Another month has gone by so fast, and it was another month filled with changes for HonestMoneyMaking.com! Happy 4-month anniversary to me!

This month, I changed my site to explain the Plugin Profit Site better, as well as Success University. I added a couple of banners - one from the Friday Traffic Report to generate new traffic to my site - and one from Ezine Articles to display my expert author status with a PR7 link on my blog.

Other changes included the regular ordering of ezine solo ads to promote both PIPS and Success University - every 2nd week. I have changed the content of my ezine solo ads and follow-up mailouts to my leads to give it a more personal touch. I have also decided to purchase traffic credits every 2nd week to help save me time and be more productive without having to spend my evenings surfing for credits all night without getting other things accomplished.

I have started to make forum posts in other forums, although this has been a slow migration process as I am quite stuck on the Warrior forum as my absolute favourite. Another slower process is generating more backlinks via reciprocal linking and Link Directory Submitter. I'd like to pick up steam in both of these areas in the coming month.

One of the biggest changes was joining the American Chronicle to post my articles which has given me tremendous exposure.

Finally, the Personal Power Team for Success University is not coming together for me. Not only have I not had the time to stay involved, but the future of the team itself at this point is questionable.

Here are my stats for May 17/06-June 17/06:

SFI: Personally sponsored affiliates = 8 (up 2 from previous month), EA status = 0, Prospects = 1

IMC: Personally sponsored affiliates = 4 (up 2 from previous month)

Empowerism signups: Paid members = 2 (up 1 from previous month), Free Members = 1 (up 1 from previous month)

Host4Profit signups = 1

Traffic Swarm downline = 8 (up 3 from previous month), 1 upgraded to PRO, 3 inactive

Newsletter Subscribers = 18 (up 7 from previous month)

Website Traffic daily average = 170-200+ unique visitors (up about 50-80 from previous month)

Original Articles written = 44, Expert Author status in 24 article directories (up 7 from previous month), Original article submissions = every 2nd or 3rd day

Triple Your List opt-in subscribers: 4 new subscribers (up 3 from previous month)

Full PIPS signups = 0 (4 partial signups, up 2 from previous month)

Success University: strong leg active Premium members = 374 (up 108 from previous month), 1 active personally enrolled student, 28 leads (up 14 from previous month)

Blog submissions = every 2nd or 3rd day

Warrior forum posts = 787 (Advanced Warrior - up 131 from previous month)
Associate Programs Forum posts = 85 (up 5 from previous month)
(Have started posting to WAHM Forum, Powerlinking Forum, Personal Power Team Forum, and Yahoo Groups)

Link Popularity = 1088 (up 670 from previous month)

Ezine solo ads sent = 5 (up 3 from previous month)
Free classified ads sent = 1

Google PR = 0

Total Earnings: $58.15 (up $25.86 from previous month) + $29/month (up $12 from previous month)

Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE.
Visit: http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com, Plugin Profit Site, and Success University

Copyright © Liane Bate
http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com

I recently completed my first ever Duathlon, which means running 5.5 km, biking 30 km, then running 5.5 km again - and I am so proud of myself that I have to tell the world by writing an article about it now! Four years ago, I laughed at the thought of running 5km, and didn't think it could be done. Luckily, someone came into my life who motivated me and put me on the right path to physical fitness, training, and health. Now it is a huge part of me and of my life, and I know it always will be. I give thanks to this person for showing me the way. I've noticed that experiencing success in business requires much the same attitude, determination, persistence, motivation, mentoring, goal setting, dream seeking, and basically the same process as training for a sport. When I was thinking about starting an online business, I laughed then too, thinking it wasn't possible - that I didn't have the money, time, energy, skills, or knowledge to be successful. Then someone inspired me enough that I joined his program feeling enthusiastic, motivated, and feeling like yes, it really can be done! Knowing that it was the right time of my life to get started, I went through with it, and it was a decision I'm sure I will never regret.

In order to run for longer than just 10 minutes without feeling like I was going to die, it took time, persistence, motivation, and determination. Sometimes I wanted to give up, but I had someone who inspired and motivated me, and this kept me on track. Oftentimes that's all it takes is one special person, or mentor, who can take you to the top. But you can't rely on an external source like this forever - eventually you have to be able to rely on yourself, and be motivated from within. When it became easy for me to run for 20 minutes 3 times per week, I was feeling pretty elated, knowing that if I worked at it hard and long and consistently enough, that I would achieve my goals, and those goals would keep me fit and healthy. By the end of my first year as a runner, I came in first place in my first 5km race, and won a night's stay in a luxury chalet suite, a gold medal, and $100 in my next race! This only made me want to achieve my next goal, a 10km race! What motivates you to achieve your goals and dreams? This is the question you must ask yourself. If there is nothing there to push you forward that makes you feel good internally, then chances are you won't move forward. You have to want it bad enough!

My business has taken a similar course in that my progress is slow, but steadily increasing. I know that I can achieve success in business like I have in sport, and that it just takes consistent action, and small positive steps every day and every week. My positive results are not all monetary at this point. I am motivated not only by the people I call mentors in my business life, but by the steady increase in traffic to my website, or someone using my article in their ezine, or my name showing up thousands of times in Google, or a stranger writing to ask me a question or make a comment on one of my articles or blog posts. The sales at this point are secondary. I have found an internal motivation that will carry me, and carry my business forward, and you have to find that internal energy as well if you hope to succeed.

So you've found your mentor, and you've found your internal motivation to be successful. What's next? It's time to set your goals and have something in mind that you want to work towards. For me, a race will always motivate me to stay on course with my workouts and training. In fact, if I don't have my next race date set, then it would be too easy for me to just say, "I don't feel like working out today and there's no need for me to workout, so I won't!" Having a race date set makes me say, "I have to go workout, I have to run, I have to bike, or I won't be ready for my race when it comes". When you find your goal, be it in business or in sport, set a date for when you want to accomplish it, and take steps towards achieving it. If I say I want 300 unique visitors to my website per day by the end of next month, then I will surely take steps every day for the next month to achieve that goal. Your goals should be measurable and specific, and you should be able to picture what it's like to have your goal before you even have it so that you stay focused.

Believe in yourself, your goals, your dreams, and stay determined, and you will achieve success in anything you do. My next goals: A half-marathon on August 12th to beat last year's time in a new and beautiful place, and 500 unique visitors to my site daily by September 30th...amongst other things! What motivates you? Who are your mentors? What are your specific goals and dreams? What is your timeframe for achieving them? Time to get cracking! Let's do it!

Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE.
Visit: http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com, Plugin Profit Site, and Success University

Copyright © Liane Bate
http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com

The most important thing you need to consider when you own a website or online business is your list. By this, I mean you need a newsletter that your website visitors can subscribe to by entering their names and email addresses, after which your auto-responder will send out regular messages containing valuable information. The trick is how to get people to subscribe in the first place so that you can build and work with your list, develop and maintain relationships, and hopefully seal a good deal for your customers over and over again. Creating a good newsletter packed with valuable tidbits of information sometimes just isn't enough, especially when so many marketers are offering the same information. So what can you do right now to turn people into eager beavers, ready and willing to join your list? Read on...

The first thing you can do is put a price tag on the information you are offering. Prices give you an idea of what your product or service is worth. When you go to a store and see a pair of shoes worth $25 and a pair of shoes worth $125, you get the feeling right away that one is definitely of better quality than the other. You don't want to make up just any price and deceive your customers, just make sure you are letting your customers know what your information is worth and make it valuable to your audience. What's valuable to one person may not be what's valuable to another person, so make sure you know who your audience is, and tailor your price-tag and statement of value to that audience in your own unique way. When you make your newsletter stand out from the rest, then your website visitors will know that by signing up to your newsletter, they will get information that can't be found elsewhere. Read other people's newsletters and watch what they do. Pay attention to the things that grab your attention and the newsletters you pass right by without reading. Take what you like and use it, but change it up a little to make it your own unique creation.

You also want to be sure your visitors know the benefits to them of joining your list. If you emphasize what they will gain immediately upon joining, and let them know that you will follow up with regular updates, then they will be more compelled to join. Don't just promise them an ebook when they join that they can download immediately never to be seen again. Offer a multi-day e-course they won't want to miss, and inform them of how the information you provide will solve a problem or fulfill a need of theirs.

When you have achieved great success in some avenue of your business, it's time to share the results with your visitors and let them know how they, too, can achieve the same success. If you tell them you made so many dollars doing this with only a minimal investment, they will get curious and want to know more. Give them a compelling reason to join your list, but don't tell them everything! Instead, create an irresistible urge that can only be satisfied by subscribing to your list. Set a deadline so that they will join by a specific date or time, creating a sense of urgency, or create a juicy offer or special tip that's limited to the first ten subscribers. It's time to be a tease, but be sure not to mislead!

Finally, you can create several opt-in pages that speak only to a select group of people, such as the internet marketing newbie, or the home business owner who also has an offline career. When you find smaller niches, you can advertise in those niches and get targeted subscribers who fall into those categories. Most people just set up their newsletters without finding a specific audience, and this is where you can stand out from the rest and get subscribers to join who know you have something to offer that is tailored to their specific needs.

Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE.
Visit: http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com, Plugin Profit Site, and Success University