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Does This Give You a Sinking Feeling?

Have you ever had the sinking feeling that you are missing something in your business, feeling like one wrong move and everything could be taken away?

Running a successful business is more than serving clients and creating products; it’s about having the confidence to make decisions from a place of power and clarity.

If your business has been stalling, or maybe it hasn’t quite gotten of the ground, it could be because you’ve been second guessing yourself and your ability to handle mistakes or risks (and even success; yes, our self-sabotaging minds are funny like that).

Perhaps, you don’t have the right legal, insurance, financial and tax foundation in place to ensure that no matter what happens, your business and your family are safe and secure from financial disaster.

That’s why I encourage you to join me as I interview Alexis Neely during a free live call that will help you fill the holes in your business foundation & give you 100x more confidence to make all of your most important, make it or break business decisions from a place of power, confidence, assurance and trust.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“100x Confidence: How to Make All of Your Most Important, Make It Or Break It Business Decisions from a Place of Total Power, Trust, Assurance and Clarity”
Free call with me, Alexis Neely & a secret panel of online entrepreneurs you love

Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Time: 1pm Pacific (LA) Time (2pmMT, 3pmCT, 4pmET)

During this live Google Hangout, Alexis & I (plus a secret panel of online entrepreneurs you love) will be showing you exactly how you can up your business confidence 100x:

The raw, true mistakes we’ve made in our own businesses that have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and how you can avoid making them;
How to set up a business foundation that will bring you more clients and more growth;
How to have 100x more confidence to get the resources you need to grow your business;
The next step you need to take to get to the next level in your business and more.

Having the right foundation in your business does more than help your business run more smoothly, it gives you the ability to make solid decisions, take calculated risks, and have peace of mind knowing that you are ready for anything and everything.

And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Save your spot now: https://fwpi.infusionsoft.com/go/liftoc/a644

How to Publish a Bestselling Ebook Using Amazon KDP Select

Alicia Dunams and Britt Michaelian talk about publishing your ebook using the Amazon KDP Select Program to get you to bestseller status. Alicia shares some tips for getting your book to bestseller status and invites you to join a webinar on February 20 discussing everything you need to know to get your ebook ready to be a bestseller! Sign up for details at http://bestsellerinaweekend.com/webinar.

If you are ready to hit the ground running and write your book quickly, sign up for details about this 2/20 webinar with me and Britt Michaelian at http://bestsellerinaweekend.com/webinar

Three Announcements from Amazon.com that Changed the Face of Publishing in 2012

Amazon.com, the leader in book sales everywhere, has been steadily growing and making an even greater imprint on the publishing industry. This year, several of their announcements have changed the way books are published and increased the number of sales for many authors. Their long arm has impacted digital sales through the popular Kindle Fire and has increased their viability as not only a book seller, but also a book publisher.

1) In January, 2012, Amazon.com announced that they were increasing their Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select fund by $200,000, making the total fund for the month $700,000. Prime Kindle owners can borrow books from Amazon’s Lending Library at no cost. When they do, authors and publishers receive royalties from each borrow. Not only have books received greater exposure through KDP Select, but authors have announced that their royalties have grown, from Lending Library borrows, as well as paid book sales on Amazon. The increase to the fund has encouraged more authors to participate in KDP Select, which has proven to be a great marketing and promotion tool for authors.

2) In April, 2012, Amazon.com released Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Chef. Ferriss is the first author selected by Amazon Publishing, a division of Amazon.com that promises to be a major book publishing company. A New York Time Advice bestseller, Ferriss was formerly published by Crown, a division of Random House Publishing. Look for Amazon to expand its publishing division in the next year, bringing other great authors, both published and self-published, on board.

3) Also, on June 4, 2012, Amazon.com announced that they acquired 3,000 romance, western, and mystery titles from Avalon Books, a major publishing entity. With the announcement came future possibilities for the titles, most of which had not been digitized. With Amazon’s acquisition of Avalon books, a wider market will open as they are made available for Kindle readers.

Through Amazon’s publishing imprint, programs like KDP Select, and their royalty programs, Amazon.com is continuing to make an impact on authors and publishers and establishing themselves as the greatest influence on book sales for authors and publishers.

How Did It Feel When You Became A Bestseller?

It was so exciting and unbelievable to achieve bestseller status as soon as the book was introduced to the world. It was a dream come true.” - Dr. Beth

“I felt I had accomplished something significant.” – Brandon Wade

“I had worked hard to make my book launch a success and to see inmy book surpass Doreen Virture on the bestseller list, an author who I greatly admire, I was thrilled beyond belief.” - Joy Reichard

“UNBELIEVABLE! I achieved my own “Goddess Greatness” moment! It was surreal!

Truly, one of the proudest moments of my life!” - Jennifer Ettinger

“The excitement of watching my book climb to the #1 spot on Amazon for Women in Business was exhilarating. I had so much fun watching it move up the list and surpass books written by people I have admired and respected over the years.” – Heidi Sloss

“Like a dream come true! I built the marketing plan around the book launch and gathered a great team to help me make that happened. It was very exciting to see my book next to Suzanne Somer’s book on the best seller list!!” – JJ Flizanes

“Incredibly uplifting. A powerful nod of yes from the universe. Like the most persistent layer of resistance to being who I am stripped off. I could laugh from the belly of life. It felt light, joyful. There was a moment of peace, knowing I had arrived at a peak, I had longed for, and didnt know it. Music roared and shattered the impossible glass ceilings that had kept me trapped. My words have worth.” – Jennifer Duchene

“It was AAahhhmmaazzing! And to think I initially didn’t even want the title lol boy was I wrong cause being able to tote that label now makes me feel super high and want to achieve even more success!” – Ana Maria Sanchez

“Alicia’s incredible expertise, energy and sense-of-urgency is tough to beat! She just inspires you to make your goals and vision happen. Her Amazon Bestseller Campaign and self-publisher coaching program are best-in-class! She will exceed your expectations! I would recommend her coaching to anyone who is committed to success and wants to learn the ins and outs for the world of publishing, social media, promoting, marketing and Amazon.”

-Leanne Grechulk, Author of 30 Days to Wealth and Founder of HealthyGirl.Net

“If you want to become an Amazon.com bestseller, I can highly recommend Alicia Dunams. She helped me write the second edition of my book as well as become an Amazon.com best-selling author! Thank you, Alicia.”

- David Shade, Author of The Secrets of Female Sexuality

Guest Post – Business and Marketing Lessons I Learned from Writing a Book

In 2010, I wrote 2 books. The first book got me my literary agent and was the first “official” publishing deal I have ever had. I manifested exactly what I wanted before I knew to specify that it had to be a book that I would really LOVE to write.

Knack Absolute Abs: Routines for a Fit and Firm Core was supposed to be published by December of 2010 and got moved to August of 2011 when the bookstores started to collapse.

Searching for the silver lining in the bad news, I realized that this delay was a blessing in disguise. While fitness is what I do mostly, it is how I deliver fitness that makes what I do unique. Absolute Abs, a beautifully put together manual for any beginner exerciser looking to learn how to put a basic program together, was not the writing experience I had hoped it would be. Feeling more like creating a dictionary with terms and definitions, I was yearning to put passion and depth into what I was about to present to the world about who I am , what I do, and how I may be able to help transform the lives of others.

Then Fit 2 Love was born! Somewhere around September of 2010, I had come up with the new brand that had me so excited I could barely contain myself. Within 3 months, Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life was written, published and hit multiple best seller and hot new release lists on Amazon the day we launched. What I learned that I think is important to share:

Write what you love-anything else feels like work: While I am proud of the Knack Absolute Abs book for all the information it provides, it felt like work every time I sat down at the computer to write. The brand has a built in structure that I needed to follow and that left me feeling a little “controlled” so my creativity couldn’t flourish. Fit 2 Love went on to become an Amazon best seller because I put my energy and resources behind that which I loved.

Think of a book like a child: once it’s born, you now have to care for it and help it grow: I knew this before I got started because I have watched friends and other entrepreneurs write books and expect a lot more to happen once it’s out in the market place. I even had a client who was an author of 3 books with a major publishing company so I got to see what happened and what didn’t happen. There is as much work after you write it as when you write it, depending on what you want to do with it.

A book is the best business card you have: If you have a book, and better yet a best- selling book, people pay attention. It sets you apart from others in your field and it’s an easy, inexpensive way for you to find the clients and opportunities that best suit your vision of how you want to grow your business and career. I am speaking this week at an event for 500 people and my breakout session was the first to sell out. To keep up with the exciting growth and development of Fit 2 Love and JJ Flizanes, visit www.fit2love.info and follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

JJ Flizanes, Director of Invisible Fitness, was named best personal trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler Magazine and was also one of the six featured trainers in Shape Magazine in 2003. She is the Author of the Amazon.com Best Seller Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life and Knack Absolute Abs: Routines for a Fit and Firm Core. She has appeared on NBC, KTLA, CBS and Fox 11 as well as numerous local and national magazines. JJ’s mission is to help women feel gorgeous and confident without starving or killing themselves in the gym.

How to Use a Book to Create a 6-Figure Business (video)

Note: To listen to the entire interview, and to listen to the other 14 other experts share strategies for making this a 6-Figure breakthrough year, you can access it here: http://ow.ly/4bTw4

US Share of Billionaires Erodes in 2011 (by Victor Cheng – @Victor_Cheng)

As you will read below, my business coach Victor Cheng writes in-depth and content-rich
emails about revenue growth strategies in any economic condition.
I wanted to share his wisdom with my community. – AD

The annual Forbes 400 list is out and Americans continue their downhill slide.
It used to be 1 out of 2 billionaires was an American.

It is now down to 1 out of 3.. a drop in market share from 50% to 33%.
So which countries are gaining the most ground?

It’s the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India, and China

Those economies are growth economies – both in the short run and long run.

Here’s a summary article on this trend:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112310/worlds-billionaires-2011

I think Americans business owners are hugely disadvantage in the
global marketplace for the simple fact that the average American
simply does not think globally at all.

If you pick a copy of Newsweek on a newsstand in any city in the US and
do the same in any newsstand in Europe, you will notice the articles are completely different.

The US Edition of Newsweek is all about US news.

The version sold in Europe is about GLOBAL news (not just the
country the magazine is sold in, not sure just Europe, and not just the US — but all of it).

When your focus is overly narrow, you risk missing out on opportunity.

I admit about 3 years ago I did not think globally about my own business.
After all I run a small business, not some multi-national Fortune 500
company which one more commonly associates with doing business across borders.

But, when the Great Recession hit, I anticipated that at some point in the future, given all the
economic stimulus and the completely upside P&L statement for the US government, there
would be incredible temptations to solve all those debt problems by printing more money.

All the US government has to do pay off the trillions and trillions of debt is to push 1 button,
and it can “print” trillions of dollars.

This of course creates an entirely different problem called inflation. WHEN (not if) inflation
kicks in, in the US economy, suddenly revenues generated from customers in more stable
economies outside the US become incredibly valuable.

At the time I generated perhaps 7% of my revenues from outside of the U.S. Given the
macro economic trends, I decide this was increasingly risky and stated to keep an open
mind about more global opportunities.

Today, my company generates about 40% of sales from outside the US. This rivals and
even exceeds the geographic revenue mix of many US-based Fortune 500 companies.

Most CEOs artificially constrain their global opportunities due to their own self limiting
beliefs about what is possible in their business.

And while it is true, some types of business will never be global in nature, often it is easier
to go global with a subset of one’s business.

For example, I recently met with the CEO of a heavy industrial construction type company.
In their local market, spending was literally non-existant.

The problem was all of the equipment, facilities, and staff were based in a city where no
demand existed. It was not cost effective to transport everything to other areas just for a single project.

Meanwhile in this exact same company, there was one revenue stream that was growing 100%+ per year.

What was it?

Consulting services.

One of the top people in the company got tired of sitting on his rear all day with nothing to do.
So he picked up his phone and started calling other construction companies in other regions
of the US attempting to do the kind of work this firm specializes in (I forget the exact specialty).

So his pitch was we’ve done 100 of these projects, know exactly what to do, but our local economy is non existent.

I know you are bidding of 5 of these kinds of projects in your area, why don’t you hire us and
we’ll buddy each of your key people with one of our key people and we’ll mentor you on the whole process.

We’ll have our proposals guy show you what has worked for us. Our foreman will be the advisor to your foreman.

Our CFO can walk your CFO through the cash flow cycles unique to this kind of work, etc…

So in this case, the equipment and bodies could not be moved to other geographical areas,
but the expertise of the staff COULD.

This is just one example of thinking differently about your business.

They key is not to think about your business defined in terms of your target customer and current
product/ offerings, but rather think in terms of:

“What the heck is my company extremely good at?”

If your answer to this question is a specific product or service, you are missing my point.

A product or service is simply ONE way your core capabilities or competitive advantages is EXPRESSED.

If you get wedded to how your competitive advantage is CURRENTLY expressed, then you miss out on
all the opportunities for how your competitive advantage COULD be expressed.

Once you think this way, the next, more practical step, is to ask HOW these competitive advantages
could be re-packaged to provide a different type of value (and perhaps to a different kind of customer)
that is in better ALIGNMENT with the current economy vs. the way those advantages are currently expressed.

This is the essence of being more strategic about your business and the environment you operate in.

To Your Profits,

-Victor Cheng

*****

Victor Cheng is revenue growth adviser to owners of professional services and online
business within $1 million – $25 million in sales.

As a former McKinsey consultant and the author of four books, he has been featured as an
expert commentator by Fox, Time magazine, Inc magazine, Fortune Small Business, and The Wall Street Journal.

He publishes an email newsletter on revenue growth for owners of high growth business.

To subscribe to Victor Cheng’s E-Letter please visit: http://www.askvictor.com

Five Things You Need to Do to Become a Professional Speaker

Whether you’re a novice or you’ve dabbed a bit in the speaking arena, you, too, can become an in-demand professional speaker. There are several things you should do to create the interest and the engagements that will lead to a successful speaking career.

Controversy: Sneaky New Tax Form, Burden for Businesses

Tax breaks/write-offs are a major incentive for owning a business. Well, a pesky new tax form (mandated by health care reform) will change the way we plan for tax season – another burden for small business owners. Read on for more info…
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In the 1,000+ page health care reform bill, a new tax form burden
completely unrelated to health care was snuck in unnoticed by
the IRS. The full ramifications of this previously unnoticed
paragraph is just coming to light in the past few days.

Here’s the deal.

The provision has to do with the 1099 forms that all businesses
are required to file regarding payments over $600 to freelancers
and contractors for personal services rendered.

This rule applies to sole proprietor businesses and excluded
corporations.

The paragraph basically changes the definition from “personal
services rendered” to “all services and goods” rendered from
“all organizations” (including corporations)

Basically, this means anytime your company spends more than $600
with ANY other business, you will be required to file a 1099
form. The thinking is that by doing this your suppliers will be
forced to report all of their income.

Unfortunately, the cost of this enforcement will be funded by
you and me. Here’s why.

It’s kind of a hassle to get a W-9 form from a freelancer to
request their Tax ID number. But most businesses, only have a
small handful of these, so it’s annoying but not the end of the
world.

Now we have to do the same for every company where we spend more
than $600.

For example, I spend several thousand dollars a year with hotel
chains like Marriott and Hilton. Now I need my bookkeeper to
contact their CFO’s office to request their Tax ID.

But wait, it gets better…

If I recall correctly, each Marriott location is independently
owned and operated. This means that for EACH Marriott location
I’ve stayed in for say more than 4 nights (where my bill would
often be over $600), I need to have my bookkeeper contact their
financial office and have each location send back a form with
their Tax ID on it.

The same goes for the telephone company, Office Depot, Amazon,
my web host, all of my favorite restaurants where I host
business lunches or dinners, the airport shuttle service, the
printer, Apple, Dell, AT&T, the merchant account, Hertz, the
attorney, the payroll service, the domain registrar, and more.

It’s hard enough calling their customer service line to give
them money, now I have to have someone call them to get a IRS
tax form filled out?

I seriously doubt Marriott, AT&T or Hertz is under reporting the
income they make from me — but now I’ll need to take on the
burden of a few thousand dollars in expense to go chase
paperwork.

These are dollars that could have been spent with suppliers
(helping them create jobs), or paying new or existing members of
my staff (boosting their household incomes… and spending in
their local economy), or to invest in marketing to get more new
business (which in turn allows me to spend more with my
suppliers and staff).

I have gone on record repeatedly to encourage clients and
readers that the economy remains highly uncertain. The long term
debt problem in the US in particular has not been resolved by
the “recovery”.

There are many unforeseen consequences that remain.

This is one of them.

And if by some small miracle enough people complain about the
useless paperwork requirements before it takes effect in 2012,
then I’m certain there will be another unforeseen consequence to
take its place.

While I know many of you feel that the business environment has
become hostile to businesses both economically and politically,
I actually do think it’s a mistake to let these external changes
get you riled up emotionally.

Are these kinds of headaches a problem? Yes, absolutely.

Is it worth more than a passing moment of your time and focus?
Definitely not.

Is it excuse for delivering sub-par financial performance this
year? Heck no. That’s a total cop out.

Good leaders deliver the numbers no matter what.

And keep in mind that your competitors face these paperwork
burdens as much as you do. So while these kinds of these are a
total pain, at least they are equally painful to everyone.

So take small mental note of these recent events, and continue
to stay focused on your customers, your company, and your
competitors — and generally in that order — and you’ll do fine.

To Your Profits,
-Victor Cheng

Amercia’s Business Coach(r)

Victor Cheng is revenue growth adviser to owners of professional services and online business within $1 million – $25 million in sales.

As a former McKinsey consultant and the author of four books, he has
been featured as an expert commentator by Fox, Time magazine,
Inc magazine, Fortune Small Business, and The Wall Street Journal.

He publishes an email newsletter on revenue growth for
owners of high growth business.

To subscribe to Victor Cheng’s E-Letter please visit:
http://www.askvictor.com

The Benefits of Teleseminars

Teleseminars are taking the business world by storm, and for good reason. For a minimal investment of our greatest resources—time and money—teleseminars provide massive exposure and an unprecedented return on your investment. Let’s take a look at the many ways a teleseminar can help you boost your bottom line and benefit your business.

1. Teleseminars automatically establish you as the expert. When you teach what you know, you’re automatically qualified as an expert in your field. Whether you’re a real estate agent, a salesperson, a small business owner, an author, or a coach, when people are willing to learn from your experience, you establish credibility.

2. Teleseminars are amazingly affordable. The Internet and technology have given rise to the popularity of teleseminars by making it both easy and inexpensive to produce, deliver, promote and market these events. Dollar for dollar, teleseminars far exceed traditional marketing applications, providing an avenue to boost your bottom line and make unlimited profit.

3. Teleseminars serve multiple purposes. They generate income, establish credibility, produce unlimited exposure, and they can be reproduced and regenerated as CDs, eBooks, audio files, and other products which will continue to generate publicity and income.

4. They offer convenience to your intended audience. Unlike traditional seminars, teleseminars can be attended from home or work, eliminating the necessity for travel or food accommodations. The convenience and easy access is one of the most appealing aspects of teleseminars to your audience.

5. Teleseminars offer ease of use to your audience. Even the most technologically challenged can participate with little or no effort. Usually, all they need is a telephone.

6. Teleseminars increase your client base. Every person who registers is one more person to add your list of prospects, making this one of the fastest list-building tools you can use.

7. Paid teleseminars allow you to reach more clients in any given timeframe. Gone are the limits of available seats, geographical location, time and travel. You determine how many attendees you can accommodate, without being limited by a physical facility’s capacity.

8. Teleseminars allow you to create a viral buzz about your event. At little or no cost, you can generate anticipation and Internet interest very quickly. Becoming an overnight phenomenon has never been easier.

9. Teleseminars enable you to reach new customers. If you find a partner, affiliate, or a sponsor, you automatically tap into their audience, providing you with a fresh new list of prospective customers or clients.

10. You’ll enjoy increased testimonials and endorsements. Customer satisfaction is one of the best forces to drive future business. Testimonials enable you to generate direct feedback from your audience, providing you with free advertisement and the endorsements of happy customers.

These are just ten of the tremendous benefits that hosting a teleseminar will bring to you and your business. By capitalizing on one of the fastest-growing phenomenons in business, you can take your business to levels never before imagined. The opportunity is available—seize it and watch your business grow.

To find out what teleseminars are happening today, next week, even next month, sign up for the daily email newsletter at http://seeyouonthecall.com and follow on Twitter, http://twitter.com/seeyouonthecall. If you are a teleseminar host and want to promote your teleseminar for free, or upgrade for maximum exposure, list your teleseminars today at http://seeyouonthecall.com.

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