6 Ways To Be A Lifelong Student And Benefit Your Business

By Deborah MacDonald

One thing successful business owners and entrepreneurs have in common is that they are all lifelong learners. They never stop developing their talents, learning new ways to grow their business and learning about the newest marketing and technological advances that will help them increase their income.

Becoming a lifelong student means you will always be progressing. Your business will benefit from new strategies and approaches and as your career develops, your home-based business will grow.

If becoming a lifelong learner brings to mind thoughts of full-time classes and time spent struggling through confusing tutorials, think again. There are so many easy ways you can acquire knowledge that will benefit your business, and some you can even do from your own home.

1. Make a List of Areas to Improve In

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are great at sales and others are better at leading groups. These differences are what make a team work, but stretching and learning new things so you can better understand the things that make your business grow can make you more successful.
Keep a list at your desk where you can jot down things you want to learn more about. These could be things you’re just curious about or they could be areas where you feel like you need to know more in order to take your business to the next level. This exercise will also help you get into a learning mindset.

2. Follow Inspirational and Industry Blogs

One of the easiest ways to become a lifelong learner is to subscribe to some inspirational and industry related blogs. Do some Google searches to find industry experts and blogs that share helpful information, tutorials and the latest news in your niche.

You can use a blog reader, like Feedly, to subscribe to and organize all your favorites. Then, make it a habit to browse through your blog feeds on a daily or weekly basis to catch up and learn from others in your industry.

3. Look for ways to Learn from Others

As you network and meet people who are experts in different areas, look for ways to learn from them. This could be as simple as having lunch together or as in-depth as working together on a project, where you both offer your own skills and resources.

This can be a very valuable way to learn because it allows you to talk to experts on a face-to-face basis and tap into several different areas of expertise. You could learn how to better market your business from a marketing friend or how to improve your business plan from someone who is skilled at strategic planning.

4. Attend Formal Learning Events
Things like conferences, trainings, association lunches and even networking events that host guest speakers are excellent sources of knowledge. Find events that cater to your type of business and make plans to attend some of them.

Get even more out of these by using them to grow your network too. Get to know other participants, hand out your business card and keep in touch with new connections.

5. Take on a Project that Pushes You

Many people learn by doing and sometimes it takes a little push to get to the point where you are actively learning. Taking on a project that involves things you’ve never done before can be a great way to do this.

Updating your website, writing a book, creating marketing videos or taking on any other project that benefits your business while simultaneously forcing you to learn new skills can be extremely beneficial.

As you do this, you will learn what resources are available, meet new people and learn new skills that will benefit your business as you move forward.

6. Develop New Hobbies

Becoming a lifelong student doesn’t end with business-related learning. In fact, by letting loose and doing new activities or picking up new hobbies you can reach new levels of creativity and strike a good work-life balance.

When you play a sport, take on an artistic project or learn a new hobby, your mind becomes creative in new ways. Things like this can also be relaxing, which can help you see your work in a new light, come up with creative solutions to problems and give you renewed energy to make your business more successful.

As a lifelong learner, you can unlock new opportunities and acquire new skills that will help your business be more successful. By taking advantage of learning opportunities, stretching yourself to learn new things and letting your mind be creative, you can be the kind of business owner that is always reaching new levels of success.

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:
http://www.deborahmacdonald.com/2014/12/22/6-ways-to-be-a-lifelong-student-and-benefit-your-business

Old School Marketing Tactics You Should Stop Using

By Deborah MacDonald

The old ways of marketing may have worked in their heyday, but today’s audiences and consumers require new levels of relationships, more information and a different brand experience. To sell your product and make your business flourish, you need to leave some old school marketing tactics behind and embrace some new ones.

Every business will have its own unique marketing plan. As a business coach I work with business owners in all kinds of industries, and have learned that no two marketing plans or approaches are alike. That being said, there are some general tips and guidelines most businesses should keep in mind. 

Old School: Talking At Your Market

In the days when billboards, television commercials and magazine ads were the best of the best when it came to marketing tactics, businesses were limited in their conversations. They could talk at their markets, but they couldn’t have two-way conversations very easily.

New School: Two-Way Conversations are Invaluable

With the Internet, social media and smartphones, having two-way marketing conversations is easier than ever, and those kinds of conversations are extremely valuable.

Use your blog, Facebook page, Twitter account and website to reach your market and make it easier for people to reach you. Listen to what people are saying, take feedback seriously and don’t forget you can always find out exactly what your customers are thinking by asking them. 

Old School: Purely Promotional Ads

You’ve seen those vintage ads and older marketing materials like brochures that do a great job of advertising something. They promote a product well, but they don’t provide much value.

New School: Value-Rich Content is Key

These days, people crave content that provides value. They will only read a blog post, watch a video or read marketing materials if they feel they will get something out of them. Avoid overly promotional pieces and work to provide something valuable and helpful to your market. This approach will help you build your brand and garner trust, which can help you gain more customers.

Old School: Go Straight to the Customer

It used to be that marketing was focused entirely on getting ads, promotional copy and products in front of the customer. While this is still important, there is a better approach, which can actually bring more value to your business.

New School: Let Customers Come to You

Now, customers can find you through social media, search engines and online content. They may stumble upon your business when searching for a solution or they may be attracted to your social media posts. From there, you can convert your audience into customers.

Customers that come to you are often more valuable because they are looking for a product or solution. They often take less persuading and are likely to have a better attitude about your brand. 

Old School: Using a Few, Separate Channels

Marketing used to involve choosing a few channels, like print ads, television ads, or event promotions, and then using each one separately. This worked, but in this day and age of content and instant access to information, markets want more.

New School: Multi-Channel Brand Experience

Now businesses can meet their markets on several channels and when those channels work together, the overall customer experience is better and more likely to lead to a sale.

For example, you may create a blog, which has some of your key messages and focuses on helping you sell your main product line. But, for a more powerful effect, you can use your social media accounts to support these messages by sharing your blog posts and other content that helps you promote your business.

By giving your audience a well-rounded experience, people will be more likely to become customers that keep coming back. 

Old School: Always be Selling

It is definitely true that you need to constantly work toward closing sales, and without sales your business can’t succeed. But, by constantly selling yourself and being “that person” that shows up to every party ready to promote a new product, you could be turning potential customers off.

New School: Freebies and Resources Lead to Sales

Now, by giving away freebies and providing resources, by way of online content, samples, and helpful materials, you can give potential customers a taste of what you have to offer. You can show that you have valuable products and services and prove to your market that you put their best interest first.

Old school marketing tactics have their place. However, with evolving technology and new customer expectations, you will need to adopt some new school marketing tactics if you want to be successful.

If you’re interested in learning how to promote a home-based business or enhance your network marketing career, contact me.

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:
http://www.deborahmacdonald.com/2014/12/17/old-school-marketing-tactics-you-should-stop-using

Nourishing Broths by Agape Gardens

By Dasha and Sebastien

We have been long standing fans of Nourishing Broths (Sally Fallon) and Nourishing Infusions (Susun Weed). It's quiet an intricate process to make a good broth or the right amount of infusion. Not everybody has the time, but everybody should benefit from these phenomenally healing foods. So we decided to make a little bit more than we usually make for ourselves and OFFER the surplus to YOU!

We make our broths following guidelines outlined by the Weston A. Price foundation. We choose locally raised free ranging chicken, beef and lamb. To make a broth we simmer bones for about 24 hour period. This allows for all minerals and cartilage to dissolve into a thick soup broth. 

The health benefits of consuming Nourishing broths are outlined in Sally Fallon's books Nourishing Traditions and Nourishing Broths - which have become fundamental in establishing good health for many people. In our experience, nourishing broths have created a foundation for our strong physical health as farmers, mental clarity, ability to rear children and all around lead a very active life! 

Nourishing infusions are made by using one ounce of dried herb to a 1 litre of boiling water steeped overnight. This again allows for the minerals and nutrients to be dissolved in water into a bio available form for our body. We attribute our fast recovery from three child births, decreased back and muscle pains and overall agility to our daily consumption of nourishing infusions. 

As farmers we attribute nutrient-density of medicinal plants to their deep strong roots that pull minerals from deep soils (as oppose to most commonly consumed plants such as lettuces, tomatoes, etc.). To learn more about healing infusions please listen to an online women's health radio show with Susun Weed on blog talk radio either every Tuesday night or archived past episodes. 

Available for sale your choice of Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Fish Broth and Nourishing Infusions (nettle, comfrey, red clover, linden, oatstraw, red raspberry). We use only well or spring water. Product comes in a 1 litre Mason Jar - $10 each. Use the broth as a nutrient dense stock for your meals, or enjoy it on its own.

We deliver to Ottawa once a week with drop off locations in Stittsville, Kanata, Westboro and Alta Vista.

Contact: AGAPE GARDENS by email plantfood4life @ gmail.com or 

Phone: 1-613-552-2782.

TSu.co – A Social Network That Pays Users for Sharing Content

By Dallas-Kenneth Hills
1. Dallas-Kenneth Hills at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dallaskenneth.hills.5
2. Dallas-Kenneth Hills at TSu: https://www.tsu.co/Earth_is_our_home
 
Friend Dallas-Kenneth Hills at both social media sites.

NOTE: Dallas-Kenneth Hills enrolled me (Tom J Kennedy)  in the TSU social media platform. When you enrol with my affiliate link for TSu - we will be together on Dallas-Kenneth Hills' TSu team.

There is no doubt that Facebook is the king of social network, present today with over 1 billion active users. This network had made $3 billions in their first quarter of their working. After going through many information about Facebook, that the whole team depends on users activity and the content they share. But by sharing all these information no one is going to get any rewards or anything from them.

So in my point of view, it was the best place to stay in touch with family and friends, to stay current with world wide events as may of us know mainstream media is a joke.

Social media has allowed over a billion people to connect in an organize on political corruption, promote products though it and have huge number of users all over the world. Other than this, its a waste of time to be active on it. Do you agree with me?

So some new social networking network should arrive soon, as expected recently Ello the invite system based social media was launched and going without any issues. But here also, users get in return is nothing! Don’t worry guys! Here we got a new social network which pays to the users!

Like the Ello social network, this new invite-only social network named as Tsu may be the best solution for these cases. Tsu is ready to pay to their active users as well as for inviting their friends to join TSU. Still more things are behind this social networking sites.

So this post is gonna to discuss about Tsu features, and more.

Wanna to know more about Tsu, The Payable Social Network? Here we goes…

TSu’s Philosophy:

TSu rewards to the users or content they share regularly on their platform. TSu gives 90% of the revenue to users for generating the content and the other 10% is for the Tsu network.

That too, the ten percentage will be from their ads they shown up in users content for one day. From this the 50% of the share goes to the users and 50% to the shares using the rule of infinte thirds.

The user who recruited the content owner gets 1/3 and the one who recruited that users will get 1/9 at all. By following this system, it will be repeated and continued

So you need to post to be engaged to earn more and I’m sure that you will get many followers so that your post gonna go viral!

As I mentioned above, they are going to pay for each person whom you make to join this platform with your username/shortcodes. This is Tom J Kennedy's short code: https://www.tsu.co/usuryfree

In short, its an referral system. Here you can share articles, photos, videos and more. For everything you will be paid.

The best part here is, TSu will also pays you for content hosted on their platforms.

So you can share your YouTube monetized video here and earn more. Still now the minimum payout is set to be $100, once you reach you can cash it out.

What do you feel about TSu? It looks like a Content Monetization network similar to Social network?

How to Join TSu?

As Tsu is an invite only social network, you need some shortcodes of the previously register Tsu users. With their shortcodes you can create an account for yours and to start earning through Tsu simply by sharing content. You can find many TSu followers sharing their shortcodes to get more users under them. If you want you can use Tom J Kennedy's https://www.tsu.co/usuryfree

As its a new social network, more features to be added. As like other social network, TSu was also dressed up with all basic features and with some extra features as bonus.

TSu allows the users to share their revenue/money with other users or merchants by charging 3% of the amount you share with them. Anyway it seems to be a good feature and other is making the users spend more on TSu platform.

Users can post their content or anything to other social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter by connecting their TSu account with them. So this will be the best idea to make users to active more in TSu network.

Hope you might have got some idea about, Tsu the monetizing social network! This got all things as a social networking site which is added up with content monetization feature. That will be great to all! Mostly users who will benefit the most who have huge followers can make money on TSu. Here are some tips to earn more from TSu

#1 Keep sharing great content, your blog posts, YouTube videos and more.
#2 Always be active and make sure you connected the other social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, etc.,
#3 Share your Tsu Shortcode in popular blogs, Facebook groups just like promoting your affiliate product.
#4 Get more followers and Never Give Up on your Work!

Finally we got the best competitor for Facebook or the best alternative for Facebook Network What do you think about TSu? Share your thoughts in comments below.

Please shares this post with your friends and allow them to earn from this new social networking site. See you soon everyone

The future has changed for all of us to benefit , TSu! Good Luck! Cheers

Meet Sarah Robbins, Top SDI Entrepreneur

NOTE:  Sarah Robbins is one of the SDI (Self Directed Income) Profession's youngest millionaires. Sarah Robbins is dedicated to helping others succeed in the SDI Profession so they can experience true time freedom and live the lifestyle they dream of.

Top Network Marketing Consultant is Living Her Dream Life and You Can Too!

Meet Sarah Robbins, Network Marketing Speaker

By Sarah Robbins

I am a teacher by trade.  While I loved teaching kindergarten, I was facing the loss of my job due to a struggling economy.  Also affected by the local economy was my husband’s landscape construction business.  We decided to pursue extra income.

I began freelancing part-time for a skincare company alongside my teaching career.  Soon, the company decided they wanted to bring their product to the masses and leverage today’s social economy.  They chose a social selling model and decided to continue building their brand through network marketing. I joined them.

To be honest, I was very skeptical at first.  How could a formerly shy teacher in her 20’s, living in a depressed economy find success and prosperity in network marketing?  I started my business like most people—part-time, with no previous business experience.  I began sharing and people began to join me.

To my surprise, I surpassed my teacher’s salary by the end of that school year, and was able to retire from teaching.  By the age of 29, I was earning a six-figure monthly income!

I’ve retired my husband from his construction business (35 years early!) to work together, coaching others to live the life of their dreams.

The best part?  Phil and I are now fulfilling our lifelong passion of helping others.  We are able to give more than we used to make—combined.  He has dreams of starting a camp for children.  I have a heart to help women and children in need.  Not only does success change our life, it also impacts those we have been able to bless with our time, talent, and resources.

I had great impact as a teacher. Today I am able to influence thousands of lives and teach people how to build the lives of their dreams. We are living proof that anyone can live the American dream.

Sarah Robbins' Success Story

Sarah Robbins' Blog 

Sarah Robbins' Weight Loss Journey

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:
http://www.sarahrobbins.com/about-sarah-robbins

Breathing New Life into the American Dream

 NOTE: The "American Dream" of the mid-20th Century - that George Carlin spoke of is indeed gone - BUT the SDI (Self Directed Income) Profession - a sub-group within the Direct Selling Profession is becoming the opportunity of choice as it changes the lives of those who are 'ready and willing' to participate...

Breathing New Life into the American Dream
 by Amy M. Robinson 

The American Dream is no doubt evolving. Gone may be the days when a house, two and a half children, a dog and a white picket fence were universally accepted as the be-all and end-all. But, the founding principle of this nation’s vision—the opportunity for prosperity, success and upward social mobility—remains highly sought-after, even as technological advancements, rising costs of education and economic challenges have changed the way many of us define success.

For those of us long familiar with direct selling, we understand wholeheartedly the many ways in which this industry touches the lives of millions each day. We see firsthand how mothers, recent college graduates, military spouses and post-retirement individuals pursue economic success, social networking and career advancement by way of the business opportunity. We take pride in direct selling’s ability to provide much-needed support to social causes around the world, and we experience the direct selling difference ourselves each time we stop to listen to a distributor’s success story.

While this industry presents a truly equal opportunity for both men and women, it is no secret that women have played an active role in transforming direct selling into what it is today: an industry that changes lives for the better.

Of the 15.9 million direct sellers in the United States, roughly 77 percent are women. What’s more, these 12.2 million women comprise a diverse group, not simply in terms of age or race, but also in terms of education, career experience, skills and interests. In fact, according to the DSA’s National Salesforce Study, more than half of all direct sellers have a bachelor’s or advanced degree. And, still, more than half of direct sellers have children under 18 at home.

Perhaps most telling is the fact that these numbers reveal an overlap between the two groups. Even as women in the direct sales channel pursue higher levels of education, many still balance family responsibilities and career aspirations simultaneously. These numbers not only reflect similar trends in the U.S. national workforce, but they also support recent findings regarding women’s perceptions of the American Dream.

According to a recent Forbes survey, 84 percent of working women say that staying home to raise children is a financial luxury to which they aspire either temporarily or long-term. This number is particularly astounding when one takes into consideration how the rising cost of living has made this dream more difficult to achieve. 

In 2010, the Department of Commerce issued a study revealing what it would take for families to achieve the aspirations of the middle class—which it defined as home and car ownership, opportunities for vacations, access to health care and enough savings to retire and contribute to the children’s college education. The study concluded that even two-earner families today would have more difficulty achieving middle-class status than they had two decades ago.

Direct selling certainly offers a solution, which no other industry can match. Even more, countless women stand as mentors to those who follow in their footsteps, looking to provide much-needed support at home without sacrificing the opportunity to build a successful business.

These women not only serve as leaders in the field, but also at the executive level. The female perspective of the direct selling industry is widely represented by women so inspired by the opportunity that they have risen to top-level positions in efforts to provide guidance to those who look to the sales channel as a source for supplemental income, social empowerment and personal growth. 

These women give selflessly of their time to spark a passion for social causes, raise funding for charitable organizations and drive more people to channel their creative energy to give back to others. These women also work tirelessly to remind key policymakers and regulators about the impact of direct selling on the national economy and otherwise slow-to-improve employment rates. 

Perhaps most importantly of all, they inspire us each and every day to establish our own definition of the American Dream—such that we might carve our own paths for achieving it.

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:
http://www.directsellingnews.com/index.php/view/breathing_new_life_into_the_american_dream

An Excellent and Motivating Robert Blackman Rant

 
NOTE: SDI (Self Directed Income) entrepreneurs are invited to read, review and share Robert Blackman's motivating rant ... about "network marketing."

By Robert Blackman

The INSANITY in your Network Marketing business comes from you "over thinking" and "under working".

When you have too few prospects to talk to, you lose posture.

You start to "hedge" your offer and your strong close.

You start to waffle under the pressure "that I need to get a signup, it's been weeks since my last one".

When you start showing fewer and fewer presentations DOUBT and DISBELIEF consume you.

When you aren't showing plans your "eye" looks for something to do...then you start watching others succeed.

You read their blog posts and you stop writing your own. Why? Because you've got nothing to talk about...you aren't doing anything but "worrying" all the time.

And, your subconscious knows this...so you stop blogging or reaching out to people out of "fear" they know you're afraid and worried about your business.

See the INSANITY?

I know, I've been there.

I've re-written offers over and over again in one month when I was only talking to one person a day or only getting 9 optins in a week.

That's just insane to do that.

You have to show 25 plans and then regroup.

A plan is where your prospect can tell you a:
- Yes
- No
- Maybe 

Just had a guy order tonight that told me NO in September.

I made a follow up voice mail and asked him how he was doing and if he had solved his money problems since we last talked.

And, that I had a PROVEN 6 month game plan to get him to "X" amount of dollars a month.
I emailed that game plan to him in a PDF.

He joined two hours later...a call back from September.

You see I have confidence because I'm doing stuff...I don't care if you say NO as I'm going through the numbers.

I care in the fact that I LISTEN to your NO and your reasons why and I'm constantly asking questions and trying to find out if your NO is B.S., or legit.

If it's legit, I ask which "payday" over the next few weeks they can carve out the money to join with me?

I send them stuff to read via email in the meantime.

I'm looking for other Robert Blackman's, so I know what I was looking for when I was broke.
Ready for this?

"I was looking for someone to tell it like it is. A straight shooter who had a game plan and had a work ethic. A person who could see through my B.S. and at the same time pull the WINNER out of me in the same conversation!"

That's who I was looking for when I was broke.

I wanted them to give me REASONS why I should stop buying beer and pizza and start saving money to do this deal.

I wanted them to hit me between the eyes, reach through the phone and slap me in the face and say: "come on son, get off your butt and let's go to work, stop making excuses and stop being lazy! You know you''re half-assing it, so if you really want to make some money, come with me"

That's who I was looking for.

So, I don't care who the person is or isn't.

I am trying to listen to them and pull the winner out of them.

Sometimes the WINNER is asleep and I have to make several house calls...I'm' okay with that.

Because once I sponsor another "ME", it's all over baby...it's money in the bank and I just get out of his or her way.

Stop the insanity...use that same energy in talking to people and showing some plans.

STP = FREEDOM!

NOTE: This article is originally posted on Robert Blackman's Facebook Timeline on December 11, 2014 at this link:https://www.facebook.com/robertblackmanmastermind/posts/10153364448781679