Successful Blog

Problogger – Second Edition Is Here!

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Go Darren and Chris!

Two of the best probloggers on the web have just released the second edition of their bestselling book, ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income and it’s available today.

I’m very partial to this book because

  • Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett are both personal friends and heroes.
  • it’s filled with honesty and wisdom … much like the guys who wrote it.
  • Wiley shared a copy of the first edition with everyone at SOBCon08.

Can’t wait to read this second edition. I hear it has a few significant updates including:

  • New examples, screenshots, updates of new tools, a few deletions of references to old tools, an update to Darren and Chris’ stories in the intro.
  • Chris has added a fairly significant chapter on social media and how it impacts and can be used by bloggers.
  • Darren has added a case study chapter that goes through the first 4 years of his main blog – Digital Photography School. He works through how he launched it, what he focused upon in years 1-2 and then in years 3-4, how he monetizes it and he shares the secrets to how I drive significant traffic and income through email newsletters, social media and other ways.
  • Bonuses come with it – Anyone who buys the book is offered a series of bonuses (some interviews with successful bloggers, some extra teaching … check it out)

Hope Chris is bringing a bunch to SOBCon2010 this week!!

Congratulations Darren and Chris!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

See you at sobcon-vmc

Social Media Book List: Life, Death and how to live life best

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. This week I will be highlighting ‘#DEATHtweet: A well lived life through 140 perspectives on death and its teachings’ by Tim Tosta and ‘Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, PhD. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing, self development and inspiration.

#DEATHtweet

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#DEATHtweet is written by Tim Tosta, an environmental lawyer, career coach, cancer survivor and hospice volunteer.

You may be wondering why would I bring up a book about death. Well, Tim sums it up nicely here:

“From my experiences with death, I’ve learned that it is actually possible to develop and maintain a thriving and even aggressive career, while fully experiencing all that life has to offer. #DEATHtweet and my seminars deal with these issues.” Tosta explains.

Here are few of the tweets from #Deathtweet to help understand what the book is about:

~Truly living your life is the best preparation for death.
~Underneath all of its noise and chatter, every life has its meaning. Look for your meaning. It may be great or humble.
~As you explore your life’s meaning an amazing thing happens- your life comes into balance.
~Death teaches you to live in profound change and to accept its inevitability.
~Observe your fear. Make it the subject of your curiosity. The more you inquire into it, the less
power it retains.

About the Author:
Timothy Tosta, a partner at Luce Forward, is recognized as one of California’s leading land use and environmental attorneys. He also is a cancer survivor, a seasoned hospice volunteer, an evocative lecturer and writer. In 2007, Tim enrolled with New Ventures West and was certified as an Integral Coach in 2008. Tim is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., 1971) and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (J.D., 1974). Tim welcomes your inquiries about Coaching Counsel and its programs.

You can purchase a copy of #DEATHtweet online at ThinkAha books or Amazon.

This blog post is part of a virtual book tour by Key Business Partners and I have received a complimentary copy of #Deathtweet by the author.

Now, Discover your Strengths

Now I would like to highlight a book on my reading list–Now, Discover your Strengths.
A strength is defined as consistent near perfect performance in an activity.

In this book, it describes three revolutionary tools (to help discover our strengths) as follows:
1) The first revolutionary tool is understanding how to distinguish your natural talents from things you can learn.
2) The secondary revolutionary tool is a system to identify your dominant talents.
3) The third revolutionary tool is a common language to describe your talents.

I am ready to read more because this books does bring up some interesting points. What are those things you can learn to be good at over time and what are those traits (or strengths) you already have within you.

About the Author:

In a world where efficiency and competency rule the workplace, where do personal strengths fit in?

It’s a complex question, one that intrigued Cambridge-educated Marcus Buckingham so greatly, he set out to answer it by challenging years of social theory and utilizing his nearly two decades of research experience as a Sr. Researcher at The Gallup Organization to break through the preconceptions about achievement and get to the core of what drives success.

The result of his persistence, and arguably the definitive answer to the strengths question, can be found in Buckingham’s trio of best-selling books, First, Break All the Rules (coauthored with Curt Coffman, Simon & Schuster, 1999); Now, Discover Your Strengths (coauthored with Donald O. Clifton, The Free Press, 2001); and The One Thing You Need to Know (The Free Press, 2005), in which the author gives important insights to maximizing strengths, understanding the crucial differences between leadership and management, and fulfilling the quest for long-lasting personal success.

What would happen if men and women spent more than 75% of each day on the job using their strongest skills and engaged in their favorite tasks, basically doing exactly what they wanted to do?

According to Marcus Buckingham (who spent years interviewing thousands of employees at every career stage and who is widely considered one of the world’s leading authorities on employee productivity and the practices of leading and managing), companies that focus on cultivating employees’ strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth and success.

If such a theory sounds revolutionary, that’s because it is. Marcus Buckingham calls it the “strengths revolution.”

As he addresses more than 250,000 audiences around the globe each year, Buckingham touts this strengths revolution as the key to finding the most effective route to personal success — and the missing link to the efficiency, competency, and success for which many companies constantly strive.

To kick-start the strengths revolution, Buckingham and Gallup developed the StrengthsFinder exam, which identifies signature themes that help employees quantify their personal strengths in the workplace and at home. Since the StrengthsFinder debuted in 2001, more than 1 million people have discovered their strengths with this useful and important tool.

In his role as author, independent consultant and speaker, Marcus Buckingham has been the subject of in-depth profiles in The New York Times, Fortune, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, USA Today and is routinely lauded by such corporations as Toyota, Coca-Cola, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, and Disney as an invaluable resource in informing, challenging, mentoring and inspiring people to find their strengths and obtain and sustain long-lasting personal success.

Marcus Buckingham holds a master’s degree in social and political science from Cambridge University and is a member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Leadership and Management. He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles, CA.
*courtesy of Amazon.com

You can purchase a copy of Now, Discover your Strengths on Amazon.

Both of these books talk about life and living it with passion, dedication and using your time living your best life. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think about these books. I welcome your comments.

Social Media List: Interview with Marshall Goldsmith, Author of #MOJOtweet

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job, as an online promotion manager, I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!).
This week my offer for a weekly post is an interview with Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got you Here Won’t Get you There, and more recently, MOJO and #MOJOtweet.

Please share with the readers a bit about yourself.
I teach executive education at Dartmouth’s Tuck School and frequently speak at leading business schools. I am a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (America’s top HR honor). In 2006 Alliant International University honored me by naming their schools of business and organizational studies – the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management. I earned my Ph.D. from UCLA. I currently live in CA with my wife Lydia.

What is your most recent book? Please share with our readers about your latest book.
Currently I have two books that came out on the same day. One is ‘MOJO: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It’ published by Hyperion. The other is its companion called ‘#MOJOtweet’ is part of the THINKaha series by Happy About, whose 100-page books contain 140 well-thought-out quotes (tweets/ahas) celebrating how to define and keep your MOJO.

For you, what is the definition of Mojo?
Mojo is that moment when we do something powerful, purposeful, and positive and the rest of the world recognizes it. To me, Mojo is about achieving two simple goals–loving what you do and showing it, and it plays a vital role in our pursuit of happiness and meaning. These goals are what govern my operational definition, which is: Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. Our Mojo is evident when the good feelings we have toward what we are doing come from inside us and our apparent for everyone else to see. There is no gap between the positive way we perceive ourselves—what we are doing—and how we are perceived by others.

What is one important aspect of this book you would like to share with our readers?
One of the key insights in the book says, “The only person who can define meaning and happiness for you is YOU!” This book will make you think, this book will make you act, this book can help you develop better Mojo and become a better YOU. Goldmsith says that “our general tendency is to continue to do what we are already doing,” but the paradox is that “this might not be sufficient for getting and keeping Mojo.” So, do something different–something powerful, something purposeful, something positive–and get and keep ‘#MOJOtweet’ today.


Will you share a few #MOJOtweets with the readers?
Certainly!
~Mojo is that positive spirit toward what you are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside.
~Mojo is infectious. When people pass their positive spirit to us, we feel like passing it back.
~Professional Mojo is a measure o the skills and attitude you bring to any activity. Personal Mojo by the benefits that a particular activity gives back to you.
~To change your mojo, you either create a new identity for yourself or rediscover an identity that you have lost.

How important does having a positive attitude play in finding your MOJO?
You won’t get to the top without it; to build it, you have to believe in yourself. You can’t worry about being perfect—you just have to put up a brave front and do the best you can. The building blocks of Mojo, which I discuss thoroughly in my book, are not self-esteem they are identity, achievement, reputation, and acceptance. Learning about finding your Mojo is what the book is about and those who want to find it, keep it, or get it back if they’ve lost it will get much from MOJO: for those who don’t want to change, this book can’t help!

What inspired you to write this book, #MOJOtweet?
In my work, the most frequent question I hear is: What is the one quality that differentiates truly successful people from everyone else. My answer is always the same: Successful people spend a large part of their lives engaging in activities that simultaneously provide meaning and happiness. In other words, and in terms of my book, truly successful people have Mojo. Because the only person who can define meaning and happiness for you is you, that’s what this book is about. It is to help people to define and achieve Mojo.

What did you learn from writing this book?
It may be the most vital piece of advice within these pages: You should not feel obligated do any of this alone! If you want to improve your performance at almost anything, your odds of success improve considerably the moment you enlist someone else to help you.

Where can readers learn more about you and your book?
First, I want to say thank you for allowing me to share with you and your readers about my books.
You can pick up a copy of #MOJOtweet at ThinkAha website.
Or on my website Marshall Goldsmith Library.

Special Note: April 1, 2010 Marshall Goldsmith will be conducting a FREE webinar to discuss the vital elements of MOJO as described in his book #MOJOtweet at 2pmET/11amPT. You can join in by phone: 218-339-4300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              218-339-4300      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Participant code: 715975#.

Social Media Book List: Writing for your Business & The Power of Twitter

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches who Write by Linda Dessau

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This week I would like to start off with a book I have read and worked with the author entitled Customizable Style Guide for Coaches who Write.

The coaching industry is increasing every day. The International Coach Federation has over 13,000 members in more than 90 countries. Coaches have discovered success by sharing their guidance through books and e-products, expanding from the traditional one-on-one or group coaching methods. And since coaching is a global industry, most coaches rely heavily on the Internet as a marketing tool. Professional, concise writing is crucial for success.

Whether they’re writing to earn passive revenue or to market to new or existing contacts, this book will help coaches to write without fear. No more false starts or procrastination, no more puzzling over why something just doesn’t look or sound right, and best of all, no more pouring their heart and soul into their writing, but failing to make that crucial connection with their readers or to get the results they hoped for.

About the Author

Linda Dessau, MTA, CPCC, is an editor, writer, accredited music therapist and certified life coach. She has been writing for the web since 2003 and her articles about self-care and creativity have been widely acclaimed and reprinted.

She is the author of several e-books, including Ten Ways to Thrive as a Creative Artist, and e-courses, including Roadblocks to Creativity.

She created “You Talk, I’ll Write” in July 2005 to combine her passion for coaching with her gift for writing. Her client roster of coaches and speakers rely on her to collaborate with them and bring clarity, structure and greater impact to their ideas. She has a clear and warm writing style that immediately connects with the intended audience.

Linda Dessau is a member of the Editors’ Association of Canada and lives in Toronto.

You can pick up your copy at Coaches who Write.

Twitter Power

Now is time for me to showcase a book I have not read but it is on my reading list. This week my choice is Twitter Power by Joel Comm.

Do you know what Twitter is? You should–if you’re in the business of promoting your business. This is just what I say ABSOLUTELY! Social media is so important to all business owners who are looking to increase the marketing of their business. It is a great way to make incredible connections and joint partnerships with others.

Twitter Power shows you how to leverage the power of Twitter for instant business results–like reaching new markets and increasing sales.

In Twitter Power, Internet marketing and Web innovation expert Joel Comm shows businesses and marketers how to integrate Twitter into their existing marketing strategies to build a loyal following among Twitter members, expand awareness for their product or service, and even handle negative publicity due to angry or disappointed consumers.

The book also presents case studies of companies on the forefront of the Twitter movement, to help you develop your own social networking strategies. Twitter Power is the result of extensive testing and participation in the social networking community and is a must-have for any business that wants to keep up with the social media movement. Twitter Power features a foreword by Tony Robbins.


About the Author:
Joel Comm is one of the world’s leading expert on strategies for making money online. He is an in demand speaker of conferences on internet marketing and business, and also the author of The AdSense Code and Click Here to Order.
You can pick up your copy of Twitter Power on Amazon

Social Media Book List: Get Upbeat and do some Savvy Business Promoting

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

Upbeat by Rajesh Setty

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This week I would like to start off with a book I have read and have worked with entitled Upbeat by Rajesh Setty.

This compact book is filled with wonderful ideas and strategies to help any business owner or entrepreneur get out of the “jam” they may be filling at the time.

Here are a few tips from Upbeat I would like to share with you:

1) Be Accountable to Yourself – “Recession time is hard on everyone but that does not mean that you should go into a state of inertia, waiting for the times to pass.”—>The time is now. Take inspired action to do something today to get to where you want to be. Sitting down and doing nothing will get you just that…nothing.

2) Be Grateful – “Yes, you are frustrated, things are not going well, and most of it is not your fault. However, do remember that in the general scheme of things you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to think and do something about it.” –> Take some time to embrace the blessings in your life. Write them down even and you will be amazed at how many things you have in your life to be grateful for. When you are grateful, the positive energy comes out of you and into other people’s lives.

3) The Discipline – “Like any good idea, discipline is very easy to grasp an an idea but has no value unless it is implemented–and well. Quote by Jim Rohn “Every disciplined effort has multiple rewards”. –>things take time to come together and become successful. However, if you don’t start creating action to make those things happen, it won’t.

See, and those are just a few golden nuggets from Rajesh’s book, Upbeat.

About the Author:
Rajesh’s mission in life is to bring good ideas to life. With love!

Rajesh is involved in a few companies in some combination as a founder, operating executive, board member and/or an investor. Apart from that, he has written a few books and is working on a number of them. His first book was published at the age of thirteen. While he is not building companies or writing, he enjoys speaking at conferences and company events.

You can read his latest thoughts on his blog Life Beyond Code or on Twitter at UpbeatNow. If you are really curious to know the events that shaped his thinking, you can read his story so far here.

Rajesh lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife Kavitha and son Sumukh.

You can pick up your copy of Upbeat at Amazon.

Masters of Sales

Secrets from Top Sales Professionals that will transform you into a World Class Salesperson

Now is time for me to showcase a book I have not read but it is on my reading list. This week my choice is Masters of Sales by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D and Don Morgan, M.A.

Bursting with valuable advice from Jack Canfield, Anthony Robbins, Keith Ferrazzi, Tom Hopkins, Al Lautenslager and more than 70 other masters of the art of selling, this exclusive compilation of the best sales strategies ever known puts you on the fast track to sales success.

Just a short but poignant business lesson of what I read by just picking up the book once:
This is a excerpt about Janet Attwood (speaker, trainer,author)–
“A persistent attitude is mandatory for success in any endeavor, including sales. You may need to stop banging your head against the wall and change directions, but don’t stop too early–you might be closer to success than you realize! Listen to your intuitions, and you can make a lot of money!

About the Authors:
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization . BNI was founded in 1985. The organization has thousands of chapters throughout every populated continent of the world. Each year, BNI generates millions referrals resulting in billions dollars worth of business for its members.

Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California. He has written nine books, including his New York Times best seller, Masters of Networking and his #1 bestsellers, Truth or Delusion, and Masters of Success.

You can pick up your copy of Masters of Sales on Amazon.

Social Media List: Quirky Marketing, Promoting Your Business and Celebrations

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

Quirky Marketing Calendar

Business Marketing Calendar

This week I would like to start off with an ebook I have read and working with the author entitled Quirky Marketing Calendar: The Ultimate Ebook to Promote your Business 365 Days of the Year by Heidi Richards.

For every business owner using the special holidays and events is a creative way to help promote your business and a nice departure away from the traditional.

Here are a few of the suggestions to market your business in a Quirky way:

Did you know?

March 5th is Nametag Day – Want some media attention? Do what Joe Porcelli from Neighbors for Neighbors did. Joe wore a nametag every day for the entire year of 2007 and got coverage which sparked other companies to jump on the Nametag bandwagon. Wyndham Price Agency and the Norwich Bulletin of Massachusetts provided free nametags during the week leading up to Nametag Day. People dropped by Wyndham to collect their name tags and the Norwich Bulletin put a nametag ready to use right on their front page! There was a complimentary edition of the Norwich Bulletin delivered to all non-subscribers in Colchester . And the local Parks & Recreation hosted a wrap up Nametag Day event on Tuesday, January 23rd at the Colchester Youth and invited people to share their unique experiences of wearing the nametag for a day and meet new people too.

AND…

July is National “Doghouse Repairs” Month ~ Dog treats may be a hit with animal lovers. Give away cookies in the shape of a dog bone… wrap them individually in cello with a little bow,
add your business card and pass out at networking events or in your establishment. I purchased the dog bone shaped cookie cutter at a local craft store, took it to my local
grocer/baker and they made me 1,000 cookies for this promotion. I also took them on trays to local radio and TV stations delivered by a local actor in a “Scooby Do” – like costume.

About the Author:
Heidi Richards Mooney is an author, business coach &entrepreneur. Mother of 3– Jennifer, Alexis (deceased), and Suzannah, grandmother to 3 beautiful children – Devon, Madison and Logan, wife to Timmy and friend to many. Heidi grew up in California and moved to Florida in ‘74.

A writer, social media coach and entrepreneur, Heidi enjoys traveling to new countries, learning new cultures & sharing a woman’s perspective on marketing, leadership and running a business. She has written 8 books and co-authored 2, published and edited several ebooks and publishes a quarterly international magazine – WE Magazine for Women.
Heidi is the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association International (WECAI™) ~ a virtual organization of women in ecommerce.

You can pick up a copy of Quirky Marketing Calendar here.

Book Yourself Solid

Now is time for me to showcase a book I have not read but it is on my reading list. This week my choice is Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

Book Yourself Solid is a complete instructional guide for starting and growing a successful service business. It gives you simple, yet effective techniques for creating relentless demand and endless leads. It includes more than 200 proven marketing strategies for attracting new clients, earning more referrals, and building profitable, long-lasting professional relationships. If you want to take your service business to the next level, start here and Book Yourself Solid.

About the Author:
There’s nothing ordinary about Michael Port, at least, according to his mother. But others seem to agree. Day to day, he runs one of the largest and most respected coaching programs for small business owners in the world at Booked Solid University.

Michael has been called “an uncommonly honest author” by the Boston Globe and a “marketing guru” by The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of four bestselling books including Book Yourself Solid, Beyond Booked Solid, The Contrarian Effect, and the New York Times Bestseller, The Think Big Manifesto.

A few tips about networking from the book:
1) Do arrive on time. Port writes” This is not the time to stage a grand entrance by being fashionably late…”
2) Do relax and be yourself. He adds,”Contrary to conventional wisdom, you don’t have to fit in.”
3) Do introduce yourself to the person hosting the event. Port explains,”The person may be a very valuable addition to your network.”

You can get yourself a copy of Book Yourself Solid on Amazon.