Growing Pains June 10, 2011 | Posted in Guest Blogs by SBIers | Leave a Comment

Guest Blogs by SBIers

By Ashley Cotter-Cairns from Python-Printable-Games.com

In my five years as an SBI! business owner, many things have changed. Most of them are for the better!

For one thing, I am no longer a "website owner." I believe getting your brain around the concept of being a business person, not a website owner, is a huge hurdle that many entrepreneurs (including SBIers) never manage to leap over.

There are pros and cons of growing an online business. I now have ten websites/businesses (though I always keep saying I ought to thin out my portfolio), and as you would expect, there are growing pains with developing and managing so many different projects. (Note: When I use the term "site" or "website" in this post, think "business.")

As a SiteSell Services Specialist contracted to build web business sites for SiteSell clients, I now have even more balls in the air, often constructing several client sites simultaneously. Being professional when the pressure gets intense is critical.

Here are the pros and cons of expanding beyond a single website, with some pitfalls you should all aim to avoid.

How To Turn Your Online Business Into a Community April 28, 2011 | Posted in Guest Blogs by SBIers | Leave a Comment

Guest Blogs by SBIers

By Rena Klingenberg from jewelrybusinesstips.com

A few years ago I came across two words that changed my view of my online business....

At the time, I was reading my visitors' feedback at the end of an article on one of my websites. One of the comments mentioned "Rena's community." What? I had a community? When did that happen?

Suddenly my entire perception of my websites shifted. I didn't have just subscribers, visitors, and commenters. Instead, I had a true community... people who were the heart and soul of my online business... folks who...

• subscribe to my newsletter and RSS feeds
• visit my sites regularly
• read nearly everything I publish
• post comments on my individual web pages
• submit their content and photos to my sites
• purchase my info-products
• link to and promote my websites
• interact with each other on my website pages.

Over the years, these people have indeed become a lovely community of kindred spirits revolving around my websites.

As soon as I grasped this new vision of "community," I began to revamp all of my sites into better social gathering places where people in my niche come to share, learn, connect, and inspire each other. You can do the same...

How Do You React to Change? April 10, 2011 | Posted in Guest Blogs by SBIers | Leave a Comment

Guest Blogs by SBIers

By Richard Gorham from Leadership-Tools.com

Too often we hear people complain when they are forced to change from "the way it's always been". The excuses are plentiful and easily anticipated, usually coming from the same group of nay-sayers.

This type of reaction is not surprising because most human beings, when faced with change, experience a heightened degree of discomfort. Their discomfort leads to fear and anxiety as they ponder the potential for future conflict or failure.

Consequently, most people prefer to remain within their 'comfort zone'. They shackle themselves with lower expectations and will do almost anything to avoid change from affecting them.

And then there are the ultra-successful minority (measured by overall happiness) who understand the many benefits of change, and who more fully appreciate why getting, and living outside their comfort zone is so deeply important.

Are You Missing the 8th "P" of Marketing? February 23, 2011 | Posted in Guest Blogs by SBIers | Leave a Comment

Guest Blogs by SBIers

By Erwin Steneker from customerservicepoint.com

When I was a student of business economics, one of the first things I learned about marketing was the 4 P's of the marketing mix. Coined in 1953 by Neil Borden, the marketing mix talked about 4 instruments or ingredients (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) that a marketer could "mix 'n match."

While the 4 P's made a lot of sense to me, the concept still seemed incomplete, and not quite on the mark. Sure enough, at a later date, the marketing mix expanded to include 3 more P's... People, Process and Physical Evidence.

Many business owners I know focused on those 7 P's, building a marketing mix in ways that made sense to them. Some outcomes were wildly successful, while others were abysmal failures.

What happened to the latter group? Why did a particular marketing mix fly and not the next one? What essential ingredient was missing in the formula?