Let’s talk about your blog.

I know. It’s a painful topic for many of you. You don’t know what to write, you don’t feel confident about what you DO write, and frankly, you’d rather not be blogging at all. It’s nerve-wracking, stressful and not as much fun as you thought it would be when you started it. You’re behind on your blogging schedule… and it’s been a while since you’ve written a post.

It’s been even longer since you’ve actually ENJOYED writing a post.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Writing a blog post shouldn’t take days. It shouldn’t be stressful. And there are fun, easy writing techniques that can help you feel inspired, motivated and even electrified to blog.

One good blog post? It can bring in serious business results: More sales. More customers. More sign-ups.

That is… if you’re actually writing those posts.

Now, the Damn Fine Words writing course gives you plenty of writing techniques that help turn you into that confident writer. They’re insider secrets that probloggers like me use all the time – and we’ve been using them for years.

But today, I want to take a few quick tips from course lessons and share them with you, because I want to help you get back to stress-free, electrified blogging. Try these:

Capture your ideas. Many people have great ideas… and they don’t jot them down. They blame the idea for coming to them at the worst time, like when they’re in the shower or driving their car and nowhere near a computer.

15 minutes later? That idea is gone. Forgotten. Wasted.

Don’t be that way. Don’t make shower excuses. Use technology to your benefit: record a quick voice memo on your smartphone. Write yourself a text message or an email. Grab a pen and scribble your idea on the back of a receipt.

Yes, even if you’re all wet and dripping water on the floor.

Then when you have time, settle into your writing routine – the one you’ve built to train your brain so that it gets ready to write on demand.

Wait. You do have this routine established, right? You’re not coming to your writing cold, are you? That’s a common mistake many bloggers make – sitting down without a plan thinking they’ll smash out awesome posts just like magic.

Nuh-uh. You can’t build a house without a plan, and you can’t sit down to write without a plan either – one that goes beyond, “Hey, I think I’ll write about this today.” You could, but that blog post will be as shaky as that slap-together house.

So don’t do that. Plan your posts, and then…

Write a shitty first draft. I’m not kidding – forget perfection out of the gate. Shitty first drafts rule. You can edit and polish up your writing another time, but right now, get your idea down in a rough draft form so that you can improve on it later.

Start writing for the future, too. Write a bunch of shitty first drafts and build a collection of drafts for later. The more you have of these on hand, the more you’ll be able to grab your draft in a pinch, polish it up and scheduling it for posting.

Imagine having a year’s worth of blog posts, all ready to go. It’s an easy goal to achieve… with the right techniques guiding your way, of course.

If you want to learn more about those techniques, then it’s time for you to get into Damn Fine Words, the writing course that helps you build the confidence you need to blog your way to better results. You’ll learn how to collect ideas and expand them into better posts, you’ll learn how to blog in a way that helps you earn business, and you’ll kickstart your blog back into life again.

And you’ll enjoy blogging – maybe for the first time in your life.

Registration for Damn Fine Words is open right now – and it closes in just a few days, so grab your seat now. Click here to learn more on how this course could electrify your blog, or click here to register now.

Soon you’ll be blogging like there’s no tomorrow!

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Get Your Blog Back On Track first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Damn Fine Words is the writing course that changes businesses – and even lives. Students who’ve taken the course rave about how it’s opened up a whole new world of opportunities for them and how their perspective on writing for their business has brought them all sorts of fantastic results.

Now, that all sounds nice, but if you’ve never taken the course, you might be curious: what’s inside? What will you learn? What’s waiting for you?

Here’s your sneak peek inside Damn Fine Words.

You’ll learn the power of writing using just three sentences.

There’s a secret content-creation technique that’s extremely valuable for capturing your ideas so you can turn them into focused blog posts, full ebooks and compelling web copy – and all you need are three sentences.

Most writers don’t even know about this technique. And when they learn it, they’re suddenly churning out a year’s worth of blog posts in no time at all. Add this writing technique to your routine, and you’ll be ready to burn through all the content you need. Easy breezy!

You’ll learn to improve your writing – without writing a word.

There’s one easy way to take all those awkward sentences, unclear points and strange phrases and turn them into smooth-sounding writing that readers love – and you won’t have to lift a finger to find them, either.

Using the magic of human physiology (and a little fun science), you’ll discover how to write in a way that sounds so much like a natural conversation that you won’t believe it. Readers will think you’re talking straight to them – which you will be, of course!

You’ll learn how to get readers to take action.

A good call to action can help you get serious business results – and you can learn how to write a call to action that goes well beyond the usual ‘click here’ B.S. (I know you can do better than that.)

You’ll write calls to action that encourage readers to take the action you want, without sounding spammy or pushy. They’ll contact you, call you and buy from you more than before. (You might even want to test out your new call-to-action skills on your kids – maybe they’ll finally listen when you ask them to clean their room.)

You’ll learn how to get past the mental writing blocks.

A lack of confidence, writer’s block, getting stuck in the editing phase… these issues are common to people who need to write for their business. That’s why the course teaches several techniques that help you sweep away the obstacles in your mind.

Practice them, and you’ll never hold yourself back any more. You’ll be ready to write for results with stronger confidence and internal knowledge your words are just fine, thank you very much. No more stress and no more staring at the blank page!

You’ll learn to find your writing voice and use it loud and clear.

What the heck is writing voice? Do you have one? How do you find it? What does it sound like? Many people who need to write for their business get hung up on this one… and often get stuck in that stiff, corporate kind of tone no one likes to read.

That’s why you need to discover your writing voice and start putting it to work for your business – and with plenty of fun activities to help you learn what it is, why it works and how to make it happen, you’ll soon find the voice that sounds just right to you… and to your readers.

You’ll learn how easy it is to recycle for results.

That’s the beauty of this writing course. It doesn’t teach you just one thing you can apply in only one area of your business. It teaches you writing skills that you can recycle and reuse for any writing task, in any area of your business.

Throughout this course, your business will evolve – which is why different writing lessons become more important and relevant as your needs change. One week, you’ll appreciate lesson 5. The next, you’ll be thankful for lesson 16. And you’ll always be able to pick and choose from the lessons you need each time you sit down to write.

By the way, today is the last day you can register for Damn Fine Words and save $200 on the retail price of the writing course. This offer ends tonight at midnight. What are you waiting for? Go!

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Your Sneak Peek Behind the Writing Course Doors first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Entrants fought hard to get into the Damn Fine Words writing course. Some posts were straightforward. Some were thoughtful. Some touched our hearts. It wasn’t an easy choice, and we wished we could offer everyone a place in the course.

After great deliberation, several shortlists, and many discussions, the judges and I narrowed it down to two lucky winners. Congratulations to:

• Scott Lesovic of Magic Bash
• Mary Ulrich of Climbing Every Mountain

Scott and Mary, you’ve each won a free membership to the Damn Fine Words writing course, where you’ll enjoy an intense learning experience that’ll change your business – maybe even your life.

Here’s what judges had to say about the winning entries:

Mary has proven for years that she has the endurance and the commitment to be an active and valuable member of a community. She is consistently positive, helpful, and encouraging, and for that alone I’d be willing to give her a place in Damn Fine Words: she’ll be a smart and empathetic peer and work hard as a committed student. Factor in her ambition to help parents of autistic children like her own son, and it’d be an absolute crime to deny her the scholarship.

Scott is the winner for me. What stood out is how clearly he’s connected the dots between writing skills and his business bottom line. Scott is going to use his copy to expand his magic empire, booking clients and promoting his work… and that’s what I think Damn Fine Words is all about. I’m nominating him for the free scholarship, because I know he’s going to create real tangible business success with the skills he learns.

To all entrants, thank you for sharing a little window to your world. You made us laugh, smile, and wish we could take you all under our wing. Your posts showed talent, creativity, drive and determination, and you have our heartfelt applause for having put your words out there.

And now that you have, don’t stop. Keep learning, keep writing, keep believing in yourself. You can change your life, and you have everything you need to get where you want to be, right there inside you. Make it happen.

If you’re reading this post and ready to create lasting change by improving your writing skills, the Damn Fine Words writing course is now open to new students. Click here for more information … and get ready for a whole new level of business.

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Announcing the DFW Writing Contest Winners first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Every single business owner, no matter what their industry, needs to be able to write well to be successful.

And if your business has a website, a blog, or operates online, then writing skills are crucial.

If you’re completely confident that your writing has never, ever lost you a client, then you don’t need to worry.
But if you know you’re not sure what to write in emails to clients, if you’ve ever thought your website copy might not be very great, if you’ve ever noticed your blog doesn’t get many comments or that your newsletters never really get opened much…

You’re missing out. And you need to improve a critical business skill: your writing.

Damn Fine Words is the writing course for business owners that teaches you the skills you need, gives you a safe place to practice effective writing and get feedback on your work, and encourages you to apply everything you learn to your business.

So you start getting results from your words.

Registration for the Damn Fine Words writing course is currently open, and for a very limited time only.

Click here to learn more about the Damn Fine Words course – and how it can change your writing, your business… maybe even your life.

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Damn Fine Words Writing Course Open for Registration first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Did you know that roughly 20% of people might pay for a course and NEVER sign in?

That’s what happened to Jon Morrow with his Guest Blogging course. Roughly 2 out of 10 students paid $500 for his course and then flushed the money down the toilet by never showing up to it.

If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you should do everything you can to get the most value possible.

So to help you dramatically increase the value you get from an online course, here are several best practice suggestions:

1. Go Through ALL the Course Content

It never ceases to amaze me at how many people gloss over training materials they’ve bought. If a neurosurgeon only skimmed through his textbook on brain surgery, would you want him operating inside your skull?

I rest my case.

2. Do the Course Exercises

Good online courses include exercises and worksheets so you get hands-on practice. The exercises might seem simple, and you might be tempted to put them off until later – or even skip them.

But the combined results of reading all the material is compounded by doing the exercises. In fact, it’s powerfully compounded.

3. Take Course Notes

Writing out notes is a great way to reinforce learning. And writing notes often results in new ideas you hadn’t thought of.

Taking notes also enables you to build a custom implementation plan to integrate course concepts into your business.

4. Interview the Course Creator

Interviewing course creators helps you learn both how they succeeded.  You’ll get personalized advice on completing the course, and you’ll also have the opportunity to promote the course as an affiliate as well.

5. Interview the Most Successful Students

The next logical step is to interview the most successful students of the course.  Leverage the opportunity to find out what made them successful. Ask what they did in the course that worked, what didn’t work well and what they would do differently next time.

6. Participate in Forums

Forum participation is one of the most underused experiences. Ask any successful student, and they’ll mention the role forums played in their ability to get the most from the course. Forums are also a great place to connect with other students and share ideas.

7. Repeat the Course at Least Once

The first time you go through a course, you won’t absorb all the knowledge from the material.  Taking the course a second time with a clearer picture of how the pieces fit together lets you approach it with a more powerful perspective.

8. Create a Best-Practices Guide

If you’ve done all of the above, then you should have tons of notes. In fact, you’ll have all the material you need to put together a best-practices guide for the course. Imagine offering the creator of this course a guide that he or she can share with their students!

If the guide is good, you’ll get credit, traffic and people looking your way.

9. Start a Mastermind Group

While some courses include a mastermind group, starting your own could make a big difference.  It gives give you the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss challenges with peers in the course. An extra benefit is that a mastermind group helps you remain accountable.

Signing up for a course is just the first step. It’s what you do once you’ve paid good money for it that really determines your success.

Have I missed any ideas? If you’ve taken a course, what would you do differently next time? What would you suggest as a best practice? Let me know in the comment section.

P.S.: If you’re looking for one of the best online writing courses and a top investment that brings your business great returns, stay tuned. The Damn Fine Words online writing course for business is coming your way May 7 – don’t miss the early-bird registration for big savings!

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Post by Srinivas Rao

Srinivas Rao writes about the things you should have learned in school, but never did. He’s also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, where you can download his free webinar on the 7 Pillars of Blog Traffic. You can follow him on Twitter @skoolofllife.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
How to Get the Most Out of an Online Course or Info-Product first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

You’ve got a great idea. You’re going to write an ebook – perhaps your first! It’ll grow your business, bring in money, and help establish your expertise.

And to keep yourself accountable, you tell all your readers to expect the ebook by the end of the month. Sure, that might mean a few caffeine-fuelled, late-night sessions … but your ebook will be done, dusted, and out the door.

Heck, if you really knuckle down, perhaps you can knock out a short ebook in a single week.

Maybe you can.

But that doesn’t mean you should.

Writing an Ebook isn’t a Race

It’s easy to feel pressured to knock this out fast. Maybe you wish you’d written your ebook a year ago. Perhaps everyone else in your field seems to have an ebook – or several. You might feel like you’re already behind.

But writing your ebook isn’t a race.

Yes, at some point, you need to ship it out. Taking an extra few weeks (or even just an extra few days) isn’t going to kill your business, though. In fact, it might well be the best decision you make.

Your Ebook Should be Your Best Work

Whether your ebook is a paid product or a freebie, it needs to show you at your best.

If customers need to pay for it, they’ll expect an ebook that’s complete, carefully structured, and well-written. If buyers get an ebook that’s error-ridden, badly structured, and obviously rushed, they’re never going to buy from you again.

And if your ebook is a freebie, you still need to make it as good as you can. Those readers are potential customers, but if they download your free ebook only to find that it’s full of typos, badly formatted, and confusing, they’re not even likely to buy once.

So what should you do? Here are 4 simple ways to create a well-written ebook:

1: Follow the Writing Process

Every writing project goes through the same stages:

• Idea Generation
• Research
• Planning
• Writing
• Editing
• Publishing

Sometimes the stages overlap; you might do some research while sorting through ideas or revise your plan during the writing stage. Sometimes the stages take next to no time at all, and you might come up with an idea within a couple of minutes.

But when you rush through the stages with an ebook, though, you waste time.

If you don’t have a strong idea of what readers would love, then you’ll wonder what to write.. If you don’t take enough time to plan, you’re going to get stuck partway through. If you rush the writing, you’ll spend extra time going back to fix it up later.

2: Set Aside Time on a Regular Basis

You might have great intentions for your ebook, but if you don’t get into the habit of spending time working on it regularly, you’ll end up rushing things to meet your launch deadline.

Big chunks of free time aren’t just going to magically appear. You need to carve them out of your schedule.

Put ebook-writing appointments into your calendar at regular intervals. That might mean spending the first hour of every day on your ebook (yep, before you check emails) or it could mean blocking out a couple of afternoons each week.

3: Involve Readers during the Process

The good news is that you don’t have to tackle every stage of writing your ebook alone. If you have a blog, email list, Twitter account or Facebook page, you’ve already got at least a few readers or potential customers.

Get them involved from the start.

When you’re coming up with ideas, look at the questions your existing readers typically ask. Do any topics come up again and again? Or if you’re not sure, you could run a survey to find out what readers want or need.

When you’ve finished the first or second draft of your ebook, ask if any readers would be willing to take a look and give you some feedback. (In return, you’ll give them a copy of the finished ebook in due course.)

They might not be expert writers, but they can tell you when you haven’t explained something clearly enough or when you’ve gone off on an unnecessary tangent.

4: Get Help from Professionals

If you’re short on time but have a bit of money to spare, then consider paying for help. You could hire an editor to improve your rough draft, for instance, or you could even hire a ghostwriter to do the bulk of the work for you. And when you get to the publishing stage, you might want to involve a paid ebook designer.

Not only will you save time but you’ll also end up with a higher-quality finished product – which helps make the time you invest more worthwhile.

An ebook can be a huge asset to your business. If it’s a freebie, it can bring in lots of new customers; if it’s a paid-for product, it can become a very nice income stream. But you can’t just sit down and rattle off ten thousand words in a spare afternoon or two.

You need to put time and effort into your ebook if you want it to be a success.

Don’t let that put you off, though. Right now, take out your schedule and look ahead a week or two. Find some time that you can block out to work on your new ebook.

And let us know in the comment section what you have planned – so we can help support you!

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Post by Ali Luke

Ali Luke is currently on a virtual book tour for her novel Lycopolis, a fast-paced supernatural thriller centered on a group of online roleplayers who summon a demon into their game ... and into the world. Described by readers as "a fast and furious, addictive piece of escapism" and "absolutely gripping", Lycopolis is available in print and e-book form. Find out more at www.lycopolis.co.uk.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
4 Simple Ways to Create a Well-Written Ebook first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Chris puts his money where his mouth is: He’s visited 193 countries without ever having held a “real” job or earning a regular paycheck. And during his extensive travels, he’s managed to continually write for his A-list blog, build an empire of training resources and publish several books, his latest being the $100 Startup (of which I have a copy in my hot little hands).

Chris writes – a lot. And from the strangest places, too, like third-world airports between lonely red-eye flights and Bedouin tents in the desert while grunting camels lurk just outside.

Alright, maybe the camels are an exaggeration, but clearly this devotion to writing (sometimes under incredibly tough circumstances) requires some sort of magical skill to maintain. It’s nothing short of amazing… and you’re going to learn Chris’ secrets.

I’ve invited Chris Guillebeau to sit down with me for a casual conversation, all about writing. Just how does he keep going? How can he manage to write so well and so consistently from all these crazy locations? And what’s with his eclectic blog that breaks all the “stick to your niche” rules?

You’re going to learn Chris Guillebeau’s writing secrets – all of them.

Join Chris and me on April 30 at 1pm EST and listen in as we discuss writing from anywhere in the world, how to consistently feed a hungry blog and crafting bestseller books without ever losing focus. This call is going to be valuable, especially if you want to leverage your writing skills to live off your success.

You won’t want to miss this conversation – you’ll pick up writing techniques, tips and advice that let you walk away feeling smarter, sneakier and ready to tackle new goals. Chris and I will discuss:

• The truth about writing, and whether you absolutely need to do it
• How to continually feed your blog, even when you don’t feel like it
• Tips to keep writing when you feel lonely, isolated and discouraged
• Advice on writing while you travel and what to do in crazy locations
• The difference between blogging and books – and which you should choose
• The secret to facing your writing critics and what you should tell them
• How to be an eclectic writer who still stays in your niche
• Whether you should outsource your writing or do it all yourself
• How to persevere and stay focused on your writing goals

This conversation is going to be great: Chris is a true gentleman and a real pleasure to talk to, and he’s passionate about challenging people’s beliefs about traditional careers and employment. He’s practically THE freelancer advocate.

In fact, you could say Chris is your key to a better, more fulfilling career. (Even if all you have is $100.) After you listen to our call, you’ll feel inspired to plan your next great escape… with confidence you can write your way there.

Dial in on April 30 at 1pm EST. It’s a life-changing event you won’t want to miss.

How to Get in on the Call

To get call-in details for this exclusive candid conversation, just sign up for the Damn Fine Words newsletter below. You’ll get the dial-in number and also be signed up to receive extra bonus content, more hot interviews with leading writers and powerful writing tips from Damn Fine Words.

It’s the best online writing course to help you succeed in business… through words alone.

Sign up for the Damn Fine Words newsletter now.

 

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
A Casual Conversation with Chris Guillebeau on Writing first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

A lot of people have been telling me they wished they could register for the Damn Fine Words writing course. It’s launching May 7 for its 3rd edition, and people who write me say that if they could just get in on this course…

• …they could finally start that online business, because they’d have the skills to write their web copy and blog for business.
• …they could improve their writing skills and pull in more clients and money, instead of making the meagre income they’re slaving to earn right now.
• …they could feel confident in their written communication for the first time in their lives, instead of agonizing over every piece they write.

These people know that Damn Fine Words is one of the best writing courses out there, and it could change their business game. They know it’s a life changer – and it could even be a life-changer for them.

I’d like to help make that change happen.

Welcome to the Damn Fine Words Writing Contest.

This contest is a friendly competition where your sincerity, desire to learn, and motivation to succeed counts. It’s a writing contest that isn’t about the quality of your writing so much as the quality of your thoughts on writing… and what you plan to do if you improve your writing skills.

Here’s what you can win:

Two people will win a place as a student in the May edition of the Damn Fine Words writing course. (Retail value $1,599.)

Winners will join the course as full-access students when class begins on May 17. They’ll benefit from the lessons, the hands-on exercises, the interactive forum and my personal feedback and support throughout the entire course.

Pretty awesome, right?

Here’s what you need to do:

Write a blog post about why writing is important to you and your business. Why becoming a better writer could literally change your life. How not feeling confident in your writing has affected you, and what it would mean to you to have that obstacle swept away.

I want to know why it’s important for you to be in the Damn Fine Words writing course.

Keep in mind that Damn Fine Words is a writing course for business owners, so if you have an idea for a business you’d love to start, an existing business that isn’t doing so well or an established business that could be doing much better, let me know.

The DFW Online Writing Course Contest Rules

1. Write one blog post article of at least 450 words on why writing is important to you and how better writing skills would change your business or your life.
2. Link to www.damnfinewords.com once in your post.
3. Post your article to your blog.
4. Come leave a comment here in the comment section and link to your post.
5. Pat yourself on the back.

That’s all.

There are no points given for correct grammar or spelling. There are no points given for the fanciness of the words you choose or the quality of your sales writing. In fact, there are no points given for the quality of the writing at all.

What I’m looking for are two people who really wants to be in this writing course and who know this course can help them succeed.

I’m looking for two people who will show up every day and do their very best because improving their writing skills matters to them. I’m looking for two people who understand the value of writing and its worth to their business.

You don’t need fancy language or correct grammar or finely-honed writing to convey the sincerity of your passion. Trust me – I’ll see it.

Two judges will help me select the winners:

1. Taylor Lindstrom is a professional writer who has worked closely with me for several years.
2. Peter Shallard is the Shrink for Entrepreneurs and a business success consultant I work with on all my ventures.

The contest closes on May 1 at 7am Eastern. Have your submissions in before then, and we’ll select a winning post and contact the author directly. (Be sure to have a Contact page on your site, or leave us an email address here in the comments!)

Ready? Get writing!

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
The Best Online Writing Course Contest Ever first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

One month you’re rolling in sales and clients, cackling like a fiend at your riches. The next, you’re wild-eyed and panicked because work dried up… and so did the money. A week after hustling hard? You’re loaded again – until you’re back to being poor.

Money’s a real bitch.

No one really prepares you for this financial roller-coaster. No one tells you about the love-hate relationship you’ll have with money. It’s the dirty little secret: If you don’t manage your money properly from day one, you’re in for a rough, rocky ride.

You’re probably making bad financial decisions right now… ones that don’t leave you feeling happy and successful.

• You’ll live well for a year… then get your tax bill and cry.
• You’ll blow money on the new iPad… then eat Kraft Dinner to make ends meet.
• You’ll DIY and bootstrap… and lose clients because you don’t impress them.

Let’s face it: When you own a small business, money can be a blessing and a curse. But do you really need money to happy and successful?

Maybe all you need is a new way of thinking about money.

You’re about to learn what it is.

What would you change if you had all the money in the world?

That’s the question author Laura Vanderkam asked when she interviewed people for her new book, All the Money in the World: What the happiest people know about getting and spending.

She discovered some surprising answers – and they’re not what you think.

I wanted to know what Laura discovered. Badly. I wanted the secrets of these people – how they thought about money, what they did with it, and how they spent it to increase their happiness.

I had to know. I wanted Laura to tell me everything she discovered.

And you get to listen in.

Your Invitation: Let’s Talk about All the Money in the World

It’s time to expose the cold, hard truth about getting and spending money so you feel happier, more fulfilled and more successful. It’s time to ask the hard questions people avoid… and bring you a new mindset that helps you achieve better small business success.

So you’re invited:

Join me and Laura on April 25 at 12.00 pm Eastern and listen in as we talk about money – how to make smart buying decisions, where to spend your money and ways get your money working harder to make you happier. We’ll discuss:

• Why you should avoid that $47 ebook…and spend 10 times as much instead
• How to weight the costs and benefits of every purchase you’ll ever make, ever again
• The crucial question to ask yourself before you buy that thing you want
• Why context counts, and how to turn your spending psychology around 180 degrees
• How bootstrapping could be sabotaging your business income
• The list you need to write today to start creating change in your life
• How to spend your cash so that it brings more money and more happiness to your life
• Why your own spending psychology needs a makeover to keep your budget in check

This is going to be one cool conversation. I know because Laura’s expertise significantly changed my life.

After I read Laura’s book, I began asking myself one extremely important question before making any purchase – even if only cost 1$ – and that question saved me thousands of dollars in less than 4 weeks.

Let’s be clear: I live well, but I don’t have all the money in the world. I still have to think before I make purchases. I have a money coach and a budget. And sometimes I have to plan and save for what I want, just like you do.

But thanks to Laura, my new relationship with money is working to get me what I want a lot faster than before.

So dial in on April 25 at noon and listen as Laura talks about your relationship with money. It’s a life-changing event you won’t want to miss.

How to Join the Call

To receive call-in details for this exclusive event, sign up for the Damn Fine Words newsletter below.

 
You’ll be able to listen to the call, and you’ll also be signed up to receive weekly writing and content-creation tips from one of the best online writing courses for business owners ever.

Book your calendar for April 25, 12:00pm Eastern. Don’t miss it!

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Post by James Chartrand

James Chartrand is an entrepreneur, a pro copywriter and the founder and CEO of Men with Pens and Damn Fine Words, the game-changing writing course for business owners. She loves the color blue, her kids, and ice skating.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
A Casual Conversation: What Would You Do If You Had All the Money In the World? first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Let me tell you a story about what’s happening right now in Greece, my corner of the world, entrepreneurship-wise.

The situation in Greece is quite bad at the moment. We keep hearing how it’s in ‘critical condition’ and ‘hanging from a thread’. If you’re an entrepreneur running your own business, the blows come one after the other: surging taxes, closing businesses, long periods of unemployment, spending on the decrease…
It’s all a vicious cycle – out of which we still don’t know how to exit.

Unfortunately “we” more or less includes the entire world. It’s a test for the globe’s financial and social structure, which one way or another affects all countries with no exception, even if indirectly.

It’s a test we’ll all have to take.

There’s an upside in all of this. We Greeks – and I expect the rest of the world to follow soon – are finally starting to realize that if we want to make it, it’ll be through our own honest and healthy work, carried out both individually and in teams.

We’re distancing ourselves from traditional institutions, whether the state and its bureaucracy, banks and their often impossible terms or unsustainable sources of support and funding.

Instead we turn to healthier assistance: our local community, online aid in every shape and size, and new, more agile and modern types of investment.

Realizing the need and also the existence of alternative options, more and more of us have decided to take the plunge and become entrepreneurs – if you think about it, it’s the oldest type of job man can do.

In fact, a large fraction turn to online entrepreneurship for good reason. An online business is faster to set up, requires comparatively less starting capital, has an abundance of tools that help you get the work done efficiently, and there’s direct access to the world market.

A recent survey found that online connectivity is one of the last expenses to be cut in Greek households – and I believe it’s because people realize the strength of the online world.

It’s heartening to see architects setting up clothing e-shops for their designs, science grads trying their hand at olive oil e-commerce, IT teachers selling handmade jewelry online, engineers starting an internet business – all to enhance their income or to leave a saturated industry and start anew.

It’s happening in Greece and elsewhere. There’s an imminent financial meltdown, but if that’s not the best way to ‘not let a good crisis go unexploited’, then I don’t know what is.

In short, financial crisis is eventually a good thing. It’s not about the problems we have; it’s about what we’ve been doing wrong. It’s not about money handling gone bad; it’s about how to learn to handle money better. It’s not about how close we’re to economic meltdown; it’s about how far the economic reform we initiate can take us.

It’s a chance for all of us to reassess how we’ve been doing things so far (or how we’ve been letting things happen) and take control of the situation in our hands.

And that can only be a good thing.

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Post by Dimitris Athanasiadis

Dimitris Athanasiadis is a freelance social media consultant who has come to terms with the term.

Another rockin' post from Men with Pens!
Why Financial Crisis is Good for Entrepreneurship first appeared on Men with Pens
Copyright 2006 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.