This is just a great book, reading in parts so can stop and think about what I am learning. This is a great example of why social networks have so much power.

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"I set up DIYDrones.com as a social network (on the Ning platform), not as a blog (so 2004!). That distinction—a site created as a community, not a one-man news and information site like a blog—turned out to make all the difference. Like all good social networks, every participant, not just the creator, has access to the full range of authoring tools: along with the usual commenting, they can compose their own blog posts, start discussions, upload videos and pictures, and create profile pages and send messages to one another. Community members can be made moderators, to encourage good behavior and discourage bad.

What this meant was that the site wasn’t just about me or my ideas. Instead, it was about anyone who chose to participate. And right from the start, that was almost everyone. The site was soon full of people trading ideas and reports of their own projects and research."


Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson


Check out the website mentioned. http://diydrones.com/

You make money when you buy, not when you sell. Anyone can give something away for free. 

Anyone can promise anything a customer asks, anyone can give free freight. There is no skill, no art, and no value, and therefore no profit in things anyone can do. The art is in selling what makes you unique. You want to create a transaction that makes both parties feel they have won.

Start Now. Your world needs action.


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“If you've got a dollar and you spend 29 cents on a loaf of bread, you've got 71 cents left; But if you've got seventeen grand and you spend 29 cents on a loaf of bread, you've still got seventeen grand. There's a math lesson for you.”

― Steve Martin

Love this quote. Think about it.

Discipline matters on cash flow, particularly where money is tight. 

You will want to spend the extra, but remember that you are generating money from the system you have the products you sell, from what you already own, and since you need money to grow, you need to spend less on things that do not generate income. For every dollar you spend you need what you bought to make two dollars or more. You have to keep the machine running. 

Once you are ahead, put some aside for any future issues or growth, returns, system problems, etc. Always be looking for new opportunities, and always look for a way to make more and spend less. The best solution is something that you can make that is low cost to produce and low cost to ship and most importantly, people want. You can make more money, you can find new things to sell, but you cannot get more time, it is infinitely valuable. To create something that takes hours to create and then sell for pennies is to destroy any chance you have. Value your time.

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My job is to know is to know why some process at a customer doesn't work and then find the easiest and most cost effective way to fix it, and each time, my first step is always the same. This tool only costs $.05 in materials, a child could do it and often does, and it solves the process problem almost every time.

Anyone can do it, everyone should do it, but most never do. They should, but usually overlook it as too simple or obvious.

It has worked for me in manufacturing plants, plant and warehouse layout problems, sap integrations, Microsoft AX integrations, paperwork flow, and many other applications. It is pretty much a universal tool. This tool is a Swiss army knife of business problem solving.

What is it?

It is simple. -


Draw your process out. A nice simple rough sketch.

Get a piece of paper and a pencil.

Draw the work flow.

Make sure that you have people with you who are involved in all steps in the process and they are helping you create the sketch. Make sure you get every move, every transaction, every single delay, every person, all the issues.

Your drawing will be messy and that is good, just make sure to draw out the flow of the process you are working on as accurately as possible, no editing until done.

Put it up on the wall.

Does anything in the process get handled twice?

If it does, there is a problem, because nothing should be handled twice.

Is there dead inventory, material stuck at stations? Draw it. Inventory is there to hide a problem, if everything is working, you do not need extra inventory.

Are there feedback loops so that people who aren't of the process know the results of their actions, and see when they are doing well, or not doing well? This important, because people need to know how they are doing, if there is no feedback, they think it doesn't matter.

Put times on your drawing, it will surprise you.

Draw your problem and every time the solution is there as well.

I am a visual learner, and I see structures where others hear words, but it works for every one. Once you see the problem, the answer is obvious, you need to fix a machine, train more, redo the process line, fix process errors that cause quality errors.

It is also makes you truly know your process.

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Productivity.

Woody Allen says “If you work only three to five hours a day you become very productive. It’s the steadiness of it that counts. Getting to the typewriter every day is what makes productivity.”

There is enormous power in routine, and doing the work each day, even if for a short period.

Do the work each day, find ways to move forward each day.

The most productive thing to do is to wake up early if you can – get the work in before the day interferes and people call you, your email starts.

I can't do that, I am not a morning person, for me, it is night that I am most productive, when it is quiet, and the day is done and I can focus. I call it going internal.

Always do something every day, even if it is for a few minutes, because it builds every day you do it.

You need to do something constructive each day because it builds your future.

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Ideation Is Priority #1 

Product creation is paramount to achieving massive success and, while execution is important, you first need an idea. Armand concentrates on satisfying market demand by creating products that: 

•   Makes tasks easier. 
•   Or, automates existing tasks. This formula consistently provides above-average returns.

When evaluating ideas, consider the correlation between the size of the problem your product solves and the amount you can charge for it. The bigger the problem, the higher the price tag. Too many companies price a product based on operational and marketing costs, and the desired return. That can create a substantial disconnect insofar as what that product is actually worth to its target audience. The overriding factor to consider is how much the market is willing to pay for the product or service.

Successful Internet marketers begin with addressing small problems and creating low-priced products. In fact, many argue the first touch-point should be providing valuable free content in exchange for a customer’s contact information. The objective is to entice a customer to enter your sales funnel, whereby a meaningful relationship is developed over time, and you proactively inspire her to purchase higher-priced products and services. Industry leaders recognize the first sale represents merely the beginning of the relationship, not the end.

Armand’s funnel is structured as follows: 

•   Free: An example is Armand’s Internet Marketing Newsletter, which has no subscription fee; you simply provide your name and email address. 
•   $27-$47: An entry-level product that solves a specific problem or provides information that can be leveraged for profit. Examples include an hour-long MP3 in which Armand reveals a game-changing process or a social media “white paper” delivered via PDF. 
•   $97: A low-end offering that adds value. Examples include many of Armand’s simple, yet effective software products. 
•   $197: This is Armand’s magic price point. The beauty of $197 is that it’s affordable for most, converts about as well as lower-priced options (e.g., $97), and huge numbers aren’t required to generate significant revenue. Examples of $197 offerings include live events and training products. 
•   $497-$9,997+: As the Internet has grown in popularity, so has a customer’s willingness to explore untraditional classroom environments and purchase high-end learning tools.


Regardless of whether someone purchases a product for $29 or $2,999, give that customer top support. You’re likely to be rewarded with years of repeat business. Most companies don’t do this. They fail to pay for adequate customer service, choosing short-term profit margins over long-term customer satisfaction. This is a foolish strategy as it costs them word of mouth recommendations and repeat business.

Machiavelli said, “A prudent man must always follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been outstanding.”

Great Ideas and Great Execution Matters

•   Keep up with current trends and capitalize on what’s next. 
•   Recognize adversity as opportunity. Every trouble carries the seeds of triumph. 
•   Create products that make existing tasks easier or automate existing tasks. 
•   The bigger the problem, the higher the price tag. There is a direct correlation between the size of the problem your product solves and the amount you can charge for it.
•   The market determines price. Customers don’t care about your costs. They care about how much value you deliver for their investment. 
•   Encourage customers to enter your sales funnel with free and inexpensive products, and then inspire them to purchase higher-priced products and services. 
•   Deliver value that far exceeds the price of your products. 
•   Strive for Six Sigma standards. Sell only outstanding products, and provide a level of service that cultivates loyalty and keeps them coming back for life.

Internet Prophets: The World's Leading Experts Reveal How to Profit Online by Steve Olsher

Need Product ideas?

Learn to find where to check:

First find local sources such as:

local merchants
thrift stores
library used book stores
factory outlets
local artists
local auctions.

What do you like and buy?

What does your family and friends like and buy?

Get products from different niches.

People often forget what is unique about their part of the world. They see the things around them everyday, walk past it, until it becomes part of the background noise, lost.

Stop. Look around you. What is there that no one else has?

I have traveled and I know that every area of the world has its own unique flavor, its own food, clothes, spices, toys, and they have access to items that no one else has. These items are also cheaper there than anywhere. What is common with you is uncommon a thousand miles away.

So stop for a moment and think about the area you are in, what is unique about your area. What can you get there that others in the world cannot?

Those items are worth more in other parts of the world than where you are, and they will pay more than you currently pay. These items cheap to you can be sold for more money to others elsewhere in the world.

Stop the self editing for a moment, stop the how to questions, and just think of the item. What value does it have for others?

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The Seven Success Principles of Click Millionaires - Scott Fox’s Foundation for Building a Lucrative Lifestyle Business Online

1. Help people. “If you serve a need outside of your own need to make money by helping people solve problems, make more money, lose weight, feel better, or enjoy their lives more, you will find recurring, profitable customers,” says Scott Fox, author of CLICK MILLIONAIRES. Dedication to helping people can help you market your business, too—through word-of-mouth from happy customers.

2. Expert credibility. People tend to buy from people they perceive as “experts.” Expert status, however, is no longer exclusive to those with formal degrees or certifications. A new type of expert—the “trusted friend”—is emerging. “You can use your own real-life experiences and expertise to position yourself as one of this new breed of experts online,” Fox assures, “even if you don’t have ‘official’ expert credibility.”

3. Automation. Take advantage of software to automate many routine business functions. Set up your website to take and deliver orders. Offer FAQ pages to help customers solve their own problems. Have autoresponder email messages follow up with prospects. With Web-based tools, you can run your business and generate revenue around the clock!

4. Outsourcing. Hiring contractors for each specific project can be a lot more efficient and cheaper than hiring employees. With a few clicks on sites like Elance.com and Guru.com, you can hire copywriters, graphic artists, social media marketers, customer service reps, and more, as well as virtual assistants to handle repetitive tasks that can’t be automated. Paying others to handle the “small stuff” pays off in valuable time for bigger priorities.

5. Audience content creation. Comments on your blog. Discussion board conversations. Photo or video sharing uploads. Reviews of products. These are just some examples of how your audience can contribute to growing your business. Such audience contributions are valuable because they create more content to attract more potential customers to your site—and more money from advertisers, too.

6. Scalability. When “scaled well,” a business will grow without continually requiring more money and toil. While you’ll need to work hard to get your first sale, or first 100 sales, design your business so that, once it’s established, attracting customers takes little effort. “This is where the software and automated marketing techniques of the Internet can kick in to build truly profitable lifestyle businesses,” Fox stresses.

7. Recurring revenues. A great way to make more money more easily online is to replace one-time sales with automatically renewing subscriptions—whether to a weekly newsletter or a yearly contract. With a stable base of subscribers, this can mean thousands of dollars of income each month, effortlessly....simply because most people don’t cancel!

Click Millionaires: Work Less, Live More with an Internet Business You Love by Scott Fox 

I like these rules of thumb from Never Eat Alone. Important to remember you are not building a network, you are making friends. D


1. Don’t schmooze. Have something to say, and say it with passion. Make sure you have something to offer when you speak, and offer it with sincerity. Most people haven’t figured out that it’s better to spend more time with fewer people at a one-hour get-together, and have one or two meaningful dialogues, than engage in the wandering-eye routine and lose the respect of most of the people you meet.

2. Don’t rely on the currency of gossip. Of course, using gossip is easier. Most people lap up such information. But it won’t do you any good in the long run. Eventually the information well will run dry as more and more people realize you’re not to be trusted.


3. Don’t come to the party empty-handed. Who are the stars of today’s Internet world? Bloggers. Those freewheeling cybernauts who set up sites and online journals to provide information, links, or just empathy to a community of like-minded individuals. They do it for free, and they’re often rewarded with a devout following of people who, in return, offer as much as they receive.


4. Don’t treat those under you poorly. Soon enough, some of them will become “overlings.” In business, the food chain is transient.


5. Be transparent. “I am what I am,” the cartoon character Popeye used to say. In the information age, openness—whether it concerns your intentions, the information you provide, or even your admiration—has become a valuable and much-sought-after attribute. People respond with trust when they know you’re dealing straight with them.

6. Don’t be too efficient. Nothing comes off as less sincere than receiving a mass e-mail addressed to a long list of recipients. Reaching out to others is not a numbers game. Your goal is to make genuine connections with people you can count on.

All of which reveals an inner truth about the skill of reaching out to others: Those who are best at it don’t network—they make friends. They gain admirers and win trust precisely because their amicable overtures extend to everyone. A widening circle of influence is an unintended result, not a calculated aim.

Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi, Tahl Raz