A great friend of mine pointed me to the Internet Business Mastery Podcast. The podcast was started in 2005 and has 29 "Main" episodes so far. The hosts Jay and Sterling are internet entrepreneurs that, like most, have given up the corporate life. They have started a no nonsense podcast to help others develop internet businesses. Having listed to and read many books, podcasts, articles and the like on the subject, I find the podcast to be really one of the best.
One of my favorite things about the podcast is that there is no fluff. This isn't an overproduced podcast, but it isn't under produced either. They have some theme music and that is about it for production. I'm not sure what technical equipment they use to record the show, but while not sound-studio quality, there is no hiss or other background noise to distract you, like most podcasts that are recorded on a computer, seemingly with a 50 cent microphone. The sound quality is great, Jay and Sterling are easy to listen to and all the distracting stuff is left out.
Each "main" podcast has planned segments that keep things flowing. You can tell they do their show prep. The cast is not just a bunch of rambling. They have obviously planned ahead and while they aren't reading a script, you can tell they have show notes that they follow to keep on track. It is very well done.
The subject matter is very well focused. This is information the listener can use to get an online business started and running. It really seems as though the information is mostly what they have learned by experience. They don't offer anything earth-shattering and not much that you couldn't find elsewhere, but this is the most concise program I have found. It is like a great aggregation of some of the best online business info that is spread across the net. They lay it out simply. The salient points are driven home by personal stories of how the point was tried by them, or sometimes against them by their competition.
The podcast is backed-up by a blog-style web site. Each episode gets it's own blog entry with a synopsis of the cast and best of all, links to all the resources they discuss. It is great to not have to go back to the podcast and try to find the url for a site they discussed or a software tool they recommend. I always know that I can go to the site and find the resources later. I often listen to the podcast while riding my bike, so I don't get to take notes. Having the web site to refer back to is just another way they make this easier.
I've mentioned "main" episodes, because they have started adding in extra episodes. Some are called "b" episodes where they give a quick update, usually when there has been significant time between "main" episodes. Even these have some great resources, as they try to add beneficial content to each cast. One other episode they did was called a "Bonus" episode where they interviewed a player in the Internet Business genre. It actually turned out to be Sterling interviewing Jay, where we find out that Jay is a pseudonym! It's a great episode and really gives you some insight into each of the hosts.
I just started listening to the podcast a couple of months ago. I've caught up on all the back episodes and this is one of the podcasts that I eagerly await the next episode. Sterling and Jay are obviously in this to make money. Having this podcast gives them some great exposure. Yes, they are doing this because it helps their other ventures. But, there is no harm in them doing this either. Even if it is purely to help them make more money, it is still invaluable information for the listener. AND, they do not do it as a sales pitch. They are never asking you to go buy their other products. So many other podcasts, blogs and article sites are simply masks for generating sales. While I'm sure this podcast has made them money, the benefit is still there for the listener and you don't have to spend any money on "extras" to get the "rest of the story".
If you are interested in online business, I heartily suggest you subscribe to this podcast. This podcast is probably the biggest factor in me deciding to start my blog. It has given me some great advice and insight. It has also led me to some great resources. This is where I first heard about Tim Ferriss' book The 4 Hour Workweek, which I wrote about earlier. They have pointed me to several books and sites that give me even more information. I've become an internet business information junkie. I'm hooked and you might be to if you listen to the Internet Business Mastery podcast.
If you do decide listen to the podcast, be sure to come back and let me know what you think!
Happy business development!
Trent
I recently finished reading Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek, Escape 9 - 5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich. This is simply a must read for anyone interested in independence from the 9 to 5. Whether you have left your job and have started your own company, or sitting in your cubicle dreaming of quitting between cold calls.
Tim is an interesting character. The book flows with many stories of Tim's adventures. If only half of them are true, then Tim has really led a charmed life. Through these stories, Tim explains that "The 4-hour Workweek" is a lifestyle change, not a get-rich-quick plan. Tim's writing is refreshing. His message seems sincere.
After reading the book, I not only want to be a member of the New Rich, but I have a plan that Tim lays out very clearly on how that goal is obtainable. Tim does not preach about how to amass a fortune. In fact, he falls just short of telling you not to. Tim's idea is simply to figure out what you would want to do and where. From Tango world championships in Buenos Aires to kickboxing in Thailand, Tim shows you that it isn't about how much you have, but how much you enjoy.
His plan is to teach you how to decide what would make you the happiest, then decide how much it would cost you to do that, and then plan out how to make enough money (passively) to be able to live your dream. He really drives the point home that enjoying your life while you can is what can make life more than you can imagine. I've read books that say the same thing, but never a book that details it so well.
This book is not just about changing your thought process. The 4-Hour Workweek goes into great detail about HOW TO ACHIEVE your dreams. Tim isn't just another speaker saying "Think Big" and then leaving you to figure out what to do with your thoughts. I've read some GREAT books about thinking big and living large, but Tim really gives you a plan to let you achieve your dreams.
It takes you step-by-step on what you have to do to automate your business or get/start a business that you can automate. He doesn't simply tell you that you need to get out of the office, he has an extensive chapter telling you how to do it, gradually. Right down to the scripts you use to put a remote working agreement in place with your current company. He role-plays the discussions that will take place between you and your boss. He doesn't hold anything back.
There is just as much detail about how to automate your business to the point that it can run whether you are working from home in the same city as the office, or whether you are hiking up a mountain in Switzerland. Again, the details of how to do this are so in depth that you have the confidence immediately to think that you can do it.
I've read books, listened to Podcasts, purchased seminars, etc. I'm not knocking any of them. Some of them are what put me in the mind frame for finding and reading a book like The 4-Hour Workweek. But I have never come away from reading a book with such a clear plan of what to do to accomplish what the author's objective was. Tim really lays it out for you. He even has worksheets on his web site to help you work on your plan. Most books, podcasts, etc. that I've leave you with the message that "If you want to do this, sign up for one of my seminars and I'll show you how." They all seem like a sales pitch for buying the "rest of the story". This book is Tim's seminar. I've never read a more complete "How-To" in the entrepreneur genre than this book. Few books in life are the life-changing type. Few live up to their own hype. But this one is life changing and Tim cuts through the hype with actual facts. If you're ready for a ride to freedom, and not just financial freedom-but true freedom, you will find The 4-hour Workweek invaluable. Get this book, and then let's meet up sometime as members of The New Rich!
Trent
I have become fascinated in the past few years with business development. After the software company that I was working for moved out of Dallas, I decided it was time to see if I could make a go at working for myself. I had a few friends from work that also chose not to relocate with our old company. We were left here with no jobs. I got together with two other guys and we started working on writing a web-based application that we could sell ourselves. We got that about 80% done when another opportunity came up. We along with two more friends got together and wrote a product that we actually got finished and got to the market.
I'm not going to go into the details of those ventures in this post. But this was my first foray into the world of starting, building and maintaining a business. This started out as 4 friends in a partnership. We eventually lost one partner when he got called to duty in the Reserves. About the same time we went through the process of deciding, voting and eventually adding a new partner to the business. When the product took off, we actually got to the point where we were adding employees. The whole process of creating a business from scratch and actually making a go at it was the greatest.
The marketing was fascinating. Tweaking emails, Google Ads, web sites and all was fun to track and see when things worked and when they didn't. Adding employees was a pretty major step. Now we had to be in the office! Learning to trust other people with your business was scary. Keeping up with the books, deciding what we could buy, growing into larger office space, getting better hosting facilities was both fun and challenging. We all had a blast. It wasn't all fun and games and we made our share of mistakes. But it was up and going. When you put in a hard day, or spend half a day arguing with your partners, or live through your web site going down for extended periods of time all become fun in hindsight when you write yourself that fat check. And knowing that you are on the top of the money chain is a great feeling.
It all came crashing down one day when it imploded from within. Personalities eventually get in the way when there is a substantial amount of money in the pot. This taught me the hard way about all the details of business development from a legal standpoint. Keeping your entities in good standing is often left to be done later. And our downfall was constantly working on a partnership agreement and never executing one. We always thought there would be time. Then when it blows up in your face, everything is left to interpretation and he-said,she-said. That is when the fun STOPPED COLD.
So, I've experienced business development from both sides. The fun of watching it grow and the complete shock at watching it crumble. There were so many facets to the lessons learned. Product development, marketing, business entities, accounting, legal filings, employees, office management, vendor contracts, customer service, and so much more. The happiness, frustration, anticipation, exhaustion, depression, fear and so many other feelings are all just a part of it. I know there's no way to have a successful business of your own and avoid ANY of this.
But it all builds character, right? The ups and the downs, you can learn from both. Looking back I can see so many things that we could have done better (none more important than signing the partnership agreement) and I can also see so many things that we did right.
Since all that drama began in January of '06, I've been looking for something else to start. I've gotten into books, podcasts, blogs (obviously), magazines and about any other track that is out there for learning about business. That's not to say that I have the stock ticker scrolling across the bottom of my monitor as I type this. That's the financial stuff. I'm immersed in business development. I've looked at many "programs" for starting your own business and I'm sure I will eventually write about all of them. I dove into the Real Estate investing genre and learned all about the many ways to get into that game. I haven't started any of that yet. It sounds fun, but it hasn't grabbed me away from the software development stuff yet. I would still love to go back into retail software. I've got plenty of projects started and I hope that at least one will make it out the door to the public. Hopefully, they all will.
So, it looks like for now, the main focus is getting a new product ready and going back into business on the web. That would be inside my comfort zone. I do like reading about other models though. I just recently attended a Franchising trade show locally. That's definitely a cool model, buying into something that is already proven to work. Maybe that will become an investment track for me someday, like the real estate investing.
So, I plan on writing about all the articles, podcasts, books, sites and conversations that I read, listen to or talk about in my course of going about my days. I look forward to having a community here to talk about the subject with others. I hope I can share experiences that will help someone else have a smooth ride on their way and I also hope to learn from you as you contribute.
Thanks for the interest and reading this far! Please come back and read my thoughts and by all means share your own.
Trent