Posted by Ben Jones on May 8, 2007
Paula Mooney has created a list of the salaries of top bloggers. This article is very well put together and seems to be pretty factual. There were a few surprises in this list and there are several things that we can learn from it. The first thing that I noticed was the deviation between the top earner and the average salary of the list. It let me know that there are a few bloggers who are doing extremely well but the rest of the pack are all well below those bloggers.
The amount of money made by the average blogger on this list did not wow me at all. It actually let me know that there is still tremendous room for growth in this industry. It also reminded me that making money from blogging is very difficult and that money can’t be the only reason that I do it. This is no problem for me because I am starting to love the blogosphere. One of my many joys is exploring content from other blogs on my feedreader. Anyway, check out this article and remember to leave comments because she has the “no follow” feature turned off and you can gain some search engine juice.
Oh, and my Pistons are dominating Chicago! Game 2 Score: 108-87! Yes, you read it right! The second blow out in a row. I expect us to lose 1 in Chicago but the series is ours. We now own them!
Posted by Ben Jones on May 7, 2007
I am posing this question because I continue to meet self-made people who claim to have had no formal education. Actually, most of the successful entrepreneurs that I know did not possess a college degree when they started their respective businesses. Although, some of them have gone back and attained degrees after their business was established, the fact remains that they did not need them in order to get their business moving.
Now I, for one, grew a lot as a person during my undergraduate course work(Maybe that was worth $60,000….probably not). However, I cannot say that I learned a lot about my field that I could not have learned through self-induced reading. Therefore, I am under the impression that I would have been better served by actually doing an independent study of entrepreneurship instead of spending 5(ok, maybe six if you count that year long party.lol) years studying Business Administration.
I would have probably been sittin on the beach somewhere right now, handing down instructions over the phone. I know that that day is still coming but it still leaves one to ponder whether I wasted my time and money in college. I mean, how much can an entrepreneur really learn from college anyway? Most of the things that I learned about entrepreneurship, were learned the hard way: through trial and error.
So, I am posing this question to you:
Is college really necessary for entrepreneurs?
I want to hear from you all on this. So Leave your comments. Thanks!
Posted by Ben Jones on May 6, 2007
As most of you know, Google’s Page Rank has become extremely important for websites. It basically ranks you on how important/popular your blog is. Advertisers use it to determine whether how much an advertisement on your website is worth. So, I’ve found a pretty cool way to increase your page rank.
Most blogging platforms automatically have “no follow” tags in comments section as a default so that search bots do not use the links from commenters to increase page rank. This helps to discourage people from spamming your blog with comments. Well, there is a movement going on right now where select bloggers have removed the no follow tags from their comments section so that other bloggers get some PR juice when commenting on their blog.
Learn about how this can increase page rank at Paula Neal Mooney’s blog. Also join the “D-List” movement by following the directions below. Remember to visit all the sites listed and leave relevant comments in order to increase you PR!
***Begin to copy here***
1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list in the paragraph. This isn’t a suggestion. You need to break up the duplicate content. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra link back.
2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.
3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the “Originals” list.
4. Add at least 1 new blog that you KNOW us using the DO FOLLOW plugin to the list in the “My Adds” section. (Add no more than 5!) Let the people you’ve added know, so that they can keep the list going!
5. Leave relevant comments on the blogs listed and get a link back to your site thanks to Do Follow!My Adds:
Paula Neal Money
Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot
Original List:
Entrepreneur Guide
Fuzzy Future
Solo Technology
GeekySpeaky
Simple Kind Of Life
3DayMom
BuyMeBlog
The Hockey Dad
Midlife Musings
Utterly Geek
Whatever I Feel Like
My Dandelion Patch
Surviving NJ
BizMark Tech
Two Dog Zoo
TDZ Travel
Body, Mind & Solar
MidLifeMusings
HomeBizBlogger
Confessions of a Housewife
Andy Beard
Randa Clay Design
Posted by Ben Jones on May 5, 2007
Is it just me or is this world becoming increasingly obsessed with lawsuits? It is getting to the point that “tort exploitation” can almost be categorized as a business industry. It always interests me to see the things that people sue for these days. Even more interesting, is the fact that our judicial system often justifies these ridiculous cases by awarding money to every customer with a complaint. What happened to the days when you would just not visit a particular store anymore if you didn’t like the product or service? Those days are obviously long gone.
I’m tired of shewing the neighborhood kids away from the large field on our church grounds because of fear that they could sue the church if injured. It’s ridiculous! This should be simple: If you injure yourself while playing on someone elses grounds, it’s your own fault and you should probably not play there again. When I was younger, we played sports on any field we could find. If we got hurt, we got a band aid or some stitches and went out to play the next day.
However, that is not the case anymore. Companies have to be extremely careful now because people will take advantage of any opportunity to sue. Did you know that Wal-Mart is sued at least once every two hours? And What is the world coming to when a dry cleaners can be sued for $65 million for misplacing a pair of pants? The kicker is that they actually found the pants and tried to return them but the guy wouldn’t accept them. The dry cleaners offered$12,000 to settle out of court and the plaintiff refused! You know why he refused? Because he knows that he’ll be awarded a higher amount through some ambiguous precept in our wonderful judicial system.
The damages included in this lawsuit is ridiculous. This guy actually wants the dry cleaners to pay for the amount it costs him to drive to another cleaners. In other words, he wants them to pay him not to use their services. That’s insane! Suits like these are funny but we should be alarmed. If we continue at this rate we will no longer be able to enjoy the luxuries that this country affords us. Simple things, such as
buying hot coffee, will be a thing of the past. It’s madness!
Every time somebody wins one of these lawsuits, we move closer to losing something that we have become accustomed to. Almost every coffee shop in the nation was serving cooler coffee because of the infamous McDonald’s suit. I mean, it’s coffee. Everybody that walks in the door wants it hot. Blow it…or wait to drink it for Pete’s sakes. I can kind of sympathize with the lady that sued McDonald’s because it actually burned her skin(and because she was elderly). Maybe that was dangerously hot coffee. But the fact remains that she spilled the coffee and not the company.
A lot of people contend that McDonald’s knowingly served dangerously hot coffee and therefore should be liable. Ooook fine…BUT…..Can I now sue Crisco if I spill cooking oil on myself? Or Bruce Foods for the consequences of spilling their hot sauce in my eye? And who do I sue if I spill a pot of boiling water on myself? JEA or the manufacturer of the pot? Hey, maybe I should just sue both, I’ll probably get more money.
My point is that any system in which people can hold someone else accountable for the consequences of their own actions is terribly flawed. I believe that, in most instances, common sense needs to be the only legal principle applied. If common sense prevails in our judicial system, maybe it will start to trickle down to everything else in this country. If you want to see more of these crazy lawsuits, visit the Power of Attorneys website. There are some pretty humorous cases there. Leave your comments…
Posted by Ben Jones on May 3, 2007
Almost everybody should know about this by now but John Chow is offering anyone a free backlink in exchange for a review of his site. His blog that helps people to make money online. For those that are not aware, John Chow dot com is one of the most popular blogs out there. If you review of his blog, he’ll link to it in his next batch o backlinks. A link from a site of that caliber should definitely help to increase your page rank. Even though tons of people have already taken advantage of his offer, he is still running this deal. So if you feel that his site is relevant to yours, you may want to take advantage of his offer.
Posted by Ben Jones on May 1, 2007
Whether you are a business owner, manager, trainer,etc…there is one thing that will immediately help you to gain the respect and adoration of your employees. Believe it or not, IT IS NOT YOUR TITLE. You have to be very careful not to portray yourself as being a “know-it all.”
People will always identify with somebody who is real, genuine, and touchable. This attribute is of the utmost importance as a manager. You have to remember that your title alone brings tension to the relationship between you and your subordinates. You do not want to add any extra fuel to that fire.
You have to also be sure to present yourself as someone who knows the job well but does not know everything. It is always better to voice your understanding of something and offer an opportunity for insight than to be publicly proven wrong. Give employees the respect that they deserve with the understanding that each of them is better than you at something. Your title does make you an authority on something, but it does not make you an authority on everything. So lean on the strengths of your employees and do not allow your ego to cause you to obscure them at things that they do better than you.
Lastly, realize that your promotion and position is a blessing and not proof of supreme intelligence. There are usually people beneath you who are smarter and more qualified than you. If you understand and respect that, you won’t have a problem keeping your ego in check. We all struggle at times with trying to be “reachable” and maintain respect. What I have come to find out is that it all falls into place quite naturally when you don’t identify people by a position(including yourself).
When you do this, it is much easier to just be a person. The real you. The one that your mother knows. The one with flaws. That’s who people want to work for!
In closing I’ll say this, through accomplishment we all struggle to stay humble. If we can learn not to let people or things elevate our self-awareness, we will live a much more fulfilling life. And the amazing thing is that by allowing ourselves to be ourselves, we not only become better people but we become better leaders. Crazy concept, but I have found it to be true. So don’t learn this lesson the hard way. Just make a conscious effort to “Keep It Real.”
Also See: Managing By Force
Posted by Ben Jones on
Traditional business owners have more than enough obstacles to overcome in order to become successful. “History” is one of the major ones as 50% of new businesses fail within the first year and 95% fail within the first 5 years. Home business owners, for obvious reasons, have even more obstacles to overcome. Therefore, their success rate, though it cannot be properly tracked, is much lower. So what can you do as a home business owner to help your business beat the odds? Well, keep the commandments(the ones in the Bible and these):)
1) Be Professional
The reason why this is the first on the list is because this is always a problem with home businesses. People usually find it difficult to maintain the same level of professionalism at home as they do at a 9-5. But believe me, professionalism is key to your success as a home business owner. Do not let the fact that you are at home, instead of at a storefront, cause you to run a bush league operation(like most people tend to do). You have to place yourself on the level of your competitors. If you are professional and thorough, your customer won’t even know that you are working from home and won’t care either. That’s the way it should be. So be sure to maintain a high standard for the work that you do. It’ll pay major dividends in the long run.
2) Separate Business from Pleasure
You have to be able to separate your business hours from your personal time. Take it from me, getting the two of these mixed up is both very easy and very costly. How many times have you been at home and had lots of things planned for the day but ended up not getting much done? You go to bed wondering where all your time went. I can tell you exactly what you did all day. Ready:
9:00AM-rise and shine
9:15AM-check email(with intentions to start working)
11:00AM-Realize that you’ve been surfing the web for an hour & haven’t done anything
12:00PM-Lunch Time (make a sandwich and watch TV)
12:15Pm-Shower(hopefully) 
1:00PM-Back on the computer, ready to do business
1:30PM-A little tired, wanna take a 30 minute snooze
2:45PM-Wake Up, back to work
3:30PM-Kids Come Home from School
3:30-9PM- Making Dinner, lunches for tomorrow, helping with homework, breaking Up fights, and telling yourself that you will process that last order as soon as your done.
10:00PM-Fall asleep at the computer(dreaming about all the things you’ll accomplish tomorrow)
You can imagine how long your business will remain open if your days continue in this pattern. So be sure to set aside time when you are doing nothing but work. Preferably at a time when you are home alone, free from distractions. Make sure that anything else you need done, gets done before or after your business hours. Nuff said…
3) Location, Location, Location
Your business needs it own space. If you do not have an office in your home, I suggest that you at least get a computer desk and arrange all of your business valuables around that. This is important because it helps to keep you focused on your tasks. You can be a lot more professional if you are not constantly reminded that you are at home. Believe it or not, ambiance is major. I learned this valuable lesson while in college. For some reason, I got a lot more studying done while in the library rather than lounging in my bed. It will also help the other people in the house learn to identify when you are at work and when you are at home. After a while, they will learn to give you your space while in your little office. Then you can go to your desk every once in a while just to get a break!
4) Demand Respect
Don’t sell yourself short. The minute you pay your incorporation or DBA fees, you are officially a legitimate business in your industry. You must demand the respect of your competitors as well as your customers. If you present yourself as an incompetent small company, you will be treated as such. You must speak with authority like someone who knows what they are doing and who is fully capable of conducting business. Don’t be afraid to put your name out there with the larger companies, I guarantee you that they too will come to respect you if your businesses quality attracts customers.
5) Spend Less, Make More
This is a pretty self-explanatory tip but I will expound on it anyway. A lot of new owners are so excited to have a business that they go to Wal-Mart and buy out the whole office section. That’s absolutely not necessary and not very wise. I wouldn’t max out that Staples card just yet(There’s no easy button:)). Be frugal with your spending in the beginning. I guarantee you that hard times are coming and you will want to sell that $300 chair and $4,000 laptop when they arrive. It’s OK to buy things that are necessary to complete or enhance your core competences, but that’s where it should stop.
6) Build Relationships
Very, very important! You must build relationships with your competitors and key industry leaders o that you stay in the know about things that effect your business. Some of these individuals may like you and start to help send business your way or provide helpful hints about how to advance in the industry. Trust me, people are usually more loyal to people than they are to companies. Secondly, and most importantly, you want to be sure to build a relationship with your customers. This is the only way to ensure that you get repeat business and it keeps you in tune with the needs of your customers. As a small, home based business, this is one advantage that you have over the juggernauts. You should be able to identify with the customer a lot better than the corporation that has 50,000 employees. The execs of those companies will never be able to address the needs of each customer and customers want to do business with people who care about them personally. They can’t address their concerns with the CEO of the large companies but they should be able to address them with the President/Founder of your company.
7) Separate Accounting
Be sure to keep your personal funds and your business funds separate. It is very tempting to get your companies money mixed up with yours(especially when they are kept in the same account). I suggest that you open a business account and make sure that business funds go into that account. Only draw checks from the business account because they are easy to check and you are much more conscious of spending when you don’t have cash in hand all the time(women especially):). Your company needs to maintain financial stability even when you are not. Therefore, business funds must be kept separately. Set yourself a salary that you can live with and stick to it until your company can afford to give you a raise. If you constantly dip into your profit, you have nothing to grow your business with and nothing to carry it through hard times. Thus you will never reach the stage when your business can afford to increase your pay. Struggle now, Rest Later!
Monkey See, Money Do
Yup you guessed it! Success is duplicatible, so make sure that you don’t let your competitors leave you behind. Everyone copies everyone, so if you see a technique or practice that could work for you, copy it. Add it to what you are doing because I guarantee you that they will duplicate your next big breakthrough. Of course, you always want to maintain your own identity as a company but if you want to compete you have to at least make sure that you can offer what’s current. For instance, “What was the first fast-food restaurant with a $1 menu?” NOBODY CARES! All people want to know is, “does your restaurant have one?” If you do, they may be more inclined to choose you over another company. If you don’t, its an easy decision. Don’t make it an easy decision. Many home businesses fail because they fail to keep up with what the rest of the industry is doing. Being small as a company can’t be an excuse for being left behind.
9) Business is Business
Oftentimes friends and family, who are all well-intentioned, will hinder your business from being successful. It is OK to allow your friends and family to benefit from your labor. However, “free stuff all around” every time they enter your premises is not a good way to get this done. Believe me, all those freebies add up pretty quickly. So keep an eye on the “benefits by association”. Friends and/or family are usually your first employees also. This is another area where they can hurt your business more than they help it. You will find that some people will come to work late, leave early, and do absolutely nothing in between. They have no fear of being fired because of their personal relationship with you. You have to make sure that your acquaintances know that business is business and that you will protect the well being of your business like any good owner should. Even if it means releasing them from their duties with your company.
10) Visit “Ben Means Business”- The Entrepreneur Guide
This probably should have been #1:). Visit http://www.ben-means-business.com/ as often as possible to keep up with what’s new in the world of entrepreneurship. Also, go there to find motivation, get answers, or just do some leisurely reading. Subscribe for free and make sure that you don’t miss a single article.
home business, small business, entrepreneurship, work from home, internet entrepreneurship, startup
