Please Join Me for a 5-Day Challenge
After receiving so many emails and messages on social media about my earlier 5-Day Challenge for Entrepreneurs, I quickly decided to host another one! This time I’ll be going into more depth about how to get started as an online marketer, author, and entrepreneur.
Also, I will be enlisting the assistance of my colleagues, as well as the people I mentor as a part of my online business.
NOTE: Details about Geoff Shaw’s “Kindling 2.0” writing program and training
are at the bottom of this page!
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said that “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
This means that no matter how big your goal is, you can achieve it if you just take the first step.
What is the first step to achieving your goal? It depends upon what you have set your goal to be and where you are right now in your life experience, in relation to that goal.
For example, let’s say that you want to become a HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) contractor at the Journeyman level. Are you already working in this field? If so, have you spoken with the person who runs the company? Or, are you currently working in another field at a job that isn’t related to HVAC? Do you see the difference here? In one case, you may be very close to achieving your goal, and in the other you would have more obstacles standing in your way that you would need to overcome.
I want to make it perfectly clear that in either case, your goal is most likely achievable, barring some situation or circumstances that we haven’t considered here. If you truly want to reach almost any goal it is simply a matter of moving forward in a positive and focused way.
Let’s talk about earning a full-time income with part-time hours on the internet. Can anyone do this? Yes, but few will achieve their initial goal and keep moving forward to build and grow an online business.
Why? Over almost two decades now, I have worked with hundreds of people who all claimed they were willing to take consistent action and follow what I was suggesting for them. The ones who are “coachable” with my mentoring and training typically go on to great success. I become one of their affiliates so I may promote them, then we move on to form a SAP (Startegic Alliance Partnership), and the rest is history.
Whether the people who come to me are new to the online world or have been online for years already, there is a noticeable distinction between those who succeed with flying colors and those who slowly disappear from the online space…
And it does not matter if they begin their online business while working as an employee, or if they are a small business owner, or a professional who “owns” a job. Here are a few of the things I have noticed over all of these years as a marketing Mentor… People more likely to succeed:
1) Have at least one other adult who believes in them, whether or not that person has any knowledge or interest in the world of online business. This person could be a spouse or other family member, a friend, or someone they currently or have previously worked with in some capacity. If there is just one person who fits this criteria, amazing things are more likely to occur for them.
2) Have the confidence to move forward, no matter what happens in their personal life or in the world. There will always be situations beyond our control. Since coming online in 2006, I have experienced the Great Recession of 2008, political upheaval and unrest, wars and other confilcts in various parts of the world, health issues for myself and for a number of loved ones, a Pandemic, economic downturns and uncertainty, and so much more. We must believe that situations will work themselves out, and know that our worrying is not going to make a difference in the outcome of any given situation. Staying positive and focused on the people, projects, and situations right in front of us at the time is the only thing that makes a difference.
3) Are willing to make a decision, stick to it, and see it through. I’m thinking of choosing a niche market to serve here. While I had dreams of jumping in to “internet marketing” right away, a mentor pointed out that I did not yet have the knowledge or experience to make that work. He recommended that I choose a smaller, but popular niche that I already knew something about. I decided to focus on helping people with eBooks, as they were becoming very popular at that time, before Amazon changed the world of publishing and marketing online became more sophisticated.
4) Accept a Mentor’s counsel and take action immediately. I’ve had people over the years pay me to mentor them, yet when I make a suggestion or point out something that needs to be changed they ignore it completely. I’ll share my thoughts with them one more time and then I let it go… forever. Then there are the others who trust my guidance and take action immediately with the suggestions I’ve made. Those are the ones who will catapult their way to great success and help to change the landscape for all of us online with their innovative and creative strategies.
While I hadn’t yet written and published anything more than three hundred word blog posts, my knowledge of marketing online was limited (but growing), and my experience with publishing was limited to WordPress, I borrowed from my credibility as a classroom teacher helping students from all over the world for twenty years, and also my experience with helping friends and family members with word processing programs and basic computer set up. I had also joined forced with a “techie” friend to help a number of people in my real estate community to update their computers and software so they could stay in business instead of closing their doors like many had done during the early 2000s.
What I know so far… Online entrepreneurship is a gift from God and I am blessed to have discovered this world at the right time in my life. Any sooner, and I might have believed it wasn’t quite right for me. Any later, and I would have been a little too late to follow on the coattails of the early internet pioneers. These are people I continue to learn from and I consider them to be colleagues and friends.
What was it like during these early days? It wasn’t so easy, I will tell you that. Legendary marketer Marlon Sanders has told me stories of how challenging it was to put a simple product up for sale during the mid 1990s. Yes, this business goes back that far!
There were companies like Montgomery Ward and Sears online at that time, and a few bookstores as well, like Borders and Barnes & Noble. Then, news media outlets began setting up WordPress sites. I remember reading the Huffington Post and Time magazine online in those early days.
Writing and publishing a book was a very different experience back then. You could try to find a literary agent who would represent you, but that wasn’t so easy. Or, you could sign an agreement with a “Vanity Press” that would print your books with their imprint. Typically, you would agree to receive 5,000 copies, paying half up front and the other half upon delivery. Yes, a truck would show up at your house and unload many boxes. I have a friend who still has books in his garage, and the quality of these books is not very good.
Around 2008 Amazon launched its “Create Space” program – creating space in people’s garages, perhaps!
The timing was perfect, as I was ready to become a published author, even though my writing was limited to the previous two years of writing short – I was finally up to 500 words – blog posts to earn some income and promote my business. Also, I was transitioning from helping people write eBooks to sell on their websites into more of what I had wanted to do originally, which was full on internet marketing.
Day One: Let’s begin this 5-Day Challenge for Entrepreneurs with some strategies for content creation:
Here is an excellent post from Josh Spector on creating content… he calls it “The World’s Simplest 30-Day Content System”
This content creation system works for any niche. These are proven strategies to get clients from your content.
Here’s how it works. First thing you’re going to do is pick six things your target audience wants to accomplish, six of their goals so maybe they want more money they want more leads whatever it is, six goals that they have.
Then, for each of those six goals each of the six things they want to accomplish you’re going to come up with five things they need to know how to do in order to accomplish their goals.
Example: If you want more revenue you need to know how to do these five things.
You now have 30 things you can tell people how to do that they’ll find valuable because every one of those things can become its own LinkedIn post
You can also publish those 30 things on your newsletter or on social media once a day or in your email messages. You now have a month’s worth of daily LinkedIn posts that are all relevant and helpful and valuable.
At the end of the month you can look at how they all performed you can take the 10 or 15 that perform the best and post them again the next month.
Then, come up with 15 new lessons related to those topics to try to flesh out your daily post for the next month so now you have your 30 posts for month two, 15 of which work and 15 which are new, sort of experiments related to the same topics.
Just repeat this strategy and over. What you’re doing is throwing stuff out there and figuring out what’s working.
You are reusing the stuff that works and building this library and all of
it is being guided by valuable posts, helping them accomplish something what they told you they wanted to accomplish in the first place.
This is a really simple 30-day content system that’s very easy to do, as long as you have an idea of who your target audience is and what they want to accomplish.
Listen to this excellent advice from Josh Spector on YouTube.
Creativity in Entrepreneurship Makes a Difference
Kim Nelson has written a post on this topic, and I love the way she uses building a snowman as a metaphor. Take a look at “Creativity in Entrepreneurship” and perhaps connect with her by joining her list or following her on social media.
Day Two: The Most Important Skill You Can Develop… Writing
I was not a writer when I started my online business in 2006. While I had always wanted to write, I had done little to cultivate this skill. These days, writing is the way I earn most of my income. This includes blog posts, articles, short reports, and books.
The program I recommend for you if writing is something you are willing to work on to improve is Geoff Shaw’s “Kindling” training and forum. I started in this group a decade ago, and in August of 2024 he has now opened “Kindling 2.0” You may come aboard for half price right now – $147 for lifetime membership and there is a 30-Day Refund period if you find this isn’t right for you.
Kathi Laughman has written a post on how to “Write Your Way to a Better Business” so please take a look and perhaps connect with her by joining her list or following her on social media.
Day Three: List Building Made Easy
The money is in the list, but all subscriber lists are not the same. Your goal is to build your list with people who are interested in your topic, and also in YOU! That’s right: Once people get to know who you are and how you intend to serve them, they will be anxious and excited to read your email messages and to think of you as their trusted advisor on the internet. How to we build our lists? Here are some ideas for you…
- Ask Your Followers on Social Media… Take a look at what I shared today on Twitter/X at https://x.com/ConnieGreen/status/1833918147042435538
- Join a Bundle or Giveaway… There are many of these on a regular basis, and they are always looking for new people to participate. You could easily get several hundred people to opt in to your list to receive something of value from you at no cost, and you do not have to pay to be a part of the bundle or giveaway. And, you can even set this up on a page of your existing blog or website where people would opt in to receive your gift.
- Ask People You Already Know Online to share you and your blog/website with their community. I offer this as a Special Bonus when people purchase something specific from me or through my affiliate link, or are a part of my Monthly Mentor Program.
Day Four: Creating a Simple Product to Stand Out As a Leader
As an entrepreneur, you have stepped up to take a leadership role. It won’t take long for people who have known you for years, as well as people in your community, some of whom you have never met to reach out and acknowledge you. This was awkward for me at first, but once I attended a Rotary Club meeting and gave a 20-minute talk on using social media in 2008 I realized that my life had changed completely.
I challenge you to be the leader you know deep inside you already are and see what happens for you. While public speaking is something I have embraced and now do regularly, you can more quickly stand out as a leader by creating a simple information product.
This will be a “One Problem, One Solution” Product where you teach others how to achieve a goal you have already had some success with in your business. It can also be free, like I’ve made this “5-Day Entrepreneur’s Challenge” – Perhaps you will create something similar on a topic you want to be known for, and turn it into a paid product to sell online.
Yvonne A Jones has written a post on “Strategies vs Tactics: Showing Up As the Leader in Your Business” so please take a look and perhaps connect with her by joining her list or following her on social media.
Day Five: Creating a Business for Work and Life Harmony
I left the workforce more than fifteen years before retirement age because I had reached a point where I honestly felt that I could no longer keep up the frantic pace of working full time as a classroom teacher and part-time as a real estate broker and residential appraiser so I could make ends meet.
I prayed for a solution to my situation, where I could work from home doing something I loved, and earn more than enough money to meet all of my financial obligations with grace and ease. My elderly mother was still alive, and I was supplementing her meager pension as well.
My prayer was answered when I attended an evening seminar and discovered that people just like me were starting businesses online and not only replacing their income from their job but surpassing it month over month.
Nancy Dadami has written a post on “Work-Life Harmony: The Pomodoro Technique to the Rescue” so please take a look. Perhaps you will connect with Nancy by joining her list or following her on social media.
I want to hear from you; perhaps you have a struggle or challenge to share with us, or are having success in a way that would be helpful to others as well.
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Details About Geoff Shaw’s “Kindling 2.0 Program”…
$100 Discount for a Limited Time
Are you ready to take your book publishing business to the next level? Maybe you’ve been struggling to gain traction, or perhaps you’re just getting started and aren’t sure where to begin. The truth is, it’s never been easier to build a sustainable income from publishing books—but only if you have the right tools and guidance.
For over 14 years, Geoff Shaw has helped aspiring authors like you and me achieve financial freedom through book publishing. He started publishing in 2010, created Kindling, one of the first indie author memberships, in 2011, and has since guided over 15,000 members to six- and seven-figure incomes. Now, with Kindling 2.0, you’ll gain access to everything Geoff has learned, plus cutting-edge tools like AI, to make the process even easier.
What’s Inside Kindling 2.0?
This isn’t just another course—this is a complete guide to becoming a bestselling author, using strategies proven to work in today’s market.
“Unlock Your Potential: Build a Profitable Book Business with Kindling 2.0”
Discover the step-by-step methods, tools, and support you need to publish books successfully and create a sustainable income… Whether you’re just starting or ready to scale your business. Here’s a taste of what’s included:
Success Training: Learn how to develop a resilient mindset to stay focused on long-term success. Use the power of influence and persuasion to get more people to buy your books while focusing on the tasks that drive real results.
Branding: Discover the importance of building a strong, consistent brand that makes readers comfortable buying from you again and again. Learn how to create covers that convert prospects into readers and optimize your sales funnel for maximum success.
Know Your Numbers: Learn how to budget and track your numbers in real-time so you can make decisions proactively, not reactively. I’ll show you how to maximize your budget and time—the most valuable resources in your business.
Reverse Engineer Riveting Fiction: A proven course, now part of Kindling 2.0, to help you draw inspiration from movies, TV shows, or any fiction format to craft bestselling stories.
AI for Authors: Unlock the power of AI to eliminate writer’s block and help you write more effectively. Thousands of authors are using AI to gain an edge, and I’ll show you how to compete and win.
Draft a Book in a Day: Learn how to use AI to draft a book in a single day, generate riveting storylines, and streamline your writing process with simple, effective techniques.
Vellum for Plotting and Planning: Master Vellum’s full potential—not just for formatting, but for plotting, planning, and managing your book files all in one place. If you use other software like Atticus, my methods apply just as well.
Procrastinators and Perfectionists Paradise: Overcome the fears and beliefs that hold you back from success. I’ll help you break free from procrastination and perfectionism so you can move forward.
AI Version of Reverse Engineering Riveting Fiction: Take reverse engineering to the next level with AI. ChatGPT can help you find and format inspiration faster, allowing you to create stories more easily and effectively.
The NEW AI: How to Succeed with Short Reads: Discover how to leverage short reads, now made easier with AI. I’ll show you how short reads can boost sales, build your email list, and ensure long-term financial security.
Dead Easy Dialogue: Another standalone course now included in Kindling 2.0, teaching you how to write blockbuster dialogue—one of the three key storytelling elements that elevate any book.
Story Structures: With 31 lessons covering proven story structures, you’ll always know how to guide your book from outline to published bestseller, delivering the reading experience your audience expects.
Changing It Up With ChatGPT: Learn how ChatGPT can help you take your stories from good to great, with real examples showing how to enhance your work.
What ChatGPT Can Do For You: Use ChatGPT to fill gaps in your business and writing, whether you need help plotting, editing, or brainstorming. You’re never alone in your journey to publishing success.
Best Seller Rankings: Get on the best seller lists to gain extra visibility and sales from people who love the kind of books you write.
Meta Ads for Authors: Learn how to use Meta/Facebook ads to grow your audience and reduce ad costs while maximizing ROI. This training could be sold on its own, but it’s included here as part of Kindling 2.0.
Click-Tracking Mastery: Master the art of tracking ad performance and making data-driven decisions to boost sales and lower ad costs.
Blurbs: Where the ROI Happens: Craft irresistible blurbs that convert prospects into buyers. This module teaches you how to write the perfect book descriptions to ramp up sales and improve your ROI.
Keep Your Customers: Your email list is your business’s backbone. Learn how to grow and nurture your list to ensure consistent book sales and long-term financial stability.
Magnets and Shorts: Use reader magnets and short reads to consistently attract new readers and keep your business thriving year-round.
How to Succeed With Kindle Short Reads: This standalone course, now included in Kindling 2.0, will show you how to leverage short reads to build a sustainable, profitable business.
Breathing New Life Into Old Books: Learn how to rebrand and revive your back catalog, often making older books more profitable than new releases.
Building a Customer Database: Your email list is your most valuable asset. Learn how to build and maintain a customer database that keeps your business thriving, no matter what external changes occur.
Private Facebook Group… Geoff is right there with us in the FB group, along with so many people who can help by answering our detailed questions.
The price will be going up to $297 but for now you may come aboard for $197 – $100 off for a limited time here:
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/M3TTM4FMFQCGU
Yes, There is a 30-Day Refund Period If You Find This Training Program Isn’t Right for You.
Remember, none of us was born with the skills needed to become success as an online entrepreneur, author, or marketer. This means that it’s a level playing field that we may all be a part of when we are willing to learn and implement what I and many others are sharing. Email me directly at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com with your questions, comments, struggles, and challenges and I will make sure to share some proven strategies with you here in this 5-Day Challenge for Entrepreneurs. ~ Connie Ragen Green