Dear Mike Koenigs and Rocket Helstrom,

 Your Traffic Geyser partner, I must warn you, today had some VERY serious errors in thinking!

 First, here is a picture of me and Frank in Seattle at Pike Place Market:

Mike, Rocket and any other internet marketer out there reading this post…..

 You must know that this picture was taken at about 1:00pm PST shortly after watching the fish mongers at Pike Place Market in Seattle when Frank actually thought that this crazy and ludacrous thought….

 Notice that Frank is wearing a Seattle Mariners jersey…

Yeah he thought that later in the evening that the Mariners would actually defeat the Toronto Blue Jays!!!!

Now that is simply crazy thinking!!!

 Throughout the day we had some friendly banter going back and forth as to who would win the game….

 As the chants from the predominate fan base from Canada at Safeco Field rang “Let’s Go Blue Jays, Let’s Go”

 Frank still had some serious errors in thinking about who would leave the field victorious….

 Yeah, Frank…. The Jays really did defeat the Mariners by a score of 2-0….

It was an awesome game….

 Better yet it was an example of how internet marketers work…

 Thanks Frank for an amazing day in Seattle!!!!

 PS… Yeah the Jays really did win…and Yeah I am rubbing it in now

Wow, it’s been a busy time for me lately. I have been writing tons of new reports for my members at Fly on the Wall Club, keeping my affiliate websites ranking in the search engines and attending tons of industry events.

The latest event was simply amazing!

It was an intensive workshop called Success in Seattle hosted by my good friend Glen Hopkins.

Why do I love what I do? It’s the networking at events such as Glen’s - Meeting great people and forming new joint ventures…

Glen asked me to give 2 presentations at his workshop to help his students learn the insider secrets of how to rank in Google and using Google AdWords effectively.

I revealed some of my closely guarded secrets to his audience and I am incredibly excited to be working on a new book that details my exact AdWords strategy that has yielded additional profits of $56,000 in the span of only 2 weeks.

Having the ability to print money like that is nothing more than amazing!

While I knew all the stuff that Glen was presenting I actually learned TONS of great information on how to maximize the effectiveness of implementing his processes. My specialty has always been search engine, social media and paid search traffic generation however I really need to hone my skills on process implementation.

Thanks Glen for putting together the Success in Seattle event!

For those of you that may not have heard about Glen Hopkins, Glen is the author of the #1 Best Seller book called Lucrative List Building and Confessions of an Online Marketer.

 You can check out Glen’s website here 

What’s Next on my Agenda?

I will be flying to Chicago to present at Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar. I will be arriving in Chicago at about noon EST so if you are going to be there let’s hook up.

Check out the Pre-System Seminar Interviews Here

If you are going to be attending The System Seminar, please introduce yourself. I love helping others achieve success, especially those that invest in their education by attending seminars such as Glen Hopkins and Ken McCarthy’s. (Hint: A key to success is making a financial commitment to educating yourself. Once you spend money on education, it is then that you are vested in your success and more inclined to take action.)

My mission in life is to help others succeed, whether that be in business or personal life. My passion is bringing smiles where there weren’t smiles. Since this blog is related to business issues, please leave your comments and engage in a discussion about how I can help you.

Where do you struggle with in business?

Is it traffic generation, is it business process. Maybe it’s product creation that you need help with or is it simply deciding what industry to dive into.

My friends, I have been through it all in business. I have seen the ups and downs and I have continued to educate myself to build an enduring business, so go ahead and let me know where your struggle. Hey, if you have success stories of your own I would love to hear those as well.

Please leave your comments and questions

While I always appreciate the fact that I don’t have to get up and go to the office everyday because I am the master of my own destiny, I don’t always fully appreciate what being financially independent really means.

My friends, it hit hard today what being independent means.

Before launching my affiliate marketing business back in 2001 and subsequently quitting my last “real job” working as a UNIX Systems Administrator and Oracle DBA at BC Hydro I made friendships with a lot of really nice people there.

One of those very nice people was Donald Keays. Donald was one of the sweetest, kindest and most approachable people you could ever meet. I considered Donald to be a mentor that showed me the ropes of working a high demand technical job in a union environment.

Here is the email I received today from a former colleague and friend of mine:

Subject Line: FW: In Memoriam: Donald Keays
I regret to announce that Donald Keays passed away on Saturday, April 26th at the age of 65 after a lengthy illness.

Donald worked with IT Services and its predecessors for sixteen years. For much of that time, he provided infrastructure support at BC Hydro’s Burnaby Mountain System Control Centre. Over the past six years, Donald was Primary UNIX Administrator at Powerex, reporting to Chris Rice.

The following announcement appeared in the North Shore News:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Donald Montague Keays on April 26th, 2008 in North Vancouver. Donald is survived by his wife, Jeanette, and his children; Gordon, Marietta and Clairessa, his mother, Isabel, and his siblings Joane, Lois, Phil and his many nieces and nephews. Donald had a love of the outdoors and his spirit will rest in the tranquil surroundings of his Cariboo property. His upbeat and friendly demeanor will continue to be cherished in our hearts. The service will be held at First Memorial Services, 1505 Lillooet Road in North Vancouver at 10am on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.

Chris had this to say about Donald:
Donald’s gentle nature, his hearty laugh, disarming character and down-to-earth personality made him a perfect fit for the unique demands of the Powerex environment. Respected by his peers, valued by his customers, Donald quickly earned back the warmth he radiated to others.

My fondest memories of Donald were the times we spent looking at his pictures, regaling me with tales of his Cariboo property, truly one of his loves. He inspired me with his passion, and I will remember him fondly.
I extend my condolences to Donald’s family and to those of you who knew and worked with him.
When I look back at those that inspired me on my path to entrepreneurial freedom I sometimes forget what were seemingly “daydream” conversations about a better life and being free from a job, now that I see Donald Keays has passed I can’t help but reflect on the conversations I had with him while working on UNIX projects up on Burnaby Mountain, in particular the Grid Operations Upgrade Project.

I remember Donald talking about a job not being everything and this was at a time when I was just exploring the idea of “doing something on the internet”.

Donald talked about his plans for retirement in a few short years and he encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming free.

It deeply saddens me to hear of Donald Keay’s passing however I am very grateful to have made his acquaintance during my time at BC Hydro.

It is news such as Donald’s passing that remind to be very grateful for being free from a job.

Donald - You have touched my spirit and you have made the world a better place. I am thankful for having known you.

May God bless your soul my friend!

Why pursue your own business?

 What could be stopping you from achieving great financially wealth could actually be the pursuit of money itself.  Read on to see my real life experience take on this bold statement. 

Ever since launching my internet marketing business in 2001 I have enjoyed the freedom that comes with “being my own man”.

 

I am NEVER a victim to, “Colin, you need to work late tonight so cancel your personal plans and hangout with us losers at the office”

 

Now I can whole-heartedly call them “losers” in the nicest way possible. For my former co-workers reading this, I am not taking a personal jab at you.

 

I am however taking a jab at the “powers that be”. You know, the stinkin boss that says you must cancel your personal plans to do what’s best for the company.

 

Well, I own my own business and what’s important in my business is my personal well-being and that involves time with my family so it’s a given, since I am my own boss, business never interferes with family commitments.

 

Basically I get to call the shots not only in my day to day life but I get to call the shots in the hours I work.

 

That alone is well worth pursuing your own business endeavor, now do take note that I haven’t talked about the earnings potential of running your own business.

 

That’s important to take note of because I have earned MASSIVE amounts of money and it is not the money that motivates me, it is the time I get to spend with my young daughters while they are young.

 

Yeah, you have probably heard a bunch of the rich “assholes” talk about money not really mattering and that it’s the time that money provides for being free to spend with those close to you.

 

So, while money from a source that is not a 9 to 5 job is necessary to make this possible, the good news is that all you have to do is replace your current income with a business of your own.

 

So while I turned a net profit in excess of $55,000 last month, I didn’t need that much to really enjoy my daughters. In fact I regret inflating my style of living because my current income needs to make ends meet are around $10,000 per month.

 

If I didn’t increase my lifestyle the way I have, I would have only needed $4500 per month to sustain my cost of living.

 

But… Oh no…. I wanted more stuff… Bigger stuff… Bigger things…

 

Guess what folks, the novelty of expensive cars and big TV’s and all that other stuff wears off after about a week of owning them.

 

Stuff doesn’t matter, living free does.

 

So perhaps that might change your thinking about what’s possible and that to be truly successful does not equate to “he who dies with the most toys wins”

 

In fact, if you are thinking along those lines GIVE YOUR HEAD A SHAKE RIGHT NOW.

 

Stuff doesn’t matter, time with loved ones does

 

If you are a toy hunter, then I encourage you to follow a new mantra.

 

“He who dies with the most time spent with loved ones wins”

 

Hopefully this short post has been insightful and encouraging to you.

   

Should you attend Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar?

It was back in November when I met Ken McCarthy face to face and got to know him on a personal level. Over the last 8 years of building successful internet businesses I have heard tons of excellent feedback about Ken’s Systems Seminar but it wasn’t until I had the honor of meeting him in person that I fully realized what a great guy Ken actually is.

Here is a picture that Michael Campbell’s wife, Amy, so graciously snapped while she endured our conversations about internet marketing. Thanks Amy, for listening to us talk endlessly about internet marketing tactics

 

For those of you that haven’t heard of Ken McCarthy before he was the first guy to hold a conference about internet marketing.

In the fall of 1994 Ken McCarthy hooked up with Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Netscape (Netscape was the first web browser).

Ken and Marc organized the first conference on get this…

The viability of using the internet as a commerce platform!

I remember back in 1994 people were talking about the web as being a “passing fad”.

Yeah right, a passing fad…

After making millions myself on this “passing fad”, I think we can all agree the web is here to stay!

Now rolling the clock forward to 2008, the web is now an essential element to ANY successful business and in order to succeed you have to know exactly how to use it to establish or expand YOUR brand.

This is the focus of Ken’s seminars. Ken’s System Seminar is unlike many conferences you might have attended on the subject of online marketing.

What Ken’s Seminar is NOT

The Systems Seminar is NOT about OVER-HYPED platform selling.

I am personally presenting at the System Seminar and as a Systems Faculty Member I have signed an agreement that my presentation be 100% content driven. Ken does not allow his faculty members to deliver presentations for the sake of selling you something from the stage.

I strongly urge you to attend the Systems Seminar to see my presentation on Social Marketing and to get valuable information about every aspect of internet marketing to get your business to success.

Check out the f.ree Pre-System Seminar series of interviews here.

(Ken will be interviewing me again on May 7, so watch for an email reminder about that as well)

I just received an email from Ken that you can get a discount on the Systems Seminar until this Wednesday April 30.

If you have been “sitting on the fence” when it comes to attending conferences, it’s time to take the leap over.

Take action today.

Wishing you success and I hope to see you at the System Seminar!

If you have any doubts about spending your money on an internet marketing conference I have to tell you that it is worth every dime you spend.

My personal success is largely due to attending industry events such as Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar. The face to face meetings with industry experts has always proven to be of incredible benefit to my own success.

My philosophy when it comes to my business is this:

“Always be learning” - I am always open to learning and testing new tactics to grow my business so I encourage you to come learn with me as I present valuable secrets to tapping the social media at The System Seminar.

Register now for The System Seminar to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount.

Get More Info Here

iContact is one of the best autoresponder services available for your email marketing efforts. If you are currently or are thinking about operating your email campaigns in-house from your own servers then you it is likely you will run into deliverability issues with the major ISP’s.

Because iContact has whitelist agreements in place with the major internet service providers it means that you will get a much higher delivery rate and that of course means your message will be seen by more of your subscribers.

What makes iContact stand out from the crowd is they are:

1. Affordable for everyone
2. Offer hundreds of free email templates
3. Offer a free 15 day trail

While there are good autoresponder services none offer the same deliverability on you email marketing campaigns nor do their competitors offer as many free email templates

There is nothing to lose by trying them out. Take advantage of iContacts 15 Day free trial right now.

Try iContact Today

A couple weeks ago I fully realized that once again I was far ahead of the marketing gurus when I spoke with Mike Filsaime regarding the use of the term “Fly on the Wall” for his re-launch of his Job Crusher program.

Over a year ago I realized that what those struggling with building traffic and customer lists really needed was to be a “Fly on the Wall” and watch what I do. Now Mike also is seeing this as what is needed for the new to internet marketing folks out there.

I haven’t seen the inside of Mike’s program yet however I will be taking a look to give you feedback on his program however one thing I know is certain is that you will not get direct access to Mike via his program and in my “Fly on the Wall Club”, you get direct access to my cell phone.

There is nothing like the personal touch when helping people grow their business, every body has unique needs and they run unique businesses so when you need help having direct access to somebody that has been doing it for years is the best solution to your business.

For those of you hounding me with questions about Mike’s Job Crusher Fly on the Wall series, please be patient, I just got home from Affiliate Summit and will be talking to Mike later next week and I will give you my expert opinion on his training program.

Camtasia studio for me is an essential tool for hyper-accelerating my traffic, visitor opt-ins and website visitor retention rates. Best of all Camtasia helps me convert visitors to sales.

While written text is still necessary for getting your own site to rank in the search engines, one of the factors Google has been using to determine your site position in the search engine results pages is visit duration. One surefire way to get your visitors staying on your site for longer periods of time is to incorporate video. Camtasia Studio makes creating website video incredibly easy. Simply follow their wizard and begin recording, ftp the video to your site or better yet use a video submission tool such as Traffic Geyser to upload your screen recording to video hosting engines such as YouTube or MetaCafe.

If you combine Camtasia with Traffic Geyser and consistently create videos you will see a very nice spike in your traffic. Since websites such as YouTube are very authoritive sites you will also notice that your Camtasia screen recordings will begin to rise to the top ten positions.

 

To maximize the effective of driving video traffic remember to go get Traffic Geyser right now, this is a website promotion tool that will pay for it self many times over.

If you are doing business online then you absolutely must add Camtasia Studio to your arsenal of profit generating tools right now.