What I Accomplished Working On The Road Video

This is the last in a series here: Working On The Road Trip

I accomplished several big projects on this road trip. Projects that I had not been able to focus on for great lengths of time and needed to get them off my plate.

The first was to create my 2011 Business Plan notebook. I’ve been trying to get the hang of this for several months and for some reason it all came together right before we left on this road trip. So… I gathered everything together and got my notebook set up before we left.

This video shows what I’m talking about (not the best video I’ve ever published, I learned when “not” to shoot a video) – plus I share a few other things in the video that you will be curious about:

• Tony Sheperd’s Hippy Marketing Newsletter… this is not for the weak of heart or the easily offended.  I love this newsletter. It helps me think outside the box.
• Melissa Ingold’s Insider Marketing Newsletter…  I’ve talked about this before here –>  Internet Marketing Coach

I made this video with my flip video camera which I talked about in this article –>>  Flip Video Camera

It’s a bit of a stretch to hear and the video does shake and bounce. One of the things I learned on this trip… don’t make video while driving. 🙂

My New 2011 Business Plan

This plan involves a lot of “planning” *giggle*. It means that instead of “winging” it… I’ve got an entire year planned out.

First step was to figure out what I needed to be “doing” for my business… which means thinking about my “entire” business.

• Where am I excelling and where am I falling short?
• What can I outsource and what to I need to keep “in house”?
• What projects or tasks can I “group” or “systematize”?
• How can I keep new ideas from sending me into new directions and failing to stick with a plan?
• Where (and how) do I keep track of all these ideas, systems, outsourcing – etc?

You can see by the video that I’ve got a big planner book (it’s going to need to be transferred to a larger notebook to hold it all).

Once I decided on the “subjects” that I needed to be working on in my business and planned where each subject needed to “fit” into the year… I set up a filing system on my computer.

It’s hard to explain… but essentially I started filing ideas (in word or notepad) , public domain content, plr I had purchased all in it’s “month/subject”.

This freed up some space in my brain. I had so many ideas that couldn’t be “thought out’ right now…  now they can be filed in the “best place” within my new filing system.

This really worked for me. (So far anyway)  Anything that doesn’t “fit” into the plan I have for the year – get’s trashed or put into a some-day-maybe file.

Next – I just focused on the rest of this month and all of next month.

I’ve got draft blog posts entered into my “system” for my two “marketing” blogs.  I mean I have blog posts just about ready for the entire month of February!  I’ve been busy and productive by focusing on just this one project.

I know exactly what (and when) I’m going to be writing about and if I come up with something “new” – I decide if it makes sense to insert it into one of those blog posts I already have started, should I save it for another month’s topic… or if it doesn’t fit anywhere – round file it.

Products – Freebies – Video – New Sites

For each month I have a specific topic I’m going to focus on.

• I thought about what Free Reports and Products I might want to compile and offer.
• I have an exact plan of what Video’s I need to produce and for what blogs/sales letters.
• I know when I’m going to be emailing my list and what the email will be about.
• I have a plan for what new sites need to be set-up and why.

All of this is in my Big Binder!

The Beauty Of A Plan – It Can Be Changed

All of this “planning” is done in “pencil” or can be edited.  I can change my mine – in fact I did.  After I had the entire plan in front of me I could see gaps and how I should change a few things to make it more “logical”.

I can move blog posts around. I can postpone blog posts if I want. I can choose to “get ‘er done” or I can choose to flounder. (wing it)

New Ideas

My brain had so much free space – now that all the “stuff” was filed away and ready to use just when I needed it – I had a brainstorm (light bulb) moment. I came up with an idea that rocks!

Of course – I wrote it all down – planned it all out – and let it “sit” on the back burner for a few days. I looked it over every day and made a few more notes… but I didn’t “act” on it.  Not yet.

The idea is a bit “out of the box” for me… and I need to run it by my “coach”.   I need to make sure that this new idea fit’s into the business plan or is it going to be a “time suck” and not really advantageous for my business growth.

What My Business Plan Is Missing

I still don’t have a plan for my Non-Internet Marketing Niches.  I have a “sketch” – but not a focused plan. I’ve been “winging” it with my niches for so long – it’s become a habit.  The problem with a “bad” habit…  If I don’t break that bad habit of “winging” it… they are going to fall by the wayside.

My “HOPE” is that I’m going to free up time to work on those neglected niche sites.  Now that I have my IM sites under control (sort of)… I’m on to create another Business Plan for 2011.

• Start from scratch and work through the entire process – again.
• Take all the ideas and content that I have and see if it “fits” into the plan… trash the rest.
• Make sure I have time to devote to the niche sites properly… or ditch them
• Grow my mailing lists for these niches and stay in constant contact.

Whew… did all this make your head hurt? It does mine reading it over…  but it’s worth every moment spent working on the plan.

Why?

Because – Once you have a plan… all you have to do is work the plan.

I now have specific things that “must” be done every day.  If I choose to work on other stuff… I can. Or I can sit on the couch and eat bon-bons. 🙂

What About You?

You knew I was going to ask that – didn’t you? I’m not here to “just” talk about me.  I’m here to help you get off your “duff” and make it happen!

p.s. Okay… I know you are waiting for the “marketing lesson” I’m going to reveal. It’s coming!  Wait for it! Tomorrow I’m going to share and I hope it’s a revelation for you (it was for me)… :0)