Today at Provo Labs, Paul Allen recommended some books. I wanted to get this down before I forget. I haven't been reading as much since quitting my job because I keep being challenged by people I meet and ideas I hear from them.

Paul gave me my copy of Love is the Killer App – How to Win Business and Influence Friends (highly recommended). It teaches you how to read books. It talks about becoming knowledgeable and sharing what you know with others. "Love" is a networking business sense of love: being open, caring and human at work.

My Amazon bill has since skyrocketed. I value books even more. Also, I less likely to borrow, but buy my own copies. Plus I have no guilt about writing in books now.

Read more…

An era ends. The 3-year battle between Tahitian Noni and XanGo has been settled.

Not surprisingly, neither side will talk about the details. Tahitian Noni (TNI) alleged that the founders of XanGo started the business on company time. It's interesting how this affected and still affects company culture at Tahitian Noni. It made it more difficult to build trust or get information generally.

There has been some intense rivalry between the companies. Hopefully they can move forward, focusing on the growth and success they both enjoy.

My next step was to become a noni juice affiliate. I know a lot about noni juice. But the few noni juice affiliate programs I found are not functioning or are poor quality.

I'd be rather instead to join the list of ex-TNI employees who've gone on to become millionaires. I can think of five. All young and rose to success remarkably fast. 

Learn affiliate marketing lingo with this affiliate glossary.

Terms you'll hear often:
CPM (Cost per 1,000) – Cost per mile. You get paid per 1,000 impressions for an ad. Usually the ad is for an advertising network. Every time someone visits a page with the ad it's an impression.

CPC (Cost per Click) – You get paid when someone clicks on a link or advertisement.

CPA (Cost per Action) You get paid when someone buys something, performs an action, or qualifies as a lead (fills out a form) on your site. You make either a percentage of the sale or an amount per lead. CPA networks like Commission Junction [CJ] or Linkshare, manage CPA programs. It's like a directory of affiliate programs. You can apply for programs, get statistics, and get paid from one source. 

I've noticed something that's driving me nuts. Although it's free to sign up as an affiliate through different networks, it's often difficult to figure out how to do it. The links are often buried. It's like they're Easter eggs. These people know online marketing. Sometimes I wonder if it's like a best-kept secret, they don't want you to find it. Am I imaging this?

Maybe the networks simply want motivated affiliates, not slackers who clog their system. That's understandable but it's still not a good idea to hide information. Make it easy to sign up and as user-friendly as possible. Provide resources for beginning affiliates. If there is no activity give a warning before freezing or deleting accounts.

Read more…

When I was a kid, I recorded newscasts wearing my grandma’s suit and video camera. I was the anchorwoman and my cousins did sports and weather. I wanted to be a journalist but changed my mind because of the bad hours and low pay. I decided to write on the side.

I got a biology degree and worked for an internet startup out of college. I learned HTML and became a web developer. Later that came in handy as an internet marketer. Also, with blogs and podcasting, I can realize my dream of being a newscaster – but on my terms!

Articles I’ve written:

Affiliate Marketing: Hire One Employee Get Hundreds

VOIP: Should your Business Switch?

Trends in Call Center Outsourcing
Call Center Management Trends
DUI and Getting a Criminal Defense Attorney
Debt Management for Single Moms
Sunfall Festival band review – I wrote for Citysearch for a while (can’t find my feature story on a jazz singer)
Residents give Maeser Park a face-lift
Provo father turns tragedy into challenge
Local community watchdog receives award from UVSC – about my friend Lillian
Provo, Orem claim nine roundabouts – My friend Bill designs roundabouts. I designed this site years ago. It’s #1 in google for roundabouts. My articles and this site have brought Bill a lot of business and helped establish him as a roundabout expert.

Favorites:

Way to go to a conference: on a press pass
Way to visit New York City: on business
Place to visit at the last minute: Las Vegas
Types of people: smart, passionate, & funny
Ice Cream: Breyer’s Natural Vanilla or Dreyers Rocky Road
Things to do: learn, talk, network
Books: Can’t pick just one! Most current read: The Likeability Factor. I’m a big fan of ebooks.
Dream Car: Toyota Camry Hybrid
Food: steak tacos with Mexican lime, curry, healthy, or Thai
Product: Invisible Shield
Place: Mexico beaches with white sand & open air restaurants
Way to Make Money: while I’m asleep

Today my blog hit an all-time high readership.

I also learned I'm ranked #1 in google for "girl affiliate marketers" (funny).

Thank you for reading and commenting…

Today I went to the Apple store at the Gateway. I wish I hadn’t sold my Apple stock a few years ago for a down payment on a house. I went to a class on iTunes and iPods. They did a great job marketing and educating at the same time.

I want to get ProCare. For $99 a year you get an hour training on any of their products. Tempting.

I’m in love with my new Mac. The more I learn the more I wish I had more disposable income to spend on speakers, docks, an iPod enabled car, and other pricey things that I can['t] live without.

I hope Invisible Shield will do skins for your laptop. Also, I need it on my countertop because mine has scratches.

Next up at the Apple store: a podcasting class. Saturdays, 7pm all month. I have the ical calendar (with audio reminders) updated and a widget so I won’t miss it.

Today I went to get my Mac outfitted with an invisible shield. We planned to drop it off, let them put the protective coating on it and be on our way. But I had to ask about their affiliate program. I didn't know I was talking to the CEO. So we got to hear the story from him about how it all started. That turned into lunch and a great time talking internet marketing. Turns out Phillip worked at Tahitian Noni too.

This company has so much potential. Watch for an affiliate program coming soon.

I would love to open a kiosk. I need an angel investor. Know any?

I was talking to my friend Rick about the things I’m doing. He listened and then responded, “you’re getting paid to be you”. Well said.

I love setting people up. With jobs, businesses, books, or other forms of giving them answers (or information, leads) to their questions. I’ve learned that you have to give the answer when someone is looking for it or they probably won’t appreciate it or want it.

As a missionary for my church I loved it when someone was seeking spiritual enlightenment. That is when they learn. Many people are searching at various times for something and they don’t quite know where to find it.

I derive personal satisfaction when someone follows one of my leads and it improves their life or business. I appreciate when someone does the same for me. I won’t recommend anything I don’t use or respect myself.

This blog is great. I learn how to take care of my new Mac and learn from your comments. I appreciate the suggestions and pointers very much. My readership is going up and that’s very satisfying.

I feel I have the perfect set up for me right now. Time goes fast. With that, it’s time to get out the door.

Six Steps to Setting up a Corporation in Utah

I'm setting up an S-corp since it's just me and I can avoid a lot of self-employment tax. Here's an outline of the process.

1. Fill out and send the Articles of Incorporation.
download the Articles of Incorporation – Profit Corporation. You can fax or send it. Cost: $52 setup fee.

Read more…