I attended a great webinar from David Meerman Scott. He is an expert on new rules or marketing using Web2.0. In his presentation I learned that one of the biggest hurdles in this new medium is yourself. I was relieved to hear that, because for the last several days - even months - I have been avoiding getting out there and playing with like-minded individual, my customers, and other folks interested in my interest, not just the pursuit of finding perfect baby gifts.
I am a believer in as within, so without - many modern self-help gurus like Deepak Chopra talk about how we create our realities. I have studied this 'knowledge' for over 10 years. (a junkie) It is a weird situation that when I am in the Flow, sales go up; and when I am not, sales go flat.
But there is a wall I have been trying to get around in the beginning of 2009. As in all areas of my life, I have laid a great foundation for success, prosperity, and happiness, but I cannot seem to breakthrough. I see great enormous potential with forbabygifts, selling a TV idea, getting healthier, becoming wealthy, and on and on, but something (me!) gets in my way.
Fear is the culprit, but more specific, the patterns of fear I keep thinking is me is really not me. The ego creates an identity, Chris - and I fell under its spell, actually worked for it for many years by trying to keep a Chris history intact and consistent. But say it ain't so Joe - Not so! But to break from this ego spell is quite hard because I believe what it is saying most of the time. And once again I am its slave.
So what does this have to do with a baby gift business? I look at forbabygifts as a reflection of my growth. When Scott mentioned fear, a light bulb went off in my head - Oh, I am not the only one. In other words, the "Universe will not let you be anything less than who are you."
If I am afraid, I am blocking. If I am blocking, I am not receiving.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Breakthough
I think I had a breakthrough. Man, sometimes they are hard to come by, but today I may have seen the light.
As you may know, I run forbabygifts, a baby gift idea site with my brother Daryl. Over the last four years of running the day to day operations I have pretended to be a baby gift expert. Not so any more!
Many writers say, 'Write what you know." And in my case, I simply do not know. I have two things that work against me. One hangs between my legs and the other is that I have not had a baby.
But as I am reading more and more about blogging, getting the word out, so to speak, I realized I have been overlooking my very best asset - ignorance. Every business needs a twist, and this is mine.
I am not sure how things will turn out, but I will keep you posted.
On another note, sometimes the obvious next step is not so obvious, or as Emerson said, "Common sense is not so common." Amen, man - Amen. The business is an affiliate marketing business, and over these years I have been turning over stones and losing more hair trying to figure out the best next steps. But I overlooked the obvious - Linkshare. For those of you not in the know, check them out to understand. But after a few clicks here and there, I found a webinar they hosted - actually hosted by Victoria Edwards. At the end of the webinar, she said check in and ask for help. I did. If I get a response back, I am going to both kick myself and laugh. All these years and reaching out to the group with the knowledge to help!
I have so much to learn!
As you may know, I run forbabygifts, a baby gift idea site with my brother Daryl. Over the last four years of running the day to day operations I have pretended to be a baby gift expert. Not so any more!
Many writers say, 'Write what you know." And in my case, I simply do not know. I have two things that work against me. One hangs between my legs and the other is that I have not had a baby.
But as I am reading more and more about blogging, getting the word out, so to speak, I realized I have been overlooking my very best asset - ignorance. Every business needs a twist, and this is mine.
I am not sure how things will turn out, but I will keep you posted.
On another note, sometimes the obvious next step is not so obvious, or as Emerson said, "Common sense is not so common." Amen, man - Amen. The business is an affiliate marketing business, and over these years I have been turning over stones and losing more hair trying to figure out the best next steps. But I overlooked the obvious - Linkshare. For those of you not in the know, check them out to understand. But after a few clicks here and there, I found a webinar they hosted - actually hosted by Victoria Edwards. At the end of the webinar, she said check in and ask for help. I did. If I get a response back, I am going to both kick myself and laugh. All these years and reaching out to the group with the knowledge to help!
I have so much to learn!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
New Toy
One thing I have to say is that sometime it takes years and years to grow a business. But after the hard work, the constant worrying, the ocd (!!!), it does begin to pay off.
Yesterday I received my first reward! The baby gift business finally paid a reward - an iPhone. I had not been planning to buy one until the business could afford it, or afford to pay for it, but after some convincing from Daryl, I made the purchase.
Like the beautiful woman across the bar, I had seen the iPhone here and there, but never had the chance get up close and personal. I am very impressed, and now wonder if I am ever going to be able to go back to another kind - I am not a cheater! Everything about this phone, like the rep said, is intuitive.
So today I need to learn how to adapt, learn new ways, because if my website is going to move to web2.0, this cave man will need to evolve!
And truthfully, that is a hard thing for me to do. I often see forbabygifts as a reflection of my growth. If it stalls, or fails to grow, I believe I am doing the same. One business lesson I have learned from this is that I must constantly change - change or die!
Oh, and we have launched another business. But I will write more on that later.
Yesterday I received my first reward! The baby gift business finally paid a reward - an iPhone. I had not been planning to buy one until the business could afford it, or afford to pay for it, but after some convincing from Daryl, I made the purchase.
Like the beautiful woman across the bar, I had seen the iPhone here and there, but never had the chance get up close and personal. I am very impressed, and now wonder if I am ever going to be able to go back to another kind - I am not a cheater! Everything about this phone, like the rep said, is intuitive.
So today I need to learn how to adapt, learn new ways, because if my website is going to move to web2.0, this cave man will need to evolve!
And truthfully, that is a hard thing for me to do. I often see forbabygifts as a reflection of my growth. If it stalls, or fails to grow, I believe I am doing the same. One business lesson I have learned from this is that I must constantly change - change or die!
Oh, and we have launched another business. But I will write more on that later.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Growing a Small Business is Hard Work
I am a single guy with no kids running a baby gift business - forbabygifts.com - with my brother - an out of Maine Wall Street Investor. Or probably another way of saying this is - he loves to make money.
I am the younger brother, and according to some studies, I am the sensitive and vulnerable one, and by all accounts that is true. He has been roping me into 'great ideas' all my life, and finally, he roped me into one that is beginning to be profitable.
At first, my manhood struggled with baby gifts. Why not truck tires? Or muscle building tips? Fishing or hunting - no - sports!! That way when I talked my business, I could prove my manliness by my businesss - baby gifts is hard to explain without me thinking that someone else is thinking 'he's gay!" - not that there is anything wrong with it.
Just the same, I have enjoyed the challenge, but it is hard to grow a small business. Alas, I am sure new parents say the same thing about raising a bambino. Not even in the same category many could cry! I agree! But there is one trait we all share - PATIENCE.
To anyone reading this, my advice is this - do what you love and know! You can do anything, but you improve your chances of success by doing something you know, and love - always with the love! Like a mail order bride, I have learned to love my business. But we have had our problems.
One is categories - There are no baby gift experts. So when we started we just copied the competition. Of course, the big categories are obvious baby shower gifts, personalized baby gifts, new baby gifts, but baby gift ideas are hard to categories after the big ones. For instance, how you do break up baby keepsake gifts? Are they not personalized baby gifts?
Who knows? Sometimes guessing may be the right answer! Stay Tuned
I am the younger brother, and according to some studies, I am the sensitive and vulnerable one, and by all accounts that is true. He has been roping me into 'great ideas' all my life, and finally, he roped me into one that is beginning to be profitable.
At first, my manhood struggled with baby gifts. Why not truck tires? Or muscle building tips? Fishing or hunting - no - sports!! That way when I talked my business, I could prove my manliness by my businesss - baby gifts is hard to explain without me thinking that someone else is thinking 'he's gay!" - not that there is anything wrong with it.
Just the same, I have enjoyed the challenge, but it is hard to grow a small business. Alas, I am sure new parents say the same thing about raising a bambino. Not even in the same category many could cry! I agree! But there is one trait we all share - PATIENCE.
To anyone reading this, my advice is this - do what you love and know! You can do anything, but you improve your chances of success by doing something you know, and love - always with the love! Like a mail order bride, I have learned to love my business. But we have had our problems.
One is categories - There are no baby gift experts. So when we started we just copied the competition. Of course, the big categories are obvious baby shower gifts, personalized baby gifts, new baby gifts, but baby gift ideas are hard to categories after the big ones. For instance, how you do break up baby keepsake gifts? Are they not personalized baby gifts?
Who knows? Sometimes guessing may be the right answer! Stay Tuned
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