As an experienced, but self taught, entrepreneur and online business person, after learning to type at school and not much else, I turned to books and mentors when I finally decided I had had enough of being poor and unsuccessful!

Having read hundreds of books and websites, and subscribing to even more newsletters, there are some people who, over the last 10-12 years, have consistently delivered value.

Sometimes it was just one word, phrase, question or comment, that made the difference, but what a difference that was. Each step forward was a real step forward, and we all know that the journey to success is a series of steps, each building on the last.

I wanted to share with you the Top 10 Digital Marketing “gurus” who have inspired me on my online business journey so far and I’ve tried to tell you about them in chronological order – how I found them (or in Guy Levine’s case, how they found me!)

1. Robert G Allen - I became aware of the potential for making money online around 1998 / 1999, about five years after I bought my first domain name. I had long been aware of the potential for marketing any real world business online, but was totally blissfully ignorant about selling information products, making money by affiliate marketing and building a mailing list to make offers to. I, like many dyed in the wool entrepreneurs before me, was so obsessed by building a real world business, that the potential just passed me by! Luckily I was to meet Guy Levine and Chris Barrow fairly soon and accidentally did a few things right… in the meantime, my sister’s husband gave her Robert Allen’s “Multiple Streams of Internet Income” for Christmas, which I stole, devoured and which led me to read other great Robert G Allen books like “No Money Down For The 90′s” now updated for the 2000′s, the brilliant and groundbreaking “One Minute Millionaire” and also other great internet books like…

2. Joe Vitale - perhaps best known for his excellent personal development books and being featured in The Secret film, Joe Vitale is also a very experienced internet marketer – he’s been around and making money online from the mid to late 90′s (which in the history of the internet is very experienced indeed). Email marketing is one of the easiest ways to get started making money online and is, in fact, still the way that I make most of my money, either marketing my own products or services to my mailing list, or by recommending carefully chosen items by friends and colleagues. Email marketing (simplified) involves driving traffic to a page where someone gives you their name and email in return for a gift of some kind, thus building your mailing list. You then need to keep in touch with people so they get used to hearing from you and you build a good relationship with your subscribers. Joe explains how to do this very well indeed in his book “The E-Code” over a couple of chapters and if you want to get started somewhere simple, I recommend you read it. Then check out Martin Avis of Kickstart Monthly, as he is a master of using a simple text newsletter to make money online!

3. Jaclyn Easton - Her “Striking It Rich.com” book which I read around the same time. I had been trying to get an internet business off the ground, based around matching up unsigned artists in the music industry (where my husband and I had worked) with managers looking for artist to read. Jaclyn’s book was all about 23 little known websites that make more than $1 million per year and essentially many of the business models were membership sites. This inspired me so much I ended up presenting my business plan at the VERY SECOND the dot com bubble exploded, at the fancy Atlantic Bar & Grill in London, to a bunch of Venture Capitalists, during a fire alarm. Which fire alarm bell started and stopped randomly, so I was alternatively shouting into the void, or totally inaudible!

4. Thomas Leonard - founder of the Coaching movement, and Coach U, which was my online college, and then Coachville. Thomas wrote the first coaching book “The Portable Coach”, which I highly recommend still and he used email, mailing lists, research & development groups, autoresponders and everything we use today pretty much. I’ve been using the ShoppingCart he recommended, since 1999, to host my double opt in email list, handle my product inventory, automatically follow up with prospects and customers, deliver digital information products, offer both timed and % off vouchers, split test headlines and pricing via AdTrackers… Thomas was very inspirational and ahead of his time, however, he died very unexpectedly and tragically, having overcome many of his personal demons, in 2003.

5. Guy Levine - going to my first ever coaching convention, in Las Vegas, to see Thomas in action live, led me to meet Chris Barrow (my new business coach) and Guy Levine, his friend and internet marketing advisor. Guy blew me away – he was only about 19 – but one of the brightest people I’ve met. He knew way more than me about internet marketing and shared his ideas and techniques very generously. Guy has gone on to build a successful SEO / AdWords / PR company based in Manchester, have two babies with wife Martine and buy two helicopters which he flies himself to speaking gigs in. He’s a great speaker too! If he wasn’t so much fun you would HAVE to hate him!

6. Brett McFall - after getting to know Guy, Steve Watson, Paul & Philly Fuggle and I were invited to go along and support him when he was speaking at the first World Internet Summit to happen in the UK, in Wembley. There the co-host was Alan Forrest Smith who, while not one of my Digital Marketing gurus on this list, has also been incredibly influential in my life. I resolved, while standing in the audience at that first event, to speak on the stage next year. And I did, thanks to Alan, in fact I went on to speak twice for them, the only British woman to be asked to do so. I became great friends with Brett McFall, one of the co-founders of WIS as it’s now universally known, and he’s a very inspirational guy. He’s a very kind and genuine man who has helped me a lot with my speaking and promoting my business from the stage particularly. He came to Brighton just before one of our Money Gym events that he co-hosted and while we were recording videos there, we captured a very funny video of him being rained on and also being a bit upstaged by a seagull which never fails to make me laugh and remember a great day out.

7. Frank Kern - I was listening to one of Brett’s audio interviews around this same time and was particularly taken with a couple of guys who had a simple but dynamite system called “The UnderAchiever Method”. Those guys turned out to be Frank Kern and Ed Dale and they had invented a neat little system involving driving traffic to a page where you asked one question “What One Thing Do You Want To Know About……X? where X is your chosen niche. The answers were collated and compiled so you could see what most people wanted to know about, and which were the most popular 1 word, 2 word and 3 word phrases people were using. Then you went and created the product (usually an ebook, perhaps written by a ghostwriter, covering the most popular questions) and then you sold it back to your new mailing list. Most people gave the initial product away as an incentive to answer the questions and this also brought testimonials, so it was all good. Then the new traffic was sold the product along with real testimonials and using the language of the niche. Very clever stuff. I believe they sold their mini-publishing empire of niche information product pages to a UK publisher for a very large sum of money, in the end.

That was the first time I really realised the value of a specialist, niche market, responsive mailing list of buyers. Both Frank and Ed have gone on to become incredibly successful in their separate businesses, in Franks case not without a few setbacks! He is heavily involved with many huge IM product launches. Frank’s online style is laconic, casual and very, very persuasive. Now Frank get’s some stick for perhaps being too persuasive but I just love his style and watching his live gig recordings is just hilarious – so rock ‘n’ roll – I really want to see him live one day. Ed Dale went on to found the highly successful “30 Day Challenge” which walks new internet marketers through a free program (Ed makes his money on the affiliate products he recommends in that free program).

8. Rich Schefren - around 2006 a new internet marketing guru exploded on the scene, except he was a real life business guru who was moving into the internet marketing world, having sold his last business. Having coached many of the big names such as Jim Edwards, Mike Filsaime and many others, he then released his ground breaking report “The Internet Marketing Manifesto” swiftly followed by the “Missing Chapter” and “Final Chapter” reports. Rich blew my mind because he taught a load of solid business techniques that I had NEVER come across before, in an easy to understand and digest way, capturing the attention and admiration of the ADD troubled internet marketing community at the same time. I went on join both his “Business Growth System” and “Guided Profits System” mentoring programmes – which are fantastic by the way – and my company started to grow swiftly as a result. Do yourself a favour and download the reports – they are not just about IM but about entrepreneurship – you won’t regret it.

9. Gary Vaynerchuk - well, what do you say about Gary? I bloomin’ love him. I first heard him on an audio interview Rich Schefren did for his mentoring students and Gary was just starting to rise to World Wine Domination! Hey, that’s a great catch phrase! You can find Gary at WineLibrary.tv and all over YouTube and Ustream – he’s the MASTER of online video. Enthusiastic, passionate, straight talking, unconventional, Gary believes in HARD WORK, that you can simply “Crush It!” in the title of his first book, if you care about what you do, care about your readers, listeners, subscribers and customers and if you show you care at all times. According to Gary, smaller companies have NEVER had a better chance to dominate their competition.

10. Yaro Starak - I can’t remember where I first came across Yaro and his Entrepreneurs Journey blog but I knew instantly he was the real deal. I have subsequently gone back and read pretty much every one one of his blog posts from Day One because I was fascinated in how he grew from a kid selling students Dissertation Editing Services to becoming one of the most respected bloggers in the world. He’s got an interesting background and talks very openly about that, and his various challenges – both work and personal – and I love that about him. It’s not just how to get traffic, it’s how to be a better entrepreneur. Yaro’s got loads of great free reports – one called the Blog Profits Blueprint and he’s very strong on Membership Sites too, both of which reports you really ought to read if you want to learn more about blogging for your business. He also recommends great people, like Gideon Shalwick who has got the most gentle, enjoyable video presence I’ve come across for a while. I recommend both Yaro and Gideon very highly.

There they are – the Top 10 Business & Internet Marketing Gurus of the last 12 years or so. For me anyway. I hope you enjoyed the article and you check out some of the reports and books and then PUT THEM INTO ACTION!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicola_Cairncross

The greatest struggle any busy person has is effectively managing their time. The two most widely known methods of time management are Francesco Cirillo’s ‘The Pomodoro Technique’ and Pierre Kawand’s ‘The Results Curve’.

Both methods recommend that you write a to-do list down with pen and paper. This will take up far less time than opening up and creating a spreadsheet or a task list on a PDA. While the basic methods are essentially the same, the means to the end in both methods are vastly different. The Pomodoro Technique and The Results Curve differ in the amount of details written for each task, how you plan out your day, and how each task is going to be completed.

With the Pomodoro Technique, you write out a task list at the beginning of each day. Your task list is a simple chart listing everything that needs to be completed that day, and an estimation of how long it will take to complete them. When the day is over and all your tasks are completed, you record how much time each one actually took you. This will prove to be very useful in future planning.

During any work day, things always find a way of coming up that need your attention. For this reason, there is a section of the chart for unplanned and urgent activities. When something comes up while you’re in the middle of another task, you write it down on the chart, and continue with the task at hand. Once you’ve finished, you can revisit the urgent activity, and complete it before moving on. This can be added to your daily activity or be done during a short break.

The Results Curve is the other effective time management method, however the way you construct your day is far different. With this method, you have what are called “Micro-Plans” for each given work session. This is a drawn out and conclusive step-by-step plan of how to carry out the task for this work session. If you become aware of any new activity that you need to complete to accomplish this task, you simply add it to your plan.

Both are extremely effective time management methods, and with their differences, it will be easy to decide which method works best for you. If you’re more of a big picture type of person, the Pomodoro Technique is absolutely for you. If you like to complete tasks one at a time, without the stress of a sweeping list of things you need to accomplish, then the Results Curve is probably going to work best for you.

If you’re looking for even more ways to make your work day more efficient, the Scrubly duplicate contact remover tool is fantastic. Using this tool you can scan your Outlook, Mac, Gmail, or Google Apps for duplicate contacts and remove them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_U_Smith

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Martini

With that as backdrop, Alexander Kuzmin, the mayor of Megion, a Siberian oil town with a population of 54,000, not too long ago ordered his bureaucrats to stop using expressions such as “I don’t know” and “I can’t.” If they refuse, they will be hearing a different phrase: “Find another job.” In a world of customer service representatives who would rather point fingers than solve problems, you’ve just got to love this guy!

Kuzmin banned these and 25 other expressions as a way to make his administration more efficient.Some of the other prohibited phrases are “It’s not my job,” “It’s impossible,” “I’m having lunch,” and “There is no money.” To reinforce the prohibition, a framed list of the banned expressions hangs on the wall next to his office.

“Before,” says one staff member, “It was so easy to say ‘I don’t know.’ Now before reporting to the mayor we prepare several proposals on how the problem can be solved.”

Isn’t that something? By being forced to avoid certain words, people accomplish more – or at least come up with alternatives.

When you analyze it, it makes great sense. After all, we think in words. Sure, we’re creative sorts; but the process by which we translate those flashes of intuitive brilliance into action is via the internal conversation ever present in our minds. The repetition of that exchange, over years, shapes our view of ourselves, how we react to outside events, and therefore the actions that become our lives. If one wants to permanently change the construction of his life, he must start with the building blocks: those internal words, thoughts.

Take for example the common belief, “I can’t lose weight.” If you, like, are forever fighting gaining weight, try this: Instead of saying “I can’t lose weight,” say out loud with conviction, “I can lose weight. I just don’t want to go through all the work it will take.” You will notice – virtually immediately – an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside you. Why? Words, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are bound together tighter than a psychological Gordian knot. Disconnecting them is impossible.

I create my beliefs; I do so to make my life run smoother. If I repeat, “I can’t” enough times, I am absolved of the responsibility of trying, leaving time for other “more realistic” pursuits. If I change “I can’t” to, “I won’t,” I am forced – at least in my internal dialogue – to justify my motives, which can sometimes feel rather “messy.” It’s much easier to sidestep the responsibility; after all I’m already very busy.

When I say something different, I feel something different. Different emotions elicit different thoughts. New actions come from such untried thoughts. Life is the result of actions.

Say something different. Repeat often. Watch for new results.

Scott “Q” Marcus is a THINspirational speaker, Recovering Perfectionist, Syndicated Columnist, and the founder of ThisTimeIMeanIt.com, a site for people who are tired of making promises to themselves but are willing to do what it takes to actually makes changes. In addition, he conducts speeches, workshops, and presentations throughout the country on how to achieve goals, improve attitude, and enjoy the process. You can contact him for speaking, coaching or consulting, or you can sign up for his free ezine, “This Time I Mean It” at http://www.scottqmarcus.com or at his blog at http://www.ThisTimeIMeanIt.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Marcus

Michael Neill

October  1st – and I will be  Creating the Impossible: Transforming your world in 30 days! with  Michael Neill.   The criteria for joining the challenge is to have a goal that I currently believe is impossible, or at the very least  a less than 50% chance of success.

So what is my goal  .. .. well I need to get really clear on what this is going to be, I know it is going to be an income goal and it will have to revolve around what I want to do with my life.. rather than what everyone thinks I should be doing.  Been there and done all the compromising around that.. and it has not even got me close to achieving what I arrived in the world to do.

This is going to be a fun and productive October !

“Ready for a Time Management Tune-up?”

Summer’s fun has come to an end, and for many of us, the kids are back in school. Fall is a precious time to buckle down and get some real work done with your business before the holidays are here. You may feel busy at every moment, but at the end of the day are you pleased with your results?

“It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.” -Mary O’Connor

Perhaps it’s time for a time management tune-up. Here are some strategies to get you started:

1. Organize. If the clutter in your office and on your desk bothers you, spend some time getting it organized. A clear workspace will free your mind and rid yourself of distractions.

2. Prioritize. If all of your “gotta-dos” are swimming around in your head making you feel anxious, write them down on a list. You’ll feel better as soon as you do. Next, prioritize the list into:

a. Urgent – things you must do that affect your bottom line, such as preparing for a client meeting

b. Important – should-dos, such as doing your invoices to keep the cash flow coming in

c. Can wait – still need getting done, but you have some time, such as renewing your web domain before it expires

Sometimes you’ll have competing urgent tasks, and you’ll be torn over which one takes precedence. When that happens, follow the money–which item will affect your business’s income the most. That should reveal a clear winner, and if it doesn’t, quickly compare one to another, and do first the one that you select the most often.

3. Delegate. Ideally you’ll want to delegate your “important” and “can wait” tasks to your assistant, if you have one. Feel the relief already? Now you can focus on those urgent tasks that you identified with greater focus. By handing off the less urgent to-dos to someone else, you have prevented them from becoming “drop everything and do it” emergencies later.

4. Plan. Don’t let your email inbox schedule your day. Instead, take control of your agenda and determine what you want and need to get done before you get started. Use your online calendar to gently remind yourself of your pre-planned activities. Schedule your most taxing tasks for when you are most alert for greatest productivity. If you’re best in the morning, do your toughest tasks then, and save your afternoons for coffee meetings with clients.

5. Cushion. People who are always late don’t seem to know how long things take, and it’s always longer than we think. For example, you know an event is at 3pm, and it is only 1pm, so you have plenty of time. But when you add up how long it takes to shower, do hair, make-up, press your blouse, and drive in traffic, you might realize that you are already late before you started.

Try working backwards from the time you want to arrive at a function, preferably a little early to network, and subtract out the time it takes to put yourself together. Add some “cushion time” so that you’ll be relaxed when you arrive. Remember to add this padding to your calendar or online scheduler so you won’t box yourself into an impossible situation.

6. Protect. Zealously protect your calendar. People will want pieces of you throughout the day zapping your energy and time. You owe it to yourself and to others who have scheduled time with you to protect your time. “No” can be a difficult word to say, but you’ll find it can be liberating.

7. Focus. Remove your distracters to get something important done well in a short amount of time. You know what they are, and they can be addictive: cellphone, email, Facebook, etc. Just turn them off for an hour or two to be really productive. You’ll be amazed and how much you can get done!

After putting these strategies into action, be sure to schedule in a reward for yourself for being so diligent and purposeful. Like the bee, you’ll be praised, but be sure and treat yourself to some honey as well.

“Self-made millionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500-ranked CEO Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. She was named one of 2010’s Enterprising Women of the Year and was recently included in the Ernst & Young 2010 Class of Entrepreneurial Winning Women. She was ranked on Forbes.com as the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Get her FREE weekly articles and advice at www.AliBrown.com“

by Bluesduke