Today's Feature Article

Making Money Without Money
Dan Kennedy

A little short on cash? Take heart: most entrepreneurial success stories involve one person with little or no money matching ideas, drive, determination, hard work, and other attributes with other people's money. I never let the lack of money (or good credit) hold me back and you don't have to either. If you have a reasonably sound business plan and sufficient commitment to your plan, you can obtain the money you need to make it happen!

In this Article, I deal with finding the money you need to finance a new business, to reorganize, expand, or diversify your present business, or to buy an existing business. If you happen to have capital and/or good credit, so much the better; I'll show you how to make better use of those advantages. But if you're starting from a "disadvantaged' position, that's okay too.

Money Alone Isn't the Answer

Money is not going to be your problem. But I also want to emphasize that money is not going to be your solution either.

The business battlefield is littered with the skeletons of entrepreneurs who erroneously believed that a big chunk of cash would solve their problems. I've been there; I've believed that, too. I've sold others on that idea. And I've been wrong. I'm sorry to say that I've wasted well over $ 200,000 into what oil wildcatters call "dry holes," thanks to a stubborn belief in cash as a cure-all. But I've also taken nothing and made it into something.

The most successful entrepreneurs I know, including those who now have tons of money, are like the main character in the popular television show "McGyver." McGyver is always getting out of a jam by creating some incredible gadget with whatever happens to be lying around. Entrepreneurs, too, sometimes have to turn thin air, spare parts, and other people's discards into resources with which empires can be built. Drop one of these McGyver-type entrepreneurs out of an airplane into a strange city with nothing else but the clothes on his or her back and $5 cash, and he or she will have an office or store opened and be doing business by the sunrise.

The story of Doug W. exemplifies this kind of unique resourcefulness that successful entrepreneurs need. Doug went broke in a big way in a direct sales business and wound up sitting in his bare house, all the furniture gone, and nothing left but a box of 48 copies of the book, Think and Grow Rich, and a dozen broken down auto-dialing ( telephone marketing) computers. Doug had used these machines to set up appointments for his salespeople in his now-defunct business. He knew they could work and he believed in them. He had used the books in his classes to motivate his salespeople.

Doug asked himself what resources he could draw on to get some cash. He repaired the auto-dialers so they could be sold as used but operable equipment. Then he got on the phone, calling insurance salespeople, real estate agents, and other salespeople, inviting them to a free seminar on using auto-dialers to increase business. He offered a free copy of Think and Grow Rich to anybody who came to the meeting.

Doug called and invited hundreds. About a dozen salespeople showed up. He nervously stood up in front of the group, explained how auto-dialers worked, how he used them successfully, and how others used them. Then he gave a demonstration and offered a unique "rent-and-try-then-buy" offer on the machines he had in stock. That evening, Doug sold eight machines; in the first month he collected $800 from rentals. He discovered that he had a knack for selling this type of equipment.

In short order, Doug found a manufacturer of auto-dialers and convinced him to sell the machines at wholesale as Doug needed them, without an inventory requirement, franchise fee, or other up-front payment. In the next few years, Doug built a large business, with national advertising and sales representatives, selling these machines. He also used some of the profits from that business to invest in a new idea for computer software, and that, too, turned into a very successful business. Doug went from bankruptcy to big money without borrowing a nickel.

The last I talked to Doug, a couple of years ago, he was grooming replacements to run his companies, personally working two weeks a month, and sailing the Caribbean on his yacht the other two weeks of the month.

What About Raising Money?

I am not opposed to raising money. In fact, I believe, in most cases it is necessary to "use other people's money" to get a business from some stage to another. I'm not suggesting that you go through your business life avoiding borrowing or raising capital, but I have seen a lot of people borrow huge amounts of cash suffer from the erroneous beliefs in the power of that cash. By itself, cash cannot change things for the better.

The bottom line is that there's no point in getting money before, unless, and until you have a solid plan for matching and merging it with other resources for productive purposes.

********************************
Phoenix-based entrepreneur-extraordinaire wins international recognition as a "millionaire-maker," helping people in dozens of different businesses turn their ideas into fortunes.

Entrepreneur Magazine says that Dan Kennedy has "at least 101 moneymaking ideas for any business owner." http://www.dankennedy.com/

Today's Motivational Reading

The Power of a Focused Mind
Matt Furey

When I was a freshman in high school I was not by any means the MOST talented athlete on the wrestling squad. There were several people who were better than me.

But guess what?

None of them had the drive that I had because none of them took the time to formulate specific goals they wanted to attain. That's where our differences began - but it is not where they ended.

I trained at least two (but usually three) times per day. The focus I had was turning me into a new person - and frankly, this person was not someone that a section of people in my school, liked, especially the upper classmen, who felt it was too late for them to achieve anything of note. And so, when they saw me running to and from classes, going to train the minute school got out; reading and studying every book on the subject of wrestling and conditioning, and just plain being obsessed, they hated me all the more. What bothered them most of all, though, was that "I didn't care."

Thick, Black Face

In the midst of it all, I had a thick face and black heart, something you'll be developing yourself when you have clearly defined goals that you have a burning desire to accomplish. When you get focused on a goal, you'll become like the proverbial "horse with blinders." When you have that frame of mind, it's difficult for someone to "get under your skin."

Throughout the remainder of my high school days, I held true to three goals. One was to be a state champion. The second was to wrestle at Iowa for Dan Gable. The third was to stand before my peers, my entire high school, and deliver a speech on what I did to become a winner.

I thought about this third goal a lot. In fact, each day when I walked to the gym in my hometown to train, I literally talked to myself, and oftentimes did so out loud. I don1t know why I did this. But no matter what the reason, I had a friend with me - someone inside myself who listened, advised and told me everything would turn out for the best. I believed this friend and kept on keeping on. No matter how many setbacks I had on the mat, and I had plenty, I stayed the course.

Setbacks and Obstacles Be Damned!

During my senior year, when I was on a roll, racking up one victory after another, more and more people at my school began to take a positive interest in my career. They began attending matches in droves and cheering for me. But then, three days before the district tournament was held - and this was the tournament that would qualify me for the state tournament, while out running with the team, I stepped on a jagged piece of rock. I twisted and sprained my ankle so badly I could only hobble.

When I got up the next day, my ankle was swollen horribly. I was taken to the hospital physical therapy room for treatment. The physical therapist there gave me two days of non-stop ice, followed by ultrasound, followed by rest. As I laid there for the treatment, I kept seeing myself as okay. I kept telling myself that my ankle would be healed enough for me to compete by that Saturday.

On the Saturday that the team bus was ready to leave, I got out of my dad's car, slipped crutches beneath my arms and got on board. The rest of the team looked at me and said, " Are you going to wrestle?" I said, "Of course." Then they looked at me and said, "How?"

"You'll see," I said.

When we got to the arena some 90 minutes later, I left the crutches in the bus and put weight on my foot for the first time in three days. I won my first two matches, making it into the finals, where I qualified for the state tournament. A week later, at the state tournament, I defeated the defending state champion, Wayne Love, as well as the second- ranked man. Then, before the finals, somehow or other, all the mind power I had used to get as far as I had gotten, ran dry. At least I thought it did because I didn't know how to get my mind back where I needed it to be.

I lost to a lesser opponent in the finals by a point.

This loss haunted me for years. How could I beat one of the best wrestlers in the country, if not the best, then lose in the finals? It turns out that this adversity carried with it the seed of an equivalent benefit, as it helped spark my desire to further develop the mental part of the sport.

The Unexpected Surprises

But truth be told, part of the reason why I began to put even more emphasis on the mental part of sport, took place upon my return to my high school the following Monday. First of all, I found out that my idol throughout high school, and the man I wanted to wrestle for in college, was interested in me. Imagine that. Although I fell short of my goal of being a state champion - my victory over the defending state champion was seen by, of all people, Dan Gable, who was at the tournament to watch HIM, not me. When I beat the champion, Gable was left scratching his head, wondering where the hell "this guy" (me) came from. Noting that my high school didn1t have a history of good wrestlers, this made him curious.

Second, and perhaps spookiest of all, unbeknownst to me throughout the entire day, a surprise pep assembly was planned for the afternoon - and it was "just for me."

Even more strange is that, during a break in the morning, I pulled out a notebook and wrote a pretend speech thanking everyone who had helped me throughout my career. Included in this speech was a big thanks to those who had laughed and jeered and booed me early on. Don't know why I wrote this speech or why I chose to fold it and put it in my pocket - but it all fits perfectly, as you'll soon see.

In the afternoon when the pep assembly was called - the superintendent of the school, who was flanked by the mayor of the city, re-presented me with the medal I had won in the finals two days earlier. As the medal was hung around my neck, the superintendent asked if I would like to say a few words. Without hesitating I said "sure," - then stepped to the podium and pulled the three-page speech out of my pocket. I began by thanking all those who had helped me and followed this up with a bit of motivation, where I told the audience, "The man who keeps getting back up can never be defeated. You1re only defeated when you stay down."

My speech garnered three standing ovations. The very people who had jeered and mocked me were now on my side. And this event helped me realize that thoughts are the most powerful form of energy on earth. Your thoughts hold the key to your success. Whether you want to be champion of the world or a success in some other endeavor, you can. It all boils down to a state of mind.

********************************
To find out more about how you can harness the power of your mind to achieve any and all goals, I encourage you to check out the Zero Resistance Living program that was developed by the late Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of the 30 million copy best-seller - Psycho-Cybernetics.
http://psycho-cybernetics.com/

Today's Subscriber Article

The Importance of Content
Scott F. Geld

"The content is very important". It's true that this line has become monotonous, but you would still hear it more often from all the marketing icons. The reason is quite plain and simple; when you have a web presence, Content is the thing that attracts customers and retains their attention. It is the one and only means, which would bring customers to your website and turn leads into sales through all your advertising campaigns. This is what you are selling, and you should hit right on the bull's eye for it. No place of compromise when it comes to content of your website.

If you do not feel confident enough of writing great content yourself, it's better to hire a good writer to do it for you. But before choosing an appropriate copywriter, you should know whether he possesses Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) copywriting experience or not. This is the most important point, as your have a commercial website which is selling your business, and your main aim is to bring traffic to your website. So an adept person, with an experience of SEM/SEO, can do wonders for your business.

With clear, concise and compelling information presented attractively about your product and service, you hope to move the visitor to view your web site favorably when determining their action.

Descriptive and reflective website content with rich information about product and service targeted to sell, makes way towards success. Internet sales got doubled in the last decade, even when the economy was struggling. In this light, you would have been surprised to know that large fancy corporate websites and dot-coms are losing money. Most of the time you can't even locate what is on the sale at their website. When visitors hit your home page, they want to know your identity and what you can do for them. Just fancy sites don't sell, strong content does.

This same painstaking consideration is rarely given to the search engines that are the determining factor in your ranking position, which they assign your web site. Your search engine ranking is the key to the amount of visitors, and the success of your website, finally.

So, give importance to the content you have on your website and do all the things necessary to promote your web business. Hard work always pays; contrary to no work, no pay. Learn and analyze what other people are doing. Learn about success stories and implement them in your business plans. Everyone is making money on the web; so can you. Some are making less and some are making more but there is a whole world out there to be explored. Get started today!

********************************
Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and direct links. For more info:
http://www.MarketingBlaster.com

To listen to a new Top Show, click the picture.

To Get FREE Tips, Books, Software,
Subscribe below!

Read Our Weekly Column
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Guide/DrEBiz.html

Subscribe to 'Pathway To Success' Published every other Sunday, our FREE Ezine helps Subscribers to succeed in their online home business providing them with hot marketing tips, top webmaster resources, articles, motivational reading, FREE Ads, Subscriber Corner, Web Lions Library, Bonuses and more. Check current visitor Issue. Click here!   Name: Email:  Don't forget to collect YOUR FREE Bonuses! Get Your Special Motivational 2004 Calendar PLUS New! Insider Tips, Volume 3! Note: Please don't use any hotmail, yahoo, zwallet addresses nor autoresponders. These will not subscribe you. Also, by subscribing to Pathway To Success Ezine you expressly request to receive our regular newsletter and agree to in-house and third party advertising contained therein. Privacy Guarantee: Your privacy is 100% guaranteed. We never share any personal data incl email addresses with any third party, we do not even store email addresses on third party servers. Privacy Policy

The pride of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. Vincent Lombardi

*******************************

Get one of the Feature Ads in our Ezine:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/WebmasterMall/EzineAdPrices.html

Administration

***************************************************** The articles published here may be reprinted or used freely as long as it is in its entirety incl the resource box of the author *****************************************************

If you want quality sticky content for your site, put the below piece of code to your page where you want the current Pathway To Success Issue to appear - copy and paste:

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://www.thecassiopeia.com/content1.js"></script>

Note: check what it looks like Click here

Get my RSS feed to your site - copy and paste the code into your page where you want fresh content to appear:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=JavaScript SRC=http://jade.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/feed/rss2js.php?src=http://www.thecassiopeia.com/xml/thecassiopeiaweb.xml&chan=yes&
num=0&desc=yes&date=yes>
</script>

Note: check what it looks like Click here

Read what others say about Pathway To Success