Warriors Among the web

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Sure that quotation applies to.... some portion of beginning a business on the web. In my opinion, I say when in Rome, start breaking off a piece that European pie and establish your own country! "Ivy... are we talking about ruling the web now?" Not all of it... ;)

The internet as I've said before, is a breeding ground for full blown marketing. This is the territory that we've been given to tread on. For internet entrepreneurs, it's like a battlefield. We all want a piece of that land! What entrepreneur wouldn't want a piece of Myspacetopia, or Youtubia? Who wouldn't want the land of Diggnation or the Facebook Empire? Wouldn't you like to become the next King John Chow, or Emperor Tom Anderson? The answer should be yes, but heed these words....everyones journey is different!

That land has already been tread on, following in their footsteps just makes deeper foot prints! And furthermore, once you reach their destination... well, it's already been ruled. "But Ivy... does that mean we shouldn't take their advice?" Hey... I said nothing about not taking advice, I'm speaking in terms of literally trying to do what they did to become successful. Advice is great to absorb because knowledge is power, but take this knowledge and start your own journey.


Survival Guide for the Territorial Battle:

Okay, so you've decided to take over some of that internet land, huh? Well you can't go into battle without the proper preparations. There are somethings you need before you start breaking some territorial ground.

• Advice from successful entrepreneurs: This will be the shield, armor and weapons your army will use in battle. Every word you receive, every blog you read will plan you for what lies ahead in the battle field. From ways on getting traffic, all the way to making a first good impression to your visitors.

• Entrepreneur Testimonials: This will be your water, first aid, and bandages that will comfort and aid you during battle. Words of encouragement keep us going through times we feel like giving up. Hang in there warriors! You will one day have your time to shine!
  

• Your Idea put into works: This is your army. Warriors that are ready to go out and win some of that territory. It's time to put your armor on, gather adequate aid, and go show the world what you've got!
  

What drives you?

The first time I mentioned to one of my friends the goals I want to reach next year financially, the reaction I received was a "Wow, good luck with that"... Thanks pal! :P. On a serious note, my friend mentioned how he wasn't driven enough for something like that, which got me thinking. What is the initial drive behind the minds of these entrepreneurs that pushes them to be successful?

Well, I suppose I can answer that question from my point of view, seeing as how I am one of those strong willed individuals. It's not necessarily the money or power running your own business, it's mostly the pride for me. Remember when you were a little kid in elementary school, and your teacher gave you an assignment to do a project completely based off of your creativity. You could have built a volcano, or sculpted Mount Everest out of paper mache' like what all the other kids were doing. Instead, you wanted to be different and build something bigger and better because creating is what you loved to do. You wanted so much to get an A on that project so you could say, "look mom! I got an A on this project I built from ground up!". That's kind of how it feels with me. I love being able to create something new. To build something completely from ground up, market it, and watch it grow and bloom into a successful business flower... or website... or what have you.

Most of you out there who probably have children young or older now, want to see your little boy or girl grow up to be successful men and women. You get up every morning to go to work to your full time job, just to put food on the table and to provide adequately for your children for them to be able to reach their goals. You are so driven to see their success, and the pride that follows will be, "hey... that's my kid right there... the Doctor. I raised him since he was a little baby... Now look at him."

Your drive can come from pride & love, or even anger & jealousy. However... the emotional foundation of your drive should probably be on more positive selfless intentions than one of vengeance.

"But Ivy, why 5-figures monthly? Why in such a short time frame? Are you unaware of how long it can take for a business to get that successful?" I hear you say. Fret not, if you believe it will take long for prosperity to meet you, then it will. Just keep your mind open, and your ideas fresh. You never know if your business may become the next big thing, so never limit yourself to short standards. Which leads me to my next post.... after these messages... I'm going to go get some breakfast.

Where have I been?

Okay, so first off, I'd like to apologize for my prolonged posting of a new entry. I have been researching and preparing vigorously for a brand new website that I hope to launch before Christmas. I figured I'd cut back on writing about what I was going to do, and to just do it as I've mentioned in many posts before this one. However, Good news! I don't know if you've noticed, but the YOEG just initiated it's new member only a few days ago as you will see on the right side of the page.

I welcome Shantella Spriggs, a 19 year old aspiring entrepreneur, into the Young Online Entrepreneurs Guild. It really does inspire me to see other young aspiring driven individuals who have set a goal towards their success. Once more members sign join, I will be setting up a permanent website for the YOEG. That way, other driven individuals can receive inspiration and advice from each other, and hopefully network. I would love for the YOEG to grow to as big as 1000 members world wide.

If you are uncertain of what the YOEG is, please refer to this post.

Overload, Sizzle, Idea!

So I've pretty much been researching my little tush off all day. I mean really, reading blogs authored by young entrepreneurs, experienced businessmen, you name it... It was until the very informative blog post of Paul the uberaffliate (http://www.uberaffiliate.com), he mentions that instead of filling your brain constantly with all of the information... just do it just as Steven Kovar said... With that being said... I took about... a 15 minute break and since I was bored, began research again... then I took another break. I figure since I truly have the desire to create a successful online business, that it will come. Sure enough... it did! I do have a great idea right now that would probably only take me a short time to set up, purchase and execute. I will reveal the site once it has been launched, but in the mean time, preparation....

I've learned a lot upon reading the Uberaffiliates blog. For one, it does take a lot of money to successfully market your affiliate program, so I took a step down from that for a while and focused on something more simple. I think it would make more sense to let you know what my idea is after it has succeeded, but this is just idea number one! The next step to a great business plan is to ... well plan, accordingly. Gather resources, scripts, choose platform, mark your budget, etcetera, etcetera. But if you haven't yet, check out Paul's blog, his posts are extremely saturated with great info!

More research tomorrow

Sorry not much was posted today. The actual venture begins tomorrow! Besides my actual intro to the blog and money making basics, I'll post more tomorrow on what I've been doing so far to accomplish my goal of 5-figure income by spring. As you can see, since my launch on Tuesday I've been focusing primarily on getting traffic to my blog. The secret behind my traffic is definitely from the teachings of the blogger, John Chow. I've done everything from search engine submissions, to RSS submissions, blog posts, joined blog communities, advertised my blog via craigslist, technorati submission, posting comments on other blogs, link referrals, getting involved in forums, submitting my RSS feed to over 20 different sites, and Entrecard!!! Whew..... that was a big list. Search engine traffic hasn't even kicked in yet, but I do see great results so far with basic manual promotion. Check it out!



It's not much, but it will grow bigger in time! Getting blog traffic is definitely a lot different from getting traffic for my other website. That website focuses primarily on media people want to see, so it's a site practically for anyone. However, since my blog focuses on making money, I have to focus on getting in contact with those who... well, want to make money! You know, the determined folk! :) And I couldn't be happier having the opportunity to get to meet you all! I'll be researching to my best ability to bring the best resources to making great reoccurring income online. Also, if you're not shy, why not drop a comment and introduce yourself just to say hi.

You know what else would be great, if you were to hit the big black Feed button at the top right corner, or the link below....

Subscribe Today!
....please? :)

Live 2.0 - First Impression counts!

As a web designer, I've always focused primarily on the look of a website before the content. Make no mistake that content isn't as important, these 2 actually go hand in hand. You may have a website packed with great content, but if your design is poor and hard to navigate, your first time visitors may become your last time visitors. I always emphasize on a simple CLEAN design because the internet is practically a world of convenience. I tend to get frustrated when a page takes 15 extra seconds to load, not even to think of when it's actually done loading, and I can't find how to get to the content I'm looking for.

If you are to launch a website its best to higher a web designer that will understand the image that you want to go for, but if you are a personal blogger and want to search for a theme to use, here is my advice for you:

• What makes a web design a GOOD design? Well, design is based on preference and image. If your blog is about business, yet you have hearts and stars throughout your layout, it doesn't really go well for your image, does it? :P Obviously when dealing with a business blog, it's best to keep things clean, simple and to the point. Use colors that are soothing to the eyes and not over the top and too bright.
  

• When planning content assortment and block placement, make sure the title of each block is clearly visible and pertains to the content it holds. Seems simple enough, but I've seen blogs where 4 different types of content were placed in one block. It really gives assurance to your visitors that if a tab says "Tutorials" that they will be seeing tutorials when they visit that page.

• A custom logo/header is like a last name for a website. Having custom logo separates the serious from the not to serious. That may not be factually true for your site, but from a visitors point of view, a custom logo gives a website a certain prestige that plain bold text cannot. You have no idea how much a custom header can make a whole website look completely different even if you are using a free template.
  

• Favicons are great! You don't really need one, but it sure makes it a whole lot easier to identify in bookmarks.

So remember, first impression counts. We all knew this, but just in case you had no idea on how to make a good first impression, try my advice, let me know what you think! If you have any other tips for a good design, drop a comment and I'll add it to the list!

Entrecard, bloggers gold

What's this new thing that all bloggers are raving about? Entrecard is a brand new way for bloggers to not only network with other bloggers from their specific criteria, but to also get a chance to be advertised on extremely popular blogs. I recently joined up with Entrecard last night and found my self actually having fun dropping cards on all the blogs I could get my hands on.

The way Entrecard works is on a system of credits. You gain credits by dropping off cards on other blogs, as well as receiving cards from other bloggers. Then you can use those credits you've earned to advertise your entrecard for a full 24hrs on a bloggers page by browsing through the "campaign" section. Credits are then also earned by bloggers who want to advertise on your blog as well. It's never ending cycle of you collecting and spending credits on traffic to your blog! Everybody wins!

I haven't purchased any advertisements yet in terms of getting traffic from other bloggers, but I feel Entrecard is a great outsource tool towards finding other bloggers who blog about similar things as you.

I give Entrecard a 10/10 for its easy navigation, ease of use, and delivering fast results.

Click
Drop
Earn
Advertise!

Thanks for creating a VERY useful tool for new bloggers to get their feet out the door!

Understanding the Universal Laws

I know that I've mentioned the laws of attraction before, but there is just so much more to it that I couldn't just leave it at one simple definition.

I guess you could say when it comes to prosperity and becoming a successful entrepreneur, I look at it from a completely different angle than most. Of course everything great comes from a great amount of hard work, but your hard work will go in vain if your mind isn't in the right place. What would be the point of hoping, praying and wishing you could become extremely wealthy, while on the other hand you constantly worry about not being able to pay your bills, and seem to always plan for the worse.

The Universe is like a genie in a bottle that literally works by "Your wish is my command". It doesn't need you to use a big megaphone to shout out to the clouds what you want. You tell the universe what you want with your mind and by how you think.

All of our minds are connected through a part of mind called Universal Mind and every time you have a thought, mind wave energy is emitted and sent out. (Ever spontaneously started singing a random song that someone right next to you was singing in their head? I have!) Therefore, our thought wave reaches through out the universe.

The Law of Attraction is sometimes called the Law of Compatibility because the attraction is based upon compatible desires and needs. When we create a visualized thought form, which reaches out into universal mind, other people are also forming similar thought forms, which are compatible to ours. Through the magnetic principle of attraction of the subconscious mind, these compatible desires and needs meet. We are drawn into each other's creations through compatible (like) desires and needs. This "like attracts like" action is an expression of the Law of Attraction.

-Terryl Nemeth

"I'd rather be safe than sorry"

"I don't know that I'll be able to pay the bills this month."

"I'm so broke, I can't afford that"

"My job is so terrible...."

"Everytime I check my mail, it's more debt!"

"I would love a new car, but I just don't have enough money!"

That is the "safe" mind set that a lot of people stay in. Why is it for some reason, it relieves us to think such negative thoughts? It's because being realistic is all we know how to do! We'd rather plan for the worst, wallow in our misery and all the negative things in our lives than to see our problems as a positive. Unfortunately that is the problem. Hey, I can't blame you. It's hard NOT to think of all the negative things that can happen... but have you ever tried NOT worrying?

I'll give an example for you....

NEGATIVE MINDSET
Your bank account is practically empty, you have a mortgage of $2,700 due in one week, and you only have half of the money. You've been late 4 times on payment already, and if you're late again, the bank is going to take your house. So at this point, you are absolutely devastated. You have 3 children to take care of, and aren't really in the position financially to relocate. You worry day and night about how you are going to pay this bill. You keep saying to yourself "we're going to get evicted, we can't pay this bill" and start visualizing you and your family being thrown out on the street. Then you start calling your relatives telling them how much you can't pay this bill and ask your relatives if they would take you and your family in when you get evicted. Well sure enough, when that time rolls by, you have no money to pay, bank says you're outta here.


POSITIVE MINDSET
Now let's handle this situation from a different mindset. You receive the news about your deadline and see that you have absolutely no money in your bank account. Instead of you worrying about all the possible negative outcomes of your tight situation, you put the bill to the side and say "It'll be taken care of, the money will come from somewhere". Your wife looks at you like you're crazy and asks what you're going to do about the money. Instead of planning for the worse, you go about your business and tell your kids to help start putting up the Christmas tree. You then phone all of your friends and remind them that the annual Christmas party is still being held out your house. "It's gonna be fine honey, the money will come". Sure enough, it just so happened that one of the friends you phoned to invite to your Christmas party has been owing you some money for a while now and just got a big enough bonus to pay you off.

Coincidence, or the Universal laws of attraction gone to work?

You see, in mindset #1, more energy was focused towards the negative outcome of not being able to pay your bill. However in mindset #2, the energy was focused more on knowing the bill will get taken care of and you would celebrate at your Christmas party knowing you will keep your house.

Our mind is a very powerful tool, and a very great gift. We've been giving power to literally control and CREATE our OWN reality. People don't want to believe we have the power to control what happens to them because so many bad things happen to them. Don't you realize that 99% of the time you aren't even aware of the thoughts you are thinking???

Have you ever tried NOT worrying? I know I feels safer to plan for the worse, so if it seems too much of a leap, try with something small first. Start turning those negatives into a positive TODAY!

"That diamond necklace is beautiful, I going to get that for my wife"

"We'll pay it off eventually"

"I'm just running a little low, I'll have the money to buy it next week"

"I'll get that promotion soon!"

"Every time I check my mail, it's another check!"

"I need a new car, so I'm going to get that new Lexus Hybrid RX"

Need not worry about how it's going to happen... just know that you want it, and as you thinketh, so shall it be!

Steven Kovar

The blog and creator of friendfury.com. The first thing I noticed about this blog, me being a web/graphic designer, was the layout. Theres nothing better than having a clean blog layout that's soothing to the eyes. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but I hate having to go to a blog and trying to find where the article begins and ends. So very nice choice on the layout.

So tip #1 to all bloggers out there...

"Keeping it simple and clean, is a money making machine!"

I just wanted that passage to rhyme.

Okay so on to the important things. I've read through a couple of his posts and the About Me section and the blog that stuck out to me the most (probably because it's on the first on the page) is the "Just Do It" post. As an aspiring young entrepreneur, I do find myself a times focusing too much on how to execute the plan rather than just doing it.

Steven Kovar - Just Do It

For example, the website my business partners and I launched in August was actually thought up way back in March. Our initial plan was to make an online community for models, musicians, etc in other words, a myspace for the pretty people. Well as luck may have it, our prolonged wait, preparation, setting up an LLC, and getting the legal stuff taken care of first resulted in our initial idea no longer being as "hott" as what's "hott" in the now. I mean sure any new community can be the next big thing, but we ended up throwing a curve ball and launching a website that geared towards media sharing instead.

Anyways, very nice post Steven, bravo. And I'm not just saying that because this Review is being entered in a contest. *wink wink* lol.

Well I have subscribed to this blog and hope to get more tips from this young entrepreneur in hope that it will help me on my endeavor.

You can check out Steven Kovars blog at
http://stevenkovar.com/

Review His Blog

Quick Start on Web Traffic

After launching a site that now averages at 2000 visits a day, I've learned a few techniques that I wish I would have done since the site had launched.

Being a complete newbie to internet marketing, I thought setting up the site was the hard part. We all know this is completely false. In terms of SEO and traffic sources here are a few tips I would recommend you keep in mind while developing your site before launch, and what to do after launch.

1. Make sure the title of your web pages relates to the content you are holding on your site. Having a page title that just says your name, yet the site is about making money online doesn't really do much for search engines. It's fine to have your name as the domain name, but make sure you put somewhere in your title what your web content holds.

• eg. The name of my url is live20.blogspot.com, but the title of my site is "My Endeavor to Online Riches - Making Money Online. That way, search engines will know what to associate my site with.
  

2. We all know meta tags and descriptions are very important. As I've mentioned in point 1, make sure your tags are relevant to your content. It's important to use popular key words.
It's great to be creative when creating your own unique site and style, however when it comes to keywords, stick to something simple and to the point like...

• "low priced hardware" - instead of - "cheap cool stuff".

3. Site submission! Submit your websites to all the search engines you can! Traffic from search engines will become your best friend!

4. Targeted traffic is your best friend. This is depending on whether your site is for everyone or for a specific interested group of people. For example, a site for video upload would be for everyone. However, a site with many articles and tutorials for programs such as Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc, would be for freelancers, graphic designers, web developers, and so on.

5. Now that you know who to target, where to go? I will tell you right now that your competitors are your best friends. Try emailing some of your competitors in attempt to exchange links. It doesn't hurt to ask. Some people feel that since they have many other sites that compete with their site, that it would be best to stay away from them as not to lose their current visitors. When in actuality it is the exact opposite. Not only is Link-Exchange SEO-Candy, it also exposes your site to targeted traffic!

6. A great way to start bringing reoccurring traffic to your site is by doing some manual posting on some forums, blogs, and popular social communities. When we first launched our site in August, we got our first initial 1000 visits in one day purely by spamming the top 4 videos on Myspace.com. As "evil" as it sounds, it works! However spamming is never a great source of reoccurring traffic and only lasts for a season. Sooner or later your posts will get deleted, so it's best to stick to promoting your sites on other relevant communities like forums and blogs.

7. When writing an article or a blog, don't get lazy when referring your readers to a website. It's best to type out the WHOLE url starting from HTTP. From personal experience and accordinig to google analytics, my website gets the most keyword traffic from users actually searching for a different website. We actually show up on the first page! :D hehe.

After I re-edited my website for SEO, check out the results!

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

















ALEXA


I hope with these tips you too will be able to achieve great traffic for your websites.


-Ivy Ejam

Young Online Entrepreneurs Guild

While doing some browsing on Google for "Making Money Online" I came across a site called www.retireat21.com. My eyes widened and my heart filled with joy as I saw the number of successful entrepreneurs my age, some younger, some older, who make millions a year! I love inspiration like this to know that I'm not alone and that its is possible to accomplish my goal. Michael Dunlop, the owner of retireat21.com, 21 years of age, said a quote that popped out to me.

"....When history is written it seems almost certain that from a business point of view, the first decade of the 21st Century will be remembered best as the Era of The Young Entrepreneur..."

-Michael Dunlop

I couldn't agree more Michael! As soon as I read that, I claimed from this day on I will strive to be one of those Young Entrepreneurs of the first decade of the 21st Century. I definitely think pretty big for someone who hasn't made thousands yet, but everything begins with a thought, does it not? :)


With that being said, I want to start something called the "Young Online Entrepreneurs Guild".

If you are a pursuing young entrepreneur, (ages 30 and down) or have already succeeded in becoming a successful young entrepreneur, email me at ivy_ejam@yahoo.com with the following information:

• Your full name
• Your age
  
• Your web page URL/Blog URL
• Your income goal / (Or current income if you've already made it)
  
• Your mission statement/philosophy/words of wisdom/advice
  

Only serious pursuing entrepreneurs or already successful entrepreneurs will be added to the guild! I will later set up a permanent website for the guild displaying each members information and success stories. Until then, I've created a virtual pin for members to wear on their "virtual lapel", or in other words a code for you to add on your site. The code will show the YOEG emblem, your name on it, and also a scrolling list of other members also linking to their sites. (Can you say, traffic? *wink*)

EXAMPLE:

Each pin will be personalized to have your name upon approval, so if you would be interested, please feel free to email me at: ivy_ejam@yahoo.com

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!

-Ivy Ejam

How do they make big bucks online?

Day 2 : Physical Preparation
Knowledge is POWER!

Well, it's day two and I'm actually very excited to start learning more and more about how I can make money online from the Young Entrepreneur Guru's themselves! Now don't get me wrong, this isn't actually the first day that I've been reading up on this stuff, I've been looking for ways to make money online since I was 17, I just having been looking for a way to make reoccurring income.

I've tried the paid surveys, the pay per read emails, the "get paid to check out our sponsors" and so on and so forth... I can say I fairly made around like... $50 in total over the course of... MONTHS?! Chicken change as my father would call it. Not worth it. I would say those kinds of "making money online" ordeals are for people who aren't really creative or determined enough to go beyond that. Or actually, those who lack the knowledge of what's really going on behind the scenes.

Here's how I see things such as "Paid Surveys" vs the big guys who are paying you for those surveys.


You:

• Receive paid surveys according to the criteria that the survey requires.
• Spend about 15-20 minutes reading through and answering questions.
• Receive $2-$8 for your time and answers

Hmmz.... 2-8 dollars every 15 minutes they say? Sounds like a good income right? WRONG!
I've actually signed up for http://www.surveysavvy.com , do they pay you? Yes of course they do, but they don't really mention how they'll send you maybe about 10 surveys over the course of 1 year.

Providers:

• Receive requests from sponsors and big companies that need quality assurance and feedback for their soon to be launched products. This includes maybe about 200-1000 potential customers from all different types of criteria. (young, old, different races, different annual income etc)
  
• Providers then send out the required amount of surveys to the members who filled out their information, also sending the survey to the specific criteria.
  
• Sponsors then pay the Providers $20-$60 each upon completion of each survey.
  

Now tell me, why would Providers mind to give you a measly $5 when they probably made $20 dollars off of you?

Who do you want to be? The "You" or the "Provider"?

I think I want to be the provider. :) That my friend, is the beautiful brain and tactics behind these Entrepreneurs, and which is also the same tactics I hope to achieve when I start making my first 5 figures next year.

So what am I doing to physically prepare today? Reading testimonials, getting inspiration, and BRAINSTORMING. No good idea comes from having just ONE idea. It's great to have many different ideas on your plate. However, just because you have a lot of good ideas doesn't mean you should pursue them all at once. Pick out the best. One that you're pretty sure will get you off the ground, then focus on that one alone. Unless you're great at shuffling a ton of different projects at once, then by all means, go for it. In my opinion, I would focus on one first before tackling another.


I thought I should just make mention that I am in no way a business expert. I've actually been studying to go to nursing school for the past year... until I figured that it wasn't really for me. I couldn't really picture my self in that career setting AT ALL. A job where I never really would have been able to use my creativity on the job. I mean, can you imagine me trying to be "creative" with a patient?

"Well your arm is swelling, and looks extremely red. However, instead of giving you hydrocortisone, let's try crushed cough-drops with gravy instead! Maybe it'll give your arm some sort of amoeba's reaction causing the swelling to drop instantly!"

Without a doubt I'd be fired. Even though I'm no business major, I have been doing web and graphic design since the age of 15. As it happened, the knowledge I received of web developing all came from reading articles and tutorials online. There's probably nothing you can't learn online, and once you start to realize that this knowledge can be obtained at the tips of your fingers, you're one step closer to your goal!

Step 1: Preparation

Mapping Your Future

As many have said, Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was the Statue of Liberty, Pyramids, or the Taj Mahal. As I've mentioned in the previous post, you have to keep your eye on the prize, and the best way to set up the foundation for your success it to map out what you want to achieve. What will be the outcome of your success, and how will you reap the benefits. How will my life look when I start living the 2.0? I put together a collage of all the things that I aim to purchase within a years time or so. The first step towards manifesting your prosperity is being able to visualize your success.

What you do is very simple and VERY fun. Find pictures online of all the fine things you want in life. What do you want to do with this money that you're going to make? Need a new car? Put it in you your collage. New house? Slap it on! What if you just want to pay off your debts, why not print out a picture of your depts, and next to it right "PAYED OFF!". Or cancel those negatives and put a balance of $0, or +$10,000!

Here is an example of my collage so you get a good idea of what I'm talking about.



I've been living my life off of the knowledge of Laws of Attraction for a while now. Thinking upon my past on how I perceived life, and then realizing that where I am now was because of how I thought then, it's like a flawless system. When I started making money off of graphic/web designing, I was making $150 dollars here, $250 dollars there, $350 dollars another place, and so on and so forth. I had never worked at a part time job before, so I never experienced the hardships of working 20hrs a week just to make about $140. It literally only took me a few hours to make $250 bucks, so in my mind "money came easily". After having that mind set, that's exactly what happened. I even got a cell phone, and best buy credit card and was able to build up a great credit history off of the freelance money I made. Even at times where I was running really low, and hadn't had a project in weeks, I said to myself "The money will come, because money comes easily" and sure enough, a project came by and I was able to pay my bills.

Now I'm going for the gold and aiming much higher. I used to be afraid to desire a lot of money. I mean I'm only 20, still in college, no husband or kids, what would I need thousands of dollars a month for anyways? After all money doesn't by happiness right?... WRONG!

Of course everyone would be happier with more money in their pockets. Do people ENJOY working 40hrs a week plus overtime just to make it by? NO! Does that make them happy? NO! If they could make double or triple their income allowing them to work less, and spend more time with their family and actually enjoy the money they make, would that make them happy? YES! DUH!

The government has shaped society into believing that working their tushes off is all they're going to be doing for the rest of their life if they want to make it by. Well I sir, say NAY! I want to be prosperous and to be able to provide well for my family in the future, and the best way to ensure my success for the future, is to plan in the NOW!

Just know that YOU CAN DO IT! Especially if it's something you REALLY WANT. YOU MUST WANT IT.

"But Ivy, I have no time,.. I'm too old,.. I just learned how to use a computer last week"

Honestly, what is the risk or pain in just writing down a list of what you want out of life, or putting together a few pictures. You've got absolutely nothing to lose! Join me in this Endeavor to Online Riches today, and start it with todays exercise. "Mapping your future"
Remember, I haven't made the riches YET, I'm on the same path as you. So I am not claiming to offer you any sure thing money making schemes. We're on this journey together!

Live 2.0: My Endeavor to Riches

The most wonderful part about living in the 21st century isn't just the wonderful technology that we have upon us, but the evolution of the online world. You can find almost anything online now adays. From an awesome deal on a new product, to friends you haven't seen in ages. You can find work at home jobs, and even start some business of your own. And why? It's because the internet is a breeding ground for FULL BLOWN MARKETING! Yes you heard it here first ladies and gentlemen. Now that people practically LIVE on the internet, why not turn their heads left and right a few times while they're browsing on Myspace, or checking their emails, or reading a blog, watching a video on youtube, or searching for more ways to get rich quicker... ONLINE!

Okay so where am I going with this whole Live 2.0 ordeal? I'm glad you asked. I'll get to that in a second. First I want to make sure that we are in agreement here....well are we? Are you reading my blog right now because you were on the path of one of the few I mentioned above?

This generation is getting smarter... quicker. A six year old girl operates a satellite TV remote control while Daddy is still fiddling with the manual trying to figure out how to adjust the TV's keystone. Convenience & Online are two words that are practically married right now, and in this blog, Live 2.0 will show you all the ways you can keep up with what is going on in the NOW... you know... the Web 2.0... Yea I figured you would catch on sooner or later. Online communities... online media.... online stores... online money/jobs.... we've actually created an online world! Stick with Live 2.0, and I can show you how to get the BEST out of this era and not miss a drop!

And why would you listen to me? Well that's because I'm actually on a quest right now. A quest that many my age, older than me, and much younger than me have already accomplished. The quest to making THOUSANDS of dollars a month online. I believe that without a doubt it's possible to achieve, however I'm not really the type of person that likes to wait many months for a business to bloom and take off. I want to start making big bucks NOW. So call me a bit unrealistic, but if you understand the laws of attraction like I do, you'll know that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

I currently only have $28.87 in my checking account, and $0.66 in my savings (Maybe I'm saving up for a pack of gum). My goal is to make at least $25,000 online by the end of February, or up to $40,000 before the beginning of Spring. YES! I SAID IT! My name is Ivy E. and starting today, December 4th, 2007, I begin my $Endeavor to Riches$!


Let me begin by telling you my story...

I'm a 20 year old College student who has been working from home as a freelance graphic/web designer for a little over a year now. I can say fairly I've made about... $3-$4,000 from what I did, but freelancing wasn't really something that guaranteed me a steady income. So then me, my sister, and 2 other business partners got together and put together a website (name will be revealed later) to which the profits would be split four ways. I was to be the graphic/web designer, my sister the marketer, business partner #1 would be the coder, and business partner #2 was basically the primary investor, in terms of funds and such.

As it happened, I actually ended up designing and creating the whole site using a CMS, and though that it would be the hard part. Not realizing marketing the godforsaken site burnt out about half of my frontal lobe! I went through learning about SEO, key words, myspace spamming, blog posts, yaddda yadda, and after that.... well, launching in August, and it now being December, 4 months later, the site has finally reached the top 100k in Alexa, and pulls in about $160 a week.... woopie....

EFF THAT! Pardon my french, I don't know about you, but if you've seen about $500 a month split 4 ways, you're better off selling paintings out of your faded-blue van on the corner of a major road. I've never been the type of teenager that fancied working at McDonalds or supermarkets.... I mean I did go to an interview to work at my local Neighborhood Wal Mart, but because of certain circumstances, I missed the job and wasn't able to apply at a Wal Mart for another whole year... (totally wasn't my fault). But that downfall led me to my first Graphic Design job, and another, and another. And you know what, I love working my own hours and being my own boss. I love being able to use my creativity to make my own money, and that's what I want out of life. To enjoy it while making the money I want.

I mean I know it takes websites a while to really bloom, but I want to start making a good income NOW. I see how much my Mom suffers waking up early in the morning, just to come back late at night, and we're BARELY making it by with the money she makes... That's not the kind of life that I want to live..., and when I do start making these big bucks, the first thing I'm going to do is make sure my mom stops working so hard and send her on a vacation!

[....awwwwwwwwww.....]

Yea yea yea..... okay, so how am I going to get there? Well if you're reading this right now, and are on the same quest as me, the first thing I would advise you to do is remove your mind of any doubt or disbelief. Life really IS what you make it, and if you think that you have to work your little tush off just to make a decent living, then this blog isn't for you. If you think that you're too young to make up to 30k a month, then maybe the 17 y/o girl that makes $80,000 a month from www.whateverlife.com is just a figment of my imagination. (Which is one of the things that inspired me by the way) You've got to know what you want, how much you want, and how fast you want it. Keep your eye on the prize as they always say, because the more you doubt, the more you fall short of your success and prolong your prosperity.

Look at me, speaking as if I've already made the riches. I haven't yet, but I will, VERY SOON! See how I speak in the future? That's VERY important towards success. Maybe I should start by telling you why I speak how I do, and how I do it, if that made sense at all.

I'm sure many of you have heard of the "Laws of Attraction" and if you haven't, you should probably Google it, I don't really have time to explain it all in detail. But in a nutshell, the Laws of Attraction states that anything you want in this world, you attract into your life by how you think. Even all that is already in your life, you've attracted into your life by the way you see life and how you have thought in the past. With that being said, what does that mean for an entrepreneur like me? That means if I keep my mind focused on the money I want to make, and even better how I want to make it, that money will attract to me and manifest in my life.

Knowing this, I've done a few things to encourage myself and to keep my eyes on the prize. I've printed out pictures of the car I want to drive, the huge house I want to live in, expensive furniture, a beautiful home office, new clothes, new shoes, $100 dollar bills, and an altered image of my bank statement that reads $24,500.72 in my checking account. These pictures are all pasted on my computer desk, so I see them everyday. The more you focus on and visualize what you want, the easier it is for the Universe to bring you what you want.

Okay, I guess that will be all for now. Tell a friend though if you think they would be interested in joining me in this quest, I know I would be!