How to profit by creating competition

Okay, so, you've wracked your brain trying to come up with ways to duplicate your art, and serve huge groups of people instead of one-on-one... but you just can't.

Ultimately, it comes down to a rare skill or quality only you posses.

You love what you do, yes?

You want to keep doing it, but maybe it doesn't make you the lifestyle you want, yes?

Rare = valuable.

Think about it. ONLY YOU can do this amazing skill that you love to do. You have virtually no competition as a result of this amazing awesomeness that you are the sole owner of.

Rare = valuable.

What people would want this skill of yours? How could you get their information, and how much would they pay for this info?

Worried about creating competition? Worried about being less unique? Sure, its a concern. But do a projection, just for fun.

They say that, on average, 2% of the population buys books for the purposes of self improvement.

They say that, of that 2%, 90% never read the book, or watch the video.

So now we're down to 0.002.

Of that, they say that only 1% actually applies that which they've learned, and makes it through the entire series (oh yes, you'll have a series of books. You can't master this unique skill in a single book!)

So, if we take this number (0.00002) and multiply it by, oh let's say... 100,000 books @ 19.99 each, you'll have amassed a total of 2 competitors who rival you in skill, and a fortune of about two million bucks.

Assuming you write some more books for these two ambitious people on the subject of getting discovered as artists, and, they, being the tenacious buggers that they are, make it through and apply that knowledge as well, you'll have amassed quite the fortune, and acquired 2 people with which you can create a healthy rivalry; or, better, simply partner up with them and promote each other through affiliate income.

Its a big world. And there is plenty for everyone.

A simple ebook (see tomorrow's article) has the potential to launch your income into the stratosphere.

And, with all that spare change kickin' around... feel free to still make your passionate one-off sculptures/paintings/dance lessons. After all, its what you love to do, its your passion.

Now, you're simply rich from it.
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Making money in art

For many artists, the premise of passive income is a daunting one. "But, will I not need to create, in order to sell my (sculpture, painting, dance lessons etc)?"

The answer, is actually no, if you're not selfish.

"Huh!? How is me helping the world through my art selfish?" Excellent question. Thank you for being open minded enough to ask.

The truth of the matter is, if you're helping people one-on-one with your art, its so you can see the look in their eyes when you present your art. Otherwise, you'd be looking to help the world with it via duplication and mass exposure.

Not offended yet? Awesome, read on.

Let's get to the root of what it is you do. From sculpture, to painting etc. Why do you do it? Sure, you like to bend the steel, or craft the canvas - but why?

Now, ask yourself how you could accomplish this same thing... but a million times a day?

THAT is the million dollar question. Let's take martial arts for example. I run and own Shinka Martial Arts. Its won all kinds of awards and whatnot as the best school, and its a huge martial arts school, and awesome etc. That's my passion, its what I love to do.

But, what is it I love doing, exactly? Well, I love making the world a better place through empowering my students through a viable medium in regards to self confidence, self discipline, and self actualization.

Alright, so if we quantify those things as items, could the same thing be accomplished through a well put together book, DVD series, blog writing, and a franchise of a 1000 or so dojos scattered throughout the land?

Yeah. And my impact would be greater on this planet. And believe me, I do have some long term plans for this place that're going to rock people's worlds.

The point is, you can take any art - (of which many services fall under) and turn it into a duplicatable medium.

AND IF IT CAN'T... read on!
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Blogging Quick Cash

In my previous post, I talked about more long term income options for bloggers. And, while that IS the best way to earn the big bucks, some of us are more interested in keeping the lights on, NOW, and working our way up to the big bucks.

So, if that's the case, or, if you're looking to simply add another revenue stream to your blog, this might be for you.

Basically, on that site, you have two options. One, is to blog for cash, and two, is to advertise your products on other people's blogs.

So, as you're reading this one for blogging income, I'm going to assume you are the former, although if you have a product blog, you might end up being the latter as well.

Regardless, this is a really fast way to make some quick $$$!

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts
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You want to be able to sell your business, EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS!

You mention selling someone's business, and they get all huffy and defensive.

"Oh, my business is my passion, I love what I do, I would never want to sell."

Uh huh, right right... Well, I have two things to say to that.

1) In order to leave behind an infinite legacy of wealth, a business must be able to function without you (because, chances are, you're going to die at some point and some unenthusiastic offspring of yours is going to be left holding the reigns)

2) I never said you had to sell ALL of it!

You could sell 20% of your business, and still make a few million. And, just think about how you could EXPAND YOUR INFLUENCE / IDEA and help even more people... with a few extra million bucks.

Eh? Eh? Not so bad now, the whole selling the business thing... now is it?

3) There is no more profitable thing, than selling a business.

4) See number 3.
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Gift to myself

One of the gifts I'm going to give to myself today is

I found it on Amazon for $5!

(as I write this, there are 4 copies, I'm buying one, now - it's a fairly expensive DVD set on Tony's actual site. (although granted, that may include more than one DVD, its still a pretty sweet deal on amazon)

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Why leaving a million dollars to your kids is a bad idea

(Continued from last post)

So, as I was mentioning in the previous post about designing your business plans, and having your business function without you despite your passion/love for it...

NO! You do NOT want to leave a million dollars to your kids!!

WHY!?

THEY'LL JUST SPEND IT!!

You want to leave them a device that MAKES them a million dollars a year!

If you just give them money, they'll just spend it!!

The same goes for charities, by the way. You don't want to leave a huge sum of money to a charity when you die... they'll spend it too!

Instead, leave them the cashflow that comes from one of your income vehicles. That's right, so that they get a million bucks a year forever... instead of a one shot, thanks for the cash and its gone, adventure.

The only way you could do this, is if you designed your business to function without your involvement. (or, at the very least, groomed someone to take over for when you're gone)

As I mentioned in the previous article, the E-myth is an excellent book on the subject.

You want to be able to sell your business... even if you don't want to sell your business!

Huh?

Read on...
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How to make a business plan

There is basically two business plans that you'll generally need to make.

The first, is for yourself, which is going to be the focus of this post.

The purpose of it is to attain clarity in all aspects of your business. To understand all the if-this-then-that stipulations, and to PICK A DIRECTION.

The basic things you'll want to cover are your USP, which is basically the reason people would buy from you (better quality, cheaper price, easier to get, faster etc).

Caution: Most people's natural intuition is to compete on price, but, longevity of a business is difficult to attain when specializing in this area, and, it is usually best to compete in perceived quality or selection; as that is more difficult to challenge (depending on the industry)

The more unique something is, the greater the risk becomes, and the higher potential for profit.

You can get a basic business plan outline from books such as The business planning guide, and of course, the ever popular Business plan kit for dummies.

But, ultimately, there is art, and science in the creation of a business plan for yourself. One of the most important aspects which I cannot stress enough, is to think of your exit strategy for your business.

That is, how will you make it function without you, (an excellent book on that is the e-myth) and ergo, make it something you could sell.

Most people say "I never would want to sell my business" that's fine, and that isn't the point. The point is, you want to be ABLE to sell it.

Why?

Because you do not want to leave a million dollars to your children.

"You don't!?"

Heh, read on...
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Money Meditation

Often times, we hear about meditation being for the soul, for centering the mind, or for its health benefits.

And those are all great uses for it. If you're interested in the health aspect, I highly recommend this 3 minute meditation. And, if you're looking for a guided spiritual journey, I would say that the meditation on twin hearts is a great place to start.

However, if you're more interested in removing the financial weeds in your abundant mind; that is, removing your own self-imposed limitations which are the result of your upbringing "Money doesn't grow on trees" type programming that you've received as a child, then what I would recommend is something more along the lines of



This powerful meditation really gets to the root (if you'll forgive the pun) of your financial problems. As they say, everyone looks at the fruits of their financial situation, not the roots.

Change the roots, you change the fruits.

You can't get mad at a lemon tree for making lemons; and, no matter what you do to those lemons, they're still lemons.

(wait... am I paraphrasing advise from Kung Fu Panda now? haha, there's a sign that its time to wrap this article up)

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Blogging For Money Options

One of the newer methods of generating a somewhat passive income, is the vehical of the blog.

Search engines love the blog, because it updates often, and generally is structured towards answering a question (the most common form of search)

As a result, they've become pseudo mini-googles. (I just came up with that. I like the sound of it, though... pseudo mini-google.)

That being said, there are a number of ways to monetize one's blog.

There's the things you see to your right -->
Those are google addsense. They put adds there, and, the more people that come to the blog and see them, or, better yet, click on them, the more money the blogger makes.

(hey, thanks)

The next way is through product reviews and affiliates.

For example, I happen to greatly enjoy the Meditation on Twin Hearts - its a guided meditation which was taught to me by one of my spiritual mentors. So, if I were to recommend that to you, and you were to purchase it after clicking on that link, I'd get about $4.

Now, that's a little off-topic of an example, so, instead, let's go with one targetted specifically to those wanting to manifest wealth in their lives; such as the MMI hypnotherapy CDs, of which I own the entire set for my Shinka Martial Arts Library (the dojo that I own). They're a little pricey, but our students have access to them for free.

Side note: That link I just made there has an art to it as well. See, every time I write "Shinka Martial Arts" and link to it, web spiders look for things like "shinka" and "martial arts" in things, and if they point to other things that are related, the SEO on shinka.ca goes up.

It doesn't make passive income directly, but, it increases the likelyhood that people'll find my dojo over another's in their web searching.

Now, the amazon.com referals you saw above were for specific products, and were blog-integrated (meaning blogger.com sets it up for you and makes a neat plug-in and everything)

What you can also do, is use an affiliate network, and profit from virtually any product on the net (so you aren't limited to amazon)

For example, paydotcom.com is a middle-man for affiliates and people needing affiliate-ing.

You can also promote your products there as well, and thusly have access to their vast database of affiliates, who are looking for items. I promoted a product of mine on there as well, mostly to increase my SEO (as people will create links to it, which makes shinka.ca more important as above) but the cash from the sales is nice, too.

Now, you can also get affiliate income via recommending affiliates. Yes, that's right. Because I just told you about PDC, if you sign up and become a successful affiliate, PDC gives me some $, too.

Affiliate income is one of my favorites, because its so win-win. As long as you're ethical, and only recommend things you actually like, you're increasing the awesome in this world, and, at the same time, getting paid for it. Win/win/win (the third win is for whoever's product you're endorsing)

Once your blog is sufficiently popular, you may also get specific, targetted requests to put in specific, targetted products.

This is basically when Tom Cruise drinks Coke on screen instead of a nameless soft drink. Money exchanged hands, there.

Now, personally, I wouldn't push coke, because its bad4u, but, I think you get the idea.
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Cashflow Quadrent: Book review (Robert Kiyosaki)

Aside from Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!, which is the best introduction to passive income/freedom thinking that I've read, I would highly recommend Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom.

It's in simple terms, and helps you explain the different methods of thinking the rich employ. It is done in a fun, story format, and it is for the most part light hearted and enjoyable to read.

While Rich Dad, Poor Dad is more of a story, Cashflow Quadrent delves into some of the more technical aspects (while still being an easy read).

For someone looking for a way to get rich, and not knowing where to start, I'd recommend picking up one, or both, of these books as an excellent stepping stone.

As an intro-book: 5/5
As a book with any actual applicable information: 2/5
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Speed Wealth: Book Review (T. Harv Eker)

Speedwealth - How to Make a Million in Your Own Business in 3 Years or Less
Meh.

Considering the sales pitch I was given at the MMI (which, by the way, I do recommend as a life altering event; totally totally do that!) I was fairly dissapointed with the content.

Its touted as THE BE ALL END ALL - DO THIS IN THIS ORDER AND YOU'LL BE RICH, list.

I suppose I should have been a bit more skeptical, considering its size, but, I bought the book on a whim for the Shinka Library.

A quick (and I mean less than an hour quick) read, and, one can't deny the content to be spot on. Just... nothing new, really.

1/5 stars. (MMI gets 5+, btw)
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Recommended Mindset Books

Without a doubt, one of the single most action oriented, influencial, intellectual, introspective and metacognitively inspiring books that I have read, and of which has made a difference in my life, is: 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class: The Thought Processes, Habits and Philosophies of the Great Ones

EVERY page, literally EVERY PAGE, or every chapter (if you get the audio series) is absolute mindset GOLD.

It seems to be less known in self actualization circles than say, Awaken the Giant Within, (another book which I love, by the way, if you've read my series on Tony Robbins specifically)

Read this book. Save up, and listen to it as well. I mean it.

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Tony Robbins Reviews

Having listened to and read each and every product Tony has on the market, one might consider me a conneseur of the master influencer whose catchphrase to live with passion has so impacted my life.

So, in no particular order, here is my review of his products.

Awaken the Giant within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Life
The flagship product of Mr. Robbins, and arguably his most extensive and complete works. I wouldn't say that it is his best put together, cohesive product, but, it IS stocked FULL of great tidbits of information.

Recommendation: Read a few pages a month and let them sink in, while reading another book.

Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement
Meh, this piece is somewhat of a summerized version of his earlier, Unlimited power. While good, I would more recommend taking your time with Unlimited power, than breezing through this one.

Get the Edge: A 7-Day Program To Transform Your Life
Short, sweet, and you'll listen to it again and again throughout your life. An excellent acquisition, and it lends itself more to action, than to introspection. As emotion is brought on by motion, I find these types of his products to be extra beneficial.

Anthony Robbins: The Edge - The Power to Change Your Life Now
Again, short, sweet, and full of action steps. Similar to the previous, however, so... not AS recommended.

Anthony Robbins Personal Power: A 30 Day Program (24 Audio Cassettes)
An excellent collection, surpassed only by the sequel.

Relationship Breakthrough: How to Create Outstanding Relationships in Every Area of Your Life
I like his ultimate relationship program better, but, still good.

Time of Your Life: 3 Ways to Take Control of Your Life
Fantastic, but, poor replay value. Meaning, unlike the rest of Tony's works, I think you'll find you'll only listen to this one, once or twice, tops.

Personal Power II (30th Anniversary Edition)
My personal favorite. Personal power 2 is action-step gold, introspective gold, and both knowledge and emotionally based. In my opinion, some of his best works both in motivational value, introspective insights and recommended positive habitual activities.

Anthony Robbins' "Powertalk" - Strategies for Lifelong Success 24-cassette Set in 12 Albums (Audio Cassette) (Strategies for Lifelong Success 24-cassette Set in 12 Albums (Audio Cassette))
More for a Tony-conneseur such as myself than a dabler, or first-time listener. Interviews with rich and influencial people; experts & masters in their respective fields.

Tony's lust for knowledge and passion for understanding the specific piece that makes masters what they are; this series is interesting, especially if you're interested in the fields of those interviewed.

Anthony Robbins Ultimate Relationship Program (Inner Strength Series)
Fantastic, and tear jerkingly amazing in its entirety. I would recommend this to everyone. Literally everyone. In a relationship, not in a relationship, and everywhere in between.

For pure entertainment value, it still has merit, and for those who seek to improve the love in their lives, (which I think should honestly be everyone) a must have.
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Cheating at Blogging

There seems to be a trend brewing, which is stealing or buying other people's content for profit.

Take this site, for example.

"Welcome to Upstart Blogger. Successful blogging made simple. Free minimalist Wordpress themes and 6 years of archived content. Scroll down to view the 10 most popular posts, ranked by current page views."

Seriously? Like blogging is such a hard pastime that we need to purchase other people's content? I guess it would aid in some form of duplication... but then the net would be saturated with all this guy's stuff, would it not?

Then there's this fellow. Again, basically pandering to the public.

Is it me, or shouldn't the passion for helping people come first, and the desire to monetize it second?

Or, maybe I'm a dinosaur stuck in the past where people would share information and be grateful to make a profit from it. What say you? I certainly have nothing against people making a profit online... but I think it should come from contributing something useful, not copying someone else's useful information.

If you're going to sell blog-related tools, I would say that $10 fortunes has a better thought process. Instead of selling the blog content (again, kind of cheating IMO - they are selling tools to help facilitate your information getting read, and tools that help you maintain a connection with all of your readers.

That's cool. Right now, this blog is only a hobby, and I'm just getting into it. Perhaps I'll check that site out in the future and give you a review. (would you want that?)
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Amway, Market America, and other MLMs - review

Multi-level-marketing programs, or MLMs, are as diverse as businesses of any other type. There are scams, there are legitimate businesses and there are both ethical people running those examples, and unethical.

Like picking a martial arts school, you can't clump all "Karate people" into one lump, any more than you can clump all "MLM people" into one clump.

I will say this, I seem to attract MLM peoples like crazy. And, for good reason, as I am highly excitable and future oriented (their ideal)

So, I've tried Quixtar (now re-named back to Amway), Isagenix, and a few others, all with similar, lack-luster results in earnings, but, excellent results in mindset from some of the books they'd had me read (ie Rich Dad, Poor Dad)

I will say this: Everyone should try one MLM, for their excellent training, and ambitious atmosphere. Like going to the MMI, or a great martial arts school - simply being surrounded by positive people, in a positive environment with positive goals WILL affect you... positively.

The reason I suggest everyone should try at least one MLM, is because of two reasons.

1) To experience the thought of true freedom, and develop a passion for it.

Regardless if the MLM is right for you long term, it will still fuel future efforts towards that end. You have the potential for greatness, and an MLM is an excellent segue into said greatness. Understand, it could be the tool that establishes that freedom, or, it could simply be a stepping stone. Regardless, I'd say they're excellent teaching tools of leverage.

2) Their training systems. To experience the training methods of some of the better MLMs (The best I've seen is Market America's) is to experience (again) that taste of true freedom. What they teach is basically time leveraging and practicing what you preach.

Capitalizing off of pre-existing habitual activities, and monetizing what you already do. (this blog, for example, is an example of that - I give this advise for free, but, you reading it here makes me a nickel if you click on some of our lovely sponsors on your right)

What I would suggest, is not to go head-first into the first MLM you stumble across (or more likely, are invited into)

Why? Because they are basically all the same. They have different bells and whistles, and different products, and different people, but they basically start by drawing a circle, then two other circles.

SO: Find an MLM that works for YOU. What is YOUR passion? What do you love? I guarantee you there is an MLM out there waiting for you.

From water to protein powder to gas to pretty much any consumable product you could already know about, there are MLMs about them.

Heck, even Deepak Chopra has one, so why not you?

PS - There are also interesting resources, if you have an MLM that can help acellerate your progress.

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