milsoms.com blog

This is going to be fairly flexible and will no doubt change as I go along, but this is the outline of what I am going to do…

1. Create a wesite and blog framework that I can start to put content into.  It must be template based and easy to add additrional content sections within the main style and navigation structure;
2. Establish a submission and marketing process to get the site and all new pages indexed in search engines and directories as quickly as possible
3. Write my profit improvement handbook pulling together all of the proven techniques and tools I have into a structured process for tuning up a web business to make higher profits;
4. Do some hands-on consultancy work with suitable businesses to prove the approaches and help with documenting the process in a real situation;
5. Add sections of the handbook as content on the website as it is developed and create subfolders or subdomains with supporting content on each target area plus links to the software, tools and information I am using;
6. Create a series of short articles based on the main stages from the guide and submit to article directories to generate interest and incoming links;
7. Follow my own advice and process to monetize the content on the milsoms.com site using Google AdSense, affiliate links and other tools;
8. Develop a range of “mini sites” within the milsoms.com site to promote the information and tools  needed to undertake the profit improvement process (when the handbook is sold, the ones I have ownership rights to will become part of the package);
9. Set up standalone web sites for areas where I have sufficiently stong content.  These will be income-generating in their own right and also act as traffic generators and feeders to milsoms.com and its products;
10. When the handbook and tool set is complete, start to market the package;
11. Set up a membership site where people who have ordered the handbook can get ongoing help and advice plus access to new tools and techniques as I test and approve them.  This will include:

    * A library of tools, information and software for members
    * FAQ answering the main questions I receive
    * Member forum where members can help each other and I can post answerse to questions
    * Regular emails to members with latest information and updates

12. Consider joint ventures with established internet marketers to promote the profit improvement package.

That’s all!

I plan to have all of this completed and operational within 6 months, with the key milestones being:

• Have an operational framework for the milsoms.com website and blog working and with basic useful content and submit to search engines and directories - end September 2006;
• Outline of profit improvement handbook and main content done by end October 2006 - start submitting articles to directories and syndication sites;
• Develop content sites related to all main areas of activity in the guide (either as sub-folders, sub-domains or stand-alone sites;
• Finalise first version of the profit improvement guide and associated resources by end November 2006, give away to some trusted business contacts to get feedback and additional content;
• Update guide as a sellable product, decide on pricing and set up web site to sell it and take payment - complete by end December 2006;
• Start marketing in earnest Jan 2007;
• Set up membership web site, FAQ, forum, product library etc. by end of January 2006;
• Test and improve site, content and all systems during February 2007 so it is all fully working by the end of the 6 month target - 28 February 2007;
• Then move on to more marketing and considering joint ventures.

One thing I have learned the hard way (and watched many others learn as well) is that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

I have spent years writing and reviewing business plans and have been in a continuous cycle of writing and updating business plans for my own companies for many years. This project is a bit different as it is only me involved and there is very little setup cost so I do not need any help or finance from anyone else to make it happen. That being the case, I do not need a formal business plan or financial forecasts to raise finance and involve others.

Why am I doing this and what am I trying to achieve?

This is my thinking behind what I am doing…

• Over the years I have gathered a huge amount of experience and expertise in all aspects of business (if I say so myself!) and, more recently, have learned a massive amount about how to set up and run a web-based business. When I have spoken at conferences and business events, what I have to say seems to be of great interest to the other people there and the like what I have done and how I go about it.
• I am still running Anything Left-Handed on a fairly full time basis and have interests in other businesses as well as some consultancy work for clients who have known me a long time, but I want to start doing something different and get back to my consultancy roots and helping other businesses and entrepreneurs.
• When I look at other peoples’ web businesses I usually think to myself “if you let me loose on that for a couple of months I could make a dramatic improvement in profits”. I can see basic mistakes they have made in what they have done and, more to the point, a huge number of things that they HAVEN’T done that would generate additional income and profit.
• While learning about internet marketing and building the Anything Left-handed business online, I have read probably thousands of books, reports and training courses, listened to hundreds of audio recordings and watched loads of videos. I have also tried hundreds of different bits of software, scripts, online tools and services and a very wide range of marketing approaches and methods.
• Some of these things were great and worked, others were rubbish and a waste of time - but at least I now know which are which! My hard disk is chock full of software, tools, reports, information sources and other valuable resources that have taken me years to extract from the mass of information available on the web. I have also got a lot of articles and reports I have written myself about a wide range of subjects related to doing business on the web.

When you put all that together, I reckon I would be a pretty useful resource for almost any web business, but particularly small to medium sized businesses that are not getting the success they really deserve online.

I plan to do some consultancy work over the coming months for a few suitable businesses to prove that I really can help them double their web profits within 6 months and then carry on upwards. I will do the work completely free of charge on the basis that they will let me document the work and use them as a reference and testimonial if it works. More on this later.

I will only be able to help a small number of businesses owners personally so what I really want to do is put my business development process into a practical handbook that any business owner could use themselves and to provide all the tools and information they need to review their own business and do the things that are really important to make a dramatic increase in their profit. I will also provide ongoing information and tools as I find new approaches and methods that have been successful in my own businesses.
That is what this is really about and the milsoms.com website will be the vehicle for delivering it.
Next post will be my plan for developing the website and profit improvement handbook