The official 2010 holiday season is finally rolling to a close. At this point MOST people have a majority of their Christmas shopping done and have the house decked out in its holiday best. The only detail left is to hear the fat man laugh… or is it?
After shopping this season, what is under the tree for YOU?
Not the latest Wii video game, or the coolest new gizmo on the planet, but something that you invested in for YOU and YOUR online business. We all chase the latest and greatest shiny objects, and even convince ourselves that these BRAND NEW, hyped up products will be THE magic pill to catapult us to our online success. Honestly though, I invite you to look at your “investment” and REALLY decide if it will help you get from here to there, or if it’s just another toy, time-waster or worse – ill-spent money.
Over the next few series of blog posts, I’m going to help you focus on YOU, YOUR goals and what is POSSIBLE for YOU in 2011. But the bottom line is that it all rests on YOUR shoulders to make an honest appraisal of where you are going AND where you are faltering.
Remember, the definition of “Insanity” is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Last year, MY New Year’s resolution was to do something DIFFERENT. I hadn’t one CLUE what that might be, but by changing my thinking, opportunities seemed to present themselves that I was completely blind to prior to making a conscious decision to change.
As each journey begins with a single step, your first step should be to try to find something to put “under the tree” to help you move towards your 2011 business goals. And as the new year begins, you should continue to INVEST in your business.
That said, “investments” don’t need to be boring… if you need a better digital camera to get higher quality eBay photos… pick up a nice one! Make sure you get a tripod as well.
Do you have a passion for video? Got an idea that you are CERTAIN could “Go Viral?” Can you teach someone a skill? Invest in a digital video recorder and tripod and you are on your way to your first You-Tube “Oscar.”
Maybe you need to invest in some high end lighting… Skip McGrath sells a very nice set-up on his site. Maybe upgrade your software. There are some nice features in the newest Microsoft Office bundle
Do you have a passion for crafting? Check out the “Crafts” category on eBay or sign up for one of the Etsy newsletters and prepare to be INSPIRED. Maybe this year is the year to start selling YOUR handmade treasures. “Scrap 4 Hire” and custom ”Paper Crafting” projects (lunchboxes, altered art books/journals/paper piecing) are ALL big sellers on eBay and Etsy.
Do you do digital art? Check out some of the online cooperatives (like Plain Digital Wrapper) where you can sell your digital kits as online downloads….
Or get immersed in the Public Domain and really get your creative juices flowing with the endless possibilities available to you….. as NOT just DIGITAL products but selling physical T-shirts, mugs, mousepads, posters, ….. your imagination is your only limit!
So get inspired, and go buy yourself a FUN investment to make 2011 a PROSPEROUS New Year!
Best ~Deb
I bet we all have a stack of stuff we bought and never looked at, so how do we know it wasn’t the one great thing that would help our business? I find videos hard to watch. They go on for too long, have too much rambling fluff, and take up too much of my time for very little reward, but I have still bought them! And never watched them…
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy!
Thanks for stopping by!
I agree with your comment. I guess that if you have a real gut feel about something, you will watch it/read it/ etc when you NEED it, not necessarily when you bought it.
I bought Debra Conrad’s Public Domain Treasure Hunter kit LAST June, but I only actually read through it in Late December/early January. I KNEW it was great product, but I took me MONTHS to actually delve into it and LEARN something! LOL!
Best ~Deb
Hi Deb,
In this business time is very important, especially if you have an offline job. With that said, marketers should stop learning and start doing.
If you feel like you are going to mess up, mess up big! You can only learn from your mistakes.
If there is any learning going on it should be from your mistakes, not from buying the leastest info product EXCEPT!!!! If it is truly going to do something for you and your business.
There is a lot of mambo jumbo out there so beaware! Ask yourself if you truly need a certain product to help you in your business venture. Stay focused, don’t go off track, don’t waste time. Happy investing to all.
Terry Conti