This is not going to be a clickbaity “How to gain success as…” type of article, nor is this going to be a one size fits all strategy-guide for marketing your work. In this article I plan on giving you just the tips, if you will, so that you may position yourself in such a way as to become more accessible for potential readers to discover your work - by best leveraging the amount of time, money, energy, and effort it takes to do such a thing. Browse this checklist to get some ideas of what you can do to “put yourself out there” as an independent author - before you even consider whether or not you’re ready to “put some skin in the game”. The goal is to show you how all the pieces just kind of fall into place.
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Each storytelling format functions differently from one structure to the next, based on the size/scope (word count) of the project. Compare this notion to commercial real estate, and imagine how a niche storefront is going to operate differently than a big warehouse. The buildings aren’t different in size/scope simply because someone had a preference for square footage, but rather it was necessary in order to serve a specific functionality; this is the difference between writing to attain a word count and writing to attain a purpose. When structuring the size/scope of any project I ask myself, “what is the purpose of my story” and “what is it that I’m trying to accomplish,” which allows me to adjust my writing style accordingly.
I talked about how financial planning is the category of personal finance that measures an individual’s respect for their money, and responsibility for sustaining the futures of their own lifestyle. This is where the third main category of personal finance comes into account, and this category I am referring to is investing. Investing makes the world go round, not only in terms of our economy, but also in terms of our way of life. It is a gesture of giving back to the economy that is responsible for producing the provisions necessary for sustaining your lifestyle, and it is also the process of supporting or introducing assets in an economy.
What hasn't changed since the great Bronze Age of Babylon, are the fundamental rules of money. If you ever wondered what is in that “special sauce” that not only makes a financially prosperous individual, but also a financially prosperous society, then look alive. If you pay mind to what I share with you in this post, I promise you, it will be the best deal you will ever make in your life. If you so choose to implement these rules in your life, even if only to see what returns, you will be doing a service not only for yourself but for your fellow man and loved ones as well.
Liberals would say that some are more fortunate than others and that people are working too hard to maintain a mundane living to find any time and/or take on the debt required to do any of the above. Conservatives will refute by saying,” Excuses, excuses!” Then liberals respond with, “Why should I have to go through all that just to earn a living?” Phew! It seems like anytime this issue is brought up, it turns into a conflict over where the line lands, marking where empathy should end and where personal responsibility should begin. I would like to share what I see from both sides of the argument, and let you decide.
We’ve explored the private sector in a kind of “wild west” small business meets small town kind of way. Then we released the kraken upon the small town and watched as feast or famine swept the little island community. Now, we analyze some of the signs that can be identified around town, and may serve as an omen of a failed economic system. As a disclaimer I am not a decorated economist, and these insights are a process of my own personal theories (mostly gathered over the years watching documentaries, reading news articles, and referring to similar events that have taken place throughout history). These theories should be taken as speculative thinking and nothing more until you have done your own homework and formed your own opinion.
I use the term investing loosely here, because real estate wholesaling is a form of flipping assets to create a capital gain. You may have seen shows on television of accredited investors flipping houses on the market. The shows cover some of the highlights of the process involved in flipping a real estate investment for a retail profit, including the impressive before/after photos and all the contractors needed to get the job done. Wholesaling is not so glamorous or exciting, but there is far less risk involved. This is the ideal real estate investment strategy for earning experience in the market and building investment capital that could be used towards other types of real estate deals, like flipping homes (which can come with many unforeseen overhead costs).
In “How to Offer a Service without Giving up Your Time”, I explained the importance of avoiding a situation where you are stuck wearing many hats. This is common among d.e.m. (do everything myself) business individuals, and is fine as long as you value the time you invest in your business. For the majority of us entrepreneurs, who like to enjoy life on our own terms, we want to retain as much of our free time as possible. This is a job for the players that make up an entrepreneur’s entourage and personal power team (p.p.t). Consider them a band of heroes, each equipped with their own skills/power, that save your time. An intelligent entrepreneur may bust their ass bootstrapping their business during its early start-up phase, but as business grows, the entrepreneur’s team must also grow. It’s like a plant that out grows the pot it was planted in, when it was just a seed. The entourage or the p.p.t. is a natural byproduct of a successful business and/or an intelligent entrepreneur scaling to a new level. All the players of this power team have their purpose, and there will be a time and place in which you will utilize each, and prosper together.
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