Sex, Lies Rinsing Guys & the Profitable Small Home Business Ideas

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Andi the Minion 6 Comments

I don’t know if you saw the interesting ‘Sex, Lies and Rinsing Guys' documentary that was shown on Channel 4here in the UK.  Interesting but slightly misleading title as there was no sex involved and not a lot of lying, there were some but not a lot.

Danica-Thrall-in-Sex-Lies

The documentary followed women who made it their career to receive 'gifts' from extremely wealthy men for hmmm nothing really. One woman believed that ‘talking’ to the gentleman in the bar was enough to warrant being given expensive gifts.

This same woman managed to get a business class flight out to New York to meet a guy and ‘rinse’ some serious shopping out of him. It could have turned a little bit nasty as he was expecting a bit more from the woman, she said he had a ‘brain of a 16 year old’ to think he should get something more back than just talking. One has to ask how old her brain was if she believes that a man should give out thousands of pounds worth of gifts to her for no reason other than a bit of company.

But here is the thing; there are plenty of men who do like to spend money on these women and shower them with expensive gifts like watches for nothing more than company. Now apart from a few white lies and a bit of bending the truth, no more than the usual normally daily interactions, these women were not really doing anything wrong.

They now go out looking for a ‘certain’ type of guy to ‘rinse’ but that was born out of the men first showering these ladies with gifts and them learning which guys are more likely to do it.

The men choose to give expensive gifts, and the ladies choose to receive them as a career.

Interestingly several of these women had children and were funding their family life and in some cases education, by taking gifts from these wealthy men.  One young lady from Nottingham, Hollie, would sell any gifts she received on eBay to help pay the household bills. (She had yet to rise to the lofty heights of some of the more ‘professional rinsers’)

Danica Thrall, seen in the picture above, had set up a website and was using Twitter and Facebook to drive men to the site where they could buy her ‘gifts’ that she had on an Amazon wish list. Items on the ‘wish’ list ranged from cheap DVDs to £900+ Apple iMac computer.

She had a business plan and was planning to record short videos for clients at £200 then charge other people £50 to see them. (Similar to TV sex phone lines like BabeStation, One person pays to chat to the female presenter and others pay a cheaper rate to listen in)

One thing she was already doing was, charging men £50 to talk to her for 10 minutes on Skype (she is a glamour model but there was no nudity or adult conversation on the call). £50!! For 10 minutes conversation! Really?

Yes, really! This was about making money down to popularity and beauty. I doubt the woman who played Heather on Eastenders could charge so much for a call, however, keep reading and you will probably agree that in some circles she probably could.

What did interest me though was how money was made and what people (men) were willing to pay. We watched as one guy chatted to Danica on the £50 for 10 minute deal then we witnessed another man pay £200 for less than 20 minutes of humiliating ' you are worthless' kind of insults from Hollie over a web cam connection. You could hear him muttering 'Yes Mistress, no Mistress'

Now I do not want you all to rush off and suddenly buy webcams to start hurling abuse at sad and lonely men, unless you want to of course, but at least see the potential there is for making money using free and easy to use software.

Danica was using Twitter and Facebook the same way we advise people to, the same way many online marketers drive traffic to their websites.

She was creating a brand, interacting with people, creating a following and driving them to a unique place where they can buy high end products. Then using Skype she would chat to men for profit.

But what really got me thinking was these men were happy to pay a lot to talk to beautiful young women over Skype or a webcam. Shallow perhaps, but they were and these ladies capitalized on that.

So what else can you do with Skype? Skype is a free service for taking video calls using webcams. Webcams can also be used for free when set up with sites like person.com.

Can you teach a language perhaps? Charging an hourly fee that could be paid up front simply with Paypal could be a great little money maker. The first lesson could be free so you and the client experiences exactly what they are getting before making the decision to pay for follow up lessons.

Maybe you could teach an instrument or give some life coaching or advice over Skype? Could you cheer up lonely men or women? The opportunity to have an easy to run home based internet business is there waiting for people to take advantage.

When you stop and think about it there are quite a lot of things that you could do. Using the same methods used by Danica, Twitter and Facebook could direct traffic to your blog where you set up coaching calls or even sell online videos. Maybe you could charge to take a look at someone’s website design and SEO while on a call.

Could you do a live music show? It worked for Sandi Thom, the Scottish singer songwriter became a popular worldwide recording artist after a series of webcam shows from her basement catapulted her into the limelight.

Delving deeper into the world of fetishism, Channel 4 will soon be showing a documentary about the fetish of loving the ‘larger lady’. Men pay to watch large ladies be fed by their husbands ‘feeder’ or be washed, which is usually a bed bath.

Definitely not a fetish enjoyed by the Minions but it does happen. So does paying to watch women fight in paddling pools filled with food, smoke cigarettes and putting on and taking off of shoes and other feet related stuff.

Men will pay for anything, and I am happy to say it isn’t just men.

Opportunities surround us; the world has shrunk thanks to the internet. Is it possible to give 1 on 1 gardening tips? Live cooking lessons? Imagine having 5 people on a cooking call watching you prepare a new Indian dish each week for a small monthly cost. Anything is possible in today’s digital age.

A small home business idea can turn into a profitable venture using a webcam, a skill and Skype. So do you have any ideas and any useful skills? - Andi the (now installing Skype) Minion

 

 

Interesting Stuff!, Small Home Business Ideas , , , , ,

Tim’s Minions Interviews – Pawel Reszka

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Andi the Minion Leave a comment

Today's excellent interview is with a good friend over the pond in the USA, Pawel first came to my attention when I came across his blog in Google Alerts looking for content rich blogging tips. Since then I have stayed loyal and visit his site regularly. He shares with people blogging tips, advice, money making ideas and the importance of having a plan and taking action. So over to you Pawel… 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, name, age and hobbies etc.

"pawel reszka"

My name is Pawel Reszka and I am 30 years old (but it feels like 18 most of the time). I was born in Poland and came to the US in the year of 2000, right after the first end of the world :)

I love swimming, flying, sailing, and making money!

What is it that you do?

I am online entrepreneur I guess you could say. I build content sites, SEO, and drive paid traffic to affiliate offers.

I also blog over at Affhelper.com where I share tips and stuff I do with others.

How and when did you start?

I knew there was a way to make money on the internet as soon as I got on it. At first it was just all for fun you know? But then when I came to the US I got more serious about the whole internet marketing thing.

What really pushed me to it was when I made my first affiliate sale (even though I lost money) on Clickbank by driving traffic from Google Adwords. I was like “Wow this shit really works?”

Then I got into SEO and saw an ocean of opportunities just waiting for you. The early days were amazing! In 2004 I could rank websites within days for highly competitive terms and I loved the idea of free traffic.

What motivated you to do what you are doing now?

I wanted to be free. The idea of not being a slave of the system and doing things that you love to do is what drove me to it. I am a hard worker though. I am not one of those guys that got on the internet simply because they were lazy and not able to keep a job.

I worked for 4 years about 9 hours/day (while in college) and I didn’t complain. The problem was that one of my sites started making more money in 1 week than what I was making in a month at my job. I then saw no point in keeping the job and just concentrated on building more sites like that.

What is about what you do that you love?

Internet marketing still amazes me. I love the idea that you can create things that attract people. The more people you can reach out to the more money you can make.

If you are building content sites and provide value people will keep coming back and your traffic will grow. The only thing you need to do is this: Keep adding more content!

Of course I also love the fact that I don’t have a boss lol

What is it that you want to achieve and where do you want to be in the next 10 years?

To be honest, I am not sure because a lot can change in that time frame. I want to just keep building my business and see how far I can get.

What I would like to achieve? I want to build a massive web property that I can sell for tens of millions. Sounds crazy right? But the fact is that it’s possible and really not that hard to do if you got the right plan and idea.

Of all the things that you do online what would you say is the most important thing for your business?

I think it’s the ability to come up with a plan and focus on it. You also need motivation and drive to execute the plan. That’s basically it!

Never say never, everything is possible!

What is you greatest success so far online?

I guess you could say that I’ve achieved my initial goal that got me into internet marketing…to be free and not have to slave away for someone else.

Now it’s just the “ego” thing and see what else I can do. I probably will never stop and will continue on growing.  There are always new opportunities that come along. I will be there waiting for them as they arrive.

What do you think the internet in 2012 can offer to the average person who wants to make a second income or leave their day job?

Internet can offer you a new life. The more websites or pages you have the more money you will make.  It’s a simple concept but it works.

You need to look at the Internet as a tool that can help you get to where you want to be. It’s a vehicle that allows you to spread your message. All you have to do is get inside and floor it!

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting or who have just started to use the internet to build a business?

Yes, don’t be afraid to try things but most importantly come up with a business plan. If you don’t have a plan you won’t succeed.

Whenever you start something always ask yourself this: How am I going to get people to it?

Don’t do anything that you can’t market yourself. There are only 2 main ways to make money online. You either build a web property that attracts masses so you can sell advertising, or you create an offer that people in your market can’t resist. That’s all there is to it.

Would you please tell us a little about the services you offer?

I don’t offer coaching or services. The only thing I guess you could do is get a free blog here. But most people reading this probably know how to do it themselves so it’s not really an offer for them.

You can’t hire me for anything. There is more money in doing stuff for myself than trying to sell services to others.

(Andi the Minion extra note) – Pawel offers great marketing ideas, tips and advice as well as some understandable Google slapping at his site AffHelper.com

Read More Tim's Minions Interviews 

 

 

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Starting Up As A Social Media Manager and Consultant

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Andi the Minion 2 Comments

Today we have a special guest post, as social media has become big business I asked a friend if she would write a post about starting up a Social Media Management and Consultancy business. Here is Clair in her own words sharing with us what it's like being a Social Media Manager and Consultant. I hope it inspires others to take action.

"tim lowe" "tims minions" "social media manager consultant"

Firstly, Let me start off by telling you who I am – my name is Clair Trebes, and I’ve recently turned 31. I’m lucky enough to live in one of the most amazing places in the world, where everyone is travelling at 99mph! (London) My job – I work for myself in the big wide world of Social Media. I don’t consider myself as lucky, more fortunate; because the hard work that I have done in the last 12-18 months has lead me to the point where I am right now (Thursday May 3rd 2012)

Cross The Line is my Social Media Consultancy business, which I started ‘officially’ in January 2012. I kind of ‘fell’ into being a ‘consultant’ by way of completing a really great course on becoming an internet marketer, and how to build a successful online business.

During the course that I spent approximately 3 months studying, I learned a LOT about Social Media, and for someone who is a self confessed Social Media junkie, I found it fascinating! Because of my enthusiasm for Social Media, and the daily application of the tricks I already knew with my family’s ‘offline’ business I fully immersed myself in learning as much as I could and then just wanted to tell the world how to use it successfully, just like I had.

When I started my own online business, my main goal was product development within my chosen niche, and to build my network up so that I could sell my products too, but along the way, the people who I was already connected with wanted to know more about what I knew and how I could help them. A chat with a good friend (okay maybe an afternoon of picking my brain) I had agreed to take on in some part, the management of his Facebook and Twitter accounts for one of his businesses. 

A lot of people (including many people I know) think that all a Social Media Consultant does is ‘sit on Facebook all day’ Well it’s quite the opposite really! Yes there is a LOT of ‘activity’ on social media sites, but because of the fast nature of the business and the speed things change you need to be well and truly on the ball so to speak. There is so much to learn, far more so than just updating statuses and adding friends!

Simple things like knowing where the audience is, and of course you need to remain personable and still have a good knowledge of the client’s business. This is why at this point I would add, that I am extremely particular about the types of businesses that I agree to ‘HELP’ when managing their accounts. If I don’t feel I have a good enough understanding of the industry or what they are about, then I would never take on that responsibility.

The beauty of being a ‘consultant’ is exactly that, you help your client work out what is best for them, so if I feel that I can’t help with account management, then I offer a variety of other services that can still help them make the most of Social Media to build their brand. 

For example at Cross The Line I do 1-2-1 half day training and coaching, which basically teaches any potential client some of the key tools that I’ve been taught when I was doing my 3 month training course, and the things that over time I’ve learnt myself, which has helped me build a successful following and business by using Social Media.

The work of a consultant is NOT easy by any stretch of the imagination, for the amount of hours you realistically put in, the money involved is pretty meager compared to what other professions earn. There has to be a degree of ‘loving’ what you do, if you choose to set yourself up as a consultant.

In my opinion the positives of the job far outweigh the negatives. Money should not be a motivator in any position / job you have (in reality I am not saying this is truth) BUT the freedom of a consultants work is probably the best thing.  As long as you have a good relationship with your clients and are always at the end of the phone / Skype or even available for a meeting as and when applicable, you can pretty much work from wherever YOU choose.

The other great thing is the sharing nature of all those in this ‘business’ we all like to help each other out, and should I ever be in a position where I’m unsure of something relating to a client or their request, I’ve got a great strong network of really knowledgeable people who I can turn too for more advice.

I think the general consensus is that we ‘consultants’ have all the answers, well I hate to be the one to burst the reality bubble, but that’s not the case! If we don’t know the ‘right’ answer, we certainly know where to find the answer!

For anyone who is like me, and in a position of ‘knowing’ a thing or 2 about Social Media, and has been thinking about starting up on their own, I would strongly advise you to get within a network of like minded people that can help and guide you. 

BUT you need to be prepared to be perma attached to your laptop. Your clients WILL expect you to be freely available to them, on my weekends and evenings I am regularly getting contact from my clients – Social Media has no ‘opening hours’ 

On average a month I work 20 hours per client (and that’s only partial account management) Plus the time I spend helping people with my hourly Skype sessions and then the half day training courses. When I look at all the things individually it doesn’t seem like a lot of work, but if I actually put everything down on paper that I have to do, it certainly adds up. And for a lot of it I am working overtime for free and investing in myself. I want to learn as much as I can so that I can provide a better service to my clients, and my growing online community.

When I’ve spoken to various people about what I do and what I can help / offer people, half the battle is about educating them.  Businesses want overnight results, they aren’t interested in strategy. As anyone who knows how Social Media works will tell you it’s a ‘Long Ball Game’ and you really can’t guarantee people results, all you can guarantee is consistency and your knowledge to do the best you possibly can.

What makes me different to anyone else doing this as their profession?

Apart from my 3-month training course I am completely self-taught. I’m a normal person, I’m no self-made millionaire but I am earning a fair wage from this part of my business. I’ve got drive, and I’ve got a good knowledge bank from some of the most respected people in the online world. Half the reason I do what I do is because I love it, and whilst I am making money helping others, I do actually give away a lot of my time and resources for FREE.

I would never want to deter anyone from taking that step and making a go of this as a business. I’ve met some really amazing people along the way, and I’m lucky enough to do the things I love everyday – which is writing and marketing. And if I’m honest, this job is fun! Results are measurable, and no it’s not the typical 9-5. Anyone can learn this, no matter what your circumstances are. The Internet is big business and as the years move forward it will only become more powerful, so if you think it makes sense to go forward and have a go, then do!

Mistakes are an important part of any learning curve, so don’t let that put you off, and nor would I say let your lack of belief or doubts.

I love my job, and more than that I love the person it’s made me become!

If you want to know more about my business then feel free to visit my website – www.crosstheline.co.uk – you will find everything you need there to connect with me in a variety of ways, and I look forward to connecting with you soon!

Clair 

 

 

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Secretly Make Money Using Other People’s Work for FREE – Public Domain Books

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Andi the Minion 1 Comment

This is one of those little goldmines that many people are probably not aware of but has made fortunes for several people. If you have been studying internet marketing and wealth creation then I am sure you have heard of people like Brian Tracy, Bob Proctor, Armand Morin and the international bestselling DVD & book ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne. 

Why have I singled these people out you may be wondering, well these people have made fortunes from legally using other peoples work. Bob Proctor, Rhonda Byrne and Brian Tracy have taken the teachings from the Public Domain book ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ by Wallace D. Wattles which was published around 1920 and created new products from it which generate huge sales for the.

This originally sold as a physical product for $1997

Bob Proctor took that book, gave it a new cover and turned it into a workable monthly course, he then also created ‘The SGR Club’ (The Science of Getting Rich) with Jack Canfield and Michael Beckwith, who also appeared in Rhonda Byrne’s ‘The Secret’ documentary DVD & book which was also based around ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ as well as other public domain books like Charles F. Hannel’s ‘The Master Key System’.

Joe Vitale (also from ‘The Secret’) published ‘The Master Key System’ for himself, they do give name checks to the original writers but they do not have to. Legally they can take those books and re name them if they so wish. Public domain books have been big business for many publishing houses. A public domain book is something that has fallen out of copyright and is available for anyone to publish without paying royalties or licensing fees.

Armand Morin in an interview mentioned that he released his own version of the classic H.G. Wells ‘The War of The Worlds’ on Amazon kindle and other online eBook stores once he heard that Hollywood were remaking the film with Tom Cruise. He acted on the ‘buzz worthiness of the film.

Public domain refers to a specific class of intellectual property that can be used, for free, without asking anybody else’s permission. In the United States, works fall into the public domain if:

· They were published in the United States before 1923.

· They were published in the United States between 1923 and 1978 without a valid copyright notice.

· The work was published in the United States between 1978 and March 1, 1989, without proper notice and registration.

· The work was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright that never got renewed.

There are some exceptions to these rules, so you can’t just assume something published in 1922 is free for you to use. The exceptions are:

· It was published between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice that was renewed prior to the expiration of a 23 year protection limit.

· It was published between 1963 and March 1, 1989 with a valid copyright notice.

· It was published or created any time after March 1, 1989.

Think that there’s hardly anything that meets the criteria, or that only very old items do? You’d be completely wrong.

There are millions of books, films, pictures and music in the public domain that are sat there waiting for you to use. Did you know that all pictures taken by NASA are put into the public domain for everyone to use? Using online printing companies it is possible to create notepads, T-shirts, table mats, coasters postcards and posters from NASA pictures along with many other types of pictures.

Public Domain Books earth

Think about Shakespeare and Charles Dickens for a moment, who receives the profits from their writings? They don’t, neither does their distant relatives. But the person who published the book does. There are so many companies publishing classic books and art that are in the public domain.

You cannot re print the Shakespeare that you find in your local bookstore as that has copyright to the publisher. It is a derivative copyright which covers the font, layout and design of their version however, changing the font and layout and creating your own looking copy becomes your own copyrighted edition.

Popular Public Domain Books

·         Peter Pan (the play) and Peter and Wendy (the book), –  James M. Barrie

·         The Iliad, The Odyssey and other epic poetry –  Homer

·         The collective works of Shakespeare

·         The War of the Worlds –  H. G. Wells

·         Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland –  Lewis Carroll

·         Pride and Prejudice –  Jane Austen

·         Dracula –  Bram Stoker

·         The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -  Mark Twain

·         The Picture of Dorian Gray –  Oscar Wilde

·         Andersen’s Fairy Tales –  Hans Christian Andersen

·         Frankenstein –  Mary Shelley

·         Great Expectations –  Charles Dickens

·         Wuthering Heights –  Emily Bronte

·         Moby Dick, or, the whale –  Herman Melville

·         Aesop’s Fables –  Aesop

·         Alone –  Edgar Allen Poe

·         The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner –  Samuel Taylor Coleridge

·         The Hound of the Baskervilles –  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

·         Roget’s Thesaurus –  Peter Mark Roget

·         Relativity: The Special and General Theory –  Albert Einstein

·         Kamasutra –  Vatsyayana

·         How to Live on 24 Hours a Day –  Arnold Bennett

·         On the origin of species –  Charles Darwin

Is there enough content and ideas above for creating a library of sellable products? Many of these are classics and have been used to create big Hollywood films and the reason they are used is that Hollywood is free to use them as they wish; they can change and adapt the stories without asking for permission or paying any royalties or fees.

Public Domain Films & Cartoons

·         Laugh-In Bloopers

·         Marilyn Monroe Video Scrapbook

·         Striptease Terror

·         Presidential Blooper Reel

·         Misadventures of Buster Keaton

·         King Lear (Orson Welles version)

·         Gulliver’s Travels Beyond the Moon

·         Attack of the 50-ft Woman

·         A Farewell to Arms

·         Black Dragons (with Bela Lugosi)

·         Oliver Twist

·         Betty Boop

·          Casper the Friendly Ghost

·         Felix the Cat cartoons

·         The Three Stooges

·         Teenagers from Outer Space

·         House on Haunted Hill

·         Little Shop of Horrors

·         Behind the Mask of Zorro

·         Shoot Out (with Gregory Peck)

If martial arts are your thing you will find many 1970s martial arts films in the public domain including several Jackie Chan films and documentaries with rare Bruce Lee footage.

Many websites and services have been created using public domain stuff and grown to become very successful. Is there anything you can do with this awesome goldmine of free to use stuff? – Andi the Minion

Small Home Business Ideas

 

 

Business Tips, Small Home Business Ideas , , ,

Tim’s Minions Interviews – Oktorian S. Hakim

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Andi the Minion 1 Comment

This week’s inspiring interview is with Oktorian S. Hakim, a blogger, article writer and family man from Indonesia, again like most bloggers he is hard working and dedicated to making a second income from doing something he loves. Writing in both English and his native Indonesian, Okto shows that borders mean nothing in the cyber world. Here is a guy who writes and guest posts on blogs around the world in a language that isn’t his native tongue, nothing is stopping him, if he can do it then there is nothing to stop you. Over to Okto…

(I have left the interview unedited & in his own words for me this is more powerful, I speak no Indonesian, I respect and admire this man's bi lingual talents)

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, name, age and hobbies etc. 

"Oktorian S Hakim"

My name is Oktorian S. Hakim (you can call me Okto)

I am 29 years old, married and have a child

My hobbies are reading, travelling, and blogging

What is it that you do?

I am a foreign officers (9-5 habit) and a part-time blogger

How and when did you start?

I have started to blog about 3 years ago (using free platform). Until the end of 2011, I decided to blog more seriously using paid web host. For me blogging is one of the smart ways to spend times. So, this is how I spend my spare time … to write what I like and share it to help others

What motivated you to do what you are doing now?

My first interest was to build my side income. It’s always interesting when we talk about money, right? But, then when I started to interact with the readers I realized that it’s more than just a money … it’s all about how you can deliver your message through your article and help other with the information that you provided.

Besides, I want more time with my family. I see that make a living from a blog can give the time that I wanted, well at least I don’t go leaving my family to often. :)
 

What is about what you do that you love?

Well, as I mentioned before I am a part-time blogger. My main income is (still) come from my 9-5 habit, that’s the fact and I have to accept that. On the other hand, I do like blog about make a business from a blog, the easy way.

I am enjoying very much when I am blogging. But I can’t earn much to pay my living expense from my blog. From that experience I have learned that we should not do what we love but what ever you do …. love it, you will learn a lot by doing that.

What is it that you want to achieve and where do you want to be in the next 10 years?

To be success on whatever I am doing. 10 years is long enough to do many useful things particularly from a blog. Well, I have my plan with my blog, so in the next 10 years I’d like to be a full-time blogger that make a living from a blog.

Of all the things that you do online what would you say is the most important thing for your business?

Networking, be partner to as many people as you can. It’s not just important for online business but also important in offline world. For me, build a network mean build more chances on our path of success.

For me, other business person in the same niche is a partner NOT A COMPETITOR. I always try to engage with my fellow blogger in the same niche.  If you see it that way, you will have more chance to grow big.

What is you greatest success so far online?

Success is relative. For me success is when I can achieve what I have planned.

I just started notordinaryblogger for 4 months, so it little bit hard to say what is my greatest success so far. Well, I have planned to sell my eBook in the end of this year, let’s see how it works. That is my target.

What do you think the internet in 2012 can offer to the average person who wants to make a second income or leave their day job?

Internet nowadays  is surely provide many chance to make money online, but you need to be carefull of those opportunities. For me the best way to take advantages from internet is making your own product and sell it online.

Why you need to be carefull? Of course the temptation of “getting rich quick scheme”. If you get scammed, you won’t get nothing but an empty pocket.

So the best way to make your second income is “ASK” to your trusted person. Then “LEARN” about it thouroughly. The last thing is “DO IT PART-TIME”.

Do your plan in make an online living “part-time” is important to measure how far you can stand the crowd niche. Be reasonable, don’t leave your day job if you don’t know what to do to (and not sure about ) make online living.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting or who have just started to use the internet to build a business?

Mind-set, Plan, and Execute. These three are my guidance. Once we plunge into an online business, it is important to believe that it’s not a hard thing to do but not so easy either. Just never think you will going to rich overnight.

Plan is crucial. If you don’t have one, everything will be difficult for you to execute. It’s your direction, so make sure you have one. Having  your own plan, you will know what to do when something goes bad.

The last thing is execute. After you have clear mind-set and plan, then do it, don’t wait. You need to see how your plan going to works, you will learn a lot from the process.

 

Would you please tell us a little about the services you offer?

I am running a two language blog (Indonesian and English) in notordinaryblogger  and at the moment I am on the track to finish my eBook about “How to Success as Part-Time Blogger” (in Indonesian language).

 Most of my main online income is coming from article promotion (in Indonesian language). I am a freelance writer that focusing on making article for product promotion or consultation on blog marketing.

So, if you have interest in Indonesia’s market and want to make an article promotion in Indonesian language, I can help. Or maybe you want to consult on blog marketing, I can help too.

Oktorian S. Hakim

 

 

 

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Tim’s Minions Video Tutorials: Creating a Header in Paint.net.

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Andi the Minion Leave a comment

 

Here we show you how to create a great header graphic for free using a cool FREE arts package called Paint.net. Available for PCs, not sure if there is a Mac version sorry.

 

 

 

 

 


 

Blogging, Video Tutorials , , , , ,

Tim’s Minions Interviews – Matt Smith

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Andi the Minion 2 Comments

The second of our interviews today is with a guy who is a seriously hard worker, at only 24 Matt Smith is an inspiration to many especially during these hard times. With so many youngsters unable to find work and unfortunately lacking the skills and experience that many big firms require, Matt is on a mission to show them that there is another way.

Matt decided to set up a blog to teach everything he has learned about setting up a business online. Matt is a real ‘go getter’ who has a plan and system that he keeps to religiously. As well as running his successful educational blog he is a website/SEO specialist & consultant.  He is one to watch so now over to Matt.

"Tims Minions" "Matt Smith"

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, name, age and hobbies etc.

Hi, my name is Matt Smith, I'm 24 years old and I live in the UK.  I'm a bit of a social media addict and you can find me chatting with people on most social networks (@matt_oit).

My other passion is that I'm a HUGE film fan!  I love old films, new films, action films, foreign films, horror film, comedy films, crime films, etc. anything but rom-coms really.  I'm always on the lookout for a good film that I've not seen and I love going to the cinema.  I just love the way that film's can spark your imagination and take you to another world or make you look at life differently. 

What is it that you do?

Well, that's a good question.  I'd describe myself as a professional blogger and internet marketer, but I also do some freelance web/graphic design work and SEO consultancy.  I run my own blog 'OnlineIncomeTeacher.com', which helps to teach people how to start & run their own website and make money online with it. 

How and when did you start?

Well, I've been running websites successfully for a few years, but it was only in the last 12 months when I launched 'OnlineIncomeTeacher' that I started doing this full-time.  Before this, I managed a series of small sites for both friends and family and over time, taught myself about running websites online.

What motivated you to do what you are doing now?

Looking back on things, I seem to have fallen in to doing what I'm doing now.  When I was younger, I wanted to get into the film & TV industry by working behind the scenes in some way, and I studied at University for such a career.  However, having graduated at the hight of the global economic disaster, I found finding a position difficult, just like many other people in my situation.

I started creating and managing websites as a way of making some money whilst I looked for a job in film & TV, but I found that I got more and more interested in websites & blogging and that I was reasonably good at what I was doing.  I liked the fact that I was creating my own future, rather than waiting for a future with a job opening.  I guess I caught the blogging bug and I haven't looked back since.

What is about what you do that you love?

I have to admit that I love what I do.  I like that fact that there is always something new to learn.  Technology evolves and new techniques develop so quickly these days, so it helps to keep me on my toes and keep learning about the ever changing online world.  It's an exciting industry to be in, I don't think I could do a job where I wasn't constantly learning and striving to improve my abilities.

I also love helping & connecting with people online, wherever they are in the world!  It's always nice when someone leaves a comment on my site, or sends me an email, thanking me for helping them out with one of my blog posts.  I also think it's great to chat to someone with the same interests who is on the other side of the world.  Blogging helps make the world seem a lot smaller than it is!    

What is it that you want to achieve and where do you want to be in the next 10 years?

I'm well aware of the fact that many online businesses & websites fail over time, so still being online in 10 years would be an achievement in itself.  Having said that though, I'd like to carry on building my online business and grow it into a much bigger site over the next decade.

I'd also like to be seen as someone to look up to and learn from, just like I do with many other bloggers who I admire online. 

Of all the things that you do online what would you say is the most important thing for your business?

Without doubt, being honest is an important part of my business!  There are many so called 'internet marketing gurus' out there that talk rubbish to their readers.  Don't get me wrong, there are many good ones out there, but there are also MANY bad ones that are more interested in getting you to give them your money, rather than provide you with genuine, helpful and useful information. 

I think that for long-term success, no matter what business you are in, you have to be honest and helpful to your customers/readers.  With the amount of competition out there, it's easy for people to go elsewhere should they loose confidence in you. 

What is your greatest success so far online?

Well, having worked online only for a few years, I still regard myself as being fairly new to it all.  But I do think my biggest success has been to create a site, within a very crowded and competitive niche, that has continued to grow every month to a decent size, despite being less than 12 months old.

I'm also very proud that I've managed to build up my business myself from scratch.  I'm very aware that there are a lot of people, especially young people, who are struggling in today's economic climate.  So, I'm very grateful that I've had the opportunity to do this for myself.

What do you think the internet in 2012 can offer to the average person who wants to make a second income or leave their day job?

The internet continues to be an integral part of peoples everyday lives.  More businesses are moving online and existing ones continue to grow.  More and more people from around the world, especially from developing countries like China and Brazil, are logging on and connecting to the online world.  2012 looks set to be another year of massive growth.

As for the average person who wants to make a second income or leave their day job, I'll be honest and say the same thing as I do to everyone that asks me this.  You can do it, but you must be prepared to put the work in! 

The internet offers massive amounts of opportunity to an individual and lets you connect with people from around the world.  It can be hard to make money online though (extremely hard if you want to leave your day job), especially when you first start out, but with time and hard work you can achieve your goals. 

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting or who have just started to use the internet to build a business?

The best piece of advice I can give is 'Don't give up!' You won't become successful over night, but if you're determined enough, you can make it work over time with lots of hard work.  Too often, people give up because they haven't seen results yet, just before that hard work was about to pay off. 

It's also important to realise that you will make mistakes along the way!  I've lost count of the stupid mistakes that I have made along the way, but I've learned from them, which has helped me to improve my business.  As someone famous once said “Mistakes are only bad if you fail to learn from them!” 

Would you please tell us a little about the services you offer?

Well my site 'OnlineIncomeTeacher.com' publishes regular posts on a wide range of subjects including; making money online, driving traffic, blogging tips, social media, SEO techniques, writing tips, etc. which aim to help people learn and improve their own website.

You can also 'Hire Me' and my services, and I can help you and your site.  I offer; Blog consultancy, SEO copy-writing services, SEO content research, blog management, web design services, branding, blog setup, and more.  I have a number of different blog improvement options to choose between, depending on your individual needs.

We are also on the lookout for quality guest post writers for our site.  So, if you want to 'Write for Us' then feel free to get in contact.

 

 

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Why Two Heads Are Better Than One

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Andi the Minion 2 Comments

Internet Marketing is often pushed as the one man band way of making great money and many times this is the case, if you can find good quality people to outsource the bulk of the work to and you have the funds then this can be a great business for the individual.

"Why Two Heads Are Better Than One"

You play the role similar to a property developer, assigning jobs to the people with the skills, pay them when the work is done then reap the profits. Outsourcing in the internet marketing world is exactly the same.

However there are many stories of people having nightmare experiences with people they have outsourced work to. Even people on the well-established sites like Elance and Odesk who have great reputations and reviews can still be too good to be true and end up delivering bad unusable work.

Many outsourcers come from countries that are emerging economies, which means they are in the transitional stage of leaving third world status, people from these countries can be very cheap but because of modern technology and the internet they can have the expertise that you need.

Their skills can be as good as and in many cases better than people you find in places like the UK and the US with the added bonus of a desire to really better themselves and their lifestyles resulting in a far better work ethic at a fraction of the cost. There are some real gems to be found out there.

Problems can arise however when you want written content or videos made, whilst they may have excellent English skills, and their Elance accounts can show that, English is not the native language and they do not read English as regular as you and I.

The written content can become an issue as can any audio that may come with any video tutorials that you get made. Recently I learnt how to use an art package by watching video tutorials created by an Eastern European woman.

Fortunately for me she;

A)     Took her time so I could follow what she did on screen and

B)      She added subtitles for what she was trying to say.

Her English was far superior to my non-existent Russian but I could not make out half of the words she was trying to say because of her accent. She did sound like she was gargling with marbles, had she not added subtitles and taken her time I would not have learnt anything.  

I cannot criticise, I know nothing of her language, she did do an excellent job with the video production but I do have to be honest here, had I paid her to make them videos for an English speaking market, it would have been money wasted.

So what is the alternative? Could it be possible to team up with a partner who has a similar interest in being financially free but has a complimentary skill that isn’t the same as yours?

For example, let’s say that you are great at creating websites, squeeze pages, driving traffic to sites and all manner of technical things, is there someone you know who is great at creating content like writing posts, articles, Ebooks/reports and making videos?

This is in many ways the perfect scenario; it has been used many times in off line businesses. Bricklayers have joined up with carpenters so they can complement each other and do complete jobs like garage building.

Husband and wife teams have worked in businesses together where one would do the admin side of a job and the other do the more physical side. (No sexism intended, I know many manly women who do the physical side!! ) :-)

There are several in the Direct Mail and Internet Marketing businesses where they are a partnership in the regards to the business but one fronts the business, doing the talking, fronting the sales copy being the persona similar to the front man of a rock band and the other guy quietly hides from the limelight doing a lot of the seriously important work like the technical side, creating the videos and generating traffic.

The jobs can be split to suit the skills of each person, with so many aspects to internet marketing and blogging it is impossible to do everything yourself.

The average internet marketing business incorporates writing articles, writing reports and Ebooks, writing blog posts, writing sales copy, recording Podcasts, making slideshows, recording videos, building websites, managing social media, answering emails, writing email broadcasts and follow ups, creating squeeze pages… the list goes on.

If you are wanting to work from home and make a second income, that will one day enable you to leave your job, but find it hard with time commitments due to having a full time job, a family and other things like trips to the gym then having a complimenting partner is probably what you need right now.

Remember, in the beginning of a project there is a lot of hard work. Some bloggers and internet marketers may make great monthly incomes but it didn’t happen overnight without long hours of commitment and dedication to a well followed plan.

As the saying goes ‘Many hands make light work’, this is probably what you need right now, well maybe not many but another pair taking control of 50% of the work, the work you cannot do or would rather not do, can free you up to concentrate on those things that you can do better and quicker.

Obviously you do not want just anybody, you want someone who is happy to do the work you want to pass on, otherwise their concentration and commitment will quickly die and they could become more of a hindrance than a helping partner.

Is it worth considering finding a good trustworthy friend who has the same desire to work from home, who is interested in internet marketing and who is happy to take on the tasks you can’t or don’t want to do?

One last important issue here, which you must realise, to have a partner you must happily waver 50% of the earnings too. J I know it’s harsh, but that is the price you must pay, however, I am sure you would agree, 50% of $100,000 is better than 100% of $100. Yes/No? – Andi the (working as part of a team) Minion

 

 

 

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Getting Rid of the SM Syndrome.

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Andi the Minion Leave a comment

I decided I would take some time to write a quick post based on my experience while working in a joiners workshop where I used to make doors and windows. The subject matter isn’t about the job itself more of a person I used to work with. Well two really but the main focus is on SM.

"banging head against a brick wall"

They are his initials and I doubt he will ever see this article, I will not name him fully as I do personally get on with him and respect him however he did do something that drove me up the wall. Interestingly he did it over and over again, it got the same results each time he did it, and they were not the results he wanted.

Yet he still did it! So I have called it the SM Syndrome. In short, the syndrome is nothing more than banging your own head against a wall, being surprised that you have a head ache then blaming the wall for getting the headache.  And then… doing it all again the next day.

You see we used to work with a young lad, for this post I shall call him Bod, at the time Bod was about 19 and he was great, I really liked him, however from my understanding he was mildly Autistic. It didn’t affect him to the degree he couldn’t work, he was good at what he did, tried to do the best he could but just wasn’t as fast and flowing as the rest of us.

What I would witness at lunch breaks actually made me realise that he was in fact the more normal one of the lot.

Bod used to play bingo on a Thursday night where his mother worked. He enjoyed it and was never embarrassed to share the fact with us. He had done it for a while before I started working there, and he continued for several months after my first day.

It became a weekly occurrence that on a Friday lunch time (And other days too) SM would ask, ‘Did you go to bingo last night?’

But a time came when Bod eventually stopped going to bingo. Unfortunately SM did not stop asking, you see he wasn’t asking out of interest and niceness, he was asking as a form of teasing, ‘the daft lad is doing bingo, at 19, he is not right’ kind of attitude.

Week in and week out he would ask, this went on for months after he stopped doing bingo, the answer would always be no, the more he asked the more wound up Bod would get. To the point where he would either not answer or get stroppy, which would in turn make SM go off on one ‘I only bloody asked’ would be his final outburst.

The problem is he would never ask me the same question over and over again and if he did he knew that he ran the risk of getting ‘verbals’, if he did it to some of the other guys in the workshop they might have given him a knuckle as their answer!

He knew by constantly asking the same question week in week out he would wind people up yet appeared oblivious that the same thing would happen to Bod, he seemed genuinely surprised that he would be cheesed off.

Yet he would still ask Bod over and over again, making his lunch break a misery, and oddly enough, his own!? It would always end up in an argument and words would be said. He would make out that Bod was the ‘odd one and a strange boy’.

Now I ask you, which one is the odd one here?

I would sit back and think, why do you keep doing the same thing over and over again knowing what the answer is and what the outcome will be and still get wound up about it?

Seriously, which one is the ‘daft lad’?

You are probably wondering where I am going with this story, the reason this experience stays with me is because I still cannot get over how ‘daft’ we can be, we all can do things that will bring in results that we don’t want yet we still do it.

I have mentioned in the past that I used to have an addiction to ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Stargate’ repeats, I would see it starting, and think ‘oh this is a good one’. I would sit and watch it for an hour, unless it was a Saturday where they would show a weeks’ worth in one sitting. I’d know what is going to happen, I also knew how it would end, and I knew that after I have seen it all again, I would be annoyed with myself and disappointed that I had not got done what I had planned.

I would waste time doing the same thing again, knowing what the outcome will be, and yet I still did it. Fortunately I am a lot better now, my addiction has been quashed since understanding my behaviour and how futile the self-imposed cycle is.

It is a hard one to swallow but sometimes when we fail in business or start some online work but just never get round to finishing, it isn’t someone else’s fault, or some problem we have with some software. It can be down to nothing more than the habits we have developed and allow to run us.

We can be blinded at times to what we really do. It wasn’t lack of time or talent that prevented me from building websites or squeeze pages in the past. It was simply me ‘boldly going into the well-known’ once again with Captain Picard.

I bet you didn’t realise that you suffered at times with the SM Syndrome, sit and have a think, turn all distractions off, and really think about what you do, what you want to do, what you don’t want to do and the results you get. I guarantee you will find many moments driven by your own SM Syndrome. – Andi the Minion

Related article Why WE are sometimes our own worst enemy: The story of Ibiza Bob.

 

 
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Tim’s Minions Interviews – Clair Trebes

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Andi the Minion 4 Comments

We wanted to share with you success stories of fellow local bloggers, Internet Marketers and Social Media specialists who have taken the courage and commitment to roll their sleeves up, get in there and give things a go. In this digital age there are still people who think it is hard and not possible to make money or a career on the internet, well we disagree and we wanted to highlight successes and hope they inspire other people to take action and 'give things a go.'

To start of this new series we interviewed our first successful and inspirational 'go getter' Clair Trebes. Clair has started her own Social Media Management and Consultancy business as well as being a budding Internet Marketer. One to watch for the future.

So over to Clair

"Clair Trebes"

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, name, age and hobbies etc

My name is Clair Trebes, and I am (recently) 31 years old, I Live in London, UK. I am a self confessed social media junkie who spends my days hanging out at my family business premises working on building my own social media empire & also helping to develop the family business brand online (My family have a print and design company that has been going for over 25 years now)

Music is a BIG passion in my life – probably the biggest its opened doors and given me some of the best experiences of my life. I actually do not know what I would do without it in my life! I certainly would not get through the epic / powerful gym sessions I put myself through 3 to 4 times a week that’s for sure!!!

What is it that you do?

I find myself answering (or trying to answer this to my friends) a lot!

The short answer here I believe is that I am an Internet Marketer, and I run a Social Media Consultancy business along side this, the latter part of this has been a development since launching my online business with people interested in what I know and how to apply it to their business – so I’ve kind of just rolled with it and for now on both sides of the coin I’m building a steady business and network of people to market and share information with.

How and when did you start?

Ever since I was introduced to MySpace around 2007 I’ve been a bit of a social media junkie. Amazed how I could connect with my friends all over the world, and share information at the touch of a button to me was a great thing!

It was around this time last year that I started to look at Social Media seriously from a business perspective with my family business to create new opportunities and business leads, and I realized that it does work, and if done correctly then it works quickly too!

I’ve always been told that I am good with words, even from a young age, and I enjoy writing, it just flows naturally to me, so marketing just seemed like a logical step for me. I knew I had the skills and the ability to network (I was proving this with the family business) I just didn’t know how to apply this to a new business venture. I was lucky that a very good family friend is a successful Internet Marketer, and in September 2011 I was given an opportunity to be involved in a course designed by him and his mentor / business partner that taught you from the inside out how to build a successful web based business.

 

Doing this course has changed my life, not financially – I still work everyday with the family business, but my business is still in its infancy stages. Do I believe that I have the knowledge, skills and foundations to make a successful full time living? Absolutely I do!  I’ve got the drive and passion to be the best I can be, and help normal people like myself tap into this information so they too can establish and build their brands online and exploit social media to their advantage.

What motivated you to do what you are doing now?

I wanted to help my family business – that really is what motivated me in the beginning. 

Times are tough out there for people these days, and the industry that my family business is in, particularly is suffering hard. So I made myself busy tapping into people we would have never got to without social media and from that I’ve found some great clients and new suppliers. I was determined to do everything I could to help keep what my Dad has worked his whole life for growing.

It became obvious that with no formal training from anyone that I had tapped into something that showed promise and a future, as people around us started to pay attention to my efforts, then once I got the chance to be part of Chris Farrell’s training it all just clicked into place really – that seemed like the final piece of my puzzle to kick start my ‘business’

What is about what you do that you love?

I love helping people, I always have. I worked in Marks & Spencer when I was in my teen’s part time and I just loved the vibe of being around people.

Whilst I now work from a laptop in this ‘online’ industry I am still connecting and talking with people. It’s a great position to be in – giving someone the benefit of your experience. And I’m lucky in the fact that now I can utilize my passion for writing to help others too.

I love the fact that I am normal, and I am involved in a regular offline business alongside my online business, it proves to people that anyone can get this right as long as you have the right tools around you.

The geographical freedom is also a big bonus, I won’t lie! As long as I’ve got an internet connection and my macbook then I’m in business and it doesn’t affect my ability to provide a good service to my clients!

What is it that you want to achieve and where do you want to be in the next 10 years?

10 Years?! Wow, I’ve not thought that far ahead yet. I’ve a clear 5-year plan though if that helps!

I want to have a really great membership site as my key product with my family involved in the running. Where my clients and anyone else in the world can come too, to access a whole heap of tools and online training that will let them take control of their destiny just like I have done.

I draw my inspiration and drive from the likes of Jo Barnes & Chris Farrell – both of whom have extremely successful membership sites as their flagship products when I look at how they work and operate I have a similar vision for myself.

In 10 years, I expect that I will be happily living a life I’ve worked hard for & that I am still out there in the online world hopefully looked at in a similar manner to how I view Chris & Jo.

Make no mistake I am driven & I am working hard to be best I can be.

Of all the things that you do online what would you say is the most important thing for your business?

I want to say here ‘Adding value, connecting, engaging with my connections’ 

But do you know what, that’s what every marketer, social media ‘guru’ says.

So for me, I think the most important thing I do online for my business is BE MYSELF …. I think that my followers, fans, connections are able to ‘engage/buy into me’ because I do things my way. I don’t claim to be anything other than who I am. I don’t call myself a Social Media Expert and nor will I ever. I’m a self confessed Social Media Junkie, and I work hard at that to make sure those around me reap the benefit of what I do!

What is you greatest success so far online?

My greatest success so far is without question the following and subsequent increase in company turnover I’ve single handedly made to my family business, all from a basic marketing promotion of selling business cards at £27 a go.

The company turnover increased by £15K in a year all thanks to Social Media activities.

Sure this is not big bucks, but in the real world, that is a great effort particularly with a ‘cheap’ product being sold (that’s quite a lot of business cards we sold!!!)

Remember, Most of what I’ve done I’ve done off my own efforts with no proper training also, I’m no marketing guru / specialist on paper – but I definitely am switched on where social media is concerned.

What do you think the Internet in 2012 can offer to the average person who wants to make a second income or leave their day job?

The Internet has NO boundaries; I think that’s the most important thing here. If you want to be a success and make a living from it, the only thing stopping you is you.

The Internet can and does offer financial freedom to a lot of people, and more than that the geographical freedom too.

I think there are a lot of ‘Get rich quick schemes’ out there which is a bad side to the Internet business in 2012. How do you really know who is ‘honest’ If it wasn’t for my personal connection to Chris Farrell via my friend Ian, I would have never know if he was a genuine success or a scammer?

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting or who have just started to use the Internet to build a business?

My only real piece of advice would be this:

Be prepared to make mistakes, because you learn a lot from making them!

You need to stop thinking, and start doing. If you really want to be a success with your Internet business then you will be, as long as you understand like any business you have to work at it. In an ideal world we’d all love to earn ‘$5000 in 4 clicks’ but that’s not reality!

We all have an equal chance to earn big bucks, but nothing comes for free. I’m working hard on relationships and learning new things all the time to pass back to those people who support me!

Give it everything you’ve got because you are investing in YOU, and you really do deserve the chance to be the best you possibly can be!

Would you please tell us a little about the services you offer?

Sure thing!

Firstly I write a FREE weekly newsletter packed full of helpful tips and tricks for those who want to know more about social media – you can access it here from my squeeze page (there is NO hard sell, just a cool free eBook to say thanks for signing up) www.simplesocialmediasuccess.com

Then there’s my Facebook / Twitter & Blog where I just fill daily with extra content, articles and help (facebook.com/simplesocialmediasuccess + Twitter  – @switchonsocial)

For my Social Media Consultancy I do 1-2-1 half day coaching sessions, Skype taster sessions covering the big three for an hour a go, and then there is my Social Media Account Management – which can either be partial or full management – I’ve got all this information and more (+ blog links) on www.crosstheline.co.uk

I’m also an avid writer, so I am working on a new eBook currently on all things Twitter – and I expect as time goes on there will be more eBook and video tutorials coming from me as another tick in the services provided box! 

We would like to thank Clair for taking the time to answer these questions and we wish her a long, and fruitful career. – Andi the Minion

 

 

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