June 18, 2012
May 16, 2012
April 30, 2012
[Free Webinar] How to Be the Super Star You Deserve to Be
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May 1, 2012 @ 8:00 pm (eastern time)
May 1, 2012 @ 8:00 pm (eastern time)
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April 17, 2012
Tap into Concepts That Are Viral
Tap Into Concepts That Are Already Viral. If you've had the idea of wanting to create something that you hope to go 'viral' then you've realized that it's very difficult to get it just right. It is not easy creating something that people will get genuinely excited about.
Going viral is a very powerful promotional method, but difficult to do without the right amount of resources.
An alternative is to tap into concepts, emotions, ideas, events and so on that are already hugely popular.
For example, you could write about, create artwork, or a video about 'Earth Day', which will likely attract a strong interest from people wanting to share what you've created, and thus sharing your own work in the process.
Avoid trying to profit from this, and also be careful of copyright issues. Just use this as a way to promote something you are interested in, while getting your work out there.
April 11, 2012
April 06, 2012
February 23, 2012
Hosting Your Creative Business Site
Hosting Your Creative Business Site
Now that you’ve purchased your domain name, you need to get a hosting account. Your website host is where the files that make up your website live. You can buy your hosting from your domain registrar (Domain.com) but I don’t recommend having all your creative business eggs in one basket.
Instead, I use and recommend Hostgator. They allow you to host as many individual sites as you like, and are very reasonably priced.
To get started, go to www.Hostgator.com and choose the Baby plan. On the next page, enter the domain name you purchased the other day, and click “continue.” Follow the steps to checkout, and once you’re finished you should receive an email with instructions from Hostgator. It will include your IP address, login information, and your nameservers.
Nameservers are what tells the Internet where to find your domain, so when visitors click a link to your site or type the address into their browser, they always get to the right place. To set your nameservers, head back over to GoDaddy and log in, then click “My Account.” Next, click the name of your domain. On the next screen, click “nameservers/set nameservers.” In the pop-up box, choose “I have specific nameservers for my domains,” and enter the nameservers Hostgator gave you in the boxes. Click “okay.”
It will take a few hours for your nameservers to “propagate” – which means make their way across all the Internet. You’ll know when this has happened because you’ll be able to log into your cPanel account using your domain, like this: http://yourdomainname.com/cpanel rather than the IP address Hostgator sent you.
In the next post, we’ll take a look at your hosting account’s control panel, set up your email address, and install your website.
Talk with you soon, Alease
P.S. Are you looking for additional Free Resources for your Creative Business? Then download the School of Creative Business' 101 Free Resources to Grow Your Creative Business. Download your copy Here!
February 09, 2012
Buying a Domain Name for Creative Business
It's so exciting to start an online business -especially if it's a business that is driven by your passion. But I also know it can be kind of scary when you’re just starting out, so over the next few days I'm going to follow a step-by-step action plan that will help you get your business online quicker (and easier) than you imagined was possible.
Ready?
Let’s start with your business address.
In the case of a creative online business, your address is your domain name. That’s what people type into their web browser to find your site. I always recommend Domain.com for domain names because their service is exceptional and their pricing is competitive.
To get started, go to http://www.domain.com/, and in the search box in the middle of the page, type the domain name you’d like to buy. Hit “enter” and Domain will tell you if the name you want is available or not, and it will also suggest some alternatives you might be interested in. You may have to try a few different names before you find one that’s available.
Some things to keep in mind when choosing a domain:
•Stick to .com domains only – and never purchase the .org or .net (or anything else) when someone already owns the same .com. You’ll only lose traffic to the original .com domain.
•Avoid clever spellings (or deliberate misspellings), numbers, and dashes in your domain name – all that makes your URL hard to share with others.
•Keep your domain as short as possible – no one wants to type a really long address all the time.
Once you’ve found a domain you like, click “add to cart” and then “continue to registration.” Then just follow the prompts to set up an account (you’ll need this when you set up your hosting account in the next email) and pay for your domain. You can generally ignore all the added features Domain.com will offer along the way, though you might consider paying for several years at a time, just so you don’t have to worry about renewing your domain every year.
That’s it! Choose your payment option, and you’re now the proud owner of your very own domain. Congratulations!
But that’s just the beginning. Stick around for the post, and we’ll learn how (and where) to get the best deal on hosting, and how to connect your shiny new domain to an actual website.
Talk with you later,
Alease
January 17, 2012
Online Business Models for Creative Entreprenerus
There are many different ways a creative business owner can increase their income. As creative people we think we have to start from the beginning but instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, there are easier ways to accomplish making money online. All you have to do and replicate a model that's already proven to generate income.
Here are five such Business Models for Creative Entrepreneurs.
#1- The Informational Website
The informational website is based on giving away free information and products. It’s primary source of income is AdSense, advertising and affiliate product sales. For example, if you were to start a small website on knitting, and write around about 50 articles on various knitting tips and techniques and populated it with AdSense ads, you’d very likely get decent traffic as well as make a decent amount of money. Actually for physical products, the commission is usually between 5% and 20%. For digital products, the commission is usually between 50% and 75%.
#2 - Infoproduct Marketing
Infoproduct marketing is when you’re selling products that teach people how to do things. This one can be super easy for creative entrepreneurs. I believe we teach in our sleeps. Your infoproducts can be anything from “How to Create a Professional Logo ” to “How to Take Photos of Your Artwork” to “How to Increase Art Sales on Etsy.” The possibilities are endless.
You need three primary skills to succeed in information marketing:
1) The ability to bring traffic to your website.
2) The ability to create good content in a specific area.
3) The ability to convince people online that your infoproduct is a good investment that will help them solve their problem.
Once you have these three skills, you’ll be able to produce many profitable infoproducts.
#3 -Services: Charging for your time.
You could easily charge others for coaching and consulting. Helping people solve their problems is a growing trend that we can jump on today. You can either meet with people one-on-one or in a small group. You could even take this business model to another level by teaching and speaking about what you do so well.
#4 - Membership site
Charge others to have access to an online community or to have access to tips and techniques. This is a recurring payment system that will ensure that you will have money deposited into your account monthly.
#5 Joint Ventures
Any the above online business models would work with a joint venture. This online business model requires you to collaborate with someone else on promoting a product or service. The benefit is - that all involved in the joint venture will sharing the efforts of selling the product or services, the profits and possibly new customers.
There you have it – Five different online business models for creative entrepreneurs with a proven history of success. Just pick the one that sounds most actionable to you now and get started today!
Learn more about 2012's Top Creative Business Trends...
From Have It Your Way, To Make it Your Way, To Go Your Own Way –
The Top 10 Creative Business Trends for 2012 will be reviewed in January's Starting Points for Creative Entrepreneurs monthly webinar. Register Today for this Free webinar and Discovery game changing creative business trends that will make you think bigger and bolder!
December 27, 2011
Resolutions are for Suckers - Creative Business Solutions
Alright the Christmas holidays are over. And you're probably getting ready for the New Year - which I believe many of us do. During this time of year - we start writing our New Year's resolutions - me included. But not this year ! Creative Business Solution - Resolutions are for Suckers!
Resolutions are overrated and most of the time they also don't work out like we plan.
There's two reasons for this.
#1- We tend to make resolutions based on big round numbers.
We want to double or sales, or make $20,000, or whatever by this time next year.
The trouble with that is that you're setting resolution based on what you want rather than what makes sense with your creative business.
I see this with creative entrepreneurs all the time. They say "I want to double my client base," and they're already working 20 hours a week. Doubling actually means 40 hours a week.
When I bring this to their attention, they say "Oh, I don't want that."
That's the trouble with big round numbers. They tend to blind you of the consequences of what it will take to hit that number.
#2. Resolutions tend to not work out is because they're too fuzzy.
We say things like "I want to do X next year," but there's no accountability built into it.
We just want to believe that somehow, throughout the year, things will work out. And when you have this laid back attitude, it gets very easy to put things off.
In March you're thinking, "Oh, I wanted to sell more prints, but I'll get to that after this current busy period is over." And then you say the same thing in June. And September. And then oh snap *, December is here again and you're making your plans for the new year.
There's a better way to make your creative business grow.
Here's a little advice... This s guaranteed to make your creative business grow a lot faster than it's growing right now.
Decide on few things you specifically want to be different in your creative business. I say "specifically" so that you don't pick something crazy just because it sounds good. This means - don't say "I want to double the size of my client list."
You should say "I'd like to add 10 new clients this time next year." That number is very important.Once you've figured out what you would like to have, then you'll ask yourself this question:
What will I have to do by the end of March, June, September and December to make that happen? In other words, see what kind of progress you'd have to make each quarter and actually figure out what you have to do to make it work.
Lets use the 10 new clients example:
From January to March I need to find a way to get 1 new client.
From April to June I need to find a way to get 2 new clients.
From July to September I need to find a way to get 3 new clients.
From October to December I need to find a way to get 4 new clients.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10.
Each quarter, you will say "I need to find a way to make this number happen." Working and thinking on a quarter system - makes resolution planning a lot easier. It keeps that business resolutions in arm reach and it keeps it from getting fuzzy or crazy.
When you have to get that something done by the end of a quarter, you have to pay attention to the work and hold yourself accountable.
It's not a resolutions. It's a plan. If you want something to be different in your creative business, have to be willing to get specific about what that means. You have to be willing to write down what it takes to make it happen and - more importantly - when you're going to get things done.
Focus on what you plan to accomplish each quarter, not just over the entire year. If you're not willing to do that, you don't have a resolution. You have a wish.
This I know - wishes don't pay the bills. Focused planed out resolutions do. That's the lesson. Don't dream. Plan.
Enjoy the New Year !
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Alease
An Educator, Creative Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, and Mixed Media Artist
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