Newsletter Format

A Word on Personal Development:

Parenting

I've been thinking a lot recently about my role as a father and I want to share two distinct thoughts with each of you my friends.

First, I'm amazed at how often I justify the way I'm acting because I'm the adult. I yell at the kids when they don't obey or listen and while I know that yelling is not ok I am quick to self-justify with thoughts about how I'm the parent and I "need" to act that way sometimes. In reflecting we all know that isn't true. Most of the things we justify doing because we are the parent, are just wrong. We need to act and react the same way we expect our children to act and react. Self-justification ultimately becomes hypocrisy. 

Second, I also have been pondering at my fatherhood complacency. When our first child is born we are filled with a warm feeling that fills us with hope, innocence, and a deep desire to protect and love that child. In those first moments we make heavy commitments about how good of fathers we are going to be and how we are going to help that child grow into a perfect person fully prepared to take on the world. Over time however, complacency sets in. One day you don’t go from being an awesome and patient father to having a short temper and no compassion for feelings. It happens a little bit at a time, day after day, month after month. One day we lose patience and the next day it is easier to lose patience because we are all professional self-justifiers. We work hard to convince ourselves that our actions, no matter how slightly or grossly past the line of acceptable, are in fact justifiable based on the circumstances. Think back on the feeling you had when you became a dad. Think of the vision you had about how your child was going to grow and to learn. Imagine in your mind the conversations that you dreamed of having with your child. Remember those things and choose to re-commit to being the father you said you would be.

Financial Tip

Opportunities to invest abound. There are endless places where you can put your money and expect a return on your investment. Home improvements, retirement accounts, investment property, business interests, etc. How do you begin to diversify your portfolio?

There are three pillars of wealth. As pillars, they only build a strong foundation if you build all three together. The three pillars are: Paper, Real Estate, and Business. Paper refers to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Investing into "the market" gives you strong diversity and gives you flexibility over your investment strategy given your goals. Real Estate always appreciates because the earth isn't getting any larger and the population isn't getting any smaller. Investing in Real Estate will always strengthen your position. Businesses act as an investment and often can be your strongest cash flow asset. Build your own business or invest into businesses that can pay you immediate and ongoing cash flow.

Online Marketing

Three Rookie Mistakes of Online Marketing

Failure to Leverage Email

According to a report recently released by eMarketer, email marketing is the single highest ROI marketing medium at all levels of business. This is most likely because email marketing is so inexpensive and still drives strong engagement from subscribers. If your business doesn't have a strategy to capture email addresses and engage them with valuable content and offers you are failing. (Our preferred email tool: MyEmailProgram)

If I Build It They Will Come

Marketing is about building a sales funnel with the highest chance of strong conversion and profitability as possible. Ultimately, the business that can afford to spend the most on advertising will also win the game. Your ability to spend on advertising is linked with the profitability of your sales funnel. Regardless if you are a blog, book group, plumber, or realtor you need to consider how to build a funnel that allows you the ability to spend on customer acquisition at a level higher than your competitors. Avoid thinking that if you just build a great product the customers will come. They won't.

Sales Pages Don't Work 

At some point in the last five years you have clicked on an advertisement online that took you to a sales page. Sales pages are generally very long and long winded and end with an add to cart button. They include testimonials and all the reasons you should buy the product. A lot of marketers find themselves personally put off by that kind of in the face overly dragged out offer. You may not like it but it works. Consider how you can build your own sales pages to drive greater conversion rates on your products and offers. (Checkout this sales page about building sales pages on WordPress :).

The Best Book I've Read Recently

I read this book last year as part of my book group. Each chapter of the book considers a myth about creativity. The chapter explains what people believe to be true, why it isn't true, and what is the truth about creativity relative to that myth. 

An example would be the myth of "Eureka." The concept that sometimes great ideas just pop into our head out of nowhere. Another myth is the concept that when you have a great idea it is yours and you are the origin of the idea. Spoiler Alert: NOT TRUE.

I loved the book because I think there is a lot of pressure among all business people and marketers to be creative and come up with creative and new ideas. The author is scientific about his process without dragging out each concept for the sake of making a longer book. Consise, informative, and actionable like all great books!

>>Buy it on Amazon

I believe that everyone has what it takes. I believe that brilliance, joy, and prosperity, lie within every man and woman. I believe that when taught, all of us can release this inner producer and create greater value for all those around us. I believe that in that transfer of value we all become more wealthy.

Jacob S Paulsen 

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