Written By Loren Woirhaye, May 31st, 2009
Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes
Despite having only recently hung-out my own shingle as a writer-for-hire, I’ve been writing copy for my own business ventures, and learning a thing or two, since at least 1999. Even though my businesses until 2005 or were mostly local concerns (aside from selling old tools on Ebay), I still used copy in ads and promotional materials.
I also learned some hard lessons about how many balls you need to juggle to make it in the hard goods business. Finally I threw in the towel and went into marketing and selling stuff only instead of what I had done before, which was design, customize, manufacture, maintain machinery, pick-up all manner of heavy and awkward materials, advertise, kiss clients’ butts, install stuff, work long hours for low pay, market, write copy, try to sell, network, and generally run myself ragged trying to do it all by myself.
Did someone call me a fool?
Actually I learned a lot. I learned that owning a small business is a lot more complicated than doing the same thing just for pleasure, especially if your business involves working with clients AND physical labor.
Call me stupid. Somehow I thought 
Written By Loren Woirhaye, May 22nd, 2009
Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes
I am an advocate of being aggressive in your marketing – relentless.
I am also a champion of being sincere, selling with your values, following your heart.
For most people the words “selling” and “sincerity” are not ones they associate readily.
This is the fault of society, TV, your family and friends who have talked to you from both sides of the mouth your whole life.
If you listen to what a lot of people say about sales and salespeople and marketer you might think we are nothing but liars and thieves.
…and it is true that we’ve all been burned by salespeople who were not straight-up with us – and that can contribute greatly to the notion that salespeople are unethical shysters.
However – carrying such attitudes with you will do more to prevent your happiness, acquisition of wealth, and success in your own business than any other factor.
Yes, the mind can be a terrible things – especially when it is running on a program that is telling us everyday that we are doing something bad. Like trying to sell stuff to make money.
Wait!
That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
After all, we all need to make money to
Written By Loren Woirhaye, May 20th, 2009
Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes
Eric Louviere is smart about some online business stuff that really matters – so I’m re-publishing something of his here. Not because I’m too lazy to write something, but because Eric says it very well and you should take it to heart. I’m not some lone bug-eyed freedom-prophet – I get my insights from watching what works in business – and reading what other people who watch what works write. So read this:
If you’ve been a newbie for over a year, then you might be a redneck.
No seriously, if you are a newbie right now, then you need to stop being a newbie and start selling stuff. In fact, just get a squeeze page up and send traffic to it.
If you do that, then you’ll be further along than 95% of all newbies right away.
Send traffic to a squeeze page, and you’re in business. That’s it.
Want to make six figures per year? send enough traffic to a squeeze page that you build a list of 5,000 subscribers or more.
I’m now fully convinced that people dont make money because of the BARRIERS they put up that prevents them from making money.
BARRIERS =
Written By Loren Woirhaye, May 7th, 2009
Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes
You and me are own worst enemy.
… and it’s all in our minds!
…Especially when we let negative feelings put up walls to achieving our personal and professional goals.
We see this every day – person A begins talking enthusiastically about a new opportunity and immediately persons B and C shoot the idea down by focusing only on the negative outcomes that could potentially result.
I’m guilty of this – big time!
I’m a pessimist (learned from experience) about a lot of business stuff – since most businesses fail I think I’m justified – because it is far easier to get it wrong than get it right!
In the big-picture however, I am a relentless optimist. I know that each new plateau of success requires overcoming unwelcome challenges.
That’s life. Check your own experience to corroborate my opinion – it will probably match-up.
Case-in-point (non-business): I sucked at guitar when I started. With each new accomplishment in skill, dexterity, or comprehension of musical principles more finicky challenges presented themselves – and could only be overcome with dedicated practice and self-assessment.
And some days I just felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all… sometimes for weeks.
Then… Big
