A F*REE electronic magazine... June 4, 2003
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B I G B U C K S I N A B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
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Publisher: Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
" David made over $5 million at home and wants to help
you do the same or more "
Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of the #1 best
selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series
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I n T h i s I s s u e . . .
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1. Feature: The Stay-at-Home CEO Recommends
2. A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
3. Feature: Article
"Rocks"
4. Feature: "Ask Dave" - My take on your business problems
"A new virtual assistant"
5. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
"A strange noise"
6. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
7. Who the heck am I, anyway?
8. How to get on or get off of this list
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS issue to each of your friends who have
small or home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!
(Be sure they know it's from you, or they'll think I sent
it without asking, which is a big no-no!) Thanks!
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(c) Copyright 2003, A Few Good People, Inc. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED.
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11111 The Stay-at-Home CEO Recommends:
According to my recent subscriber survey, many of
you wanted my recommendations on various books
and products.
You can read past recommendations here:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/reviews.htm
(While it is true that I may make small amounts of
money on some of these recommendations, my integrity
is NOT for sale: I would never recommend something I
didn't believe-in 100%, just to make a buck or two.)
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"The Stay at Home CEO Marketing Tips" Newsletter
... and it's FR'EE
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I am very excited to announce a new newsletter focused on
Internet marketing.
"The Stay at Home CEO Marketing Tips" will be delivered
to you by email twice a month, containing lots of tips and
tricks that will help you increase your business and exposure
on the Internet.
Read all about it here:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/bbbmt.htm
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A New eBook on Success - FR^EE to BBB subscribers!
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If you want to succeed, you will LOVE this inspiring and
thoughtful eBook. It is an excerpt from a larger, more
comprehensive, and stunning eBook called "The Millionaire
Mindset".
Don't let that fool you, though. This excerpt is 46 pages
of rock-solid success theory and strategy. There will be
some material that you already know but forgot, as well as
some eye-opening ideas that you may not have considered.
Your time reading it will be well spent, I promise!
Download it now with my compliments!
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/nl/born.htm
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22222 A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
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We recently visited an old favorite restaurant which we
hadn't enjoyed since we moved from the area. (I know, I
know... ANOTHER restaurant story; when you work at home you
need to get out once and a while and we go out to
restaurants. OKAY?)
We noticed that several of the pictures which hung on the
wall, some of which were quite memorable, were gone. When
we asked about it, we were told that the pictures had been
removed because some customers didn't like them. Now, he
told us, other customers were complaining that they were
gone!
Remember that it's your business, no one else's. If someone
complains about something, you have to decide whether that
complaint is warranted. The point is that you will never
please everyone, so make your own call when it comes down to
aesthetics.
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SIGN-UP FOR MY F^REE MIN-E-SEMINAR:
"Secrets of an Actual $5 Million Home Business"
Eight e-mails in eight days that will change the way you run your
small business!
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/secrets/mine1.htm
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33333 A r t i c l e "Rocks"
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By Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO(tm)"
Our home is next to the National Forest and we can simply
walk through a gate in our perimeter fence to enjoy it, and
enjoy it we do. Every day, twice a day, we take our dogs to
this glorious place, which is full of tall pine trees, firs,
and oaks. They run around and get exercise, chasing the
squirrels, each other, and an occasional coyote or raccoon.
Nearby is the site of an old sawmill. It has long been
removed, but the numerous old dirt logging roads that were
built for that sawmill are still there, and we usually use
them on our walks.
One day, my wife decided that the roads and trails would
look nice if they had rocks along the edges, like a border.
She started placing small rocks, each about the size of a
fist, along the sides of the paths that we walked. She then
enlisted my help and, frankly, I didn't want to do it. It
seemed like so much work! Do you have any idea how many
rocks it takes to line both sides of a mile-long trail??
Besides, sometimes it was difficult to find rocks that
looked compatible with the rocks already in place.
We discussed it and compromised: I would only place a
single rock every time I walked out there. Naturally, I
could do more if I felt like it, but my commitment was to
only place one. Plus, we designated a specific area that I
would work on, so I could see and enjoy my progress.
When I first started, I ended up placing 10 to 20 rocks at a
time; it was fun, and it was hard to stop! Searching for
just the right rocks gave me an excuse to spend more time in
the forest (I needed the break and I LOVE the forest), and
putting them in place looked so nice that I could enjoy
instant gratification.
It has been a year now and the work that we did looks
terrific. The borders give the roads and trails a lovely,
groomed appearance and it is very pleasing to the eye, not
to mention very satisfying for us personally.
Why am I telling this story? If you have a big project that
seems impossible to complete, make a commitment to do a
specific measurable amount every day. If a daily schedule
doesn't work for you, then plan on every other day or every
Monday, for example.
That small commitment, which seems relatively easy to
complete, will get you started, which is usually the hardest
part of any project. Once you get started, you may be
surprised that you feel like doing more than the original
commitment, but if you can't, that's okay.
Want to write a book? Write one page every day.
Do you want to read a book? Read one chapter every day.
Do you want to clean up your desk? Work on it 15 minutes
every day, and set a timer to reassure yourself that you can
stop when it goes off.
You will be amazed at how the little things add up to a
completed project. We have over 200 trees on our property,
many of which need some trimming.
Let's see, if I do just one a week...
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44444 "A s k D a v e"
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(Can I help you with a business problem? I will field
business questions in every issue. Send them to
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com )
Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.
Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will help you make "Big Bucks"!
(Maybe not!)
Today's question:
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Dear Dave:
I started my virtual assistant practice in January and I
would like to work with a handful of terrific clients.
*Getting* clients is the most difficult part of this
business.
I need to develop a "cold" letter that I can send to
prospective clients (most of whom may have never heard of
virtual assistance). I want a "template" that I can
personalize for each individual to whom I am sending it, but
I don't know where to start. (I know that's why I've put
this off as long as I have.)
Since virtual assistance is a fairly new profession, I know
I would need to explain a little about it and how it could
benefit the client, but I don't know what else to say. The
letter needs to get the recipient's attention so they will
read it in its entirety. Do you have any wise advice to
share with me?
I just read your May 7 ezine and was very interested in your
comments about the newsletter produced by the "wonderful
restaurant in Redlands."
Since I have to learn to market myself "shamelessly," I'm
going out on a limb here and asking if you would be willing
to tell me the name of that restaurant. (I'm assuming I
could get the address and owner's name from a website, if
she has one.) It sounds as if the owner could use a virtual
assistant, and that would be *me*! I'm a compulsive
proofreader and editor and I, too, would have been extremely
uncomfortable reading such a poorly written document.
I understand if you'd rather not share the info, but I know
I could do great things for that restaurateur! Consider
yourself helping this lovely woman by sharing a tidbit of
info that she may not even know about! You love her
restaurant...I know you want her to be successful, correct?
Thanks for your time and I hope you don't mind my being so
forward. I really have to force myself out of my comfort
zone when marketing my business.
K.M., Virginia
Dear K.M.
Thanks for your question and inquiry about the restaurant.
Your inquiry was good, but DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR MAKING IT!
That was the only thing wrong with it... you are offering
a valuable service and you shouldn't be sorry about it. I
know the feeling about trying to sell something to
someone, even if I know that it will help them. (I still
have that problem.) But here is a little saying that may
help you with it... "Don't sell. Serve." If you serve
your clients, they will buy. If you try to sell them your
odds just got worse.
Actually, I am a bit uncomfortable giving you the name...
no, they don't have a website (they aren't really in
Redlands... I made that up to protect their identity...
they DO exist, however, just not in Redlands!)
I offered to edit the newsletter for them. Price: dinner
for two. Low cost to them, high value to me. They
recently told me that they will take me up on it if and
when they decide to do another issue.
However, that said, you might want to think about niching
your virtual assistance business. If you specialize in a
certain field, restaurants, for example, I think you would
improve your chances of success. A specific type of
business would be easier to target and you would be able
to offer better service because you'd be more familiar
with that specific type of business and their particular
needs. Search your background and experience to pick a
niche; the restaurant idea was borne of the previous
conversation!
As far as getting a "template" for your marketing, I know
that there is an organization for virtual assistants...
find them and check out their website (I don't know what
it is... do a search). I wouldn't be surprised if they
could help you with that sort of thing, and lots more for
that matter.
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55555 "M e a n w h i l e, b a c k at the r a n c h..."
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A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"
(Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )
My wife and I were awakened the other morning by a strange
sound. It was like the sound of vibrating metal and then it
stopped.
I got up to investigate and it happened again. I thought it
might be coming from the fireplace, but it was pretty hard
to track down because it only lasted a few seconds. We live
in earthquake country, so I thought there may have been an
"event" of some kind.
Finally, after waiting for a few minutes, it happened a
third time and it was definitely coming from the fireplace.
Not only that, but it seemed to be a rapid-fire tapping
sound.
I went out on the deck and looked at the chimney, and there
was a Flicker pecking like a woodpecker on the metal
spark-arrestor!
Fortunately, the Flicker got tired of this activity AFTER A
FEW DAYS and went away. It's a good thing, because I don't
know what I would have done about it; our roof is very steep
and I couldn't have climbed up there.
Animals. Why is it always animals??
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66666 A b o u t "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe"
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Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
-You requested it on my website or after seeing me at a
speaking engagement
-I know you personally and thought you'd like it
-I asked you if I could send it and you said "Yes"
-Someone forwarded it to you because they thought you'd
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If you don't want to receive future issues, scroll to the
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No harm, no foul, no hurt feelings!
My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
-help you with your small or home-based business
-share articles of interest
-be informal and informative
-answer specific questions asked by readers
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77777 W h o t h e H e c k a m I, A n y w a y ?
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I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own
home-based software business and I have a lot to share with
you about how I did it and what I learned along the way.
Now, as a professional speaker, I offer programs that will
help you and your employees "Make More Money and Have More
Fun" with your small or home-based business!
Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions
of the programs and educational resources that I offer.
The "Big Bucks Boutique" offers resources and materials that
will help you "Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your
business. Take a look at
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm
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88888 H o w to S u b s c r i b e / U n s u b s c r i b e
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Please note:
- This newsletter is sent every other week.
- Comments and suggestions are always welcome!
- Your information is NEVER intentionally shared with
ANYone for ANY reason. PERIOD.
- Contact me at mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com
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A Few Good People, Inc.
P.O. Box 824
Twin Peaks, CA 92391
1-800-366-2347
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