So, are you ready to pull out your textbooks?

Of course you aren’t. Most of you reading this are not too excited about picking up an economics textbook and reading it like a Danielle Steele novel. So, it would help if there were some economics study resources that were either simple, fun, or both, right?

I like those kinds of educational resources, too.

The Dishwasher Diaries seeks to be apractical resource for home business owners who have busy lives but still need to find a way to get all of the important things done. One of the ways that this bog will serve it’s purpose is to share economics study resources that fit your lifestyle and your budget. It’s extremely important that you educate yourself on macro and microeconomics, but there’s no reason why you can’t do it at your own pace with resources that you can relate to.

With that being said, my first offering is a hilarious YouTube video by Yoram Bauman, a young man with a phD in Economics who is the world’s first and only “Stand Up Economist” – that’s right folks, he’s a comedian. A phD in Economics and he decides to be a comedian! His unique choice of occupation turns out to be a blessing for folks like you and I, because part of this man’s very clever mission is to help bring the complexities of economics back down to earth where the people who need it most can understand it. This video is called “Principles of Economics, translated.” It’s very witty, and it makes me laugh every time I watch it. You can also visit his website, http://www.standupeconomist.com.

To your continued success,

I.C. Jackson

If you’re not informed and prepared.

Google, as always, is very hush-hush about the particulars of the upgrade, so it will take some keen observation, trial, error, and world-class geekery to figure out what the difference is with Google Caffeine. However, the good folks over at CIO have explained what Google calls an “under the hood” development about as well as I have seen so far – read the full article here. Personally, I think the change will simply bump older, less relevant or outdated web pages that monopolize SERP ranking simply because they are older than all the others. I am protecting myself by making sure I update all of my web pages regularly and making sure the content continues to be fresh and as relevant as possible.

I will be sharing more with you on Google Caffeine as information becomes available. In the meantime, make sure your web presence is up to par by employing proper SEO tactics and writing useful, descriptive content. Useful, relevant content is what it’s all about, no matter how jolted a search engine is on caffeine.

To your continued success,

I.C. Jackson

I know exactly how you feel.

In an attempt to help I want to post an excerpt  from my favorite book on success, Polishing the Diamond in the Rough, by Mason Weaver (available at http://www.masonweaver.com). Chapter Two, which is about “Desire”, speaks to any business owner who may have lost their passion and thereby lost their way. Weaver’s perspective is fresh and enlightening, and it will light a fire under you, I’m sure of it!

Read this short excerpt on entrepreneurial desire and see if it doesn’t apply to you or someone you know:

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Are You Tired Yet?

Understand that there is a difference between being tired of one’s own circumstances and being jealous of someone else’s success. Jealousy likes to masquerade as desire, but it is an imposter. Jealousy of someone who is successful may cause you to ask yourself, “If he can do it, why can’t I?” However, it won’t get you too far past the starting line. Many people get into business for themselves because they don’t believe that “the rich” should have all the resources, and that they deserve to have control over their own lives, too.The problem with that kind of thinking is that your success is not a competition with anyone else, just like your failure to succeed is not anyone else’s fault. You going into business for yourself should have little to do with the accomplishments of others and more to do with your own desires for yourself and your family. “The rich” are who they are because they once had a desire to change their circumstances. They didn’t get to where they are by trying to “stick it to ‘the man’.” You won’t make it that way, either.

There is, however, a healthy role that ‘the powers that be’ play in your desire to be free. They should inspire you to be more like them and less like those who depend on them. It is the dependency, not the people themselves that should make you sick and tired. You should be tired of having to depend on others for your livelihood, not tired of them succeeding and you being left behind. Can you see the difference in the two mentalities? There is no crime in being hugely successful; after all, isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want your business to grow to such a point where you have more employees than you can manage yourself? More locations? More product lines? Don’t you want to be at the top of a growing organization? While everyone’s desires may not be to be rich and famous, anyone who wants to go into business should have a healthy desire for a business that can constantly and consistently grow. That is the only way that you will have something to leave to your children or those for whom you want to build a future. Costs and taxes always go up, so if your business doesn’t grow, the needs of those you leave it to will soon outgrow it. Therefore, your desire should be for a business that will continue to grow, and if you don’t have that kind of desire, you probably won’t have any kind of business for very long.

How Badly Do You Want It?

Have you ever seen a lazy baby? Some babies don’t walk until after their first birthdays. While such delayed development is no cause for alarm for a parent, it is a sign that the baby’s desire to walk was not as strong as it could have been. Most babies walk before they are a year old, and the baby who doesn’t usually enjoys the attention he gets from having to be carried more than he desires to be free. In your first stage toward success, this can be a harmful characteristic if it is one that you possess. You have to want to be free badly enough to let go of all of the ‘perks’ of dependency.

Do you still want someone to carry you? Do you still think that the world owes you something? Are you still looking for the easy way out or to get rich quick? If so, you are like the baby who still wants someone to carry them. If you really want freedom badly enough, you will do whatever you have to do to stand on your own two feet and walk. Sometimes it means that you may have to walk alone. It always means that there will be significant sacrifices. However, for the person who really wants to succeed, the necessary sacrifices are well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. The freedom that you seek has to be worth the journey.

Do you have what it takes?

There is a surefire way to find out. If you have the work ethic of a successful businessperson, you can achieve your dreams. But it all starts with the sacrifices.

Try this for 30 days:

Turn off the television; unplug it, take off the cord and mail it to yourself. Get it out of your life.

Create a routine for the extra time and follow it religiously:
READ
MAKE BUSINESS CALLS
STUDY YOUR PRODUCT
BUILD YOUR TEAM
MAKE A COMMITMENT TO YOUR TEAM
AND MAKE IT MEASURABLE FOR EVERYONE
READ ONE BOOK A MONTH
LISTEN TO ONE TAPE PER WEEK
MEET TWO NEW PEOPLE A DAY

If you do this, you will graduate to a new level of productivity. You will at least know that if the solution works, then the problem is you. If you can do it for 30 days, you can do it for 30 months. Most successful income producing plans only require around 30-36 months to create. You have to decide if it will be 30 months in a row or one month on with six months off and so on.Don’t get discouraged if you can’t keep the commitment for the whole 30 days the first time that you try. You may not be able to do it for 30 days, just like someone who goes to the gym for the first time in 30 years. It can be a bit overwhelming. However, do not decide that you can’t do it until you try it for 3 days.

If you can do it for 3 days, you can do it for 30 days.

If you can do it for 30 days, you can do it for 30 months.

This kind of work ethic may take some trial and error to develop, but the desire for success that burns within you will give you the energy you need to make it happen. You can do this if you really want to.

Remember, it is your desire that starts the fire…

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Do you have the desire?

I.C. Jackson

SPAM – and more often than not, they don’t truly understand that what they are producing truly is spam and that it’s unethical and oftentimes illegal.

These 10 commandments for effective internet marketing will empower you to build your business online and make some real money:

1) Thou shalt not be self-absorbed. Since marketing is about connecting with the consumer, it would make sense to think about THEM instead of YOU when you create your marketing materials and devise your marketing strategies. If you are focused on yourself and your needs, your marketing materials will actually project your desperation by conveying messages that are transparent attempts at getting what you want instead of giving the consumer what they want. Focus completely and totally on what the consumer or prospect is looking for, and communicate with them in mind.

2) Thou shalt be honest. There is nothing worse than a lying peddler, and since most internet veterans think that most internet marketers are just that, you have to make sure that you take painstaking efforts to let your market know that you have their best interest at heart. People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, and when you are completely honest, even when it means losing a sale, you build bridges that will take you where you need to go in your business dealings for years to come. Fast talkers don’t do well in online marketing; that’s why they are spamming you now!

3) Thou shalt join communities. If you don’t have a large budget, most of your online marketing efforts will end up being concentrated in online communities. It is not, however, enough for you to find a forum or message board geared toward people in your target market and begin spamming away! Most people don’t go to online communities looking to be sold; they go for fellowship and to find information. Join a couple communities and be an active participant without selling. Only offer you services when asked or when a natural opportunity presents itself. As a newcomer, it is offensive when you just jump in and begin to blast everyone with marketing messages that they didn’t ask you for. Make some friends, make some waves, make your presence known because of who you are, not because of what you’re promoting. That way, once people begin to trust you, they will be willing to consider you when they learn that you have a solution to their problem.

4) Thou shalt listen more than thou speakest. You have two ears and only one mouth for a reason. How could you possibly know whether or not your product, service, or opportunity can solve a person’s problem if you don’t allow them to tell you what their problems are? Online networking expert (and all around great guy) Larry Brauner gives awesome advice on how to guide a conversation in such a way that you learn what problems prospects need you to solve without them ever knowing it. if you can become a good listener, you can become a wealthy person.

5) Thou shalt build relationships. In order to offer someone something, you have to get their attention. Instead of yelling and screaming your advertising message in your own corner of the web, hoping that people will pay attention and then feel compelled to act, simply go to them and be friendly. Start meaningful conversations based on common likes or dislikes. it takes a little investigation on your part, but that’s what message boards and profiles are about – connecting with people who share commonalities. Find some common ground upon which to build, and then listen, talk, and offer what you have when you both understand that there is a need and/or desire for what you have.

6) Thou shalt actually care. As you begin to build relationships with people, you should naturally begin become concerned for the well being of those with whom you connect. The time spent and the things shared should not be routine steps in shallow attempts at using people. If what you are offering really is as great as you say it is, you should have a desire to improve people’s lives with it. When you find people who you can relate to that are interested enough in you to take time to talk to you, it should inspire you to do what you can to make their lives better. Maybe you can’t do anything but check in on them from time to time, or maybe you can give them a business opportunity that will change their lives Whatever it is that you are able to do for them, you should care enough about people to actually wat to do it. Otherwise, your marketing is a lie because it’s not really about serving the market but solely serving yourself.

7) Thou shalt not be an “instant expert”. While the gurus will tell you to market yourself as an expert in your field so that you can become to go-to person for your product, service, or opportunity, you should actually BE an expert before you market yourself as one. Just because you know everything there is to know about your product and you read a few internet articles, that does not make you an expert. It is perfectly acceptable for you to simply be an enthusiast in your field – it’s usually all that you are in the beginning anyway. Enthusiasts tend to report the findings of experts and share personal experiences, connecting to people in an emotional but yet responsible way. People respect genuine enthusiasts 100 times more than fake experts. Don’t present yourself as a hack; don’t insult our intelligence like that.

8 ) Thou shalt build a list. You have to put yourself in a position to repeat your marketing message to those who express interest in what you do. They may not be ready to buy the first time that they come in contact with you, but by the fourth or fifth time, they may be looking for a solution. You also build referral business by reminding interested prospects and contacts that you offer the solutions that your business provides. In order to effectively market your business products and opportunities, you have to repeat the prospective consumer’s exposure, and you can only do that if you keep contact on a regular basis. There are various ways to build a contact list, so do your homework and begin using the methods available to you ASAP.

9) Thou shalt be creative. If everyone is doing something, be wary of it. If every Joe Schmo is using the same type of headline or approach, steer clear of it. Be willing to go against the grain. Be unique. Use your community profile space to do something original, albeit professional. Really reach out to people and talk to them, not at them. Then let your personality shine through.

10) Thou shalt have a mentor. This one is a biggie. There are too many internet marketers out here trying to reinvent the wheel. Then, when they get tired of trying it their way, they buy any and every cheap product on the market that promises to produce instant results. Then, if they have the money, they buy more expensive ones when the cheap ones don’t work. All of this unnecessary wasting of time and money can be avoided when you simply have a real, live business mentor who can take you where you want to go. Sit under the tutelage of someone who knows what they are doing and will actually show you how to do it. If you need help finding a mentor, contact me at icjackson1913 [aaaaaat] gmail.com – I am here to assist you!

Don’t ever get caught doing what doesn’t work again. Register for this blog and continue to learn how to build a solid home business online!

To your continued success,

I.C. Jackson

That makes sense.

However, you and I are not CEOs of major corporations. Most of us are running our operations from a kitchen table or a home office with one or two proprietors wearing twenty different hats. Should we, those with big dreams but only small budgets, do more advertising during a recession, too?

I think the answer is ‘yes’.

Although we do so on a smaller scale, we, too, are building brands and are vying for position in the minds of our potential clients and customers. We want people to recognize us and then look to us for help when they need or want what we have to offer. Since the onset of the current recession, more and more ‘gurus’ have gone silent. They just aren’t experienced enough or well-off enough to tell us what to do when the chips are down because their chips are down, too. So, in hard economic times, with so many people distressed and confused, only a few are qualified and even able to lead. They are the ones (or so we think) who can afford to spend more on advertising when other businesses are cutting costs and laying off workers. These seemingly thriving companies are the ones everyone else looks to in times like these because they appear to be the last ones standing.

Are you still standing?

If you are, and you know that you have the skills and resources to accommodate more clients or customers, go out and invite them to trust you – advertise. It may be a sacrifice for you, but in the long run you will end up looking like a leader and a prosperous one at that. I’m not one to tell people to ‘fake it until you make it’, but if you make your target market turn their attention toward you without much competition, you won’t have to fake prosperity for very long.

To your continued success,

I.C. Jackson

Something had to be done -

And Dishwasher Diaries was born. I promised myself that every time I run my dishwasher, I would sit down and put something on this blog. Even if I’m just sharing an article from another reputable source, I have to post something; that’s the rule. My theory is if I hold myself to this small commitment, in a year or so I will have a thriving online community full of other home business owners who can receive support from one of their own.

So, thanks for coming with me on this journey, and if it continues to be a success, I will explain how and why that it works as well as how to implement it in your own life.

See you soon,

I.C. Jackson