One week ago, I let you in on an extraordinary video that completely swept me off my feet. And many of you wrote to let me know it did the same for you.

But more than mere entertainment, it provides a priceless opportunity to discover the secrets the creators used to rack up over half a million views in a little over two weeks.

And to apply these secrets to our own videos, now or in the future.

What makes this even more exciting, is in the short time since my original note, some stunning developments have happened. And, as promised, I would like to pass along this precious knowledge to you.

Because here is the sad truth:

There are scores of folks who struggle to get their videos seen.

Even big-time marketing gurus – people who have thousands of Facebook friends and twitter followers – get only hundreds of views for their videos, and sometimes even less.

You can avoid this sad fate if you were willing to do a few very simple non-technical things.

And today, you can discover how to apply the secrets that achieved thousands of views to your own videos.

It’s a very special and powerful screen capture tutorial, that I promised you when I posted the original video.

And yes, the secrets to this amazing viral video success are waiting for you here.

Flash animated movies are always a lot of fun. But they can take a long time to create.

This one took two years. No kidding!

Well, not two years of constant effort. As with everything in the movie industry, it’s a long story …

What you are about to view began back in 2007 for an offering I was about to create I was sure would change my business.

Which just as promptly got placed on the back burner. (Can you relate?)

While the offering has changed, the movie is finally complete – for your eyes only!

And it features:

• A guest appearance by Bodie, the Bodacious Bovine! (Flying a plane, no less!)
• A leading role by Ned Shnoppel, animated news anchor. And I tell you, Ned was not easy to get! (Ah, these TV news prima donnas and their agents!)
• And it introduces a terrific new source of information to help you get started with online video!

You can click here to check it out.

Just click on the arrow at the lower left of the screen on top of the smiling news guy.

I will fill you in more on what the movie is talking about next week.

Wow, that’s a mouthful. But its true.

For my Mom’s 80th we took her to a terrific restaurant overlooking a marina on the Pacific Ocean. At Sunset. It was spectacular.

But what truly left an impression was the waitress who took our order. Because not only was she a consummate professional (after all, this was a pricey place). But she took me to school with some priceless marketing secrets I will remember forever.

Because when she took our orders, she put on an absolute clinic:

Read the rest of this entry »

My recent blockbuster phone interview with Tom Buford, the entrepreneur’s business model expert was so well received, I want to make it available to anyone for a limited time.

Tom’s advice – especially in our current business climate – might be the difference between just squeaking by, and thriving in spite of all that is happening.

You truly owe it to yourself to check out this interview.

Additional Tip: Tom’s expert interview series, featuring top notch entrepreneurs and 6 to 7-figure service professionals was a real eye-opener and almost a no-brainer when you look what it can do for your business in a very short time, with just a few tweaks.

(And its one of the only programs that actually gives you great information on a variety of business models solo professionals are using to thrive, rather than pushing one option.) Its opened my eyes. It may very well open yours as well.

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Crisis manager? Or Powerful Business Ally?
The Choice is Yours

I know that as your business is growing, and you get in the swing of creating passive revenue info products, one of the biggest questions you face is:  When do you hire additional help?
As more and more money comes in, you find yourself with a dilemma.

• Will finding someone to help give you your life back?
• Will it help create the lifestyle you went into business to achieve?
• Or will it rob you of capital necessary to grow?

And, most importantly, what point is the best time to take the plunge?

Now if you listen to the high priced Gurus the answer is simple: pull the trigger and hire that VA (virtual assistant) and that team of personal assistants

Which is exactly the worst possible thing you can do.

In fact, I am going to cause a lot of controversy here by saying those folks telling you to throw money at assistants are dead wrong.

Now before all you VA’s put me on your enemies list hear me out.

Because in most cases, when entrepreneurs and solo professionals like us want to hire an assistant its in response to a crisis.  A product MUST get out, expectations MUST be met, or else the world will collapse.

And we simply didn’t budget enough of our own time to make it happen.

Here is the rub:

Hiring a VA in the midst of a crisis sets a horrible precedent:  Your VA becomes your crisis manager, who comes to your aid when all seems lost. Instead of what your VA should be used for: a partner in creating a business that allows you to live the life you want.

There is a crucial, important, cataclysmic difference.

(OK VA’s, starting to like this a bit more?)

So what are you to do when you are at wits end and you simply can’t pull off another miracle on your own?

If possible, back out of the situation. In most (if not all cases) overwhelm is self-inflicted, by false deadlines and expectations that are unrealistic.  So take a good look at your situation and diffuse it by giving yourself more time or leeway.

See if it really is absolutely necessary to launch by Thursday.

If indeed the situation is critical, your deadline is not negotiable, and you won’t pull a rabbit out of your hat (at least not this time) then go out and hire a VA to help get you through. But do it consciously with the knowledge that THIS TIME, your VA is your crisis manager.

But with full knowledge this is NOT the best use of a VA

In either case, once the situation has cooled down, take a look at your business and from an affirmative position of:

• What you want your business look like
• The lifestyle it will enable you to live
• The specific tasks you love that you do not want to delegate
• The things you can’t stand that you do

And make your decision on bringing on help based on this vision, instead of on avoiding disaster.

In this way, your assistant, team or VA becomes the way you AVOID crises, rather than the one who has to rescue you from yourself over and over. Because this is the best way to ensure your business takes you where YOU want it to (rather than simply drift from crisis to crisis) and that your team, VA or assistant is an invaluable asset in making that happen.

Got a bit of a scare last week. Actually, a big scare.

I’d sent an email announcing my very first online video animation promoting my upcoming Audacious Audio 5-Figure Success Group . It was something I worked quite hard on, and of course, the first time you do anything you’re a bit nervous about it.

So I spent days making sure every detail was checked and double-checked. I sent out my announcements. Everything was set.

And then I went to the page where the group is listed. And I got this cute little screen:

In case you can’t read it, it says: “This site is down for maintenance and will be back up shortly. Please check back. Thanks.”

Not only is this the home page for the group, it’s the page the video animation automatically forwards viewers to when they’re done watching.

Yikes!

But wait (as they say in the infomercials). There’s more.

I went to AudaciousAudio.com . . . and 4FigureTeleseminars.com . . . and every other domain I have forwarded.

And got the same cute little screen.

Oh-oh.

After I peeled myself off the ceiling and after doing a bit of checking, I realized that only my forwarded domains got this screen. My primary domain and all the pages linked to it were fine. Unfortunately, all my money-making pages are listed on forwarded domains.

(For those of you who don’t know what this forwarding thing is, it’s the ability to buy a bunch of domain names and have them linked to a single hosting account. So instead of having to buy a separate hosting account for each domain, you can have literally hundreds of domains forwarded to that one account. Even though its hosted on your main account, www.myForwardedDomain.com is what shows up in the address bar. Neat.)

So I called GoDaddy, the folks I have my domains with. And although it was 10:30 pm out here in LA (or perhaps BECAUSE it was 10:30pm) I got right through. The peppy college-sounding guy on the line put me on hold for about 5 minutes. And when he returned, he said, yes indeed, they had an issue with their domain servers and expected to have it fixed within a few hours.

When I awoke early the next morning, it indeed had been fixed. The video was viewed by a lot of you, and received a great response.

Still, it really gave me pause.

And made me realize that those of us who do a good deal of our business online really don’t have as much control as we think we do. And in fact, from time-to-time, we are totally at the mercy of the server gods.

Still, there are a few things we can do to limit the damage – both on our business, and our psyches.

First, when an issue like this arises, have the tech support number of your web and domain hosting companies handy. I am still shocked how many people would rather agonize all night, than pick up the phone and call tech support. They don’t bite (I assure you) and if you catch someone on a bad day, simply thank them, hang up and call back. Chances are, you’ll get someone new who’s very helpful.

You might also want to keep the number of a geek friend handy. (A lot of geeks LIVE to help folks in distress!) Buy them a nice dinner as a retainer for times when you need help.

Third, realize that when something does go down, it rarely stays that way forever. Even my former web host (who shall remain nameless) who thought customer support was something Fruit-of-the-Loom did, was rarely down long.

Finally . . . your website, with all its faults, properly maintained IS the gift that keeps on giving. It can help provide for you in your old age, as well as show you a pretty good time before then. It can show you the way to “make money while you sleep”. And even as it gives you a bit of a scare from time to time, it rises like the Phoenix to sell and sell again.

In short – learn to roll with it. You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Internet Marketing Tips, Minus the Pressure, Minus the Hype

Congratulations to Mitch Meyerson, who’s book Success Secrets of the Online Superstars went to #1 on the Amazon.com “Sales and Marketing” and “Computer and Internet” best-seller lists, and to #17 overall, passing The Tipping Point and even The DaVinci Code (yes, THAT DaVinci code) amongst others.

The good news is its still available, and is a great way to check out a lot of the brightest minds in internet marketing – and what they can offer you – at your own speed, minus the hype.

Plus a 70-minute bonus audio recording The 7 Secrets of 6-Figure Audio from yours truly.

I’ve put together a little page that talks a bit about Mitch, the book, and what’s in it for you:

Success Secrets of the Online Superstars

Porting Your Business AND Your Residence at the Same Time is a Mouthful!

Wow, I’m finally into my new place and slowly but surely getting my feet back on the ground.

In case that means nothing to you, I’ve been in the midst of a move. My first move since I’ve started my own business and been working from home.

And I gotta tell you, moving your home AND your business at the same time is pretty nerve-wracking!

As you can see, I’m not quite there yet, but this is just one of the many balls I’m juggling. And like the rest of life, the Universe keeps playing its whimsical little tricks.

Example:

Due to a lack of parking, we had to park the moving truck in red zones both at my old residence and the place I was moving to. And of course, I didn’t get a ticket.

But my friend (who parked his truck legally) did get a ticket.

Can’t quite figure that one out, but its quite a process. I’m using the opportunity to clear out / reorganize my stuff.

And I’ve included a picture of how my dining room looks!

Egad!

I’ve also learned quite a bit about business from the move, which I’ll be sharing with you in the months ahead.

I’m sure its all for the better – aside from a tight parking situation, it’s a nice neighborhood and I’ve got a ton more space to grow my business.

Well, you just knew it was going to happen!

Audacious Audio has now entered the blogosphere! And yes, we’re doing our best to try and get the “Not the Same Old Cow” spirit out there in this new format.

Anyway, didn’t want to ramble on too much with the old, self-conscious, “Hey, I got a blog post.” So I want to get down to the meat of it, cause that’s my style.

Spent most of the day working on the downloadable audio and the Study Guide for the upcomming “4-Figure Teleseminars” teleseminar. Yeah, the more I work on this thing the more I’m blown away at the value of this workshop. No that’s not hype, there’s just a sheer, amazing amount of material for $47.

If you haven’t signed up yet, all the info’s at:

4-Figure Teleseminars

That’s it for now – really looking forward to keeping this as the place you can turn for what’s on the mind of audio-preneurs across the country!