• The Business “Launcher” Package will have $1,033 in courses and guides all for only $97 (90% off for the 72 hour sale period)
• The Business “Amplifier” Package will have $4,344 in courses (including everything in the “Launcher” package) and will be only $497 starting tomorrow (89% off).

When it comes to building an online business, having the proper education will save you time, money and a whole lot of frustration. Seriously, if all of these business courses were around when I first started, I would’ve been successful much sooner and I wouldn’t have made half the mistakes that I did when starting out.

This year also marks the first year that I actually have a course of my own to throw into the mix. If you are not familiar with what I have to offer, I launched a course earlier this year called Create A Profitable Online Store which teaches you all of the ins and outs of how to run a successful ecommerce store.

While my course didn’t officially make it into the annual Only72.com sale in time, I’ve decided to give away free copies of my course to whoever purchases the Business Amplifier Package through my affiliate link.

How To Get A Free Copy Of “Create A Profitable Online Store”

If you are interested in getting a free copy of my course along with your purchase, please follow these directions very carefully.

Note that if your purchase is not registered as part of an affiliate sale in my name, you will not be eligible. In addition, this offer is only available if you purchase the Business Amplifier Package which costs $497. Those who purchase just the “launcher” package do not qualify.

Please read all of the instructions below BEFORE clicking on my Only72.com affiliate link.

• Very Important!: If you have already signed up for the Only72.com newsletter through someone else, make sure that you complete your purchase with a different email address! This step is crucial otherwise you will not be eligible for a free copy of my course. If you are not sure whether you signed up already, use a different email address just to be safe. If you have any questions, please contact me before you buy.
• Once you’ve completed the sale, send me your email address and I’ll give you a free copy of my course once your purchase has been registered in my account.

Once this 72 hour sale ends, the cost of my Create A Profitable Online Store Course will go up to $399. The course now contains well over 30 hours of video instruction and the library of material continues to expand! This is definitely not a stagnant course and you will receive a lifetime membership!

What’s Included In The Only72.com Sale This Year

As usual, the Only72.com offering is very strong and the sale is only valid for 72 hours starting at noon EST on November 28, 2011. Here are the business courses and guides that are being offered this year…

The Business Launcher Package

$97 for $1,033 in guides/courses (first level)
Danielle LaPorte — True Strengths + The Metrics of Ease ($20)
Srini Rao — BlogcastFM Premium Membership ($97)
James Clear — How to Email Important People ($97)
Lewis Howes — LinkedIN and Webinar eBook package ($94)
Sean Malarkey — Twixplode ($47)
David Risley – Master Your List ($97)
Chris Garrett — Make More Progress webinars ($97)
Sean Ogle — Location Rebel Guide to SEO ($97)
JetSetLife.tv — 6 Interview + Niche Finding Bible ($97)
Shane Ketterman — The Meaningful Business Book ($47)
Scott Young — Think Outside the Cubicle ($47)
Nick Reese — Traffic and Trust ($97)
Tyler Tervooren — Guerrilla Influence Formula ($97)

The Business Amplifier Package

$497 for $4,344 in guides/courses (second level)
Everything in the first level ($1,033)
Chris Guillebeau — Empire Building Kit ($249)
Jen Gresham — No Regrets Career Academy ($190)
Jonathan Mead — Trailblazer (self study) ($397)
David Risley — Blog Master’s Club ($347)
Erica Douglass — Pinnacle Club (3-Month Membership) ($300)
Corbett Barr — Traffic School (lite) ($297)
Pam Slim/Desiree Adaway — Partnership Playbook ($199)
Ashley Ambirge — Cash + Clients ($197)
Johnny B. Truant — Story Selling ($297)
Greg Rollett — Product Pros (Module 1) ($247)
Charlie Gilkey – Beat the Business Slump ($197)
Laura Roeder — Twitter Fame ($394)

While I haven’t read all of the guides in this promotion, I can wholeheartedly vouch for 90% of the authors. In fact, I actively follow most of their blogs.

Don’t miss out on this deal which is only available for 72 hours on Cyber Monday Nov. 28th starting at noon EST.

Click Here To Obtain All Of These Business Courses For One Low Price And Get A Free Copy Of Create A Profitable Online Store!

Click Here To Obtain All 22 Of These Guides For Only $97 (A $1087 value if you were to purchase them separately)

Focus by Leo Babauta ($35)

• The full version of the book, including bonus chapters, in PDF, EPUB, and AZW
• An email fast guide (PDF)
• A decluttering quickstart guide (PDF)
• A guide to changing habits
• 3 Audio Interviews
• 5 videos

Momentum Kickstarter Kit by Charlie Gilkey ($47)

• Living the Good Life (PDF)
• Email Triage (PDF)
• Premium Planners Set

Reclaim Your Dreams by Jonathan Mead ($47)

• Reclaim Your Dreams – “Everything Package” (70-page PDF)
• “I’m Serious About Action” Worksheets (30-page PDF)

52 Weeks to Awesome by Pace & Kyeli ($52)

• 52 emails, each with a tidbit to learn and a mission to accomplish
• A 128-page workbook (PDF)
• Pace & Kyeli’s best-kept secret to living an awesome life

5 Ingredients | 10 Minutes by Jules Clancy ($77)

• 133 totally NEW 5-ingredients recipes
• Colour photographs of every recipe (343 pages)
• 50 videos

Rebel Fitness Guide by Steve Kamb ($37)

• Rebel Fitness Guide (40-page PDF)
• Rebel Diet Guide (35-page PDF)
• Rebel Food Fighter (60-page PDF)
• 6 Separate Workout Exercise Books

Fear-Crushing Travel Guide by Farnoosh Brock ($57)

• Fear-Crushing Travel Guide (113-page PDF)
• 7 Fear-Crushing Travel Worksheets
• 10 Audio Interviews with experienced world travelers
• Bonus: The Master Travel Preparation Tip Sheet

Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty by Sean Ogle ($47)

• Overcoming The Fear of Uncertainty Guide (15,000 words)
• Using Mint.com to Change Your Life (7,000 words)
• Ultimate Guide to Starting a Blog
• 5 Interviews, including Chris Guillebeau and Pam Slim
• Worksheets, review sheets, questions, answers, and a remote work agreement template

The Creativity Toolbox by Ali Luke & Thursday Bram ($47)

• Mapping Your Project: The Big Picture and the Details (22-page PDF)
• Game Plan: Spark to Business (36-page PDF)
• Balancing Life and creativity (26-page PDF)
• 7 interviews
• Resource Directory
• 65 Jump-leads for your creativity

Make Sh*t Happen by Jenny Blake ($47)

• Make Sh*t Happen (80-page PDF)
• Workbook of all exercises (Google Docs)

The Language Hacking Guide by Benny Lewis ($67)

• Language Hacking Guide in PDF (129 pages), ePub, Mobi, and printer-friendly versions
• Full translations of the guide in 23 different languages
• Worksheets, also translated
• Almost 3 hours of audio interviews with very successful language learners
• Lists of free resources for practicing any language

Sex, Love, Liberation by Ev’Yan Nasman ($47)

• Sex, Love, Liberation: A manifesto for the bold at heart (61-page PDF)
• Sex, Love, Liberation Workbook (29-page PDF)

Learn More, Study Less by Scott Young ($67)

• Learn More, Study Less (200+-page PDF)
• 3 expert audio interviews and PDF notes
• 12 video modules
• 6 case study workshops
• 6 bonus printable workheets

A Daring Adventure collection by Tim Brownson ($47)

• How to be Rich and Happy (215-page PDF)
• Don’t Ask Stupid Questions (94-page PDF)
• Don’t Panic! A Practical Guide to Dealing with Fear, Anxiety, Panic & Public Speaking (45-page pdf)
• 16 Ways to Destress Your Life (34-page pdf)

The Less Work, More Harmony Relationship Guide by Cara Stein ($47)

• 25 PDf modules (96 pages, 38,000+ words)
• Better Communication Workshop

Brilliantly Better Collection by Dragos Roua ($43)

• Natural Productivity (156-page PDF)
• 100 Ways to screw up your life (109-page PDF)
• 100 Ways to improve your life (108-page PDF)
• 30 Sentences for a millionaire mindset (96-page PDF)

How to Become an Advanced Early Riser by Steve Aitchison ($37)

• How to Become An Advanced Early Riser (66-page PDF)
• Success Log to track your progress
• 4 MP3 audio downloads
• Quick start guides

Cheap Family Fun by Kim & Jason ($52)

• 52 weekly emails of ideas for free or very cheap fun
• 52 short, entertaining videos

The Art of Relaxed Productivity + The Power of Positivity by Henrik Edberg ($44)

• The Art of Relaxed Productivity (98-page PDF)
• The Power of Positivity (132-page PDF)
• Quick Start To Relaxed Productivity Audio Guide (MP3) + 5 more audio files
• The Ultimate Guide to Motivation
• 2 Workbooks
• Audio Transcripts

Discover Package by Barrie Davenport ($59)

• Discover Your Passion (116-page PDF)
• The Bold Living Guide (46-page PDF)
• Coaching Works (10-page PDF)
• Life 101 Master Course (9-page PDF)

Mind Control Method: How to Get What You Want by Karol Gajda ($47)

• Mind Control Method (37-page PDF)
• 5 MP3 audios

Sell Your Crap by Adam Baker ($47)

• Sell Your Crap (67-page main guide PDF)
• The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Your Crap on eBay (171-page PDF)
• The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Your Crap on CraigsList (49-page PDF)
• The Definitive Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Your Crap on Amazon (41-page PDF)
• 10 Video Interviews with Anti-Clutter authors and bloggers, including Leo Babauta, Chris Guillebeau, and J.D. Roth

Click Here To Obtain All 22 Of These Guides For Only $97 (A $1087 value if you were to purchase them separately)

Honey? I want to go back to work. Honestly, I’m tired of taking care of the kids all day and I really want to go back to the corporate world.

All I could do was sit there in shock. After all, we spent the last 4 years creating our business together. We spent the last 4 years setting up the infrastructure for our online store so she could stay at home with the kids. Now, we would need to find someone to manage the store full time. Now, we would need to hire a complete stranger to take care of the kids during the day. Wonderful…Oh, and the kicker is that I just renewed the MyWifeQuitHerJob.com domain for another 5 years. Great…just great.

Wife: Did I mention that I start next Monday?

Me: What?!?!? You never told me you were interviewing!?

Wife: I knew you would be upset so I kind of started looking while you were at work.

Me: (Getting more upset) Why couldn’t you trust me? Why didn’t you tell me?

Wife: I would have but I didn’t think you’d let me interview. I don’t know if I ever told you…but I’m agoraphobic.

Me: Agora what?

Wife: I have this fear of wide open spaces. Whenever I go to the park with the kids and frolic in the wide open grassy fields, I get terrified. To be honest, I long for the tightly enclosed cubicle walls of my last company. I long for the regular 9-5 hours of a desk job. With the kids throwing stuff all over the place, I really want to be in a more structured environment. I’m tired of chaos.

Me: That is the most ridiculous thing that I’ve ever heard. What about the blog? Have you ever thought about anyone besides yourself? Do you think I can still call this blog “My Wife Quit Her Job” if you go back to work? I’ll have to change the very basic premise and the foundation of my website. “My wife quit her job and then decided to go back to work because she was tired of staying at home with the kids” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Wife: That is the most selfish thing that I’ve ever heard. Look…at home the kids don’t listen to me at all. I have no power. They do what they want and I don’t have any control. While this wouldn’t be any different at work, at least I wouldn’t be picking up toys all over the place. At least I’d be answering to an adult rather than a set of whiny, poopy toddlers.

Me: Forget it. I forbid you to go back to work! Trading your time for money might sound like a great idea, but clearly you haven’t thought this through. What about the kids? They love spending their time with you.

Wife: Forbid!?!?! Say that one more time and you might have to take the “wife” part out your domain name as well! The kids will manage. This conversation is over. Can’t wait to have cafeteria food again and sit around the water cooler bitching about my coworkers and boss.

This Blog Will Be Shutting Down Or Changing Domain Names

So there you have it. My wife’s going back to work which means I’m going to have to change my domain name or shut down the blog. I’m really going to miss writing… Either that or I’m going to have to find another story to tell…sigh…”My Wife Quit Her Job” had such a nice ring to it too. Anyways, hope everyone enjoys today. April fools!!

1. Work as a Freelancer
2. Hire your work/outsource
3. Grow your business

Preface

I assume you have researched well enough before starting your own business online and might also consider running your biz from home. To own a business online, you don’t have to have a real office or ship real product. You can start working in your bedroom with a laptop and offer your expertise as the product.

Step 1: Work as a Freelancer

Almost every business owner works as a freelancer for someone else… at some point. When you are doing your own work, such as setting up your website, writing posts or marketing –this is something you are doing on your own. This is also considered freelancing because otherwise you would have to spend money for someone else to do this job.

Offer your services to other business owners. If you are good at copy writing, write for other people who are not good at it. If you are good at designing your own website, then try designing for another person.

I am a web designer myself and I design my own websites. It has become a great help for my work. When I was approached by some other people to help them design their website, I said why not?

When you work for others as a freelancer, you get these benefits:

1. Generate revenue as you are working on other projects. Of course you should not work for free. The money you earn through your freelance work can supplement your expenses or you can also put it in the bank for your own business. This way you don’t have to put money in your business from your own pocket.

2. Learn new skills as you work on other businesses. I personally learned so many tools, skills, tips while I worked on 100s of other websites. This helped me sharpen my skills and become an expert in my field.

3. Get access to premium tools that you couldn’t purchase/learn otherwise. I got my hands on the ThesisTheme premium skin and got the opportunity to learn it while working on some client websites. I bought ThesisTheme afterwards with the money I earned from my work. Being a freelancer, you can have access to many great premium services that your client is using.

4. Build new contacts while you work. Business connections will drive the most of your work. The best clients have turned into best friends and therefore they have opened new opportunities.

In short you should work as a freelancer to earn and to learn your way up to the online business. One last thing about freelancing is you will receive positive feedback from the clients which will help you to get new clients and contacts.

Step 2: Hire your work/outsource

Now that you have learned how to work for other people, it is time to hire people to work for you. Yes this one is self explanatory; you should not spend 100% effort for working on your own business. Hiring other people is fun, time saving and economical. Not to mention this can bring on even better results for your biz.

I am good at website design, I can create a logo, I can write but there are many things I’m not good at. Even if I can do a good job for other websites, it doesn’t mean I can do the same for my site. Sometimes we get lazy when working on our business. Such as on the early part (around 1 year) my main business site was looking CRAPPY. I was doing great work for other sites but when it came to my own website it was looking messy.

I hired a designer to create a logo for my website that worked well for the first part; later I hired another designer to do a new logo for my site. Now here I hired another person to have something out of the box. This saved me a lot of time and stress. In the mean time I was able to spend the time on my core business.

Outsourcing can drive better results when you find the right person. I am good at blog writing but don’t have a clue about press releases. I hired someone else to write a professional press release that saved my time, it was rated 5 stars from professional news editors. But if I thought of learning and copy pasting some random press release, the results would’ve been bad.

Hiring a designer saved my business once when I was attending my exams; the time line was tight and I took many projects. I outsourced the work while I was concentrating on my studies; the only thing I had to do was to follow up with the client and the provider. I was able to deliver on time and my business was saved.

In a NUTSHELL you should practice hiring other people to do the critical things that you don’t want to do yourself or what you cannot. In the mean time you can use that time on doing the more important things in your business or even just relax for a while.

Keep searching for talented people who can bring better value to your business. Reward these people and recommend them to your business contacts. When paying them, don’t hesitate to pay them well, because you are also working as a freelancer for someone else.

Step 3: Grow your business

This is the third and the most important step on making your business a success. So you have both worked and hired for your business, it is time to grow your business. A business grows with its popularity, number of orders and revenue. Keep track of all your statistics and display them with a chart. You will see the real picture.

Always look for new opportunities to increase sales. It could be with a new partnership or a series of orders. Send your name to everywhere possible. Connect and talk to everyone you can reach. If you don’t let them know about your biz, you won’t get new leads.

Go over your website, read the copy again and browse other pages. See if anything is broken and fix it immediately. Connect with older clients and ask them if they are doing well –if not, then ask them if you can help.

1. Make proper decisions, after all it’s your decision that makes the outcome.
2. Don’t regret your earlier decisions, because what you did may have failed but it helped you learn a very important lesson. It is impossible to succeed 100% of the time –sometimes we fail.
3. Value your clients and their opinions. They chose to work with you in the first place out of your competitors, so listen to what they have to say and respect them. If you find something about them that’s bugging you, then tell them directly but be tactful.
4. Don’t hesitate to get help when you need it. If you are starting something new, ask your friends if they can help you with ideas, suggestions or with work. You never know what’s under the rock without turning it!
5. Make plans that you can see using images and pictures. Outline your progress on paper; it will sure boost up your excitement. Sometimes things just won’t work; try to outline what you have to do to tweak your business.

In conclusion you work, hire and grow your business one step at a time. Repeat all the 3 steps I have outlined over and over again to achieve new heights. Improve your work, add new services and stay up to date with new technologies. Do let me know what you think about this post, I will be there to reply your questions.

It’s Not Fun, It’s Business

Running your own business can be a heck of a lot of fun for the first week, maybe even month, but then reality sinks in and you realize it’s also a lot of work.

When first starting out, the excitement of leaving the daily grind or owning a piece of something that you can call your own can get the better of you. You’ve probably been thinking about how much greener the grass is on other side of the fence, and now that you’re there, you’re beginning to realize that it’s actually just as wilted. But now, instead of having a steady paycheck, health and retirement benefits, and a boss or manager to pass the buck along to when there’s a problem, you realize that the buck now stops with you. You pay for your own health benefits and retirement – if there’s enough money. You pay yourself – if there’s enough money. And even then, some or all of that paycheck might go back into the business.

This isn’t to say that running a business can’t be enjoyable, but it’s not a life of leisure you’ve entered into, it’s a business. You don’t get to sleep in each morning, get to work when you want, and kick back at your desk to let the cash tumble in, and if you do, you probably won’t be running your business for long.

You’ll likely be working longer hours, accepting more responsibility, and learning more new things than at any regular job you’ve had before and then things really get tough as the initial excitement of being out on your own wears off and this business venture becomes the new daily grind.

In fact, this was one of the most difficult things I had to get my head round when I left the corporate world to start out on my own. I always knew there would be a lot of work involved, and I suppose I had deluded convinced myself that I was ready to step up and take on a much more demanding work load. However, I don’t think there’s much that can prepare you for the challenge of building your own company from the ground up.

In the past I’ve found myself working ridiculous hours and it felt like I had given up on any semblance of a ‘sleep pattern’. Months slipped by in a blur of work with consecutive days of early starts and late nights working on adding products, dealing with customer care issues, trying to build some marketing momentum and trialling PPC campaigns.

The world of owning and running your own business is as far away from the corporate world as east is from west, and it hit me like a lightning bolt! Of course there were times when things started getting on top of me, bills needed to be paid and money was tight – but with perseverance I clawed my way through it because I knew that something better was waiting for me on the other side.

Old fashioned hard work, even if it was in pursuit of my dream, kept any grand illusions to a minimum and my feet firmly grounded in realism as to exactly how hard running your own business can be. This mentality will likely be key to grow almost any type of business into a success, and starting off without it can be a costly mistake.

Don’t Just Research, Test

Researching is easy. You analyze the statistics, study the business cycles, you read articles and trade magazines, familiarize yourself with the latest industry trends and related technologies, you review and study the competition, and you begin to see exactly how you would do things differently with your business.

The problem with reading and understanding research is that it is really only applicable in theory until you actually get out there and start something. It’s easy to make things work in your mind’s eye. It’s relatively simple to understand how nuclear power is generated when you read a well-written article about it, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to go out and run a nuclear reactor!

When I was planning ahead I spent hours and hours trawling the internet to look into trends, how to market my new company, get information on my new competition and find out what it was they were doing to succeed. Some of the things I did to research my business included:

• Building a relationship with suppliers: I made a concerted effort to get to know suppliers, and know them well. I spent time emailing them about the industry, went to their offices and met their teams.
• Studying my competition (for too long): once I had worked out who the main players were, I invested a lot of my time finding out about them. I wanted to know who they were, and what their background was in the industry. That was fine, but I probably should have spent a lot more time working out how they got to where they were. Instead of just being inquisitive about their businesses, I would have been better off working out how they ranked so well and how they converted prospects to sales.

In the end I came to the conclusion that research was an essential element of getting started, but it was just that, an element in a much larger picture. Learn this lesson, and learn it well, before you sink too much time into your research: it’s easy to fall into the trap of focussing for too long on researching a business and not doing anything to get it started!

Therefore, before you quit your day job and go plunging ahead into opening the business of your dreams, take some time not only to research, but to test your market for the products or services in which you are interested in providing. Test different demographics, try different markets, locations or niches, talk to people, get non-biased feedback, and more importantly listen to what they are telling you in this feedback, not just what you want to hear.

Family, Friends and Frustration

While there are plenty of family run businesses out there, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should set out with the intention of bringing friends or family into your operation. What might seem like a good idea at first, can quickly become a nightmare. When family ties are tight and those closest to you are supportive and willing to do what it takes to help make your dreams come true, it’s hard to deny that getting them involved in your business might seem like a great idea.

As the excitement fades and issues begin to arise however, you may find it increasingly difficult to say no to these people; and saying no is often an integral part of running a successful operation. As they say, when trying to please everyone, you please no one.

And what if you find that you must fire or layoff one or more of these people? Who do you choose, and how? Will they harbor a grudge about it afterward? Will it affect family dynamics, your friendship, your marriage or all of the above?

My advice is if you need a partner then get a partner, but mixing business and family or friendship can end with disastrous results. I’m not going it alone on my current business project: it works because my skills are different to my business partner’s. From experience, it’s complimentary skills and personality that makes a partnership work.

If you don’t have one or the other, then I’d stay well clear. Differing yet complimentary skills are often cited as the key to an effective partnership because when skills overlap too much, arguments can occur over differences in opinion. In my partnership, for example, I’m the one who’s more active in marketing and writing, while my partner is more analytical, ie. not really interested in writing. Personality clashes are also a cause of many collapsed business partnerships. Although I’ve had a couple of dodgy business partners in the distant past, I’ve been mostly fortunate enough to have a business partner who compliments my own slightly zany personality and social intricacies.

You just need to be aware that starting a business is a stressful time for anyone, so even the seemingly least of relational problems can quickly mushroom into a a deal-breaker.

Know Your Partner(s)

You shouldn’t just jump into bed with someone whose history you don’t know, nor should you jump into a business with someone you don’t know. Getting to know the person or people with whom you’re considering a partnership can help to avoid issues down the road.

While a prospective partner might tell a good tale or be brilliant at what they do, this doesn’t necessarily mean you will immediately take to one another or that he or she will even be beneficial for your business. Going into a partnership should be akin to conducting a job interview – done with measured caution and lots of questions, recognising strengths, weaknesses, and where this person can help or hurt you most.

As I said above, I’ve had the occasional run-in with disaster courtesy of a poor choice of business partner. In fact, one of the worst business partners I’ve ever had the pleasure of ‘working’ with was a family relative whom I knew quite well. This was a classic case of a personality mis-match whereby my business partner thought he had the right to have the final say on every single matter pertaining to our embryonic business.

It took only a few weeks of pressure before we found ourselves in a vitriolic argument hurling accusations at each other. Looking back on it, I am so thankful for that argument and a business opportunity missed.

I really would like to labour my point that just because you think you know your prospective business partner, that doesn’t preclude you from a complete breakdown in communication when under pressure. Even if your preferred partner appears to know his or her stuff when it comes to your industry vertical, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a productive relationship. Do yourself a massive favour and recognise this fact earlier rather than later – it could save you time, trouble, and money. Worse still, you could lose a good friend for life.

Just Because It’s Good Today, Doesn’t Mean It’ll Be Good Tomorrow

Your business can be soaring with the eagles one day, only to be running with the turkeys the next – that’s just the way business works. When things are good, it might appear that they are going to stay that way forever, and you might be so busy that you feel there’s just no time for planning ahead. But looking forward in your business approach can help you to better prepare for the dips and curves that will inevitably lie ahead in your road to success.

If however, you find that you’ve missed the bus and are starting to lag behind competitors, it might mean that you’re sailing a sinking ship. Knowing when to stop bailing, don your life jacket, and abandon ship before it’s too late can be key to sustaining the ability either to try again later or just move on with your life. You may love your business, but it might not love you back, and just like a relationship, you have to know when it’s time to do what’s right by you and just walk away.

I’ve actually got some personal experience with this. Several years ago I was involved in a small store that wasn’t going well, at all. In fact, a living nightmare is the only way I can adequately describe this excuse of a business. Weeks blurred into a haze of endless problems and sleepless nights. Late shipments, constant customer care issues, problems with suppliers and devastating cash flow constraint – you name it, I’ve been there.

It came to the point where it just was not worth it any more. I was done with the stress, the pressure and the terrible pay. So one day I ended it. I’m not one for quitting easily in the face of adversity, but I’ve got to say that it was a real weight lifted off my shoulders. If you find yourself in a similarly dire situation, do not be afraid to give up and move on!

In my current business, we’ve been through some major ups and downs. Hacked blogs, broken servers, dodgy developers, unreliable payments: these have all cast their shadowon my business in the last year. Did I give up or lose focus when things went wrong? No. In fact, I’d say that you often work your best in the face of adversity. That hard work has paid off, but you just need to be sure that there’s a future for the company you’re working so hard to build. Worse case scenario, you file for bankruptcy

Conclusion

No matter how easy running a successful business appears from the outside, it has likely taken a lot of hard work to get it to that point. Planning, preparation, and the ability to learn from others’ mistakes as well as your own can be key to making your business a success. While there’s no guarantees when it comes to making your dreams come true, going into a business venture aware of the risks and knowing the possible problems your likely to encounter can certainly increase the likelihood of achieving your goals.

Click Here To Obtain All 23 Of These Guides For Only $97 (A $1052 value if you were to purchase them separately)

Unconventional Guide to Working For Yourself by Chris Guillebeau ($79)

• Unconventional Guide to Working For Yourself (53-page PDF)
• 3 25-minute of audio teaching sessions
• SEO Report (26-page PDF)

The Essential Motivation Handbook by Leo Babauta & Eric Hamm ($15)

• The Essential Motivation Handbook (PDF)
• 3 Bonus Q&A Videos of common questions

True Strengths + The Metrics of Ease by Danielle LaPorte ($20)

• True Strengths + The Metrics of Ease – Sample Chapter from the Fire Starter Sessions (PDF)
• Video:  The Metrics of Ease
• Video:  The Merits of Self-Centered
• Worksheet:  Passion Play
• Worksheet:  Very Strong Priorities

Upsell 101 by Naomi Dunford & Dave Navarro ($77)

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Websites That Sell Webinar by Laura Roeder ($47)

• Normally available only to buyers of Zero to Website course
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Guest Posting Guide by Chris Garrett ($17)

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3-Day Money by David Risley ($47)

• 14 Video presentations (2.5+ hours)
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Email Triage + 2011 Premium Planners by Charlie Gilkey ($32)

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Location Independent Lifestyle Guide by Lea Woodward ($37)

• Location Independent Lifestyle Guide – 2nd Edition (82-page PDF)
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Zero to Business by Johnny B. Truant

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Write for the Web + Beyond Bricks and Mortar by James Chartrand ($54)

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Beyond Blogging by Nathan Hangen ($47)

• Beyond Blogging (200-page PDF)
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Smalltopia by Tammy Strobel ($27)

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Guest Post Secrets by Erica Douglass ($77)

• Special access to Guest Post Secret membership site
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• The Guest Posting Mini-Guide (PDF)
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• Networking Awesomely (PDF)

Article Marketing Traffic Booster by Henri Junttila ($47)

• Article Marketing Traffic Booster (110 -page PDF)
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• 50% OFF EVERYTHING From 12:00AM CST – 5AM CST
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• How convince my wife not to quit her job
• How can my wife make money while I stay at home
• My wife is lazy. Sell my wife
• Wife wants to stay at home crap
• Home business for lazy wife
• How to play mind games with your wife
• How to motivate a lazy wife
• Wife lazy piece of crap

Sure sounds like many husbands out there want their wives to work:)

Articles I Enjoyed Reading Recently

Here’s a list of articles and/or products that I enjoyed this week.

My First Day As An Entrepreneur – Emory tells us about his first day as a free man.

6 Hurdles I Encountered When Starting My Online Businesses and Exactly How I Overcame Them – Pat Flynn talks about obstacles that he had to overcome with his online business. Great podcast!

Make Time For Your Dreams – Sid Savara provides us with simple tips on how to free up time to pursue what you want to do.

How Opening A Coffee Shop Ruined This Guys Life – An eye opening must read!

[EXPOSED] Six Figure Blogger Screws Up, Tells All – Just loved this post by David Risley on a big mistake he made with his business.

Needs don’t always lead to demand – Seth Godin tells it like it is.

Ebooks

Assess – Decide – Do: Natural Productivity By Dragos Roua – My friend Dragos Roua recently released his latest ebook on productivity. If you are feeling overwhelmed and can’t find the time to do the things that matter to you, Dragos presents a compelling life management framework that will improve your life.

Sell Your Crap – By Adam Baker – If you have a bunch of junk lying around your house and you want to make a little bit of extra cash, my buddy Adam Baker has written an extremely comprehensive guide on how to use Ebay, Craigslist and Amazon to sell your crap. A well written ebook!

The Basics on Surety Bonds

Surety bonds are often mistaken for insurance, but they’re actually more like a form of credit. They’re basically an agreement between a principal (the company performing the work), the obligee (the entity receiving the work or requiring the bond) and the surety company that issues the bond. Surety bonds ensure that companies follow contracts and regulations and provide avenues of financial relief if consumers or companies are harmed by a business.

Surety bonds are important for businesses of all stripes. Contractors and construction firms have to purchase contract bonds in order to bid on public projects. Hundreds of industries and fields mandate the purchasing of a surety bond before a state license can be issued. There are thousands of commercial bond types, including:

• Health club bonds
• Travel agency bonds
• Auto dealer bonds
• Mortgage broker bonds
• Auctioneer bonds
• Notaries public

It is also important to note that surety bonds differ from state to state. Differences include the types of bonds offered, the dollar amounts they are offered at, and the types required for specific businesses. For example, a Texas surety bond for motor vehicle dealers may be different than a similar bond offered in another state.

Entrepreneurs may not be able to get their start-up off the ground without a surety bond in hand. In other cases, surety bonds aren’t mandatory but represent a sound investment.

Why Bonds Matter

Small business owners are always looking for ways to distance themselves from the competition. Surety bonds give consumers added protection and provide businesses with a boost of credibility. Telling people you care about consumer protection is one thing — having a surety bond that backs up that statement is something altogether different. Plus, not just anyone can get a surety bond, and the rigors of securing one indicates the relative financial health and legitimacy of a company.

There are also surety bonds dedicated to helping protect entrepreneurs and small business owners. Fidelity bonds can insulate entrepreneurs from financial ruin in the unlikely event their employees steal or somehow break the law or harm consumers.

Surety bonds can help companies attract and retain customers while at the same time safeguarding their interests.

How to Purchase Surety Bonds

Insurance carriers and independent surety companies issue surety bonds. Applicants should expect a process not unlike applying for a loan. Sureties rely on underwriters to examine credit reports, financial records and other important information when considering an application.

Each bond comes with a face value, but that’s not what that applicant ultimately pays. Instead, entrepreneurs are responsible for paying a bond premium, which is usually somewhere from 1 to 3 percent of the face value. Companies and applicants with shaky credit and finances might have to pay higher rates.

More basic bonds can be processed within a few hours. Contract bonds and other, more expensive and intensive bonds may require more time and scrutiny during the underwriting process. Entrepreneurs should shop around for the best rate.

Editor’s Note: In general, most people have probably heard of a bail bond and the concept is very similar. When someone is arrested, a bail bonds company (the surety) puts up the bail money for the criminal (the principal) and provides a guarantee to the government that the criminal won’t run. If the criminal ends up fleeing, the bond company sends out someone like Dog, the bounty hunter to retrieve the criminal.

In terms of businesses, there are many different bond types. For example, if you are a freelancer and offer to provide services to a client for a big project, you can purchase a performance bond. By purchasing the bond, your client is guaranteed compensation for any monetary loss up to the amount of the performance bond if you fail to complete the project to their satisfaction.

I’m not sure how common this is for online businesses however. Matt, would you mind clarifying who the common candidates are for surety bonds in the online world? Is it common for web services professionals to purchase surety bonds?

Question for the readers: Would a surety bond make you more likely to hire someone as a freelancer in the online space? If you were looking for a professional web designer, would being bonded influence your decision?

• Pinyo of Moolanomy gives it to us straight in his article about Why You Should Become A Part Time Entrepreneur. If you can handle it, I highly recommend starting a business while still working your day job to mitigate risk and anxiety.
• David of Moneyning outlines the monetary benefits of owning a small business in his article on What Owning A Small Business Can Do For Your Personal Finances. One of the biggest reasons to start a business is the tax breaks.
• Tom at the Canadian Finance Blog writes about Where To Find Other Sources Of Income. Often times, there’s money right there staring at us ready to be made.
• Peter Of Bible Money Matters writes about 11 ways to make extra money on the side in his Guide To Diversifying Your Sources Of Income. An excellent list of simple ways to make money!
• Phil of PT Money provides tips on How To Find Affordable Help For Your Business. There are creative ways to find cheap labor everywhere. You just need to know where to look.
• Arohan of Personal Dividends writes about 10 Tips To Consider Before Starting A Franchise Business. If you are considering going the franchise route, this article is a must read.
• Miranda of AllBusiness reviews the book “Built To Sell” by John Warrillow. This book is a must read if you eventually intend to sell your business.
• Jeff at Good Financial Cents reminds us that your salary doesn’t matter because you’ll never build real wealth from it in his article on Building Real Wealth: Small Company Equity. I completely agree. A modest raise isn’t going to do much for your topline.
• Free From Broke lets us in on a creative way to make some side money. Turns out that Taking Real Estate Photos Can Be Lucrative
• Assaf of Real Estate Pro reminds us that investing in real estate can be very lucrative as described in the article, Fastest Ways To Succeed In Real Estate Investing

Enjoy your friday and have a great weekend!