Contest: Win a Free Copy of Headway 1.5!

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on November 26, 2009 | no comments

Listen up, folks! There’s a contest going on that you’re NOT going to want to miss! I discovered it while browsing around on Corey Freeman’s Headway Hacks website. Three lucky people are going to win a FREE copy of Headway 1.5! Not only that, but your site will be customized for you by a professional designer!! This is like the contest of the century. Not familiar with Headway? Check out the Headway 1.5 preview video below and be dazzled!

How to Enter the Contest

For full rules of entry and an entry form, go to the Contest page at Headway Hacks. The contest is being judged by the Headway developers themselves! Basically, for entry into the contest, you have to submit the answer to this question: What kind of Website would YOU build with Headway? The top 3 ideas will get their Websites created (using Headway) for FREE! This is so totally awesome! The contest ends December 10, 2009. And for crying out loud…check out Headway Hacks and hire Corey for Headway design and coaching! Let us know if you’re one of the winners so we can check out your Website. Good Luck!

Blog Makeover for $100 until November 13

Posted by Tammy in Blogging, Tammy, Web Candy on November 10, 2009 | 2 comments

In my web wanderings this week, I ran across this limited time offer on blog customization. If your blog needs a new theme, customization, or an overall facelift, this could be an affordable way to get what you need. If we had the extra cash right now, I’d be tempted to jump on this offer simply because our blog is making my eyeballs jiggle right now. More about that in a minute…

What’s the Deal?

Inspired Design Studio is offering a special this week on installation and customization. The special offer includes the installation of your choice of any theme offered at Studio Press Themes. There are some nice-looking Magazine style themes there. My guess is that the $100 offer from Inspired Design Studio does not include the theme itself. In other words, you buy the theme and then pay $100 for the install and customization.

Edit: Thanks to Bridgett for the details. The $100 does include the blog theme. Which makes this an even sweeter deal!

Head over to the blog at Inspired Design Studio for all the details. There you can see what’s included in the offer, and check out some sample work from Inspired Design.

I think our blog needs either an attitude adjustment or an exorcism, as it seems to be possessed lately. Among other things, it has decided to randomly apply formatting here and there just to give us that periodic reminder that we are not Wordpress wizards. Yeah, we get that. So, if you visit the Quitters blog and the entire home page is in bold print or something odd like that, just throw some holy water on your screen and bear with us while we try to sort it out.

By TwitterButtons.com

Best Tools for Finding People to Follow on Twitter

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on September 20, 2009 | 6 comments

For this week’s Web Candy, I decided to research Twitter tools for finding people to follow. I could think of no better way to start than to contact web pioneer, and digital marketer and podcaster for the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, Aliza Sherman, for her suggestions. She offered the following:

MrTweet | “The one I use for finding people to follow is MrTweet although I don’t actively use it. When I do, I find nice matches. I find that I do get a lot of followers through it, too.” [There is a Firefox Plugin for MrTweet but when I installed it, it seemed to not be working correctly so I uninstalled it. However, Mr. Tweet is still in beta. The plugin looks cool, so I’ll try it again at a later time. -SQ]

Friend or Follow | “I’ve started using Friend or Follow actually to see who I follow who isn’t following me back to actually strategically unfollow people who I don’t really need to be following. There are some people who I will continue to follow who don’t follow me back such as celebrity types where I have no expectation of reciprocity or social media luminaries whose tweetstream is of interest to me.

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Resources for Your Small Business Start-Up

Posted by Tammy in Planning, Tammy, Web Candy on September 13, 2009 | 2 comments

So far, September has been a pretty exiting month for us at Internet Business Mastery Academy. We’re getting to the “meat” of starting our businesses. There’s a lot to learn about choosing your business entity, legal mumbo-jumbo, accounting and taxes, naming your business…the list goes on and on. It’s all really exciting, but it can also be overwhelming at times if you don’t have a good starting point. One of the cool things about the  IBM Academy is that it gives us a step-by-step guide to keep us on track and moving in the right direction. It’s also a good place to find the resources we need at each step in the process. For your Web Candy this weekend, we want to pass along some of the resources we’ve been finding and using lately. Hopefully, you’ll find something here that will help you take your next step toward getting your business off the ground!

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Help for the Artistically Challenged

Posted by Tammy in Tammy, Web Candy on September 5, 2009 | 2 comments

If you’re working on starting a business – especially an internet business, there will come a time when you need some artistic creativity. Maybe you need to design an eye-catching website, create a logo, or even come up with a new business card design. The artwork you use says a lot about you. It’s part of your branding. It’s the image that will stick with your customers and become your identity in their minds. So, what do you do if you’re not the artistic type? Simple. Use someone else who is. Today’s web candy is all about helping you get some cool artwork without breaking the bank.

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Web Candy: How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond

Posted by Scott in Blogging, Planning, Scott, Web Candy on August 30, 2009 | 4 comments

I ran across the Free Money Finance blog a while back. It’s a great blog with super content about money and finance. But what really caught my attention was a specific series of posts that, at first, didn’t seem related to money or fiscal awareness. The title of the series is “How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond”. If that title isn’t an attention-getter, I don’t know what is. The suggestions found in this post are essential to creating a blog and driving traffic to it. The series spans 22 blog posts that range from selecting a SEO-friendly domain name, to networking for greater exposure and many topics in between. There are a multitude of useful links across all the posts and each topic builds what is, to me, a one-stop resource for anyone who wants to build a traffic-friendly blog. Read the rest of this entry »

Seth Godin on Standing Out

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on August 23, 2009 | no comments

This Web Candy comes to you complements of TED. For anyone trying to start a new business, whether as a work-from-home Internet business or a brick-and-mortar small business, you’re going to have to find a way to deliver the goods in a unique way that people notice. As Seth Godin points out, it doesn’t matter what you are selling, it doesn’t have to be completely new it only has to get the customer’s attention.

What does it take to create a product or service that will capture the attention of the people who are already interested in the niche that your product fills? Godin, in this 2003 TED talk, presents examples of people have done exactly that. It wasn’t that their products were so unique or innovative, it’s that they were presented in a remarkable way so that the people who cared about them took notice. This is excellent training ground for all entrepreneurs or anyone who is trying to get a business of any size going. Watch it and take notes (there may be a quiz later).

WASTED! Playing Online Games Instead of Working

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on August 2, 2009 | 6 comments

Warning: Do Not Read This Post!

If you are struggling to make progress on your goals; if you’re trying to start an online business or quit your job to be self-employed, you might be better off skipping today’s Web Candy. If you ever hope to be a successful entrepreneur or a work-from-home guru, I urge you to go get something done instead of reading this post!

Still with me? Okay, you’ve been warned.

I would like to report that no brain cells were harmed during the research for this web candy. However, that would be a lie. I’m not going to sugar coat this and tell you I never get sucked in by a clever game or any online time-wasting sites. That would be a lie. But I do want to warn you of a virus you can get while playing online games. This virus doesn’t affect your computer, if affects your mind. Read the rest of this entry »

Having Trouble Finding Your Niche?

Posted by Tammy in Planning, Tammy, Web Candy on July 25, 2009 | 10 comments

Maybe you’ve all grown accustomed to visiting the blog, grabbing your weekend Web Candy, and going on your merry way. Not so today. Why not? Because this weekend I’m in the mood for a huge pity-party, and you’re all invited! Not to worry, your Web Candy is here too. If you just want to grab the goods and go, then feel free to scroll to the end for some good resources to help you find your niche. Otherwise, please forgive me while I first indulge a few frustrations about finding my own.

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100 Best Small Business Podcasts 2009

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on July 11, 2009 | 2 comments

Whether you’re just starting out on your journey to work-from-home bliss, or you’re already a self-employed, small-business entrepreneur; whether you’re planning a brick-and-mortar empire with hundreds of employees or you want to rule the Web with an online business making tons of passive income, all businesses start off as ideas and often spring from small-business ventures. If you’re like us, chances are you have questions that need to be answered. Everybody could use a mentor or source for advice or tips that tap into the pulse of today’s small-business world. Well, this week’s Web Candy is sure to be a tasty treat if you want to take your business to the next level. Read the rest of this entry »

Web Candy: Internet Business Mastery

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on June 28, 2009 | 3 comments

A few years ago, I read a book called The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and it rocked my world. The book was so great that I went out and bought the audio book so I could listen to at work, in my car, while mowing the grass, etc. After consuming the book several times, I began looking for more inspiration similar to The 4-Hour Work Week. Since I’m a big fan of podcasts, I began looking for audio programs that would inform and inspire me like the Ferriss book did. That’s when I discovered Internet Business Mastery, the podcast and companion website.

Listening to the early episodes of the Internet Business Mastery podcast, I was initially excited about finding such a gem that was also very popular. It was clear that these guys, Jeremy Frandsen (a.k.a. Sterling) and Jason Van Orden (a.k.a. Jay), were also inspired by Tim Ferriss and his classic book. But after a few months of listening, my interest began to wane. A lot of their material seemed like it was a retelling of the Ferriss material and at the time,  I believed that Ferriss offered a better delivery. However, those were the early days for this duo. They were very likable guys and it was obvious that they were dedicated to providing the best content that they were capable of delivering. But eventually, my iPod play list moved into a different direction and I put the Internet Business Mastery guys on the back burner.

Fast forward to the present…

Though I wasn’t listening to their podcast regularly, I was still on their mailing list. I couldn’t bare to delete their emails, even if I wasn’t reading them, simply because it seemed like they were on to something good. So one day, not long ago, I skimmed an email and got sucked right back in. I was so intrigued by the content of the email, I decided to throw some recent episodes of their podcast onto my iPod…and I LOVED IT!! Read the rest of this entry »

A Free Viral Marketing Tool With A Mind-Blowing Twist (or Two)

Posted by Tammy in Affiliate Marketing, Tammy, Web Candy on June 21, 2009 | no comments

We’ve got some really good Web Candy for you this weekend! As you know We’ve been diving head-first into the whole Affiliate Marketing and Pay-Per-Click  Advertising thingy recently. I’ve checked out more than a few E-books, “systems” and “programs” that have promised to rock my world, make me a millionaire, and do it all so quick it would leave my head spinning. Y’all don’t know me very well yet, but I’m not a very gullible person, and I’m not an “easy sell” when it comes to such hyped-up claims. I admit, my attention has been grabbed by a couple of product launch email campaigns and I’ve excitedly waited for the next “big thing” to launch, only to find out that it’s $900 or more. No thanks. But as I’ve been learning, I have invested in a few less costly (ok, just plain cheap) E-books and “systems” in an effort to “get up to speed” on how to be successful in affiliate marketing.

Of all the stuff I’ve read and studied, though, this one little E-book I came across keeps popping into my mind. Which is kind of weird, because it was free. Funny how you can get your hands on a free thing and let it collect dust for a week or two, while you throw your hard-earned money at other products and devour them instantly. I read this free E-book again this week and it finally “sunk in.” Then I abruptly proceeded to kick my own ass for skimming over it so quickly before. I gave the book to Scott and told him to drop what he was doing and read it. I really wanted to see if it had the same impact on him as it did on me. Well, I had a lot of fun watching Scott’s reactions as he read it. Especially when he got to the “rule-breaking” twists near the end. He laughed out loud. He shook his head in disbelief. He questioned his own sanity. Oh wait, we do that daily anyway. By the end of the book, Scott was literally insisting that we have to do this. Oh yes. I already did. And if you have any interest in affiliate marketing, making passive income, or creating a viral EBook, I’m guessing you’re going to have the same reaction. Why? Well, at the risk of sounding like a hyped-up affiliate marketing infomercial, this free eBook is really freakin’ genius.

Read the rest of this entry »

Free Resources for the Aspiring Affiliate Marketer

Posted by Tammy in Affiliate Marketing, Tammy, Web Candy on May 30, 2009 | 2 comments

Ok, first of all let me apologize for my absence lately. As I explained in an earlier post, I have a new part-time gig as a home nurse. That gig is still demanding a huge amount of time. Good news is, mom is doing fairly well, and will hopefully be all “put back together” and all will be back to normal in a couple of months. Until then, Scott – with his new gig as, well…unemployed – will continue to write his little fingers to the bones to pick up my slack. What a guy, huh? Ok, ‘nuff said. On to this weekend’s Web Candy…

Lately, I’ve been focusing more of my attention on finding an income stream that looks like it may have the possibility of creating the most amount of income in the least amount of time. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? If you’ve ever done your own research along these lines, you’ve no doubt come across a ton of information about Affiliate Marketing and/or “PPC” (Pay-Per-Click) Advertising. In case this is completely new to you, I’ll give you a brief explanation. For today’s Web Candy I’ll pass along some of the best freebies I’ve found to help you learn what it’s all about, how it works, and how to do it right.

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Web Candy: Inspire Me Today

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on May 26, 2009 | 2 comments

Life presents many challenges as we work to pursue our dreams and create better lives for ourselves. There are many people going through very trying personal times. If this describes you, know that  our hearts go out to you. Some, who have gotten laid off, are scrambling to establish solid income sources through Internet businesses or work-from-home job opportunities. Whatever challenges we are presently facing, we all need inspiration from time to time.

If you’re waking up every day and spending long hours trying to start a very small business or searching for a new job, you might find inspiration at Gail Lynne Goodwin’s Inspire Me Today website. Several years ago, Gail began searching for inspiration in her own life. From her constant effort to connect with sources of a spiritual and motivational nature coupled with some serendipitous experiences, she followed her dream and founded InspireMeToday.com—a website devoted to providing profound inspiration every day from motivational coaches and teachers whose lives are shining examples of living their beliefs. You’ll find several notables from “The Secret”, such as Jack Canfield, Marci Shimoff, Bob Doyle and more, as well as leaders, professionals and motivational speakers like Les Brown, Helice Bridges, Chris Brogan, Michael Gerber and many more. And be sure to check out one of my new favorites, Kute Blackson! Read the rest of this entry »

20 Great Freebies for Social Media, Productivity, Business, and Blogging

Posted by Tammy in Tammy, Web Candy on May 10, 2009 | 2 comments

We recently got the latest issue of PC World and it’s all about one of our favorite things: FREE Stuff! So, in case you don’t subscribe to PC World, we wanted to pass along some of the free goodies that look like they’d be the most interesting and useful to our fellow Quitters. Because we’re nice like that, and because that’s what Web Candy is all about. Feel free to post your favorite free goodies in the comments section. Enjoy!

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Web Candy: Three Great Websites for Budding Entrepreneurs

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on May 2, 2009 | 1 comment

Today, many people are information junkies. And that can be just as good as it can be bad.  But I think it’s better to have too much information than not enough. Gone are the days when people worked at one job their whole lives and retired happy. It’s more likely that most people will change jobs and careers several times (or more) during their prime working years. Another trend that continues to develop is people divorcing themselves from the 40-hour-per-week treadmill and replacing it with a mobile lifestyle, work-from-home income, or even starting their own business. Self-employment is becoming more common as people reorganize their work and family lives to include fulfilling work that also increases the ability to spend more time with family.

If you’re a budding entrepreneur who’s just getting started, you’re going to need meaningful resources that can serve as a springboard for your venture or as a hub of information when specific knowledge is needed. Here are three sites that anyone considering some kind of entrepreneurial project should bookmark and use as trusted resources. Read the rest of this entry »

Web Candy: 48 Days to the Work You Love – the Podcast

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on April 25, 2009 | no comments

If you have ever dreamed of starting a business, inventing a product and selling it, doing work from home, or making a career out of your passion, this podcast might interest you. I started listening to Dan Miller’s 48 Days Podcast after reading his book, “No More Mondays” This podcast is a companion to the book, “48 Days to the Work You Love” and is excellent support for anyone who dreams of creating an ideal work life.

In each episode, Dan answers questions sent in by people who have read his books, listened to his podcast, and visited his website. The questions all relate to redesigning your life around doing work that is satisfying, fulfilling and that you love to do. Dan offers tips on how to find a job in a tough economy, and how to present your resume, as well as advice on startup business ideas, and transitioning out of an unsatisfying job and into work that you feel you were meant to do. I’ve been listening to this podcast for awhile and I really get the sense that Dan Miller cares deeply about helping people. This give the podcast a little more added weight, in my opinion. While there are many PROs with this podcast, there are some potential CONs as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Web Candy: Windows Live Writer

Posted by Tammy in Blogging, Tammy, Web Candy on April 18, 2009 | 1 comment

Scott and I use Wordpress for our blog. While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to accomplish the basics with Wordpress, there’s still plenty to learn if you’re new to blogging. If you’re not a seasoned pro with your blogging platform, you may find that it takes you twice as long to tweak the “details” of your post as it does to actually write the content. One thing we’ve struggled with – until recently – is adding photos and things like Twitter badges to our blog. Yeah, it can be done. But for me, it was way too time-consuming doing it from within Wordpress. And God help me if I needed to move anything around or change anything.

I don’t do code. I do drag-and-drop. I could learn how to do code, but I’d kinda’ rather punch myself in the mouth. I’m also about the furthest thing from a Wordpress Guru you’re likely to find.

So, you probably noticed that our blog started out with no photos and now just about every post is dressed up with some kind of picture. Well, that’s because I found a very simple program that has made the blogging process a little simpler and less time-consuming, and it makes inserting pictures easier than falling off a log.

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Web Candy: Business Opportunities Weblog

Posted by Scott in Scott, Web Candy on April 5, 2009 | 3 comments

I don’t know about you, but I consider myself an idea person. I suspect that most entrepreneurs or enterprising individuals probably consider themselves the same. If you’re in that category, then I suggest that you surf on over to Dane’s Carlson’s Business Opportunity Weblog. His site is a treasure-trove of start-up opportunities and real-life stories. It’s just the kind of site for people looking for a little inspiration or stimulation for their own enterprising ideas.

BOW has been serving the entrepreneur community since 2001. From the “About” page, the site is described as “a moderated list of legitimate business opportunities for entrepreneurs. It is presented like a weblog with chronological archives and extensive outbound links.” Read the rest of this entry »

Web Candy, Cool Tools, and Awesome Apps

Posted by Tammy in Tammy, Web Candy on April 3, 2009 | no comments

Ok, so we were hangin’ out in the home office recently, both working on the blog, and trying out this nifty application somebody had told me about. We both thought the thing was an ass-load of helpful, by the way. And I thought, Hey, I bet some of our readers would think this whatchamacallit is an ass-load of helpful, too. What can I say? I’m considerate like that. So we bounced around the idea and thought it would be a pretty damn cool thing if we did a post – maybe once a week or so – about some awesome thingamajigger we’ve found or a funny, useful, brilliant, or insane website that you might enjoy. So, our new category – Web Candy – is that thing. If you ever want to find all the posts relating to the aforementioned cool gizmos, they’ll all be in one place filed under the “Web Candy” tab. Now, how freakin’ convenient is that?

Look for Web Candy starting tomorrow…