In the 12 months I have been making things and helping people I have noticed the three following things

1. That many MANY people see the financial storm clouds on their horizon (or thumping rain down on their heads) and are feeling compelled to make changes to their circumstances. For some it is setting themselves up like I did and leaving the corporate world for a simpler more economical life, for others it’s making a few dollars on the side just to tide them through the “crisis”, and others want to go the whole entrepreneur/start-up hog.  Things aren’t going to get better soon so these people are looking to jump before they are pushed (smart people!)

2.  That those financial storm clouds are affecting everyone and so doing something “on the side” is no longer seen as being disloyal, or downright crazy. I remember in the recession of the late 70′s my father making rocking horses in the garage as his bit on the side (he worked full time as a fitter and turner at a chocolate factory – BEST JOB IN THE WORLD – we got all the badly wrapped ones!) , today people make websites about rocking horses… or apps about rocking horses…or they make rocking horses in the garage. No one is batting an eyelid, you gotta do what you gotta do, and it’s never been easier to do it.

3. That technology has made it possible to live and work just about anywhere (even in the middle of the bush like I am). Not only that…that it is quite natural and normal to pull out some kind of computing device hop onto the internet and go bat-shit crazy pushing work out – anywhere, any time.  Hand held technology has opened so many opportunities out there. Just think, the “big thing” of 2012 isn’t even in existence yet…mind blowing!

There’s a lot of people wanting to do their bit on the side, or leave the corporate grind like I did (and I have known many of them over the years) that just can’t seem to get it together. I got it together, I know what it takes to get it together. I know how to help people get it together.  I am good at helping people get it together…in fact I am GREAT at helping people get it together. Last year I help quite a few people get it together.

What sets me apart from some of the so called “mentors” out there?  I don’t “leverage” my time with mentorees by running group webinars or sessions.  We have all seen how that works within the education system. People are paying thousands of dollars for this kind of disrespect. Just imagine your doctor dragging you into a room with a bunch of others to cure you… that’s what is happening with that kind of group mentor. My time and attention is with my mentoree, and only my mentoree.

I don’t charge enormous amounts for my time (despite being told that this is what I must do by just about everyone). Again this is all about my mentorees, not about making money. I have been trained by two Olympians in my life and neither of them charged more than a few dollars per session. Why? Because they were in it to help others improve, not to line their pockets. I serve in the same capacity.

Lastly, I don’t just take anyone.  Because I don’t “leverage” my time, I have only have so many hours in a day to help you.  I only take those I know are going to be a good fit and who are going to work with me, not against me. You and I may not be right for each other, that’s fine. Like I said I only want the ones that are going to work, and work with me.

I have two open spots to start the year off but you need to apply quickly (and of course I only take people who are capable of that kind of action because this whole post is aimed at getting the right people by making them do the things they will need to do to succeed).

You have until January 6th to click the button and fill in the form. Too late? Too bad.

POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED – YOU ARE NOW WELCOME TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE WAITING LIST

Apply NOW!

Click to apply

• left job
• moved 6 hours away
• minimised lifestyle
• lost almost 20 kgs
• built a large vibrant Facebook page community
• created an iPhone app
• successfully selling that iPhone app
• created Android version of app
• Created online app development education and opened it for sale
• started local website business 
• got paying clients for local website business
• started a successful podcast

I often lose site of how much I have done by focussing on what I haven’t done or comparing my success to that of others. I haven’t starved and I am not living in a van down by the river, and that’s a good thing.

I have been writing somewhat regularly on my Facebook page (no need to friend me just like and read, like and read).

Then there’s the 16kgs I have lost (and still going) and all the bits that go with that which you can see and read about, Four Hour Body Participants page which I run with a firm grip within a lentil covered glove.

And then there’s the 4HB App I am creating called the Slow Carb App which is for iPhones and Android which should be released any day now (didn’t I learn my lesson with Indian outsourcers in IBM…apparently NOT!)

Oh and if you are REALLY keen you can sign up to listen to a podcast I do with my good friend Lisa Hartwell called Trouble with Freedom which is all about what happens to you when you finally jump ship and start working for yourself.

I promise to share around more of what I am doing here as well, because it’s really interesting if I do say so myself!

There will also be an outcry. Just one more hack at your privacy. How dare Facebook allow people to ask whether you want to give someone your address and mobile number. The nerve of these people!

So what stops you saying…no? Don’t click on the “allow”. If the app is asking for information that you don’t want to give then just say NO.

So How Else Do You Give Your Information Away?

I recently put out a survey to question people’s opinions on using Facebook as a sign up method for email lists. You can take a look here, and fill it in if you like.  I was looking for a couple of pieces of information, and one of those was people’s attitude to using Facebook to sign up for sites and services, like getting more information via email. I was quite shocked to find that some respondents did not seem to understand that they were the ones in control of their information, and that their privacy settings forbid third party applications from gathering information without permission unless you have made those details public to everyone.

That statement at the top of an app request that says “Access my basic information” is standard on ALL Facebook 3rd party app requests. Not because the application is using that information, but because Facebook is reminding you that this information is available to any old pervert if you have your settings at “everyone”. Responders to the survey were asking “why does this application need this information?” when they should have been saying “it’s cool, I have all my settings set to friends, or customised…or I haven’t even entered information I don’t want Facebook and others to have”

Everyone

Facebook wants your information, there’s no two ways about it. Not so they can sell it, but so they can sell it’s availability, and statistics on it, to other places. Sounds nit picking, but there is a distinction. Companies love being able to get information easily and more importantly, cheaply. Facebook allows them to do that. A neat self-sustaining (but not infinite) cycle of attracting companies to cheap information that attracts more users to those company’s applications that provides more information, is in progress.

Facebook make “everyone” the default settings for much of your profile details because it is in their best interests. They are also smart enough to know that most people are too lazy or uninformed to actually change them to something that will protect their information.  Facebook constantly remind you, in small print, that you should read the Facebook Privacy Policy and change your Privacy Settings . Sure they aren’t exactly shouting it from the rafters, but they aren’t making it overly difficult to do.

If you do not change Facebook’s default settings from “everyone” to something else, then “everyone” can see it…and I mean EVERYONE.  Search engines can index it, and where it goes after that – who knows?

There are only two things you cannot change the privacy settings of, your name and your profile picture. Everything else is customisable right down to making only yourself able to see/have access.

Here’s my contact information and why I don’t worry about that “Access My Basic Information” reminder in 3rd party app requests.

PRO TIP – Make sure you check your settings after every Facebook update. They have a habit of “accidentally” changing settings, or giving more options that may be more relevant to how you want to share your details.

Why Do I Care?

Like Facebook, it is in my financial interests to make sure people understand that they have the power to affect who gets to see what. In the next couple of weeks I will be launching a tool that will allow people to place code on their sites that will use the Facebook 3rd party app request to sign people up to email autoresponders. If people are scared of app requests because they see that top clause, then I need to educate them that there is nothing to fear…if they have adjusted their settings. I will be creating a video to show people what they should be doing with their settings so they feel comfortable with how their information is protected.

Real life experience trumps theoretical every time.

As is shown every year in The Challenge the entry level into creating something from nothing and make money from it on the internet is tiny.  If you can string a few sentences together and have a few dollars you can start making sites that will either find you a market to sell or market to, or sites that you can sell for more than your dollar outlay. If you truly want to have an internet business then every time you actually do something instead of passively absorbing information , you should be making a note of what you have learned (which is why so many internet professionals go back and do the Challenge each year).

I am not saying the more money you spend on getting something to market the more you learn. Again using the Challenge as an example, I learned more in my first 30 Day Challenge as I created my first niche blog on a free platform, than I did at a $500 weekend seminar a couple of months before. It was then I vowed that I would not continue to waste money on “education” that was not practical in nature.

If your read my post yesterday you would have seen that I am not being passive in how I am tackling my “hammock” life. My hammock is all about creating an online business that uses software as a service (SaaS) as its product to sell to people who are trying to make a professional go of their online business. To do that I am going to have to spend money, a fair bit of money. As much as some Internet marketing gurus sell their seminars for. Instead of walking out of a seminar with a good feeling, and some written notes that I may never look at again, I will have a tangible product (two actually) and will heave learned a great deal on what, and what not to next time (that’s if I need a next time, but knowing my entrepreneurial streak, there will be;)).

Do not be fooled that theoretical education is the best kind of education. There’s a reason why many of the names you know who are incredibly successful never obtained a degree or even finished high school. Real experience was their teacher.

Thanks to Pollyanna UK for the image

If you are a real business owner, or want to be a real business owner, then you will need to start doing the things that real businesses do.  Just because you can set up something that makes money on the internet, does not mean you are in business.

Let’s imagine that you have an online business that sells a single eBook on a specific niche topic. What is your Strategic Goal (or as Dan names is – your Object of Desire)? Let’s say it is “To Be The Biggest Selling eBook on the internet for this subject “.  It’s a big call, but is measurable and so is achievable.

In the corporate world the CEO and partners get together to name these strategic goals on a yearly basis. They always revolve around reducing costs, improving quality, improving customer satisfaction.  For the small business person trying to sell the most amount of ebooks on a particular subject it might look like

- pay per click advertising

- Facebook advertising

- Joint venture with Bob

Next comes the procedures (also known as work instructions, actions, activities) that need for each of these steps.  The documentation of these steps are essential if you have staff (freelance or payroll) so you can

1. know what you are currently doing
2. measure and compare results
3. implement process improvement
4. get the same result every time, no matter who is performing the task

Your procedures will have step-by-step instructions on how to set up a PPC advertising campaign, how to set up a Facebook advertising campaign, what steps you need to take to enter into a JV with Bob.

These procedures  are what Dan calls commitments in his post, and they really are the “harder” tasks. Harder as in they cannot be deviated from unless testing for process improvement, both you as a business owner, and your staff must commit to performing these tasks as written.

So hats off to Dan Watrous for making a dry business fundamental come alive for people as they plan their 2011 business goals.

Back in October, before the corporate job went to hell,  I sat down and wrote a list of what I considered myself to be an expert in – the list looks like this

• Business Documentation
• Process development, improvement
• Leading teams
• Managing teams (YES there is a difference)

I brainstormed till I had the skeleton of a business plan (who are my customers, what do I provide for them). As much as the lure of the shiny is out there for me, I forced myself to create something that is based on firm, time tested basic business principals. A lot was based on listening to what people were complaining about within the circles I move in and how to fix that problem.  Rather than dig for gold like the others are doing, I am going to be selling shovels.

It is as un-sexy as I am …which may end up part of the branding

To be continued…

Picture by Picture Perfect Pose – Flickr

Thing is, it’s not the best use of my time (BUMT) lumping it together, it doesn’t pay. It’s been scratching at the back of my mind that while I want to “disappear” into the ether, I really shouldn’t close that market leadership type of door because I really have a lot to say about a few subjects. Subjects like how to leave your job for your passion, how to live an environmentally mindful life and still be a tech lover, and how to succeed even if you are old, fat and ugly.

To keep me honest and on track about the things that I dig on the internet, as well as making a dollar or two, I have created a Facebook fan page for my internet entrepreneurial persona.  You can find it here – unfinished but shipped all the same. Love you to take a look and a “like” if you are into my stuff.

As for my other interests, many  have fan pages already, in fact they have had them for quite a long time and they are growing organically and that is how I like it.  My oldest fan page has one post on it and a link to an affiliate page. It’s traffic is not huge but is constant and it has the most “likes” of all my pages…even beats out my Sphynx Cat page where I post Sphynx cat news daily and reader’s kitten pictures 3 times a week!

Yet these pages are all crushed significantly in traffic and numbers by a fan page my son put up for people who have been “let down” by a local bus company…just goes to show, pissed off people JOIN things , misery really does love company.

Like me NOW ……..please

The first batch of people that were coming last week all failed the “turning up” test. I bet each one of them thought “well it’s OK –  Someone else will be there and I am too ashamed to send an email to say I am not coming” (thanks to the one person that did email to drop out ).

This week however I had the opposite with  self motivated (and fabulous!) people turning up. We had a great session and I have high hopes for their success as we move through the Challenge.

There is only one “secret” to success and that is turning up and putting in the work. Common sense really.

For those that have participated you probably know who I am, a short refresher.  I have completed the last 4 challenges and have been a moderator for the last 2 years. I am usually the naughty one, making inappropriate comments and heckling Ed. The one that looks like she is having a great time (which I am ) I am also a mad keen believer in not TALKING about working, but actually working. This year I want to try something new with people who are completing the Challenge in Sydney, Australia (keep reading if you are from other places because you can try this out too).

I am looking for people who want to focus their Challenge work and get it DONE. They need to be able to make a commitment to at least one weekly 2 hour session in a work space environment . We will work for 90 minutes  (3 x 25 minute sessions with 5 minute breaks) on the Challenge and then 30 minutes on coffee, cake, chat.  The venue will be in the Hills or Parramatta depending on numbers.  Depending on numbers and commitment there will be 1 to 3 sessions a WEEK on a Wednesday Morning, Friday Morning and Saturday Morning. You only need to come to one but can come to as many as you want as long as you commit to those days EVERY week.

Unable to commit? Well forget completing the Challenge, you won’t with that attitude.

Dates, times and venues are non-negotiable when announced. If you want to succeed this will be the first of the sacrifices you need to make.  No apologies from me, work is hard and inconvenient. Makes the rewards from that work so much sweeter.

I can guarantee you that you will get more done in that time then you will ever get done by yourself. FULL STOP.  I will also tell you I am like that bootcamp trainer, I am NOT going to accept lame half arsed excuses as to why you CAN’T. I am an ugly unfit overweight woman with Multiple Sclerosis, a full time job, and Sphynx cats, I have damn good reasons why I can’t…. but I still TURN UP and DO.  And so shall you.

If you really want to do this thing  (and I KNOW you farted around last time, wasted time, enjoyed all the warm fuzzies and kumbaya without putting in the hard yards to deserve them!) then fill in your details below.

If you are NOT in Sydney then why not set one of these up yourself. Drop me a comment if you have questions and I’ll email you back.

What’s in it for me? Well a couple of things -

1) I love to help people succeed. So yeah I’ll be getting my jollies helping you do good work.

2) More people will get to know who I am and then will pay good money for expertise/time with me.

3) I LOVE being creative, and leveraging work with creativity, and so I will be filming the whole thing to make an online reality TV show (you can opt-out of appearing on that, or you can become a STAR)