Michael Wilding

Category: Life

  • Beer & Chorizo

    Beer & Chorizo

    Yesterday I headed down to London to see a friend I’ve not seen for some time.

    We spent the first twenty minutes walking around Kings Cross looking for a bar where we could sit outside. 

    Man it was packed.

    I mean, what the heck are all these people doing drinking when they should be at work!

    Eventually we found a bar with a couple of tables available outside and made ourselves comfortable.

    You can tell what type of bar it was because the only lager they had came in a fashionably elegant bottle and was called Posh!

    When a bar serves beers like that, you know the choice of food’s going to be equally wanky.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love this kind of bar, but there’s no getting away from them trying slightly too hard to be fashionable.

    We got the menus and there was a range of tapas style dishes and hot sandwiches. I opted to go for the hot chorizo and cheese sandwich.

    Did I mention the menu was going to be a bit wanky?!

    So we sat down with a cold beer and chorizo sandwich, and got talking.

    Read the rest of this newsletter by becoming a full member of The Online Hustle at https://michaelwilding.com/join-the-online-hustle-clean/ before 6:30pm tonight.

    Have a great weekend,

    Michael

    The Online Hustle

  • The Story Of A Corrupt Pirate

    The Story Of A Corrupt Pirate

    The Night Pirates is a favourite book in the Wilding household at the moment.

    Admittedly both Holly and I enjoy it, but it’s a firm favourite with Max, and I’m sure it will be with Lyra when she’s old enough to enjoy it.

    In the story the girl pirates seem to care about the little boy they take with them on their adventures. Whereas the mean male pirates only care about themselves.

    It doesn’t specifically state that the girls are good and the boys are bad, but that’s the feeling given across.

    But if you think about it, any pirate is corrupt!

    It’s kinda part of the job description.

    Wikipedia defines a pirate as:

    “Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable items or properties. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates.“

    So they’re really not nice people.

    And they’re the kind of people who, generally speaking, are going to think about one thing…

    …themselves.

    They come first, second and third.

    Everything they do is in the interest of self-gain.

    Which got me thinking about internet marketing.

    Most people think there are two types of internet marketers, you’ve got:

    1) Those who market other companies products

    2) Those who market lessons on how to make money online

    Generally the second group are thought to be slightly shady, because there’s more spam and scammy style marketing done by this group.

    MMO (Make Money Online) has had a slightly grey name for a while.

    But there’s also a third group…

    3) These are the people who start digital businesses

    Of course, the second group have a digital business as well, but it’s a very different thing marketing to people in order to show them how you got them to spend money with you.

    That’s a certain type of marketing.

    And, in my experience, it’s different to marketing products, services and other types of businesses.

    There are actually hundreds of ways to make money, and most people forget to look at all the options and then make a decision based on what is going to suit them best.

    The decision is usually made because either they’ve not realised the wealth of different types of opportunities online, or they’ve been taken in by marketing.

    So, here are some of the businesses that you can run online, which don’t include teaching people how to make money online.

    1. Ebooks guiding readers how to achieve something
    2. Access to a membership site
    3. Real world training
    4. Virtual business support 
    5. Real world product ecommerce store
    6. Fulfillment by Amazon products
    7. Skills such as design, coding, video editing etc.
    8. Paid for email newsletters
    9. Lead generation
    10. Books and novels on Kindle
    11. Website flipping
    12. Affiliate promotions, in niches other than MMO
    13. Adsense and advertising revenue content sites
    14. Software As A Service
    15. Staffing business, providing outsourced staff to businesses
    16. App development
    17. Dropshipping
    18. Ebay business

    Pretty much anything can be done online these days. That means that the key to choosing the right business model for you is not about following what someone has told you.

    You’ve got to be a pirate.

    You’ve got to be selfish.

    You’ve got to start by considering yourself.

    Probably the most important question to ask, the one very few people do is…

    Do I want to work WITH other people or on my own

    It doesn’t matter what way you slice it, most digital businesses start with you sitting in a room on your own.

    For me, I’ve done it for so long that I actually prefer to work on my own because I get way more done. Anything I do with others gets done after I’ve finished doing what I want to do on my own.

    But most people like to worth with others, and if you do, then you may want to consider a digital business which involves some face-to-face time with your customers.

    This may be providing services to local businesses, training, consulting or making real world products.

    On the other hand if you want to do your work at unsociable hours, or would rather not see anybody, then you may want to opt for affiliate marketing, Adsense sites or website flipping.

    There are many ways to build a business online with very little communication between yourself and the buyer.

    Heck, if you want no communication at all affiliate marketing means no support, no products.

    But the flip side is you have to be a machine. You have to be patient, and you have to make large amounts of campaigns to get one that works. Then rinse and repeat.

    It requires a different type of personality!

    Don’t rush into choosing what you’re going to do online. 

    Take some time to consider your strengths and weaknesses. Take time to consider the way that you work the best. Consider how you want to work and how long you want to spend working.

    I’m not suggesting that you take weeks off trying to work out the best way to proceed.

    That’s not consideration, that’s delaying.

    Spend twenty four hours considering all the possibilities, then jump in feet first and get started.

    See you tomorrow,

    Michael
    The Online Hustle

    P.S. Become a full Online Hustle member and get a newsletter every day Tuesday to Thursday for just $0.30 per day.

    https://michaelwilding.com/join-the-online-hustle-clean/

  • 127 Bikers Beat Bullies

    127 Bikers Beat Bullies

    There’s nothing better than a story about bullies being given the finger.

    A 16 year-old who was terrified of going to her prom because of fear of bullies, had a surprise when 127 bikers turned up to support her.

    In the UK there’s a group called Bikers Against Bullies and, without her knowing, they arranged to escort her to her prom.

    As her car left to take her to the prom, she got a surprise as 127 bikers turned on to the road and surrounded the car in a private escort to the event.

    Not only did it help to give her som self-esteem back, but it also stopped the bullies from doing anything during the prom.

    Since then she’s gone on to help the group with their social media accounts and support their work to help other people.

    What an absolutely brilliant story, I love it.

    Ciao,

    Michael

    [divider]

    French Gangster Airlifted From Prison

    This story has nothing to do with business or entrepreneurialism, but it’s a bloody good story!

    A notorious French criminal is on the run after pulling off a brazen escape in a helicopter from a prison near Paris.

    According to the Associated Press, Redoine Faid, who is serving 25 years for failed robbery and murder of a police officer, previously escaped another prison in 2013 using explosives hidden in packs of tissues before being rearrested a month later.

    Faid pulled off his latest escape at around 11:20 a.m. local time on Sunday.

    Continue reading…

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    My 10 Biggest Mistakes in 10 Years as an Entrepreneur

    I guess I’m now a 4%-er.

    According to Inc. Magazine just 4% of new companies make it to 10 years.

    And guess what?

    We just made it here at Convince & Convert.

    Our 10 year anniversary is today!

    This is the longest I’ve ever done ANYTHING continuously (other than being a husband and a father), and I’m so proud of my team and the work they’ve done – and continue to do.

    We’re so fired up; we even created a temporary new logo to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Convince & Convert.

    I was an entrepreneur before I started this firm. In fact, Convince & Convert is my fifth startup endeavor, and I’m an investor in dozens of others. But this is certainly my most well-known and longest-running venture, so on this anniversary date, I decided to take some stock and think about the mistakes I’ve made along the way. I hope these confessions will help you in your own entrepreneurial journey.

    Continue reading…

    [divider]

    What Type of Learner Are You?

    From ‘visual learners’ to ‘kinesthetic learners,’ figure out what learning style best suits you.

    Everyone has their own way of doing things, especially when it comes to absorbing new information. What might work for you won’t for the person next to you. That’s why it’s important to understand your needs and what works best for you so you can take in new information quicker.

    Continue reading…

  • My day of achievement

    My day of achievement

    Yesterday was a great day. The sun was shining and I managed to get a huge amount done whilst also spending time with Max.

    It doesn’t get much better than that!

    Because the weather was so good, Max was outside playing with Holly. His favourite toy is a push car, so while I was mowing the lawn, he was pushed alongside me getting involved.

    Then I set the sprinklers up for the lawn, which gave us plenty of time to play in the sprinkler before we began to water the plants.

    Max has turned out to be a great plant watering, particularly when Holly is nearby and he can try and surprise her by showering her in ice cold water 😉

    Then I got the fire burning and got rid of all the garden waste.

    And finally… I finished off the day after Max had gone to bed with a bit of work.

    Damn, it felt good to have done so much in a day.

    It’s also started off the week with a great feeling.

    Try and get one day of high productivity at the beginning of the week and it will make the rest of the week go well.

    Ciao,

    Michael

    [divider]

    How A Savvy Sex Shop Founder Sold Her Startup To A TV Titan

    Ever seen a sex toy advert aired on TV in the middle of the day? Not likely.

    Yet Berlin-based Amorelie, one of Europe’s largest online erotic stores, has not only advertised on German daytime TV, it has this year been bought by Nucom Group for an undisclosed amount—a group owned by one of the biggest media broadcasters in Europe, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and the private equity firm General Atlantic.

    The online retailer today stocks over 20,000 sex toys, it has seen its own pleasure products sold by partners including the biggest European drugstore DM, and has delivered to 1.5 million customers across countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium.

    Moreover, after increasing its revenue from €36 million ($42 million) in 2016 by 55% to €56 million ($65 million) in 2017, its founder and CEO Lea-Sophie Cramer expects to see a double-digit rise this year as well.

    Just how has Cramer pulled all this off?

    This is how…

    [divider]

    4 Reasons Why People Stop Reading Before the End of a Page

    Every page you create has a purpose.

    It doesn’t matter whether it’s a sales page, a subscription page, an about page, a blog post, or any other kind of page.

    You publish it for a reason. You want something to happen.

    Maybe you want someone to share the page on social media. Or you want readers to sign up for a newsletter. Or register for an event. Or click through to a sales page. Or complete a purchase.

    Discover the four reasons in this blog post from Copyblogger.

    [divider]

    Steven Jobs’s Wisdom Lives On

    We’ve all heard of the late Steven Jobs.

    He is famous for innovation, marketing and design.

    And who knows how much he was worth.

    You might think Jobs was on a totally different level than you are, but we all have so much we can learn from him.

    I learned an important lesson from his wisdom, and once applied to my own business, the results spoke for themselves.

    This is the lesson that I learned.

  • Screaming Children

    Screaming Children

    What’s been happening on America’s border recently is truly horrific.

    The videos, photos and images coming out of the children detention centers is the kind of things nightmares are made of.

    Worse, it’s what you expect from facist regimes, not what you expect from a democratic world power.

    Personally I find the sickening display of trying to pass the blame makes it even worse.

    The bottom line is Trump knew it was happening and he did nothing until world outcry forced him to.

    It’s upsetting, it’s disturbing and quite frankly it’s disgusting.

    There aren’t words to describe it, so I’m going to stop trying.

    Ciao,

    Michael

    P.S. I’m looking for new blogs to add to my watch list, if you’ve got any suggestions hit the reply button and let me know.

    [divider]

    7 Ways to Identify Real, Money-Making Business Opportunities

    Terrified of going “all in” on a potentially poor-performing business idea? This list can help.

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Entrepreneurship is on the rise, with over 550,000 people going into business for themselves each month in the United States alone. Of course, it’s one thing to start your own business. It’s quite another to actually make any money off of it.

    So, how can you know if your next great idea really is a great idea?

    Pay attention — the following seven tips will help you be better prepared to identify business opportunities that could earn you some serious cash in the not-so-distant future.

    Read your seven tips now.

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    10 Tips for Writing Emails That Will Get You Tangible Results

    If you follow this 10-step process, you’ll avoid the email mistakes that other marketers are making.

    Before you write an email message, you should understand some copywriting basics.

    Following are 10 steps that you should keep in mind as you write your email messages:

    Step 1: Exploit your product’s (or service’s) benefits

    If you’re writing an email message with a call to action that motivates people to take an action, then you need to exploit the benefits of the item you’re offering.

    Whether that item is one of the products or services you sell or it’s a free ebook, if you want people to act, you need to clearly explain the benefits they’ll get when they complete the action.

    Don’t just talk about the features of what you’re offering — clearly explain what people will get when they act.

    What problems will be solved or pain points addressed after that action is taken?

    How will acting make their lives better, easier or happier?

    Determine the benefits of your offer and promote them in your message.

    Get the other nine steps here.

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    Here’s How People With the Fewest Regrets Spend Their Valuable Time

    People who get to the end of their days and assess their lives positively have one thing in common–they’re intentional about their behaviours in the here and now.

    It can be sobering to think about the finite amount of time you’ve been given. And like it or not, how you assess your life when you get to the end of it is completely dependent on how you have conducted yourself.

    Here’s how you can make the most of yours.