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Monday, 3 September 2018

Proven Ways to Get Your First 1,000 Email Subscribers

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I believe a successful blog has to start building an email list because this is the only way to generate enormous traffic and loyalty. However, because of the vast competition available online, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of a successful email campaign and customer retention. For example, you have so much competition that there is NO shortage of options for visitors. Next, visitors have been online for so long that they don’t just opt into any email newsletter because you have to prove yourself before getting started. Over the years, I have worked with many people within my niche, and have learned a lot along the way. For example, I have learned:


  • What makes a successful blog

  • How to increase email subscribers

  • How to build momentum quickly by offering value

  • Landing page optimization skills

  • Planning ahead

  • And the bonus secret to your success

Today, I’d like to go over some proven methods of how to reach your first 1,000 subscribers quickly. These are proven ways that I use with my clients all the time. They work well because you are providing value by writing in-depth content, but also doing enormous testing a lot the way. This all translates into a solid blog that NOT only has loyal readers, but also a high conversion rate. Let’s get started by exploring the “4” MOST important factors of building your first 1,000 email subscribers quickly.



Let’s jump right in…


A Solid Piece of Content


This is the MOST important factor when building engagement and loyalty online. There is NO shortage of content available online so people have enormous options when they are skimming. You have to stand out compared to your competition, which is why I encourage everyone to write high value content all the time. Not to mention, after the recent Google update, you have to pay closer attention to quality because you’re going to have a hard time ranking if you can’t provide value to your readers. It’s funny because Google understands the user search pattern and they know that visitors are more likely to leave if they don’t find value right away. With that said, let’s look at what defines content as valuable.


Research


It all starts with research and I have always put emphasis on this part because it provides much more knowledge (you’ll learn this later). By doing appropriate research, you are finding out what your visitors are looking for within your niche. You can then cater content to their needs, which will resonate going forward. However, you have to know how to do research the right way so you find trending topics that are popular at that specific time. Keep in mind, technology changes quickly so there is NO point in writing about something that won’t resonate well with your readers. For example,



Forums are amazing because they provide in-depth resources in real-time. At any given time, you’ll have 1,000-2,000 people online who are all posting Q&A’s. This means you can find enormous information quickly, and can compile a solid list of keywords, questions, and even some answers to incorporate into your content. Social media is another cool place to find trending content because popular blogging sites are always sharing what’s new online. If you know how to search the right #hashtags, you can generate a solid list of popular content.


Structure: You have to make sure your content is structured because people don’t want to read words that are cluttered together. I would recommend keeping paragraphs no more than 5-6 sentences, making sure the line height is between 20-21px. It’s important to separate each paragraph with headings so things look well-spaced out, not to mention, many bloggers like to use images to help split things up when they feel their content is becoming way too cluttered.


Competition: One way to find out how to structure your content or get solid ideas is by visiting your competitor’s blogs. They have been around longer, which means they understand the industry more in-depth than you do. Head over to Google and type in “niche keyword + top blogs”, and start skimming through the top 4-5 because they can provide enormous tending content for you. It’s important to note what they are writing about and take some cool ideas from them. For example, if they have no images, videos, or even infographics then consider adding them within your content going forward.


Once you have done your research, you can start to put everything together. I recommend taking your time, and spreading out your content writing so you don’t get tired. I’ve noticed a tired writer will produce lower quality content, which will effect overall engagement.


Optimized Landing Page


Landing pages are awesome for immediate conversions if utilized the right way. For example, through your landing page, you can get opt-ins, conversions, earn a profit, and continue to remarket to your readers over several months. Each opt-in will increase the chance of you converting the subscriber into profits. Even though this should NOT be your main objective, it’s nice to know you do have options when you need them…right? The question now is: What makes a solid landing page?


There are a few things I suggest you use going forward to convert your reader. These are not hard to implement, but do take time to test until you reach your optimal conversion rate. Let’s take a look at some of them right now…


Provide a Relevant Offer: Sometimes, when you have valuable content, it might NOT be enough to convert the visitor so you can always offer a discount or special offer. This will entice the visitor to opt-into your form, which will increase overall conversion rates.


Colors: Always make colors attract, but NOT too bright because this can be tough on the visitor’s eyes. When they don’t like the look and feel of your page, they’ll simply leave. This means you’ll lose an opt-in opportunity and the visitor might NOT come back.


Relevancy: It’s important to make sure you have a landing page that is relevant to your content and/or website. I have been on so many sites where the landing page has nothing to do with the content. I have never opted into a form when this happens because the landing page doesn’t appeal to me. This is why I have always encouraged relevance throughout the content and on the website itself.


Always Split Test: I am surprised by the amount of people who refuse to split test their landing pages. Each visitor should be treated separately, which means if you don’t get them to opt-in, you should find out why. You should always split test until optimal conversion rates have been achieved. You never know how many people you are missing out on if you don’t keep track and optimize your landing pages. This might be hard in the beginning, but I promise will get easier as time goes on and you learn what’s important. Next,


We are in a time where you have so many new tools available to you so it’s important to make sure you use all the tools you can. This will help collect the data more quickly and allow you to implement the changes to your pages almost right away.


Find Solid Traffic Sources


I always encourage my clients to have 3-4 solid traffic sources so they can find out what’s working and what’s not. Generating leads and finding out how well your site is performing can only be accomplished when you have enough traffic flowing to your website. However, you have so many available options, you should have no problem as long as you have done your research beforehand. For example, I always recommend these 3-4 because they have high levels of engagement.


Forums: You can find relevant forums for almost every niche. Do a quick search in Google and start actively answering questions in a few of them. Add a link to your website within your signature so people can visit your site going forward.


Social Media: Amazing for niche relevant traffic, however, you need to know what #hashtags to use within your headlines. You also want to test what headlines and post types do well in attracting the right types of people. You’ll find images might perform better than others. Also, give other social media platforms a try because you never know where you’ll find an abundance of solid people who love your content and niche.


Competitor blogs: These are awesome because they are relevant and you have the ability to post comments. Many bloggers will allow you to add a link before submitting a comment, which can lead to some serious traffic. I recommend doing the following:


  • Read the content

  • Provide an in-depth comment

  • Add a link before submitting to relevant content on your blog.

This will just help attract more people to your blog who will NOT only love your comment but also find your blog useful. It’s amazing how many people I have attracted to my blog using this strategy.


Knowledge is King


Every influential blogger will tell you the same thing. With knowledge, you can provide readers with the type of information they are looking for. This means people will rely on your knowledge to help them succeed and there is NO better way to build loyalty than this. When people trust you, they’ll be more than happy to follow your every word, which is important to build that on-going momentum and growth. Conversions also occur through trust and authority because every product you recommend will MOST likely be purchased by your readership. However, keep a few things in mind:


First, it’s important to always be genuine in your approach because trust is hard to gain, but very easy to lose. Secondly, only recommend the best products to your readers and I like to do this by writing reviews on the ones I’ve used personally to get where I am today. Third, always keep researching the new trends within your industry. For example, it’s hard to stay on top when the niche is changing around you. The good news is you have so many tools that will provide you with the MOST up-to-date information.


  • Google Trends – Amazing to find trending keywords and phrases that are becoming popular overtime.

  • Forums – Amazing because they are constantly in motion and new questions about your niche are popping up all the time. A great way to attract new readers and build momentum.

  • Books and magazines – Some niches have magazines that will introduce new concepts to you, which you can use to increase your knowledge. You can then use the same knowledge to introduce new topics to your readership.

  • Other blogs – The one thing great about online blogging is there is no shortage of information. Sometimes, when you need a boost of knowledge, you can always rely on your competition to provide you with what’s missing. Much of the information I get sometimes is from those who have been in the industry longer than I have, and this has truly turned out to be amazing.

Final Thoughts


It’s very important that you stay focused on the end goal, which is to increase email subscribers. I can guarantee you if you follow the information above, you will have an easier time converting visitors into loyal followers. It’s all about trial and error, and the above has been tested numerous times with amazing results. However, you have to be careful how you implement the strategy. From the beginning, you should pay close attention to quality because as mentioned, trust is hard to gain, but very easy to lose.


Here’s what I recommend you start doing almost immediately.


  • Start by reading through the content, making sure you have noted down the MOST important points.

  • Go through each one, writing out a game plan so it will be much easier for you to follow going forward.

  • Start implement each of the strategies I have discussed above. For example, perform research the right way. Start visiting competitor blogs, writing down the content ideas that have been creating a buzz.

  • Create your landing page, but also do some research, looking for tools that can help you create these pages more quickly. This will allow you to split test each of them, finding one that has been proven to convert well. It’s important you find the right CTR, which, in the end, will help you reach your bottom line quickly.

  • Increase your knowledge by finding out where MOST of your niche’s information is available. You will be looking for the MOST up-to-date trending information. Visit:
    • Blogs

    • Magazines

    • Forums

    • Communities


  • It’s time to rinse and recycle each time you are putting a new campaign into place. The first time might be tough because you are new to this strategy, but I promise it will become easier each time you go through the process.

Click Here To Download John Chow’s New eBook, The Ultimate Online Profit Model!



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How to Manage Stress, Anxiety and Burnout

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2 min read






This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes




Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time in the day? I know I do. 

To make our dreams a reality, it takes years of consistency. It doesn’t happen magically because we think about it.

But when that consistency piles up into anxiety, burnout and overwhelm -- we have to manage it so that it doesn’t rob us from our joy and happiness.

I want to give you a solution to set yourself up so you don’t collapse from exhaustion. Believe it or not, there’s a lot of little tricks you can do to really help that won’t side track your day. For example, make your bed in the mornings.

You spend about one third of your life in bed. Taking an extra couple of minutes to make your bed will subconsciously show that you respect yourself. It also gives your mind a moment to think of something else, like a forced meditation that can allow your mind a moment to reset and let go of any other distractions in your life.

In this episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about a number of key lessons I’ve learned over the years to manage anxiety, burnout and overwhelm.

It’s important to enjoy the ride and appreciate the challenge -- otherwise, what is it all for?  

Find out how you can be a more present, joyful and kind person in Episode 685.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher RadioGoogle Play or TuneIn.







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The Best Language for Non-Tech Founders to Code Their Own Web App

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Python offers plenty of user support.





4 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







As a startup, it can be challenging to decide which programming language to use. Considering the plethora of options, it is important that you consider the future scalability and integration of the language you use. You’ll also want to conduct some market research.

The goal is to focus on a language that will allow for growth, based on your potential prospects. Although each project differs in terms of its requirements, it is important to become familiar with Python -- especially if you’re building your own startup.

Related: 5 Open Source Libraries to Aid in Your Machine Learning Endeavors 

Although Java, C++, JavaScript and Ruby are all common coding languages, Python is quickly growing in popularity. Built for its readability, it is easy to quickly learn and understand Python. From web applications to machine learning, this well-structured language can support your startup in the following ways.

1. Python is user-friendly.

Although often used as a high-level programming language, Python is also ideal for beginner programmers as it will teach you the fundamentals of programming. Fairly straightforward and simplistic, Python is also much cleaner and readable in comparison to other coding languages.

By learning Python, you will be able to transition more easily to Java programming in the future. Overall, Python’s clear syntax and indentation structures are ideal for startups. Although most startups go the route of hiring Python developers, understanding at least the basic principles of coding will allow them to be more hands-on in terms of the project itself.

2. Python is scalable.

Currently, Python is leading scientific programming, supporting a wide range of academic scholars. However, this was not always the case, as scientists and engineers often relied on MATLAB. Being so valuable within research, many experts agree that Python is the future of AI.

Related: The Scariest Thing About AI Is the Competitive Disadvantage of Being Slow to Adapt

Overall, Python is flexible and fast, offering machine learning functionality. If you are interested in doing anything within computer science research or software engineering, learning Python is a must. After all, Python can be used for the most simplistic programs but can also be utilized for much more complex operations.

3. Python offers strong support.

One of the greatest perks associated with Python is the impressive community of global professionals who are available in terms of support. As Python grows in popularity, so do the number of quality resources. Whether you need to resolve a technical issue or find a specific resolution, Python support is readily available.

With unlimited resources, you will be able to stay on-trend while effectively overcoming any obstacles you face. This level of support can help you quickly improve your understanding of code, strengthening the overall development of your project.

4. Python is ideal for creating prototypes.

When it comes to startups, one of the most valued resources outside of money is, of course, time. Python allows you to develop something of value quickly and if changes are required, this language allows you to easily change direction. You can also add new features or even rewrite your prototype in another language down the road.

Overall, Python allows you to develop a proof of concept. That way, you can see if your business idea will work out, potentially saving you a lot of future time and hassle. Also, since a prototype can be developed so quickly, this will allow you to more easily seek funding.

Related: Are You Sitting on Top of a Million-Dollar Idea?

When it all boils down, you have to move fast when you're a startup. To strike while the iron is hot, Python can help you transition from idea to implementation much more rapidly than say Java or C++. So, if you’re open to learning a programming language while building your startup, Python is the perfect starting point.

As you expand your knowledge and experience, you should invest in a small team to assist your efforts in terms of the initial prototype. The more you learn about coding language, the more involved you’ll become. After all, no one understands your concept better than you do, so get involved.







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Sunday, 2 September 2018

Membership Website Model - High Paying Affiliate Programs

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Membership Websites 


As an internet marketer you have several different income-producing models to choose from. One of the very best ways to make passive money online is the membership website model.


Why is it so good?


Because you sell one time but bill over and over again. As long as you keep your paying members happy they’ll continue to stick with you month after month.


Advantages Of Membership Sites


  1. Passive Income: The membership model produces a reliable and recurring income stream which you can depend on month after month.

  2. Re-Use Existing Content: You don’t necessarily have to create new content for your membership sites. You can just repackage or re-structure your existing content to make it easily digestible.

  3. Social Media Impact: A membership site is essentially a private community which ties in nicely with social media platforms. Once your membership site is live you can use social media to network and quickly find new paying members.

  4. Demonstrate Your Expertise: Since they’re basically subscribing to ‘you’ and your ideas it gives you the freedom to show them who you really are and prove your expertise in your niche. You can also save your most valuable information for your membership clients to keep them coming back for more. 

How To Start Your Own Membership Site


Up until now, that’s been the hard part. But that’s now changed since the release of the newly created JVZoo Member platform: 




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The 6 Best Ways Leaders Can Inspire Their Teams (Infographic)

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Being an inspirational leader takes empathy, centeredness and clarity.





2 min read









One of the most effective traits of a leader is their ability to inspire and motivate a team. As a leader, you have to lead by example and the tone you set will resonate with the rest of your employees.

Related: What's the Secret to Becoming a Leader? Stop Being a Boss.

So what’s the best way to inspire your team? For starters, show your team that you care just as much about them individually as you do about the business. That means asking questions about their personal lives and getting to know them outside of the office. Lead with both your heart and head, thinking equally about your employees and the business, and balancing empathy with management. Not only that, but you should continuously find ways to support the professional development of your employees, listen and learn to what they have to say and value the input of each and every member.

Related: 5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership, No Matter Your Style

Having trouble effectively inspiring and leading your team? Don’t worry, according to science, leadership is something that can be learned. In fact, only 24 percent of leadership skills are genetic, and the remaining 76 percent are learned. Overall, the top trait of inspirational leaders is centeredness, meaning the ability to stay calm under stress, empathize, listen carefully and remain present. After centeredness comes clarity, balance and self-awareness.

To learn more about inspirational leadership, check out InitiativeOne’s infographic below.







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How to Beat Stress and Be a Happier Person

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To manage your stress, here are some tips to help.





2 min read






This story originally appeared on Personal Branding Blog




Many things in your life can cause your stress levels to increase. Unexpected events at work or in your personal life make changes in your body, and when your body tries to make these adjustments, stress happens. Unfortunately, stress has many side effects such as upset stomach, headache, exhaustion, sleeping problems and many more. Although some stress is necessary in your life to stay alert, you need to keep your stress levels low in order to prevent health issues. To manage your stress, here are some tips to help. 

Related: How to Overcome Challenges at Work

1. Talk about your problems

Don’t keep your problems to yourself. If you endure in silence and try to suppress your problems, then you can become mentally exhausted. Talking about your problems with others can make you calm down and see everything from a different point of view. Other people may have different perspectives on issues, which perhaps you never thought of before, so you can be enlightened by new solutions. 

Related: How to Make Your Customers Feel Valued

2. Get moving

Exercise or go outside and spend some quality time with your friends and family. Being outside will help you refresh your body and mind to help you feel much more relaxed. When you do an activity outside, your creativity levels increase plus you give yourself a second to breathe. In addition, finding a hobby that you can do outside with other people is a great way to push away stress and boost happiness.

Related: The 4 Most Common Workplace Worries and How to Overcome Them 

3. Take control of your life

Oftentimes, we find ourselves working long hours, however you need to take a break every once in a while and do something for yourself. Whether you go on a vacation, change your work style or even change your job completely, you need to take control of your life and lower your stress levels in order to maintain your health. Also, try to get rid of the negative factors and negative people in your life. That's an obvious way to bring more positivity to your life and ultimately, boost happiness.







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I'll Let You In on a Secret About New Technology: Everyone Has an Agenda

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It's easy to get caught up in the benefits of new tech, but be cognizant of "techlash" and try to foresee the negatives. If you can, you'll be much more prepared to take on technology and wield it for good.





6 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







It’s no secret that there are some interesting and ground-breaking technologies emerging, but it can be difficult to wade through all the hype to get to the heart of what matters. These technologies receive a lot of attention. Some of it is deserved, but much of it is hype that gets blown out of proportion.

Consider the fact that since the creation of blockchain, more than 2,000 cryptocurrencies have been created, each purporting to be unique and different. Blockchain itself will remove lots of friction in transactions, contracts and identity verification, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the world needs 2,000 different currencies.

Artificial intelligence is another exciting technology that will improve efficiency and productivity in many industries. All the same, intelligent people are wasting their time on AI use cases that improve shopping experiences or social media influencer marketing. The timeline of adoption is also quite a bit longer than anticipated. According to the 2018 Interop ITX AI "State of AI: Hype or Substance" survey, only 12 percent of technology professionals surveyed are currently using AI in production.

So where does the hype come from? People who discuss new technologies tend to do so from a specific angle, and if you trace their narrative back far enough, you can usually figure out their incentives.

Related: 5 Innovative Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Advancing Technology

Appearance vs. reality

When you read about a new technology, it’s important to keep in mind the fact that everyone has an agenda. Businesses introduce new tech with the goal of selling it to you, scientists produce research with the aim of attracting funding or winning a Nobel prize, and politicians use technology to push their own interests, whether it’s supporting their main constituency or scaring a competitor’s.

The point is that there’s always an ulterior motive just beneath the surface.

Technology can create amazing opportunities, but it also frequently brings certain risks. When scientists tapped into nuclear fission in the 20th century, the result produced nuclear power -- but also nuclear bombs. Facebook and other social media platforms bring people together in many ways -- but they can also be used to sow hatred and manipulate others.

Regardless of your position on either of these examples, it’s clear that adopting new technologies will always require careful thought. Before your business takes the leap, ask yourself the following questions:

Related: The 5 Motivations That Drive People to Choose Entrepreneurship

1. Is the timing right?

Emerging technologies create opportunities for entrepreneurs, but there’s often an introductory period that’s longer than expected. Early adopters can frequently stand to benefit the most, but there’s also a price to pay to be one of the first users of new technology, including a learning curve and the inconveniences caused by bugs or glitches.

Even established tech companies aren’t immune to changing attitudes. Brands such as Google and Facebook that were previously lauded are now facing increasing scrutiny over the amount of power they wield. Earlier this year, Facebook faced backlash after it admitted that Cambridge Analytica had acquired about 50 million users' personal information without their consent. The incident led to discussions around how much power we should allow tech companies over our personal data, and many Facebook users decided to delete their accounts as a result of the scandal.

The term “techlash” has even been created to describe this type of backlash, and in many ways, it’s standard with the introduction of new technologies. Media and consumers are initially excited, and then time reveals challenges and side effects that were initially obscured by hype.

Related: Read Mark Zuckerberg's Full Statement on Facebook's Data Scandal

2. How will the tech affect your industry?

New technologies frequently create competition, and in some cases, they can even disrupt an entire industry. Even when new tech seems especially promising, however, it must still face off against the resources of existing giants -- and tech startups must fight an uphill battle, to say the least.

With a value of nearly $2.5 trillion combined, Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon are in their own playing field. Even startups such as Snap worth billions of dollars find it hard to compete with the big boys in the tech industry, and the giant brands will almost always have more resources to make the most of new technology.

It’s also important to consider how the technology will affect your individual company. New technology can elevate customer expectations in a way that you must prepare for. Will there be new ways for you to interact with your customers? Will customers demand new things from you based on this technology? Will this technology provide new ways of organizing work (such as, for example, how laptops and smartphones made it possible for employees to work remotely)?

3. How will the tech affect society?

It’s important to gauge how new technologies will impact society from an individual level and a collective one. While technology is typically considered to contribute broadly to economic growth, it can also exacerbate inequality issues, and there are losers just as certainly as there are winners.

Workers in some industries are already feeling the pain. Barnes & Noble, for example, conducted a round of layoffs earlier this year as a result of declining sales, partly due to increased competition as companies such as Amazon are cornering the book market. And Amazon’s new Amazon Go store that boasts no checkout registers and no lines has the potential to change the way we shop forever, but it also threatens to lead to layoffs among retail workers.

New technologies represent an exciting opportunity, but there’s more to them that frequently gets obscured by media, business and consumer hype. If you’re considering adopting a new technology, remember the above points and ask yourself some tough questions. It’s easy to get caught up in the benefits, but be cognizant of techlash and try to foresee the negatives. If you can, you’ll be much more prepared to take on technology and wield it for good.







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The Hemp Business Is Booming (Infographic)

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Looking for a new business idea? Take a look at the hemp industry.





2 min read









As recreational and medical marijuana slowly becomes legal in states across the country, the business of hemp is also booming. In 2017, $820 million worth of legal hemp products were sold in the United States alone. Given this number, it’s clear that there’s a demand for hemp and businesses are popping up everywhere to serve it.

Related: Need a Business Idea? Here are 55

Just last year, hemp was grown in 19 states, covering nearly 26,000 acres of land, 1,456 licenses were issued to grow hemp and 32 U.S. universities were conducting hemp-related research. People are using hemp in CBD products, personal care items and even food because it provides a number of health benefits. In food, hemp can help with digestion, reduce risk of heart disease, improve skin conditions including acne and eczema and reduce menstrual symptoms in women.

Related: How This Investor Blazed a Path to Success in the Cannabis Industry

While hemp might seem like a new phenomenon, its history dates back to the 1600s when growing hemp was encouraged for use in sails, ropes and clothing. However, in the 1900s, hemp was frowned upon by the government: in 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act banned hemp and marijuana cultivation. Yet, it wasn’t before long that industries realized the crop's benefits: In the 1940s, the government launched its “Hemp for Victory” program encouraging farmers to grow hemp to contribute to the war efforts and to be used in ropes, parachutes and other necessities. However, after the war, the laws went back to banning hemp. But in 2014 the U.S. Farm Bill was passed, allowing people to cultivate hemp as long as they registered and received a license.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Are Essential in the Cannabis Industry Business

Today, like marijuana, hemp laws vary by state. But with its growing popularity, it's likely hemp will become legal in more states -- and businesses are capitalizing off the opportunity. To learn more, check out Popular CBD Brand’s infographic below.

Hemp-oil







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How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Your Health and Productivity

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For a healthy, happy office, artificial intelligence can be like a supportive big brother -- not just Big Brother.





8 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







An unhealthy, dangerous or otherwise toxic workspace is known to deter workers from innovation and damage a company’s reputation. Entrepreneurs have a responsibility to ensure that working environments keep employees safe, satisfied and positive so they can remain productive and innovative on the job.

With the focus on workplace health management programs, along with the emergence of AI technologies, it’s crucial to understand how these disruptive tools will affect the health -- mental, social and physical -- of workers across various sectors.

AI is promising to change the way workplaces operate, but will it be a force for good or disrupt workplace culture in negative ways? With the expectation that AI will create a $190.6 billion market by 2025, it could be a tool used to provide healthier, more productive, and accessible work environments for all employees.

From hazardous to healthy

Toxic work environments, whether physically or mentally toxic, can take a toll on workers’ well-being and productivity. It’s estimated that companies lose up to $300 billion annually because of absentee workers with high stress levels, according to the American Institute of Stress.

Surveys and workplace trends have pointed to the fact that emerging technologies, like AI, can play a significant role over the next several years and beyond. For example, they can effectively adopt meditative practices into the workplace, employee support, and improvements to communication to name a few. Strategic health-focused strategies can align employees’ well-being and the company’s mission, vision, and core values.

Companies are beginning to implement more health initiatives to retain employees and revenue. Surveys and research including a 2017 study from the American Psychological Association Center found that 61 percent of working Americans experience chronic work-related stress.

Related: This Is How to Get Started With AI When the Only Thing You Know Is the Acronym

Well-being technology in the workplace

Already, well-being technology is upending the way workplaces run. A series of workplace innovations are integrated with workforce monitoring, trackers, digital platforms, and occupational health and safety technologies. Cloud platforms integrate an organization’s wellness programming into the company’s digital infrastructure, all while capturing data that engages with employees across the business, and actively communicating information with them. Platforms, trackers and workforce monitoring tools are interconnected via wearable or app-based activity tracking devices and, with the help of AI, they’re about to get even better. Emotional well-being technology is also on the rise in workplaces. Apps like Ginger.io provide emotional counseling with the help of AI pattern recognition platforms.

These device capture employee information through employee input or an automated tracker, but some e-health companies now offer metrics and action plans on combined outputs with real-time advice and guidance through big data and machine learning. Companies like Glint use AI and natural language processing to capture and analyze qualitative data from various sources.

According to a report on The Future of Technology in Workplace Wellbeing from Uprise founder Dr. Jay Spence, early evidence suggests that tech is acceptable and positively affects outcomes in the workplace.

However, companies still have a long way to go to make technology an enabler of office health. A recent Colliers study has found that only 26 percent of companies subsidize the cost of fitness-tracking tools to support employee health and fitness such as Fitbit trackers, but this number is expected to increase significantly by 2020.

In other areas, for example, AI-enabled wearable tools imbued with machine learning algorithms and natural language processing can help identify workers who struggle with productivity or happiness in the office with the following approaches:

Cognitive insights

AI metrics can also identify patterns, referred to as cognitive insights. They can accurately process large troves of highly detailed employee data, while improving upon their predictive analytics for work behaviors and patterns as time goes on. Types of machine learning, deep learning specifically, can attempt to mimic human brain activity to recognize these patterns, even identifying images and speech. It configures higher probable matches in behavior amongst data associated with the same person or company, even if it’s in different formats.

For example, GE has utilized this tool to incorporate supplier data, saving $80 million with the elimination of redundancies and negotiating contracts as part of an employee business task. Overall, cognitive insights can target its insights for job performance when paired with wellness technology to identify behavior speech patterns and modes or working that are either unhealthy or dangerous to others.

Related: Think Twice About a Company When You Keep Hearing These 4 AI Buzzwords

Cognitive engagements

The Harvard Business Review also reports that companies surveyed in their study report using cognitive engagements to interact with employees even more so than with customers. Cognitive engagement provides employees with:

  • Intelligent agents that can answer questions and provide support in an employee’s natural language
  • Internal sites for answering employee questions on topics including IT, employee benefits, and HR policy
  • Personalized and engaging communications between higher-ups and other employees
  • Health treatment recommendation systems that allow companies to create customized care plans that considers the patients’ health status of workers and their previous treatments (which still remain confidential to the employer)

Workplace relationships

In terms of HR and employee relationships, AI can help provide smoother insights to create cohesive and innovative team dynamics. HR pros and CEOs, for instance, can use Etch, an AI-led contact manager that provides insights to identify the progress, roles, and projects for each employee through a data-filtered system. A unified database can be searched and filtered to offer intelligent information on an entrepreneur’s contacts and employees.

AI can also track and assess how well team members collaborate with each other. Humanyze, a startup, provides smart ID badges that track employees throughout the office, reporting data to employers on how well employees interact and collaborate during the day. Overall, AI can help increase the predictive power used in team collaboration and innovation. Although this may sound a bit intrusive, employers have been monitoring employees habits on their work computers since computers became popular. Besides, employees often passively consent to workplace surveillance when they sign their contracts.

With AI insights, employees and HR can build more trusting and smoother relationships that allow for improved transparency and innovation in the workplace, offering a healthier work culture.

Related: What Is AI, Anyway? Know Your Stuff With This Go-To Guide.

Office design

In addition to workplace relationships and wearable tech, AI can also help improve physical and mental health through office design. Buildings that take advantage of AI provide an opportunity to personalize and create spaces that feel open and limitless for better productivity, transparency and safety.

For example, research finds that the human mind’s need to connect to nature increases productivity by 15 percent. But how does AI help? 

AI can assess mood through personalized, input data or emotional well-being technology to determine if employees should need physical or environmental stimuli. Automated sensors systems built into offices could adjust the natural lighting of the building throughout the day.

AI can even remember to water plants. Autonomous internal watering systems like the Arudino Powered Watering System can give offices control over keeping their sustainable environments. And since the biophilic craze has become part of modern office design, Gensler’s Office Workplace Productivity survey suggests that including technology like AI is an essential tool to help workers determine how they’re working in these spaces with real-time data and updates advising when they need to move into different workspaces or take a break.

When it comes to safety, AI can also monitor and recognize movements and speech patterns that are considered dangerous or hazardous to employee safety. If there is an emergency, devices like Orion Lab’s Panic Bot will automatically notify teammates of emergencies or hazards. Benevolent intelligence software from the likes of One Concern can map an environment like a city or office so first responders know how to assess a natural disaster or emergency situation.

A healthy employee is a happy employee and with AI’s assistance and the workplace could become a solutions-driven environment that brings together the best qualities of each worker. A study conducted by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated found that four out of five surveyed employees think there is a significant opportunity for AI to create more engaging and empowering workspaces and experiences. While some may be unsure about AI’s place in the workplace, ultimately, it will be a tool used to reshape the way workers feel, operate, and produce quality work. AI could finally help us like work again.







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How Progressive Web Apps Could Change the Mobile Landscape

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Make a website that runs like a mobile app.





4 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







In the world of mobile commerce, every second counts. Even the slightest delay can cost your site conversions and your business money. With Google now seriously homing in on site speed as a ranking factor, the adoption of progressive web apps (PWAs) is looking more attractive to any website operator/business owner, and especially to those running ecommerce sites.

For those unaccustomed to the advantages of PWAs -- or even what they look like -- the easiest way to define them is a website modeling the features, user interface and user experience an app. This includes mimicking the layout, home screen icon, push buttons and notifications you would usually associate with an app, but all operating from your browser, and offering the same usability on mobile as on desktop.

They are also significantly easier to build compared to native apps, as they don't rely on complex coding: They can be built using the same code as your site and work the same way across iOS and Android phones.

Here are some more of the advantages of using a PWA over a native app for your business.

Related: A Step-by-Step Guide To Building Your First Mobile App

Push notifications

One of the biggest advantages of PWAs is they can offer your customers push notifications, alerting them to new products, sales and updates. The benefits of getting your message and products/services immediately into the hands of your consumer can't be overstated. The savings on marketing spend alone makes obvious business sense, along with the boost to your branding, keeping your business at the forefront of your market's minds.

Caching

Through the use of a service worker and cache API, PWAs can function offline, meaning your customers don't need a mobile connection to access your site or store. The caching function stores your layout elements and loads them into the browser, significantly increasing load times and decreasing bounce rates, which is -- let's face it -- the death of any conversion opportunity. The faster your visitors and potential customers traverse their way through the purchasing journey, the more likely they are to not just make the purchase but return in the future (more on conversions below).

Related: 15 Useful Tech Tools for Your Business

App market saturation

PWAs serve as an excellent means of rising above the saturated app market. There are approximately 2 million apps available on iPhones and nearing 4 million on Android phones. Among the retail giants stands Amazon, the only retail app among millions within the top 100 downloaded apps. Cutting through those numbers to get on the radar of your customers is a tricky feat, and there is never a guarantee they will download an app for your store. A progressive web app offers the benefit of working across all devices, requiring less upfront cost.

Related: 8 Online Careers You Can Start Today From Home

Increased conversions

There's a lot that can be said for making your customers' purchasing journey as easy as possible, and those businesses that have implemented PWAs have seen the benefits. For example, Best Western River North (in Chicago) saw a 300 percent increase in revenue and 500 percent in bookings compared to the conversion rates of its old website. 

In summation, PWAs are simpler and typically cheaper to build, effortlessly work across the majority of smartphones and browsers, are more likely to be adopted and used by consumers, are faster to load, and lead to increased conversions. It's clear to see these are game-changing benefits with lower risk and investment required. And it's a safe bet that we'll see a substantial rise in businesses adopting them throughout the year and years to come.







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Top 10 Affiliate Networks For 2018

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Affiliate Networks


An affiliate network acts as an intermediary between publishers (affiliate marketers) who sell products and services and the merchants who create those products and services and their affiliate programs.


For merchants, affiliate network services provided often include reporting, tracking, payment and refund processing, affiliate management, and most importantly – access to a large base of publishers (affiliate marketers).


For affiliate marketers, network services include a central database of available affiliate programs organized by category and popularity to choose from, a simple registration platform for those programs, reporting tools, analytics, and payment processing.


While affiliate marketers are generally able to join affiliate networks for free, merchants usually have to pay a fee to participate in the network. Affiliate networks usually charge an initial setup fee for each merchant and often a recurring membership fee. It’s also common practice for affiliate networks to charge merchants a percentage of the commissions paid to affiliates. This percentage is known as an ‘over-ride’ and is payable on top of the affiliates commissions. But make no mistake about it, despite these fees, the benefits to the merchant for joining these networks is well worth the price. Here’s why…


There are several payout models used by affiliate networks including the two primary models: CPS and CPA.


(CPS)Cost-Per-Sale


CPS, also referred to as PPS (Pay Per Sale), is a low-risk, high-profit, revenue-sharing model used by marketers to lure an unlimited number of new customers to their product or service. Cost-Per-Sale pays a set commission to the affiliate marketer who refers a lead that results in a purchase. Marketers love the CPS model since they only pay a commission after they get paid first by the purchasing customer. It’s in essence free marketing and advertising since the affiliate is the one who produces the lead without any up-front cost to them. This is also why CPS payout commission percentages are so high. Incidentally, the CPS model is primarily what we focus on here at highpayingaffiliateprograms.com.


(CPA)Cost-Per-Action


CPA marketing programs pay affiliates when a specific action is taken by the referral or lead. Common actions include clicks, impressions, form submits, sign-ups, registrations, or opt-ins. Since Cost-Per-Action models don’t necessarily involve a direct sale (and involve more risk taking) the payout percentages are far smaller than they are in Cost-Per-Sale.




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How to Drive Concrete Change in a World Where Unequal Pay Is Still the Norm

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For equal pay to become a reality, we need changes at the individual and institutional levels.





6 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







In a perfect world, women make as much as their male peers, instead of the 82 cents on a dollar that they do today. In a fair world, companies set wage amounts based on work done, and don't stray from it based on the negotiation skills of the applicant. Unfortunately, the business world of 2018 is neither perfect, nor fair.

Despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 and, according to the U.S. census, women are earning degrees at a higher rate than men, women are still indisputably paid less. Why? A lot of it comes down to the culture of negotiation.

Related: 'It's Never Too Late' to Become a Bolder, Braver Version of Yourself, Says This C-Suite Executive -- Here Is Her Strategy.

As a CEO, I understand how unequal pay happens. I make what I consider to be a fair offer to a female candidate. She accepts. I move on. A few months later, I'm hiring another candidate -- this time a man -- who insists on a 10 percent increase in pay, as a condition of his hire. I want to hire the candidate and so I accept his conditions. This is a common occurrence across business and, as I pointed out above, very few are fair enough to retroactively increase the salary of employee number one.

For equal pay to become a reality we need two changes: a cultural shift in the way that we teach women to think about negotiation, and a structural shift in the way that companies deal with gender pay gaps internally. Both are critical parts of building a fairer workplace.

Tips to make negotiation more productive -- and more fair

The difference between negotiating with (most) men and (most) women is stark. Without hyperbole, I can say that almost every single man that I've interviewed has demanded higher pay, while I'd guess that about 10 percent of women have done the same. Over decades of hiring applicants, I've consistently found this to be true.

I believe that this basically boils down to differing messages that men and women get over the course of their lives, with men being pushed to be more assertive, and women being taught to avoid conflict. These messages are incredibly harmful, and the first step is education. These are my most important tips for women who are new to negotiating.

1. Negotiation is not conflict. I can't drive this point home enough. Asking for what you consider to be a fair salary is not an attack on your employer. It isn't rude, and it won't be considered an insult. Any smart employer will be prepared to pay up to 10 percent more than its initial offer, because businesses expect new hires to negotiate. Keeping this in mind should help alleviate whatever fear is holding you back from discussing your salary needs.

Related: How Jamie Kern Lima Negotiated a $1.2-Billion Deal for IT Cosmetics

2. Come to the table with data. Another way to strengthen your resolve (as well as your argument) is to do your research in advance. Glassdoor is a great resource for helping you understand what your peers in equivalent roles are making, and even what you might be able to expect from your future employer. It's much more compelling to say "here's the industry average, and here's what I expect" than to simply ask for more.

3. Practice. It's great to get yourself hyped to negotiate but being truly ready to handle a negotiation takes actual practice. Write down the objections you think the hiring manager will have to your salary request, and then document how you will respond. Find a friend or a mentor and practice out loud. We've all had that moment of freezing up, and if you've spent time preparing, the right words will be much easier to find.

4. Decide on your floor in advance and be firm about sticking to it. Trying to evaluate offers in real-time is both stressful and ill-advised. You need to know the minimum that you're willing to accept before you go into the conversation. If you want $60,000, ask for $70,000. If the company offers you $50,000, be completely firm that $60,000 is your minimum.

Regardless of how women think that they "should" feel about negotiation, the reality is that it is a part of the business. Each of us should be conscious of both how we think about negotiation, and how we talk about it. There's a cultural shift that needs to happen, and every employee has a part to play.

Related: 7 Ways Women Leaders Can Win at Negotiating

Building a system that supports equal pay

Individual choices are not enough to drive real change. It is neither fair nor useful to place the onus of achieving equal pay on women sitting in salary. In addition to individuals making changes in negotiation tactics, businesses need to make policies that mandate equal pay for equal roles.

Companies like Salesforce, Adobe and even Starbucks have closed the wage gap and publicly committed to continuing equal pay for equal work. This needs to become an industry norm. Tech companies in particular, which have reputations for innovation and have been so quick to adopt other progressive work-life policies, have no excuse not to do the same.

Another way that businesses can ensure equal pay is through internal reporting that "keep the company honest." New research from the Australian government found that audits that analyze performance pay and report the results to company boards effectively close the gender pay gap.

Whether you're in a leadership position or are just an employee with a voice, pushing for these types of policies is the best thing that you can do to bring us closer to an even employment landscape.

The world isn't perfect or fair, but there are still tangible changes that equality-minded people at every level can make to help change that. My hope is that in the next few years, every woman I interview advocates for her salary needs, and that soon after that she won't need to.







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JVZoo Member Review - High Paying Affiliate Programs

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What Is JVZoo Member?


Like the names implies, JVZoo Member is in all-in-one membership site builder that automates the difficult part of setting up member sites. Not only that, but it also automates the selling process.



Why Membership Sites Are So Lucrative:
  • As long as you keep your members happy they’ll continue to stay in your program can generate reliable passive income each and every month.

  • Membership sites are a great way to get personal referrals from current members who want other people (some that they know) to be a part of the community

  • Happy members who stick around are more likely to purchase other products and services that you recommend because they both like and trust you

  • Since membership sites are password protected, they’re a great way to protect your valuable content from thieves and other varmints looking to rip off and profit on your ideas

  • Membership sites are easy to set up and maintain but only if you invest in the right platform…

…Which Is Why I Love This Product:


For starters, this course is taught by the folks at JVZoo who know how to make money online. In fact, the Zoo is my favorite platform to use among all the vast competition out there.


Plus JVZoo Member is an all-in-one membership builder that will actually automate the selling process for you. More details on that to follow.




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Borrowing Marketing Strategies From Other Industries

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A lot of people are going to try and tell you that there isn’t anything new as far as marketing goes.


For the most part, this is true, at least until some new tech comes out that changes the game.


Why not try tactics that other industries are using? Strategies that work well with general contracting may not work with promoting a Shopify store. Sure. I get that.


But what if some of these ideas could work for your company? Keep reading to know more about what’s going on in my head.


Foodservice


Restaurant marketing is probably a lot different than what you think.


They use coupons and discounts. They have industry nights where if you come in and you work for another restaurant or hotel, you get a discount.


One of the coolest strategies is having your chef do a guest spot somewhere. They go do cooking classes or visit a culinary school, promote the restaurant, and do a little razzle-dazzle with some food.


While you obviously can’t do that for a construction business, why can’t you do something similar? Go give some talks at high schools. Go to local hardware stores, hang out, and answer questions about what you do.


The idea works with pretty much any field, you just need to think outside of the box.


Car Sales


Every car salesman, for whatever reason, wants a spot on TV or radio. Why?


Younger people don’t listen to the radio and don’t watch nearly as much TV as older people. If you want to hit young people where it counts, these folks need to do what other businesses are doing and hit social media.


The problem with selling cars is that for decades, the marketing has been way too “in your face”. If they were to back up and change their approach for the millennial and younger generations, they could flip their marketing game on its head and possibly sell more cars.


Imagine how many more cars he would sell if a salesman was less salesy and instead, provided real value on a blog and on social media, telling readers everything they need to know about dealing with the process of buying a car. Different, right?


The Flip Side


What about SEO? Why aren’t there more ads for it on TV and radio? Not enough people know what it is and how much value it has for businesses.


Why aren’t we getting the word out? Why is it such a big secret to most people?


Every business deserves to have its shot at the title. People like us can make it happen. Instead, we have to explain what we do for an hour while people look at us with blank-face Radio Shack employee stares. It’s awkward.


Conclusion


Everyone. Every business.


We, collectively, as a whole, need to do more to market our businesses.


We need to try new things and see what industries are doing that aren’t related to our own field and see if we can make them successful with our own companies.


It’s worth a shot!



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How to Make the Leap from CEO to Entrepreneur

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Follow these five tips to set yourself up for success on the path to entrepreneurship.





6 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







There are two paths to becoming an entrepreneur. The first is the dream scenario: Have a great idea, set up a company, enjoy instant overnight success and become rich, famous or both.

In reality, the above scenario is very much the exception, not the norm. More commonly, someone decides to set up their own company after gaining experience within a particular industry, using their vantage point to determine what the industry or its customers need that is not currently being provided for.

Related: 12 Steps to Go From Employee to Entrepreneur

This piece is about the second path: becoming an expert in a particular field, usually at an institution or a large corporation, then striking out on your own to offer a better product or service.

During my transition from the CEO of a well-known, established organization to the CEO and founder of a startup asset management firm, I've learned a handful of important lessons:

Build a career and develop experience.

When I started my career in asset management at iShares -- the world's largest provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) -- my main goal was to learn the business and contribute as much as I could. I had no idea that one day I would end up owning my own company.

My best advice would be to gain as much relevant experience as possible to master the industry in which you are interested. Ideally, this will include knowledge and expertise of the three key aspects of any business: product/operations, sales/marketing and management.

After several years with iShares, I left to join a startup ETF provider so I could get closer to the business and use the skills I'd acquired at a large firm to create an impact in a smaller one. After that, I went on to become the CEO of World Gold Trust Services, the sponsor of the largest gold ETF in the world.

One of the main reasons I decided to step away from running the largest commodity fund in the world and set up my own company was that I felt early 2016 marked a turning point for the commodity markets. I thought the bear market that had begun in 2011 was most likely over and that 2016 would be a good time to launch a new business focused on commodities. Not only did I believe the market conditions were right, but I also knew from my many years of experience in the industry that I could launch a better fund at a lower cost than what competitors in the industry were doing. Investors were paying too much for funds that were not performing the way I thought they should. That was the basis for starting GraniteShares.

Related: 7 Signs It's Time to Transition From Employee to Entrepreneur

Learn to properly evaluate and asses risk.

During my career, I've interviewed many outstanding candidates who missed out on the opportunity to join a startup or early stage growth company because they deemed it to be "too risky." In my opinion, the majority of people have a completely irrational view of risk, especially when it comes to their career.

I always find it helpful to ask yourself the simple question: What's the worst that can happen? For the majority of people it simply means that if the startup doesn't work out, they go back to a corporate job or something similar to what they were doing before. Either way, I would argue the experience gained from a startup makes you more marketable to employers.

Raise external capital.

To successfully secure funding to launch your new business, you need to understand that venture capitalists require credibility for you to be "backable." Investors want to see that you have solid experience in the space -- that you have done this before, know what you are doing and are a trusted solution for the problem you are trying to fix.

In my case, I was able to secure financing from a highly recognized and prestigious venture capital firm by presenting a long-term and sustainable business plan. Most financial startups get rejected by venture capitalists because they're not able to clearly articulate a vision for their company. Instead, they fixate on one or two ideas with minimal supportive details. For the entrepreneur looking to make the transition from C-suite to startup, this should be familiar, as you will be very experienced in business planning, financial modeling and running a business.

Related: How to Transition From the Corporate World to Entrepreneurship as a Working Woman

Adapt to new opportunities.

Many people think that starting a business is as simple as putting together a business plan and executing it. In reality, a business plan is just a starting blueprint. Many things can, and will, force you to readjust your strategy and you'll have to adapt quickly to survive. For example, GraniteShares originally planned to launch an ETF focused on master-limited partnerships (MLPs). We thought we had a better tax solution than other competing products on the market and were excited to move forward with this approach. However, we ran into some obstacles along the road and realized that the structure wasn't going to work. Instead of giving up, we adapted our plans and ended up launching an ETF focused on high income pass-through securities instead. How you navigate these changes will ultimately make or break your business.

Hire the right people.

No matter how ambitious you are, you can't go it alone. You need to recruit a team of experienced, competent professionals who share the same vision for your company. This can be difficult when you're starting out, but it's the most important task for an entrepreneur. When you're a small company, culture really matters. When you hire someone who is not a good fit for your culture, it shows quickly and can be toxic for your organization. As an example, I have made the mistake of hiring a candidate where I prioritized experience over attitude. That hire was just the wrong fit for our firm. Someone can look great on paper, but it's not a sufficient method to identify a person with the right attitude who will match the DNA of your company.

Becoming an entrepreneur is a life-changing decision, but one that can reap great rewards -- if you properly prepare. If you find yourself unsatisfied by working at the whim of other people, an entrepreneurial path could be right for you. But, don't expect to have an idea one day and wake up rich the next; entrepreneurial success can only come with a sound knowledge base, good preparation and the right team.







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How To Write High-Performing Affiliate Content

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Writing High-Performing Affiliate Content


Writing quality affiliate marketing content is all about keeping your readers in mind. Tell them what they need to know. Keep your reviews honest, grounded, and practical. It’s okay to make an attention-grabbing title, as long as your content is consistent with the expectations created by the title. Follow these tips to write high-performing affiliate content.


Tell your story


Don’t write about a product you haven’t personally tried. Your affiliate reviews should be based on your personal, first hand experiences, and made up of your own opinions. Your readers are counting on you. They’ve come to trust you, and are expecting you to recommend things because you liked them, not just because you’re getting a nice little profit. If you keep recommending stuff you don’t actually like, or have even tried, people will figure it out, and you’ll lose your credibility. You should be honest, and tell your readers what it is you liked about the product, so they can make an informed decision on whether they should purchase it.


Stay honest


Don’t exaggerate the strengths or deficiencies of a product you review. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. But there’s no reason to be cruel about a product’s shortcomings. You also don’t need to wax poetic about an item you happen to like. An honest, simple review is what your readers want. They’re looking for some reasons to buy or not to buy. “The reasons you give for recommending or not recommending are the most important part of your review. If you’re always either loving things, or hating things, you’re eventually going to start losing some credibility. When you actually award a five star review, it should mean something,” advises Arthur Black, content writer at EliteAssignmentHelp.


Make headlines helpful and eye-grabbing


A high-performing piece of content begins with an attention-grabbing headline. Your headline should make the reader want to know more. But it’s important that not only does your headline bring people in, it should also be an accurate representation of what the user is about to read. People don’t enjoy feeling as if they’ve been tricked into reading your content. You should be creating a sense of trust with your readers, and tricking them with clickbait will not accomplish that. Don’t oversell your content; use your words to bring people in to an interesting and valuable read.


Have a good flow


Your writing should have a good flow and be easy for the reader to follow. If it doesn’t flow well, your readers will lose interest and click away. Make sure your paragraphs aren’t too long. Don’t ramble on, get to your point quickly, and be succinct. Keep the tone of your writing casual, avoid writing in an overly formal manner. Keep your audience in mind and write in a way they can understand. Don’t get too technical and throw a bunch of jargon at them.


Access some online tools to improve your writing


If you want to create high-performing content, then you’ll want to make sure your writing skills are up to the task. Practice your writing, editing, and proofreading skills with these resources.


1) ViaWriting and SimpleGrad – Grammar isn’t anybody’s favorite thing, but it’s part of being a competent writer. These resources will get you up to speed on the rules of grammar.
2) BoomEssays and UKWritings – These are online proofreading tools you can use to ensure the writing in your content is perfect. They make proofreading easy and have been reviewed by Boomessays review.
3) StateofWriting and MyWritingWay – These writing blogs are full of useful posts you can read for information about all things writing. Learn about writing through the experiences of other writers.
4) Essayroo and BigAssignments – These are editing tools that will help you make sure you haven’t missed any mistakes in your copy. AustralianReviewer recommends them.
5) WritingPopulist and AcademAdvisor – Writing is a process that involves many steps. These writing guides help you work your way through the process and produce a quality piece of writing.


Conclusion


To write high-performing content you need to not only keep your reader entertained, but also give them value. Your writing should follow up on any promises made in the title. Nobody likes getting tricked into reading clickbait. Keep your writing grounded and honest, and you’ll build up a loyal reader base.


Photo Credit: Nfoka Flickr via Compfight cc




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Tesla Model 3 Performance at Cars and Coffee

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On this episode of the Dot Com Lifestyle vlog, I head to the San Clemente Outlets to check out the weekly South OC Cars and Coffee. The show featured the new Tesla Model 3 Performance Edition. This is the top of line Tesla Model 3 with dual motors and extra tweaks for the race track. Other cars that stood out included the new Corvette ZR1, a pair of Callaway Corvettes, a bunch of punch buggies, a Ferrari F12, an Aventador Roadster, a turbocharged brick, the world’s smallest minivan, and more. Enjoy!


You can see more Cars and Coffee coverage over at sally Chow’s Intagram channel. Go follow her!



Click Here To Download John Chow’s New eBook, The Ultimate Online Profit Model!



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3 Tricks to Get People to Actually Listen to Your Presentations

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Make sure your audience doesn't tune out what you have to say.





6 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.







Few things conjure up a feeling of dread quite like the anticipation of a lengthy PowerPoint presentation. Professionals spend an average of 40 percent of their workday in meetings, many of which include a presenter painfully reading straight from a slide deck. Seventy-one percent of people report that the meetings they attend are a waste of time. Meeting attendees are so accustomed to this monotonous routine that they come armed with an arsenal of more interesting distractions, most likely on their smartphones, such as text messages, social media and emails.

Related: How to Become a Master Speaker and Presenter

Presentations aren't just about sharing data, statistics and facts. They must be passionate, relatable and entertaining. You must influence the audience to act upon what you have to say. Hosting an audience-engaging presentation takes key techniques, discipline and practice. As challenging as it can be, the reward is far greater when audiences walk away remembering and acting upon what you shared.

Here are three techniques for giving an intriguing presentation:

1. Captivate your audience from the start.

The moment you start talking determines your audience's engagement. Attendees have short attention spans and will quickly check out if they aren't captivated from the start. The trick to a captivating presentation occurs in the setup and lies in these three steps:

Skip the introduction and purpose. Everyone already knows why they are at the meeting. There is no need to introduce yourself or give the reason you're there. It's not the first day of school. We all know who we work with and why we are there.

Open with a story. Keep it short; under a minute. Make sure the story ties directly into the meeting topic and has a beginning, a climax and strong ending point. Sharing a story is a great way to immediately engage your audience, helping them relate to the topic in a personal way.

Tease your audience. Don't just tell them what they will learn; hint at how their lives are going to be better after listening to what you have to say. Let them know something impactful will be shared, which encourages them to stay tuned for what's to come.

Related: What You Need to Assess About Your Audience to Make Your Presentation a Hit

2. Stop talking to your slides.

Presenters quickly lose their audience's attention when they fail to recognize when it's time to stop talking. Successful presentations use a variety of mediums to make their point, such as slides, props and audience participation. If you're going to use supporting materials, learn to use them correctly.

People can't read a slide and listen to you at the same time. When using a slide deck, keep it simple. Use brief bullet points and pictures that tell a story, but refrain from making it a novel. Try not to use more than three bullet points or one image at a time. When you forward to a new slide, don't talk. Be quiet and allow the audience to read the data without your interruption. If you advance to a new slide while speaking, they are going to tune you out to take in what they see. Science has proven that the brain is incapable of consciously listening and reading simultaneously, so let them do one without the other. Be quiet long enough for them to read and understand the slide. Then black out the screen before you start talking. This allows you to reengage without competing for their attention, which is easily achieved with handheld slide clickers and shortcut keys.

Don't let props steal the show. Even if you're trying to train your audience on using a gadget, process, system or device, balance prop interaction with your presentation. Allow the audience to interact and process what they see you do without being distracted by your gabbing. Know when to be quiet, and let them process the visual.

Know your timing. Questions and answers have their place, and it's up to you to decide when that best fits into your presentation. Determine ahead of time if you will allow for questions throughout the presentation or if you want to save questions for the end. If you encourage open questions, engage the audience by inviting them to do so during topic transitions. If they ask, don't interrupt them. Allow them to finish their questions before launching into your answer. Connect with their eyes and listen intently. Their question may encourage others to participate, as well.

Related: 7 Storytelling Structures to Improve Your Presentations (Infographic)

3. Create a memorable takeaway.

The takeaway isn't a summary of what was said but instead is critical for the absolute understanding of the topic. Many presenters take this time to conclude their message by recapping what they've said, which invites listeners to check out. If you're going to engage your audience from the beginning to the very end, the takeaway must be strong and purposeful.

Make it a punchline. A joke would lack purpose without the punchline -- the strong point that summarizes the joke's purpose. When you tease an audience at the beginning of the presentation, the takeaway should be the answer -- the punchline -- to the tease. This is a great time to share an impactful data point that benefits your audience, giving them an "a-ha" moment they won't forget.

End with a story. Consider including stories to bookend your message. If you open with a story, don't hesitate to close with one, as well. This story shouldn't present the problem, but instead should highlight how the listener will benefit from acting on what you shared.

When you implement these ideas, you'll influence your listeners to act upon what you said and what they learned. They will leave believing their time was well spent. Listeners will remember what you said, take action and look forward to your future presentations.







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AMarkets Review - High Paying Affiliate Programs

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There are two separate partnership models to choose from:


1) The Webmasters Model:


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  • Is a great fit for those who would like to refer others to AMarkets

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Webmaster Model Payouts:


AMarkets offers fixed payouts to you in two different ways.


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Done Is Better Than Perfect.

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Jessica Abo shares one productivity lesson that motherhood can teach.





2 min read





Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.





This video is part of a series brought to you by Entrepreneur’s book division, Entrepreneur Press, the publisher of Jessica Abo’s book Unfiltered: How to Be as Happy as You Look On Social Media.

I’ve always loved to work toward something and produce my best work possible. As I went through the design notes for my book, the process required attention to detail. I also was in the thick of motherhood, fashion show planning and finalizing the testimonials for the book. For the first time in my life, I embraced the saying that done is better than perfect. If you have a lot on your plate, I hope you can make peace with letting go a little bit, too.

Related: My Book and Baby Are Due the Same Day! Follow Along on My Journey. Episode 10: Let the Revisions Begin.

Watch more videos from Jessica Abo on her YouTube channel here.

Entrepreneur Network is a premium video network providing entertainment, education and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders. We provide expertise and opportunities to accelerate brand growth and effectively monetize video and audio content distributed across all digital platforms for the business genre.





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