Get Rich and Happy Online

That’s where we all want to get to, right? Being rich AND happy? It is possible, that’s what the Get Rich and Happy Event is all about.

I am one of the featured speakers at the event which is in Philadelphia Nov 5, 6, 7. The event is going to feature 14 amazing speakers in all – Jim Britt – Jason Oman – Ken McArthur – Jim Donovan – just to name a few.

I’m really excited to be speaking at the event. I’m going to be speaking about eCommerce and Online Marketing in general and welcome as many questions as attendees can throw at me all weekend.

Get Rich and Happy is going to be a killer seminar. The breadth of experience and perspectives from the speakers is massive. With so many different approaches and types of businesses you will learn how to take your business to the next level… the way YOU want to.

The cost for this event is almost ridiculous it’s so low. For all 3 days with 14 amazing speakers, the cost is only $97.

http://getrichandhappyevent.com/?id=audreykerwood

I’ll be on a webinar for the event this coming Thursday, August 19th at 8pm Eastern. If you want a taste of what the seminar will be like or what I’m like in person, join us on the call here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/707770489

Larry Steinhouse and I will be talking about eCommerce and online marketing and I’ll be taking questions afterward. I’d love to hear from you.

The webinar is totally free, it’s part of the Get Rich and Happy Event series Larry has been doing with the seminar speakers. It’s going to be a great call and an even better event. Hope to see you at both!

Setting Up eShop For The 2010 Holiday Season

Want to make the most out your online store this holiday season?

You need to start planning NOW… and have the best Christmas season your store has ever experienced.

On this webinar, I will be taking you step-by-step through my own personal eCommerce holiday preparation process. I’ll not only show you WHAT I do, I’ll explain WHY and HOW it helps bring in more sales each year.

Sunday, August 1st at 7pm Eastern – Register here: http://eComIncubator.com

Each step from the end of August right up through the New Year will be covered. You can see exactly what an online store needs to do to raise it’s holiday presence and profits.

There will be live Q & A with Audrey following the presentation and 2 special BONUS GIFTS for attendees.

This is a totally free event, I hope to see you there!

http://eComIncubator.com

Whoops, I forgot about Mother’s Day…

It happens. We are all prone to forgetfulness at times, especially when we’ve got multiple plates spinning.

So yeah, I’ve been caught up with the new eCommerce Catayst Community, the eCom iPhone App I’m helping develop, two major site redesigns, plus a few other projects… and I forgot about Mother’s Day.

I’m not saying I forgot and the date has passed – as this writing Mother’s Day is still 5 days away – what I forgot was the marketing I should have done for my stores. Now there is not enough time to guarantee shipment in time for the holiday.

Suck.

Well, if you’re in the same boat or find you’ve missed a holiday marketing opportunity there is a way to salvage some of those lost profits. You’ll likely not make as much but some cash is better than no cash. So what is the answer?

Gift Certificates.

I know there is a certain stigma around gift certificates; they lack the thought that is said to be the real GIFT part of the gift. There are ways around that thinking. Here’s how I positioned my gift certificates for Mother’s Day.

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Tapestries, whether they be wall hanging, pillow covers, table runners, or any other style make great gifts Mom will be surprised and excited to receive.

But it can be difficult to decide which style you think she would like the best. So instead of making a guess, why not give Mom a gift certificate so she can choose the style she likes best for her home decor.

What’s nice about a Tapestry Standard gift certificate is that it’s not some generic money voucher, it’s very specific and so shows the thought you put into deciding to give the gift of her choice of tapestry. It’s a fantastic way to show you care and give Mom the freedom to choose for herself.

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I’m providing the “thought” and adding the benefit of Mom getting to choose. You can see the store blog post here: Wall Tapestries For Mother’s Day

So don’t fret if you find yourself behind at the approach of a holiday, salvage what you can and then set up a calendar alert so it doesn’t happen again

What’s spiking my traffic Yesterday and Today!

In dozens of surveys conducted over the past few years, the core problem every online store owner has…

#1 problem is figuring out traffic in some way, shape, or form.

What if there was a simple solution that was based on what Google has done to change the way they provide search results?

There is.
https://immortal.infusionsoft.com/go/tmv/eStoreOp

I’ve been beta-testing this new software for article submission for the past two weeks. Two weeks of results is too small of a time to measure with confidence. My initial results are fantastic!

What I have seen is new traffic and more sales. Yesterday my tapestry store took in my first $1k+ order since Christmas.

This is anecdotal data. Bigger amounts of time will be required for me to make the formal case-study that I’m likely to start presenting at Live Seminars.

Let’s talk about traffic to Your Store…

Here’s what I know to be real. I started using Ross Goldberg’s new software two weeks ago and I’m getting more traffic and seeing more sales. Will this sustain? I sure hope so!

In less than 2-weeks I’ve already made dozens of times what Ross is asking for this software… $37.

You have to try this to believe it.

I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, but this one is 100% true to my tests so far.

See what I’m doing by watching this video:

https://immortal.infusionsoft.com/go/tmv/eStoreOp

Thanks,

Audrey

P.S. This video is shorter than most of the ones you’ve seen before => https://immortal.infusionsoft.com/go/tmv/eStoreOp

Think Like An eCommerce Marketer

Remember when Dr. Pepper TV commercials starred Dr. Pepper Models singing and dancing about what it feels like to “be a Pepper.”

Well, being my own boss makes ME feel all peppery…

I think like a marketer and I’m proud.
I used to feel alone in a crowd.
Now if you look around these days…

There seems to be an “I’m a marketer” craze!

Oh… I’m a marketer, He’s a marketer, She’s a marketer…

We’re all marketers.

Wouldn’t you like to be a marketer too!

Hear me sing that => http://AWAKENDmarketing.COM

What’s the “How to Think Like an eCommerce Marketer” teleseminar really all about? In a word, magic. Marketers have the ability to make something out of nothing. How you use your magical skills is really up to you.

WARNING: This call is only for Awakened Marketers.

Have you noticed that any marketer pushing harder than you is an A$$HOLE while any marketer not making as much money as you is an idiot? George Carlin explained this phenomeon in terms of driving… “Ever notice how on the freeway anybody driving faster than you is an a**hole and EVERYBODY going slower is an idiot?!”

The key is to drive at the speed you feel most comfortable…

Sunday Secrets => http://AWAKENDmarketing.COM

How is this a catalyst to your eCommerce store?

Have you ever noticed the difference in MINDSET between a successful eCommerce Marketer versus most Internet Marketers? Most people who call themselves “Internet Marketers” appear to me as rushing from marketing event to event. Sure they make brief spurts of profitability, but what they do one day often actually undermines their future profits!

What works for me is going slowly, making incremental improvements that build on each other to create a long-term, sustainable business.

Join me Sunday => http://AWAKENDmarketing.COM

Listen to Ben Mack and I discuss Mindset: eCommerce vs. Internet Marketing… Listen now by clicking the player below=> Come absorb how I think like a marketer today…

There’s Not Enough Time In The Day

Yep, it’s happened to all of us. You get up bright and early and start working away and before you know it it’s 10pm and you still have half your To Do list left.

“How did that happen? There’s not enough time in the day!”

Owning and running your own business can be a time consuming endeavor, especially during start-up or when you’re beginning a new project or expansion. It can get very stressful, I’ve been there. It can easily swallow up all your time and leave you feeling like you’re never going to get ahead.

Here’s the truth, you are never going to have nothing to do. There will always be more promotion you can do, more products to add, little problems popping up here and there, etc. That’s how it is with business – any business. Unless you hire someone to take over all the management while you sit back in your big, comfy CEO chair you’re going to be busy.

And that’s fine. Maybe someday you will hire someone to take over so you can just chill. But until you get to that point you have to pace yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed and lose control.

Before I start talking about actually managing your time, I want you to accept something – your To Do list will never be empty. As soon as you accept that you will feel less stressed and more in control. Business is like that, there is always something that needs attention. If you ever find yourself with nothing to do, you’re not doing something you should.

So how do you keep from getting overwhelmed when you’re pouring your heart, soul, and time into something that will never be finished? Police yourself.

Everyone does this differently. Some people create very strict time tables for themselves; blocking out time to work on one project and when that time is up they move into the next time block and the next project. Some people set goals; once one goal is reached they move onto the next. Some break up the days of the week; Monday is for blogging, Tuesday is for conversion work, Wednesday is for Paid Ads, and so forth. You’ll want to experiment to see what works best for you personally.

Here’s what I do:

I don’t work well under strict structure, I’m much more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal. So I set one or two main goals for each day and once they are reached I work on smaller stuff. I always have several projects going on at once, the goals I set are not “Complete Project #1 then work on newsletters and articles”, I don’t make the project my goal – I make part of the project my goal.

For example, I am writing a How To eCommerce Book. If I made my goal the book, I wouldn’t be able to work on anything else for weeks. So instead I make one or two chapters my goal and then work on other aspects of my business. Then the next day my goal will be two more chapters.

Pay attention to how you work. You can try keeping a daily journal detailing time spent and work completed. That may help you determine how you work best. Don’t try to force yourself into a structure that is too stringent for you, you’ll end up getting frustrated which leads to lower productivity.

Think about breaks during the day too. Working from sun up to sun down might sound like it’ll help you get a ton accomplished but very few people can actually stay focused for that long. That’s not how we’re wired. I like to take a walk in the afternoon – get outside, away from the computer, just for a little while. Breaks are refreshing and will help you maintain a solid level of productivity throughout the day.

There will be days when you don’t reach your goals. Don’t freak out, it happens to the best of us. The reasons for it are as varied as our personalities and lives. Don’t let the failure to meet a goal get you down, just get up the next day, readjust your plans if you need to, and get it done. It’s not the end of the world and you CAN do it.

The Work At Home Diet

This isn’t a recipe, nor is it specifically eCommerce related. This is personal advice from one work at homer to another… take advantage of your situation and take care of yourself.

You no longer have that half hour commute in the morning – sleep longer or do some exercising. Don’t wake up, head straight for your email, then park yourself for the rest of the day. That’s not good for you. Make yourself a healthy breakfast AND lunch. You have access to your kitchen now, no need for a daily peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I know a lot of people who work from home and many of them have the same habits as they did while working at an office. Part of the joy of working from your home is being able to do things you couldn’t when you were on someone else’s time schedule. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in your business (because it is YOUR business) and it can easily take over your life in ways most regular jobs won’t.

Don’t let it.

I’m not suggesting your shirk your responsibilities or take a cavalier attitude toward your business, far from it, I work everyday and not just for a couple of hours. I know what it’s like to be consumed by it, when I first started I would spend as much time in front of the computer as my poor, tired eyes would allow. I didn’t even like to stop to eat, I would make a quick sandwich or microwave meal and eat while I worked.

That is not healthy.

Even if you can’t stand to be away while your’e eating, at least take the time to make something good for yourself. Of course there are still days when I get lost in what I’m doing or I’m busy with a project and a hurried meal while working is the best option, but that is rare. If you’re constantly tied to your computer, your home business won’t be fun and rewarding as it should be. And if you let it, it will take over.

Enjoy the benefits of working for yourself otherwise running your home business will be just as bad as working for someone else. Own your business, don’t let it own you.

Diversifying Your eCommerce Business

“Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket!”

This is more of a long term success key than anything else, but it is very important. I would rather have 5 niche businesses that make me $1,000 each every month than one business that makes me $5,000 every month. Why?

Consider this:  It’s easier, and for some people more realistic, to create a business that only makes $1,000 a month.  I mean, if you sell 20 things through one store each month that make you $50.00 profit – you’re there! That’s less than one sale per day. If we sell one item every other day that makes us a profit of $60.00, how much time are we spending filling orders with our drop shippers? 10 minutes every other day?

It’s simply easier to create little businesses that generate modest profits than it is to create a mega-monster business that you and your family will live and / or starve by. Think about it!  You only need to do this one business at a time.

The real genius of this business model is that you will always have one of your businesses generating money in the marketplace.  Yeah, maybe one of them takes a downturn and your sales get cut to shreds. So what?! It happens, even to the masters! They simply get back up after the impact and create another revenue stream.  If you have 4 other little business plugging along, you’re less likely to get hurt by a server outage, a market correction, a drop shipper flub, a merchant account error or any one of a hundred things that could crop up.

Diversify!

I own and operate 4 online stores. They have their slow and busy months. Sometimes they coincide, but most of the time one or two of the stores are in their “busy season” while the others are just bringing in regular sales. This way I’m making consistent profit all year long and I don’t have to worry as much about a market change because the chances that all four of my markets will change at the same time are extremely low.

Diversification is smart for business and your personal mental state.