Hi everyone! I’m proud to announce the launch of my Confidence Class series, starting with today’s release – volume 1, which is all about Balancing Your Work and Home Life (and the confidence it takes to achieve your goals while doing this). And the newsletter is just $5 per issue!

This volume covers the following specific topics:

Having “The Talk” With Loved Ones – this is how you have the confidence to approach people and tell them you’ll be pursuing a solo career online. It can be quite intimidating and some people even hide it.

Saying “No” to Errands Just Because You’re Home – this is how you have the confidence to turn down all those wonderful offers to babysit or run errands for your friends and family, who think that just because you’re a “work at homer” it means you’re home – not working.

You’re Still a Good Parent If You Work in Front of the Kids – this is for those who lack confidence trying to be a parent and an entrepreneur at the same time. If you’ve ever felt guilt (from neglecting your kids or your business), then this is for you.

Setting Sail on a Solo Career – it’s a scary situation, going from employee of a company with a boss and co-workers to individual business owner. But you need the confidence to go it alone.

I hope you enjoy this series! Confidence is something I feel keeps many of my readers down, and I’d like to see you break free of those issues once and for all.

Grab the first issue of the Confidence Class newsletter here: Balancing Your Work and Home Life.

Tiff

P.S. I’ll be creating a whole host of these Confidence Class newsletters – and I appreciate the help of Ronnie Nijmeh of ProductCreatorPro.com for giving me some insight on what I was doing to technically mess up my PDF before launch. Y’all were right – he’s amazing!

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Oh my heart aches for this person. I won’t put their name in here, or their websites, but I will share with you my reply to someone who went about things all right but it turned out all wrong.

Scenario: A retiree, looking to launch a work-at-home career, invests money in products and tools to learn online marketing. Learns the technical skills like you wouldn’t believe. A real go getter – implements advice, doesn’t just read about it.

By all accounts, you’d think this person should be making bank by now. But no. Sadly, this person was guided by the people who teach it all wrong:

• The ones who emphasize picking a profitable niche (over one you want to be in).
• The ones who have you buy a fancy keyword tool so you can spend hours researching the exact right phrase to write an article on.
• The ones who advocate scraping and spinning and minor editing of other people’s content.
• The ones who teach you to SEO the ever living hell out of your website – because obviously, you have to GAME the system to BEAT the system, right?
• The ones who NEVER even mention the word “leadership” or “personality” when teaching you – because it’s all about making sure you have an exact keyword density, right?
• The ones who conveniently sell readymade sites and personal coaching you have to take out a second mortgage for in order to succeed.

These are not good people. These are scumbags.

So this person spent time reading, learning, applying – and finally came to me lost and confused as to why, with their slick professional site (one even I was envious of as far as looks), they had ZERO traffic? With 800+ pages indexed in Google – why no traffic?

I asked for a few examples of their sites. They were all over the map. Various health niches and other stuff. They had one great site (partially) – a blog with one awesome blog post on it. The rest – stuff I would scrap.

So here was my advice to this person, below…with sites and names removed. (Please see if it might also resemble what you’re doing – because this is why I’ve shifted my entire approach here from “Internet Marketing” to “Leadership and Publishing.”)

Hi (name removed)!

Okay I can only give MY insight Take it or leave it.

The sites LOOK nice. Real professional. Google has all your sites indexed. But take (one of his health sites) for instance – Alexa has it non existent, even though Google has over 800 pages indexed.

To be honest, if I go looking for health information, I automatically head to Google and when MayoClinic shows up or WebMD or something, I click on it. If I landed on your site, I’d think it’s wayyyyy too ad heavy and I don’t know who the expert is, so I’d leave.

What I read in your initial email is that you want to make this online career thing work, you’re definitely learning the ropes with those sites, but the overall strategy isn’t right.

You’re not being a leader anywhere – you’re just putting up the exact type of sites Google’s trying to bury right now with their algorithm changes.

You say you’ve paid your dues. You have. And what I’m about to say isn’t going to feel right – not yet. Not until you keep failing and finally either quit or feel like you’ve got nothing else left to try. Ready?

Scrap all the advice you’ve been given

All the SEO crap. All the article marketing. All the spinning and scraping or keyword crap. Scrap it.

That link I gave you to tune in for a day? I realllllllllllllllllllllly want you to try that. Just ONE day. I beg you. But I do NOT want you to have your “SEO,” “Keyword,” “Adsense” hat on, please.

Adsense is like a little side gravy or something. I make like $186 a month on Adsense – it’s just something to trickle in.

The MOST impressive site to me you had is the one that looks LEAST professional. It’s the (site removed) site. Why does this appeal to me? Well, the home page anyway – It’s YOU! There’s a person behind it – and he has a SLANT (slant removed because it tells who this is)!

How many people I’ve seen who stumble through (this process), and here you are willing to share your ups and downs with it!

But there are mistakes here, too.

1. It’s riddled with ads. There’s adsense flying in my face. There are ads above, to the side and below everything.
2. The rest of your site has ZERO personality. Only that first blog post on the home page (which has a broken image fyi).
3. You’re blogging about stuff as IF you’re an expert but you’re not teaching what you KNOW.

On #3, take this page for instance: (link removed)

1. Ads to the right. Ads in the middle. Ads below. All ads.
2. ZERO personality in there. It’s a cold, personality-less article.
3. You have no traffic (by the way many people look a site up on Alexa and if they see you have none but are teaching it, it looks bad).

A better way to do it:

1. Clean up those ads. Maybe 1 adsense in the sidebar. Off to the side. Not interrupting the article.
2. Only 1 G+ prodding, please. Some of your articles had them all throughout. There are ones that scroll with the reader if you want that.
3. Don’t tell me about traffic like this if you have no traffic yourself. Instead, write a blog post about a Traffic Test you’re going to do. Then blog about that traffic test. Blog about how you researched a keyword and why you chose one and where you put the article and how you wrote the article and how the tracking is going for it, etc.

It’s that real personality that builds an audience – that’s ALL you’re missing – personality and originality. Forget about “article writing.” Just be YOU! Like that home page. That will endear people to you and help people build trust in you. Blog about your setbacks. I did! I blogged when I felt like an idiot, when I had a breakthrough, etc.

Let me tell you something too niche wise. You’re in your 60s and retired. Yet you have set up some GREAT looking blogs! Do you KNOW how many 50+ people email me who are PETRIFIED of setting up a blog, getting a domain, hosting, etc? You could LEAD that niche. Take them by the hand, make step by step videos. Put together a course, etc.

Get a picture of you up on that website. The money will come naturally. Don’t force it. Instead, make a good tutorial on how to set up your hosting account and tell why you use Hostgator and screen capture it (Camstudio is free) and put it up there and make a PDF download with step by step screen shots and put your affiliate link in there.

Give the course away FREE to build a list. And watch that affiliate commission come in. I got a $2,000 hostgator paycheck one month just because I mentioned hostgator with my link and showed people how to set their PLR packs up with it.

I hope this helps. I know it’s sickening to realize you’ve been trying so hard and doing it all wrong – especially when you PAID for the information. But that’s why this industry is so seedy. They want your cash – they made money on you. Then they can email you with a “stop the presses” email and tell you about Google’s latest algorithm and why you now need their NEW product.

You have GREAT potential, (name withheld). I can feel it.

((hugs))
tiff

Tiff again – that was the end of the reply I sent to him. I feel so heartbroken for him. I hear this DAILY and not just once – several times a day. Many of you reading it will remember the similar emails you sent me. MOST people don’t even get as far as (name withheld). They buy, they read, they get stuck.

He even implements and MAN he implements GOOD and still can’t see success. I emphasize personality and sharing because that’s what works for me here. You read this blog – you see my comments – you KNOW I have a damn good relationship with my people. Why? I’m ME – inject some personality into your blog and quit worrying about SEO or keywords or commissions.

Blog about what you’re truly using and sure, use an affiliate link – and commissions come naturally.

I want to do two things when I see emails like this. Literally hug the person, because I know it is horrible to hear such news. And strangle the idiots who sold and taught this crappy strategy.

Tiff

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Hi everyone! I have to give you the backstory real quick about how I came to review Product Creator Pro – because it’s perfect timing and proves how GOOD people and GOOD products get rewarded.

I had emailed Nicole Dean (a great lady) about being one of the people I review in an upcoming PLR pack that reviews the top PLR providers. I love that Nicole asked me who was on the list to be included with her – because she didn’t want to be part of it if there was anyone seedy. Love that!

So I tell her who’s in the list, and what my requirements are (good quality PLR, ethics intact, and an affiliate program). She mentions to me that I should also ask Ronnie Nijmeh to be in it because he fit the bill.

I’d never heard of him. So I emailed him and after some discussion, it turns out he has a product PERFECT for where I’m at right now (and you too probably). It correct something I’m guilty of – putting out ugly document.

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have to run to Oki every time I want a graphic done. And forget about do it yourself designs. I don’t like that – I’m too amateurish! So Ronnie made a video for me (it’s set to private) to show me how his product worked.

I loved the idea of it.

And it works for HTML, PDFs, and Kindle. My perfect trio of solutions for publishing and leadership! But anyway, I had to actually think about it…like always. And test it.

Now what I emphasize is leadership. We can build our website, put out viral reports and eBooks for sale, publish on Kindle, and more. That elevates our authority. But plain Jane means not so much professionalism. We need a nice look, period. And I have to quit being lazy.

Ronnie let me test drive Product Creator Pro. I did it. It’s a real point and click easy tool to use. Nothing made me stumble at ALL! Love when that happens.

I just tested it by taking a blog post and turning it into a PDF newsletter. Looked very professional!

Okay so I want y’all to go look at it and test it.  I think you get some free tests if I’m not mistaken.  But…of course I signed up as an affiliate (which I do when I believe in something).

I noticed inside there were two ways to link to it, so PLEASE use the best link for you depending on how you might choose to pay.

They have a $100 off coupon if you pay for the entire year up front. Here:

Product Creator Pro Discount Coupon

But if you only want to pay monthly to cut costs in the sort-term, use this link:

Product Creator Pro Monthly Option

I rarely promote “tools.” Why? Most suck or they’re too complicated for me to use. OR, the person behind it is a scumbag. I like this one. (the product AND the person LOL).  I’ve been looking for a publishing tool to beautify my ugly creations.

So now…what will I be doing with this?

I plan to test a few new things around here. I get tons of doctor’s offices buying my PLR to put on their website. I am thinking a newsletter about this to snail mail to a few test recipients might not be a made idea.

I also plan to Kindle it – and I might start with a newsletter there, too! Maybe in my Five Parts of Me categories?

This is a great way to differentiate the PLR you’re using. Make it into something that looks more like it’s YOURS.

Are any of you already using this? I know I’m never one to jump on any promo bandwagons, so I don’t even know how long Product Creator Pro has been on the market. But I likey.

Tiff

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Hi everyone! About a week ago, right before we got sick, I went to Barnes and Noble with my Mom and while I was there I picked up a gratitude journal for me and my little girl (Scarlett, age 7) to do every night before bed.

I chose to get her in this habit early on, because I’d noticed that when she got into the car after school, when I asked how school went, she focused on everything that went wrong.

I don’t want her to be a doom and gloomer. I want her focused on all the good her day held. She was very excited about the Journal – it’s pink and it says, “Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake.” (Because isn’t that what life’s really all about?)

So every night before bed, we each take up half the page. I write what I’m thankful for and she writes what she’s thankful for.

Last night, I read her entry. It said, “I’m thankful that I have a Mommy who isn’t grumpy – even when she’s sick.”

My little girl is just like me. Other people’s moods greatly affect her. I’m the same. If you email me short and snippy…well I might bite you (figuratively speaking) or break down in tears, depending on how strong or broken I am at that very moment.

I always try to be mindful of how my mood is so that it doesn’t affect others. My family talks about how I get over things fast. It can be a problem in some ways – because I can end an argument and smile and laugh immediately after. That’s not the problem – the problem is that I get annoyed when others can’t “get over it” quickly, too.

I feel like, “Why waste time in a pissy mood?” I’d much rather spend as many seconds here on this Earth as HAPPY as possible. If something’s over, it’s over! Celebrate.

My kids LOVE this quality in me. They never have a day where Mom’s in a bad mood. Mom’s never in a bad mood…except for maybe a few minutes while she gets onto them about something. Then it’s over!

I might scold Scarlett (that’s her to the right on Circus day – the same day Mommy dressed up as a clown) for spilling a drink and leaving it there not wiped up, for example. But as soon as she gets it up, it’s over! I then call her over to sit in my lap and get a big hug. I don’t want any precious moments with her spent in a way that leaves her with bad memories of me.

I just called out to my son as I was writing this and asked, “Shawn, do I ever have days when I’m in a bad mood?” He said, “No – just moments and then it’s over.”

So I don’t care if you have kids or not. Try to spend a day “getting over it.” Keep calm and have a cupcake.

I am NOT saying you shouldn’t get irritated, mad or even Honey Badger over stuff. But do it, and be done with it. Practice this and see if you have a happier mindset.

It’s sad to think that our grumpy moods affect those around us. I see it in the grocery store when someone takes their mood out on a cashier. Or in traffic when people drive crazy because they’re irritated about whatever else in their lives.

Calm down. Have a cupcake.

Tiff

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