Your Portable Empire E-Book

Pat O'Bryan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 338

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Praise for Your Portable Empire "In a sea of snake oil and get-rich-quick nonsense about fast money on the Internet from people who haven't really done it, O'Bryan's book is a ship of sanity to an island of commonsense e-commerce? This works." --Mark Joyner, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Simple.ology "The Internet has leveled the playing field, making it possible for anybody to start a business. O'Bryan, however, has given us the easy-to-follow instruction manual on how to first discover your niche and then build it into a big enterprise that can run itself from almost anywhere-all from his successful and proven formulas. A great book for anybody serious about a better quality of life." --Joseph Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker Sunglass Corporation "This amazing book can free all working people to make money doing what they truly love!" --Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor and Zero Limits "I know O'Bryan as a friend and colleague. He has painstakingly put together a book, with no frills or fanfare, that straight-up shares his hard-won wisdom. May I urge you to get it and read it? Not only will you enjoy it-but once you act on what you learn, you can profit mightily as well. Why? Because what's in this book lets you stop making the victim's compromise on a daily basis-and start doing the victory dance, whenever you want!" --David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich "O'Bryan lives the portable empire, running his business from a laptop with a cigar and a glass of fine wine. There is no one better to be your guide as you create your own, because he's laid out every step for you in his inspiring and easy-to-read book. There is no need to be chained to a desk or locked in a cubicle, and your business can take you far beyond your kitchen table with the blueprint O'Bryan shares from his own successful journey." --Craig Perrine, www.maverickmarketer.com "Freedom-O'Bryan's new book makes you understand exactly how to obtain it and create the lifestyle of your dreams. Anyone who can go from being a dead-broke musician living in a mobile home to generating six figures in a single month is worth reading." --Bill Hibbler, coauthor of Meet and Grow Rich

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Foreword

PREFACE

Acknowledgments

Epigraph

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

PART ONE - HOW TO

YOUR PLAYGROUND—CHOOSING YOUR NICHE

STEP ONE IS TO CHOOSE YOUR NICHE

BUILDING YOUR LIST

HOW DO YOU BUILD A LIST?

AUTOMATING YOUR EMPIRE

ADWORDS AND ADSENSE—BUYING TRAFFIC

INTERVIEW WITH “MAVERICK MARKETER,” CRAIG PERRINE

EASY TO BE HARD - How to Learn Internet Marketing by (Over)Producing Records

MASTERMIND GROUPS

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR LIST

WHO WOULD WANT TO READ WHAT I WRITE?

HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE?

THE BASICS: INTRODUCTION TO COPYWRITING

THE HEADLINE

BULLET POINTS

SUBHEADS

THE BODY

THE GUARANTEE

THE CLOSE

THE P.S.

INTERVIEW WITH DR. JOE VITALE

PRODUCT CREATION

PRODUCTS YOU MAKE YOURSELF

PRODUCTS ANYBODY CAN SELL

PRODUCTS YOU ACQUIRE THROUGH JOINT-VENTURE AGREEMENTS

PRODUCTS YOU PURCHASE RESALE RIGHTS TO

WHICH FORM?

HOW TO CREATE PRODUCTS

WHAT KIND OF CONTENT WORKS AS AN AUDIO PRODUCT?

THE BASICS: “O’BRYAN’S THEOREM OF INTERNET WEALTH”

BURN RATE

RATE OF RETURN

JOINT VENTURES

YOUR E-BOOK BUSINESS FOR LESS THAN $100

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO START YOUR E-BOOK BUSINESS?

THE SHORT COURSE ON INTERNET MARKETING

DO IT!

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN TO YOU?

GOLD ON THE PLAYGROUND - If It’s Hard, You’re Doing It Wrong

MILLION DOLLAR QUESTIONS

TRANCES, EVIL MAGICIANS—AND THE COUNTER-SPELL

EVIL MAGICIANS

THE COUNTER-SPELL

ZEN AND THE ART OF INTERNET MARKETING

ON THE BACK ROADS WITH A PORTABLE EMPIRE

MARNA’S STORY

PART TWO - MIND-SET OF SUCCESS

YOUR INNER GAME

FEEDING YOURSELF

YOUR MONEY THERMOSTAT

SELF-SABOTAGE SOLUTION

AUTHENTICITY

THE GOLD ZONE

HOW BIG IS YOUR BOX?

“I’D RATHER FAIL BIG THAN LIVE SMALL”

FAILING UP

WHERE GIANTS SLEPT

THE MAGIC OF UN-FRAMING

UN-FRAMING FOR FUN AND PROFIT

WHAT’S NEXT?

FOR THE DREAMERS

THE FUN ZONE

ALL THE SUCCESS YOU CAN STAND

THIN SLICING THROUGH THE INFORMATION OVERLOAD JUNGLE

MAGICAL MARKETING TOUR

“STRAWBERRY FIELDS . . . NOTHING IS REAL . . . STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER”

PORTABLE EMPIRE HEADS WEST

KALI, THE BENEVOLENT DESTROYER

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ONLINE RESOURCES

THE PORTABLE EMPIRE IN SEVEN STEPS

YOUR PORTABLE EMPIRE ONLINE

INDEX

Praise forYour Portable Empire

“In a sea of snake oil and get-rich-quick nonsense about fast money on the Internet from people who haven’t really done it, O’Bryan’s book is a ship of sanity to an island of commonsense e-commerce. This works.”

—Mark Joyner, Wall Street Journalbest-selling author of Simple•ology

“The Internet has leveled the playing field, making it possible for anybody to start a business. O’Bryan, however, has given us the easy-to-follow instruction manual on how to first discover your niche and then build it into a big enterprise that can run itself from almost anywhere—all from his successful and proven formulas. A great book for anybody serious about a better quality of life.”

—Joseph Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker Corporation

“This amazing book can free all working people to make money doing what they truly love!”

—Dr. Joe Vitale, author of TheAttractor Factor and Zero Limits

“I know O’Bryan as a friend and colleague. He has painstakingly put together a book, with no frills or fanfare, that straight-up shares his hard-won wisdom. May I urge you to get it and read it? Not only will you enjoy it—but once you act on what you learn, you can profit mightily as well. Why? Because what’s in this book lets you stop making the victim’s compromise on a daily basis—and start doing the victory dance, whenever you want!”

—David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That MakeYou Rich

“O’Bryan lives the portable empire, running his business from a laptop with a cigar and a glass of fine wine. There is no one better to be your guide as you create your own, because he’s laid out every step for you in his inspiring and easy-to-read book. There is no need to be chained to a desk or locked in a cubicle, and your business can take you far beyond your kitchen table with the blueprint O’Bryan shares from his own successful journey.”

—Craig Perrine, www.maverickmarketer.com

“Freedom—O’Bryan’s new book makes you understand exactly how to obtain it and create the lifestyle of your dreams. Anyone who can go from being a dead-broke musician living in a mobile home to generating six figures in a single month is worth reading.”

—Bill Hibbler, coauthor of Meet and Grow Rich: How toCreate and Operate Your Own“Mastermind” Group for Health,Wealth, and More

Copyright © 2007 by Pat O’Bryan. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico

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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone]. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

O’Bryan, Pat, 1955-

Your portable empire : how to make money anywhere while doing what you love / Pat O’Bryan. p. cm.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-470-13507-5 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. Internet marketing. 2. Electronic commerce. 3. New business enterprises. 4. Self-actualization (Psychology). I. Title.

HF5415.1265.023 2007

658.8’72—dc22

2007013700

To Betsy and Patrick

Question:What’s the difference between a musician and a large pepperoni pizza?

Answer:A pepperoni pizza can feed a family of four.

Question for a guitar player who just won the lottery:What will you do now?

Answer:Aw, probably just play gigs till the money runs out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pat O’Bryan is President of Practical Metaphysics, Inc., an online marketing and consulting firm, and Director of the Milagro Research Institute. He is the author of several Internet marketing books, and has helped hundreds of new entrepreneurs realize their dreams through his Your Portable Empire™ University and UnSeminar training events. An award-winning songwriter and recording artist, Pat has quickly become known not just for his own rapid success, but for his ability to help others achieve similar results. Learn more at www.patobryan.com.

FOREWORD

The Most Dangerous Book

You’re holding the most dangerous book ever written. Dangerous because it shows you how to break free.

Dangerous because companies may try to ban it.

Dangerous because it’s the manual that gets you out of jail and into your own life—a life of freedom where you do what you want, when you want, wherever you want—all while making a good living from wherever you park your seat.

This is not an exaggeration. It’s the truth. If you’re working for someone else, he or she may not want to see you reading this book.

Why?

Because this book is a manual on how to skip surviving and morph into thriving.

I’ve seen Pat O’Bryan, the author of this colorful “get out of jail free” book, go from his own makeshift prison to the freedom he now experiences.

He was once a struggling musician. He toured Europe and has several music CDs out. He was a talented and hardworking guitar slinger.

But he was starving.

And unhappy.

He was working for record labels and concert promoters.

He wanted freedom.

He wanted wealth.

He wanted to name his own terms in his own life.

I saw him learn Internet marketing, carve his own niche, create his own products, and go from zero to 60 in under a year. He now has his own following, his own product line, his own university, his own online membership club, his own nonstop residual income, and more.

He still plays music—sometimes—but when he chooses.

You can do this, too. The formula is here. The method is here. The ideas, tips, techniques, inspiration, and information are here.

All you have to do is read this book and apply what it teaches.

It may be dangerous to your boss, but it may also be your road map to prosperity.

Read, act, and prosper.

Go for it!

—Dr. Joe Vitale Author of The Attractor Factor and The Keywww.mrfire.com

PREFACE

The Most Dangerous Book Ever Written

Welcome to Your Portable Empire, the book. It’s for you.

This book will give you the tools you need to build your own Portable Empire.

What’s a Portable Empire? Your Portable Empire is a system for creating an online business you can run from home, or anywhere else. It’s almost totally automated. You choose your niche, gather your list, build relationships, and solve problems. Then you sell the solutions to your list.

Most people make active income. They work once, they get paid once. The Portable Empire system is based on passive income. You work once, and get paid over and over again.

As I made my transition from “broke blues guitar player,” to “rich Internet marketer,” a lot of people asked me how I did it. Initially, I had no idea.

Eventually, through working with clients in seminars and online coaching forums, a system emerged that can be duplicated and used by anyone to create a profitable online business from just about anywhere.

This book will teach you that system.

Your Portable Empire starts with an idea. Your idea.

This book shows you how to recognize the value of your ideas, and teaches you to package and market those ideas.

You learn how to create an online presence that, with little or no further effort on your part, allows others to trade their money for your information.

In the chapter on list building, you learn how to attract and nurture your customers. In the chapter on copywriting, you’ll be taught by one of the best copywriters in the world how to communicate with them. You see, in the chapter on product creation, how every problem is a product.

The trick is to find a problem that a lot of people have, solve it, and sell them the solution. Then, you automatically direct people who have that problem to your solution. While you sleep, or swim, or play with your children, or write your book, or . . . the point is that you live your life, however you want that to look. The money appears automatically.

Then do it again, until your passive income allows you to live your dreams.

This book teaches you how to do that.

However you define the word “rich,” with the information in this book you can become rich. Rich in money. Rich in freedom. Rich in possibilities.

This book gives you the information; how you use it is up to you.

In the past three years, through seminars, coaching and producing DVDs and audios—and with a whole lot of help from some very talented people—I’ve created the Portable Empire system. I use it myself, and I’ve taught hundreds of people to use it.

I’ve asked some of these talented people to join us. Each of the “how to” chapters contains an interview with an acknowledged expert in the field.

Don’t let the fact that computers are involved in the creation of your Portable Empire scare you. You don’t need to be tech-savvy to do this. Some of the most successful online marketers can’t even put up a web page. If you can hunt and peck on your computer keyboard and answer e-mail, you’re ready.

This is a “how to” book. On the surface, it teaches you how to create your own Portable Empire. You learn how to build a business that you can run from any place you can find Internet access.

• You learn how to build a large list of responsive buyers.

• You learn how to communicate with them.

• You learn how to acquire and create products to sell them.

• You learn how to automate your business so that you can spend your time enjoying your life, while your business continues to pump money into your bank account.

That’s on the surface. If that was all this book could do for you, it would still be very valuable. That’s good information.

However, this book can teach you “how to” do some pretty extraordinary things that go far beyond just building a business.

My working title for this book was The Most Dangerous Book Ever Written . How is this book dangerous? It shifts the balance of power. It puts your destiny in your hands.

Imagine a book that completely reframes the entire management/labor conversation, so that the only people who would take a job would be those who actually loved that job. If a job offered an opportunity for people to grow, thrive, and follow their bliss, then those people would apply for the job.

The people who were applying for jobs just to make money could make money easier with a Portable Empire, and would have no need to take a job they didn’t love. Would that be dangerous?

It would certainly do some interesting things to the demand curve. If the number of applicants for unattractive jobs dropped below the number of people needed for those jobs, something would have to be done to make the jobs attractive.

This will be great for the people who want those jobs. It would also be great for the people who can find some higher purpose for their lives than doing a job they don’t love. Almost everybody wins.

It was Joseph Campbell who said, “Follow your bliss.”

Actually, the whole quote is, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one that you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”

Of course, Joseph Campbell spent the economic depression of the 1930s reading. He found the depression boring. Quite a guy.

Imagine a book that would show you how to make money easily and effortlessly, so that you could take advantage of your brief time on this spinning globe to follow your bliss—wherever it leads.

Just think of the choices—the things you do and don’t do—because of money. Now think of the things you will and won’t do once money isn’t a factor in your decision.

Big difference?

• If you’re an artist, the kind of art you make will change significantly for the better if you don’t have to keep the market in mind, for example.

• If you’re a parent, your parenting choices can reflect what’s best for you and your children—and your partner or spouse—instead of what you have to do to make a living.

• I’m a songwriter, and I can sure tell the difference when I’m writing a song for public consumption as opposed to when I’m writing a song because I’m a songwriter and I love to write songs.

Speaking of songs, Johnny Paycheck had one called “Take This Job and Shove It.”

Imagine a book that would give you the knowledge you need to never have to work at a job again. Would you sing a verse or two of that song to your boss? Does that make this book dangerous? I hope so.

I first got really interested in Internet marketing when I realized that it was the vehicle I could use to just take the subject of money off the table, when it came to deciding what I was going to do in my life.

For the first 48 years of my life, my decisions were dictated by money. My life was limited by the fact that I didn’t have much money, or any way to acquire significant amounts of it.

As musicians go, I was fairly successful. More than 90 percent of the people who call themselves musicians have to do something else to make money. They make music when they can.

I was a full-time musician. I had (and have) a recording contract with a large European label, a music publishing contract, and I could tour in Europe as much as I wanted. I never had a large following in the States, so touring meant flying to Frankfurt, hooking up with my German band, and driving around Europe playing concerts and clubs.

And honestly, the music I was playing wasn’t really the music I wanted to play. It was, however, the music people would pay me to play. It was my job.

I also had a home, a beautiful woman to come home to, and children who needed me. They were in Texas, and they weren’t leaving.

You can probably see the problem.

The solution presented itself in 2003, when I met Dr. Joe Vitale.

At that time, Joe was one of the most famous Internet marketers on the planet. Since then, he’s gone on to become a TV and movie star, and many of his books have become best-sellers.

My friend, Bill Hibbler, a former rocker who was building his internet marketing business, discovered that Joe had moved to our neighborhood. He set up a luncheon meeting with Joe and invited me along. Joe was (and is) a blues guitar fan, and Bill figured that the fact that I’d played with Stevie Ray Vaughan and had hung out with B.B. King and other famous blues guys would give us something to talk about.

Bill wanted to meet Joe to get Internet marketing tips. I was hoping one of them would buy me lunch.

Bill gets credit for suggesting that I trade Joe guitar lessons for marketing lessons. Joe agreed, we made the deal, and my life changed completely. I still owe Joe a lot of guitar lessons, by the way.

Later, over enchiladas and fajitas in a little Mexican restaurant, he asked me, “What do you want out of life?”

I told him, “Joe, I just want to pay my frickin’ rent.”

That was three years ago.

In the past three years, I’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Paying the rent is no longer an issue.

More importantly, I’ve developed a system that allows me to follow my bliss and, at the same time, make all the money I want to make.

This book will teach you that system. If you read this book and do what it teaches, there’s a very real possibility that you’ll be able to use the information in this book to build your own Portable Empire.

You set your goals. You decide how much is enough.

It’s important for you to understand that you don’t have to stop doing whatever you’re doing to create your Portable Empire. Whether you’re working a job, running a business, or running a home—or homeless—if you can find an hour or two a day, and a computer with Internet access, you’ve got everything you need to succeed.

Imagine yourself free from the job trap. Would that be dangerous? Imagine a book that can show you how to make money effortlessly and easily, so that you can design a life based on love, bliss, fun, and freedom.

This is that book.

Enjoy.

Pat O’Bryan www.Patobryan.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The list of people who have helped shape my life and receive my gratitude would exceed the length of this book. However, this book and my career would not exist without the help of the following people, and I am very grateful to them.

Thank you: Dr. Joe Vitale for your friendship and guidance. I owe you a lot of guitar lessons, bro. Betsy Blaydes for your love and belief in me, even when the evidence was to the contrary. Patrick David O’Bryan for giving my life direction and focus. The rest of the Boys Night Out literary and professional club: Bill Hibbler for friendship, inspiration, and answers. Craig Perrine for friendship, inspiration, and giggles. David Pettit for manning the front lines. Rigby Owen Jr., for pulling me out of the fire. Gaea Logan, for the gift of relative sanity and inspired “bopping.”

And finally, Joyce and Patrick H. O’Bryan, who are still gliding gracefully through the ballroom of my memory, as Bing Crosby croons “September Song.”

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

—Albert Schweitzer

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Confucius had some fine insights, but also taught that the individual should conform to the norm of accepted moral standards and duties. The only problem with that is that someone has to decide what’s normal. And there goes your freedom.

—Willie Nelson

Your Portable Empire, like Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, is a book you do. It’s not just a book you read.

In Part One, “How To,” there are clear and specific steps to take to build your own Portable Empire. Reading this book, or any other book, won’t increase your net worth a bit. Reading this book, and doing it, could make you free from having to worry about money. Ever.

I think you’ll find it fun. As each step leads to success, you’ll look forward to the next step.

In Part Two, we talk about your “Inner Game.” This section of the book is less active. The work here is internal. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people who know “how to” do Internet marketing but aren’t successful. I’ve never met anyone who had their inner game together who wasn’t successful.

You can find more resources online at www.yourportableempire.com. You can contact me and my staff at [email protected].

PART ONE

HOW TO

YOUR PLAYGROUND—CHOOSING YOUR NICHE

If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs and build your wings on the way down.

—Ray Bradbury

We’re making this up, you know?

All of it.

Whatever life you’re living is the product of your beliefs, conditioning, and imagination. You’re choosing it.

If it’s not deliriously wonderful, you’ve got some choices.

You could accept it.

You could blame someone else for it.

You could choose something else.

As far as I can tell, we only get one spin on this mortal coil. One life.

The good news is that we’re given a life to live in an infinite universe with infinite possibilities. We’re free to visualize our perfect life and then live it. I think we might as well make it fun.

To quote Willie Nelson (The Tao of Willie): “If you’ve made your own hell, then only you have the power to escape it.”

STEP ONE IS TO CHOOSE YOUR NICHE

A niche, according to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, is a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted, or a specialized market. After you’ve decided that you want to create your own Portable Empire, your first decision is to choose your niche.

How do you do that?

Fun. That’s the big secret. Your niche is your playground.

Later, in the chapter on list building you learn how to gather people onto your playground. It’s important to choose one where you’ll have lots of fun and can gather other people who will have fun there, too.

Some of my mentoring clients have been agonizing over finding their niche. I think that if you look at it from the point of view of “a place where I can have fun,” that becomes a nonproblem.

Once you learn the Portable Empire system, you’ll realize an amazing thing: competition doesn’t exist. The marketers who are currently selling to your customers and marketing in your niche are your future joint-venture partners, co-writers, and affiliates.

You can sell their products to your list and earn a commission. Your competitors can offer your products to their list.

How can you come up with your niche? How do you choose your playground?

I think we can sort this out. First you need to chunk the question down and simplify it. You need to find problems to solve.

Right now the problem I’d most like to solve is breast cancer. A very dear friend is battling this demon, and I’ve lost several loved ones to it. Another problem I’d like solved is political—I’m afraid that Ike was right when he warned us to beware the military-industrial complex. Then there’s hunger, homelessness, global warming, and the fact that there’s not a real first-class Mexican food restaurant in Wimberley, Texas.

Realistically, I’m not an oncologist, political scientist, social scientist, or first-class Mexican food chef. I need to find problems I can actually solve and hopefully in a niche where I can stay interested.

To me, that’s the real danger—finding a niche that’s profitable but boring. I think it’s important to find a niche you’re passionate about.

For example, I’m passionate about self-actualization, and I don’t think that’s something you can achieve working 40 hours a week at a job you’re not passionate about. I think humans were created in God’s image, and we weren’t intended to spend our brief time on this spinning globe in mind-numbing tedium. I’m convinced that we’re living in an infinite universe, and that there are enough resources for everyone. My solution is the Portable Empire concept, which allows you to travel, think, meditate, and grow to your full potential without having to punch a clock.

So when I’m looking for a problem to solve, I limit my search to the niche of Your Portable Empire.

That simplifies the problem, and it also simplifies finding the solution. I promote seminars, create videos, record audios, and write e-books that teach people to create multiple streams of passive income.

You need to find a subject that: (1) you’re passionate about, (2) you’re knowledgeable in, and (3) is broad enough to have a large customer base.

In my case, I’m passionate about freedom. You need financial freedom to acquire intellectual freedom and freedom of mobility. I’m knowledgeable about the subject. I make a hearty six-figure income doing what I teach. And finally, there are more than enough people interested in the subject to make it profitable for me.

One way to work your way through the niche-finding problem is to take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side, write down all the subjects you’re knowledgeable about.

A SAMPLE LIST

Raising happy children

Maintaining automobiles

Losing weight

Yoga

Golf

Healthy relationships

Feng shui

Getting a good deal on antiques

Graphic design

Cleaning houses

Cooking

Art (painting, drawing, collecting, etc.)

Music (playing an instrument, writing songs, promoting a band, recording)

Poker

Chess

Investing

Take some time with this. You know a lot more than you think you do.

Then, in the second column, make a similar list of things you’re passionate about. PASSIONATE! Not just interested.

Then, see what turns up in both columns. Make another list of just the things that are in both columns, with the most fascinating (to you) subject first, the next most fascinating subject second, and so on.

Now, let’s do some research. Starting with the most interesting subject, do a web search to see who is marketing to your future customers. If you turn up just a few results, go to the next one. Just because you’re passionate about underwater stamp collecting doesn’t mean it’s a good business model. Call that a hobby and move on.

If your search turns up page after page of commercial sites—congratulations! You’ve just identified your future joint-venture partners. You’ve found your niche.

Let’s look at an example. Let’s say you’re the kind of person who plays 18 holes of golf every morning and another 18 in the evening. You’ve got zirconium encrusted drivers and a putter that’s been blessed by three popes. Your golf cart has a hemi. On the page where you listed the things you’re knowledgeable about, I’ll bet golf is at the top of the list.

Now, let’s also postulate that you’ve spent a few years reading every book you can get your hands on about golf, have studied with Tiger Woods, and the local golf pro asks you for advice. Your wife would like you to kindly shut up about golf, because that’s all you ever talk about.

On the page where you listed the things you’re passionate about, golf is at the top of the list there, too.

You turn on your computer, surf over to www.Google.com and do a search on golf.

You discover that there are thousands of people marketing to golfers.

You’re in luck.

Your niche is golf.

In later chapters, you’ll learn how to monetize this niche. Here’s a preview.

First, you need to find out what pressing problems golfers are having and provide them with a solution. You want to identify a problem that really, really hurts them. I live on a golf course, but the last time I played golf, there were windmills in front of the holes, and I was still in junior high school. So I’m going to wing it.

How do you find out what the most critical problem is for golfers today? Do they lose their balls? Do they slice? Do they get tired on hole 17? Hole 3? Is their stance too wide? Are their pants too tight?

Back to Google. Do a search on golf forum. I just did, and there are over 36 million sites that have something to do with golf forum.

Click on a few, and hang out.

Don’t post anything. Just lurk.

Read the posts to find out what problems the subscribers are having.

Forums are gold mines. Somebody will post a question. Several other people will join the conversation, mentioning that they’ve had the same problem. Somebody will post a wrong answer. Discussion ensues.

Gold mine. Home run. Hole in one.

This will work in any niche. They’re just waiting for you to sell them the answer. I do this with newbie Internet forums to get product ideas.

Every problem is a product. Find the problem and sell the solution.

YOUR PORTABLE EMPIRE

Choosing a Niche Fun Sheet

THINGS I’M KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT

I’m interested in a lot of things. The 10 things I know the most about are:

Passion Some people have trouble with this one. Here’s a hint. Think of the movies you love, the books you read, the magazines you read, and the web sites you tend to go to most often.

Some drivers have bumper stickers that say, I’d Rather Be Fishing, or I’d Rather Be Surfing. To find your passion, fill in the blank: “I’d rather be ________________.”

TEN THINGS I’M MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT

What’s on both pages? Pick the one that excites you and that you’re sure you can sustain an interest in. Once you’ve got a passive income stream established for that niche, you can visit the others if you like.

Congratulations, you’ve found your playground.

BUILDING YOUR LIST

I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves.

—Henry David Thoreau

By now, you’ve chosen your niche. You’re ready to build your playground, and invite others to join you there.

Let’s look at how to build a list and to build a relationship with the people on that list.

The dream of every musician is to have a huge concert hall full of people to play to—people who want to hear their song.

I’ve realized that dream a few times. When you suddenly stop singing and the crowd keeps the tune going. The zing of excitement as the opening chords of your song are played and the crowd starts clapping the minute they recognize the tune.

It feels real good.

There’s no feeling quite like it, except, the feeling you get when you build your list of people who are interested in you—your topic, your perspective on the problems associated with that topic, and most importantly, your solutions to that topic.

Then you hit that list with an e-mail offering a product, and thousands and thousands of dollars magically appear in your bank account. It’s like waving a wand and making money appear out of thin air.

The trick is to choose your topic/niche carefully and then gather a large group of people onto your list who are interested in your topic.

Every problem is a product. The key is to match the product with the people who have the problem.

That’s why you want to target one particular niche and to attract a crowd that is interested in that niche.

Once you’ve gathered a group of people whom you can contact immediately, and whom you know are interested in your topic, you can rely on them to support you. They’re the key to your Portable Empire.

The amount of money they will provide you is a function of the size of your list, the clarity of your communication, and how well you solve their problems.

It’s easy. You gather your list onto your autoresponder, where you can e-mail them all at once. This is called broadcasting. We discuss autoresponders in depth in the chapter on automation.

You can also take advantage of the “auto” part of the autoresponder by posting a series of e-mails that can be delivered at predetermined intervals.

Either way, you can communicate with tens or hundreds of thousands of people immediately—some marketers have lists of a million or more—and you already know they’re interested because they told you so when they opted into your list.

So you’ve got a crowd, and they want to hear your song.

Most Internet marketers are of the opinion that their list is their most valuable asset. Why? Because if you’ve got a list, you can sell solutions. You can trade digital products for money. You’ve got a Portable Empire.

HOW DO YOU BUILD A LIST?

Once you’ve determined what niche you want to operate in, you need to discover what the most important and common problems the people in your niche are struggling with.

Search engines are a great resource for this. Just do a search on your topic. Find the online forums where people get together to talk about your topic. Hang out in the forums (this is called “lurking”) and see where they’re getting stuck.

A little research will turn up a gold mine of problems. Pick the most interesting one and solve it. Once you’ve got a list, you can just ask your subscribers what they need. But let’s assume you’re just starting out and want to build a list. Here’s a foolproof method.

Do some research online and find a problem that people in your niche are having. Come up with a solution.

If you’ve chosen a niche that you’re an expert in, you probably already know the answer. If you don’t know, there are lots of ways to find out.

You could interview an expert. You could go online or to the library and research your niche. Do the work. You’re going to be paid well for it.

Once you’ve found the answer, put it into a form that can be downloaded from the Internet. You learn how to do that in the chapter on product creation.

That’s the bait you’re going to use to attract subscribers. Put the bait online where your subscribers can download it.

Now, let’s give it away! I know. It sounded strange the first time I heard about this concept, too. Trust me.

Once you’ve used your bait to attract a subscriber, you can sell to them for years and years. Each person who takes your bait and joins your list becomes part of your hungry crowd of people who will buy the solutions you offer in the future.

First, you need to get them onto your list.

You’ll use an opt-in form to get the subscriber onto your autoresponder database, and deliver the bait. If you’re not familiar with opt-in forms, go to www.Patobryan.com/blog.htm. The opt-in form is the box with spaces labeled Name and Email Address.

We cover opt-in forms in the chapter on automation. It’s a form that’s generated by your autoresponder software. The form does two things. First, it provides a place for your subscriber to input their name and email address, and puts that information in your autoresponder database. Second, it automatically forwards the subscriber to your “download page,” where they can download the bait.

All professional autoresponder programs will help you comply with commercial e-mail laws by adding your address and an opportunity for them to unsubscribe from your list to each e-mail you send. They also work hard to make sure that your e-mails actually get delivered, by working with Internet service providers to make sure they understand that the e-mails sent with their service were requested, and are not spam.

Now, how do we alert the people whose problem we’ve solved and lead them to the bait?

It’s important to remember that in Internet marketing, there is no competition. If you’ve chosen your niche wisely, you’ve found other people who are already selling to your future customers.

You probably found some of them when you were doing research on your niche. If not, do a search on your topic, and see who ranks the highest on the search page. These are your future joint-venture partners.

They’ve got a problem. They’ve got big lists of people who are interested in your topic. To keep them happy, they need to supply their subscribers with lots of content. That’s where you come in. You’ve got the solution.

Contact these list owners and tell them that you have a great free e-book, audio, or video, which their subscribers are going to love. They can get it free by going to your opt-in page, joining your list, and downloading the free information.

This is an easy sell because it’s a triple win.

The list owner wins by building goodwill with his list by directing them to your free content. The subscriber wins because they get great problem solving information for free.

You win big. You get subscribers who are interested in your niche. They have problems and are interested in solutions. They have computers, Internet access, and the skills necessary to download digital products. These subscribers make excellent customers, and a modest group of them can support you for years.

You may have to contact a lot of list owners to find the ones who are willing to give away your bait. Be patient and persistent.

Later on, you’ll go back to the same list owners with joint-venture propositions. Remember that you can add every purchaser to your list.

Building a Relationship with Your Subscribers

Once you have some names on your list, your next step is to build your relationship with the people on your list. Notice I didn’t say “build a relationship with your list.”