SEO & Keywords will Make You Money!

Let's face it folks, there's no such thing as shortcuts to internet millions, but there are some very hardworking individuals out there sharing their knowledge and insight. One I've mentioned is Courtney Tuttle of The Keyword Academy. I recently joined just due to the fact that the Hubpages phenomenon has really taken off. Joining TKA allows you to view training videos done by Court and his associate mark, and also provides you with forums as well as some great webinars. They dedicated a webinar just to the building of hubpages and how to get it ranked.

Another guy that I respect for his hardworking online money making efforts is Grizzly who also teaches How to Make Money Online. He hasn't shown himself via any recent posts, meaning he's extremely busy working away, which is what we all need to learn to do to make money in this game. But if you immerse yourself in his blog entries, you'll find a true "wealth of information". His posts may seem to go on and on, but that's his style. They're still full of Golden nuggets of wisdom for how to make money online.

Now enter Ben of Make Money Online with SEO. Ben just might be the hardest working dude online from what he's written at his blog. He apparently forces himself to create 100's upon 100's of hubpages, Squidoo lenses, ezine articles and info barrel articles. In fact, reading his blog taught me of Info Barrels which is yet another way to improve your link power and make money. Ben shares a strategy of creating a hubpage, info barrel and ezine article all based around the same keyword or phrase. You then link from the ezine to the info barrel to the hub page, and watch it rank! I'm testing this as you read this, by creating infobarrels to hook up to my existing hubs. InfoBarrels also give you a 70% cut of the Adsense, while Hubs give you just 60% of the impressions. Ben is working towards an income of $50 to $100 a day. Not too shabby and his writing is truly inspirational to those who can't motivate themselves to just do it, when it comes to online work.

Now many gurus stress how you need to join social media sites and become an A-List blogger. John Chow and Shoemoney entice us with pictures of their lavish dinners and trips to see UFC fights, as well as pictures of beautiful girls from trade shows. Readers are sucked in and just toss up a pretty looking MMO blog to finally realize the good life. But it just doesn't come that easily. And that's why SEO and Keywords are key to your online success. I've seen it myself and attribute my success to the inspiration of Courtney Tuttle, Grizzly and most recently Ben of MMO with SEO, because these guys throw themselves into their work and just do it.

Due to this you don't see these guys posting so much on a daily basis. And why is that? Because they are busy with countless other projects making money. They aren't here to show us what they're eating, or which show girl they caught on their new digital camera. They aren't sharing predictions for UFC 100 or showing us who they bumped elbows with at the blog expos. Again, they're working, because work is what produces income, unless you inherit a fortune, win the lottery or discover oil on your property. Lesson learned: work=money, but I think we all already knew that, we just don't choose to accept it. Accept it, and get busy making yourself a nice extra income online!

Study the Best & Replicate Success

Many personal development gurus including Anthony Robbins recommend the idea of studying those who are successful in what you want to achieve, then modeling their habits, traits and mindsets. As far as the make money online realm goes, two of the most successful bloggers are John Chow (Johnchow.com) and Darren Rowse (Problogger.net). John Chow recently layed out the plan for how to get your blog business to really take off in 2009.

Here's the major points John makes:

- Get a domain and Wordpress blog
- Brand yourself
- Post frequently and regularly
- Use Twitter
- Build a mailing list

Some people will quickly say "The Monetizer uses Blogspot". Correct friends, but 2009 will be my year to move one of my blogs onto a hosted domain. I believe this alone can take a blog to that next level, and I regret not doing it sooner with another blog I run. Opposing viewpoints correctly claim that one can make money using free Blogspot blogs as well, but if you want a blog that not only makes money but can also be sold for a hefty sum one day, getting a domain is key.

Branding is very important as we all know. It's what sets you apart from the rest, giving you a distinct look, feel and presence online. My brand is the adorable green moneymaking man, The Monetizer. Some call him "shifty-eyed" or may view him as greedy, but all in all he works for the good of money. 2009 is a great time to evaluate your blog or website's brand concept. Logos can be cheaply purchased by freelancers these days.

Here at the Monetizer blog I will admit there's times when I'm positing several entries a week, and times when my other blogs have exhausted my energy. I'm going to make a goal in 2009 to post much more regularly with at least 3-5 entries per week here. If you've got just one blog there's really no excuse not to be posting 3 times a week, if not daily. This can help you get discovered by search engines and gain new subscribers.

I don't currently use a mailing list but definitely see the advantages in having them for your blog or website. If you were to use your feedburner account to email all your RSS subscribers "Hey buy this cool moneymaking product", you'd quickly find your RSS count diminishing. A mailing list allows you to send out newsletters highlighting blog posts, insider tips and of course affiliate or commission-based products to people who opted in to the mailing list.

The Monetizer uses Twitter but not like others use it, and that may change in 2009. Many twitterers use the program to gain a massive following, but also to propose questions, network and find out about news, deals, websites and events. Many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon, such as Amazon.com which posts its latest MP3 album deals and more on Twitter. For bloggers, there's also a great program available that automatically will post your blog links to Twitter as they publish. This way anyone following you can click the link and arrive to the post. John Chow and others have even suggested that Twitter may become the new RSS.

Of course debates run rampant amongst bloggers as to the value of using Twitter or how often you should post, but it doesn't get much more simple or logical than what John suggests. He's been able to take his blog from $0 to over $30,000 a month, and that track record speaks volumes in itself. A few other things that John Chow has done to achieve success: networking, paid reviews, media spots such as TV & magazines, and last but not least, eating and taking pics of his meals. Follow in Mr. Chow's footsteps with your blog and you just might find similar or greater success. Just like someone can always "build the better mousetrap", it's still possible to build a better "make money online" blog. Here's to your success!

4 Books to Jumpstart You in 2009!

One of the best investments you can make in yourself is to continually learn through reading. That doesn't just mean reading blogs online, but even old-fashioned page-by-page books as well. There's some classic financial, business, entrepreneurial and "get rich" style titles out there as well as, dare I say it, self-improvement. Everyone can improve, so to think that genre is only for people with a thick psychiatric file folder is a huge misconception.

For this blog entry, I wanted to provide you 4 books in particular I've enjoyed that can help you along on your way towards more success in 2009. They provide positive insights into how our minds work and how to "re-wire" our thinking so that we can become more motivated and successful! While they may contain several overlapping principles amongst them, you can definitely jumpstart yourself in this new year by picking up any or all of these titles!

1) Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill - This book is considered the blueprint of most other success books that have been written, and also the blueprint for your own personal path towards riches (monetary or other). Hill studied the attitudes, traits, habits and skill sets of the most successful people he could find. From his findings he produced a fascinating book with recollections throughout US history telling how those individuals achieved sucess, and how you can translate that to your own success. This book includes everything from discussions of American History, to how to conquer your six internal ghosts of fear. If this book doesn't get you inspired with its nuggets of wisdom, nothing will!

2) Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Ecker - Ecker admits in the intro to this book that what he presents are merely truths about how the rich become rich, and why the poor stay poor. It's definitely an interesting read and gives you all sorts of great advice about how to plan, create and maintain a rich financial future. One of the things that separates the rich from the poor is that the rich manage money well while the poor mismanage money well. A great suggestion Ecker gives is to create separate accounts for necessity spending, luxury spending and investment spending, as well as the idea of dropping loose change into separate pots daily to help you learn to manage your money well.

3) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield - Canfield is famous for being one of the authors behind Chicken Soup for the Soul, which made him filthy rich. In this book, Canfield seems to have summed up many of his predecessors from the success genre, which makes the book extremely valuable. He'll teach you exactly how to go from where you are at this point in your life to where you really want to be by examining your life, goals, dreams and desires. It's a lengthy book, but you'll find that Canfield can propel you to set goals, motivate yourself and become the successful person you've always wanted to be.

4) Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy - Brian Tracy presents tips that other successful people have harnessed to achieve their maximum potentials. He also presents a look at how we turn out based upon our parents' attitudes and roles and how they've shaped us. It's a book which relies heavily on the "mind over matter" theory, like most success books do. Tracy discusses ways to focus on your goals, ignore negatives or overcome them, and even ways to handle personal relationships such as those with your parents, spouse or children. Tracy's book also encourages the reader to actively participate in the included steps and guarantees more success to those who keep with them. A riveting read that will put you in the positive frame of mind for achieving at your maximum success level.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up copies of the above and get started. Even better, find any of the titles at your local library and get a free investment in your own growth and future! The New Year is still young, so there's no better time than right now! Here's to your success!

Resolutions & Goals for 2009

Greetings and Happy New Year to all readers!

It's a New Year 2009, and that means many people are making those ever so popular "New Year's Resolutions". The term "resolution" gets used so nonchalantly as each New Year arrives because resolutions seem to be just mere statements people make such as "I plan to get in better shape" or "I'm going to make more money" or "I resolve to eat better". The problem with these is that they are vague, general statements that are non-commitment type plans. They're something people blurt out as part of holiday tradition but they don't become a strong part of people's daily routines for the coming year.

The Monetizer says don't make any resolutions for 2009. Goals are the way to go my friends. Vow today to set yourself one big goal, or write down 3-10 goals you'd like to achieve in the coming year. And that is step 1 of your goal-achieving process, write them down. Keep that list handy and keep yourself committed to the goals on that sheet of paper. Maybe even make several copies for yourself so you're constantly reminded of the goals you want to achieve in this brand new year.

Also consider making those goals as specific as you can. Saying "I want to lose more weight this year" could let you off easy if you lose 2 pounds. Write down "I'd like to lose 30-50 lbs" to make it more specific and give yourself something to keep to. Or use a goal such as "To increase my online income to $1000 a month", etc. Another helpful concept is the time-old tradition of announcing those goals. But announce them to people who will help you stick to them :)

Some of my 2009 Goals include increasing my Adsense income (one of last year's goals which I succeeded nicely in), improving my health even more through better diet & exercise, increasing my eBay business sales through specific niches, buying a domain & hosting for one or more of my blogs, and incorporating one or all of my online businesses. That might be the biggest of the goals, incorporation of a business. Right now with down economic times it seems necessary to find ways to write our own paychecks, so that we control our own financial well-being, rather than the government doing so. Entrepreneurs are really what drive this great nation as they provide helpful new products and services, and create jobs for the nation. I have specifics for each of the above goals which I can't go into great detail on. I've also jotted down my goals and will carefully craft better statements to hold myself to.

2008 was considered overall a bleak, painful year financially and many people may call it one of their least favorite years in recent times. Remember that a high degree of optimism is what helps people overcome adversity and succeed. That doesn't mean don't take a concerned or cautious approach to these tough circumstances but instead find the silver linings. As I mentioned in a previous post, down times can definitely hit everyone hard, but it's in these times we need to find moneymaking opportunities for 2009. Now more than ever people can begin to find those opportunities and stick to their goals for 2009 to make it one great year!

3 Moneymaking Opportunities for 2009

3 Make Money Opportunities in 2009

If only it were that simple, right? These days you can't turn on the television without news of foreclosures, company bailouts, stocks tanking and consumer confidence plummeting. Yet where most continue to see this as an indication that the economy is hurting, The Monetizer suggests you look for the economy's golden opportunities. The flipside is of course, finding money to buy into those opportunities.

Here's 3 ways you can profit from the down economy, if of course you do your research and make good, calculated risks:

1) Invest in stocks - Stocks are especially beaten down right now and as Warren Buffet suggests you want to be greedy when others are fearful. This means don't view the low stock prices as a sign our economy will completely die. View it with more cautious optimism that there's some great deals to be had and money to be made. I can't suggest any stocks in particular, but look for names you know of well-built companies. High dividend paying stocks are always a great long term investment strategy, especially if you have the dividends reinvested.

I still like a company called Buyandhold.com which allows small-wallet investors to buy or sell stocks for $2.99 a trade. The catch with that is you can only buy during 3 different time slots a day, versus having the flexibility of real-time trading. Nonetheless, with Buyandhold.com you could begin to build a nice sized portfolio, whether it be an IRA for retirement or a regular account to build up a nice sum. Sharebuilder.com is another website with low buy and sell plans, worth checking out, or you could use one of the big boy brokers such as e-trade or Charles Schwab. Do your homework with well-known stock sites such as Smartmoney.com, CNN Money or Motley Fool to get ideas of what others recommend for investments.

2) Invest in Real estate - This is one area in which opportunities are presenting themselves daily. Foreclosures abound and according to some reports people are able to snatch up homes for pennies on the dollar. This one obviously will take a lot more funds than ideas 1 or 3, but possibly people begin networking to invest in real-estate, combining their funds to make wise buying decisions. It seems as if there may be a profitable business idea in some sort of program to help struggling mortgage-payers afford the payments until they can do so by themselves. Either way, I've seen many reports on the news and early shows about great housing deals out there. Those who know how to spot opportunities will most likely become quite wealthy if they buy now and sell later.

3) Start up a full or Part-time business - Whether it be a home-based ebay business, buying a franchise, inventing something, or doing something you love, some say right now is the best time to start. Others say it doesn't matter when you start, which could be true depending on the idea. With the economy down you can snatch up better deals on things you might need to get the business going. For example, the ebay business is a great idea right now if you can afford to bargain hunt. Between people having yard sales to generate income and retail stores slashing prices to move merchandise you can flip plenty of profitable products. With any other business they say if you get off the ground during rough economic times you can profit many times over when the economy starts to do well again.

Friends I encourage you to not ignore the news of the economy completely because that's going to be with us for some time. At the same time, when things are looking and sounding bleak you can use that adversity to spot opportunities and start making money. The next great ideas just might be born out of these trying times, and you just might be the one to do it!

As always party responsibly into the New Year...I wish everyone a happy, healthy and profitable 2009!

Think Big, But Act Small...

The book I'm currently reading, and thoroughly enjoying, is Felix Dennis' How to Get Rich. While the title may not sound all too original as there's plenty of other books with that name, Felix is a straight-shooter with a no BS approach to telling people about getting rich. That includes the fact that getting rich isn't for everyone, and that you'll never get rich while working for someone else. Felix Dennis is the founder of the popular Maxim magazine, and several other publishing ventures including Blender magazine, a monthly Bruce Lee poster magazine, and several computer magazines. He estimates his wealth is somewhere over 400 million dollars, but he's not exactly sure of the amount. His book offers plenty of great advice from someone who's struggled to succeed, learned from his failures, and eventually became rich in the process.

One of the concepts in Felix' book which applies to entrepreneurial endeavors including your own start-up business and blogging for money, is the idea of "thinking big, yet acting small". Many entrepreneurs and bloggers think big. They see their blog or business venture as eventually producing a full time income so they can quit their day jobs. They want to be the next Donald Trump, or Bill Gates, John Chow or Darren Rowse. They mimic the traits and successful patterns of these people and start to see their own great success as they continue to believe in themselves more and more. Felix warns that once you start to see an idea or concept take off and become profitable, don't get sucked into the idea of wining and dining yourself, buying fancy toys and showcasing the arrogance of someone's who's a multi-millionaire. Doing this can cause resentment from your employees or network connections, or it can make your employees start to take the same attitude as your own, buying expensive toys and ignoring the important things, such as the business itself. You need to keep your eye on the prize while continuing to work harder than even your hardest working employee.

I extend this concept to blogging in the following way. Think of your blog as becoming the next big success, but continue to act as if you are still small. In reality, until any of us are earning more from a blog than John Chow, Shoe Money or Darren Rowse, we're small fish in the blogosphere. How do you act small? You need to focus on the basics for building success, including networking with other bloggers (also trying to make a name for themselves), giving out link love, responding to reader comments, giving away free stuff, and working harder than the rest to make your blog a huge success. Hard work combined with your vision will lead to that success, but never lose that concept in the process.

You'll often see the phrase "fake it til you make it" tossed around too, but this may display the very arrogance Felix Dennis warns against. There's no need to pretend you're bigger than the rest, because you'll ultimately need the rest to make it. I stronlgy advise any budding entrepreneurs or business-minded individuals to check out Felix Dennis' How to Get Rich for a riveting look at the trials and tribulations of a self-made millionaire.

Slate.com Looks at Blogging for Dollars

There's a fascinating 10/1/08 article over at Slate.com by Michael Agger entitled "Blogging for Dollars - How Do Bloggers Make Money?" The article takes a look at how blogging has exploded in size and continues to grow exponentially each day. According to the stats there are 900,000 blog posts created daily across the world. So this post is just a fraction of that!

Even more interesting, the article takes a look at the big money some people command from their blogs. Examples you may have heard of:

The LOLcat empire rakes in $5,600 per month;
Overheard in New York gets $8,100 per month;
Perez Hilton, gossip king, scoops up $111,000 per month.

(info source: Slate.com)

The article may state the obvious to us bloggers. That is in order to get the income you want from writing a blog regulalry, you need to have visitors and a high level of traffic. The example of 43f is given, which started out small then exploded and began to pay the bills.

Agger writes:

While monetizing your blog may be easier than ever, all of this comes with an ever-present hammer: the need to drive traffic. This month, the writer/blogger/productivity thinker Merlin Mann opened a window onto his angst with an anniversary post. Mann is best-known as the creator of the Hipster PDA (index cards clipped together by a binder clip)* and his Inbox Zero talk (turn your e-mail into actions). In a post titled "Four Years," Mann sketches out how his site, 43 Folders, grew from a personal dumping ground for his "mental sausage" into a full-featured destination for productivity nerds and life-hackers. In 2005, he experienced a key transition:

At some point that year, 43f became the surreal and unexpected circus tent under which my family began drawing an increasing amount of its income. This was weird, but it was also exactly as gratifying as it sounds. Which is to say, "very." But, my small measure of something like success did not go unnoticed. In fact, the popularity of small blogs like 43 Folders contributed to the arrival of a gentrifying wagon train of carpetbaggers, speculators, and confidence men, all eager to pan the web's glistening riverbed for easy gold. And, brother, did these guys love to post and post and post.

It is amazing the amount of money and traffic that some blogs generate. Shoutouts are given to Shoemoney and Problogger in the article, with link backs to their respective blogs. Both of their blogs command lots of visitors, subscribers and moolah. Yours can too if you follow in their footsteps, build something people return to and find often, monetize it properly, and you're well on your way...

Read the full artice here at Slate.com for inspiration and possibly some ideas on how to get your moneymaking blog into full gear!

Goal Setting & Maximum Achievement

Goals are considered the driving force in many peoples' successes. Most successful people who you read about had what many refer to as a "definite purpose" in mind. They knew what they wanted to do, kept at it constantly with a large amount of desire, and eventually they achieved something great. The success all started with a goal in mind.

According to Brian Tracy in his book Maximum Achievement, every successful person is a consistent goal-setter and achiever. Tracy goes on to state that there's more to goals than just setting them and maybe acknowledging them from time to time. There's actually a 12 step detailed process used for carrying your goals to fruition, aka the "Master Plan" which Tracey discusses in his book.

The 12 Steps in Goal-setting:

1. Develop an intense burning desire to achieve your goal.
2. Develop belief that your goal will be achieved.
3. Write down your goal.
4. Make a list of all the ways you will benefit from achieving the goal.
5. Analyze your position or starting point on the way to your goal.
6. Set a deadline for achieving your goal.
7. Make a list of all obstacles standing in the way of achieving your goal.
8. Identify any additional information you'll need to achieve your goal.
9. Make a list of all people whose help and cooperation you'll require.
10. Make a detailed plan for accomplishing your goal (including #3,4,5,6,7,8,9)
11. Use visualization of what it's like to have achieved your goal.
12. Make a decision in advance to never, never give up on your goal.

The idea is if you make a goal with at least a 60-70% chance that you can achieve it, and you follow the above steps, you are well on your way towards success! Thinking of the achievement of your goal daily is a great way to overcoming negative feelings too. And once you've achieved the goal, you're ready for even more challenging goals!

Tracey's Maximum Achievement is a great positive book about how to achieve success. There's more detail given on each of the above steps as well as questions to ask yourself to help identify the major goal you really want to achieve. The Monetizer greatly recommends the book as well as goal-setting! If you choose not to read the book, make the effort to set goals on short term and long term bases. Stick to them, refusing to give in to the temptation of "I Can't". If it's worth achieving, it's worth writing down, acting upon, believing in and eventually reaching!

Is There a Formula for Success?

Many books have been written upon the topic of "Success" and just what it takes to achieve it. Everyone from philosophers to authors to presidents and athletes have published their own take on "what it takes". But there seems to be some recurring themes going on amongst all the works that people can take away and perhaps translate to their own success.

1 - Have a vision - Whether it be creating your own successful business, making a certain sports team, graduating college, getting the perfect job, dating a supermodel or whatever, the goal must be clear and in mind. Without a goal, what are you really working to be successful at? Make sure to define the goal, even write it down and keep it around in sight.

2 - Use visualization techniques - Athletes, businessmen and many others who have achieved success seem to use this technique alot. It's the idea of taking that vision or goal from step 1 and seeing yourself as "already there". Believe you've achieved it already and imagine how you feel, what it looks like. This makes movement towards that goal even more easier because it's fixed in your mind.

3 - Stay positive - Keeping the right mental attitude is the absolute key to success in life. While some try to argue that "oh he's just lucky" or "all millionaires inherited their money", the real key is that people who make it are those who keep a positive mindframe. You have to learn to bend with adversity and overcome it. Learn from it, and you'll continue to grow in leaps and bounds. Stay positive at all times as you work towards your vision.

4 - Be a constant learner - Constant learning is also essential to your success. Whether it means continuing to read blogs about making money, or devoting an hour a day to reading success and personal development books, you've got to continue to expand your ideas. Reading is probably the best way to do this, but a lot of success books also suggest the idea of finding a mentor to guide you towards your vision.

5 - Be a giver - Successful people learn that giving back is probably the greatest benefit of their success. It's not the money or the toys you buy, or the home you live in, but more so the ability to help out others. It's a satisfying end to all that hard work of achieving your vision.

Now these above principles are 5 very simple techniques to guide yourselves down the paths of success. The Monetizer never purports to be the guru or all knowing source on success, but believes these 5 concepts continue to show up in much of the literature written on the subject. You can find more within various books, but the 5 above seem to be the most common and widely used practices. Start applying them today and see yourself soar!

Feel free to add your own ideas below of the principles necessary to achieve success.

Also check out a great list of 50 Success Classic books to start on your journey!

Using Opportunity & Setbacks

There's two important concepts The Monetizer wants to contemplate today when it comes to making money. The first is one I touched on here a few weeks ago, finding opportunity. A great example of this recently surfaced with the current gasoline price situation. Mygallons.com is a recent website started which included a member's fee. The premise behind the site is members could "lock in" a current price per gallon for gas and then not have to pay above that if prices move up again. Don't rush out to join the site just yet though. According to a news report, the bank connected with the website backed out, leaving the site temporarily unable to fulfill its promises. Despite the fact the site is in a state of limbo, it still has a chance to be successful. Should they find a good bank to back the concept, this could be a highly profitable website based on a current problem people face: how to get the best deal on gas to save money. Most great ideas are born as a way to solve a problem or address the need of people, so it's possible to think up something else which could help people in these trying economic times.

The other concept to keep in mind is setback, or failures. A recent episode of "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsche" on CNBC discussed making comebacks. If you just suffered a job loss, or a business you were running went bad, the idea is to learn from the failure rather than wallow in it. In fact, many amazing businesses were born due to failures, including Henry Ford's highly successful automobiles. It's the idea of "try try again" which really drives many an entrepreneur. To allow one setback to ruin your spirit and possible success in making money could be the biggest mistake you make. That's not to say keep pouring money and time if you have a seriously failing business venture, but it is to say that if you re-evaluate, regroup you will eventually find success with the right plan. It's not so much about luck, but more about drive and determination.

The same goes for online money-making. If you're not reaching the minimum with Google Adsense, consider adding a few more blogs into the mix using the Adsense code. Or consider using other monetization strategies such as Widgetbucks, Shopping Ads, Chitka Mini Malls or even try for Affiliate marketing. Through experimentation you'll find what works best for you and be on your way to more money online.

Spotting Opportunities = Big Money!

Are you able to see potential moneymakers, both online and offline? One of the keys to making money is to always be tapping into your creativity, according to Napoleon Hill. And many times there's opportunities all around us for moneymaking. Think about the area you currently live in...

Is there a need for a service or product in the town/city you live in?

Are you skilled at a certain hobby that you could translate into a successful blog?

Does a nearby restaurant or business need a website? If you have the skills, why not help them out?

Did someone say to you the other day, "I wish they had something that does this?"

Of course if someone says I wish there was a way to time travel, that may be far-fetched, but never let go of big ideas...There's no stupid ideas, and from failure often comes success..You might just spot a different opportunity from the failure!

Perhaps the biggest opportunity right now comes from the poor US economy. With gas prices so high, there's bound to be untapped sources of big income online. The key is just coming up with that great idea. Right now people are hesitant to make travel plans, or drive places. So the key might be bringing services into their home, minus gas or shipping charges.

The people who learn to spot the opportunities could be the ones to profit most in economic downturns, or internet bubble bursts. So always be listening and watching for that next big idea!

The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Several posts ago the Monetizer revealed the 17 distinctions between rich and poor people, as written by T. Harv Eker in his excellent book. Eker's book "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" is designed to put you right into the mindframe of a rich person. The basis may seem similar to other books on the subject with the motto "Think Rich, Get Rich". After all, people who think money is a problem and controls them, will have a very hard time getting rich. In Eker's book he outlines the various distinctions between rich and poor people and the end of each of them gives you some homework to do. For example jotting down phrases your parents used to say about money. Some parents might have thrown around phrases like "money doesn't grow on trees" or "you think I'm made of money?", and those impact how kids view money as they age. So if you get the book, consider getting a notebook or journal to accompany it.

Eker provides sound advice towards saving in terms of setting up various accounts for specific purposes, but overall he seems to teach positivity and money management. One technique is to get in the habit of managing every dollar you have by taking 10% of it towards investments or your savings accounts. You'll find some great tips and techniques to employ throughout. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, although at times it can get downright wacky. One example is Eker's suggestion for the reader to go out and buy a brand new tuxedo or elegant dress, then come home, put it on, get down on one knee and declare "I'm worthy from here forth!". It's silly, but it might be exactly what seem people need to get inspired for moneymaking.

I give the book a thumbs up, and if you can find a copy at the library or even buy it online at Amazon, you're doing yourself a favor. You're bound to get some interesting perspective and ideas from Eker. Also, with the more positive material you read, whether it's on money, personal development, health or any other positive subject, can only help you advance yourself. You don't necessarily have to subscribe to every word written, but there might be just one nugget of valuable advice that inspires you , so the book will pay for itself many times over.

Order Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth at Amazon.com to get yourself in the mindframe of a millionaire!

17 Principles of the Rich & Poor

The following principles are derived from T. Harv Eker's book called Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth (pictured above). They spell out the type of beliefs that separate the wealthy from the poor. You may agree or disagree with some of the items posed. Contemplate these and ask yourself which side you fall on for each.

1. Rich people believe "I create my life." Poor people
believe, "Life happens to me."

2. Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people
play the money game to not lose.

3. Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people
want to be rich.

4. Rich people think big. Poor people think small.

5. Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus
on obstacles.

6. Rich people admire other rich and successful people.
Poor people resent rich and successful people.

7. Rich people associate with positive, successful
people. Poor people associate with negative or
unsuccessful people.

8. Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their
value. Poor people think negatively about selling and
promotion.

9. Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor
people are smaller than their problems.

10. Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are
poor receivers.

11. Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor
people choose to get paid based on time.

12. Rich people think "both." Poor people
think "either/or."

13. Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people
focus on their working income.

14. Rich people manage their money well. Poor people
mismanage their money well.

15. Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor
people work hard for their money.

16. Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear
stop them.

17. Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people
think they already know.

The above principles definitely can be applied to blogging, your web-based business, or other online moneymaking endeavors. Fine tuning your beliefs so they are "richer" just may lead you on a path of riches! Eker also has developed a 3 day "intensive seminar" which deals with the topics above and those in his book. View more about Eker's Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar at www.millionairemind.com

How to Catch a Leprechaun & Make Money!

Happy St Patrick's day to all readers of the Monetizer blog!! What better a day to be in the make money online spirit, then the day of Irish luck, gold coins, leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow! Some may even go so far as to try to build a leprechaun trap to get one of the mini Irish potato-loving creatures. According to legend, their weakness is fear of capture. So if you do catch one, they may be forced to give up their pot of gold! Just keep in mind, leprechauns despise the truly greedy people of the world, so be careful!

On a serious money making tip, today's a great day to get into the habit of seeing that there is an abundance of wealth in the world..Some may call it greed, while others call it the true attitude towards becoming rich! Rather than seeing the world as a place of scarcity where you have to scrap and scrape to save money, why not dream big, realizing there's plenty of money for those who are dedicated to attaining wealth?

The Monetizer is a green character, and everything around you should be green today, so this won't be a tough assignment at all..Start seeing the abundance of green and money there is in your world, then bring that attitude back as you dive into making money online! Just make sure you aren't green with envy over what others have! Realize that the green will be lining your wallets and bank accounts as you work harder online! This may seem overly optimistic, but it's the attitude of many successful entrepreneurs, including Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, and Wallace Wattles, the author of "The Science of Growing Rich".

If you need additional ideas for celebrating, order yourself a green bagel, green salad, green beer at the pub, or have a movie marathon and watch the Leprechaun Pot of Gore Collection (5 DVD Set). They will show you the determined Leprechaun character who pursues that elusive gold coin, and does everything in his powers to retrieve it! The movies will also give you an idea what happens if you steal a leprechaun's gold or try to capture one! (Warning: these movies aren't for the squeamish or easily frightened viewers!)

Happy St. Patrick's day, and the Luck O' the Irish to all!

(Image above courtesy of FunDraw.com)

Creative Blogging Leads to Success

The Monetizer heard a lot about the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, who's been featured as a financial guest speaker on CNBC, and is well known as a business-savvy friend of Mr. Donald Trump. Unfortunately, that first book in the series wasn't available at the bookstore, so I picked up book 3 in his series, Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!. Aside from the long title, its a book nearing 400 or so pages and packed with interesting anecdotes and tips. Now this book doesn't just relate to playing the stock market, finding the next hot company to invest in, or flipping real estate, but it also offers a very valuable piece of info relating to online business ventures.

One of the underlying keys of the book is that Rich dad points out you want to be on the Business/Investor side of the equation rather than the Employee/Student side of things. In other words you don't want to be working for someone else, because that won't get you rich as quickly. His best tip is that the best investments are not the ones you buy (like stocks or land), but rather the ones you create. And that may mean a farm full of livestock, hand knitted blankets, wooden furniture, a flying car, a full-fledged business, and even a website. Under website also falls the blog, which we all know can be quite the moneymaking tool, and in fact a business. The blog is your creation and can basically be done with little or no initial investment, making it a very smart choice for those who love to write and feel creative juices flowing. All you need is your brain, some time, effort and Blogspot or Wordpress to get it going. Or you could choose to invest a little and buy a domain with hosting, taking a bit more risk.

We are a long ways from the profitable industrial age, and now in the extremely profitable information age. If you think of some of the wealthiest and youngest entrepreneurs around, they are the people behind major, successful websites or technology ventures. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, the Google guys...they all dreamed big and used internet real estate, creativity and an underlying desire to drive their products all the way to mainstream success. John Chow, Darren Rowse, Shoemoney and countless others have done so, or are doing so with blogs at this moment. There's no reason you or I can't do the same.

It always perplexes me when I see people doing blog entries about "Adsense doesn't work" or "well my blog isn't working out". The main reason I feel that they are even typing these statements, is a lack of passion or creative drive (which nobody really lacks). It's ok to point out the occasional mishaps or mistakes/failures, but giving up before you even see success is in my opinion the wrong way to go. Tapping into your creative thoughts and passions will almost always be rewarding. Having a blog in a niche can open up plenty of opportunities for other ventures as well via networking, collaboration and continued effort towards your blog.

I recommend to the people who are having trouble finding inspiration to continue with their blogging and online ventures, do more reading. Books like The Secret, "The Science of Getting Rich" and Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised are 3 I'd recommend which should supercharge you to start acting upon your passions and pursuing success.

Freegans & the Secret Science of Getting Rich

In today's lesson, the Monetizer will tie 3 concepts together: a “Freegan” episode of Oprah, "The Secret" and "The Science of Getting Rich", because they all relate, yet Freegans are in opposition to money making concepts.

First off, if you aren't familiar with a "Freegan" they are individuals trying to make a statement by living below financial means. They are trying to tell corporate America they won't be induced into constant buying to "keep up with the Jones's" or the latest trends. So what they do is go to great lengths to essentially "trash pick" for items that will be free. These items include furniture, office supplies, clothing and yes even food.

The food part is probably the toughest to "swallow", so to speak, because not many of us would go dumpster hunting for food, or consider it sanitary. The Freegans go to dumpsters outside of grocery stores. On Oprah's show, they went on a large group tour of one dumpster site at nighttime and were able to retrieve items like eggs, cupcakes, breads, vegetables and other thrown out foods. They amassed a pile of usable food, and even the host was ready to take some baked goods. They said that grocery stores throw out usable items which basically could go to the homeless, but supermarkets generally fear lawsuits. Oprah's message was to think about how much stuff we waste in our daily lives, and what it’s costing us. The Freegan truly wants to send the message that they don't need so many things at top dollar, and they don't need to live extravagantly. The Monetizer also believes that all consumers make choices of what they buy and what they have to have. The "freegan ideology" is really a personal choice and commitment to a certain lifestyle, just as making money is.

That brings me to an interesting book called The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. Wattles' book opens with the chapter titled "Your Right to Be Rich". His main point is that we all should strive for success in our lives and not be limited by beliefs such as "there aren't enough resources for us all". Those beliefs cause people to "just get by" or sacrifice rather than trying to advance and live the best life they can. So Wattles says we should strive to accumulate the riches we want by forming a clear picture and not letting it go. He offers many other steps in his scientific analysis for how to acquire riches, such as showing gratitude, choosing the right profession, acting in a certain way and not focusing on money problems. It's also Wattles' overall belief that the more wealth you have, the more completely you can live and experience things. This is a complete opposite focus from the Freegans shown on Oprah who say wealth makes us greedy and prone to buy more, giving corporations control of our happiness.

Wattles' book is also what inspired Rhonda Byrne to write her bestselling book The Secret . If you've read that book or heard of it, you may know its basic premise; You can attract to you the things you want by focusing properly. It's been described as a self help book by some, but can be better summed up as personal development. It's not all about wealth either, as it covers the secrets of relationships, health, life and You. I enjoyed this book and it's what made me pick up Wattle's book next. Both books are generally encouraging, and while some may view Wattles' book as a greedier read it still offers plenty of positive advice beyond money.

So I'd recommend two of the 3 things above. Check out The Secret and The Science of Getting Rich, as each book will put you on a better path towards acquiring wealth and success. I'd recommend becoming a Freegan to anyone who has a strong stomach and isn't so interested in acquiring wealth.

Work to Make Money Online

All too often this concept is very overlooked online when it comes to making any sort of income. Mainly people have this conception that just adding Adsense code to a blog or site, or just signing up for a program will start making them instant money. It just doesn't work this way folks. You get paid for work in the real world, and making money online involves work too. If money were free, we wouldn't need make money online blogs...John Chow would be primarily blogging about food and Shoemoney about UFC.

Almost everyone's a rookie when they start out with Adsense. You may have read up on it, but it's going to take extra planning and tweaking to get it to work for your particular site. Not only that but in order to get paid by Adsense, you need enough traffic visiting your site to get the impressions/clicks to earn the $100 minimum payout. Getting traffic takes work, whether it be search engine optimization, promotion/marketing, building social networks or even offline publicizing. To expect Adsense to make you a steady income off a blog just by adding the code is a bad assumption. Many times it may even take several blogs or sites to earn a check from Google. It may also take several months before you even see that first check. But believe that it will take work. If it doesn't, then you're probably spending money to make your money.

Then there's the referrals signing up for programs. I've had individuals say "ok I'll sign up through you so you'll get the credit/incentive". The referrals don't work this way. For example, Widgetbucks or ShoppingAds (formerly AuctionAds). You can sign up for them, and you'll have $25 to start in your account. But simply signing up doesn't earn the referrer money. The referrer earns money through their own work and your work. And you'll earn extra money through the work you put in, to get your own referrals and implement the code on your site. PayPerPost is the same. You can sign up through a referrer, but they don't make a dime until 1)your blog is approved and 2)you post about PayPerPost. There's the work. Even survey programs seem like great concepts. But you're being paid for work, in terms of filling out surveys, which takes your time and effort.

Don't believe for a minute that guys like John Chow, Shoemoney or Darren Rowse are just lucky individuals who happened to make a fortune online. All 3 have worked extremely hard to get to where they are. So how hard are you willing to work to make money online yourself?

The Monetizer's 2008 Resolutions

As another year rolls in and people are just waking from hangovers (or still sleeping them off), I decided to evaluate my upcoming resolutions and goals here. Since the year ends in an 8, I came up with 8 for my online ventures.

1) Make More Money - It seems like a greedy top goal, but more money equals more comfort in life. Once you have money to live comfortably, you can also give back to others. While that's not the only way to give back, it's very helpful. So I put this at the top of my 2008 list. To do so I will have to evaluate my strategies and blog audiences better. I'm seeing what works and what doesn't, and it will be a continued learning process.

2) Improve blogs - that means site designs and layouts. I'm never satisfied completely with current blog designs even if they are pulling visitors. I always know this can be improved, especially when you use Blogspot. This blog rests on blogspot, until I make the decision to go for a domain. Why wait? Because right now I have several blogs, and making a decision on which to host has been a major point of contention for me. I urge those who can afford it and are serious about blogging to host their site as soon as possible, it's one thing I've learned the hard way.

3) Improve ranks - That includes this blog and other blog's RSS subscriber counts, Alexa ranks, PR's and other ratings. I've done very well so far on this particular blog, thanks to things like BlogCatalog, BloggingZoom, Social Media and Entrecard. Looking to continue this in 2008.

4) MakeTop 100 for a Squidoo Lens - This might not seem important to others, but when you're close once it makes you hungrier to get there. I'm nearing this goal as I type, and it will be a great way to start the New Year. Monetizer has come close before, and is curious to see what it brings in revenue. If you've hit top 100 with Squidoo, let me know if you noticed any drastic increases in revenue.

5) Make Top 100 of 45n5.com list - Right now I've moved closer to the top 100, at #164. Something about this list is inspiring, with Problogger, Shoemoney and John Chow sitting at the top. Being in their company in the Top 100 ranking of anything is pretty sweet.

6) Continue building social media networks - The ones I see becoming increasingly valuable seem to be Facebook and Twitter. Myspace in my opinion is being eclipsed and at times it seems very old-school compared to the new school players, especially Facebook. I haven't fully learned how to tap into Facebook, but this will be part of 2008. Also, I'm looking to build up my Digg, StumbleUpon and other valuable networks to see if I can harness that power more. If you're on Digg, I advise you to add people with

7) Improve time management - Belonging to so many social media, bookmarking, content, blogging and advertising type sites can really be rough. It's come to the point where I actually missed approving ads on Entrecard (apologies to any who felt rejected). When you belong to so many article, media and other sites it can be tough to prioritize. In 2008, I hope to sort through these and use them with better management.

8) Learn more SEO - this is an area I felt was one of my weakest, so towards the end of December I started toying with it more, and feel it's something I can do well with. I was able to achieve page 2 of a Google search result within a week or so on another blog. So I will continue to learn more about these techniques in 2008. I recommend Courtney Tuttle's Internet Marketing School to those looking to learn. I've seen very valuable lessons and info in there.

Looking ahead, things can always get better. And that's the main goal, keep looking forward this year. Hopefully everyone isn't hurting too bad in the wake of their New Year's Eve celebrations, and let's get ready for a great 2008!

4 Motivational Lessons from Michael Jordan

Time for some Motivation. The Monetizer was reviewing a favorite DVD recently, "Michael Jordan to the MAX". The DVD, which was meant to be watched on IMAX screens, chronicles the success of legendary NBA player, Michael Jordan. Most importantly it looks at his failures and struggles, such as not making the basketball team in High school, losing his father, and his later attempts to play baseball. It shows how these struggles defined him though and made him even better at what he was trying to accomplish in life. This DVD holds some serious messages that can really help you in your online success or life success in general.

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1) Turn your weaknesses into strengths - Jordan was criticized early in his NBA career as a poor shooter and poor defender. He worked tirelessly and turned these into major strengths. MJ actually became one of the best defenders in the league, and as many of us know he's one great shooter, hitting a lot of game winning shots. Look at the things you don't feel you are doing well to make money online. Is it SEO? Is it your blog's design, or getting more readers? Perhaps its HTML and CSS code you want to learn. Strive to learn all you can in these areas because we can learn so much for free on the internet. There's no excuse not to become smarter when you have a free tool in front of you to learn from.

2) Don't be afraid to try - Jordan turned to baseball after he left basketball. He did this mostly to honor his father, James Jordan who had been tragically murdered. Jordan's father suggested MJ give it a try towards the end of his career. We all know MJ didn't have nearly the same success in this sport, but the message in the Spike Lee/Nike ads was "yeah but he's trying". So the message you can take away here: Don't be afraid to try new moneymaking ideas or ventures. You may fail, but you don't know if you don't try.

3) Use negative emotions to push you - Jordan makes a very good point early in the movie that not making the Varsity basketball team his Junior year of High School really hurt him. It hurt him to the point he lost control of emotions and actually said to himself "I don't ever want to feel this sort of hurt/pain again". And he made sure to put in the work and effort to become the type of player who would never be cut from a team. You can do the same. Use negative comments to drive you to work harder and make your blog better (although some negative comments are just people trying to bring others down). Use the fact you aren't making money like you want to drive you to do what you can to make more. It's a very valuable lesson when put into practice that can really help push you forth to do your best.

4) Make a comeback - You may have left a blog because you felt it was just time to go. It may have been a blog topic you were passionate about, but you left it because it didn't seem to be doing anything for you. However, just like MJ made his grand comeback to basketball, you too can make that comeback to your blog project. The difference is maybe that blog was never a star performer, but then refer to #1 and #3 above, and they make sense. The Monetizer runs several blogs and while they become tiring to maintain, they are still subjects the Monetizer feels passionate about. If you like to write, it's never a problem to make a return to a blog! Put your energy into it using the above 3 strategies and see if you can make it even better!

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If you're an NBA or basketball fan, Monetizer highly recommends Michael Jordan to the MAX, mostly because Michael Jordan is a basketball God and this is one of the best retrospectives of his career. Also, it holds the above keys to motivate you in your life and sticking it into the DVD player just might inspire you!

Jordan also fits the similar mold of rap stars who are making mad money. He become a mega brand which is widely recognized and started to expand with more and more products.

Read more about "4 Lessons Rappers Teach Us About Moneymaking".

A Youthful Attitude = Moneymaking?

How many times have you seen those lemonade stands as you're driving down a backroad on a hot, sunny day? Perhaps you even stopped out of admiration for the kid's entrepreneurial spirit and spent a buck or two just to make them feel richer (or you really were thirsty). Maybe you even had your own stand when you were a kid and made a few bucks and felt like King of the World from it. Or maybe you had other business ventures as a kid such as snow shoveling or mowing your neighbors' lawns. The Monetizer recalls having his parents buy candy in bulk from those wholesale warehouse places and then selling it to sweet-tooth kids on the school bus. I was making money, based on the resale and the fact I never bought the candy in the first place :) It's that sort of young, entrepreneurial mindset that can really take your places though. Some have even found income-producing and easy ways for kids to make money for themselves.

How about the kid who earned $20 an hour from a lemonade stand? Yes it's true, Tyler Dikman was able to do that, and now he runs a few multi-million dollar companies, including CoolTronics a company that helps deliver and setup computers. He bought a Rolex and Infiniti J30 using cash, and hired a maid to clean his room while he was just a teenager in high school. What makes him so impressive is that he went above and beyond the typical lemonade stand, using techniques such as dressing up the stand itself to make it even more attractive, offering other items for sale such as Cracker Jacks and a Gumball machine, and offering diet/low cal varities of lemonade for sale. He had the mindset to go with new ideas and expand upon something simple. You can see just how smart kids are some times.

Monetizer mentioned a few good books to read by younger business minds back from the Monetizer's Recommended Reading List. One is Cameron Johnson and the other is Farrah Gray. Two more examples of young moneymaking prodigies. Cameron was setting up his own stationary business and selling Beanie Babies in bulk out of his parents' home. Farrah was selling painted rocks as doorstops door to door in his neighborhood, then developed a business group for kids, followed by speaking engagements. These kids knew the art of business and networking and had a creative passion that drove them to succeed. These stories always interest the Monetizer and you can definitely take valuable lessons away from them. Most importantly is the notion that kids tend to have a more carefree, creative energy than most adults do. To expand on that, a child will put creative ideas into practice that maybe us adults are too serious and wound up to come up with or even try. It speaks a lot to the idea of "being a kid at heart".

This post was written based on seeing the Donny Deutsch "Big Idea" video over on John Chow's post. There's more than just a few of these type stories though and we can all take a page from these kids' books to set our own moneymaking ideas into full gear. Don't abandon your own creative ideas, even if they seem preposterous, because we're all really kids at heart. It's that creative energy and passion that can really provide the basis for some fun-filled and great moneymaking ventures.