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SPI 018 : The Truth About Getting Rich Quick With MJ DeMarco – Author of The Millionaire Fastlane

The Smart Passive Income Podcast

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In this session of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, I have the pleasure of interviewing multi-millionaire entrepreneur and recent author MJ DeMarco, who recently published a fantastic book entitled The Millionaire Fastlane.

I was asked by a number of SPI readers to get MJ on the show for an interview. I’m really glad I did because he and his book totally blew me away.

As you’ll hear in the podcast, I was actually a little hesitant to bring him on the show at first because he talks a lot about getting rich quick, which we all know is an instant warning for something scammy or fishy. However, you have to listen to the podcast to really get a feel for where he’s coming from and you’ll realize that there is such a thing. Click to continue…

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My Monthly Report – March 2011

Welcome to my 30th monthly income report!

Since October of 2008 I’ve been keeping track and posting my online income publicly here on SPI, and they’ve become the most popular posts on the blog. I do this not only to help me keep track of where my earnings come from and the health of my businesses, but more importantly to share with you what I’ve done that may have an effect on any increase or decrease in earnings, and what I’ve learned along the way so hopefully you can learn what do to (and what NOT to do) too.

I hope you enjoy this month’s income report. Click to continue…

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I Am a Blackbelt. True or False?

Happy April Fools Day!

Instead of writing some bizarre fake joke post (which I was this close to doing, but I chickened out), I decided that we could play a fun little game of True or False, and at the same time you might get to know me a little better.

Below you’ll find 10 statements about me.

7 are totally true, and 3 are totally false.

Can you pick out the 3 false statements?

Tell me which letters you think are false in the comments (for example: A, C, H).

The first one to answer correctly gets a “Pat” on the back. No real prizes, this is just for fun.

Enjoy! Click to continue…

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The Hole On Most Blogs (Including Mine) That Needs To Be Filled

A lot of people ask me the following question:

“Pat, if you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently, and why?”

I have three answers for you:

Start Sooner – If I had known what the possibilities were I would have gotten into online business much, much sooner. I’m very fortunate I was laid off back in 2008 because it was my lay off that took my eyes off of “the right path”, and put me on the path that was right for me. If I had known, I would have taken the bold actions necessary (bold actions that my lay off forced me to take) to make something awesome happen and get something out for the world to see, read and consume much sooner via the Internet.
Build an Email List Right From the Start – One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made since being in this business was not building an email list right from the start. I waited over a year to finally put an opt-in form on my blog and I missed out on huge opportunities to connect with my audience and engage with them in ways that no blog post, video or podcast can ever do. If you still have yet to build an email list, I’ve laid out all of the steps for you in my Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Newsletter.
Include a Starting Point – I’ve lost potential readers and life-long fans of the SPI brand simply because I don’t have a good starting point on my blog. This is what today’s post is all about – creating a starting point.

Why is a Starting Point Important?

A starting point is a page on a website that gives new readers clear direction and it’s totally underutilized in the blogosphere.

Why is this important?

Because blogs are a huge mess.

There is hardly any order to the posts that are published and although there is the occasional 2-part, 3-part or n-part series that keeps a few posts in order, they are simply a group of ordered posts in an unordered web of chaos.

Additionally, a lot of our best content – content that would be perfect for anyone new to the site (or new to the topic of our site), was probably written during the first few months of the blog’s life when there were hardly any readers. A starting point is a great place to bring those old posts back into light. Click to continue…

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Playing the Google Search Game – How to Rank High in Google

I’m honored today to publish a guest post by Joseph Archibald of JosephArchibald.com. There are a lot of people I respect online, but I must say that Joseph is right up there at the top for me.

You may recognize him from his presence within the comment section of my post entitled The Backlinking Strategy that Works, which currently has 511 comments.

65 of those comments are his.

Why?

Because the backlinking strategy that I shared with you in my most popular post to date was inspired and modeled after his own strategy that he generously shared free to the public in his 40 Day Challenge on the Warrior Forum. He was able to rank a fairly competitive niche in the top 5 in Google within 40 days.

(For everyone’s convenience, he has also since published The 40 Day Challenge eBook, which is a lot easier to read than the 1200 posts on the Warrior Forum. Check out his sample chapter here.)

He’s taken it upon himself to be totally active here on SPI and respond to everyone’s questions and concerns about the backlinking strategy, which just shows what kind of guy he is.

Amazing.

So, I’m happy to share his latest thoughts about ranking high in Google – especially after Google’s latest algorithm changes. Here’s what the expert has to say:

You may be wondering about the future of your Google organic search rankings for any one of the following reasons:

Maybe you have had some of your own sites ‘hit’ by the latest of Google algorithm updates
Maybe you know others who have had a serious dent made to their internet marketing income due to suffering a number of web page de-rankings in Google recently
Or maybe you are simply concerned that if you put in a lot of effort in ranking your sites, perhaps utilizing my own strategy which Pat very nicely laid out in his post The Backlinking Strategy that Works, is there any guarantee that you will STILL achieve high rankings in Google search?

All thoroughly valid points and credible concerns!

And so, what I would like to do in this post is to try to answer some of those concerns and furthermore, make some speculations as to what may occur in the future as far as ranking in Google’s organic search goes. Click to continue…

39

Come Listen to Me Speak at IBM Live 2011!

I hinted in a previous post that I was invited to speak live at an event at the end of April. This will be my first live speaking gig ever about what I do online, and I think it’s perfectly fitting because it’s for Internet Business Mastery Live!

For those of you who don’t know, it was Internet Business Mastery (the number one Internet business and marketing podcast on iTunes since 2005), that introduced me to this world of online business. Truly, without Sterling and Jay, their podcast and their Academy, I would not be where I’m at today.

Also, it was Sterling in particular, who happened to live in San Diego with me for a short while, that suggested in a mastermind group that I look past Adsense and selling ad space on GreenExamAcademy.com and publish an eBook. That eBook, as many of you know, changed my life. Product sales on GreenExamAcademy since then have totaled over $230,000.

Internet Business Mastery Live is an all day seminar taking place on Saturday, April 30th in Portland, Oregon. This seminar is all about getting more traffic and converting more sales to boost your income, so if you don’t have an existing website or business it’s probably not right for you.

This is obviously a paid event, and if you don’t live around the Portland area you’ll have to fly in as well – but in addition to IBM Live and all of the presentations, they are throwing in lifetime access to the Academy too. Plus, of course, you’ll get to hang out and network with Sterling, Jay, myself, the rest of the panel and all of the other like-minded attendees.

If you’re an SPI reader and sign up through me I’ll throw in one hour of consultation with me anytime after the event via Skype or phone, and we can talk about anything you want. I’ve been charging $400 per hour for the little bit of consulting I’ve been doing lately, so that should cover some of your expenses. Just send your receipt to me via email and we can go from there, and we can also talk about hanging out the night before the event as well!

Whether this is something you might be interested in or not, Sterling and Jay are holding a FREE webinar on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:45pm Pacific time about getting more traffic and converting more sales. I’ll be on the call for a little bit.

Click here to register for the Free Webinar!

I’m really looking forward to the live event! Like I said, it’s my first one and if possible I would love to see you there and hang out.

Wish me luck! Cheers!

54

SPI 017 : Types of Passive Income Generated Online and What to Expect From Each – Part 3

The Smart Passive Income Podcast

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In this session of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, I finish off a 3-part series about the different types of passive income streams that can be generated online and what you can expect from each. I discuss the potential costs that are involved, how one might get started, what kind of results are typical and how long it might take to see those results.

In this particular installment, I go over some of the more “advanced” types of passive income streams, ones that are typically (but not always!) created after some type of success or growth with some of the other types of passive income products and platforms that I talked about in session 15 and 16. If this is your first time coming across this podcast series, and especially if this is your first time on the blog, I recommend you check out the two sessions first:

During part 3 of this series, I talk about:

The most attractive passive income business model ever.
How you can double your income with no changes to your site.
3 things that I wish were included in all membership websites.
The harsh truth about software development, including why I still have yet to release the wordpress plugin that I’ve been talking about for way too long!
The absolute best thing you can do if you’re outsourcing anything.
A little more information about iPhone apps.
How podcasts and passive income relate.
And a twist to make consulting and coaching give you more money for your time.

Right click here to download the MP3

Items Mentioned in this Session:

I hope you enjoy this podcast and have enjoyed this particular series in whole. Like I mentioned in the first part, this series will be featured (along with some other resources) in a “getting started” or “start here” area that will soon be placed onto the blog, so look out for that in the near future.

Thanks again for all of your undying support. I’ll keep doing what I can to inform, educate and inspire, as long as you’re still here listening.

Cheers!

p.s. I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts about this series after you’ve completed listening or reading! Thanks!

Transcript:

Click Here to Download the Transcript (PDF)

66

I Challenge You To Fill In These Blanks

One of my favorite things to do here on the blog is to challenge you.

I’ve found that challenging you will often provide you with much more insight and education for your blog or online business than any type of pillar post, tutorial or video that I could create.

And the coolest part is that by participating, whether you share results publicly or keep them private, you’re teaching yourself and learning on your own. I’m just here as your guide.

I’ve challenged my readers several times before that have really made people think in a different way or step out of their comfort zone and try something new – which is amazing. That’s exactly what it takes to get results and see major changes.

You’re welcome to go back to these old challenges, read through them and participate publicly or privately if you wish:

Today, I’d like you to think about what you do online and fill in the blanks to the sentence shown in the image below. It looks simple, but I must warn you – for some of you this won’t be as easy as it sounds and it might cause you to rethink how you’re approaching whatever it is you do online.

But that’s the point.

In your head, fill in the blanks below: Click to continue…

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10 Gold Nugget Posts I’m Glad I Didn’t Miss

I hope you all had a safe St. Paddy’s Day (Yes – Paddy, not Patty. I was corrected several times on Twitter…and I’m a quarter Irish too!)

Today, I wanted to share 10 outstanding posts that I’m glad I didn’t miss. Some I found in my RSS feed, some I found from some of you on Twitter, and some I just found by clicking on your name in the comment section in some of my own posts and reading through your blog.

Here are some gold nuggets of content I recommend checking out when you have the time: Click to continue…

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My Home Office Green Screen Setup and First Video

My green screen equipment had been collecting dust in a box for two months, but this past weekend I was finally able to setup everything and record my first chroma-key video!

Green screens are primarily used in the movie industry and by meteorologists (weather people) to put a subject in front of a background that isn’t really there, but a lot of internet marketers have also used the technology to enhance their videos when teaching or promoting something. Because I have a number of products coming out in the future and I love to record videos, I thought it would be a wise investment to buy a green screen for my business.

Another way to stand out from the crowd.

I setup my green screen in my home office, as you can see below:

Green Screen Setup - Home Office The most important aspect of green screening is the lighting. I can’t emphasize this enough. The lighting in the background needs to be as even as possible or else you’re going to have a hard time replacing your background with any chroma-key software.

Typically, a setup will have a three point lighting system: 2 on the side to evenly light the backdrop and 1 in the front to light the subject.

Unfortunately, I did not have a front light setup yet (actually it’s being shipped right now), and you’ll be able to tell in the video I share with you below. Still, I thought it came out great!

For those of you interested, here’s a list of everything I purchased (amazon affiliate links):

Total price: $295.20

Definitely not a bad price, especially when you consider that studio space with a professional green screen setup could potentially cost several hundred dollars an hour to use. You could also save even more money if you decided to tack the backdrop on a wall instead of use a support system and clamps like I did. Green spray paint might work too, although I’d make sure to go with a flat sheen (as opposed to something glossy) if that’s something you plan on doing.

To shoot the video, I used my Kodak Zi8 pocket cam, and to edit and chroma-key I used iMovie on my iMac. I was really surprised at how simple the chroma-key process was – it literally took just a few seconds to put in a new background, but I think it helped that I had a nice evenly lit backdrop.

I’m sure there is chroma-key software available for PC, I just don’t know any off the top of my head. Anyone care to share?

My First Green Screen Video

Well here it is – my very first video (2 minutes) using green screen technology. Enjoy!

(Watch Green Screen Setup for Smart Passive Income on YouTube)

Now that everything is setup, I’m really excited to start shooting some more videos like this for you. Stay tuned, and thanks for all of your support!

And thanks to Perry Lawrence, Jaime Tardy and everyone who commented in my gizmos and gadgets post who helped me figure out how to make this work. Cheers!

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