"You Don't Have to Build an Empire"
By Jim Daniels

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I know exactly that person feels. I was in their shoes about a decade ago and had the same goals. I didn't have any grand visions. I was just getting tired of the job I had and wanted to find a way to make some money working for myself. That's all.

Boy, that sounds pretty boring eh?

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to have a grand vision either. Sure, if you are the type who likes to think big, and you draw motivation from it, then dream away. Set lofty goals. But if you're like many folks who have modest goals, that's a good enough starting point.

You never know where you'll end up once you get started. But you do have to get started. And that's the secret to reaching even a modest goal... get started. Today. Right now.

Here's a step-by-step list of what I'd do if I were starting from scratch today...

1. Decide what niche I want to work in (something I enjoy or find interesting and also something with related products or services I can either create or sell as an affiliate.)

2. Get a domain and put up a professional looking website, optimized for Google of course.

3. Add an irresistible giveaway at my site and and an opt-in form where people can request it. (Upon their request they'd also see a special offer, or one-time offer so I could make some easy sales.)

4. Add a follow-up sequence of emails so that every person who downloads my giveaway gets an email every few days for a period of at least a few months. This series of emails would be a mix of helpful content and recommended products and services, via affiliate links. Every recommendation would fit nicely within my niche of course.

5. Publish a newsletter every other week with more content for my subscribers.

6. Submit articles to goarticles.com and other article directories with my URL in the footer (signature) of each article.

7.Create a product or service of my own for the niche I chose.

8. Build credibility and website traffic by using social marketing tools such as MySpace Groups, FacecBook Groups, Google Groups, Yahoo Groups and more.

9. Invite other sites and newsletter publishing in my niche to promote my product/service at 50% commissions and reciprocate their efforts to my list.

I know, that's quite a list. But you don't have to do it all at once. Once task every couple weeks is fine, you just have to get started!

Now I'll give you a real, working example.

Let's say you are someone who likes to do arts and crafts. Many people would assume the best way to make money would be to sell their arts and crafts online. While you could go that route, your income would be capped at a certain level. After all, you can only make so many projects a day. 

A better way to go about profiting from your hobby online is to help others who have the same interest. Here's a condensed version of that formula above, that will take you from scratch to profit in a month or so.

Step 1: Create a giveaway item.

Put together a quick ebook, guide or manual that solves a  problem that people in your niche have. It does not have to be anything big, just something helpful and with good value. Here's a video that shows you how to create a PDF ebook for free.


Step 2: Set up an attractive Squeeze Page.

This is where you will give away the basic product you created in step one above. That's right, you're going to give it away for free. Your squeeze page should be short and to the point. Tell your visitors how they're about to solve their problem quickly and easily.


Step 3: Set up a One-Time-Offer page.

When people sign up at your squeeze page they should immediately be taken to a one-time offer page. The page can offer them a special deal on something you created for that niche. For example, you could offer an expanded version of the guide they just requested. Or maybe a related product. If you have not created anything of your own just yet, the page can send people to an affiliate product you personally recommend. (If they buy, you earn a commission.)


Step 4: Setup a follow-up email sequence.

I know, this sounds like a lot of work, but you only have to do it once. You just write the messages, plug them into an autoresponder service such as Aweber and then everyone who downloads you giveaway gets regular follow up emails from you. The messages help them with other questions they may have in your niche. They also get occasional recommendations for related products and services.

One you have these four steps completed, all you need is traffic. After this quick message I'll show you how to get that for free.

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OK, so you set up your squeeze page with an irresistible giveaway, an opt-in form and a great one-time offer. You have a follow-up emails ready to go out like clockwork. Now all you need is some quality traffic.

Step 5: Start getting website traffic.

While many marketers will tell you to head over to Google Adwords and buy traffic, I do NOT recommend that. There is a decent size learning curve to get traffic from Adwords without spending a lot of money.

Remember, you're in this to make money, not spend money. So you should focus on getting traffic for free. Here's how...

Start spending some time hanging out with other people who have a passion for your niche. You'll find them posting questions, comments, feedback, replies and more at all of these popular places...

Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, Myspace Groups, FaceBook Groups.

This is where your action is. When you get there, don't start posting right away. And don't start splashing your squeeze page address all over the place. You have to be subtle in these group settings or you'll be labeled a spammer.

Instead, read lots of posts and get a feel for what people need and want. Then help a few people by posting an intelligent response to a question or two. You want to be a credible source when you start to mention your site, eventually. First you need to build trust slowly by posting relevant info regularly.

Once you've built a bit of a reputation, you can start to mention your website address and the help you have there.

I realize this strategy will take a little time, but you may be surprised at how well it really works. And it's 100% free!

Once your traffic is flowing and your list is growing, you can take the next step and invite other sites and newsletter publishers in your niche to promote your product/service.

Even if you pay them commissions as high as 50%, you'll add quite a bit on income to your bottom line. You can and should also reciprocate their efforts, but sending a promotion to your list, for their product or service.

There. You have a plan. It's a proven plan that works in just about any niche. Just watch this customer of mine explain how he did it. He built a nice business around this very plan.

I realize it takes some work, and that's precisely why most people never implement that plan. It's human nature to want easy money, not money that takes time and effort. But once you understand that you WILL be earning easy money once you do that work, you may decide to try it.

You have the plan, now all that's left for you to do is get started. Whether you want to build an empire or simply supplement your household income, you have to start somewhere. Why not take this  proven plan and run with it.

If you think you may need help getting it all set up, come to my new coaching site.

See ya in a few weeks...
Jim Daniels
JDD Publishing Co.