freedom, without working your life away.
building a profitable online business and scaling it When you own an online business, you can
to an online empire?. Well I’m here to assist you. work from anywhere, set your own hours and
Since the advent of the online business, it is make a living. One of the attractions of starting
now much easier for entrepreneurs who are an online business is the extremely low startup
costs—making it perfect for newbies to get
started without quitting they’re jobs. You can
One of the attractions identify a niche based around your passion,
of starting an online create a product, and simply offer it to the world.
But, there are key aspects to running an online
business is the extremely business that would-be entrepreneurs duly need
low startup costs to learn... Let the journey begin!
64%
Of People Use Their Mobile
Devices To Buy Online 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Opportunity
WORKER BUSINESS
You make the least OWNER
money and have little
very time freedom. You make a considerable
YOU have a job with amount of money as
an average salary. If you have built systems
this is you right now and developed a team. YOU own a system, that
and you plan to be financially free you need to is able to generate multiple income streams.
attend my Free Online Training Webinar. By attending my Free Training you’ll have the
courage and tools to take a business into a higher
EMPLOYED INVESTOR
You make more money
but have almost no You make the most
time freedom as you money with the least on-
only make money going physical effort. You
when you are working. are often also a business
YOU own a Job. By owner and have learnt to leverage time & money
attending one of my by making their money work for you. During my
Free Online Training Free Online Training Webinar you’ll discover
Webinar, you’ll learn the strategies to be able to how to generate passive income and build an
move up to the next level, which is... asset base to leverage off for years to come.
Today there are many The Internet has been used by academia
since the 1980’s, but in the last fifteen years it
successful internet has become what we know today. Today, 2.5
billion people log onto the Internet every day,
entrepreneurs who and it’s estimated that the number will double in
REASON #1
FIND THE ULTIMATE
JOB SECURITY REASON #2
Ask a handful of people what they think about WORK ON
the idea of pursuing Internet business, and you
should hear at least one person respond with,
PROJECTS YOU’RE
“It’s too risky!” I have to disagree. When you learn PASSIONATE
how to do business online, you’re actually training ABOUT
yourself to create ultimate job security. If you
learn how to sell products online, chances are As someone else’s employee, you aren’t working
you’ll be able to repeat this process – even if your on the projects you’re passionate about – you’re
original idea doesn’t pan out. completing tasks in order to increase somebody
The same goes for finding freelance service else’s bottom line. And while this arrangement
clients, sending traffic to ad-based sites and works for some people, most chronic employees
successfully re-launching every other Internet don’t know what they’re missing when they trade
business model out there. Now, contrast the the passion of working for yourself on projects you
ability to generate income online over and over care about for the “security” of the daily grind.
again with a steady day job held at a single If you aren’t personally satisfied by your
employer. Considering how many companies go current day job, you owe it to yourself to at least
under these days, putting all your eggs in that investigate the potential fulfillment that comes
single basket ultimately sounds much riskier to from running your own online passion centric
me than learning how to make money online! enterprise.
CARE EXPENSES when the weather’s nice or start your day at noon
because you aren’t a morning person.
With childcare costs rising steadily and often Running an online business gives you the
topping thousands of dollars a month for the full- flexibility to set your own working arrangements
time care of infants and toddlers, y ou may find based on your particular needs. It allows you to
that running an Internet business allows you to travel more (as most Internet businesses can be
both cut your costs substantially and spend more operated from anywhere in the world), to work
time at home with your children. For most dual- when you’re most productive and to pursue the
income families working today, that’s a pretty big hobbies and interests you care about alongside
win-win! your business pursuits.
1
CONSIDER
A BUSINESS
“Passion Is What Keeps You Going When The Going Gets Tough.”
– Warren Buffett
It’s quite good to go into a business that shows
high potential but it’s more advisable to go into
a business you are passionate about.
One of the reasons most people jump from one
business opportunity to another is because they
aren’t following their passion. Take a look at the
biggest and best businesses in the world; from
COMMITTED TOO ideas that you are willing to learn and stick to.
Success is not an overnight adventure; it’s the
TO LEARN & MASTER result of continuous effort.
BUSINESS IDEA you money and can run with minimal effort on
your part. I am talking about businesses that once
INCOME
profits, you have to increase your work time or
hire more helping hands.
PASSION, KNOWLEDGE
OR EXPERTISE
TO
INTO YOUR DREAM
ONLINE BUSINESS PROFITS
ONLINE BUSINESS
FREE 90-MIN
L FI VREE EW9E0B- IMNIANR 7-STEP SYSTEM
L I V E TO
CLICK W EREGISTER
BINAR
$
Core
Components
4 STAGE FRAMEWORK
FOR ONLINE BUSINESS
7-STEP SYSTEM
FOR ONLINE BUSINESS
Define It
I D E N T I F Y I N G Your Passion Niche And Area Of Expertise, Based On Your
1 Core Skills An Strengths. And Aquire The Entreprenurial Mindset For Success.
Design It
F O R M U L AT I N G Your Plan, Long-Range Goals, and Market Research For
2 Your Brand And It’s Financial Objecrtives, And Scaling Your Online Business.
Develop It
B U I L D I N G Your Platform, Brand And Flagship Website, Establishing And
3 Growing Your Community, and Finding Mentors For Your Long-Term Growth.
Deploy It
D E L I V E R I N G High Value Content, Creating Products & Programs, And
4 Utilizing Essential List Building & Marketing Strategies For Traffic Generation.
PASSION - STEP 1
Identifying Your Passion & Big Idea Based On Your Knowledge & Expertise
PSYCHE - STEP 2
Removing Any Negative Blocks & Acquiring The Entrepreneurial Mindset
PL ANNING - STEP 3
Identifying Your Target Audience & Niche & Outlining Long-Range Goals & Vision
PERFORM - STEP 4
Building A Flagship Website & Brand & Positioning Yourself As A ‘Go-To’’ Expert
PROMOTE - STEP 5
Traffic Generation & Social Media, Sales Funnels & Email List Building
PRODUCTS - STEP 6
Creating Digital Info Products That Solve Problems For Your Audience
PROFITS - STEP 7
- LEROY FORD
Define It
Design It
Develop It
Deploy It
Online Business Blueprint 29 www.LeroyFord.com
ST EP 1
PA S S I O N
I D E N T I F Y I N G YO U R PA S S I O N
& BIG IDEA BASED ON YOUR
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERTISE
FINDING
YOUR
Passion
There is nothing on this Welcome to the first step to starting an online
business. PASSION. And you might do well ask
as living a life based on Well as the great Friedrich Hegel once said,
“Nothing Great In The World Was Ever
Investigating
your passions will reveal what’s effortless for
you. And if you could make money doing it,
you’d surely make it your life’s work. In most
cases, your core genius is directly tied to your
passions and life-purpose. For me, one of my
passions lies in the areas of teaching, training,
coaching, and inspiring. I schedule my time
around these activities, since they’re the things
I absolutely love, and the things that don’t feel
like “work” to me.
I say wake up early in the morning and chase YOU NEED TO IDENTIFY
your dream. Wake up and live for something, go YOUR PASSION NICHE
after something with all your heart, I’m telling
you, that is the true measure of success. It’s true that many people don’t know what they
So if your goal is to have a profitable online are passionate about. It’s simply because they
business, then your first step in that direction is have never sat down and concentrated on writing
to acquire customers, and in the online business down their passions. For starters we need to
world we call that “a list”. A list of loyal fans and understand what passion is. Passion is what drives
followers of ours, that over time have come to us. What interests us so intensely that we could
trust us because of the amount of free value/ spend copious amounts of time doing it and
content we provide. And the best way to provide never grow tired of it?. People who are following
free value/content is with a blog. But then you their passions in their life love getting up in the
may ask, “but what do I write about??” morning. They love their work. With passion often
What ever it is your passionate about, cake comes ambition. Following your passion can be a
baking, fashion, gaming, architecture, chess, list is tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is
endless (pun intended!). can be even more elusive.
I’m Lucky
I found my passion, and I’m living
it. I can testify that it’s the most
wonderful thing, to be able to
make a living doing what you
love, and to get up each day
PASSION IS WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING
with a purpose and a goal.
And so, in this first section,
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH.”
I’d like to help you get started -- WA R R E N B U F F E T T
figuring out what it is you love
doing, and how you can monetize and turn it to my top three major passions, which when
into more than just a hobby. This turns out to narrowed down were, Spirituality & metaphysics,
be one of the most common problems of many secondly was Health & Fitness, and Thirdly,
of my readers and clients. Finding the thing that Entrepreneurship & Personal development.
get’s you motivated enough to jump out of bed To which I created two separate businesses based
in the morning and cry out, ‘I’m alive!! on the last two.
Many people want to start an online business, To keep this guide simple and concise I won’t
but they just can’t decide what to base it on. I go into the ‘Passion Finder Process’ now, however
was in that camp. I just had so many interests, you can learn this simple process in my FREE
and there are so many possible topics to focus training series, available soon at LeroyFord.com,
on that it would be paralyzing picking one topic. so make sure you subscribe to my mailing list to
So I created a simple formula for identifying get the free training!
and narrowing down your passions, called the There may be a rare person who knows exactly
‘Passion Finder Process’ . (The first step of my what their focus will be from the get go, but for
Passion To Profits 7-Step System). After going the rest of us out there, it can be a tough thing
through the 30 min process, I’d narrowed down to figure out, so here are 3 simple ways to find
dozens of topics I was interested in, down your true passions.
L E R O Y F O R D
PASSION PROFIT
FINDER
A PROFITABLE NICHE SIT S
AT THE INTERSECTION
PROFICIENCY OF YOUR PASSION,
EXPERTISE &
Your skilled at it THE MARKET
DEMAND
PROBLEM PROFIT
the World you get paid
needs it for it
PASSION
you love it
Man Is
Only Great
When He
Acts From
Passion
For today’s aspiring entrepreneur, exploring
avenues of creativity to find your passion is likely
Disraeli, with the fact that the most people never have
careers that engage their passions—and maybe
that’s okay. After all, I could still have passions
3
WAYS
TO FIND
YOUR
Passion
1. REVISIT YOUR enjoy that activity now? For example, Frank Lloyd
Our passions are often irrational and war with Anything “light you up” so to speak? Do
logic and reason. That’s why it’s important to shift you feel a sense of expansion in your body?
your attention into your heart and your physical
body when exploring these questions. Do you feel excitement (or perhaps even
Your heart and physical body contain wisdom a little fear) when you imagine a certain topic
far beyond the capacity of your mind. or possibility? Those are all good signs.
3. WHAT
DO YOU
LOVE
TO TALK
ABOUT?
LEARN
ABOUT OR
TEACH TO
OTHERS
This is a really useful
question. Don’t edit
yourself here. With
nearly 7 billion people
on the planet, chances
are that there’s a market out there hungry
for information, products or resources on DON’T WORRY ABOUT
your topic. Or there’s a company looking for
someone with your unique set of gifts and WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS.
interests to join their team. ASK WHAT MAKES YOU
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas,
ask close friends and family (the honest ones) COME ALIVE AND DO THAT,
what you never seem to shut up about.
BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD
Also, don’t underestimate the power of
incorporating your passion into your already NEEDS IS PEOPLE WHO
existing career or business.
You may not need a total overhaul in what
HAVE COME ALIVE.
you’re doing. Maybe you simply need to inject --------
more of what you LOVE into your life right now. H O WA R D T H U R M A N
T H R I LL
TEST
YOUR TRUE
PASSION AND
AN IDEAL
TOPIC NICHE THEME
PASSION FINDER
COMPASS
This Method Will Help You Quickly Identify
Your Major Passions & Hobbies & Enable You
To Choose Which One To Focus On.
T H R I LL
Like Your In Living
Your Element?
What Do You
Find Easy?
Look at your
Life, Books
Magazines,
Movies, Music
Collection,
& Credit Card
Statements.
Notice Any
Themes? THEME
Write Down Five Things
What
Could You
Explore As
A Voluteer
And Practice TEST
In Your
Community?
PSYCHE
R E M OV I N G A N Y N E G AT I V E B LO C K S
& ACQUIRING THE
ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
DEVELOPING
YOUR
Entrepreneurial
MINDSET
Most business owners I know are like me. possibly an office. They begin marketing their
They love what they do. That’s one of the main services and after a while they have some
reasons many of us chose to go out on our own. customers. After a while, they find themselves
We also like the flexibility, the opportunity to working too many hours, constantly trying to fill
mskr sn impact on the world, and help people by the pipeline with new prospects, and sometimes
solving their unique business problems. wondering if they’ve bought themselves a
Business owners fall into two categories: glorified j-o-b. They can’t take too much time off
SELF-EMPLOYED and ENTREPRENEUR. because without them there is no business or
Many home based businesses, consultants,
The self employed are those who have a talent coaches, and service providers end up on
or skill and they know there are people willing this treadmill. We’re talking about talented
to pay them for their time, product or service. professionals, people who, like you, work hard
So they employ themselves rather than work for and deserve success! Unfortunately, a majority
someone else. They get business cards, stationary, of business owners fall into this category.
ALL IT REQUIRES
IS FOR YOU
TO BE WILLING
TO E M B R AC E
FA I L U R E & L E A R N
AS YOU GO
WHY YOUR
BEL IE F
SYST EM
MAY BE
HOLDING
YOU BACK
You may be asking, “Come on, Leroy, do my 1. PARENTS AND FAMILY
beliefs really have that much power over my
success?” I would respond emphatically, “Yes!” Remember the countless times as a child you
Your beliefs ARE the driving force behind your heard: “You’re gonna fall!” “You’ll put your eye
success. Beliefs send powerful messages to your out.” “Slow down!” ”I told you you’d get hurt!”
brain that affect your actions (and their outcome) I know parents need to guide their children away
in either a positive or negative way. Your beliefs from danger. But, most parents overemphasize
will cause you to do one of two things: safety and demonize risk-taking by too often
BE FEARFUL AND RETREAT inflicting the message of their own fears.
OR BE EMPOWERED AND ACT Wouldn’t it be great if parents warned kids of
Your belief system was ‘taught” to you by society, the danger by saying: “Be safe.” “You’ll be fine.”
peers, family, life experiences, and many other “Be alert!” ”Notice things.” These statements
smaller influences. Just think back to what your help build a positive, empowering belief system
family said repeatedly concerning success, and about life and in children’s capability to handle
you’ll find the beginning of many of your beliefs. whatever comes their way.
NO AMOUNT OF POSITIVE
THINKING WILL HELP YOU
C R E AT E A N D AT TA I N
SUCCESS.
6Steps
To
MANIFESTING
1. VISION 4. INTENT
Visualize your goals already manifested. You must have the intetnion to
manifest your desire.
2. DESIRE
Be intensely excited about what 5. ACTION
you’re visualizing. Act and behave like your desire has
already manifested.
3. BELIEF
Believe what you desire is possible 6. ALLOWANCE
to manifest and accept your ability Detach from the outcome, without any
to manifest. expectation that it will manifest.
HOW TO
S TA R T
AN ONLINE
BUSINESS
o n e y !
h N o M
W i t
In short, it’s a a very worthwhile goal.
Starting an online business There’s some misconceptions that starting an
person who’s ever been found that none of these are true. I’ve done it,
and so have many other successful entrepreneurs.
stuck in a 9-5 job and What matters more than having a lot of money
when you start out is having a lot of ingenuity,
wants out of the daily grind, passion and drive. It also comes down to the
strength of the product or service that you’re
of answering to a boss, offering customers, plus the savvy with which you
market your product or service!
It represents freedom, Starting a business with virtually no money is an
uphill climb, but so is simply starting a business
leadership, ingenuity under any condition. In the end, it all comes
down to how much you really want it. With that
and determination. in mind, here’s some helpful tips to get started.
1. GET IN
THE RIGHT
MINDSET
A major step to starting an online
business is to get in the right frame of
mind and getting in the right mindset
begins with you determining why you
want to start an internet business?
This is a question you must answer
before even drawing up a plan for your
proposed online business.
The reason you must ask yourself this
question is because most people start
an internet business solely with the aim
of getting rich. Just like the California
gold rush, people are rushing online to
start a business with the hope of striking it rich. This is why i emphasize you be in the right
Everyday I see ads screaming “Make $10,000 in mind frame before starting any business, whether
24 hours.” The truth is that making $10,000 in online or offline. The honest truth is that you
24 hours on the internet is highly possible but it can never build a successful internet business
won’t happen overnight. You need to first build overnight because building an internet business
the system that will generate such profit and requires a process.
building such a business system takes years. Just like every other business, you must pass
through the same entrepreneurial process;
regardless of the nature of the business you are
Just like every other building, or the industry you are operating in.
2. INCREASE
KNOWLEDGE
BASE
The next step to starting an
internet business is to increase
your knowledge base. Starting an
internet business might require
you learn new skills, new words
and new mode of operation.
My first internet business failed,
simply because i lacked the
technical know how to get things done and Now for those aspiring to start an online
resolve arising problems. I also lost some money business, I want you to know that running an
on some other online investment opportunities internet business entails you will be operating on
i ventured into. The investment opportunities a faster medium, where customer service, service
was not the problem. The major problem was delivery and transactions happen in split seconds
that i never knew what i was doing, so i couldn’t or minutes; so you need to be prepared for the
tell the difference between a sound investment speed. Also, the kind of business you want to
company and a scam. This is why it is very start online, your business model or industry you
important you gather adequate information will be operating in will determine the type of
about your proposed business idea and the specialize knowledge you will acquire.
industry you will be operating in. If you want to run an online business, you will
need knowledge of its modus operandi because
The knowledge the knowledge required to start a blog differs
from the knowledge required to start an online
required to start a business, or an affiliate site. So you need to decide
blog differs from that on the type of internet business you want to
start and get to work learning about its essential
of an online business. intricacies and its operational requirements.
3. THINK OF
A GREAT
IDEA
All successful online businesses
begin with a great idea because
you have to figure out if there’s
a market and demand for the
product or service that you want
to sell. When people realize that
your product or service alleviates
their pain point or problem,
they’ll flock to your brand in
droves, but before that happens,
a remarkable idea has to be born. to people’s food sensitivities,
Take some inspiration from special diets and all-around
famous businesses that are Jobs and Mackey wellbeing. Both businesses
already wildly successful. Apple’s were struggling even started out their corporate
Steve Jobs understood the lives in ultra humbleness: Jobs
genius in making complicated
entrepreneurs and Mackey were struggling
and highly useful tech products and had entrepreneurs and had basically
incredibly simply so that they’d next to nothing when they
be accessible to anyone at any
basically next started their ventures.
time. Whole Foods’ founder to nothing when As you can see from their
John Mackey understood the examples, though, a stellar
attractiveness and demand for
they started their business idea is the root of a
healthy, natural foods that cater ventures wildly successful brand.
4. USE YOUR
SKILLSET &
WHAT YOU
ALREADY
KNOW
How to start a business with
no money rests on self-reliance.
When you have no support in
terms of wealthy backers to fund
your business idea, no partners to
help shoulder some of the load,
and no employees to whom to
delegate, you fall back on what
you already know. You already
have certain business skills built
up over the course of your working life,
now’s the perfect time to make them work for you!
The best way to make this happen is by starting
the business around what you already know, what
you love, your passion. This saves you a lot of time This saves you
and effort in learning something entirely new.
Besides, this saves you a lot of money, too, because a lot of time and
you won’t need any outside assistance or consultants
to support your operations.
effort in learning
When I started my personal development business,
I relied on myself as much as possible. The fact that I
something entirely
already had a strong and longstanding media design new. Besides, it
background from my earlier career life, made a world
of difference for me, since I didn’t need to hire anyone saves you a lot
to do my marketing, my graphic design, or even
writing-related activities like editing copy.
of money too.
Online Business Blueprint 62 www.LeroyFord.com
PSYCHE - STEP 2
5.
BOOTSTRAP
& INVEST IN
SWEAT EQUITY
Sweat equity (or bootstrapping) is
basically the hard work and labor you
put into starting and running your
own business. There’s absolutely no
substitute for it when you’re starting
a business with no money or a small
budget. Rely on yourself to do the
things that you’d possibly pay others
to do if you could afford to do so. Not
only does this teach you the value of
work ethic, but bootstrapping saves
you a load of money while still allowing
you to grow your online business.
6. PERFORM
ALL ROLES
This ties into the aforementioned
sweat equity, especially when you’re
just pushing to get your new business
off the ground. With little or no
money, you can’t yet hire people and
delegate them to run some executive
aspects of your business, leaving you
free to actually make more money
by working more diligently at selling
more of your product or service. You
have to be a one-person show as
much as you can be, at least in the
early days of your business.
When I first started my coaching
business, I couldn’t hire an assistant—
virtual or otherwise—to do the
basics of administration for me, so I gladly did
everything from client task management and
CONCLUSION...
going through emails, to marketing and product Starting an online business with no money
development, all by myself. I didn’t have a choice, is not some pipe dream you only see in the
and I wanted to be an independent entrepreneur, movies. It’s a respectable ambition that you
so I did much of the heavy lifting myself. can make a reality by following the steps in
Only eventually, as I started making money, this guide. It’ll take a lot of hard work and
I could finally buy the tools I needed to organize dedication, but, in the end, it’s worth it and
my operation better and hire people to do some extremely rewarding to be your own boss.
of the more mundane elements of business such When you start out with next to nothing,
as admin and marketing management. the only thing you can rely on is you.
Early on in your business you may need to fill a Together with determination, a strong
wide variety of roles, at least until your business work ethic, and a solid business idea,
builds some cashflow and momentum. you can make your aspiration come true.
ABOVE THE
Rise FEAR
“I feel so stuck. I need to find a passion, influenced by things that extend far beyond any
but I just can’t.” About half of my clients say this puny human self. Finding it isn’t like bagging an
as soon as we meet. They talk as if their passion expensive trinket; it’s like leaving comfortable,
were a lost item they could find by digging familiar terrain behind us and throwing ourselves
around in their psyches, like beachcombers with into the sea. Many of us avoid taking the plunge.
bad shorts and metal detectors searching for We turn away from the ocean, ignoring the roar
coins in the sand. of breakers, refusing to notice how our hair
Just for a moment, stop digging. Look at the prickles when we smell the salt water. Then we
ocean. Can you sense its inconceivable power, its spend years looking for our “lost” passion in the
vast, wild, dangerous fertility? Good. Now we’ve sand of a grotesquely overpopulated place I call
got us a metaphor. the “Isle of Yeah-but.”
Passion, including the manifestations of The Island of “Yeah-but”. The “yeah” pushes us
passion we feel within ourselves and therefore toward our passion; the “but” stops us dead in our
call “ours”—is not something we can grasp or tracks. Yeah-but prefaces infinite justifications for
own but a force of nature, connected to and avoiding the things our hearts find compelling.
MOVING
THE
TARGET
CLOSER
Coach & Author, Tony Robbins close. They all shot bullseyes.
once revealed the concept of Then he moved it further away.
“Moving The Target Closer.” Then later, further away.
His class scored the best in
TONY HAD TO TEACH A Marines history. Whatever
GROUP OF U.S. MARINES you want to master, work
HOW TO SHOOT BETTER. with a mentor. Repeat a lot.
He had never taught a class Get feedback. Take small
about on shooting weapons. consistent steps forward,
He brought the target really move the target closer!
Define It
Design It
Develop It
Deploy It
Online Business Blueprint 70 www.LeroyFord.com
STEP 3
PLANS
I D E N T I F Y I N G Y O U R TA R G E T A U D I E N C E
One thing an Internet Entrepreneur needs Now, here’s what seperates an entrepreneurs
to do is map out what their short term and long mindset from employee’s mindset. Employees
range business objectives are. Some people call would normally ask themselves: “How fast can
this as setting your goals. I prefer to call it a plan. I make money and how much”. Whereas as
One example would be figuring out, how many entrepreneurs would ask themselves: “How can
months can you survive paying with the current I setup my business so my living expenses are
expenses if you lost your job tomorrow?. So your covered my automated income, creating financial
objective should be to scale back on luxuries and freedom”. Did you see the difference? A real
map out how much income do you need to to entrepreneur worries about the system first,
earn to cover your basic living costs. then the money comes second.
Some people swear by formal business plans. After trying many of them, my to-do list software
I can tell you from launching many businesses of choice is a great app called Evernote, which
over the years, the quickest, most efficient way, allows you to sync your notes between both
is a simple list. desktop and mobile platforms.
There are a lot of different online tools I have on average no more than 6 to 10 notes
that you can use to make your lists and stay on my computer desktop, which are collapsable
organized. Evernote is an option that people to tabs for easy navigation and storage. I have
love that allows you to group and organize your organised my lists into categories, and positioned
to-dos and ideas. Other people use a simple on my desktop in order of priority. There is a small
to-do list offered in Gmail or Outlook. These will sense of accomplishment from deleting projects
work. There are many to-do applications online. off lists. I can see and feel progress, and this is
what keeps me moving forward.
WHO IS YOUR
TARGET AUDIENCE?
HOW WILL YOUR SITE HELP YOUR
BRAND AWARENESS? TARGET CUSTOMER SOLVE THEIR
Think about who will get the most benefit PROBLEMS?
out of your new site Will you feature content (articles/videos/etc.)
or products to help your target audience
WHAT OBSTACLES/PROBLEMS/
STRUGGLES ARE THEY CURRENTLY WHAT FEATURES COULD YOU ADD TO
FACING? YOUR SITE TO ACHEIVE YOUR GOAL
When they land on your site, what is the biggest WHILE ALSO HELPING YOUR TA?
problem they’re looking to solve? Ex: Free training courses/Giveaways/Toolkits
LEAD GENERATION?
Are you a consultant/freelancer/solopreneur
or business looking to convert potential
customers into buyers? Here’s your goal.
BUILD AUTHORITY?
Are you trying to establish you’re a trusted
authority in your niche and your content- I know it can be tempting to
heavy site is going to prove it? This one’s for you.
want all of these goals but it’s
DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR PRODUCTS:
important to choose the one that’s
Are you an up and coming ecommerce store going to make the biggest impact in
looking to drive shoppers to your site and your getting you closer to your end goal.
products? Start with this goal. You can work on the rest later.
I Will Prepare,
And Someday
My Chance
Will Come
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN
CREATE A
The first step to
creating your own
LLI
ISST
T
‘starting an online
business checklist’
is to start with a list
of all the imaginable
things you are going
to have to do.
This should be a comprehensive list.
It should include everything from
deciding on a name to sourcing your
products and images. perfect. Write them down and continue to put
Start with a blank piece of paper and write them on your list. The list is a living creature and
down every item that you can think of. It doesn’t will continue to change during your journey of
have to be in order and it doesn’t have to be starting an online business. So to give you an easy
organized at first. Write them down as they come jump start, on the next page I’ve provided my
to you. You can clean them up later. Just write. ‘ONLINE BUSINESS 11-STEP CHECKLIST’
Once you have a long list of items you can that I personally used when starting my online
start to reorganize them or group them by order. business. With my checklist you will have a nice
With a new piece of paper or on the computer, starting point. Each business is a little different
start putting them in the order that you believe and therefore will have a different list.
they will be completed. Once they are down and The 11-Step Checklist should give you an idea
ordered, you need to go through the list and read of the types of things to put on your own list.
it sequentially. You most certainly, at this point, So don’t get overwhelmed when starting your
will have an additional half a dozen items. That’s online business, simply make a checklist.
2 6 10
PSYCHE PERFORM PRODUCTS
3 5 7 9
PASSION PLANNING PROMOTE PROFITS
I 4 8 II
The
PA S S I O N
PROFIT
Finder
Many people want to start down your passions. After going through the
30 min process, I’d narrowed down hundreds
an online business, but how of topics I was interested in, down to my top
to choose a topic you can three major passions, which turned out to be
Spirituality & Metaphysics, secondly
actually make money from? was Health & Fitness, and Thirdly was
Entrepreneurship & Personal Development.
I just had so many interests, and there are so To which I created two separate online
many possible topics to focus on that it would be businesses for the last two.
paralyzing picking one topic. And then how to (To keep this guide concise, I won’t go into
choose a topic I can make money from?. There the Passion Finder Process now, but you will
may be a rare person who knows exactly which learn more in my FREE video training series,
topic to choose, but for the rest of us it can be a available soon on my website, so make sure
tough thing to figure out. your subscribed to my free newsletter to get
So I created Passion To Profits 7-Step System my free video training!.
and the first step is the Passion Finder Process, In the meantime, here is a simple formula
an effective process for identifying and narrowing to get you thinking in the right direction.
F I N D I NG
YOU R
NICHE
WHAT IS A NICHE? If you were to survey 100 aspiring entrepreneurs
A niche is a targeted market. For example, the interested in starting an online business, what do
topic of “travel” can be broken down into specific you think would be their #1 burning question?
countries, or types of travel, like skiing, historical Well, there might be a few that come to mind.
cities, tropical islandsetc, or specific target But from my experience, one of the most common
audiences like backpackers, retirees, luxury travel. questions I get is:
TOP 5 MEGA-NICHES
Most successful online
businesses selling digital
product fall into one of
these Five “Mega-Niches”.
If you can help people solve
one of the problems below,
you can make money online.
1 0 WAY S TO D I S C OV E R
YO U R P E R F E C T
Niche
I just had so many interests, and there are so online businesses for the last two.
many possible topics to focus on that it would be To keep this guide simple and concise I won’t
paralyzing picking one topic. go into the ‘Passion Finder Process’ herein this
So I created a simple formula for identifying book, but you will learn it during my FREE video
and narrowing down your passions, called the training series, available soon on my website, so
‘Passion Profits Formula’ . (The first step of my make sure your subscribed to my mailing list to
Passion To Profits 7-Step System). After going get the free training! There may be a rare person
through the 30 min process, I’d narrowed down who knows exactly what their focus will be from
hundreds of topics I was interested in, down the get go, but for the rest of us out there, it can
to my top three major passions, which were be a tough thing to figure out! I may not be able
Spirituality & metaphysics, secondly was Health & to tell you what you should blog about, but I can
Fitness, and Thirdly, Entrepreneurship & Personal give you some considerations to think through as
development. To which I created two separate you make your decision.
1. CONSIDER
YOUR INTERESTS
This is the easiest place to start. Think
about what you are interested in — maybe
now, or what you were interested in years
ago. I’ve heard of some online business
owners “reviving” old passions they had
forgotten about and starting successful
businesses around those passions.
If you’re fortunate enough to have one
overarching passion in your life, most likely
that’s what you should build you business
around. Do you spend your spare time
baking pretty cup cakes?, do you spend all
of your time watching British TV dramas?
Consider incorporating that passion into an
online blog and business.
3. THINK ABOUT
2. CONSIDER THE WHAT’S MISSING
BLOGS YOU READ FROM YOUR
FAVORITE BLOGS
A lot of people spend hours reading online.
If you are one of them then ask yourself what As you read your favorite blogs, is there a
things you like to read about most. Include a list noticeable gap in the content? Is the blog author
of as many topics as you can think of. What type missing a major point about the given subject?
of blog do you spend the most time on? Maybe you have a favorite blog but you’ve
What type of blog do you enjoy reading the noticed that all of their articles are missing a key
most? Consider blogging on a similar topic. area. You could start a blog with the intent of
Make a blog that you would enjoy reading. filling in the missing content.
4. TEACH
WHAT YOU
KNOW
Are you knowledgeable about
a particular topic? Do friends
and family come to you for
advice about a particular
topic? The best way to build an
audience is to teach. You may
not feel like you’re an expert on
a particular topic, but chances
are that you know more than
some other people. If your
friends and family are always
asking you for decorating or
fashion advice or photography,
consider writing about that.
Teach what you know!
7. FOCUS ON
PROVIDING
SOLUTIONS
TO PROBLEMS
It’s been said that a business at its
core is just a solution to a problem.
What problems or pain points do
people have? Write a blog with the
goal of helping others solve that
problem. If enough people have the problem, 9. WRITE AS A
you have a successful blog on your hands. LEADING LEARNER
Unfortunately many people think they have to
8. WHAT DO YOU be an expert in a given field in order to create a
DREAM OF IN successful blog around the topic. This isn’t true
VIDEO TRAINING!
Probably none of the previous five topic ideas
TO
PROFITS
are a sufficient and accurate solution for deciding
what to base your online business around.
When all is said and done, you need a more
comprehensive approach to narrowing down an
ideal niche, based upon what your passionate
about. So I highly recommend taking our, Online Business Startup
FREE ONLINE VIDEO TRAINING SERIES:
Passion To Profits: 7-Step System 7-STEP SYSTEM
Turning Your Hobby Into an Online Business.
So don’t miss out, SUBSCRIBE NOW to stay in
the loop, my video training will be availabe soon!
CHOOSING AN ONLINE
BUSINESS MODEL
“I Find It Fascinating
That Most People Plan Their
Vacations With Better Care
Than They Plan Their Lives.
Perhaps Because It’s Easier
To Escape Than To Change.”
- J I M R O H N
goal Setting
FOR LIFE
& BUSINESS
SUCCESS
What’s your goal? Where do you want to be business aligns with your goals and passions.
in the next five years? When it comes to starting When deciding what type of online business
an online business; you need to create a grand venture you would like to pursue, or how to
vision, something that will force you out of your restructure a existing business. Ask yourself some
comfort zone. Goals serve as a benchmark on important questions:
which you can gauge your progress and growth.
and maintain focus and boost your productivity. How much time freedom would you like?
Whether your goals are to get out of debt or What income would support your lifestyle?
change the world, you must write them down. How much do you want to earn per month ?
They can change as you go, so don’t put too How much to save & invest per month ?
much emphasis on finding perfect goals. When Who do you want to be / role in this world ?
you create the new venture make sure the How can you make an impact the world
PUT IT IN
WRITING!
Goals committed to paper
are more effective than goals held only in your
mind. The process of writing your goals down QUIET TIME FOR
requires you to think them through thoroughly CONTEMPLATION
and to articulate them clearly. It also provides a Setting goals for your life is largely an
record of the goal, when it was made, and when introspective process. A regular period of
you want to achieve it. And putting it in writing is quiet time or contemplation will help you set
a commitment to complete it. meaningful goals that will enable you to achieve
your dreams. Take time to think about what you
DO YOUR RESEARCH really want in your life—without all the noise and
Whatever you want to achieve, find out as much influence of the outside world.
as possible about it! Before committing to a goal, When is the best time for you to focus on your
make sure you know what is involved. Get all the goals? Is there a particular time of day or location
information you need to make informed choices. that is most conducive to reflecting on your goals
What will achieving this goal require? Will you and dreams?. The process of visualizing your
need to learn new skills? Get a degree? Invest goals and the action steps required for those
money? How much time will it take? Etc. goals is essential to being realized in your life.
DREAM BOARDS
Whenever possible, create something visual that every time you work out. Dreaming of writing a
will stimulate your desire to achieve your goals book? Create a mock-up of the potential cover
and realize your dreams. Help to “picture” your and post it by your computer where you can
dreams fulfilled. Want to vacation on a cruise see it while you work. It will make the whole
ship? Get some of those travel brochures, cut out thing seem more real to you and help you stay
the cruise ship, cut out a photo of yourself from motivated!. Actor Jim Carey used this technique
your last vacation, and paste it on the deck of the when he was a struggling actor in the early
ship! If you can scan photos and manipulate them 1990’s. He wrote himself a check for $10 million
with your computer, go all out and put yourself for “services rendered” and dated it November
in the action. Trying to get down to a size 10? 1995. Just days before that actual date, he
Buy a pair of size 10 jeans and hang them on the signed a $10 million contract for the movie,
wall of your exercise room where you’ll see them ‘The Mask Part II.’
GOALS VS DREAMS
Dreaming and visualizing so clearly that you move a muscle to do it. You can dream while lying
could see it in your mind’s eye is critical to goal in a hammock in the sun drinking coconut juice.
setting because dreams are the foundation that Goals, on the other hand, are active. They require
goals are built on. In other words, dreams are initiative, action and effort. If your dreams are
what keep you going when the going gets tough. heaven, then goals are the stairway to heaven.
Dreams give you hope, and a peek into your The steps that can take you to the realization of
future self. But dreams are not goals. Dreams your dreams. Learn the essential steps to creating
are essentially passive. It doesn’t take much to a grand vision and achieving big picture goals.
dream. Anyone can do it, and you don’t have to FREE PREVIEW: 7 PILLARS OF A WORLD CLASS LIFE
4 POWERFUL STEPS
TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
ACTION STEPS
To Take Towards Your Top 3 Goals
EXAMPLES: Speak at a TED conference... Grow my brand to be internationally recognized. Gain 100,000 Instagram followers...
Generate multiple income streams of 10K (pm)... Own a 5,000 sq. ft Italian-style home... Have dinner with Tony Robbins and receive
personal mentory/guidance from him... Write an international best-selling book... Take golf lessons from a professional golfer.
1. 16.
2. 17.
3. 18.
4. 19.
5. 20.
6. 21.
7. 22.
8. 23.
9. 24.
10. 25.
11. 26.
12. 27.
13. 28.
14. 29.
15. 30.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
EXAMPLE: Own a 5,000 sq. ft Italian-style home, nestled in the hills of Tuscany with an infinity pool,
tennis courts, horse stables, and a three-car garage. It will have beautiful renaissance paintings hanging
on the walls, and a perfectly landscaped exterior with a jasmine garden and exotic flowers.
1.
2.
3.
ACTION STEPS
To Take Towards Your Top 3 Goals!
1.
2.
3.
Speed Is Effective
Only If You’re
Headed In The Right
Direction.
- L E R O Y F O R D
3 POWERFUL TIPS
TO ACHIEVING GOALS
Simple Steps You Can You Start To Accomplish Your Goals
Chunk it down. Figure out what series of small, achievable tasks will ultimately
lead to your goal. To determine these action steps, you can do several things:
3 Use Mind-Mapping!
This will allow you to determine what information you’ll need to gather,
who you’ll need to talk to, what small steps you’ll need to take.
GOAL(S)
MY 1ST GOAL:
Was To Earn As Much Money Part-Time
As I DId In My Full-Time Job
PROFIT
F/T P/T
Online Business Blueprint 114 www.LeroyFord.com
PLANNING - STEP 3
MY 2ND GOAL:
PROFIT
To Earn Twice As Much Part-Time
As I Did In My Full-Time Job.
Then I Quit My 9-5 Job & Went
F/T Growing My Online Business
SALARY
F/T P/T
Online Business Blueprint 115 www.LeroyFord.com
PLANNING - STEP 3
F.O.W.O.W. G.I.F.T.
Find Out What Others Want. Generate It For Them.
Define It
Design It
Develop It
Deploy It
Online Business Blueprint 120 www.LeroyFord.com
STEP 4
PERFORM
BUILDING A FL AGSHIP WEBSITE
& BR AND & POSITIONING YOURSELF
A S T H E ‘ G O -T O ’ ’ E X P E R T
A M E R I C A N WO R L D WA R I F I G H T E R P I L O T
Blog
WHY YOU NEED
TO CREATE A
ASAP!
One of the best ways to grow your
online business is to create an audience.
If you create an audience of people who
like you and your content, you have a
terrific asset at your disposal.
After all, that audience translates into a base of One way you can create an audience of raving
customers for your products. It’s also a base of fans is to create a value providing blog. Just in
customers you can offer other digital publishers case you’ve never heard of a blog before, they are
to promote their products and entice them basically online magazines witha certain theme or
to promote your products in return. All in all, topic, which is open to the public.
building up an audience of raving fans is an Blogs are meant to be casual and full of
essential strategy for online growth. personality, not stiff academic papers. This takes
a lot of the pressure off with writing. You can be
sloppy. You can play around with ideas. It’s OK.
It should be no surprise that blogs are all over
Blogs are meant to the place. You can find blogs in just about every
category, from personal development to the news
be casual and full of of the day. They also happen to be a perfect
complement to your digital product business. Not
personality, not stiff only will they help you build your audience, but
will also get you in the habit of producing quality
academic papers. content on a regular basis.
You should have at least means that when you create a new digital
product, you’ll have a built-in audience to
three posts each week, promote your product to. It doesn’t matter if
you’re a terrible writer and know nothing about
or one new post every building websites. You can still create a blog with
the tools in the next section, the 4 key steps to
day is even better. building a flagship website!
Building Your
Flagship
4
STEPS
TO
BUILD
A
Flagship
WEBSITE
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM
STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR DOMAIN
STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR HOSTING
STEP 4: CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
Online Business Blueprint 127 www.LeroyFord.com
PERFORM - STEP 4
STEP 1:
CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM
To start a blog you’ll need
to select a blogging
platform – or a tool that
helps you to get your
content up onto the web.
STEP 2:
CHOOSE
YOUR
DOMAIN
NAME
CHOOSING YOUR
DOMAIN NAME
WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?
A domain name is how your website will be
A domain name is more than an address. known online, no matter what type of website
It is your flagship, your business and your very you’ll have. It is the unique address of your site
online identity. Make it recognizable, easy to on the internet and it will be yours as long as
remember, and a proud representation of you you continue paying the annual fee ($10 – $15
and your brand. A good domain name is one for .com domain). Users who know your domain,
of the many important factors of running a technically referred to as a URL (uniform resource
successful website. So, how do you know what locator) can simply type it in their browser’s
domain name to choose? This stage is about address bar, and be taken there. Others will
choosing the best possible domain name for be able to discover your blog through search
your blog even before you get started blogging. engines such as Google and Bing.
TIPS FOR
CHOOSING
YOUR
DOMAIN
NAME
3. KEEP IT
SIMPLE &
EASY TO TYPE
If you have to spell out your domain
name more than once for it to be
understood, then it won’t work.
Keep the name simple to remember and easy to 4. SHORTER IS
enter in an address bar or search field.
You don’t want your future visitors to
ALWAYS BETTER
incorrectly type in your name and be directed to As I’ve been saying, shorter is better. If you
a different site. An example is the social media can’t get your domain name down to one
site, Flickr.com, lauched in 2005. Four years later, memorable word (almost impossible to come
the company had to acquire Flicker.com for a by these days), then consider adding one or
large sum of money in order to redirect the maximum two more words. Combinations of
many visitors who misspelled their name. two words work great for the memorable names
If you insist on an oddly spelled name, make like LifeHacker.com. Also, don’t use an acronym.
sure common misspellings are also available so People will never remember the letters unless
you can register them and redirect visitors. it’s a highly catchy name.
5. USE KEYWORDS
IF POSSIBLE
You might not always be able to to work a
keyword into your domain name – but if you
can, then do it. Not only does it help explain
Trends
what your website is about, it also helps when it
comes to search engine optimization. Here is an
example situation. You lock yourself out of your
car, pull out your phone and see two results for
people willing to help you out. One of these is
lockedoutofcar.com and the other is johnsmith.
com. The first one sounds a lot more appealing
to your current situation, correct? Keywords
not only help for search engine optimization 7. BEWARE OF
reasons – they also help people use common
sense to see you should be the best source of
TRENDS
information they are looking for. Anything that deals with something trendy will,
like the trend, fade away. Stick with a classic
name that will span the generations and not be
6. AVOID HYPHENS tied down to a trend or fad. Deciding whether
& NUMBERS IN something is a trend or here to stay, is a matter
STEP 3:
CHOOSE
HOSTING
& SETUP
WEBSITE
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
&
POSITIONING
YOURSELF
AS AN
Expert
Once you’ve decided on your topic, The starting point to
creating a compelling
it’s time to start building your brand!. and unique brand is
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
Your brand should position you as the
go-to expert on your topic. Unless you’re
POSITIONING YOURSELF
positioned as an expert and a trusted AS AN Expert
authority on your topic, it will be hard to
convince someone to buy a course (or any
product or service) from you.
Even though we’re told not to, we do
judge a book by its cover. Think of your
brand as the “book cover” for your business.
BE STRATEGIC WITH
YOUR POSITIONING
The biggest mistake that people (company’s) HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
make with their branding is trying to appeal to
everyone. Don’t do that. Be strategic with your HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE POSITIONED
positioning. AND PERCEIVED IN YOUR MARKETPLACE?
Build a brand that appeals to your specific
target audience. Don’t try to appeal to everyone, WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK
because everyone is not your ideal customer/ OF WHEN THEY THINK OF YOU?
client.
When your target audience is searching for WHO DO YOU WANT TO ATTRACT?
information about your topic, you want them
to find you and immediately feel like they’ve WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
come to the right place. They should feel like
they’ve found the exact person (or company) that WHAT DO YOU STAND AGAINST?
can help them overcome a specific problem or
achieve a specific outcome. WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
Next you want
to think about
your website’s
look. Creating
a unique style
and brand is
important, as first
impressions count!
Before you fall deep down the rabbit hole of Notice actions like what happens when
website themes, there’s homework to be done. you scroll?
While you may not be able to include all
the features you want initially, it helps you sift Where does the menu go as you move
through the thousands of themes out there when down the page?
you know which features are high on your priority
list, and which ones to focus on. How do your competitors websites look?
As you browse your favorite websites, start
paying attention to elements and features you Compare themes that are the closest in
like or are drawn to. goal-type to yours.
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
SPEAKING OF THEMES…
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
SOMETHINGS
TO CONSIDER
IF HIRING:
Think about whether or not to
use a local designer or one that’s
outsourced from somewhere else.
Local designers may be more
expensive than outsourced
ones from other areas. Overseas
designers can be a fraction of
the cost.
But, you should consider how easy/difficult Next, reach out to potential designers.
it is to work with someone locally vs someone Review their portfolio to make sure they have
outside of your area, or even outside of your experience in the type of site you want to create.
country/language. Confirm that the timeline works for them.
Create a mutual agreement that spells out the
Before you reach out to potential designers, project scope clearly.
nail down the following: Set milestone dates to keep on track.
How much are you willing to spend?
How soon does this project need to be Be prepared to shell out extra capital for this
completed? (Is there a target launch date in mind investment; high-quality designers come with a
already?) This will affect the price. higher price tag.
Be sure to outline: your goals for the site, The ol’ you get what you pay for mentality
your target audience, and any branding elements holds true here. If now is not a good time to lay
that you want to include so the designer has a out the cash for the right designer, get out your
good game plan to start with. notebook because this next section is for you.
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
DON’T SWEAT
IT IF YOU
CAN’T AFFORD
TO HIRE A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGNER.
CHOOSING
YOUR THEME:
Nowadays, there are
millions of high-quality
themes that are super easy
to set up and look just as
professional as one designed
by hand.
Just please don’t waste hours of your time out there, this is an area that it can be well worth
searching for “The One”. Browsing all these investing in.
options only makes your decision harder. Which will cost to purchase (on average $50-80
You’ll want a theme that says something about for a good quality theme), if you get one from a
the type of brand you’re trying to create and that reputable source they’ll be secure, fast, have great
helps you stand out from the crowd and have search engine optimisation, will be designed for
some personality. mobile as well as desktop, and be easy to install
Firstly I strongly advise you invest in a ‘premium and customise.
theme’ for your website, rather than going for a You might want to check out Elegant Themes
free theme. or ThemeForest which have thousands of
While there are many thousands of free themes WordPress themes from many different designers.
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
To save you from
indecision, check out
these next two tips first.
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
TIPS: IF YOU’RE GOING
TO DO THIS ON YOUR
OWN, CONSIDER:
Do you need a theme that can be used as a
template (beginner experience level) or do you
want one that’s more customizable (for more
advanced users)?
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
CREATING A LOGO
Logos are one of the toughest areas to
get right when it comes to branding
your business. And there’s no way I
could give the topic justice here in this
guide about launching your first website.
STEP 4:
CHOOSE YOUR BRANDING
THEME
NAVIGATION
Before you start adding
pages to your menu, map
out your site’s navigation.
ON L I N E BU S INESS WE B S I T E
11-Step Checklist
SIMPLE NAVIGATION OF
SECTIONS & MENU
SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION
FOR AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
CONTACT INFO FOR
ACCESSABILITY
2 6 10
NAVIGATION SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT
3 5 7 9
DESIGN EMAIL LIST CONTENT SALES
I 4 8 II
FINE-TUNE
BEFORE GOING LIVE!
Now it’s time to perform a
final website audit before
going live.
Here, you’ll meticulously
comb through every page as if
you were a new visitor with a
menacing, digital red pen.
Pay attention to every little
detail and make sure they align
with your goal for your site.
If something doesn’t work,
toss it out and add it to a list of
items to work on post-launch.
Once you complete this
audit, you should have a
decent-sized list to work with.
Instead of getting bogged
down here, pull out the items Work on the former items all the way up to your
that must be tackled now pre-launch. Add the launch to make sure your site’s ready to go live
rest to your post-launch to-do list. by your target date. Only stall if there are major
issues that could crash your site.
Otherwise, launch as is and work on the latter
While this may seem like items afterwards. While this may seem like the
time to bask in your post-launch bliss, there’s still
the time to bask in your more work to be done. So before you grab your
post-launch bliss, there’s piña colada and kick back to celebrate, there’s
one final section of this guide you’ll need to have
still more work to be done. under your belt.
POST-LAUNCH BLISS
AND WHAT TO DO NEXT!
As fantastic as a set-it-and-
forget it approach sounds,
you’re not there yet my friend.
New sites garner more
attention and traffic.
There’s no better time to
capitalize on this, and you can
do this via the following ideas
once your site is live:
6 ESSENTIAL PLATFORMS
FOR ONLINE BUSINESS
l l S ix Are
A
n t i a l For
E ss e
c e ss !
www.YourWebsite.com
e S u c
Onlin
1
WEBSITE
6 2
PRODUCTS EMAIL LIST
ENTRY-LEVEL PRODUCTS
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
FLAGSHIP PROGRAM
5 LIVE EVENT
3
SALES FUNNEL SOCIAL MEDIA
4
COMMUNITY
F R E E D OW N LOA D
Growing
Your Tribe
BUILDING A COMMUNITY,
GROWING FOLLOWERS
& FINDING MENTORS
It’s Tribes that will Have you heard of the term “build your tribe”?
Well, in case you haven’t, let me quickly
spread idea’s, change summarize for you. Building your tribe is all about
finding like-minded people who will support you
in your business while you support them in theirs.
our world, and create Your tribe is a loyal audience that turns to you as
a resource or inspiration; they read your content
a movement regularly, purchase your services and products,
and promote your brand on their own social
~ SETH GODIN media channels. They turn to you for leadership.
Tribes can run the gamut of sharing each other’s time. I’ve come to this conclusion because this is
content, to just hanging out (usually in Facebook how I also read blogs. I don’t read blogs that do
groups) being there to ask each other questions not provide me with any value.
or help solve a convoluted problem. In order to determine what is valuable to your
Your tribe are those people that you can count audience, you need to ask yourself the following
on. They help you brainstorm posts, collaborate questions:
on projects, and help you promote your posts.
They are there for you and help you in so many Who Is Your Blog’s Audience?
ways both personally and in the blogging world. Why Do They Care About This Topic?
An engaged community of readers is a valuable How Does This Topic Benefit My Readers?
asset to an online business owner, to connect and Would I Read About This If I Wasn’t Writing It?
thrive. There is only one ingredient needed to
create a successful blog: a community. Strip away It is imperative that you answer these questions
all the key tools we’re told we need, the hype with detail and thoroughly. I’ve found that the
around what “experts” say works, and tricks that bloggers who struggle to grow their blog have
make a blog go viral and you’re left with what has not put enough thought into the core questions
worked forever: a tribe of people that help you about their brand, its purpose, and its audience.
grow your blog. Once you know your audience, it will be easier
So how do you create an incredible community for your to provide support and value. You
who will encourage you and help you to grow? understand the needs of your audience, and
What do you do once you’ve assembled? brainstorming what tools or inspiration they
To build a community for your blog, you need could benefit from comes like second nature.
to have two essential components – provide value Value has many shapes and forms, and it is
and support to your readers and be an honest important to diversify how you generate value
authority on the content you provide. to your tribe. Consider both free and premium
resources. You want to offer opportunities to
1. PROVIDE VALUE + SUPPORT be personal with individual members of your
tribe, whether this is answering questions in blog
I work under the assumption that people do not post comments or offering people email you
have a lot of time in their day-to-day. If they with more specific questions, there are tons of
are making time to read my blog, it needs to be ways you can foster engagement. At the core is
helpful and valuable. Otherwise, I’m wasting their valuable content.
2. BE AN HONEST AUTHORITY
Action Steps
To Build Your Tribe
COMMENT INTERACT ON
Commenting on other blogs is an incredible
way to connect. When you read a blog post and SOCIAL MEDIA
connect with it, leaving an authentic comment I know when I find a blog I immediately connect
giving your opinion or letting them know that with I’ll follow them on Twitter or Instagram or
it resonated with you, immediately gives you both. Not only does this tell me more of what
an opportunity to have a discussion with that they’re about, it also gives me a chance to talk
blogger. You are establishing a connection. Many with them. Don’t just stop by following them.
times, when you comment on someone’s blog Leave a comment on their latest insta pic, give
they will return the favor. Spend just a small a shout out of their recent blog post on Twitter,
amount of time and see the difference it makes. or just let them know you pick up what they’re
Not just in relationships, but also in pageviews. putting down. AKA… you like them.
JOIN FB GROUPS
Joining active Facebook groups is a great way to
expand your blogging community, it allows you
to promote yourself and your blog. These are
already developed communities filled with
like-minded online entrepreneurs, that can help
you in many ways.
REACH OUT
Are you inspired by someone? Tell them!. I know
when I get those emails or messages that my
post or my course helped someone I am floored.
It makes me feel like all this is worth it. Don’t be
afraid to email someone and just let them know.
Tell them you included them in a recent post or
that their work impressed you. It means a lot, and
later on when you need a helping hand they will
SHARE
remember you for reaching out. Share the posts you like. This helps establish your
blog because others will connect you with these
posts as well. You’re seen as an authority when
you share similar posts and articles. Chances are,
if you liked this post, your readers will too. They’ll
thank you for sharing it.
BE CONSISTENT
Consistency is key with everything. Keep sharing,
keep reaching out, and keep interacting. I
promise you, when you do this, you will help to
establish yourself online, grow your audience, and
create a community that matters.
6-ACTION STEPS
TO PACKAGE & SELL
YOUR KNOWLEDGE
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6
6-ACTION STEPS
TO BUILDING YOUR
ONLINE EMPIRE!
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6
Actively Test The You Must Find Out Plan The Life Multiple
Campaigning Waters Deliver What Works Time Value Lifetsyle
Have Fun! Quality & What Of Your Topics
Building Content On Doesnt Work Customers
Rlsps Dan A Consistent For Your Serve Other
Kennedy’s Basis. Niche Create A Aspects Of
Create Rule #1 of Vertically Their Lives.
Value First! Marketing Fulfil Your Integrated
Expecting Promises Product Example:
Nothing In DON’T BE Sales Health
Return BORING! Funnel. Wealth
(Free $197 ~ Spirituality
Content) $10,000
B U S I N E S S W R I T E R
MENTORS
AND
HOW TO
FIND THEM
Today, there are self-help gurus, life coaches, Let’s look at how you should approach a
TV personalities, motivational speakers, and the mentor who’s become successful, how to
whole lot. There are a number of channels in work with them, and what you could learn.
which these mentors can be contacted as well.
The Internet, videos, Skype, books, Facebook, just CREATE VALUE FIRST
about anywhere today, someone can be contacted Successful people get hit up alot with questions
instantly to assist you with your life journey. Life and requests for mentoring. Dominating their
is certainly complicated enough. If you want to time is only going to make them think you’re
build a momentous life, you will need to meet trying to get something for nothing. If you
individuals who can help guide you, and you must happen to meet a potential mentor, to have any
be ready to be guided. chance of them mentoring you, create value first.
Finding ways to become successful frequently Here are my three rules for attracting a mentor,
has to do with lack of knowledge. No matter or doing a joint venture with a millionaire.
how many books you might read from famous
entrepreneurs or icons of success, you’re probably 1. PAY A GENUINE
not getting the complete picture on what steps COMPLIMENT
to take. One reason is, everyone is going to have As an example, rwad their book, and offer some
their own unique circumstances in life. While positive feedback, or how their book helped you,
you can get basic tools toward getting rich, what or what what you learned from it.
worked for one might not for you.
Rather than soley relying on seminars or books, 2. THE 90/10 RULE
working with someone in the moment helps bring 10% of the conversation should be about you,
immediacy towards your success. and 90% should be about them, and their
In other words, to become successful, seek out business, show a keen interest in their needs and
successful mentors. Those who have already done issues. Let them talk, you just listen!.
what it is your want to achieve. Doing so, you get
first-hand information from someone who’s been 3. CREATE VALUE & EXPECT
in the trenches and knows the realities. NOTHING IN RETURN
This differs from someone who knows little Offer 3 ways you can help them, offer ideas
about you or doesn’t understand your own life suggestions how you can improve their business.
hurdles. Regardless, you still have to overcome Ask what areas are they struggling with in their
how to find a mentor. business, and try to offer your free help.
Define It
Design It
Develop It
Deploy It
Online Business Blueprint 162 www.LeroyFord.com
STEP 5
PROMOTE
G E N E R AT I N G M A S S I V E T R A F F I C
& BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE
Creating
Value Content
D E L I V E R I N G VA L U E
TO T H E M A R K E T P L AC E
& G A I N I N G A L O YA L
FOLLOWING
HOW TO
G E N E R AT E
Awesome
CONTENT
To grow an audience process of creating content quickly, then you
will be well on your way to a successful digital
of loyal fans, you need publishing business because you will have more
stuff to offer your customers.
to generate and deliver Many people who are successful with digital
publishing businesses are able to write the
DIFFERENT
TYPES OF
Content
REMEMBER
TO KEEP THE
CONTENT COMING
Whether you’re writing blogs, creating lists,
composing case studies, recording podcasts,
shooting videos, or reviewing products, books,
etc., the one thing you need to do is keep
consistently creating fresh content. Keeping
fresh, new information on your website and
social media channels is a great way to keep
customers and potential customers engaged and
coming back for more. So if you can only commit
BLOG MARKETING to blogging for the foreseeable future, then
make sure you blog. If podcasts are more your
Blogging for your business isn’t as easy as just speed; go for it. Just make sure your brand isn’t
creating a “blog” area on your website and stagnating with content from months – or worse,
posting to it once in a while. You need to get years – past.
your blog out in the world where your content
can be shared, and where you can interact with
your customers/readers. Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, Pinterest, and even Instagram, can all
help you disseminate your content. And if your
followers share your content, you’re likely to get
new followers, and so on.
And don’t be ashamed to actively ask for new
followers. You never know when something you
post will resonate with someone who may not
have otherwise known about your blog. Mine
your business connections, and make sure your
website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, etc. are
properly named and easy to find.
Generating
Traffic
GAINING FREE TRAFFIC VIA:
BLOGGING
PODCASTING,
SOCIAL MEDIA
VIDEO & EMAIL MARKETING
TRAFFIC.
7
SOURC ES O F
FREE
Traffic
When you start out no There are two types of traffic. PAID traffic, such
as Facebook and Google ads. And FREE traffic.
The upside of paid traffic is that you can get fast
doubt you’ll be starting results. You pay some money, traffic comes your
way almost instantaneously. With free traffic, you
with a tight budget or have to invest time instead of money. It usually
takes longer to see results. Which should you use?
non-existant. So here’s Both, of course.
In this section, we’re going to focus on free
7 free sources to get traffic. While all of these are great ways to drive
prospects to your website, they do require effort
and time. But if your just startring out, and have a
you started! tight budget, here’s 7 free sources to get started
YOUR BLOG
If you create your own blog and feed it with
content, then you can start attracting an PEER REVIEW
audience, which can translate into customers. Get a respected person in your niche to review
For this reason, creating your own blog is another your site or product. One positive review can
great way to generate free traffic. open up a flood of traffic to your site
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
5 WAYS TO GROW YOUR EM AIL LIST
(Eve n If You’r e S t a rt i n g Fro m S cra t ch ! )
1. BLOGGING
2. PODCASTING
3. SOCIAL MEDIA
4. VIDEO MARKETING
5. EMAIL MARKETING
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
1.
Blogging
Blogging
Yes, you can write, even if you think you can’t approximately 400. No, that doesn’t mean once
right now. And, better yet, you can blog. you’ve reached 400 posts you’ll become an
Did you know that 77% of the 2.6 billion people internet blogging star. But that seems to be the
online today read and scan several blog posts a general tipping point when your content will start
day? It’s true, and you are missing out on that to gain traction in search engines for key phrases
much potential traffic right now. and within your industry.
Blogging is one of the most important aspects And while it’s not a magic number, it’s a good
of building a successful online business. statistic to measure your efforts and results
It takes about 400 blog posts to reach success against. Essentially, if you write four posts per
I don’t recall where I read the figure – but week, it’ll take you about two years to reach that
apparently the magic number of blog posts is number. So get get blogging!
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
2.
Podcasting
Podcasting
WHAT IS
PODCASTING?
Podcasting has quickly become a great technology
for creatively publishing information. So what is
podcasting, anyway? Podcasting is themed online
audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed.
The beauty of podcasting is that your intended
audience can consume the information when and
where they want. Through various podcasting
services (iTunes, etc.) people will download the
podcast and they can listen at home, at the office,
in their car, or through their iPod or mp3 player
while exercising or doing other activities.
Podcasting
GUESTING
ON PODCASTS
Guesting on podcasts is like presenting a room
full of your ideal buyers, where you can reach
an audience of 50, 500, or 5,000+ of your ideal
market. Let’s take an example. you’re marketing
a new fitness product, you can go on fitnesss
podcasts to talk about the problems you solve
related to weightloss and your area of expertise.
Through this, your demonstrate your value to the However, there are a lot of elements that
audience. You have an opportunity to leverage go into appearing on a podcast:
those podcasts to reach buyers who are looking Researching your audience, to identify the
for products and services like what you’re selling. best types of podcasts to focus on
When you’re a guest on a podcast, you borrow Crafting your unique story to appeal to your
the ‘star power’ of the host. You’re being invited audience and demonstrate your expertise
‘on stage’ to speak to their audience. For the Email Outreach, to build a relationship with
duration of the episode, you are the star of the host of the podcast
the show. On top of that, like an article in a Preparing for the Interview to make sure you
magazine, it becomes something that you can have your unique story dialed in for this audience
share with your audience, cementing your status Crafting a ‘Sticky’ Call to Action to provide
as an expert in their mind. Most importantly, visitors with a compelling reason to visit your
podcasting gives you considerable reach. site and become a member of your audience.
Podcasting
Podcasting
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
3.
Social Media
BUILDING YOUR TRIBE
& A COMMUNITY OF
RAVING FANS
Social Media
Social Media is the new “word of mouth” of mouth now spreads like never before.
It’s been said that the best kind of advertising More connections equals more influencers.
is “word of mouth.” If a trusted friend, family Facebook alone has approximately one billion
member or acquaintance raves about a product users. A billion users! And the average Facebook
or service, you’re probably more likely to take user is connected to 229 “friends.” When you take
that positive critique into consideration. And, of into consideration Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn,
course, a bad review will have even more impact. Instagram, Path, etc.(the list goes on and on),
Today, advertising is everywhere, but word of the number of people we are connected to can
mouth still has tremendous impact. In fact, word increase exponentially.
Social Media
IF YOU’VE GOT THE BUDGET,
THEN ADVERTISE
Social Media
SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU
HAVE NO MONEY TO SPEND
Social Media
SOCIAL MEDIA IS
VEERING HEAVILY
TOWARDS VISUALS
Skipping over Pinterest and
Instagram which are essentially built
to be visual, even Facebook and
Twitter are now gravitating towards
more visually compelling posts.
Twitter posts with images or video
have much higher engagements
than text / link only posts. So don’t
skimp on creating a good visual
for your witty Tweet. Facebook also favors visual
content. Fortunately, if you’re not Annie Leibovitz
or Andy Warhol, there are abundant resources
online that can help you create or acquire
stunning visuals such as Canva and Visually.
If you’re not
HOW DO I MANAGE ALL MY
CONTENT AND SCHEDULING?
Annie Leibovitz or
As you can tell, as you get into this, you’ll quickly
need a way to collect and schedule your content
Andy Warhol, there
and possibly manage your engagement across are abundant
platforms. Again, there are plenty of choices
that can handle all the major social platforms. resources online
Hootsuite, Sproutsocial, S.endible, and my
personal favorite, Buffer, can all get the job done. that can help you.
Online Business Blueprint 188 www.LeroyFord.com
PROMOTE - STEP 5
Social Media
DO WHAT IT
TAKES TO KEEP 2B
Social Media
SO WHICH NETWORK
SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON?
Here’s where we’ll disagree with some others
on what networks to start with… we generally
tell clients to start with them all. Even if it’s
simply setting up your profile on all the major
social networks so you can capture your brand
name for that profile. Create your profile on
each, fill it in as completely as possible, then
post to it as best you can. Of course, if you’re
not a visually exciting brand or will have trouble DON’T BE A SALES-BOT
creating visual content, then after you setup Social media is meant to be social. To share
Pinterest or Instagram to capture your brand knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. Don’t
name - you might opt to let them simply sit for laster your social media with sales ads and self
use in the future. promotions or people will simply tune out – or
After a short while you’ll also gain insight worse, unfollow you. Be interesting and drop
into which social networks are favored by your an occasional self-promo but don’t over do it.
customers or audience. If you’re growing a B2B I tell people to imagine they’re at a party - you
brand you might gravitate towards Linkedin don’t walk over to people and try to sell them
more or find that Twitter has a larger audience something when you first meet them. You talk
than Facebook. There’s simply no one-size-fits-all with them. Get to know them and let them learn
answer here; you’ll have to setup and add content about you. And, you don’t yell or insult people
to all the major social platforms initially to see (well you shouldn’t). You want to be the life of the
where you need to focus your time and efforts. party everyone remembers, not the louse who
It generally doesn’t take long and then you can got in a fight, insulted the host, knocked over
hone in on the networks the offer the best return. grandma’s urn, and threw up in the ficus plant.
Social Media
STATS & F I G U R E S ( AS OF JA N UA RY 2 01 7 )
Social Media
SPECIFIC TIPS FOR EACH NETWORK:
How to get more traffic from Twitter, Instagram,
Google+ and Facebook. Here are some key ways
to generate traffic from each of the main networks.
TWITTER
Repeat your tweets. Twitter is fast-
moving. When a tweet is more than an
hour or two old, it’s pretty much off the radar and
not likely to get you any more traffic. Given that,
there’s no harm in repeating tweets at different
times of the day, to catch followers with different
working times. One of the easiest ways to do that
is with Hoot Suite which lets you schedule your
tweets in advance (major time-saver).
Connect your Twitter account to your Facebook
profile. Once connected, tweets and links you
publish will also appear on your Facebook page.
To activate, go to Settings > Profile in Twitter.
INSTAGRAM
Especially if your website has a strong
visual aspect to it, ie photography,
interior design fashion etc, Instagram can be a
major traffic generator and prospect source pool.
Social Media
SPECIFIC TIPS FOR EACH NETWORK:
How to get more traffic from Twitter, Instagram,
Google+ and Facebook. Here are some key ways
to generate traffic from each of the main networks.
GOOGLE+
Two core concepts of Google+, Circles
(followers) and the +1 Button (Google’s
“like” button) have a direct effect on your Google
search results ranking. Show the +1 button
prominently on your site. The more people
+1 your content the higher it will be shown in
relevant Google search results. Get more people
in your Circles. Content created by people that
are in a searcher’s Circles is shown higher in
Google search results. That means the more
Circles you’re in, the better.
FACEBOOK
Post updates with pictures. Studies show
that updates with pictures, get clicked on
more than updates with no pictures. Investigate
using Facebook Apps and Custom Tabs. Many
apps are free and they’ll help you promote your
content and links back to your site.
Social Media
SPECIFIC TIPS FOR EACH NETWORK:
How to get more traffic from Twitter, Instagram,
Google+ and Facebook. Here are some key ways
to generate traffic from each of the main networks.
LINKEDIN
Establish your LinkedIn profile and begin posting daily updates, and giving value right away.
LinkedIn posts tend to reach a greater percentage of your audience. When you tweet, you
might reach a handful of people. But, when you post a status update to LinkedIn, you will reach an
average of 20% of your network. Plus, LinkedIn sends 4x as many people to your website as Facebook
or Twitter does, according to Econsultancy.
GOOGLE+ 0.1%
80%
YOUTUBE 0.1%
60%
FLICKR 0.2%
40%
TWITTER 14%
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
4.
Video
Marketing
HOW TO GENERATE MASSIVE FREE TRAFFIC
Video Marketing
Did you know that even 6 years ago Youtube second biggest search engine. What’s even more
had a consistent viewership of about 950 million amazing is most of us are still largely ignoring
views a month?, Today, that same channel 6 years video. So what does this mean to you? It means
later has over 3 billion views a DAY! opportunity. Big opportunity.
It’s hard to overstate the influence of online Just to give you a way to start thinking about
video. More than a third of Internet traffic is how to use video, consider harnessing it to
video right now. By 2019, it will be 75% build your list. There are more ways to do this
That’s just scratching the surface. The statistics than you’d think. They don’t take the skillset of
on video use, growth and effectiveness are a Hollywood producer, or the looks of an Oscar
amazing. 52% of marketers name video as their winner. You can reach a far larger audience and
most effective marketing channel. YouTube is the attract them more effectively with video.
More than a
third of Internet
traffic is video
right now.
By 2019,
it will be 75%
Online Business Blueprint 196 www.LeroyFord.com
PROMOTE - STEP 5
Video Marketing
Added to a blog post or, stand alone, a video
in today’s mobile friendly world is as important
as blogging. Through channels like Youtube,
Vimeo and Dailymotion, you have the chance
to let your opportunity shine, you have a
chance to personally connect then, convince
and convert those who will. Video can also be
used to run webinars that help to build trust
and authority. Here you can use such platforms
as Google Hangouts to build your reputation
as the go-to voice in your part of the work at
home world online. The deal is, video is huge
right now, and it’s only going to get bigger. EMAIL + VIDEO STATS:
The word “video” in subject line increases
HERE’S THE FACTS: open rate by 19% (source)
A video inside email increases click-through
Snapchat (an app for making and consuming rate by 60% (source)
video) is only 5 years old and valued at $20B Video can increases web conversion rates
by 100% (lots of examples here)
Instagram (owned by Facebook) recently
copied Snapchat video features almost You might be wondering ….
one-to-one If you’re not tapping into the millions of people
on YouTube, you’re missing out on hundreds,
Facebook VP Nicola Mendelsohn said in if not thousands, of customers, partnerships,
5 years, our Facebook feeds will be “all video” opportunities.
Video Marketing
YouTube is a free marketing machine that There are a few reasons why using Youtube
everyone should be using to drive traffic to to get traffic is so beneficial.
their websites. But you’re probably thinking that
getting views will be hard, or that you need 3 REASONS WHY:
to have a huge list of subscribers to send your
videos to. Right? If Youtube was a search engine it would
Just like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps account for over 12% of all internet searches by
you rank webpages higher in Google. There are itself. So there is a lot of potential traffic hanging
small changes you can make to your YouTube out on Youtube.
videos that will rank it higher, get more views,
and drive traffic to your website. Just about everyone who is competing
Because YouTube is now owned by Google, for search engine position and traffic on the web
having quality, high ranking YouTube videos knows how to create an article but only a fraction
is a great way to get targeted visitors to check of those people know how to create video. So
out your site. You’ve probably seen at least one you’re narrowing down the competition.
or two YouTube videos pop up on your Google
search for a particularly competitive keyword. Google likes to list Youtube results
An official YouTube channel for your blog is amongst it’s normal search results and will give
kind of like a video page for your site. Not only you credit for a backlink if you put a link in the
can you customize it according to the look and description of your video. Both of these things
feel of your site, but you drive insane amounts of will help you get better search engine ranking on
traffic from a global audience. Google and therefore more traffic.
THE BIG 5
Traffic & List
BUILDERS
5.
Email
Marketing
TURNING SUBSCRIBERS
I N TO LOYA L R AV I N G FA N S
& LO N G -T E R M C U S T O M E R S
Email Marketing
Email marketing is imperative to the success should have an email list (You know this now,
of most businesses. While building a brand on right?) but most aren’t sending anything. It’s a
platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram shame because if someone took the time to join
and Twitter are important, you’re limited to your list chances are they want to hear from you.
the constraints of those channels. This makes it Don’t disappoint your subscribers by not emailing
particularly difficult to move consumers through them. It’s a missed opportunity if you don’t.
a funnel and provides you with little control. They say nearly 86% of the conversion rate into
However, email provides a more intimate new customers happens via email. I believe those
interaction between brand and consumer by statistics. Via the personal inbox I believe we have
offering you the tools you need to control the best chance to share our valuable content.
effectively nurture leads. Email marketing is the The kind of content that brands your message to
small business unicorn. Everyone knows that they what is most unique, YOU, and, your subscriber.
Email Marketing
WHAT IS EMAIL
MARKETING?
(EM) comes in many shapes and forms.
It’s basically this, every email you send to your
subscribers list is an attempt to strengthen your
relationship with your subscribers to turn them
into loyal raving fans and long-term customers
of your products and services.
Engaging them on a daily/weekly/monthly
basis by delivering high value free content that
serves your readers/followers needs and solves
a problem in your particular niche.
So email is a great marketing tool. It keeps
your brand on the minds of your (potential)
customers. On top of that, it makes sure your
new product launches won’t go unnoticed.
HOW TO GET THEM
TO SUBSCRIBE?
HOW TO DO EMAIL Attractive in the sense of what’s in it for them.
Email Marketing
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
It helps to show a sign-up form to people
when they’re engaged on your website. I’ve
done this at LeroyFord.com tactics such
as landing pages, pop-ups and little box’s
that slide up as the user scrolls past a certain
threshold. If you’re using WordPress, there’s
awesome free plugins that will do just this.
But if you’re serious about growing your brand
and are willing to invest a little in your site and
capturing leads, I recommend Sumo.
THINK ABOUT
DELIVERABILITY
Once your email list starts growing, you should
really start thinking about deliverability. What a service such as MailChimp it’s easy enough
I mean by this is the percentage of emails that to increase your deliverability. MailChimp has a
are actually getting to the people in your email simple checkbox to authenticate your campaign.
list. Simply sending your newsletter from your There are four types of authentication and
WordPress admin won’t cut it, most of the time. checking this box in MailChimp will enable all
You have a good chance your emails are actually four of them by default. So my advice is to really
ending up in people’s spam folders. And that’s start using an email service such as this. It doesn’t
a real shame, because people won’t even know have to be MailChimp, as long as you’re sure to
you sent an email in the first place!If you’re using check for such deliverability options.
Email Marketing
KEEP YOUR EMAIL
CONTENT ENGAGING
One of the most important things to do is to
keep your email’s content engaging. People
should want to read your newsletters or
other emails. This comes down to keeping a
healthy balance between promotional and
informational content. This can be a fine line
to walk, but it’s well worth the effort.
3. MAKE
Let me give you some tips how you can ANNOUNCEMENTS:
keep your readers engaged: Whether this is about a new product or service,
or about something noteworthy within your line
Email Marketing
FOUR TYPES OF EMAILS
There are four different types of email strategies
you can emply to communicate with your
subscribers email list. Here’s a breakdown of
the different email approaches, to promote
engagement and strengthen your relationship:
2. NEWSLETTER/ DIGEST
1. RSS TO EMAIL Sending a digest is an excellent approach for
driving traffic to different parts of your website.
Using RSS to email is probably the easiest way However, if your strategy relies heavily on
to send email messages to your list. RSS to email sending out regular digests, your article curation
allows you to automatically send new blog has to be strong. If you’re sharing articles not
posts directly to your subscribers via email. You written by your company, make sure that they are
can schedule your emails to go out at specific still on brand. The articles should make sense for
times and days. Using merge tags in MailChimp your niche and appear as if they could have been
automates most of the process. written for your brand.
PROS: It’s a good way to get started sending PRO: You get to share a variety of content types
content regularly to your subscribers. It doesn’t with your subscribers. Can be a time saver since
take much time because most of the process is you don’t have to write unique content. Great
automated. way to drive traffic.
CONS: It isn’t exclusive content. Some subscribers CON: This approach requires excellent content
may be reluctant to join your list because they curation. If you are using content from other
can get the same information on your blog or via brands, you are sending subscribers away from
an RSS reader. your brand. It’s not exclusive content.
Email Marketing
3. RELATIONSHIP to aim for 80% value-packed content and only
BUILDING MESSAGES 20% sales/ promotional messages. Less really
is more. There are more subtle ways to sell to
Sending relationship building messages offers your subscribers without screaming you have
you the greatest flexibility and creativity. You can something for sale.
send your subscribers sneak peeks, a glimpse PRO: Sales!
behind the scenes, short lessons you’ve learned CON: Messages that are too salesy will encourage
or a little bit of inspiration. This is where you pack unsubscribes.
in the value. Relationship building messages are Email marketing is just another way to let
great for telling your brand’s story. Make your customers know that you have solutions to their
subscribers care about your brand and feel like problems. Before you start sending campaigns
they are apart of your story. to subscribers make sure you have an email
PRO: As the name implies this approach is great marketing strategy in place.
for building your relationships with subscribers.
You have the opportunity to show your expertise A WORD OF CAUTION!
and position yourself as an expert.
CON: It can be time-consuming to produce Once you start the process of attracting, nurturing
high-quality messages. You’ll need to commit to a and converting your subscribers, all three phases
schedule and have a steady stream of ideas. are going to be happening simultaneously. Your
subscribers will be at different points in the cycle.
Email Marketing
One of the most effective ways of marketing
your website and products to your list of
subscribers is having strong (EM) campaigns.
Here are the four fundamentals to having an
effective email marketing campaign.
Email Marketing
3 P HAS ES OF EM AI L M A R K E TI N G:
AT T R AC T NURTURE CONVERT
Your focus during the first This phase is all about The final phase of this
phase is creating content delivering value to your process is the money
that attracts your target subscribers. You should be maker. Get your offers
subscribers and capturing focusing on sending high- ready and ask for the sale.
their email addresses. quality content to your If you’ve taken the time
Content is everything that list on a consistent basis. to build enough rapport,
you are putting out on the You want them to expect interest and likability, you
internet. Blog posts, social it. This is also a good time should expect a few sales.
media updates, and opt-in to start training your
incentives are all pieces of subscribers to not only
content that can attract or open your emails but also
repel potential subscribers. to click the links inside.
Your goal is to use your
content to get the right
people on your list.
Email List
Building
THE MUST-DO STEPS TO
GROWING AN EMAIL LIST
(& TOP 10 MISTAKES TO AVOID!)
The
MONEY
Is In The
LI$T!
RULE #1. HOW TO BUILD A LIST?
ALWAYS GROW YOUR LIST
You attract subscribers to your list by
RULE #2. highlighting the benefits of joining, Do not trick
NEVER FORGET RULE #1 them to join. Do this by offering an incentive that
solvfes their problems. Such a s a free ebook,
Anyone who has ever heard anything about video training, or other form of exclusive content.
Online Marketing has heard the proverb, You must make it valuable, and the way you do
“The Money Is In The List!.” The list refers to this is by solving a small problem in your market.
the number of email subscribers you have. If you The good news is that you don’t have to write a
don’t have a list, then you will struggle to make huge 200+ ebook like this and give it away.
an income online. Its that simple. You could just give away a short 5-page report
Your list is one of the most important and most on the biggest mistakes people make.
valuable tools in your business building arsenal. If you help moms get fit after pregnacy, you
Getting people to opt in your list means they are could list the top 10 pitfalls they fall into that
interested in the service you are offering. stops them from losing the weight.
DRIVE TRAFFIC TO
YOUR WEBSITE
Even the most cutting edge design and amazing
new product is worthless if it’s buried under
millions of other websites. In order to generate
sales online you have to drive massive amounts of
traffic to your site. Consider these basic methods
of promoting your new site:
While there are several ways to drive traffic to
your website, you don’t want to get overwhelmed
by all the choices. Focus on just a few methods
initially, maximize these sources of traffic, then
continually add more sources to your website. LIST BUILDING STRATEGY
When building your lists its important to view
EMAIL MARKETING them as a long term business assets rather than
& NEWSLETTERS a method to make a quick buck. By building a
With a regular email newsletter, your visitors relationship and trust with your subscribers, and
won’t have to remember to come back - you can nurturing it over time you create a resource that
keep in touch directly. is packed with potential.
Capturing the email addresses of your website So you need to continuously maintain your
visitors is critical to the growth of every online relationship with your mailing list and provide
business. However, a large and growing list is only them with valuable free content. The more value
valuable when useful and relevant information you give to your subscribers, the more responsive
is sent on a regular basis to these individuals. they’ll become, and likley customers. This will
The goal of an email list is to turn prospects into translate into buyers for the future launch of your
clients and clients into repeat customers and loyal products or services. As an online business owner,
fans of your website that keep them coming back. you make most of your money from your email
Try to keep in regular contact with your email list of subscribers.
list, emailing them at least once a week with an Money will come with time, first provide value
update, information, or some type of offer. to your subscribers, then find targeted situations
To start, a great email marketing service that will benefit your subscribers. The worst thing
provider is MailChimp, and its free. to do is spam a new list with affiliate offers.
WHEN TO SELL
PRODUCTS TO YOUR LIST
So when is the right time to offer your products
to your subscribers?
Well if you’re cool about it you can do it from
the first message if you wish. For example, you
might deliver some very useful free content
to your subscribers via email such as a free
e-course, and at the very end of each lesson
you could offer a paid service or product which
complements what they’ve already received or PRODUCT LAUNCHES
provides further value. This keeps it low key and
doesn’t force anything upon people. The email is the traditional campaign launch
Another good method which helps create an tool. There’s something about the immediacy of
even more targeted audience from your email list the inbox which makes a launch of a product or
is to offer an early-bird opt-in for a course which service or any campaign so much more effective
you will do in the future. than other methods.
This means that the people who are signing up To make your launch effective, you ideally want
to your future course will most likely be receptive to create a compressed series or sequence of
to what you have to offer them. It is also a good email messages which begins to educate your
way to gauge whether there is enough interest to subscribers about why it is they want what you
make it worth your while on development. have to offer them.
For instance you could highlight the benefits of
the service you’re offering in the lead up or give
them case studies etc. This helps make people
more receptive to your product.
You can also use the sense of urgency to whip
up interest and action, eg, “act now, we have only
50 spots”, OR, “we’re closing this offer next week
after which the price will go back up to $299”.
So get investigate which email platform you’re
comfortable with and rool out a simple campaign.
10List
Building
MISTAKES
List building is some 1. YOUR OPT-IN FORM BUTTON
SAYS “SUBSCRIBE”.
of the most important Unless you’ve actually tested this, the odds are
you’re losing subscribers because of lame opt-in
marketing work you’ll button copy. What’s the best opt-in button copy
ever do for your to use? It depends on your site. But most of the
time, “Sign me up” or “Get weekly updates” or any
business. The trouble is, other call to action that complements your opt-in
headline are all good choices.
there are a lot of ways
2. YOUR OPT-IN FORM IS
to screw it up. Check CONFUSING OR CLUTTERED.
this list to avoid making Your opt-in form has to look easy to fill out and
easy to understand. People will not spend a
any of these classic list moment trying to figure out your form. They’ll
just ignore it. The easier your opt-in box looks to
building mistakes. fill out, the more subscribers you’ll get.
Sales
Funnel
OPTIN INCENTIVES,
P R O S P E C T S TAG I N G
& CONVERSION
The Sales
FUN NEL
T H AT C O N V E RTS
BLOG VISITORS
INTO CUSTOMERS
3-5%, which doesn’t efforts you will usually start with a larger group of
visitors, and then a smaller number of these will
UNDERSTANDING THE
SALES FUNNEL STAGES
ATTENTION ACTION
This stage, the prospect learns about your This stage, the prospect is becoming a
website by a google search, or a post shared on customer by clicking the purchase button.
social media or another traffic source. They may Then the money is transferred to your
also become aware of his problem that he needs merchant account. This is where you can
to solve and you have the content solutions. upsell them to higher ticket items, further
down your funnel. Your new customer may
INTEREST become a brand advocate loyal fan, and
This stage, the prospect is actively looking repeat long-term customer.
for solutions to their problems and
ways to achieve his goals. They search
google for solutions. This is when P R O S P E CT STAG E S
you can attract them with your blog
1
content. Now is the time when they
express interest in your product or
DOESNT KNOW YOU EXIST TRAFFIC
a service. They follow you on social
2
HAS HEARD OF YOU
media and subscribe to your list. BUT DOESNT CARE
ABOUT YOU YET
ATTENTION
DECISION
3
HAS HEARD OF YOU
This stage, the prospect is making & IS INTERESTED IN
LEARNING MORE
INTEREST
the decision that he wants to take
advantage of your solution.
4
COMPARES
They pay more attention to what your YOU TO
PEERS
DECISION
products to make the final decision
to purchase. This is when sales offers BECOMES
O Y ’S
L
R
ER
E T Feel Fr
ee
C
S E I L E S LEROY FORD’S
To Swip
My Sal
es
e
F Funnel
!
Online Business
SALES FUNNEL
F RONT END FREE OPT IN OFFERS
BUILDING A TRIBE
& RELATIONSHIPS EMAIL MARKETING, BLOG & SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT FREE
GET PROSPECTS TO
SUBSCRIBE TO LIST EBOOKS, VIDEOS, WEBINARS, LIVE WORKSHOPS FREE
B AC K E N D P R O D U C TS
LOW BARRIER HIGH
QUALITY PRODUCTS ENTRY-LEVEL PRODUCTS PRICED: $19 - $97
COMPREHENSIVE STEP-BY-STEP
PREMIUM TRAINING PROGRAMS FLAGSHIP PROGRAM PRICED: $297 - $1,997
Online Business
3-Step Model
1 BUILD YOUR LIST.
2 SEND “EDUTAINING”
FREQUENT EMAILS.
3 HAVE A SOFT-SELL
OFFER FOR PEOPLE
WHO WANT MORE.
Online Business Blueprint 223 www.LeroyFord.com
So How Do I
Make Money
Online ?
Online Business Blueprint 224 www.LeroyFord.com
STEP 6
PRODUCTS
C R E AT I N G A P L AT F O R M O F
D I G I TA L I N F O R M AT I O N P R O D U C T S
T H AT S O LV E P R O B L E M S
FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
HOTTEST
SELLING
DIGITAL
Products
Creating and selling digital them solve a problem in their lives, or improve
their skills in a certain area. You can create digital
products is one of the best products around almost any niche topic you can
think of, with literally thousands to choose from.
business models on earth, and
The most successful online marketers are all
easily one of the most profitable making their money by creating and selling their
own digital products.
ways to build your business. Every single day, literally hundreds of millions
are being spent, all around the world, on digital
Digital products allow you to stop trading products – making it a multi-billion dollar
your time for money. Instead, you can invest industry. Fortunately, there is still more than
some time to create something once and then enough room for you to join us in this ever-
sell it over and over again. We’re talking about growing game and take a slice of the profits for
any kind of product which people can purchase yourself. Imagine if you were to create a simple
online and download to their computer to help digital product, which sells for $27.
1. EBOOKS
Written ebooks are the
original digital product
Then you build a process that sells an average which started this entire
of 10 copies per day – on autopilot, regardless of industry. This is the easiest
whether you are working, or not. type of content to create, but it is still highly
That means that you would make $270 per day, valuable. Ebook sales continue to climb each year,
which is $98,550 per year… with ONE product. and there is no sign they are slowing down any
No inventory to hold, no expensive premises, time soon.
no staff and no postal materials, because there is It’s very easy to take the system or concepts
nothing to ship. It’s no more difficult or expensive that you want to teach and break it down into
to sell 1000 copies of your product than to sell 1! sections. Each section becomes a “chapter” in
And there’s nothing to stop you making another your ebook. Once your work is complete, you can
5, 10 or even 100 products and doing the same have it proof-read and save it as a PDF document,
thing. Digital products are the pinnacle of passive which your customers can open and read on
income. Ready to start selling digital products? almost any device.
It’s easy to create written content on word
THEN LET’S DIVE IN… processing platforms like Microsoft Word, Apple
iPages, Scrivner, Google Docs, and Open Office.
There are 3 primary leading selling digital Or it can easily be outsourced to a ghostwriter
products that you can create, and they are: who can create the content for you.
You can format your ebooks to make them look
2. VIDEO
TRAINING
Video products are
becoming easier to make
as technology becomes
more accessible and affordable. They are the
most popular digital products, right now. Creating video training is a little more difficult
Video is very flexible and can consist of on- than an eBook. You’ll need to put in some
camera videos, screencast videos (recording the practise to become comfortable delivering
actions that you’re taking on your computer your content and to make it look and sound
screen) or slideshow style videos (like PowerPoint professional.
presentations). There are two approaches with video. One is to
Interestingly, video courses typically have a very videotape yourself.
high perceived value. You could take the same You can create awesome video content using a
amount of content from an eBook or an audio camera you can buy for under $1,000. In fact, you
program, package it into a video course and sell it don’t even need to buy a video camera. Some
for a significantly higher price. of the newer smartphones produce better video
If you’re looking to teach technical information, quality than cameras that used to cost tens of
then video programs are a great way to go. It’s thousands of dollars.
easy to demonstrate the content that you want Another approach is to create what’s called a
to teach and your customers can just watch what “kinetic video.” These are videos that use text to
you do, and then copy it for themselves. express ideas. Basically you create a Power Point
Presentation, then record yourself narrating that
presentation.
You can create high quality kinetic videos with
one of two fantastic programs: Camtasia and
Some of the newer ScreenFlow. These are screen capture programs
that allow you to record yourself narrating
smartphones produce whatever is on your screen.
better video quality With the help of this software, you can create
high-quality video content for your customers
than cameras fast and inexpensively.
3. AUDIO
PRODUCT
Another type of information
product is in audio form.
These include podcasts,
audio training lessons, guided meditations, and
more. Audio courses are an older form of digital BONUS IDEA
product, but they are making quite a comeback
and have become pretty fashionable again. The 3 product ideas that I have outlined in this
Customers like audio programs because it’s easy section are not mutually exclusive, and it’s never
for them to listen to the training in the car, on a an “either/or” situation.
plane or… anywhere! There’s nothing to stop you from packaging
In the past, producing high quality audio was several different types of product together into a
expensive and time-consuming. Today with a multimedia product.
microphone you can buy for under $200 and with Of course, certain topics and and niches are
a free application like Audacity, you can produce more suited to a particular type of product, but
high quality audio content that matches or is you can often “multi-purpose” your content.
even better than something that used to cost For example, let’s say that you were to…
thousands of dollars before. STEP 1: Create a video training product
There isn’t a great difference between the STEP 2: Strip the audio from the videos to
process of creating an audio course and a video create an audio version
program. It’s up to you whether you want to: STEP 3: Transcribe the audio into an ebook
Write out a script & read word-for-word You’ve now produced a 3-part training series
Create a list of highlighted bullet points, from the same core idea and the same topic.
which you can elaborate on as you talk Your training is now MUCH bigger and it will be
That really depends on how well you know your perceived by your customers as a more valuable
content and how comfortable you feel “winging” product (which they will pay more money for).
it. There are no rights or wrongs here. You can Why have 1 profitable product when you could
always edit out any mistakes that you make. have 5, 10 or 100? The more products you have,
If you don’t feel confident enough to record the more money you stand to make.
your own voice then you can always outsource it The primary thing, of course, is to take action
to a professional voiceover artist. and start turning your ideas into a reality.
Thinkific is an
all-in-one platform
thinkific
that allows you to
Create & Sell Your The #1 Platform For
Courses, Programs Creating & Selling
Online Courses
and membership
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Online Business Blueprint 232 www.LeroyFord.com
PRODUCTS - STEP 6
Create V.I.P
Platform
V = VERTICALLY
I = INTEGRATED
P = PRODUCTS
VERTICALLY
INTEGRATED PRODUCT 4
Products PRODUCT 3
A SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF
V E R T I C A L LY I N T E R G R AT E D P R O D U C T S
F.E.
(FRONT END)
FREE
Optin
Offer
FREE OPTIN INCENTIVE
FREE BOOKS
OR
TRAINING VIDEOS
B.E.
Audio MID TICKET
Program PRODUCTS
$197
(BACK END)
Video Live
Program Events
$497 $497 HIGH TICKET
PRODUCTS
Live Tiered
Events Coaching
$497-$1997 $997-#9,997
PROFIT
M O N E T I Z AT I O N & AU TO M AT I N G
YO U R B U S I N E S S TO G E N E R AT E
PAS S I V E I N C O M E
C R E AT I N G INCO ME STRE AM
IDE AS
Multiple EBOOKS
IN C O M E
Streams LIVE EVENTS
F R O M Y O U R
W E B S I T E
DIGITAL PROGRAMS
Products PARTHENON
You must diversify your online business in case a platform suddenly goes away,
and income streams. You don’t want to ie kindle, or Google changes its algorithm.
rely on just one income stream. You must So too protect your income, especially if
create your own PRODUCTS PARTHENON you have quit your job and are depending
& establish multiple income streams. on that income to live, Diversifying your
This helps protect and sustain your income, business makes your income more secure.
MASTERMIND GROUPS
PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
AFFILIATE PRODUCTS
DIGITAL PROGRAMS
AMAZON & KINDLE
MEMBERSHIP SITE
LIVE EVENTS
Cash
MACHINE
So you want to turn your online business into That’s it. Seven steps. Looks easy doesn’t it?
a passive income machine?, well here’s how...
JUST ONE PROBLEM...
1. Set Up Your Website/Blog It’s not as easy as it looks, so if you’re looking
to make a quick buck, or a fast get rich quick
2. Find A Niche/A Problem You Can Solve scheme, then this is the wrong place to look.
The process is simple on the surface, but it’ll
3. Produce Value Content That Gets Traffic take you much longer than you’d expect. But do it
anyway, it’ll be worth it if you can stay the course,
4. Convert Visitors Into Email Subscribers and not afraid of rolling up your sleeves, then it
will definatley pay off, big time!.
5. Send Subscribers Content That Builds Trust So whether you have an established website
you want to monetize or you plan to build a new
6. Offer Products/Services Your Audience Wants website to create an additional stream of income,
here are 6 popular ways to create multiple
7. Optimise & Automate Sales Funnels. income streams from your online business.
1. ADVERTISING
INCOME
This is where many start. In
many ways this model of
making money from blogs is not
dissimilar to how a magazine
or newspaper sells ads. As your
traffic and brand grows you’ll
find advertisers will be willing
to pay to get exposure to your
audience. While you need decent
traffic to do a direct deal with
advertisers there are ad networks
(like Google AdSense) that act as
a middleman and enable smaller
publishers to run ads on their
blogs. This is where many start (I did too).
3. RECURRING
INCOME
2. AFFILIATE INCOME Another growing category of income that I’m
seeing more and more is recurring income
If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a streams (sometimes called continuity programs or
business model where you endorse other membership programs).
people’s products or services in exchange for This is where readers pay a regular recurring
a commission. On software and information amount (usually on a monthly or annual basis)
products, affiliates typically earn a 50% for access to either premium content, a private
commission or sometimes even more, so it can community area, some kind of service, tools,
be quite lucrative. coaching (or some combination).
4. EVENTS
While not something most bloggers
do I have noticed an increase in the
number of coaches making money
by running events. These range from
retreats and 2-day seminars like our
my Passion To Profits 2-Day Intensive
Training, which hosts hundreds of
attendees every year right down to
smaller meet-up events, where money is
made either through charging readers
to attend or by finding a sponsor for
the event. Alternatively online events or
webinars are also getting more popular.
5. PRODUCTS
My #1 source of income is through
selling digital products and online
coaching events. These ‘virtual products’
take work to create but they can be
very lucrative. Products can of course
take many forms and income virtual information
products like eBooks or courses but also other 6. SERVICES
virtual products like software, reports etc. The
other type of product some bloggers sell is A common way that many people make money
physical products. This is most common when is through offering services to their subscribers.
the coach has a business but sometimes they also These might be anything from coaching and
create merchandise (T-shirts etc) or other physical consulting, to writing or copywriting, to design,
products to sell, like DVD home study courses training or other freelance services.
4 - S tep F o r m u l a
TO TURNING WEBSITE VISITORS
INTO LOYAL CUSTOMERS
ATTRACT OFFER A
VISITORS TO FREEBIE IN
YOUR WEBSITE EXCHANGE FOR
WITH FREE THEIR EMAIL
CONTENT ADDRESS
& SPEAKER
STEP #5: BUILD having trouble with, and then create the solution.
3
T RUNK
PROMOTE VALUE
BUILD YOUR AUDIENCE
SOCIAL MEDIA TRAFFIC
BUILD A SALES FUNNEL
2
ROOTS
CREATE VALUE!
1 SOLVE A PROBLEM
START WITH SEED DELIVER SOLUTIONS
YOUR BIG IDEA / PASSION STRENGTHS PROVIDE FREE CONTENT
5
15 CRITICAL
MISTAKES
~ That May ~
?
KILL!
YOUR ONLINE BLOG
BUSINESS
Today, anyone can setup anonline business
in a matter of hours and at little or no cost at all.
The practical and financial barriers to starting a
business online are low. Unfortunately most new
Only A Fool Learns online startups still fail, in fact few last more than
6 months. Why?, knowing what NOT to do is as
Mistakes.
know. The truth is that building a successful online
business is ‘no walk in the park’. And can be the
real sucker punch that any budding entrepreneurs
The Wise Man don’t recover from. The good news is, by avoiding
these critical mistakes you will improve your
Learns From The chances of success tenfold.
Here are 15 mistakes most new online
Mistakes Of Others. businesses make and how to avoid them.
X 4. NOT SECURING
YOUR DOMAIN NAME
X 5. NOT MAKING A LIST OF
If possible do this before you finally decide on the CONTENT IDEAS AND POTENTIAL
name of your new business. Firstly, decide which PRODUCT IDEAS
domain variable is critical to your business for
example does it need to be (.com) or should it be Before you start, you need to make sure that you
country specific (.co.uk)? have content ideas for your blog and potential
The day I came across Namechk was a good product ideas that you’re going to be supporting
day. It has saved me countless hours when through this content. Your blog is a marketing
it came to checking domains and whether or tool, and if you aren’t selling something, you’re
not they are available on different social media going to find it really hard to make any money
channels like Facebook and Instagram etc. online. Start off by brainstorming a list of content
All you do is type in your chosen name and ideas, to make sure that your business idea is
it instantly lists what social media channels it is viable. You don’t want to run out of content ideas
available on. after a few weeks and watch your business fizzle.
One fact about any type of business is that no Let’s face it. Shiny objects distract and are proven
one can handle all the tasks and expect great to hinder many small online entrepreneurs from
results, unless they are superhuman. In the world succeeding. We all must keep up with technology
of online business, you will need to outsource and, always check out possibly good software or
certain tasks of your business to record faster other products we think can be of great benefit
progress. For example; if you can’t design a logo to our businesses. However, buying everything
personally, get someone to do it for you, or if thrown at you hoping to get results faster without
you’re technically incapable of managing your real hard work on your side can be disastrous.
website, hire an expert to do it. Always know what you are buying, be selective
The beauty of online business is that you can and add to your tool box only tools you really
easily hire a range of services from programmers, need to make your work easy.
advertisers, virtual assistants, writers to web
developers at an affordable cost. As your X 15. NOT STARTING AT ALL.
business grows, the more tasks, you will have at
hand, making outsourcing a necessity. Don’t be We all have that
afraid to delegate certain tasks to better your friend who’s
business which in turn frees your time letting you talked and talked
concentrate on improving value for your clients. about doing
something… but
X 13. STARTING WITHOUT A PLAN who never has
done it. Sooner or
Success means getting to a certain point – but if later it’s time to
you don’t know where you’re going, how will you stop reading and
know when you get there?. That’s why you need get going. If you wait until you “know everything”
a plan. It’s ok to change your mind along the way you’ll never start. Success is a marathon not
as you will see what needs refining, but starting a sprint, so keep putting one foot in front of
without a plan and waiting to see what happens another. The truth is, you don’t need to know
is just a waste of time. Before you begin, have a everything – you only need to know enough to
good idea of what your website will be about and start. “One day you’ll be 80”, and you wont have
how you want to generate an income from it. the time nor the energy. Now’s your time!
required to build a life-changing, and with you, every step of the way. So
lucrative online business. do get in touch if I can support you in
These are the 7 skill sets you must any other way. And I look forward to
your courage!
C L I C K TO S H A R E
L E R O Y F O R D
LET ’S CONNECT
So What’s Next?
Thousands of people have read this guide. If you’re not subscribed, you should be, because
Some have taken action, most have not. I give away stuff that most people charge for.
Everyone has a reason for why they can’t move At least that’s what I’ve been told.
forward. However, the difference between those And I’ll keep producing more and more both
who succeed and those who don’t is not talent or free and premium content that helps you move
luck. It’s the determination to take action despite forward, because that’s why I’m here. That’s what
all the perceived obstacles. I’m passionate about.
If you want to build a thriving online business,
you have to be willing to put in the work and face I WOULD REALLY
your inner fears. APPRECIATE IT IF…
Yes, it’s going to be overwhelming and
confusing at times. But you have to focus on Now before we wrap this up, I’d really appreciate
taking the next smallest step, and when you do it if you shared this guide with your friends.
that, you’ll eventually reach your goals. You are free to distribute it in whatever way
You will make plenty of mistakes, and your you want, such as Facebook, Twitter, or good old
first few ideas may fail gloriously, just like mine fashioned email.
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direction, commited to living your dream life and website LeroyFord.com to subscribe to my free
keep moving forward, you’ll make it. newsletter. That way they not only get this free
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If you’ve subscribed to my newsletter at I could try and spread the word about this
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tips from me on a weekly basis, aswell as access and this will help you make an impact, so I’d really
to lots of Free Resources and downloads appreciate your help on this. So spread this free
to keep you on track, so this is just the beginning. guide to anyone you think could benefit from it!.
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