Friday, November 4, 2011

The Art Of Creating And Selling Online Businesses Part 1

Looking back over 2 years ago I never thought I would be where I’m at today doing what I’m doing. I mean I get to stay home all day play on my computer, go where I want, no boss, and have complete freedom. I mean it almost feels like a sin

I always get asked what I do for a living and it’s always so hard to describe. I mean I’m an internet marketer/web developer/?????? The best way I can describe it is I create and sell online businesses. I don’t really think they have a job title for that or you can apply for it. I sort of just created it for myself as it’s what I really enjoy doing. I won’t bore you with all the details and just get into the nitty gritty!

Brainstorm/Develop/Create

When people see what I do they think I’m lucky or think what I do is so easy when in fact it is quite the opposite. I make it seem easy because I’ve been such a techy/artistic person my whole life. I love doing what I do. What I do would usually take someone new to this 5-10 years of dedicated work to reach my numbers. The process of what I do is brainstorm and look for great opportunities to create online businesses. Either it be a service or product (I do also create fun niche sites that generate income)

After I have the idea mapped in my head I start looking and planning how I want the site to turn out. I look at other sites to get ideas. This includes how the pages layout, color scheme, fonts and all that other fun stuff. Then comes the Logo, graphics, buttons, writing content, and such. I will go into more detail on the creation and sells process of creating and selling the online business.

Where The Magic Happens

After coming across a website called Flippa I decided to try and sell one of my websites. It sold but not for much as it was a weird niche and not much income. I just wanted to test it out. It sold for more than I thought for a total of 191 bucks. Not shabby I thought for a website about Wooden Boat Kits! I know weird niche and I knew nothing about it. That sell is what drove me to develop and create sites/business that I sell and make a very comfortable living from. Not only that I make money with the sites I develop so it’s a win win for me. Click Here To Go To Flippa

2 Years Of Sales

Like I said earlier I have been doing this for about 2 years now and so far I’m going stronger than ever. Here are some screen shots of some sales I’ve made over 2 years:

More Greatness To Come

I created this post to share with people and show them more of what I do. This will be a multi part series where I go into more detail about what goes on behind the scenes of creating and selling online businesses. Make sure to subscribe, follow me on twitter, like me on facebook and leave me a comment. Also make sure to stay tuned for the next part.

Follow The Series Here: How To Create An Online Business

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Hey It's Lyman Need A Quick Favor :)

If your wondering if that last email was legit or not it is. I just launched a new business and maybe got a little carried away haha. But I am offering 20% commission to any sales anyone brings me It would really help me out and Can give you some extra money. Feel free to contact me with questions and what not.

Again the site is http://localtized.com I did design and build the site (Me Lyman)

Hey It's Lyman Need A Quick Favor :)

I've got a 30-second favor I need to ask you for.

As you might know I'm a local online marketing consultant and launched my new site/business http://localtized.com

I'm helping business owners make sure their prospective customers can find them when they go looking online.

As you know, the best clients are always the ones where there's already some sort of connection – that goes a long way toward building trust and making an initial contact easier.

So here's the favor...

Who are 3 or more people you know that have a local business and would like it to be more successful?

For example...

Dentists

Chiropractors

Electricians

Heating and A/C Companies

Attorneys

Plumbers

Or any kind of business serving their local area.

What I'd like to do is provide them with a free, comprehensive analysis and consultation of their online marketing efforts.

It will show them where they are now with their website, where potential customers are looking for what they offer online, the steps they can take to reach their potential customers online, and help them discover how much untapped, new-found business is out there looking for them on the internet.

Normally it's a $497 report and consultation, but because the connection is coming from you, I want to give them something

valuable that they can put to use in their business. And maybe they'll be interested in my services to implement the plan I give them in their report.

Also for any business I close that you reffered I will give you 20% commission of any of my 4 packages I offer.

1st package is $500 so your commission would be $100

2nd package is $600 so your commission would be $120

3rd package is $800 so your commission would be $160

4th package is $1200 so your commission would be $240

feel free to check out my site to learn more about what is offered http://localtized.com

You'll be doing both of us a huge favor!

Just reply back with the name, email, phone number and business name for the business owners you know or you can direct them right to my site.

http://localtized.com

I really appreciate it!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Story Time

Taken at Calera, AL

Monday, May 16, 2011

How To Avoid Being A Lifeless Zombie

As I write this I’m at the age of 23. Each day I look around and see the people around me and wonder what their life is like. Do they do what they love or do they drag through life as a zombie. I don’t know what most people expect from life but what I do expect from myself is to try and make as much of it I can and add as much value that I can.

The Spark That Started It All

Iremember at the end of my 8th grade year I mentally made a decision to change my life. I wanted to make a change because of all the damage, drama, and pain I have experienced that was dragging me down an endless path of destruction and life filled with no fulfillment. My grades before this moment were horrible I barley passed my classes to continue to high school.

I sat in my desk ready to pick my classes for high school. I herd people talking about picking the least difficult classes to make it easy as possible. I didn’t want that for myself. I knew I had to change my thoughts or I was doomed. I decided to take all advanced classes.

That was the day I sparked a new way of thinking. I learned at an early age that in order to be successful in life you have to change your thought process. This new way of thinking allowed me to do and accomplish things that I never once thought I could.

I was a dorky/geeky kid in high school and wanted to join the Marines. I was 17 at the time and everybody told me not to do it or I couldn’t do it. I was determined though. I was not going to let anyone no matter who they were change my mind or what I can or can’t accomplish.

Guess what? I served 6 years in the Marines, traveled the world, trained with different special forces around the world, and got to be part of a Scout Sniper Platoon on my last combat tour.

Thoughts Create Reality

So where am I getting at with all of this? It’s simple! Your thoughts create reality. Don’t live in fear or think negative about yourself or the world around you. You attract and create based off your emotions and thoughts.

Quite living in fear and go out do what you want with your life. Is their something you always wanted to do with your life? A place you always wanted to go? What is stopping you? The answer is fear. You need to take action right now and take charge of you life. It’s your life and destiny, make it what you want it to be.

The Age Old Myth

You know the story where you go to school, get a degree, and life will be grand. Have you noticed lately that more and more college graduates are having a hard time finding a job? It seems the education system is pumping out crap degrees that have very little use in our society. To be honest I bet I could better educate myself than what some people learn in college or other schools.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not condoning to not go to college or saying that it’s a bad choice. You can learn a very important trade or something of great value. What I am saying is that college has turned more into a profit generating system than a educational system.

I did attend college but I realized that it is not for me. I knew that I wanted to be an Entrepreneur. I wanted to take charge of my own life and that is exactly what I did. I know work the hours I want and do what I love at the age of 23. I wake up when I want, work as much as I want to, and I will never do it any other way again.

Don’t Be A Zombie

Do you notice yourself almost brainless in the sense of doing the same thing everyday not getting any fulfillment out of life? It’s ok if you are because their are millions if not billions of people who live this life. simply living their life as zombies. Going to a job they hate coming home to watch TV to only make them more brainless.

It’s not to late to change this. It will be hard but the reward is far greater. Here are some steps to get you on the right track.

Watch less TV
Exercise Weekly
Create Weekly Goals
Eat Healthier Foods
Analyze Your Thoughts
Think Highly Of Yourself
Envision Your Future
Learn A New Skill
Meet New People
Keep Your Mind Open
Travel More
TAKE ACTION

Ican keep going and going and give you a list but the truth is their is no magic list to follow in life that tells you all the steps in being happy in life. That is up to you my friend to WAKE UP and grab life by the horns and show it who’s boss. What do you have to lose? What is the point in living if your afraid to take risks. Think about it if you had only 1 week to live would you be happy what you have accomplished in life so far? If the answer is no then you need to get off YOUR ASS and live.

I hope this blog post helps you realize just how great your life can be if you choose to make it that way. It’s your choice and your destiny. Don’t let others create it for you!

See The Original Here: How To Get The Most Out Of Life

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

How To Properly Utilize Google Places

Google places is where you can manage your business listings in Google maps. You know when you look for a service in your area and you see the maps on top of all the other listings? If you look below I have attached an image that shows an example of a search result of map listings for the phrase "Pizza Atlanta GA" this is just an example to show you. I've highlighted the map listings in YELLOW.

I also want you to notice what I have highlighted in RED. Those are other sites that have reviews of their service. This is an important part in helping you get higher rankings in Google Maps. Google cross references these other sites to see if your business is a good business to list over all the other listings.

How To Optimize Your Google Listing

Whether your an internet marketer trying to help out your clients or you have your own local business. Here are some of the best practices when creating your listing. This is a very important part of your listing. You must fill out your listing with everything that you can. The more you input to your listing the more you will get out of it.

Use keywords in title
Use keywords in category section
Upload Photos & Videos (keyword optimized)
Use a local phone number
Use a local address
Add Hours of Operation
Add payment options

How To Get Your Listing On The First Page

Now that you have your listing all set up we still have some work to do. Making your listing and optimizing it is not always enough to ensure that you appear on the first page. From my experience the two biggest factors that effect your results is CITATIONS and REVIEWS. The first part we are going to talk about is citations. Citations simply are other sites that have your address on them. They could be your website or other websites. The best practice is to have your business listed in as many directories as you possibly can. Here is a list of the Top Ten most important sites to have your business listed.

To get more reviews you need to encourage your customers to leave feedback about your business via through the above websites or directly on your Google Maps listing. The sites I listed above most of them will not only give you a citation but allow your customers to leave feedback. You can write them or send them an email to take a few minutes to leave feedback for your business. [box type="note"]Here is a quick tip on how to get more citations. Add your business info on your own website and when you make blog comments, posts, or forum posts make sure to include your business info as well. In forums you can even use your info in the signature box. You can also make free blog accounts at places like Wordpress, Tumblr, and Blogger. There you can include your business info to get extra citations. [/box]

The Easier Solution!

Do you not want to go through all of that yourself? Does it seem like a complete headache to you? Well if you don't want to go through all of what I listed above you can hire me to do all of it for you! That's right I can do it for you. Why should you let me do it? Because I have gotten over 100 websites on the first page of Google for Maps and organic listings. Don't hesitate feel free to ask me your ?'s on my contact page.

Original Post Here: How To Utilize Google Places

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Lets Have Fun With Science: Portal 2 Review

Originally posted here: Lets Have Fun With Science: Portal 2 Review

First off I have to say Portal 2 was the most fun I have had playing a game in a long time. It seems most games that come out feel and play exactly the same with no real challenge. Portal 2 is not this kind of game.

At first I was a little skeptical of the game I remember playing the first Portal when I had Half Life 2 Which was an amazing game. What I really loved about this game is how it actually requires you to think about the different challenges that come your way. Using the Portal gun never gets old as it allows you to enter the ground at one point and then catapult you to the other side of the map through the other portal.

This game will make you laugh, feel like a genius and wish it would never end. If you have been skeptical of getting this game I highly recommend you get it. I have been playing video games for a very long time and this one will go down as one of my favorites. Check out the video which shows some game play.

I hope you enjoyed the video and no I did not make the video lol. So do yourself a favor and play this game I promise you will not regret it!

Get Portal 2

Friday, April 22, 2011

Cigarette Princess

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Secret Behind Obama

Since I started working from home I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with! I found this film a little while back and it really made me start to think! I didn’t vote for Obama but as you will see in this movie is that he has lied and not kept any of his promises. Feel free to share your opinions in the Comments section.

The Secret Behind Obama

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

How To Create Art On Your iPhone

See Original Post Here:

How To Create Art On Your iPhone

As I watch technology advance it’s allowing everyone to express their own individual creativity. I have been really enjoying creating my own works of art right on my iPhone 4. In this post I’m going to show you some really simple things you can use to create some really cool photos

Tools of The Trade:

ToonPaint

Camera+

Now that you have the right apps lets get started my opening the Camera+ App after you open the app make sure the camera is switched to the view were you can see yourself. Make sure your face takes up most of the frame so you can see more details on your face. Now that you have your picture make sure to click the edit button in the lightbox menu and click the clarity setting. After that make sure you save the image back to your image gallery by clicking the save button.

Now that you have your new image that you took with Camera+ we need to load up the ToonPaint app and load the image. After you load the image we have to adjust the strokes. Feel free to play around to get the look that you want. Once you have the strokes to your liking switch over to the paint feature and select the Auto Color button. This will give a your picture a painting like style. Once you have done this save the image to your photo gallery so we can upload it back to the camera+ app.

Now once you have saved your image we are going to start the Camera+ app up again and upload your new ToonPaint photo into the app to apply effects to it. Once the app is open click the image in the bottom left not the camera button but the one that looks like a flower. From there you can select your new image you just created using ToonPaint. Once it has loaded click the edit button for your photo and go to the effects menu. From here you can see all the different effects you can use to make your photo look awesome

Alright now you’ve done it! You have created a work of art. Now let your creative juices flow and only you are your limit. Here is a final version of the picture

If you liked this make sure to share it with your friends

One Shot One Kill

See the full gallery on Posterous

These are some photos I edited of me when I was in Iraq serving with Scout Snipers.

Dream Journal 1

See the original on my site! http://lifeoflyman.com/dream-journal/dream-journal-1

Memo.m4a Listen on Posterous

Sent from my iPhone

Monday, April 18, 2011

Mobile Art On Your iPhone 4

See the full gallery on Posterous

You don't have to have a decked out computer to make awesome digital art. I created these pictures right on my iPhone 4. All you need is a few Apps and a creative mind set. Coming Soon I'll make some tutorials showing how you can make your own master pieces. Until then let me know what you think of these!

Friday, April 15, 2011

We Live In Dark Times

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It seems there is a darkness that surrounds this world. It will consume you if you are not careful. It's power is suffocating. Only if you choose the light will you be saved.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Marketing Video

via animoto.com

I really love making marketing videos. Video is a great way to capture your customers attention and make them take action.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I'm Feeling A Little Loony

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Sometimes we need to step back from our stressful lives and let the loony side bleed through. Remember life is short and we need to make it as fun as possible!