The Cost Of Being Cheap

December 3, 2013 By: Angie M Jordan2 Comments

I have a confession: I am fucking cheap.

Not cheap as in frugal, or coupon clipping, or even spending countless hours shopping around for the lowest possible price I can find for ugly Ugg boots because I am terrified of my first real winter. (No, I have not done that at all).

I’m the worst kind of cheap. You know. The kind that will pay my bills late, wear the same bra that makes my boobs look saggy, and walk around in pants with buttons missing but always has money in the bank. And when it comes to drinking good coffee, eating good food, and drinking good wine, I have no limits.

For years I struggled to build my business. Penny-pinching my own dreams!

It sounds ridiculous now, but the thought of investing actual money into my business made me ill. Like I was somehow cheating the internet business phenom if I didn’t “grow my business overnight” with no money invested, then I wasn’t doing it right.

Dumbass.

Let’s talk about what being cheap cost me.

1. Time

The first week I hired my first assistant. I couldn’t believe the relief I felt. All of this time I struggled trying to get things done, always having to be glued to my computer… The time away from my family that was spent pecking away at a keyboard till the wee hours of the morning.

All time that I can never get back…

2. Growth

Immediately after I hired an assistant I was able to take on more clients, and the investment of hiring an assistant was recouped easily within the first few weeks of me having her. Sounds crazy to me that it took me THAT long to figure it out. But I know I am not alone in this.

3. Money

Because I was always trying to do things myself and I was working hard, but not smart, I lost out on money but there is no way on earth I could do everything myself. Missed opportunities and failed ventures, all because I was too cheap.

Can you relate to what I am saying yet??

How To Combat The Fear Of Investing Money Into Your Business

It’s hard to just flip a switch and get out of this bad habit. It’s often a behavior that is very deeply rooted, but I do have a few tips to help you get out of the “I can’t afford to invest in my business” rut.

1. Get A Job

Don’t knock the day job. Sometimes it’s just what you need to get over the hump. Maybe you get a job and plan to keep all of the money you make to redesign your brand. It will take the financial stress off of you and allow you to make progress in your biz.

2. Create A Budget

Start small, but start. Set aside $200 a month to use for investing in you and your business. Take that course, buy that book, create a Facebook ad or Google ad, pay for someone to redesign your header… something. The goal is to do something each and every month that will keep you moving forward to your goals.

3. Make A Plan

You need a plan detailing where you are trying to go so you know how you are going to get there and what kind of funds you will need. You need to know how much creating that online course will cost, or publishing that book, or taking that course you’ve always wanted, or hiring that AMAZING assistant.

Bottom line, it does take money to make money. It doesn’t matter if you are an internet business. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in your future. And when you think about how bad you really want it (because I know you want it bad) it will all be worth it in the end.

So now to you. What has being cheap cost you? And what have you done to help yourself get out of that mindset? Share with me below in the comments.

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5 Quick Tips That Make Blogging Easier

October 29, 2013 By: Angie M Jordan8 Comments

Blogging can be tough at times. Like nights spent wanting to claw your eyes out because you have nothing left to say and cannot muster the strength or brain power to pump out not one single word more

- yeah, that kinda tough. (I know this is not just me).

Quit making it so hard!

Not every post will be groundbreaking. Especially if you are writing one a day.

Not every post will blow the socks off of everyone who reads it.

Not every post will be your greatest.

Give yourself a break. Blogging is about sharing ideas, it’s about connecting, it’s about giving.

So cut the crap, you are not a groundbreaking journalist, you are you. And the great thing is, that’s all your readers expect. And just when you don’t think you know what else to say, just remember that you weren’t always as far along as you are.

You needed help, you needed tips, some trivial, some not so trivial. But it didn’t matter because you didn’t know ANY of it.

Never short change yourself on how much knowledge you have up in that noggin of yours!

I like to make blogging easy and fun. Take the guess work and the pressure out of it. Here are 5 things I do that make blogging easier.

1. Outsource when you can

You can’t do everything. You just can’t. As you begin to grow, there is tremendous value in outsourcing some of your tasks (particularly the ones that you are not so good at or hate doing).

It’s essential to the growth of your blog and business that you begin to build a team of people who will help to carry you to the next level.

It really does take a village people.

And if you want to grow, it will take funds (gasp! yes, it takes funds to build a business, get over it), and it will take a team that you can delegate your small tasks to.

Done. And done.

2. Create a content strategy

So you are not a marketing wiz… so what? Don’t spend hours, days, weeks, pouring over creating a content strategy. Keep it simple. Just plan out what you will post for the month.

For instance. Say you only want to post once a week. Then get yourself 4 good ideas that you think your audience will be interested in, research them and develop them, and decide what days of the week you want to send those out.

Simple.

As you grow and evolve and even learn how to be a better marketer, you can begin to incoroporate what you learn into a more targeted, power-packed content strategy.

But for now, just stick to the basics. Easy. Let’s keep it easy right?

3. Do what you can, start small

Resolve to doing something. Start small. It’s okay to write one blog post a month. It’s okay if you only write two. The key to maintaining a blog is to do just that- maintain it.

And refrain from beating yourself up over it. This is not a race, it’s a marathon. Slow and steady.

So start small. Use a free theme. Design your blog yourself. Use a free email marketing tool like MailChimp.

This is one of my favorite tips that make blogging easier because all that it requires of you is to begin where you are, and use what you have. Simple.

4. Commit to 5 things a day rule

It’s easy to feel stuck blogging, but I’ve found a way to overcome that. When I am feeling burnt out, or I am not quite sure what to do next, I commit to doing 5 things a day.

It can be anything that contributes to the growth of your blog. Maybe it’s to follow 100 new people on twitter, or creating a tweet for a new blog post. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, just commit to do something.

5. Set small achievable goals

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither are blogs. Set small goals. You can’t be just starting out and wanting to make $100,000 a year from your blog if you haven’t made your first dollar…

I’m all about dreaming big, but it’s the small steps that lead to big results!

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How To Be Better Than Your Competition

September 18, 2013 By: Angie M Jordan4 Comments

Here’s the truth: it’s not all that hard to be better than your competition.

Because people are lazy. And business is a grueling battle where only the strongest survive. (Or the ones who actual work harder and smarter).

Although working hard is a great way to get ahead, it’s not enough. You have to also be smart. That means you have to set up your biz in a smart way, create smart content, market smarter, and solve problems that will actually help people. (So much so they will actually want to pay you for it).

Be intentional

It’s not enough to slap together a blog and pump out tons of mediocre content and hope for the best. The best blogs, and the best businesses are intentional. Every piece of content means something and serves a purpose much greater than just another blog post to add to the pile.

In other words if you read somewhere that you need to pump out a blog post a day to compete, and that’s why you are pumping out loads of words a week, then most likely you are doing it wrong.

To be better than your competition you have to think more than that. Here are some ideas about creating content that is intentional. (Yes, click that link to read).

You should also be intentional about where you want your blog and business to go. Writing a blog business plan is a good idea to help you stay the course.

Study

It’s not enough to read an article here and there. You have to study a subject. If you want to become an authority, you have study a topic until mastery.

Mastery means a lot of practice, a lot of information, and a strong grasp on the subject. Strong enough that you could teach it. Too many bloggers are selling opinions and pushing meaningless info.

Learn it. Master it. Teach it. You’ll be better than your competition. By far.

Work Bitch

Yes, like Britney Spear’s new song. You have to work bitch. Bottom line, you can always out-work your competition. And the choice is completely up to you. You either put it in, or you be lazy. When you are lazy, you won’t beat anyone. You will never make it. You will always get mediocre results.

You will never see results if you don’t put in the work. And good news is, you can always separate yourself from your competition by working hard.

Solve Problems

You should be solving problems with your content, your products, and your services. When you solve problems, you are adding loads of value to your blog and value equals return visitors, more email subscribers, and ultimately more money from your blog.

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3 Ways To Add Value To Your Blog By Creating Content That Matters

September 17, 2013 By: Angie M Jordan1 Comment

The content rat race…

The man (or woman) with the most content wins.

Wrong. I know you’ve heard that quality trumps quantity in almost every aspect of blogging and life. And this is true of creating content for your blog, no exceptions. The problem is no one tells you what quality content is.

Because it’s not just a well written, well thought out post with no grammatical errors. (See, that wasn’t even a real sentence). No, quality content is content that is intentional. It serves a greater purpose.

This is the content you want to be creating, because not only is it good to have fresh content, but you want your content to keep people coming back combing through your site looking for the answers. And for this reason you also have to make it easy for them to find it.

How To Create Content That Matters

Establish yourself as an authority on a subject

Want to sell more blog coaching packages? then your content needs to let people know that you know what you are talking about. If you want to be better than your competition then you have to study.

I don’t just mean read up on topics, I mean study them, put into practice what you learn, measure your results, and then write about what you learn and actually add value to your blog by sharing real results, creating content your readers can use.

This is creating content that matters. (A lot).

Creating an easy to navigate content landing page

This is especially helpful when you have a lot of posts that are about the same topic. Like social media for instance. If you wanted to give your readers the rundown on how to use fb ads effectively, then you could create a content landing page with fb ads as the topic.

Then you set out to create several posts that that link to each other and to your landing page. Easy. That’s creating content that serves a purpose. Purpose being, making it easier for your readers to find and read all the content on one particular topic.

This is also helpful for SEO as well.

Create content that is solution driven

You will never have a shortage of blog traffic if you are solving real problems. A great way to create blog posts this way is to listen.

Listen to what people are saying on social media, listen on forums, what are the people wanting to know? What answers are people looking for?

Good content will answer those questions. Good content will add value to your blog and your readers.

So the next time you sit down to whip up a blog post for fresh content’s sake, think about what purpose your content is serving. How is it serving you? How is it serving your readers? Or are you just trying to win the content race? (wrong answer).

Hope this helps.

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9 Essential Things Every Blogger Should Do

September 17, 2013 By: Angie M Jordan1 Comment

There are things every blogger should do and be doing.

That is if you want to be successful. Successful meaning getting the right traffic to do the right things once they get to your site.

Building a network

A bloggers network is golden. You should be active on social media talking, and more importantly, listening. It’s not about the number of followers you have, it’s about relationship building.

Your network can open doors for you that you can’t alone. It really is about who you know, and more importantly, you knows you.

Building an email list

If you haven’t began to build an email list then drop everything you are doing, go directly to Aweber (the email service I use and trust plus your first month is just $1)

When someone signs up for your email they are giving you permission to market them, to continue conversation, to keep them as a loyal reader and customer forever. (Or something like that).

Reading (like your life depends on it)

Reading is a big part of continuing to grow as a blogger and a business owner. It’s also a great way to be able to continue to generate ideas.

It’s also a great way to interact and get to know other bloggers. Make sure to leave comments on content you like and find valuable. It’s not just a ploy to try to build links, it’s a genuine way to build relationships.

Writing (like your blog depends on it)

If you are going to blog, you have to write. Unfortunately, writing doesn’t come so natural for everyone. That’s why you have to practice, you have to perfect your craft, and you have to create load of content. Loads. (Trust me, you’ll need it).

Content is the cornerstone of your blog, your marketing online and off, and it’s how you communicate your brand to your audience.

Promoting products and services

It’s not sleazy or wrong to talk about what you are selling or what services you have the would help your readers. That is part of marketing. And if you are too afraid to talk about it, then who will? (answer: no one).

Interacting on Triberr

I love Triberr. And if you are a blogger and have not joined, then you trust me, you will love it soon. You can request to join my tribe here.

Check out the Triberr Blog for more about the platform and how it helps bloggers.

Sharing content

Content is the cornerstone of your life on the internet, but it doesn’t have to all be your content. When you see good content and you know your readers will like it or benefit from it, then share it with them!

Sharing is caring, plus it gives you a break from having to come up with so much of your own.

Being on forums

Sharing your expertise on forums is priceless for bloggers. It not only gives you a chance to connect with new people and build that network, but it gives you a chance to show what you know, be helpful, and also drop some of the valuable backlinks around the web

I actually like interacting on forums and the questions people ask give me great ideas for blog posts!

Guest blogging

I’ll be honest, I don’t do this as much as a used to. Why? Frankly because it’s time-consuming. But it is a great way to continue to build a following and network (there’s that word again).

Even if you shoot for one guest post a month (sounds manageable doesn’t it), that would be a great thing for you to try and accomplish.

One more thing

If you want to grow and learn as a blogger, then when you find content you like and blogs you like, then sign up for the emails. That way you can always be connected to great content. It’s what I do.

You should too. Get started below. Because if you’ve read the article this far, you’re digging my content ;-)