Hi Guys.

How is 2010 going for all of you? I’ve got some tough decisions to make in the coming few days, but in the mean time I am doing a little fact-finding for a family relation looking to setup a small online business. After some research and work they decided they might like to run a hosting company. This was something I was thinking of doing at one point. There was a stage where I considered doing some offline marketing consultancy, and I flirted with the idea of providing hosting solutions to some small businesses at one stage. In all honesty, this is probably what my relation is going to do.

Anyway, I threw together a really quick, 4-question, multiple choice/multi-answer survey on surveymonkey.com and offered to help get some market research done.

Click here to take survey

Look, the survey should take you a maximum of 2 minutes to do (if that). You’d be doing me a massive favor if you would take a minute of your time to fill this out and leave a comment on this blog saying you filled it out, I promise to give everyone who took part some kind of goodie/gift to say thank you very much! No idea what it is yet, but it’ll be good, I promise!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the family relations are my parents! So it’d mean a lot to me if anyone of you would take two minutes to fill this in: Click here to take survey

I’ll be making a couple of cool posts in the very close to the future talking about the lessons I learnt from 2009.

Take care, and peace to you and yours.

To anyone out there from some where, if you are reading this post I thank you.

If you have been a reader at this blog before, you will be aware that a lot of the content was quite personal and in the past fairly regular. You’ll also have been aware that I haven’t posted here for some time now. I won’t go into the why’s and how’s etc, but I am sure you can appreciate some times life takes a hold and you have less times for the things you enjoy (such as blogging).

It’s New Year’s Eve and I am writing this post a few hours in advance of the festivities over here in the UK. I want to announce a couple of changes on this blog.

1. This blog has been far too personal. In some ways, expressing myself in this way has been really helpful and I have genuinely enjoyed respected and appreciated the comments, feedbacks and interactions I have had with some of the readers here. However, these personal posts have been far more useful, beneficial and helpful to me than they have anyone else. I want this blog to be something of use to other people, and perhaps, a by-product of that will be a community of cool readers and commentators who will form a mini-support network for any budding online marketers out there who are finding things difficult.

2. I am going to actually post some useful stuff, and in some ways this blog will remain very personal as everything I post will be drawing on personal experience. I’ll also be updating the blog with some news about what I am doing etc. I have got some really cool posts coming up in the next couple of weeks to help you start 2010 off the right way. I look forward to getting back onto blogging and I really look forward to connecting and re-connecting with many of you again.

3. I shall be deleting a lot of the posts on this blog. This was something I was debating a few posts back. A lot of people seemed to be of the opinion I should keep them so I have reference one what I was thinking at different times. I agree with that. I have read back through them this holiday though, and I  have taken stock of my experiences this year, and I think it is time to delte a great many of them. I’ll be hanging on to a few I found important, or that were relatively important to people here though.

There’ll be some big changes round here in the close future, and if that interests you at all, then stick around!

I want to thank all of you who at any point read or responded to this blog in 2009. I wish you all, all the best in 2010 and I look forward to talking with you all again in the close future. I’d like to thank a few people by name though:

-Will Surrency

-Eddy Rush

-Robin Tabari

-Paul Simpson

-Alex Shelton

-Lee Mcintyre

These chaps listed have made 2009 an interesting year, have kept my spirits up in one way or another. I have learnt a great deal from each of them this year as well and have been pleased to have met and interacted with them.

Happy New Year everyone.

Speak soon.

I can’t hide the fact that yesterday’s blog post was made at a pretty “stressful” moment. I want to share a lot of the frustrations some one trying to escape the Rat Race has. I hope that by expressing these thoughts with people, some of you may be able to relate what I am going through, and if you are going through the same kind of things as well, perhaps it will you to not feel as “isolated”. So anyway, I had a bad day yesterday, and I stand by everything I said in that post, but today, I am a lot more relaxed, calm and less stressed. I did three simple things in the last 12-14 hours or so to help with that, so I thought I would share 3 easy ways to beat stress. This isn’t rocket science, may come across as a little patronising, but I think it’s often very easy to miss the basics some times.

Before I start, I want to list the top 5 things that help me relax:

1. An Aikido session. In the right environment, with the right people and instructor, I find this to be almost meditative. Oddly I find a lot of martial arts to be great stress busters, I find a lot of peace in the chaos of a physical confrontation in the right circumstances. It’s a great release when done right.

2. Floatarium. This is an amazing treatment which can be found at some treatment spas with a little research online. I have only ever done it once on the recommendation of my father and I have to say, that an hour in a floatarium relaxed me to a new level of laid back! Basically it is like a giant bath with a closing roof. It’s like some kind of space age pod, and in it is shallow water full or specific salts. These salts allow to float very easily in shallow water (much like in the Red Sea). This is coupled with relaxing music and lighting, it is entirely your choice whether you close the lid on your pod or not, I have done both and recommend giving it a try, even if you are not a fan of confined spaces!

3. Holidays. It is still the only time of year when I really wind down, relax and let all of my worries go. For 7, 10, or 14 days; when I am in a foreign country I love relaxing by a pool, in a pool, eating good food and hanging with friends and family. It really helps me un-wind.

4. Lying down, releaxing or playing sport at the the beach (even British beaches). I don’t know what it is about the British coastline that does this to me, but I find it very peaceful and relaxing.

5. Driving on quiet city and country roads and streets. I always stay within the speed limits, but it’s great how a journey (especially when there is no destination) “flows” when there is no traffic on the roads. For practical reasons though, it is best done late at night or early in the morning.

So why have I listed my favorite ways to relax and de-stress? Well, I wanted you to know that the following three tips are not my prefered methods of getting rid of stress, but they are the most practical and simplest. You see everything in the above list was not available to me last night as an option, and I suspect those options are not available on a daily basis for a lot of us reading this blog! So with none of the above being an option, I had to resort to some basics, which really helped me come to work in a better frame of mind.

Here is the three step plan to banishing the blues and stress from a crap day:

1. Go to bed early.

2. Wake up early.

3. Have a good, healthy breakfast and take a minute to gather your thoughts before hitting the commute.

I can’t explain why this works, I just know when it comes to it, and I am having a rotten time of it, this simple routine is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety, and it is a 3-step plan I have been employing regularly lately!

Not my most “dynamite” of posts, but perhaps helpful to some one out there. Has anyone got any good stress-busting techniques? If so, drop a line in the comment section below and share your tips, ideas and techniques with everyone.

Take it easy.

I know it seems like I have missed the boat on this one. After all, everyone has been talking about the new FTC guidelines and the ways they affect product owners and affiliates alike for some time now. I have stayed very still and silent on the subject, and there is a good reason for that.

1. I am not a lawyer and neither are half the people debating the new rules. This becomes a problem as subjective opinion is not a good way of interpreting the law.

2. This has not been an issue that affects me. I haven’t been selling as an affiliate lately, and when I do, I don’t make outrageous promises or claims. Honesty is always the best polciy.

But these regulations are a concern for a great deal of Internet marketers out there and it has serious implications. However, from my reading on the subject and after talking to a lot of online business people about it, two things seem important to bare in mind:

1. Generally speaking, the FTC do not come after you if you are a small fish. They go after big guys doing the big numbers, and they make an example of them.

2. Generally speaking again, you have to have a serious number of complaints being made about you by unhappy customers to come up on the FTC radar. That alone should give you a reason to treat your customers like gold!

So there has been a lot of talk about what the new guidelines mean, and how they will change the business etc. My opinion of it is this:

This has been coming for a loonng time now, and it’s been coming because of the sheer amount of liars, cheats and borderline thieves there are on the Internet. That is a bold and big claim to make, and for the sake of legality, I won’t name any names, but I have been on webmaster forums where I have watched some one show everyone how they built a niche website, and created their own fake testimonial videos lying about the apparent success of the product. Amusingly, this was a product about getting in better physical shape, and the product creator was stood on this video making this fake testiomonial with his shirt off. What was immediately clear from this was the guy had never seen a gym, let alone his own product!

I have seen marketers use fake income claims, screen shots and mis-information to give the perception that doing a lot better than they actually are. I know people being chased for large bills from utility providers who are claiming on videos, salespages and websites that they are making north of $20,000 a month. These people often use all kinds of twisted logic to justify this position, I am not sure there is a reasonable, rational or logical justification for it though.

The truth is, a lot of this industry has prospered on the back of lies and deception and it is frequently left unchallenged. Swathes of people so desperately WANT to believe that some of the wild claims are true, and thus they take a leap of faith and consistently fail to apply logic, critical thinking, or due diligence to their thought process on their purchase decision.

I guess I am having a “grouchy” day, but I have seen enough in the industry to know, that there is such little regulation, a lot of bad people are getting away with a lot of bad things and it really must stop and perhaps, the FTC’s actions will go some way in helping put an end to some of this nonsense.

About a year ago I watched this video after having it recommended to me by some one on a forum. I recently was moved to look it up and watch it again.

I don’t usually post on a Sunday, but if there is some one out there with nothing to do after their Sunday dinner, then this is a video that is well worth a watch! It’s changed some people’s lives, it’s helped people adjust their thinking. It touches and moves some people, and it does nothing for others. Still, a great video and one I would make nearly every school child/student watch, there are some great life lessons to be learnt.

Check it out for yourself:

I’ve been talking to some real assholes recently, and that’s been a good thing. I have spoken to one asshole in particular today who is meant to “help us”. I have to admit, as much as I dislike them, I grateful for the time we had and the discussion we took part in.

You see for the last few days (and in particular today) I have had my ideas and vision ripped to shreds metaphorically right in front of my eyes. It’s frustrating to try and talk to people who aren’t coming from the “same place” as you. I literally have a head bzzing full of ideas. I think these ideas are on the money on timing, relevancy and have so much potential. This week I have been forced to get some of those ideas out in the open, onto paper and out there into the ether. It has been productive, a lot of fun, it’s helped me clarify some things but has also backed me into a corner I have had to fight my way out of.

You see today’s advocate was representing the Devil. Let’s just say this person has some experience in the “business industry” I want to go into and I had an hour long conversation with this person. The idea was to share my idea and see what help they could offer. It turned out they ripped the idea to shreds and really beat us over the head with their “facts” and experience. I left that particular discussion with a lot of questions in my head and self-doubt. I had to start looking at the idea objectively, I had to look at my plan objectively, and I was forced to look at my ideas through some one else’s eyes. It was difficult and sobering, and it nearly ruined my day.

But don’t forget, that before speaking to this person, I was VERY fired up about the idea and even during my discussion with this person, I argued my case/cause with conviction, enthusiasm and certainty. This lady ruined my attitude and outlook for approximately three hours. But I have done my research, I believe in myself and those around me, and believe in these ideas. I ripped down my dreams and then built them up again. I was forced to tear my idea to pieces, find the weaknesses, and the holes in the theory. After that, I started to repair that damage, I fortified those weaknesses and I plugged those holes! What did I get out of it? The determination, motivation and a refined model to move forward with. Perfect!

I am looking forward to not writing in such cryptic terms in the close future, but for now, here’s what you should take away from this…..

Article marketing, blogging, video marketing, SEO, PPc; it’s all cool and they all bring in the cashola, but when it comes down to it, business is hard, challenging and will punish you. For the first few years, you may work harder than you have ever worked your entire life, but 5-6 years down the line it will really pay off. But how do you get through the tough stuff when there is no money to withdraw, a mountain of work to do, and you still have to make more and more sales to repair the damage?

Answer: Do something you love.

Make sure the business model you chose, works for you, you are passionate about it, you are committed to making it work, and when it does, make sure you will be inspired and motivated to MAKE it work. Don’t re-invent the wheel. I am not saying you have to be defined by what you do, I am just saying do something because it’s a good idea, adds value to other people’s lives, you enjoy doing it, are passionate about it and WANT to do it.

Do what’s right for you and implement the business model you’ll get up to work for everyday even when the money is slow.

Don’t chase the money, chase the dream.

I am in a reflective mood today.

I didn’t really intend for this to be a personal blog, so I will try and stay on the “business” topics as much as I can. Having said that, I want to say that after breaking my foot (through forgetting how to run properly) and breaking up with my girl friend in the last week. I have found myself getting very reflective and approaching my life, plans and business in a new light. Bare with me here, because I truly believe that there is a relevant and worth while point worth taking from this spiel I am about to create:

I broke my foot, I broke up with the girl I loved, and I find myself spending some time back with my family during a very lonley part of my life. The injury affects my ability to socialize and keep busy, and the break up with my girl friend has left me feeling pretty sad. It has been an emotionally and physically demanding week but it has also been bitter-sweet. My brother, who has been subjected to a number of life threatening operations in his time, turned 18 on Friday. I went back home to celebrate with him and it was an emotional time for me, my Dad and Mum. It was a great weekend for my two younger brothers who perhaps did not appreciate what a miracle it is for him to be with us today.

Having been on a roller-coaster ride this weekend, I find myself very disconnected and thoughtful. I have been able to look at a number of things in a very objective manner. I like to think that after all the mental clutter of the last week, I have finally cleared my mind and I am able to think clearly. I accept that the unusual events of the last week may still be causing my thinking to be a little hazey but bare with me as I share with you a quick story and insight that I think might help you.

Get Good at One Thing!

Last week the office was a buzz about a competitor in our digital marketing industry. Our financial guys thought this might be a cool business to add to the company portfolio. They signed the NDA’s and checked out the business model. I am not party to all the information, but what I do know is, the business model of this particular company was VERY simple but was generating turnovers in the millions after a couple of years of running. They got good, famous, competent and known for doing ONE very simple thing, that they replicated over and over, and over again. They found a formula that worked, scaled it up and profited BIG TIME from it. Smart cookies.

The thing is, it is the same for everyone else. Don’t over-complicate things. Just keep them simple, focus on one thing, get good at it, get known for doing it and make money from it. Once you have got that formula down, move into other things, but only once you got the bread and butter down and sorted! Do that one thing first that makes you money, expand and exploit it and move on.

Why Are They Better Than Me?

Let me take an egotistical moment here. I believe myself to be some one of average to just above average intelligence. I have a degree in law from a very good University in England and I consider myself thoughtful and analytical. I keep up-to-date on current affairs and do my best to research things I involve myself in as thoroughly as I can. I am a creative person and a morally-balanced person (I like to think). I am not any different to a lot of other people I know, and if you are reading this, you might be able to relate to this in some way.

Let me speak candidly, despite all the above, I have not been able to turn into a business project into a solo raging success yet. There are school drop outs, and dare I say it, IDIOTS (I have met them) out there who are doing a lot better than me, who are seeing a huge more amount of success than me. People who have taken more risks and opportunities than me are winning and making a killing. Have you ever observed similar patterns?

There are two reasons for this:

1. My morals prevent me from selling some of the crap to people that others are pedaling. I could not sleep at night doing what some of these “millionaires” and “internet gurus” are doing. I really couldn’t. And this moral code and my ethics prevent me from making A LOT of empty meaningless dollars.

2. Thinking people find it very tough to make a success of schemes, plans and business ideas. A thinking/educated person often weighs up risks and constraints, and often decides the risk is too great and the returns not high enough to embark on some ventures. They weigh up the pro’s and cons, they recognize they have a lot to lose and often decide it is not worth it. Some one whose back to the wall, or has little to lose does not waste time pondering and thinking conceptually about the idea, they just do it. This is not always a good thing, but it works and there is a lot to be said for that.

I often think too much, over-complicate things and think too long about them. Others are keeping it simple, basic, perfecting it and just doing it. That is the power of getting good at just one thing.

Don’t over-think it.

Identify your dreams and chase them.

Keep it simple, get good at it, replicate and dominate!

That is the business lesson I am taking away from this week, this month and this year. What do you think? Do you agree? Feel free to leave some comments below.

I am off to go get good.

Hi guys.

The blog is picking up some traffic lately, but there seems to be a lack of comments on the blog! So I wanted to make a couple of things clear about this blog that I haven’t really talked about before.

Firstly I tried to make this blog really SEO friendly for anyone commenting. I have installed plugins to make sure the backlinks here are dofollow and thus if you leave a comment, you should get a backlink from this blog. Pretty sweet deal yeah?

Secondly, if you want to use keywords for your anchor text go ahead and be my guest. If you have a branded blog, or you are targeting specific keywords, it’s no use you building backlinks for your name! So if you want to use keywords for your name/anchor text, you can be my guest!

Just thought I’d clear things up for some of the webmasters dropping by!

On the subject of leaving comments, feel free to leave one on what I could do to help encourage you guys to leave more feedback, opinions and comments.

You can get the full scoop on this story over at the BBC; Online advertising “overtakes TV” but for now, stick with me whilst I sum this story up and talk about a little bit of my personal experience with this.

Last year, at the back half of the Summer over here in the UK, I was doing the rounds at careers fairs in London and around the UK. I was specifically targetting marketing and advertising. It’s always been an area that interested me from a very early age. Even since the age of 12 years old!

I listened to some slick presentations talking about the state of the industry. They whipped out graphs shwoing the progression and trends of advertising budget spends. In 2007/2008, online advertising expenditure had shot up 41% in one year! That is massive! It was still only taking up 17% of total advertising spend across the industry.

Now though, online advertising has over taken TV spending in the advertising stakes. TV was once second in the advertising budget spend, behind printed media such as magazine and newspapers (which still remains at the top of to ad spend charts). But this recent turn of events and change of fortune for online advertisers has come about from a number of changes and developments in society.

I am 22, and started fiddling about on computers and going online before the age of 12. There will be a lot of people around today who started even younger than me. Young people and older generations have all become more tech-savvy as the comptuer and Internet is introduced in the work places and in the home on a much larger scale. Asa result, more and more people tend to get the content they want to see, as and when they want to see it and this has also caused the proliferation of user-generated content, which again has been encouraged by massive websites such as Youtube.com.

As society has got used to the concept of content and entertainment on-demand, the TV stations have gone as far as they are comfortable with to accommodate this change in preferences through services such as the iplayer (for the BBC). Users are digesting and consuming their content and entertainment in different ways, and this trend has been accelerated further with the easy-access to laptops and 3 G mobile phones such as the famous iphone.

With the above in mind, there is n surprise that online advertising is over-taking TV advertising. After all, any TV content can easily be introduced online in this day and age.

If you are in the marketing and advertising space online, this is an excellent time for you to get involved and really push your products and services out there. I know it is something I will be exploring a lot more in the close future to come.

The announcement of the launch of  Google sidewiki has sent many webmasters into panic over-drive and I can totally see and understand why. Sidewiki will be installed on google toolbars on browsers such as firefox and eventually Google Chrome. I suspect, it will integrate with nearly every browser out there that allows the google toolbar. 

So why is this such bad news? Well, this tool allows anyone with a Gmail account or multiple gmail accounts to leave comments on certain sites via sidewiki. This has a variety of implications, but two of the main ones concerning many webmasters are as follows:

1. Other webmasters will undoubtedly leave links to their sites on competitors websites, thus mooching off the all traffic these guys get that use the google toolbar/sidewiki feature. 

2. Angry customers/competitiors will use the service to spread lies and deceit about the company using the side wiki comment feature. People have now been given the ability to spam sites they disapprove of at will. 

Webmasters all across the globe are scratching their head and wondering what they can do about this, and the answer at this time is; not a lot. 

My solution for the time being is just try and be as real, true, ethical, honest and straight forward as humanly possible. I am going to be my best all the time and hope it is good enough. And what is more, if some of the side wiki comments are genuinely negative, then I will take time to listen to the thoughts and act on them, and hope that no one out there holds a big enough grudge towards me that they would try and ruin my site. 

Just my quick 2 cents on the issue.