Need Some Ideas for New Long Term Venture

3 replies
Hello all. I'm wanting to start a new venture and would love to hear some ideas. I am ready and excited to start, but I am having trouble formulating a blueprint.

The site I want to build is guitar/entertainment related. I'm very experienced in the field of playing, teaching, gigging, even booking entertainment, bar management etc. This topic is something I will enjoy doing. I've put it off for years because I wanted more experience selling online and learning the ropes.

I feel I am ready now. I have decent success with affiliate marketing via amazon and EPN. I've created ebooks, promoted them and made sales. Nothing great, but I know how it works and understand (and have used) the purpose of an auto-responder. I'm now at the point that when I build a site, I don't wonder if it will make money, I wonder how much. I am terrible with tech stuff and don't like it at all. I'm far from an expert on IM/affiliate marketing, but I'm confident enough now to start the site I will enjoy working on and be able to write content with ease for many years to come.

My indecision lies in me not being able to see how to monetize this properly. I want a site that is truly helpful. I'm happy to video tape guitar lessons, tips & tricks, but don't really want to get into making lessons for sale. In time, with a lot of good content, would adsense be an option? Should I use a paid video hosting service or post them on youtube for free? Or maybe post some on Youtube and some with the paid service? I've thought of a forum type site, paid, but I think it would be a bit much for me. I can't stress enough how awful I am at techie stuff. That won't get better. It's been 5 years and I just get worse at that stuff as it changes. Please keep that in mind.

Should I organize the site so that there is a lesson section, a blog section, a store section? Something like that? What would be good for me to produce for the auto-responder? Getting emails would be easy with a few good solid lessons, but should those be private and on the paid server?

As you can see, I'm pretty much in need of some good ideas so I can sort this out. My mind is in the affiliate marketing niche mode and I've no experience with the type of site I have in mind, primarily blogging with regular posts. Any ideas or thoughts from anyone will be greatly appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you so I can get my mind out of this hamster wheel. Thank you!
#ideas #long #term #venture
  • Profile picture of the author Ronak Shah
    Originally Posted by UncleDearest View Post

    Hello all. I'm wanting to start a new venture and would love to hear some ideas. I am ready and excited to start, but I am having trouble formulating a blueprint.

    The site I want to build is guitar/entertainment related. I'm very experienced in the field of playing, teaching, gigging, even booking entertainment, bar management etc. This topic is something I will enjoy doing. I've put it off for years because I wanted more experience selling online and learning the ropes.

    I feel I am ready now. I have decent success with affiliate marketing via amazon and EPN. I've created ebooks, promoted them and made sales. Nothing great, but I know how it works and understand (and have used) the purpose of an auto-responder. I'm now at the point that when I build a site, I don't wonder if it will make money, I wonder how much. I am terrible with tech stuff and don't like it at all. I'm far from an expert on IM/affiliate marketing, but I'm confident enough now to start the site I will enjoy working on and be able to write content with ease for many years to come.

    My indecision lies in me not being able to see how to monetize this properly. I want a site that is truly helpful. I'm happy to video tape guitar lessons, tips & tricks, but don't really want to get into making lessons for sale. In time, with a lot of good content, would adsense be an option? Should I use a paid video hosting service or post them on youtube for free? Or maybe post some on Youtube and some with the paid service? I've thought of a forum type site, paid, but I think it would be a bit much for me. I can't stress enough how awful I am at techie stuff. That won't get better. It's been 5 years and I just get worse at that stuff as it changes. Please keep that in mind.

    Should I organize the site so that there is a lesson section, a blog section, a store section? Something like that? What would be good for me to produce for the auto-responder? Getting emails would be easy with a few good solid lessons, but should those be private and on the paid server?

    As you can see, I'm pretty much in need of some good ideas so I can sort this out. My mind is in the affiliate marketing niche mode and I've no experience with the type of site I have in mind, primarily blogging with regular posts. Any ideas or thoughts from anyone will be greatly appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you so I can get my mind out of this hamster wheel. Thank you!
    So I figure out that here are the following problems you face:

    You face a problem with formulating a blueprint.


    Now, here's the thing:

    You don't need to have a blueprint upfront. You need to create one as you go along with the basic steps of getting things done as & when they are needed.

    Don't expect an answer to your questions in no time. You need to be patient & tolerant with the process. You need to take action first. Go out & test a few things for your confidence. Measure the results. You don't learn from successes. You learn from failures.

    Calculate the mistakes you must make. Experiment. Don't just sit idle.

    Nike's logo is "Just Do It". I'll tell you "Just do it". It will come out perfect in the end. Don't expect a blueprint, especially a perfect one even before you begin.

    Nothing is perfect. Everything is just the way it is. You just got to make it work your way. Focus on excellence, not perfection. Perfection is especially a bad word if you really don't distinctly understand it's unique meaning.

    You think you're dead wrong at creating & designing sites.

    Got some money? Hire someone to build you one at fiverr for cheap.

    You don't need a damn good website for a start. You need a basic website that does the following:

    Just earns you some real bad ass money. Simplicity is king.

    Once you get going, you'll be big.

    You can never be big until you believe the truth that you're just a small guy right now walking on earth. If you cannot accept your weaker side, you won't be able to accept your stronger side too.

    You always start small. Grow big.

    If you cannot accept your vulnerable side, you won't be able to accept your stronger side as well. Remember that. Don't over-expect things. Just be calm & cool. Accept that you need to build a business not some low-scale short term transaction that won't even make you money after 6 months time.

    Problem with internet marketers is that they want everything at the push of a button.

    Instant gratification is the problem here.

    You need to go out & get a small business started.

    I wish to ask you a serious question:

    Did you pop out from your mom as a 21 year old man or were you very tiny & light when your mom gave you birth?

    A plant is born from a very tiny little seed. Then it is nurtured. Then it grows from being a plant to a full-fledged tree.

    Monetising can come from setting up an amazon like store where you sell guitar lessons ebooks, books, vcd's, dvd's, video courses, coaching programs & guitar's themselves of various shapes & sizes.

    Just go get a good domain name rather than intellectually masturbating here.

    I know I have gone through what you're going through right now.

    You don't need to understand, know & learn everything ever in your life. You don't need everything & everyone in your life. You've been wrongly taught that you need everything. That's a misconception you've.

    Just go catch what you inevitably really need.

    There is nothing perfect or imperfect about life. Life is not idealistic. It is realistic. Life is just the way it is & neither is it difficult or easy. It's all in the mind.

    You have it inside your mind. You'll soon have it outside your mind.

    Just go get what you want if you really badly want it.

    See ya. Seriously. Just Do It.
    Signature
    I AM YOUR Direct Response Ninja Kick-Ass Sales Copywriter.

    Now, Here's The REAL DEAL:
    Either I make YOU at least 10 times of what I charge YOU OR
    I'll Write YOUR Sales Copy AGAIN Till YOU Make MUCH MORE Than THAT. Guaranteed*.
    *Terms & Conditions Apply. Email me at ronak[at]ronakshah[dot]name right now.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Burritt
    Banned
    Idea: Focus your website to generate affiliate commissions.

    Create a video-focused site. Just use a premade template off ThemeForrest or something. Don't sweat it.

    Videos could be short examples of you playing. And you have ads for related products which you would be an affiliate for.

    Videos could be examples of how to play chords. And you have an ad for a 'how to play' clickbank course.

    Video of you demonstrating a new product. And have an ad to purchase that product. Example the "Chord Buddy."

    So, your videos are not selling your own 'how to play' course, but they are just you demonstrating stuff. You're just trying to get eyeballs on your site. Then you show them ads for products to buy.
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    • Profile picture of the author UncleDearest
      Ronak: Thanks for the encouragement and motivation. It's something we all can use at one time or another! The problem I'm having is, I think, that I'm so used to finding a niche, researching it, writing content, and posting affiliate links. These niches are nothing that I'm passionate about. There is really no creativity coming from me with these sites. The site I'm about to embark on will be a part of me, and for a long time. I feel I will have to approach it much differently than I do the niche sites I've had success with.

      As far as the techie stuff, I don't mean to sound like I'm afraid to do anything. I already have done a lot in that I am not afraid to use the 800 support numbers for help, to the point I know they dread my calls! lol.... I just want people responding to understand I'm not going to be able to tend to my site for techie things. I want it simple. I thought a paid forum sounded like problems waiting to happen. Like log-in issues, money back issues, "It won't load for me" and a host of other "techie" things I simply cannot deal with. Nor do I want to.

      Jeff: Thanks for the concise ideas. This helps a lot. Making those videos would be a snap for me. I suppose I could just do a site with nothing but videos like that. I bet it would work too. I'm still hoping for some opinions from others who have knowledge about using Youtube vs a paid video hosting site. Lots of video is one thing I did have in mind for the site, just was/am not exactly sure how to utilize it.

      I'd also like to be able to write about this topic. There is so much more than just lessons, and I know they sell well, but there's a wealth of content waiting to be posted about the industry, gigging, getting bookings, attire, royalties,demos,pricing...the list is endless. I am hoping to write about these things.

      Would attaching a blog with this sort of content be a good addition to the video lessons/tips idea? I feel like I can almost see separation from the two, yet working together.

      And the one thing that is really got me more than anything, the auto-responder/opt in. I know how to do it. I am in need of ideas as to what that series would be. With guitar tips/lessons, you almost have to use video. I cannot understand how that would be valuable to someone receiving the auto-responder series if I post it on Youtube. Seems like they would look at it like spammy because they can just go to my Youtube channel. On the other hand, is this a good idea if it's private on my site?

      I will check out ThemeForrest and see what that's about. The only experience I have with site building is BANS, NSP and PNS. All stand alone platforms, not wordpress, which I've tried to do and just can't seem to get it. I realize WP is the answer to everything most of the time and if I need to use it, it won't be a big deal if I can get someone to set it up for me in a way that I won't have to call on them everytime I need to post or add an affilaite link/banner.

      Thanks again for the ideas. I hope more people will respond, especially with comments on the Youtube vs paid video hosting.
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