Why Richard Branson Threw Out the Rule Book (and you should too)

Following on from my last Blog "Risk" seems you also have to have a measure of Luck

By Hans Balmaeker

“Many millions of people proudly claim the title ‘entrepreneur.’ On the other hand, a title that hasn't gotten nearly the amount of attention it deserves is entrepreneur’s little brother, ‘intrapreneur’”

Success in business can be the result of great visions and thoughtful strategies, but Richard Branson has revealed that the success of Virgin is, at least in part, owed to a stroke of luck. Before Virgin Mobile had taken off, and while the Galactic project was only a twinkle in Branson’s eye, Virgin Travel provided an experience that would come to guide the entire brand’s business ethos.

By hiring an ambitious young designer, Joe Ferry, for an open-ended design project, Branson unwittingly realized the potential of ‘Intrapreneurship’. The intrapreneur, or entrepreneur in residence, is given the run of a company’s resources without the constraints of protocol and routine. This freedom can result in the kind of left-of-field ideas which inspire both cultural change and amazing business opportunity.

The success of this experiment was huge and as a result, Branson has incorporated Ferry’s intrapreneurial role into the infrastructure of the ever expanding Virgin brand. He has, in fact, credited intrapreneurship as the essential element of his success:

“Virgin could never have grown into the group of more than 200 companies it is now, were it not for a steady stream of intrapreneurs who looked for and developed opportunities, often leading efforts that went against the grain.”

Since then, Branson has been calling for a complete reassessment of how his, and other, business’ are run. He suggests that if management were to actively encourage intrapreneurship across the board then employees would have the freedom necessary to truly invest in their work.

Some other well-known companies have also embraced this thinking. They adopted policies enabling employees to play and tinker for up to 20% of their time, leading to some great new and successful products.

Would you like that freedom – the ability to act as if it were your own business? That feeling of being so much engaged in your work, that time slows down and everything seems to be going exactly right? How is that compared to your current corporate life – isn't there a big gap for most of us? 

As students, with no real understanding of the corporate world, most of us had big ideas, dreams and visions. We thought about how when we entered that world we would make a difference, how our generation would be leaders of change. Three years later, we are dragging ourselves out of bed and into work, and hoping to win the lottery so that we can have an early retirement. When you start intrapreneuring, you will do meaningful work, grow your impact and boost your career. It will ignite that spark again.

The intrapreneurial road isn't the most obvious one and for sure not the easiest. In fact, while entrepreneurs have the luxury of setting the course on their own, as an intrapreneur, you are part of a running business, which requires you to stay connected to and aligned with the influencers and decision makers in your organization.

As many impactful intrapreneurs have shared, the key to their success has been that they were able to combine their entrepreneurial thinking and mindset with some corporate-savviness. Above all, it’s not something just available for Richard Branson and the likes – it’s possible for all of us, you and me. It requires the decision to start and the commitment to succeed, which all of you at this blog have, right?

For young professionals looking to do more meaningful work, have a bigger impact and boost their careers, I suggest you follow Richard Branson advice: start intrapreneuring! If you’re not sure where to start and how to do it, have a look at our upcoming course. It might just be your ticket to corporate freedom.

Check out Social Media Success FaceBookPage =  https://www.facebook.com/MichaelBev50? 

 keep in touch & like the page while there! I will always reciprocate

Find me on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-beveridge/23/309/

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/why-richard-branson-threw-out-the-rule-book-and-you-should-too/

How to Run a Successful Affiliate Marketing Business

This article was originally posted on the Amazing Submit site, its very interesting some of which I was aware, but I did pick up ideas and strategies I didn't know - read on I hope you find it interesting

What You Can Do To Run A Successful Affiliate Marketing Business

Internet or web marketing is all about the marketing and sale of goods and services via the Internet. Although the subject can seem threatening to those without any previous experience, the basic techniques required to do good online marketing aren't that hard to master. The suggestions presented here can help.

Focus on building a quality site before you worry about marketing it and obtaining a ranking. This must be your first step in starting an online business. The better your site looks and operates, the less work you will have to do going forward.

Create a list of FAQs about your product. For each question or issue, offer a thoughtful answer, and mention products that you sell as a solution when appropriate. Come up with questions that answer a customer’s thoughts without being too obvious that you are using your products to do it.

Use popular websites to advertise your wares. This practice could lead to major exposure of your site. Look for a site that gets lots of traffic, and this can help you get your name out there.

Have sections or a large hub for your products so that visitors can easily find them. It’s great to give customers a lot of options, but you should still strive to give your page an organized appearance.

You must be willing to answer questions. People visit your site seeking knowledge, and if you can’t provide it to them, they will go elsewhere. Clear, concise information delivered in a friendly but professional way will show that you take your customers and your products seriously.

A regular blog keeps people thinking about your products. A continuing blog also stands as testament to the enduring value of your products. Blogging adds more content to your website, which can give you a larger presence on the internet. This frequently translates into more traffic to your site.

Try to make your website memorable. If your website is distinctive, it is likely to draw plenty of traffic away from more indistinguishable sites. Try spotlighting one of your special services.

Create a signature to put at the bottom of each e-mail you send, whether it’s for a personal or business message. Your e-mails are like your business cards on the internet. You should make sure they are spread as far as possible. Offering the person you are emailing a chance to see what your business is can help to increase site traffic and revenue.

Now that you've come to the end of this article, you are ready to get started. You need to remember to take things slowly and steadily. There aren't very many tactics out there that will generate traffic instantly. As long as you’re using accurate information, you should have no trouble creating a sound approach.

Check out Social Media Success FaceBookPage =  https://www.facebook.com/MichaelBev50? 

 keep in touch & like the page while there! I will always reciprocate

Find me on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-beveridge/23/309/

Explanation: How Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter

Interesting Article From  How Life Works Guess we all need some Brain Training 

Take a Look at my Facebook Site for more Interesting Articles & Topical Posts

http://tiny.cc/iswlww

As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be.  We suddenly can't remember where we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old acquaintance's name, or the name of an old band we used to love.  As the brain fades, we euphemistically refer to these occurrences as "senior moments."

While seemingly innocent, this loss of mental focus can potentially have a detrimental impact on our professional, social, and personal well-being. 

It happens to most of us, but is it inevitable? 

Neuroscientists are increasingly showing that there's actually a lot that can be done.  It turns that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles do, and the right mental workouts can significantly improve our basic cognitive functions.  Thinking is essentially a process of making neural connections in the brain.  To a certain extent, our ability to excel in making the neural connections that drive intelligence is inherited.  However, because these connections are made through effort and practice, scientists believe that intelligence can expand and fluctuate according to mental effort.

Now, a new San Francisco Web-based company has taken it a step further and developed the first "brain training program" designed to actually help people improve and regain their mental sharpness.  Called Lumosity, it was designed by some of the leading experts in neuroscience and cognitive psychology from Stanford University.

Lumosity, is far more than an online place to exercise your mental skills.  That's because they have integrated these exercises into a Web-based program that allows you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills.  The program keeps track of your progress and provides detailed feedback on your performance and improvement.  Most importantly, it constantly modifies and enhances the games you play to build on the strengths you are developing--much like an effective exercise routine requires you to increase resistance and vary your muscle use.

Does it work?

Apparently it does. In randomized, controlled clinical trials, Lumosity was shown to significantly improve basic cognitive functions. One study showed students improved their scores on math tests by 34 percent after using Lumosity for six weeks, significantly greater gains than those made by other students in the same class, who were not training with the Lumosity program.

The company says its users have reported clearer and quicker thinking, improved memory for names, numbers, directions, increased alertness and awareness, elevated mood, and better concentration at work or while driving.

While many of the games at Lumosity are free, a modest subscription fee is required to use the full program over the long term.

However, Lumosity is currently offering a free trial of their program to new users so that you can see how well it works before you decide to subscribe.  The trial is completely free (no credit card required) and the company believes the results will speak for themselves.

http://www.howlifeworks.com/Article.aspx?Cat_URL=health_beauty&AG_URL=brain_training&ag_id=291&wid=2598B1FB-FEB3-4820-88A7-6A9B8291BCD3&did=2685&cid=1005&si_id=795

Running a Contest on Facebook Successfully and Legally

Interesting idea to gain more "Likes" its all about traffic folks - But play by rules or there are consequences

Run A Contest On Facebook

1. Get you acquainted with how to market your product or service on Facebook.

2. Get you saddled up and set out on the road to Facebook marketing success!

Before We Begin

Disclaimer: Sorry guys, but I have to say this, just so that we’re all clear. I’m not a lawyer. None of my employees are.

To the best of my knowledge, John Paul isn’t either.

Neither my company (Garraty Group) nor our blog (SmBizBlog.com), nor this blog are in any way providing legal advice or service.

Point is, this post is designed to help you, but it isn’t designed to take the place of the advice of an attorney or your own better judgment.

Contest vs. Sweepstakes

The distinction between the two has been covered to the point of absurdity by every other blog out there, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include it here, if only for the one person who still isn’t aware of the difference.

In a contest, the winner is chosen based on some sort of qualification, be it a skill (“the best illustration wins”) or some sort of merit (“the person we deem to be most deserving”).

In a sweepstakes, the winner is chosen completely at random, without any sort of qualification or decision structure.

It is important that you take note of this and use the right verbiage when advertising and discussing your event. For the purposes of this post, I will be using the word “contest” generically, just so we’re all on the same page.

The Rules

The first step to running a successful contest on Facebook is to make sure that your contest (and possibly your page) stay on Facebook, by following the rules. You see, Facebook has set out some very concrete guidelines where contests are concerned, and it has no compunction (and every right) to pull both your contest and your page down if they feel you’ve violated those guidelines.

(I promise I’m not going to fill this entire post with disclaimers, but you should take note that this post is by no means an exhaustive account of all of the rules and guidelines related to running a contest or sweepstakes on Facebook.)

The big kahuna

The biggest rule of all is that any contest you run on Facebook has to be run through a third party app.

The biggest app by far is one called Wildfire. It costs money (starting at around $50 per week at last I checked), but it’s probably the best out there, and is used by some of the biggest players on Facebook (Coke, Lowes, Tide, etc.)

Don’t have $200 to blow? Don’t worry. There’s a free (well, mostly free) app that’s been gaining a lot of traction amongst Small Business owners and entrepreneurs calledFreepromos.

I haven’t used it myself, but it’s received glowing reviews from a bunch of people that I respect hugely, and from what I’ve been told it’s completely free to use for pages that have less than 5,000 fans.

Frequently Asked Questions

“How do I add a third party app to my Facebook page?”

There’s no need for me to take up your valuable time by replicating the installation instructions here. Rest assured, installation is easy and painless, and whatever app you choose will walk you through the process quickly and easily.

“Do I need to use an app if I’m just talking about or advertising a contest that I’m running elsewhere?”

If you’re running a contest on your website, blog, in real life, or anywhere else apart from Facebook, you don’t need to use a 3rd party app if all you do is talk about/advertise said contest. You can’t ask people to do anything on your Facebook page, however… i.e.

“Don’t miss out on a chance to win an iPad2, visit our blog to enter and like this page for an extra chance to win.” (The bold part is the part that doesn’t fly).

“Can I ask people to like my page, upload a photo, or post on my page’s wall as a condition of entering my contest?”

Yes and no. You can force visitors to like your page before having a chance to enter the contest, but you can’t require fans to post anything or submit anything through Facebook as a prerequisite to entering the contest. (That’s where the 3rd party app comes in, because you can ask them to submit things there!)

The Prize

The prize that you offer should be something that’s valuable to your target demographic and related to your products or services. I personally advise my clients against offering one of their actual products or services as the contest prize.

The whole point of the contest, in the end, is to whip up a frenzy of activity and excitement around your brand and, thus, eventually make some sales, right? Given that… why would you give away for free whatever it is you’re wanting people to buy from you later on?

Make Entries Valuable to You

Too many Facebook pages just require you to click a button or, at most, enter your e-mail address in order to enter a contest. While an e-mail address is certainly something of value (see: e-mail marketing), there’s no reason that you should stop there. The prize that you’re offering is something of value, right? So get something of value in return! Make it worth your while!

Ask your contest entrants to fill out a survey (market research), interact on your blog (you do have a blog, right?), submit a testimonial (or if they haven’t used your products/services, a horror story about a competitor) to use in future marketing endeavors, and so on. The point is, make the entries more than entries… make them valuable to you, as long as people are going to go to the trouble anyway!

If you have any questions, or need me to clarify something. Well, please, ask away 

This is a Guest Post by Carter Schimpff, the owner of Garraty Group Marketing, an online marketing firm located in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his team are also the wizards behindSmBizBlog.com, a helpful online marketing blog. You can find them on Facebook atfacebook.com/GoGarraty.

http://www.johnpaulaguiar.com/running-a-contest-on-facebook-successfully/

10 Succesful People Who Proved That Age is Nothing But A Number

Age is not important, hard work and attitude is!  

Our society often thinks that the best age to be successful is between 24 and 40 and that, once you reach 50, your life is pretty much over. However, there are always shining examples that prove that success is possible at any age. All you need is the right attitude.

Here are some examples that will prove to you that, no matter what age you are, you can do it, too!

10 Young & Old Successful Achievers

1 - Justin Bieber

It doesn’t matter if you like him or not, what he did prove was that you can get somewhere if you believe in yourself and your talent. All you need to do is have the guts to put yourself out there, to broadcast yourself – even if it is on YouTube.

Justin Bieber was discovered at the age of 14 and is believed to have made $110 million in those five years ever since his manager Scooter Braun stumbled across his YouTube videos.

2 – Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004 at the age of 19, literally changing the way people communicate. Facebook and Zuckerberg’s name are always at the center of much controversy, yet it cannot be denied that Mark Zuckerberg had a radically new idea and did not shy away from investing time and effort in it, at a time when he couldn’t have possibly known if it would work.

By 2007, Facebook had made Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire and nowadays he is believed to own about $80 billion today.

3 – Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten started out as a nurse and then was a stay-at-home mum. When her marriage failed, she thought she would chase her own dreams for once and become an actress – even though many would have considered her too old to start an acting career. It took her several years and she was almost 60, when she finally had the success she deserved for her never-tiring persistence.

Kathryn appeared in countless TV shows, such as Family Matters, My Name is Earl, Scrubs, and of course Desperate Housewives, winning two Emmy Awards for her performance as Karen McCluskey.

4 - Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders was well over 60 when he made it big with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Before that, he simply sold chicken and other food at a service station in Corbin, Kentucky.

When the Interstate 75 was built, diverting traffic away from his restaurant, his business was close to failing. Yet Sanders believed that he could do it. Instead of despairing or muddling through somehow, he adapted. He walked the long miles, pitching his unique recipe and was even knocked back 1009 times before someone decided to give him a chance to birth what is now known today as the highly successful food chain KFC.

5 – David Karp

Similar to Mark Zuckerberg, David Karp relied on the internet as a source of income, where he launched Tumblr at the age of 21. Like Zuckerberg, he had a revolutionary idea. He had been looking into tumble logs – very short blogs – before and thought a platform to promote these systematically could be successful. It turned out, he was right. To this date, Tumblr hosts over 100 million blogs making David Karp’s net worth more than $200 Million.

6 - Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin is only 18, yet she is a renowned swimmer who won four gold medals in the last Olympic Games. Furthermore, she holds several records, such as the world record in the 200 meter backstroke.

Missy Franklin started trying out for the US Olympic Teams at the age of 13. With her persistence and hard work, she managed to qualify for the Olympics in 2012, when she was only 17.

7 – Abigail Breslin

Abigail Breslin truly started early. Her first commercial for Toys’R'Us she did when she was only three years old, and by the time she was five, she had her first major role in the movie ‘Signs’. Only four years later, at the age of nine, she had her big breakthrough with her role of Olive Hoover in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. She has a reputation of being able to pull off both humorous and serious roles, as her performances in ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ or ‘Definitely Maybe’ showed. She was the youngest actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (for ‘Little Miss Sunshine’) and won countless other awards.

Rumour has it that Abigail Breslin charges around $2 million for a feature role in a movie.

8 – Frank McCourt

Everyone knows ‘Angela’s Ashes’, the story of Frank McCourt’s dire childhood, for which he received both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Books Critics Circle Award. A movie was made from his book, which became rather successful and thus also gave the novel another boost. What most people don’t know, however, is that Frank McCourt didn’t take up writing until he was 65. Before that, he was a teacher and led a rather ordinary life. Now, he has museums named after him.

Frank McCourt shows that no matter how dire your circumstances, you can turn them into something good.

9 – Ronald Reagan

Granted, Ronald Reagan was successful as an actor, yet he only became the 40th American President at the age of 70.

Ronald Reagan made drastic changes in economy to help increase economic growth. This even resulted in the coining of the term ‘Reaganomics’.

10 – Peter Roget

Peter Roget showed us that it is never too late to make earth-shattering inventions, such as the Thesaurus, which he invented at age 73. He actually used what most people would see as character flaws or issues to his success. Suffering from OCD, the only thing that would calm him down was making random lists. In the end, he simply started on the infinite project of creating a list of synonymous words.

Peter Roget’s ‘Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases’ has never been out of print since its initial appearance.

You see, you are never too young or too old to be successful or make a difference in this world. It all depends on your attitude – if you believe in yourself, are willing to put in the work required to make your dreams a reality, then it is never too early or too late for success!

 http://addicted2success.com/news/10-succesful-people-who-proved-that-age-is-nothing-but-a-number/

The Most Talked About Social Media News

Everyone who uses Social Media Sites to provide an income should always keep an eye on recent news and what the business community are up too!

Social Media is here to stay and we should all learn and develop our skills to keep updated - Read on SEO's are catching on!

Indeed, the past year had so many surprises from the world of the internet, particularly from social media platforms. Every professional SEO Company along with its SEO strategies had to go through changes and adjustments.

Here is a quick review of the most talked about social media news for 2012.

PINTEREST, the fastest growing pinboard, has recently allowed brands to create business accounts. In fact, even the personal accounts of users can already be converted into business accounts. This time, they would have to agree to a new set of terms and conditions set by Pinterest.

This move is said to be because Pinterest now wants to help businesses provide content and then pin easily. There will already be a verification badge for brands that sign up that will make locating them a lot easier.

Aside from this change, Pinterest also made itself more available as an app on Android and Ipad. Plus, it also updated its version of the iPhone app. This has made it possible for android users to pin their favorites through their Android tabs and phones.

It was also last year when Facebook acquired the very popular INSTAGRAM. After 5 months after the deal was announced, it finally became official that the two huge companies have joined together.

The deal was made possible after reaching a negotiated amount and stocks worth $1 billion.

“We’re so excited to bring Instagram to Facebook and see what we can create together,” said Mike Schroepfer, vice president of Engineering at Facebook.

Twitter this year also received a suggestion from Evan Williams who is its former CEO and co-founder. He said that there is a need for the social media site to have a new means of measuring its members’ reach other than just follower count. Late last year, Twitter made some changes and created a new header design.

Google+ rolled out a number of features. Among these are a new navigation ribbon, cover photo, hangouts page or directory, conversation cards, explore page, and more. There is also the Google+ share button.

Instagram also launched this year its online profile for its users. Now, it looks a bit like the Timeline.

“We’re launching Web profiles to give you a simple way to share your photos with more people and to make it easier to discover new users on the Web,” said Instagram in a blog. And with Facebook acquiring Instagram, it also changed its privacy policy making it possible to share data with Facebook.

Search engine optimization services continue to change to meet the demands and needs of companies online.

http://www.premiumseosolutions.com.au/blog/social-media-news/most-talked-about-social-media-news-2012/

Ten of the best ... ways to make money from your desk

Is money too tight to mention? Jasmine Birtles suggests some ways to earn extra readies in your lunchtime

Use your time online to make money.

1. Get paid to surf the net

You surf the net all the time so why not make money every time you click on "search"? Yahoo powers searches which pay a small amount every time you run one – it is willing to do so because it wants to break down Google's domination. There is a search at Moneymagpiesearch.com. If you recommend your friends you will also make commission on their searches. The payments are small but we know people who have made around £30 in two months by searching regularly. You can choose whether you receive your money through PayPal or by bank transfer.

2. Take part in online surveys

Again, this is pocket money while you're on the internet, but it can be fun too. It is simply a case of answering questions about a particular product or company, or about your shopping habits. Be careful which surveys you use – some are fraudulent. Among the best of the genuine ones is panelbase.net, which will pay between 50p and £3 a survey, Valued Opinions, which pays between £1 and £5 a survey, and Ciao-surveys.co.uk, which pays up to £5.

3. Get paid for social networking

You can make money by keeping in touch with friends, and making more friends, on social networking site Yuwie. Set up a profile, write a blog, upload photos and videos and do what you usually do with any networking site. The difference with Yuwie is that it pays you to do all these things using advertising revenue. The amount you get paid depends on the number of times you and your friends view your pages. If you have lots of friends the views mount up and you can make some worthwhile cash.

4. Recycle your mobile

Have you got a useless old mobile in your desk drawer? Most of us have at least one hanging around the office or house, so make money from yours. Send it to Mopay and make between £2.50 and £200 depending on its make and condition. Even rubbishy old battered models can be worth a few quid if they can be sold on for spare parts.

5. Sell adverts on your blog

If you are a regular blogger and have built up a bit of a following, you could make money selling advertising around your posts. You can make cash quickly by putting Google Adsense on it. If you get enough traffic you make money every time people click on the ads. Blogs are also great for selling any products you have, promoting your services (it could be anything from sales training to web development or maternity care) and selling eBooks you have created yourself.

6. Sell your photos

If you have a nice collection of digital photos you could sell them over and over again through online agencies. Send them in to one or more agencies and any they like they will upload to the site. When people buy them you get a commission; you could end up getting paid for years to come. Picturenation say many of their photographers make hundreds of pounds a month, and some are simply good amateurs. Also try Fotolia and iStockphoto.

7. Rent out your stuff

Everyone knows about selling stuff on eBay, but how about renting it and making money over and over again? Sites like RentNotBuy.co.uk and RentRino will let you advertise anything from a baby bath to a ball gown. It is a new phenomenon, so it could be a while before anyone rents your power tools or your DVD player, but if you have a spare minute upload your details and later on you could make some regular cash.

8. Complain to gain

We don't complain enough in this country, which is one of the reasons why service can be so bad. However, those who complain constructively have worked out they can even make money through it. A well-crafted, reasonable letter including a request for financial compensation can make you money. Write to a company's CEO explaining the problem and set out the amount you feel you should receive in compensation. If it is refused write again, and even write a third time if necessary. Usually by the second or third letter they cave in and give you about half of what you were asking for.

9. Answer text questions

If you're a bit of a trivia king or queen you could make money by answering people's text questions. It is flexible work and you just have to be a bit knowledgeable and quick at searching the net (make extra by following point 1 above). On average, question answerers make about £10 an hour. The questions vary enormously: you could get anything from "Where's the nearest pizza place?" to "Who won the 1962 world cup?" and "Will I ever find love?". Visit ansanow or Textperts to see if you are quick enough to be part of their teams of knowledge hunters.

10. Get cashback

If you use your lunch hour to buy essentials, make sure you get paid to do it. Shop around first to find the best deals, then look on cashback sites to see if you could get money back by buying through them. Start with sites that give you instant cash just by signing up, such as Rpoints, which gives you £5, Cashback Shopper, which gives you £5, and ecashback, which gives you £2.50 immediately.

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/mar/12/make-money-on-the-internet