Time For Another Change
Change Is Good
About a year ago I mentioned I was taking a day job on, or as my friend Mark Thompson calls it “going rogue”. Well the day job has ended and I am back at my desk, shorts , T shirt and no shoes. The last year has been good, it has been nice to work with others (mostly) and I can honestly say I have learned a lot from them.
In fact I am busy writing a report on the things I have learned this last year and what I think is ahead for us all. It was going to be a blog post but since it is already at 20 pages, with no images and no editing I decided that I should make it into a PDF and give it away to anyone who is interested.
So What Now Paul?
I am covering a lot of my thoughts for the way ahead in the report I am writing (hope to have it ready late this week) but I will share some of it here. The guy I worked for has actually set me up with some good leads for local SEO work, so I already have a couple of meetings lined up. I am also getting back to working on my software programs.
Relaunch My Software
I have got various pieces of sofwtare that have been released (and selling) for years, well the time has come to shine them up a bit and reach out some more and find more affiliates. They all still sell but I know they could sell more. If you are in the IM niche and have a list let me know and we may even be able to work out a discount for your members or subscribers
Comment Hut
This is a big one I think, it has great potential. I have been singing the praises of blog commenting as a way to build links for years. In fact Comment Hut has been around since 2007 and it is still a great tool for finding blogs to comment on. This is one tool that has not received the attention it deserves and I am hoping to change that. It has been reprogrammed using adobe air so it works on macs and PC’s.
Blog commenting is one of the things that has been discussed on many SEO blogs as a way to build link diversity and drive real traffic to your sites. If you are not already leaving REAL COMMENTS on blogs relevant to your niche why not?
http://commenthut.com/
More Blog Posts and Interviews
I am lucky enough to actually know some smart cookies and I am hoping I will be able to get them to talk to me on Skype and share info with me. I want to talk to people with different ways of making money. People who love SEO, and people who hate it, people who love making niche sites and others who love to make products.
The best thing about working online is the multitudes of ways you can make money. My wife made $25 this morning from one post on Facebook. Not a fortune, but it woke her up to some new potential income sources. That is what I want to talk about, the diversity that is all around us.
Hopefully now I will have more time to spare so I will be able to spend more time on here. So go sign up so you can be notified of each and every post I make
Write Books
Yes I know everyone is talking about Kindle books right now, and I have been reading as much as everyone else about them. I do not think it is a quick path to riches and if anyone tells you it is, well I would say you should worry. There is a lot of work involved but so far it is actually fun. I am finding writing out short stories about funny things that have happened to me in America is a lot easier than trying to write about bar stools/dishwashers.
I am also working on a sci fi novel and that is the most fun writing I have done in years. They may never make me a million, and it is work to write 20k words , but they are more fun for me (at the moment) than working on niche sites on subjects I care nothing for. I joined a off line writers group and they are a nice bunch of people, nothing is too much trouble as far as I can tell.
Sell Shovels
Everyone should offer a service, it helps bring in some cashflow and you make great contacts. Some of my closest online friends are people who I met when I sold them something or helped them with something.
Get A Job
Having just had one finish it may seem weird that I would want another job but I really liked working with people. Ideally I want one that is part time and one that doesn’t care if I wear a t shirt or not. I may go totally weird and get a job in Home Depot or somewhere just to be totally different. Sitting alone at home working away does not suit everyone, some level of human interaction actually helps me get more done when I am working.
Ok that is enough for this post, Please share the post around the net and let me know your thoughts on the year ahead. Have you had enough of working online, sick of IM, niche sites driving you nuts?
What is going on with you guys?
Thought-provoking post, Paul! My ~50 years of adulthood have been split between being self-employed and other-employed, mostly the latter. The years have also been split between failure and success, with most of the success coming when I was other-employed.
Now I find myself where age, health, and inclination make self-employment seem to be the only option. So I continue to hack away at this and that, seeking to produce a service or product that others will value.
Lane Lester recently posted..How To Temper A Passion For Perfection
I imagine you must have some good stories of both working for yourself and working for someone else. I am not sure which one is easier or more secure. They both definitely have their own challenges.
It is all a learning exercise that’s for sure.
Thanks for the post. It’s a nice break from other IM professionals who would never discuss an idea such as working with others in a real setting.
Simon
I loved working with others (not sure they always loved trying to work out what I was saying with my English Accent) mostly. IM can be a lonely business and it is easy to sit around and second guess yourself (and google).
Today I went to lunch with a fellow local SEO and that was good. Always fun to bounce some ideas around and discuss the crazy state of affairs with link building right now. If you can find some like minded local individuals then it is a good thing to do.
I am hoping to have the report on my last year and my thoughts on IM for the next year ready this week so keep an eye out for that.
Great post Paul. In a similar situation myself so nice to read your optimistic post. Inspired me!
Daniel Honey recently posted..Is social media paying its way for your company?
Just now catching up to this post and your recent activities Paul. I’m anxious to see your report, as I’ve spent the past few months trying to take the 30,000 foot view of IM and where online marketing is going.
It seems as if a schism is starting to appear – or at least enlarge. One side is digging in to build more authoritative, purely content driven sites, vs. the other side, which is also digging in and building even greater numbers of thin sites at a frightening pace in order to sell them and move on.
The disparity between the two sides is only going to create even greater confusion for newbies stepping in to the abyss, trying to figure out which way to go.
This scenario has made my personal path much clearer – to the point that I’ll be committing to IM full time again in January 2013.
I’m curious to see if you’re sensing something similar, or if you see something entirely different.
-Mike
Mike Long recently posted..Deep vs. Wide – Why The Experts Are Wrong
Hi Mike
I have just sent you the report, not sure it answers what you want it to but I hope you enjoy it.
I do feel sorry for newbies as I am seeing some terrible advice being given all over the shop. It doesnt have to be bad advice, if people would think and tweak a bit.
Anyway let me know what you think of the report
Paul