Alternative Income

So much content is produced online that the step from ordinary citizen to media voice is tiny. The debate about who qualifies as a journalist and whether bloggers should even be mentioned in the same sentence continues, but what exactly is the difference? Journalist – a ´professional´ with formal training Writer – again implies some sort of formal training and often associated with people who write books. Blogger - Someone who writes about whatever they want without necessarily having any formal training. Over the last few years I have written about many different topics, at different professional levels: My first book – Spain: An Expat Survival Guide – started as a rant against the system and grew into a longer rant warning expats against the rose-tinted view of Spain. That was seven years ago, and if I read it again I would no doubt cringe, but the message was valid. Content...

The first decade of the 21st century saw the world economy turned on its head, and the knock-on effect has been dramatic, creating a feeling of fear and instability.  There is no guarantee of job security, and people realize the old model of depending on one stream of income may no longer be enough.   The positive side of this upheaval and instability is that it shakes people out of their comfort zone and forces them to consider alternatives.  Companies also look at different ways to reduce their costs, which can include outsourcing and offering telecommute options for employees. Which is where you come in.   If you are unhappy in your job, if you need to generate some extra money, if you want to start doing something you love, there has never been a better time than now.  You can create an alternative income and improve the quality of your life...

As I was glancing at the listings on a freelance website today, I saw a post for a business coach that wants to add more content to his website.  I know about coaching, I am a copywriter, so I wanted to be nosey and see how he had set up his website.  I was looking for some inspiration for my own coaching page which I have left brewing for the last couple of years. I was stunned to see that his website is hosted on Wix.com.  This man wants to offer professional businesses coaching services about how to be successful, turn your business around, give a professional image etc. and he is using a free website builder to promote his services?   OH MY GOD. If someone tried to sell me their coaching services from a free website, I would turn around and offer them coaching instead.  There is no excuse...

In another article, I talked about the three things you should have in place before you launch a membership site. To recap: Value: Do you have proven valuable expertise that people are willing to pay for? Products: Do you have a suite of high-value products you already bundle in with your services? Database: Do you have a database of clients and prospects who might be interested in joining your membership site? So let's suppose you answered "Yes" to all three questions. Now what? What sort of value should you provide to your members? This will vary for each business. But broadly, I suggest you consider your offering in these three categories.   1. Resources Create a collection of valuable resources for your members to download - things like e-books, audio programs, recommended Web sites, software tools, templates (Word, Excel), slide shows (PowerPoint), manuals, tip sheets, on-line courses, video clips, multimedia tutorials, and so...

There's little doubt that the past few years have been a tough time for all graduates. There are fewer jobs on the market.  And worse yet, many are saddled with crippling debt on leaving college. But for some, it's a worthwhile sacrifice. Take MBA students who, despite the economic downturn, are still signing up. Still in demand in countries like America, and Britain, it's now other parts of the world that are becoming MBA hotspots. The booming economies of India and China are such places where the demand for MBA graduates is on the increase, particularly in the fields of manufacturing and IT and computer services. And when it comes to being the most in demand globally, look no further than the Middle East. The region, which includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has seen a 21 per cent increase in demand for people with an MBA qualification in...