Alonzo G. Decker Jr. - The Business Leader Who Became a 'Household' Name

From power tools to handy car vacuum cleaners, the Black & Decker brand is one of the most trusted brands of household and commercial products used in almost every American home or workplace.

Alonzo G. Decker, Jr., scion of the company co-founder and the name behind the brand, came a long way from simply being the heir of his father to becoming an engineer, an innovator, a civic leader, a philanthropist and the business leader that he was.

Alonzo G. Decker , Jr. - The 'Handyman' Who Revolutionized the Concept of D-I-Y

Decker did not sit back and wait for his time to simply inherit his father's business. He worked painstakingly from bottom-up in the then Black & Decker Manufacturing Company by first working part time, and then as a consulting engineer in the export sales department.

Decker did not even escape being laid off from the company during the Great Depression in 1932. When Decker resumed work, he tried his hand in different departments such as engineering, research and manufacturing.

Decker has then revolutionized the concept of do-it-yourself (DIY) in the late 1930's by having Black & Decker introduce in the consumer market some portable and easy-to-use power tools such as electric drills.

Decker was completely hands-on in the development of most of Black & Decker's products, and had even designed and developed products such as electric hammer drills by himself.

Decker did not rest on his laurels and was eager to further improve Black & Decker's products by exploring new technologies and discovering new applications. Decker became most noted for his being responsible in introducing in 1961 the world's first cordless rechargeable drill, a tool that was way ahead of its time and is still widely used to this day.

Decker moved up in his career by joining Black & Decker's board of directors in 1940, becoming CEO in 1964 and serving as Honorary Chairman through 2000. He continued supporting Black & Decker as Director Emeritus until he died in 2002.

The Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. Quick Bio

Full name: Alonzo G. Decker , Jr.

Birth date: 1908 (deceased 2002)

Birthplace: Maryland

Company: Black & Decker Corporation

Industry: Fabricated Goods

Key business leader success traits: a visionary, hands-on approach to leadership, selfless generosity, mentor to his colleagues and community members

Additional:
Decker was not only one of the most admired business leaders of his time but was also one of the most charitable and generous. He selflessly devoted much of his life to various philanthropic causes, including those involving education and science. Decker was a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and CSX Corporation, and was a trustee at The Johns Hopkins University.

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Intro to Work at Home Jobs

Guest Post by Joe Land

Work at home jobs are jobs that usually require you to use your computer. They are in high demand because there are lots of people that want to work from the privacy of their own homes. Stay at home moms, teens and disabled people are just a few examples of people that would like to work at home to gain some extra money. Working at home using your computer will not replace your day job (at least for most people). It will however provide you with an extra source of income.

Work at Home Jobs

Some of the more popular work at home jobs include blogging, paid surveys and affiliate marketing. These are popular because they are proven to work, and you control how much money you make. Blogging can be a great way to make money because of the awesome potential that it has. Look at Darren Rowse for example. He makes his income blogging. Affiliate marketing is another good way to make money online. A good place to start is with a site called ClickBank. They pay you to promote other peoples products. You get a commission every time someone buys one o your promoted products. Paid surveys are great for beginners. They pay you to take surveys about various products. These three ideas are a great place to start if your looking to work at home.

Beware of Scams

A simple Google search for the phrase “work at home” yields over 320 million results. Beware of work at home scams. One of the most common work at home scams is make money posting links with Google. This is also called the Google Scam. Beware of any jobs that require you to buy a kit or pay a small fee in order to sign up. These kind of sites will be scams almost 100% of the time. There are plenty of free opportunities out on the world wide web today. There is no need to chase the latest scam.

Finding Work at Home Jobs

There are tons of work at home jobs out there that can make you money. When searching for work at home jobs make sure you do your research. Find out what has worked for others. Dig a little deeper into things to ensure that you will be successful. Proper research and a little caution will ensure that you will find a good work at home opportunity that suits you well.

Author Bio:
I have had some success with work at home sites. I started with CashCrate and. This is a great place to start because its free and only requires a user to be 13 in order to sign up.

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Donald J. Trump - The Business Leader Who Thrives on the Art of the Deal

Donald Trump (a.k.a. The Donald) is a business leader like no other. Many claim that he is a genius while others report that he is not as rich as he claims to be. Either way, one has to concede one thing that he has achieved - Trump is undeniably a brand name today.

Donald Trump - Real Estate is His Domain

Donald Trump was born to affluent parents. His father, Fred Trump, is a multi-billion dollar real estate tycoon (without much of the publicity that his son has around him). Needless to say, young Donald had a good education but there was definitely a fire in him.

One anecdote often cited is when he punched his music teacher in the second grade because he thought the teacher "didn't know anything about music".

Trump began his business career at his father's company, Trump Organization. His first successful deal was when he bought his first property from a cash-strapped transportation firm and then later sold it to the government. He was 25 years old at the time.

Since then, Trump has had many real estate deals... with many of them not succeeding due in large part to the recession. In fact, in the mid-1990s, Trump had about $900 million in personal debt and approximately $3.5 billion in business debt. These events ended with Trump declaring business bankruptcy. In 1999, however, his father, Fred Trump, died and sales of his real estate business enabled Donald to bail himself out of his own financial problems.

So why then is Donald J. Trump deemed a great American business leader? Donald Trump never gives up. He has tremendous self-confidence and is a huge risk taker. And last but not the least, Trump is a survivor. Case in point - despite the financial losses that surrounded him, he managed to ingrain himself in the minds of the public via the reality TV show The Apprentice where his "You're fired." comment at the end of each show became a popular catch phrase. Trump has indeed bounced back and is today estimated to be worth $2.5 billion.

The Donald J. Trump Quick Bio

Full name: Donald John Trump, Sr.

Birth date: June 14, 1946

Birth place: Queens, New York

Key success traits: extremely self-assured, knows how to create and market a brand, un undeniable risk taker, a survivor

Company: Trump Organization

Industry: Construction and Real Estate

Additional: The success of Donald Trump in the entertainment arena has enabled him to branch out into other businesses, all of course bearing the Trump name. These include the Donald J. Trump Men's Collection, Trump Ice (bottled water), Trump Magazine, Trump Vodka and Trump University (a business school established in 2005)

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How to Write a Business Plan in a Few Hours

Rise early, work hard, strike oil. ~ J. Paul Getty

Automaker Henry Ford observed, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” That’s the reason, too, why 90 percent of new businesses fail within the first five years. Not a good sign.

That’s where the process of thinking through the business of either starting a new business, or running one that’s already existing, is an art and a science. Not a luxury to forgo, indeed.

It’s not as hard an exercise as some may think. Insights gleaned from creating and developing a business plan unique to your company? Priceless. Many entrepreneurs say the best quality of being in business is—nothing is etched in stone. And, working through your business plan is an ongoing tool that helps refine and evolve your business successfully.

Creative spirits that business owners are, they relish opportunities to go with the flow of market demands and the guidance business plans give in innovating rapidly to keep up with market forces of demand, or non-demand.

So, put on your thinking cap to envision all the possibilities out there with a business plan that’s inimitably suited to your company. It’s similar to an adventurer exploring new terrain and new ideas, scooping out threats (or competition) and becoming a successful business warrior who is also a happy and prosperous survivor.

Best of all, you can write a business plan easily and effortlessly. Think out loud to yourself and others. Or, reflect and contemplate in silence, as some prefer to do.

Our guide will show you how you can write a compelling business plan in a few hours. However, thinking about your business plan is the essential prelude to writing it.

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Gillette - An Empire Borne Out of a Unique Business Model

When a business brand is known so much that even competitors are called by its name, then what better testament could there be that a business is successful? Mention Gillette and safety razors quickly pop to mind.

Ironically though, Gillette is actually falsely credited to be the inventor of the safety razor. (The safety razor was invented in the mid-1870's by the Kampfe Brothers.) What Gillette had though was this - the eye that sees business opportunities.

Gillette - How It All Began

King Camp Gillette was born to a middle-class family who was ravaged by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. To support his family, he started to work as a traveling salesman for the Crown Cork and Seal Company. It was in the 1890s when he suddenly seized upon a business idea . He realized that there was a need in the market for cheap, disposable razor blades.

Prior his 'invention', razor blades required non-stop sharpening to be useful, which of course wore them out quickly. And since men needed to shave all the time, they were 'forced' to keep buying new razors. Gillette thought that he can earn a lot by offering the market a safety razor at a discounted price and then offering them cheap disposable razor blades ... he was right.

Although Gillette's business idea occurred in the 1890's, it was not until 1903 when he began to actually sell his products. This is because inexpensive thin steel was next to impossible to work with and extremely difficult to sharpen. A lesser business man will have abandoned his business idea by now. Not Gillette though and that's why he is regarded as one of America's top business leaders .

In 1903, he sold 51 razors and 168 blades. In 1904, he sold 90,884 razors and 123,648 blades! How did he achieve this growth in so short a span of production time? Gillette's success formula was this - low prices, excellent advertising and automated manufacturing techniques. These are the foundations why we, a century later, are still buying Gillette products.

The King C. Gillette Quick Bio

Full name: King Camp Gillette

Birth date: January 5, 1855 (deceased July 9, 1932)

Birth place: Fon du Lac, Wisconsin

Company: Gillette Company

Industry: Personal Care Home Products

Key Success Traits: patience, the aptitude to see his business idea through, an innovator when it comes to merchandising and advertising

Additional:
The Gillette Company was the maker of Gillette , Oral-B, Braun and Duracell products until 2005, when it was sold to Procter & Gamble for $57 billion.

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Robert S. Abbott - A True African-American Business Leader

When it comes to the newsprint and media world, who doesn't know business leader Robert S. Abbott?

He's the man behind the success of the country's most influential black weekly paper back in the 1900s - the Chicago Defender.

Abbott was staunchly opposed to any form of racism. And with his indomitable spirit and considerable entrepreneurial skills, Abbott was able to catapult the Chicago Defender to national prominence.

Business Leader Robert S. Abbott - His Story

Robert Abbott wasn't exactly an overnight success - far from it actually. Abbott had to battle racial discrimination, which made it impossible for him to work as a lawyer or printer. Abbott then turned his sights on journalism.

Abbott was born to parents who were former slaves. From his humble beginnings, Abbott persevered, mastering the printing trade at Virginia's Hampton Institute. For his law degree, Abbott moved to Chicago in 1897 and worked odd jobs till he graduated from the Kent College of Law.

In May 1905, Abbott showed up on Chicago's streets selling copies of his Chicago Defender with the come-on of being the only weekly in the city worth a cheap two cents. With only the kitchen table of his landlord as desk, Abbott set out to make his publication dream a reality. Abbott served as the newspaper's editor, business manager, publisher, sales force and reporting staff.

Abbott's entrepreneurial expertise paved the way for further national prominence for the Chicago Defender. He recruited Pullman porters and entertainers to handle the paper's national circulation in exchange for newspaper coverage. The Chicago Defender became the first black broadsheet to hit a circulation of close to 100,000. It was the first to have a full-page comics section and the first to have a health column.

Abbott became one of the first African-American millionaires as a result of the Chicago Defender's success and is considered the single greatest force in the field of African-American journalism.

The Robert S. Abbott Quick Bio


Full name: Robert Sengstacke Abbott

Birth date: November 28, 1868 (deceased February 29, 1940)

Birthplace: Georgia

Company: Chicago Defender

Industry: Publishing Print Media

Key Success Traits: unwavering determination in the face of adversity, a dreamer AND doer

Additional:

Abbott created the Chicago Defender back in 1905 with only 25 cents in his pocket and a press run of less than 400 copies. The year 1921 saw the newspaper turn national, with a total of 70 employees and a plant that's valued at a cool half a million dollars.

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Henry J. Heinz - The Business Leader Who Founded the Heinz Empire

HARD WORK. This phrase comes to mind when reading about business leader Henry J. Heinz, whose products' presence on just about every table makes people include him as one of the greatest business leaders in American history.

Henry J. Heinz - Working Since Nine!

Heinz was one of eight children born to German immigrants Heinrich Heinz and Anna Margareta Schmitt.

He was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, but the family would later move to Sharpsburg (on the outskirts of Pittsburgh).

Heinz started in 'business' very young. At just six years old, he was already helping his mother look after a backyard garden from which they sold vegetables to neighbors. At age eight, young Heinz would be selling produce already door-to-door!

By the time Heinz reached 17, he was already earning $2,400 annually, a staggering amount during those times.

Laying the Foundation for Heinz

In 1869, Heinz founded his first company - the Heinz Noble & Company with L.C. Noble - to sell horseradish but it was not successful and it ended in bankruptcy in 1875.

Never the one to just give up, Heinz established F & J Heinz with family members and started selling products, one of which was tomato ketchup. In 1888, Heinz bought out his partners and re-organized the firm to the H. J. Heinz Company and it is still the name of the firm to this day.

As a business leader , Heinz was known to be fair in his treatment of employees and was a great supporter of safe and sanitary food practices. In fact, in 1906, he lobbied in favor of the Pure Food and Drug Act. He was also known to be very involved in church activities and did many philanthropic works during his lifetime.

The Henry J. Heinz Quick Bio

Full name: Henry John Heinz

Birth date: October 11, 1844 (died May 14, 1919)

Birth place: Birmingham

Key success traits: a hard worker to the core, a strategist, never a quitter

Company: H. J Heinz Company

Industry: Food & Tobacco

Tidbit:
Heinz' well-known tagline "57 varieties", applied in 1896, actually bears no actual meaning. Heinz just happened to like a shoe store ad he saw while in New York City which said "21 styles" and wanted to copy it. In reality, Heinz was already selling more than 57 types of products at the time the slogan was introduced.

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Steve Jobs - The Business Leader Who Changed the Way We Compute and Listen

Before, only those who were loyal to their Apple Computer PCs were aware of who Steve Jobs was.

Nowadays, nearly everybody knows him thanks to that phenomenon called the iPod.

Steve Jobs and Apple Computer have had a love-hate relationship even ending at one time with Jobs being booted from the firm only to return in 1996 and completely turn the company around and back to profitability.

This achievement definitely merits Steve Jobs to be included in America's greatest business leader list.

Steve Jobs ' Beginnings Steve Jobs was born to a Syrian father and an American mother, who gave him up for adoption immediately after he was born. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of California and spent his 'schooling days' in Cupertino, CA, where he often went to the after-school lectures of the Hewlett-Packard Company. Not surprisingly, he was later hired by HP and worked with Stephen Wozniak.

Steve Jobs' First 'Business Deal'

In the mid-1970's, Jobs, then working at Atari, was approached by its founder Nolan Bushnell and offered $100 for every chip that he can reduce for a new circuit board for the game Breakout. He made a deal with Wozniak to share the bonus 50 50. Wozniak amazed everybody by reducing the number of chips by 50. His 'bonus'? $250... Jobs wasn't exactly truthful; he told Wozniak that Artari only gave them a $500 bonus (instead of the $5000 he received).

Steve Jobs and Apple Computer

In 1976, Jobs founded Apple Computer with Wozniak after he saw a computer the latter designed for himself. The company's first product was called the Apple I. The next product was aptly called Apple II and it became such a hit that Apple II is credited to be the best selling computer in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In 1984, the firm introduced the Macintosh, which was the first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface. It was so successful that Apple abandoned further developments on Apple II.

Alas, not all was smooth sailing. An internal power struggle in Apple ended with Jobs being stripped of his duties in 1985 and so he left the company and founded NeXT Computer. NeXT was not an instant hit but it reflected Jobs' perfectionist side that it garnered its own following.

In 1993, it would transition into a software development firm. Meanwhile, Apple Computer has been struggling and in 1996, it bough NeXT for US$402 million, bringing Jobs back at the helm of the firm he founded. Apple Computer has since then regained its foothold in the computers and electronics industry and has even successfully branched out into the portable music business with the iPod MP3 player, iTunes digital music software and the iTunes Music Store.

The Steve Jobs Quick Bio

Full name: Steven Paul Jobs

Birth date: February 24, 1955

Birth place: San Francisco

Key success traits: a man of action, an innovator, a true over comer of obstacles

Company: Apple Computer

Industry: Computers & Electronics

Additional:
Former Chairman and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios , which is popular for its production of animated films such as The Incredibles and Toy Story . The firm was recently bought by Walt Disney Studios for $7.4 billion in stock, making Jobs the biggest individual shareholder at Disney.

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Bill Gates - The Greatest Business Leader of Our Time?

Who has not heard of Microsoft Corporation? It is a name that has revolutionized business and just about every aspect of our lives that many believe Bill Gates, co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Software Architect of the world's biggest software firm to be the greatest business leader of this generation.

Although this claim may be refuted by many, there is no denying the fact that Bill Gates is a fixture that simply cannot be erased in the history of international business.

Bill Gates - You Either Love Him or Hate Him

Bill Gates' story is not a 'rags to riches' fairytale. Instead, it is a great example of what one can do with the talents that he has within him. Gates was born to affluent parents and showed excellence in school.

At an early age, he already displayed his expertise in the fields of math and science. It is safe to say that Gates breezed through his primary education and in 1973, he enrolled in Harvard University to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science degree. It is at Harvard where he met Steve Ballmer, his future business partner.

At Harvard, Gates, together with Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff, co-wrote Altair BASIC for the Altair 8800. After this, Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue a career in software development instead.

In 1975, Gates called Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) to inform them that his group has developed a version of the programming language BASIC for their new microcomputer's platform.

Although this was not true, Gates and Allen were able to come up with the said version after only eight weeks and MITS ended up buying the rights for the said programming language! This clearly shows Gates confidence in himself and his ability. At this point, Gates and Allen left Harvard to establish Micro-Soft (later changed to Microsoft Corporation) and the rest as they say is history.

As a business leader, many find themselves having to decide whether Gates has been 'ethical' in his business practices or not. Why?

The growth of Microsoft is largely due to the fact that Gates ensured that most computers that shipped out came with Microsoft software pre-installed, thereby 'killing' any desire by consumers to purchase any other type of software.

Due to this, Gates Microsoft has also been the subject of various antitrust litigations over the years. So what do you think? Is Gates the greatest business leader of our time or just a very conniving one? Whatever one thinks, one thing is for sure, the name Bill Gates will continue to resonate in the field of business.

The Bill Gates Quick Bio

Full name: William Henry Gates III
Birth date: October 28, 1955

Birth place: Seattle, Washington
Key success traits: self-confidence, an undeniable risk-taker, a man of action

Company: Microsoft Corporation

Industry: Computers & Electronics

Additional:

As of April 2006, Bill Gates is STILL the richest person in the world with a net worth of approximately US$51 billion.

Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable institution, which to date has donated billions of dollars to help eradicate illiteracy, poverty and diseases.

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5 Tips on Budgeting

1. Think of a budget as a useful tool—a written financial plan that helps you set goals and measure progress.

2. Start by coming up with a sales revenue target. Make it your best estimate.

3. Based on past experience, estimate your cost of goods sold (e.g., 70 percent of sales) and subtract it from the sales revenue to come up with your estimated gross margin.

4. Forecast variable expenses (items such as travel and commissions that vary according to the level of sales) and fixed expenses (items like taxes and rent that stay the same, regardless of sales). Subtract these expenses from your gross margin to arrive at your estimated net income (before federal taxes).

5. Break your annual budget into quarters and monitor your progress every three months to detect problems and make corrections.

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."

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5 Tips for Domain Naming

By Christine Banning, SCORE VP Corporate Relations

1. Create an online identity. Get a Web domain now, even if you aren't building your site until later.

2. Pick three domain names that fit your business. Your first choice may be taken, so have a few domain name ideas. If your top three picks are available, consider getting all three. It's not too expensive and then you have flexibility to create a site for a special promotion or use a special landing page for an event.

3. Check out domain name vendors. You can register your domain with your choice of vendor. Here are some well-known, domain name registrars:

• Concentric, www.concentric.com

• Network Solutions, www.networksolutions.com

• Yahoo Domains, www.yahoo.com

• GoDaddy, www.godaddy.com

• Domaindirect.com, www.domaindirect.com

4. Keep your renewal current. Don't forget to renew your domain name. Businesses have been known to let a name expire and then find that their Web site has disappeared from the Internet. Don't let that be you.

5. Once you have a domain, name your URL mycompany.com, place your URL on every marketing and business document that you produce. Let your company be known.

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."

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5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Business Plan

1. Take the long view and do long-term planning. Map out where you want to be five years from now and how you plan to get there.

2. Write the plan yourself. You will learn more about your business by doing so.

3. Think of your plan as a living document. Review it regularly to make sure you are on track or to adjust it to market changes.

4. Share the plan with others who can help you get where you want to go—such as lenders, key employees and advisors.

5. Understand that you might pay a price in the short run to obtain long-term business growth and health.

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."

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5 Tips for Developing Policies for Your Business

1. Think ahead. Establish policies before you need them. Doing so helps avert crises and awkward situations, and helps solve problems before they arise.

2. Determine what policies you need. Some you’ll want early in your business include a mission statement, as well as compensation, performance evaluation and employee policies.

3. Get input from key employees, as well as from members of your advisory board, your board of directors, and/or your professional advisors and consultants.

4. Communicate policies to everyone in your business.

5. Review policies on a regular basis—once a year, for example—and revise them as necessary.

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."

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10 Tips for Successful Business Networking

Effective business networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

1. Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.

2. Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.

3. Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.

4. Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.

5. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

6. Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.

7. Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.

8. Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, "How may I help you?" and no immediate answer comes to mind.

9. Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.

10. Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.

Stephanie Speisman is a Success Coach who coaches groups and individuals in business networking skills based on her booklet "99 Tips for Successful Business Networking." Contact info: (301)469-8015, successcoach@erols.com, www.strategiesforchange.com

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How You Could Make $10′000 per Month

Many readers asking me about how can they work on Internet and don’t worry about their primary offline job. I wrote about many ways to make money online and about many online business opportunities, but some things was proved by me in last month. I wish to list all the ways for you. Lets begin.

1. Soft selling. I am not engaged in this niche, because it is very specific, but I know people which are doing about $20′000 per month. There are hundreds of affiliate programs and scripts, by means of which anybody could sell their software product. If you are not programmer, but have a great software idea, employ someone to make it for you and make money selling product through affiliate partners...

2. CopeacFreelancing Domain business. I know one guy, who is doing more than $5′000 per month selling domains on domain auction on SedoSEO and make a big money.

3. Text-Link-AdsGoogle AdsenseProbloggerShoemoneyguyUSA who made $2,5 millions buying and selling forums. I have just started my experiment with it.

4. Net of blogs. It is working very well. Even using Adsense only, such way of income, could bring you more than $3′000 per month.

5. Selling advertising places. If you have blog which Page Rank is 4 or more, and it is good optimized, you could make about $1′000 per month selling advertising places. It’s checked.

6. Affiliate advertising. Why not? You don’t have to look for advertise, you could put down any relevant banner as affiliate partner and make up to 50% per lead or sale.

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Should I Blog for Money?

Speak with bloggers every day who have heard the stories of blogs that make big dollars and who want to try to make an income from blogging also. One of the pieces of advice that I attempt to convey (and I’m afraid it doesn’t always get through) is that it’s worth pausing, before running out to slap ads on your blog, to ask yourself whether making money from your blog is right for you.
While this might seem to be a silly question to some (what’s wrong with earning money?) I think it’s worth at least asking the question.
Not every blog is suited to blogging for money...

Does it Fit with Your Blog’s Goals and Objectives – For me a lot of the advice that I’ve given in this series of blogging for beginners comes down to working out some goals, strategy and vision for your blog (I’ve written extensively on strategic blogging here so won’t unpack this now). There are many reasons why people blog and the motivation of money is just one of them. Here’s some of the responses I had when I asked why people blog:
‘I blog for recreational purposes – to help me relax’
‘I blog as part of my plan for world domination’
‘I blog to help me promote my book/business’
‘I blog to keep a record of the life and times of me’
‘I blog because I want to help others’
‘I blog to because I’m lonely and want to connect with others’
‘I blog to pick up cute girls/guys’
‘I blog because it’s fun’
‘I blog because I want to build profile – I want to be known’
‘I blog to make a living’
Now there is nothing wrong with blogging for more than one reason – but bloggers considering adding income streams to their blogs need to consider the possibility that there are implications of going in that direction that MIGHT impact their other goals.
Let me share some scenarios of real cases that I’ve come across (no names given) where putting ads on a blog wasn’t a good idea. If I were a betting man I’d say that they represent the story of many bloggers and that others could add more scenarios:

Scenario 1: Business Blogs – I remember one blogger who added contextual advertising to their Business Blogs (blogs which had primary goals of promoting a business’s services) only to find that the ads that were served to their blogs were for other businesses in their field who they were competing with. While they could block some of the ads they found that more ads replaced them. In the end they felt it was better to remove the ads and keep the focus on themselves.

Scenario 2: Reader Uproar – Another blogger who I have been talking with recently told me the story of the day she added impression based ads to her blog and created a mutiny among her readers who were angry that she’d gone that route. While on some blogs reader ownership are not very high, there are other blogs where for one reason or another that readers take great offense to bloggers changing the rules midstream – especially when it comes to ads. Depending upon the community levels and the way you introduce the ads you can end up losing readership and you need to consider whether the benefits of the income will outweigh the costs of fewer readers.

Scenario 3: Money Obsession – Perhaps one of the saddest examples that comes to mind is of a blogger who had been running a really interesting and reasonably successful blog (I wouldn’t call him an A-lister but he had a small loyal following) who got bitten by the ‘money from blogging’ bug so badly that it ended up killing his blog. Ultimately he ended up deleting a lot of his archives (the ones that had no income earning potential) and slapping so many ads onto his blog that it was hard to find any content. He ended up only ever writing on topics that he thought were ‘earners’. In doing so he lost the vast majority of his readership and ended up with a pretty poor blog. Greed took over.

Scenario 4: Poor Conversion and Clutter – A number of bloggers come to mind who have announced that they are fed up with ads on their blogs largely because the payoff has not been worth giving the space over to the ads. Ads do add another element of clutter to your blog and if the conversion isn’t sufficient they can seem quite pointless. This varies from blogger to blogger and sometimes comes down to the type of ad chosen and the topic that they are writing about – but it’s one of the main reasons I see bloggers taken ads off their blogs.

Scenario 5: Reputation – My last example is of a blogger who was blogging to build his own reputation in an industry. He’d been blogging for a number of months and was slowly become better known (although had a way to go). His problem started when he started promoting affiliate products that he’d had no knowledge of and which (he later found out) were actually ripping people off. In doing so he ended up doing the exact opposite to what he’d set out to do – he destroyed his own reputation.
I’m aware that this post has a somewhat negative tone to it and don’t want to disillusion readers too much. On the flip side of these stories of bloggers who found that blogging for money is not the answer for everyone are many more stories of bloggers who have found ways to supplement their income via blogging (and even a few stories of bloggers who now blog full time).

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