I am so excited as it is less than 2 weeks until I fly back to the UK to see my mum who I haven’t seen in 2 years. I will be spending 2 months over there – I get to have a traditional Christmas in the cold (some of you will understand what I mean).
You may be wondering how I am managing to take so much time off from my businesses especially when I don’t employ any staff (I do outsource stuff though), well the answer is simple.
Over the last 6 months I have been implementing what I call the 5 step profit system into all of my businesses (I have a few) which means that my businesses run practically on autopilot (I still have to answer emails).
This system captures my visitors coming to my website and converts them into customers, all automatically. All I have to do is drive some traffic and the rest is done for me.
I love the fact that I wake up every morning and have earned money overnight without having to do anything and it has really freed me up – now I get to go on holiday for 2 months but also next year I can spend my time doing what I love which is helping you women succeed with your businesses (more on that next month).
All I have to do before I leave is divert my emails to my laptop and away I go and my businesses continue to run without me.
I have put together a ‘The 5 Steps You MUST Follow To Have Your Business Generating Sales On Complete Autopilot Every Month’ f’ree report which should give you a better idea as to what I have implemented and how you too can have your business generating sales on complete autopilot every month. In this f’ree report, you’ll discover how making some simple changes to your business will generate you money on autopilot and leave you free to do whatever you want! Click here to access the f’ree report.
I didn’t want to waste any time letting you know about this - the new Auction site section, PBay is live on Business Women Unite.
I have had a play with it and it looks great and very easy to use. The great thing is that I have set it up so that you can sell just about anything on it not just business stuff. You can sell eBooks, products, services; personal items etc anything as long as it is legal.
With everything on Business Women Unite the more you can promote this feature the more exposure your business will get and the more sales you could make.
Now PBay is fairly easy to navigate but here are a few guidelines to get you started.
Enter your paypal email address so that you can get paid and select your email alert options
Sell New Item
You are permitted to list all kinds of items on PBay – ebooks, products, services etc. The only exceptions are anything that is prohibited by law, inaccurate, misleading, defamatory or libellous.
1.Select an appropriate category
2.Enter in the relevant information to create your listing.
3.Select your Action Type – Buy only, Bid only or both.
4.The Length of Auction is set at a min of 7 days and there is no max so just add in how many days you would like to list your product for.
5.You can add an image for free but there is a fee for additional images.
6.After posting your item, you are permitted 48 Hours to make further edits to the item.
7.Upon the successful sale of your item, you will be billed for 5% of the item’s sale price. This fee is waived if your item does not sell. It is your responsibility to pay these amounts, please be professional and do so.
The maximum outstanding bill you can have before you are no longer allowed to sell more items is $15.00. If this amount isn’t paid within a reasonable time your business women unite account will be suspended until payment is made.
As this is an auction site if you are listing items that you normally sell in your business I suggest you list them at a price less than what you would normally sell them for to entice people to buy.
Relisting the Same Item
There is a quantity limit of 1 for each item but once your item is sold you can go into the Sold section and just relist it without having to create it again.
Questions
Buyers can ask questions about items you’re selling. These questions will come through the normal messaging system of Business Women Unite so make sure you keep an eye out for them.
Buying
You can bid on items or buy them outright.If you are successful you must follow through and actually purchase the item by paying the seller.
As the auction site is new, if there are any categories or sub categories that don’t represent your product let us know and we will try to add them. Please email info@businesswomenunite.net
Like with anything there are some terms that you must follow when using PBay. All the rules that apply to Business Women Unite apply here plus a few others that apply to auction sites. Please make sure you are familiar with them by visiting http://www.businesswomenunite.net/auctionterms/
and how many new sales that could bring in for you!
It’s Alison here and I have something so exciting to share with you. But first, I want you to imagine getting those unique visitors directly to your site. Can you also imagine if they were targeted visitors? And what if…a % of those new visitors bought from you… how’s your life and your business looking now?
Well, it can actually happen to you. No matter what business you are in, if you have a website, then you need to drive traffic to it.
Let us show you how.Due to some fantastic survey results, we’ve discovered that most people are currently struggling with driving traffic to their business. You’ve tried so many strategies but none give you the long lasting results you need to make your business successful.
So if you’re doing it tough right now or just need to improve your results, don’t despair, let us guide you, step by step, through the confusing myriad of traffic driving strategies - and show you the most productive tactics to get visitors to your site - right now.
On 8th March each year the achievements of women are celebrated with thousands of events being held around the globe to celebrate International Women’s Day. These celebrations have been taking place since 1911 to mark the contribution women make.
I think it is fantastic that women are recognised for their contribution on this day but as women we need to take the time to celebrate our achievements more often throughout the year. We pack so much into our lives that sometimes we forget to stop and smell the roses.
I am fortunate enough with my businesses to be able to ‘meet’ so many fantastic and amazing business women. I get the pleasure everyday of seeing how much you all achieve and that is just awesome for me. So, just as I get to see everyday whatever stage of business or life you are at, just look at where you have come from and you will see what an amazing women you are.
So whenever you have an achievement to share or feel like you need someone else to tell you how great you are doing just visit the forums. The inspiring comments, the great feedback and the genuine concerning messages are what you will get from our amazing community of women at Business Women Unite.
I’d love to hear your thoughts so why not jump onto the Business Women Uniteand let us know.
One of the questions I get asked a lot is “how do I grow my business on a limited budget”.
Well running a business on a shoe string budget because of limited working capital and insufficient sales is the reality for many women business owners.And let’s face it; growing your business is critical for success.
Whilst high priced courses may be out of your reach there are still plenty of options available for you to gain the skills you need to grow your business.
There are numerous businesses/websites out there offering free business resources, such as mini courses, free ebooks etc on almost any subject. I suggest you do some searches on what you are looking for to find the websites that are offering these things.
Video is also starting to take off, with many on YouTube offering free information.
Your local library may also offer a wealth of knowledge for you. Although these things are free, you must be prepared to put plenty of time into testing the things you are learning. Some things might work, some might not, but if you have a limited budget, you need to invest time.
If you have the time, free newsletters can be a great place to gain information. The good ones will contain great articles that you can read and learn from.You can also visit article directories, such as Ezine Articles and search for contain there.
Then there are lower priced business products such as home study systems and online courses that allow you to take advantage of someone else’s knowledge and avoid the mistakes. You are paying a small fee to ‘cut the corners’ so to speak. You can also purchase ebooks online that offer this same information, but then take up less of your time implementing these strategies.
With so many businesses offering brand new products and ‘get rich quick’ programs and systems, you need to look carefully. Asking yourself questions like - Will it help me to make more money? Or, Is it something that you will be using and implementing straight away? I’ve bought many courses that offer great information, but either wouldn’t help me make any more money (only a nice to have) or I wasn’t using them right now in my business.I will still use them, but if you are on a limited budget then you need to look carefully and spend your money wisely.
There is no doubt that investing your time and money into education is going to pay off in the long term. Think about it – if you can invest time now learning new skills that are going to make you money, won’t that help you grow your business faster.Whilst you have to work within your means, stretching yourself a little and paying out for a relevant course or ebook will help you to save money, and increases your chances of business success.
These are just a few of the strategies you can start using now to grow your business. As you can see having limited funds isn’t an excuse for not growing your business but taking time to assess your needs will help you to avoid making costly mistakes and wasting your money.
I’d love to hear your thoughts so why not jump onto the Business Women Unite forums and let us know. If you are looking for more information and resources, visithttp://www.businesswomenunite.net where you can also get advice on how to increase sales and profits and how to have a better lifestyle.
Meet our Business Women Unite Guru - Jackie Mikami
1.What was the inspiration behind starting your business?
Having been in the industry for some years we decided to share big business knowledge with small (mostly female) business owners in Australia. We were keen for them to share in the big profits being enjoyed by the big players in the market. This has proved very popular. It is great to be motivated by the success of your clients. A win win situation is always ideal.
2.What aspects have helped you to get your business to where it is today?
Constant self education, training, taking up opportunities to learn along the way, networking with like minded successful business women, great clients, great suppliers and more. Building long term relationships with those we meet in our business is really important.
Being sincere in all your business motives. Truly wanting your clients to succeed. Using networking groups, online forums, learning from other business women are really what got us here today.
3.What have been the challenges of your business so far?
Working in importing as consultants we help clients to import from all over the world and a broad range of products. This brings challenges as each country has its own laws for manufacturing, shipping, customs and the like. Facing these head on and learning some new things along with our clients and a never say die attitude by clients and ourselves is key to survival.
Also we are a niche business so getting our message across and letting everyone out there know we exist has been challenging. BWU has been a great help in getting us out there in front of our customers.
4.What have been the highlights of your business so far?
Launching our wonderful website which is a true representation of our business, our personality, a little bit feminine with a fun orange splash throughout to show we like to have fun! It felt as if we had come to life! Still being in business is always a highlight! So many SMEs fail we are glad to be here still. Every new ciient that joins us is a highlight with a fascinating product that need help to manufacture or import. It really is a passion with us and we just love it so much to work with clients on their “passions” to.
5.What are some of the most common questions you get asked by business women?
How do I start with producing my product?
Where do I get good quality suppliers?
Can you help me import my products and increase my profit margin?
6.How can you help members of Business Women Unite?
Members can benefit from joining the importing group on BWU and checking in weekly on the forum topics and discussions. You never know when there is info gold sitting right in front of you! Weekly I or members are adding topics of interest. Feel free to post a new topic or question to get great inside information right on your desktop!
1.What was the inspiration behind starting your business?
After 10 years in the public relations industry, I was looking for a new challenge. I wanted to work for myself instead of working hard for other peoples businesses and not reaping the benefits myself. I also wanted to specialize in clients that interested me and that I believed in.
So in February 2006 I launched Savage Public Relations and I haven’t looked back since. Starting the business has been challenging, but very exciting and rewarding. I love the satisfaction that I get when I see my clients on television or in magazines and newspapers. It is so rewarding to help my clients achieve their business goals by building their brand awareness.
2.What aspects have helped you to get your business to where it is today?
Drive, integrity, determination and passion to do what I love! You have to love what you do to really work on your business. Starting up can mean long hours and sacrifices and there is no one to pat you on the back and say ‘well done’. But the multitude of benefits, make it all worth it.
Integrity has also been a huge part of the success of the business. I think this is key in any industry. I will only take on clients that I think I can help. If I feel that the client’s story is not newsworthy or I cannot find a newsworthy angle that will get media coverage, I will be honest with the client. I’ll look for other ways to promote the business, such as marketing and advertising, but I won’t just send a release out and hope for the best. I want all my clients to be 100% happy and believe that they have got value for money with the service that I have provided.
3.What have been the challenges of your business so far?
Managing my time and switching off in the evenings. I think every business owner will agree that you can work all night on your own business!
4.What have been the highlights of your business so far?
There have been so many, but getting to the point where I have international clients, makes me very proud. I have only been in business for just under 3 years and I have London, Bangkok and Hong Kong based clients, as well as clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. But my favourite thing is seeing my clients on the Today Show, Sunrise, A Current Affair or the evening News, that is pretty special.
5.What are some of the most common questions you get asked by business women?
How do I do PR?
How can I get my product in the media?
Can I do it myself?
6.How can you help members of Business Women Unite?
Years of industry experience, know how and I understand what it is like to start a small business.
With a global financial crisis, weak exchange rates and an economic melt down, it’s a nervous time for small businesses. As businesswomen across the world are anxiously reviewing their business finances and budgets, another group of businesswomen have discovered a new way to save money and make their businesses more efficient. Business Women Unite members are pulling together and uniting against the economic down turn, by supporting each others businesses and using their skills set and experiences to help each other out.
BusinessWomenUnite.net is a free membership based website for astute businesswomen keen to overcome the obstacles of business. Membership provides the user with a wealth of experience, knowledge sharing and access to the latest business growth tools, experts and advice. All members create their own profile page, presenting their business and showcasing their skills to other members. Members can build new relationships by creating their own groups of friends, business contacts or networking groups on their profile page. You can even link up with other members in your local area and get out of the office, for a face to face coffee and chat.
This dynamic online community provides users with the latest unique way to do business, network, increase profit and productivity. Over 2,000 women have already discovered the site and are reaping the benefits of membership on Business Women Unite.
“Recessions are like a war, they have a habit of getting women to pull together and the real community spirit comes out. This is so noticeable on the site, just by looking at the forums and expert’s quotes. Women are no longer trying to compete against each other. They are battling a common cause, to see through anything the economy can throw at them. They are helping each other by sharing knowledge and advice as much as they can. Business Women Unite is like having hundreds of free business coaches at your finger tips!” said founder of Business Women Unite, Alison Basson.
The Business Women Unite website provides professional women with an open house forum to ask the questions they want to ask. The site helps to avoid the pitfalls of business and there is always another member that has been there. BusinessWomenUnite.net lets women benefit from free unbiased advice, network and learn from like minded people in similar situations. The Business Women Unite portal is a valuable business tool that no business should be without, especially in these uncertain economic times.
Business Women Unite has a comprehensive information library of business advice and experts so members can tap into a wealth of experience and use the online forum to ‘ask an expert’. There is also a VIP area for intensive training, online seminars and knowledge sharing. The online professionals can fill the skills gap in a business without the huge investment normally required. Professional experts are available from key fields of expertise, including Internet and Websites, Business Consultation, Accounts, PR, Advertising and Marketing, so that every angle is covered.
“In just over two weeks of joining, I was able to open up a new area of my business via a strategic alliance I had made. I now have another income stream for my business,” said Emma Rhoades from Diva Promotions.
“On Business Women Unite I’ve managed to gain such valuable knowledge in areas that were a weakness of mine in order to make my business stronger. The networking opportunities seem endless and all the tips from such a vast array of other like-minded women, in various fields, are priceless,” said Michelle Fiddian from Little Aid.
Founder of Business Women Unite, Alison Basson is an experienced Accountant and Business Consultant and who has worked with some of the leading companies in Australia, the U.K. and New Zealand. Alison is also the Director of two other successful companies, Mums in Business and Tiny Talk.
Business Women Unite is a free online interactive community that connects women from around the globe. It allows members the opportunity to network, learn, grow, do business and socialise together. For more information or to join Business Women Unite for free visit www.businesswomenunite.net or email info@businesswomenunite.net
I remember when I first launched my first business as a copywriter years ago, I had no clue what to charge. Without putting hard thought into what type of results my work gave my clients, I started out with an hourly rate that didn’t scare ME! I would still even stutter when I said to clients, “My rate is si- si- si- sixty dollars an hour.”
Deep down, I wasn’t confident in myself, so of course I wouldn’t let myself charge more. And of course, as a result I attracted lame clients, worked like a dog, and stayed broke all the time.
Well, things are VERY different today! As just one example, I have no problem sharing that membership in the Diamond tier of my Millionaire Protege Club is $100,000 and Platinum is $18,000, and there is an intense application process. (And we just closed 2009 membership to both tiers as they are full to capacity!)
And, here’s the best part: Because I take on so few clients now, at higher rates, and the bulk of my income comes from information products and programs, I not only attract more serious students, but I work LESS than I used to!
Obviously this shift didn’t happen overnight. Here are a few things you can do NOW to move in the same direction:
1. Become an expert in something.
Experts are more respected, get media attention, get paid more, and get less price resistance (meaning people are happier to pay you what you ask). I went from being a general copywriter to one who specialized in newsletters. Then in email newsletters.
Then I dubbed myself “The Ezine Queen” (a title which I no longer use but still sticks around ; )). I had no idea at the time how much that would help me get famous and be remembered. Did you know that Muhammad Ali became known as “The Greatest” because Ali himself said it? Yep — he just kept saying it, and then eventually so did the media!
There’s a reason people happily pay more to get to the wise man at the TOP of the mountain! (Meanwhile the man at the bottom can’t even seem to give it away.)
2. Raise your rates.
This may seem like a given, but you wouldn’t believe the resistance I get from clients when I poke and prod them about this. A few years ago, I hired a personal trainer for a few months who only charged $50 an hour. Honestly, because his rate was so low compared to other trainers in the area, I was worried he wouldn’t be that good. But I found he was actually a very knowledgeable and skilled trainer.
He often complained that his schedule was so jammed it was killing him. To make a living at that rate, he obviously had to take on clients morning, noon, night, and weekends. He was also disorganized, frazzled, and late most of the time due to his schedule.
He was such a good trainer I would have been happy to pay him $75 or even $100 an hour for his time. I remember suggesting he raise his rates, and he replied, “But Ali, then not as many people would work with me!”
Well of COURSE! (I wanted to whack him on the head with a 3 lb. dumbbell.) That’s the idea. Let’s say he decided to double his rates, and half of his clients dropped off. Why wouldn’t you want to work HALF as hard as you are now for the same money? This also opens up more time for you to work on new projects, like creating lucrative new information products and programs. (See #5.)
If you’re having trouble raising your rates across the board, bring in fresh clients at your new rate, maintain old clients at current rates, and drop the clients that are pains in your bum.
3. Restructure how clients can work with you.
For many solo-professionals, a much better way to approach working with clients is on a project basis, or “flat fee”. That way you simply assign a value to the *results* you’re giving them.
For example, my friend Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is a copywriter who charges tens of thousands of dollars to write a sales letter. Does that price-out some clients who can’t afford her? You bet. But that’s the idea… she much prefers to work on a few projects at a time with stellar clients who truly value her work.
Another idea: Instead of taking on one-shot projects, work with clients on retainer (a set fee per month) or require them to sign up for a number of months with you. One trend in coaching and consulting right now is moving toward six-month or annual contracts with clients. Not only does it help guarantee your cash flow, but you attract better, more qualified, and more committed clients.
4. “Clone” Yourself.
Have you ever wanted a “Mini Me?” Or a whole team of them? Well there’s no reason you can’t. If you have a duplicatable system or process you use in your work, why not teach others how to do the same? Then have them work for you on a freelance basis, or consider “licensing” people to use your method or teachings.
Consider working with a team of other coaches and consultants. For example, one of my very early life coaches offered me this choice when I was interested in coaching: Be coached by her personally for a high fee, or work with one of her associate coaches at a lower rate.
Because I wanted her personal help, I paid her the higher fee and she did all the work. But if I chose one of the other coaches, I’d still pay her company, the associate would do all the coaching work, and she would keep a good portion of the fee. (Smart lady!)
5. Create and Sell Information Products
If you’ve read other articles of mine, you know I’m a big fan of transcending the exchange of time for money. You simply will never make the big bucks if you keep getting paid solely for your time.
Look at ways of selling your knowledge via information products such as ebooks, manuals, courses, audio programs, membership programs, and occasional live events. This has helped me QUADRUPLE my income over the past three years!
Instead of “work, get paid” … you want “work, get paid, paid, paid, paid, paid, paid, paid, paid, paid!” I may spend a good chunk of time creating a new product, but then it can sell forever. I may put a lot of effort into creating a one-time seminar, but I also record it and create a home-study version that can sell forever.
I hope you get the idea! There are many other strategies to restructure your fees and leverage your knowledge, but these are great ways to get started.
Online entrepreneur Ali Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AliBrown.com
Meet our Business Women Unite Guru - Andrew Edwards
1. What was the inspiration behind starting your business?
The reason I started my business was my background has been in e commerce and sales and marketing over 20 years. I worked for a top 100 UK company and therefore gained a significant amount of experience that gave me the confidence to start my own business. Therefore I always have had a keen interest in the internet and moving into online marketing was a natural progression.
I could see there was a trend towards businesses increasing their advertising online and a friend mentioned to me about search engine optimisation. I started to look into the online marketing industry and it became very apparent that very few people knew what to do with search engine optimisation and all the internet marketing strategies.
It just became a total passion to learn everything I could as fast as I could as online marketing is the future for many companies. The inspiration in recent times has come from working with high profile, multi millionaire internet marketers like Brad Fallon and Andy Jenkins and their team. They constantly inspire me to improve and train my team of staff to take them to the ‘next level’
2. What aspects have helped you to get your business to where it is today?
I think determination, an inquisitive mind and the pursuit of finding experts who I could know and trust to provide the best training and development in the world. Then the passion to keep going to deliver the results.
I was fortunate enough to discover world class experts in all aspects of online marketing who have developed us direct.
I also think my background in the UK having to deal with so many different areas of business gave me a ‘well rounded’ approach to running a company that I would never have had in a less pressurised environment and demanding company.
3. What have been the challenges of your business so far?
I think by far the main challenges have been not knowing where to go to get the best information and who to trust. The internet is full of many promises to make lots of money by people who are just not qualified to give that advice. Also the sheer amount of expertise and reliable information you have to have to be successful at the highest level.
I spent so many hours going all over the internet to get information and ‘piecing together’ all the parts of the ‘jigsaw puzzle’. In the world of search engine optimisation and online marketing the vast majority of companies are either intentionally ’scamming’ people or they just don`t know enough to get the results. Investing over $30,000 in our development and training has been a challenge financially but we are committed to being the best at what we do and therefore that is why we have taken this action.
4. What have been the highlights of your business so far?
I think the highlights have certainly been seeing the successful results obtained for clients together in terms of increased sales and qualified leads, as well as with working with some of the top internet marketers in the world.
Knowing that the expertise and the information provided to clients is going to significantly help their business, while being honest. These are important values to have for us.
I think that we are extremely well positioned for the future and the constant changes of the internet.
5. What are some of the most common questions you get asked by business women?
The most common question I get asked is about how to get more traffic to their website and then how to convert them into sales. That is good because that is what we do! Other common questions include:
a) About what to do with their blog,
b) Should they have a blog?
c) How do keywords work?
d) What design works best?
e) How to track and measure their marketing online?
f) What is Google Adwords and does it work (Most definitely yes!)
g) How can I get more people being referred to my website?
h) I hear I need a website audit to give me a solid foundation to my search engine optimisation, what does that mean?
6. How can you help members of Business Women Unite?
I can help members of Business Women Unite by providing easy to understand solutions for their website marketing needs. This includes areas such as:
a) Website development / Website Audits
b) Google Ad words
c) Search engine optimisation
d) Lead generation
e) E Mail Marketing
f) Article marketing
We will supply a website audit at a special discounted rate to Business Women Unite members which would be $100 off the normal investment of $297 + GST. This is one of the very first steps and fundamental to the future success of any website. It is equivalent to building the foundation of a house. You can`t not have this in place before you do anything else for online marketing alongside Google Ad words.
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