(This essay was originally published in Hackers & Painters.)

If you wanted to get rich, how would you do it? I think your best bet would be to start or join a startup. That’s been a reliable way to get rich for hundreds of years. The word “startup” dates from the 1960s, but what happens in one is very similar to the venture-backed trading voyages of the Middle Ages.

Startups usually involve technology, so much so that the phrase “high-tech startup” is almost redundant. A startup is a small company that takes on a hard technical problem.

Lots of people get rich knowing nothing more than that. You don’t have to know physics to be a good pitcher. But I think it could give you an edge to understand the underlying principles. Why do startups have to be small? Will a startup inevitably stop being a startup as it grows larger? And why do they so often work on developing new technology? Why are there so many startups selling new drugs or computer software, and none selling corn oil or laundry detergent?

Read More:    How to make Wealth

Building wealth – it’s a topic that sparks heated debate, promotes quirky “get rich quick” schemes and drives people to pursue transactions they might otherwise never consider.

 ”Three Simple Steps To Building Wealth” may seem like a misleading title, but it isn’t. While these steps are simple to understand, they’re not easy to follow.  

The Steps
Basically, building wealth boils down to this: To accumulate wealth over time, you need to do three things:

1. You need to make it. This means that before you can begin to save or invest, you need to have a long-term source of income that’s sufficient enough to have some left over after you’ve covered your necessities.
2. You need to save it. Once you have an income that’s enough to cover your basics, you need to develop a proactive savings plan. 
3. You need to invest it. Once you’ve set aside a monthly savings goal, you need to invest it prudently.

Copied in from Gareth Emberton’s Ecadomy Blog!

by Entrepreneur’s Coach Gareth Emberton on 19-Aug-10 7:59pm

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Is the telephone still your best marketing strategy?

In 1991 I started my first business. In those days I only really knew of two marketing strategies – the telephone and Yellow Pages. Whilst I can tell you a true story about how I generated a £1m per annum account with Tesco because of Yellow Pages advertising, it was the telephone which grew my company to the point where it had £££ multi-million sales per annum.

In those days there were perhaps half a dozen marketing strategies you could use but most of which were beyond the abilities of most small to medium sized businesses as the expertise wasn’t there for the average business to utilise like it is now.

In this day and age we now have a minimum of 21 strategies (listed below) and we are taught that you have to be your very own marketing guru and be an expert in each one! The question is, can you be that expert or do you want to be?

So where do you start with your marketing today…well the simplest strategy remains talking to people by picking up the telephone. That way, once you have sales you can then develop the more elaborate strategies. This is particularly interesting as recently I started another business in the construction industry and whilst I have had some particularly good results with google adwords, it has been work generated by the telephone which has had the best the conversion rates. Now that is not to say that a lead generated by electronic means cannot be converted but at some point you are going to need to speak to the prospect and whilst the cyber prospect has now decided to try and distance themselves from the sales person through e-mail, their bluff can be overcome by simply picking up the telephone.

There is however, a problem and that is the lengths to which a business owner will go to avoid picking up the telephone. But it is the basis of everything. If you have no sales system for the telephone you have no way to qualify or convert your prospects into customers. Then on top of that, if you cannot do it yourself, you have no basis on which to teach others so that you can delegate to leverage your time.

There is also something else here, in this day and age of technology there are many great ways to generate leads but ultimately the best way to convert a prospect is to build rapport on the telephone through the tonality of a voice and the opportunity to ask questions/respond to the prospect, which is something which just cannot be done using e-mail.

Here is the list of strategies you may contemplate:

1. Telemarketing
2. Website
3. E-newsletters
4. Networking: Physical
5. Networking: Social
6. Blogs
7. Testimonials
8. Qualification/Pain Questionnaires
9. Videos and DVDs
10. Books and Downloads
11. Direct Mail
12. Advertising
13. Signage
14. Strategic Alliances
15. Ask for Referrals
16. Seminars, Keynotes and Exhibitions
17. Press Releases
18. Internet Marketing (Pay Per Click & SEO)
19. Internet Affiliate Programmes
20. Magnify Your Expertise
21. Test and Measure

Gareth

If you have your own business you can register for a complimentary coaching session by emailing: success@the-entrepreneurs-coach.com and by doing so I will also send you a complimentary access to my on line business tool www.measureyourbusiness.com.

Using www.measureyourbusiness.com you will answer 100 questions in 10 key areas of your business and the results will be delivered in a 20 page bespoke report on your business.

Book your complimentary coaching session today: success@the-entrepreneurs-coach.com

Follow me on twitter at entrepreneurblg

YOUR THOUGHTS????

leads, lead generation, listbuilding, list building

The recommended way to get leads in the past was to purchase them from a lead generating company.
This could be expensive to say the least. Often times the lead gave an angry response when called
saying they had no idea how you got their information and to not call them again! Personally,
I believe the only ones who come out ahead on purchased leads are the companies who sell them.
Thankfully, there are many other ways to acquire leads, such as list building, that are less expensive
and definitely less confrontational!

The term. “the power is in the list” is so very true. Since people have opted in to be on your list, you are
free to contact them with business opportunities, tips, tools, and resources. It’s important to understand
that if you think it is ok to blast your list with one thing after another, the only thing you will probably see is a
list where no one stays around long.

Take the time to build trust and rapport with the people on your list. Offer them value and relevant content and they
will not only be loyal followers but they will recommend you to others. They will also be more receptive to take a look
at the opportunities and resources that you have taken the time to send to them and that it is worthy of their consideration.
Unless you take the time to build relationships with the people on your list first, you will not see the
results you want.

There are several ways to build your list. One of the best ways is to offer a free report or e-book. People fill out your opt in form
and submit it, they are asked to confirm it and then they receive the requested download. You can include some wording
thanking them for their interest in receiving the free report or e-book and that you would like to send them some
information of value from time to time and to click here to confirm it

The form can be part of a splash page, squeeze page, on your blog or website, a link in your signature file,
use your imagination. Just don’t spam them that would defeat what you are trying to do.

Great List Building tools!

Prosperity Central

Networked Blog Systems

forums, leads, lead generation

Participating in forums is a good way to generate leads
and it is a source that is often overlooked. Forums are a productive place
to not only generate leads and to become know as an expert
in your niche.

First decide on the forums you would like
to participate with. I would suggest selecting no more than 4 or 5.
Find forums that are focused on either your niche, a related
area to that niche, and/or one that focuses on
resources or tools to market or promote your product or service.

Every forum has their rules and guidelines to follow so be sure to
take the time to become familiar with them. As long as you
follow the guidelines you will be fine, but you could
end up banned from the forum if you don\’t.

Most forums allow the members to create a signature file that will
be posted along with your comments. Include 1 or 2 urls
to your blog, product and/or service.

Make sure that you are making relevant comments or posts
that offer value to the other members. Remember, anytime you make a
post your signature file will be included. People will read
your comments and can then click on your link to find out more about you
and what you are doing.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to participate in forums that
focus on your niche or a related area, cause you will be with
like minded individuals who will be more receptive to what you
have to offer. If your niche is basket weaving,
you probably would not find much success
with a forum that focuses on auto mechanics.

Forums are a great place to generate leads. The more targeted
your audience is to your niche the greater your chances are
to make sales, grow your business, and build relationships that can
open many doors down the road.