Here we are again, another new year is upon us.  The most important thing that any of us can do is to nurture our relationship with our spouse, children, parents, friends.  This will always be number one in my life.  In addition to this,  I have compiled 11 things that I plan on doing in 2011.  Feel free to add to the list!

1.  Make a Plan.  This is obvious and yet so many people feel that their business is just going to happen.  One habit that has proven very effective for me is to take a couple of hours every week, perhaps Sunday evening, to plan out the week.  This plan can be flexible but it gives me a road map of what I want to get done, need to get done, to move my business forward.  At this time of the year, I make a plan for the next three, six, nine and twelve months.

2.  Set Goals.  The goals that I set are based on the Plan that I have created.  Take time to set both business and personal goals.  I review these goals monthly.  It helps to keep me on course.  This site has a good goal setting sheet that you can download for free.

3.  Spend Time Brainstorming. This can be the single most important thing you do for your business.  Taking time, at least monthly, to brainstorm can bring a fresh prospective to your business.

4.  Take Time for Yourself.  If you are working full time, taking care of a family, trying to start an online-business, chances are you have very little time for yourself.  By taking time every day for yourself, even just a short walk, a long shower, a few minutes alone, can refresh and invigorate both your mind and spirit.  Don’t let your busy-ness consume you!

5.  Take Time to Learn.  Set aside time each month to learn one new thing.  It may be a new business model or technique, or something for yourself like scuba diving or crocheting.  Learning new things keeps you engaged in life and it is often during these times that new ideas spring forth.

6.  Use Your Time Productively.  You can spend the day reading forum posts and email, or you can spend the day moving your business forward.  Not enough time?  Dennis Becker of 1K a Day fame has written a fabulous blog post about how you can move your business forward with just 30 minutes a day.

7.  Surround Yourself with Positive People. I did not realize what a drain being surrounded by negative people was until I left my job in April.  Within about a month I felt so darn good — and it wasn’t simply being away from a toxic job.  Several months after leaving that job I was talking to one of my colleagues from that job and as I hung up the phone I felt engulfed with anger, sadness, depression.  Just from that one phone call, my empathy for my friend had brought me to a deep funk!  It took several days to shake off that feeling.  Surrounding yourself with positive people keeps your energy high.

8.  Join a Membership Site.  Joining a membership site will keep you surrounded by like-minded, positive people.  If you join a membership site that has to do with your business, it will help your business.  I currently belong to three membership sites:  1K a Day, Wealthy Affiliate and WP Classroom.  By doing so I am connected to people who can answer my questions, partner with me, give me knew ideas.  Internet Marketing can be a lonely business, but it does not need to be.  I have earned far more since joining these membership sites because the people I have met have motivated me as well as have given me information that I would not have found otherwise.  Whether it is for business or for personal interests, joining a membership site can help you meet your 2011 goals.  Most have introductory offers of a few dollars so you can see if it is right for you.

9.  Get Active.  This does not mean ‘be busy.’  Everyone is so busy.  But when was the last time you played a game of tennis, swam a lap, or went for a walk — just for fun?  Taking time to exercise keeps your mind and you body active and ready to tackle the day.  I find that my best ideas come when I am taking a walk.

10. Find a Mentor.  This can tie in with joining a membership site.  I have met so many incredible people through membership sites — people I know I would not have met otherwise.  You can also find mentors on forums, or through products you have bought.  Most people are very open to answering questions about their products or ideas that you may have.  Of course you don’t want to stalk them!  I have also gathered mentors without the evening knowing it.  I find Jason Fladlien to be a mentor.  I have bought many of his products, read all of his free reports, and through the information I have received I feel like he has mentored me in my business.  I have learned a lot just reading Jason’s blog!   I also subscribe to Tony Shepard’s monthly newsletter, which has also been a great source of mentoring.

11.  Find Joy! Don’t forget the reason why you have created your business.  Whether it is to become more financially secure, spend more time with your family, create a business you can be proud of.  Find joy in what you are doing.  Don’t let setbacks get you down.  With every setback you are learning and moving forward, even if it feels you are moving backwards.  Finding joy in what you do will make your success all the more sweet!

I hope you have a happy and very prosperous 2011!

Until next time,

~Norene

In the next several blog posts I will go over some of the more common business models for making money online.  Which is the best?  It all depends on you.  I suggest you research them.  When you do this, one or two will resonate with you.  You will think, “Yes that makes sense.  I can do that.”  If you dig deep enough, you will just know.  And when you become successful with one model, you can either grow it, or branch off to another business model, or both.  But the important thing is to choose one and stick with it.

In the next few blog posts, I will discuss article marketing, membership sites, product creation, blogging, site flipping, and freelancing.  Feel free to comment below on what business model has been successful for you!

Until next time –

~Norene

When I started this blog back in August 2009, I stated that I had a goal that I was going to use Internet Marketing to retire from my job by December 31, 2009. Was I successful? Well, I was not. By December 2009 I had a good understanding of Internet Marketing but I was not making enough to retire. That happened on April 23, 2010. This picture was taken on Sunday, April 25, 2010 by my 7-year-old daughter.

Now, I want to tell you that I was very fortunate to hold a job in a company where I could draw a pension after 20 years. I know that many, many folks are not in this situation. Because I was able to collect a small monthly income from this pension, I did not need to have in place a system to completely replace my income when I retired in April. However, being ‘retired’ and able to focus on my IM full time, I was able to make up my full income by August.

Although, I am quite proud of myself — I am a middle-aged, not very techie woman who set a goal and achieved it — this post is not to brag, it is to reassure you that it CAN be DONE. Regardless of your situation. If your situation is as dire as mine was, it is important that you think no other way than ‘it can be done.’ I want to inspire you. I want to help you find your way to achieving your goals.

So, having reworked my blog, I am going to go forward from today showing you how I was able to do it.

I know that so many people are currently out of work, or in dead-end jobs, or as I was, working for a very abusive boss. I want to do everything I can to help you succeed so you can create the life you want. Please do not hesitate to contact me either in the comment boxes or via email with any questions you may have. We are all in this together! I want to see YOUR picture of your last day at your job when your IM endeavors enable you to quit.

Until next time!

~Norene

Greetings! Today in the United States is Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful day to spend with family and friends. It is common for families to talk about what they are thankful for as they eat dinner on this day.

What a missed opportunity, however, if they do not do this simple task every day. In even the most dire situations, there is always something to be thankful for.

I have had a very difficult year. In April I was transferred at my place of business and placed with a boss who, to put it kindly and mildly, is very difficult to work with. I had health problems this summer that lead me to wonder if I was going to leave my two young daughters orphaned. This fall I lost my best friend, leaving a huge void in my life and in my heart.

Yet, I have always been a thankful person and I look daily for big and small things to be thankful for. Since this is a blog about my adventures in internet marketing, I wanted to take the time to formally thank all of those people, especially those people I met this year, who have propelled me forward in my internet business.

I want to thank Chris Freville, my first coach. I want to thank Alex Jeffreys, my second coach. Without these two incredible men, I would still be lost.

I want to thank the wonderful folks I have met in Alex’s course. These bright, enthusiastic, motivating and kind people have made my journey fun, interesting, entertaining, and have brought back a renewed sense of purpose for me. They have also made me realize that one can remain true to oneself and work with integrity in this business. For this I will be forever grateful. I know that I will miss some fine folks in this list, but I want to thank the following people from Alex’s coaching course that have been such a help and source of inspiration to me. They are Andrew Vaughan, Paul Lear, Matt Wolfe, Rod Macbeth, Rob Canyon, Paul Wilson, Syed Akram, Garry Parkes, Roger Edwards and Gary Simpson.

Finally, I’d like to recommend a new course created by Kim Roach. As you know, one the people I am most grateful to this year is Kim. She is an amazing internet marketer, over delivers like no one I have ever seen and truly wants to help people succeed. She has recently created a course called the Super Affiliate Club. This is not an affiliate link. I am promoting this course because I believe it will truly help your business, regardless if you are a beginner internet marketer or an advanced marketer. She has fabulous traffic tips, mind maps, motivational support. She is also going to have marketing tools and Monday Night Marketing. It is definitely worth checking out!

I hope you stop today and every day to think about what you are thankful in your life. Focusing on the positive can make all the difference between having a good day and having a not so good day!

Until next time,

~Norene

Greetings, All!

Another week is behind us. I hope it has been a productive one for you. If you have been journaling, you can look back and see what you have done this week that has worked and what has not. Most importantly you can see all that you have achieved and pat yourself on the back!

This week I finally finished my first ecourse titled: Joint Venture Secrets. It is a five part course that explains what a Joint Venture Partner is, how to go about finding these partners and creating the partnership. Sign up in the box at the top right and tell me what you think of it. I will be writing a blog about this new ecourse in greater detail later this week.

Creating this ecourse was a big achievement for me and I am happy to have completed it. The only reason this happened was because I had put it on the top of my to-do list last Sunday, and committed to it on Alex Jeffrey’s forum. I had been putting it off, doing other things, but finally I said enough. Once it was on the top of my to-do list, and I had publicly committed to it, I just had to stop procrastinating and get it done.

In this week’s Weekly Wrap-Up, in keeping with the productivity theme, I would like to mention David Walker’s blog post titled, Why You Never Get Anything Done. David’s blog is fantastic, filled with easy to understand, yet very informative pieces that will propel your internet marketing efforts forward. David has also written a very good blogging ebook titled, Stop Slogging Start Blogging. I have downloaded it and read it several times over. His ebook is free, but I have found it to be priceless. It is filled with tips about how to become a successful blogger and internet marketer through blogging. This ebook can also be found on David’s blog.

My second find this week was a video create by Joe Vitale on the subject of productivity. It was put on youtube two years ago, but I felt that it was very relevant to me right now, and I hope that you find it to be so as well. It is only 2 minutes long, and it is quite a little gem.

I hope that you continue to be productive and having fun in your internet marketing pursuits!

Until next time,

~Norene