This week I asked our panel of experts…

Do you partner in your business – like long-term JVs?

If so, any horror stories or tips for success?

Let me have it.

I think you'll enjoy the responses.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

I had partners during the years I worked in real estate, but now I prefer to only get involved in joint ventures. I define a JV as a business relationship based on a specific project, with a definite start and end date.

These have worked out extremely well for me and I continue to look for new joint venture partners as my business grows.

Want to see One of Connie's Recent JVs?

click here to check it out

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

Christine Cobb and I have a site we co-own. We started it back in 2010 and have really enjoyed working with one another. It's great to have someone to brainstorm with (not just about our joint site) and to do the things I don't like/want to do.

One of the things that plays a big role in Christine and I getting along so well is that we bring different strengths to the business relationship. What she's good at, I stink at and vice versa We each have something valuable to contribute. We also both have thick skin.

If she doesn't care for something I've written or doesn't think it will work, she tells me. (Politely.) If I'm not big on the way she has something set up to operate, I let her know. (Gently.) There's a great deal of mutual respect involved.

I have been involved in other short-term JV relationships where the other party didn't do hardly anything she was supposed to. It's no fun to be stuck holding the bag and having to do everything yourself. Later, that person expected to be paid for doing nothing.

I think the moral of the story is to know (or get to know) the person you're about to partner with. Make sure you are compatible with your personalities, talents, skills and work ethics or it could turn out to be a situation you wish you would have avoided.

Want to see Karon's JV with Christine Cobb?

 Just Click here

Barb Ling of Social Curation Ignition says:

Nope!

Barb is brilliant in so many ways.

You can peek inside her brain in her Social Curation Ignition course (click for details).

Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing says:

Absolutely, without my partners I have no idea where I'd be.

I've been enormously blessed with great partners. There are many aspects to a partnership dynamic but for me, the biggest thing is honesty. Not just being truthful, but being forthright – even when it is painful.

Years ago, while we were all together in a project, Kelly McCausey and Alice Seba sat me down to discuss my performance on a presentation I'd just given. It was awful. Both the presentation and the meeting after.

In the end, it only made me respect and value them so much more; Knowing they'd give me the truth whether it is what I want to hear or not. In return, I'm prepared to give the partnership 100% when working on my portion of things.

Want to See One of Lynette's Partnerships?

Check out WordPress Plugins you Can Sell

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

I don't do very many long-term partnerships, because I was burned early on in a few.

One of my ongoing ones has been with Glenn Livingston. It has been awesome. There are two big tips I could give here.

1. Only partner with someone you'd trust with the keys to your house.

The best quality of a good partner is someone you can trust. I'll often do short-term partnerships first and those eventually morph into longer run deals as the trust is built up over time. Even the best contracts won't make a dishonest person someone you want to deal with.

2. Partner with someone who adds value to your life.

One of the projects Glenn Livingston and I did came together because I mentioned that if someone combined Glenn's research skills with my copywriting skills, they'd be downright dangerous. We created the Total Conversion Code together.

It was very profitable for both of us, but what was even more valuable was the skills we both picked up in the process. Both of us have become conversion experts from filling in our weak links.

Click here to Check out Terry’s Mentoring Club

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I've no horror stories and after all these years and the different projects I've partnered on, that's a blessing. I've never been horribly let down, stiffed financially or left holding the bag. I have good relationships with every person I've ever partnered with… in fact, I'd partner with any one of them again if the right project presented itself.

I like that my main business is just me. I'm independent and enjoy working on my own most of the time, but, I love to have side-gig partnerships going on around me too.

A few reasons why:

* I feel more driven to meet deadlines when a partner is waiting on me.
* I'm always learning something new from one of my partners.
* My partners introduce me to cool new people I might not have met on my own.
* Partners can cover for each other when life gets crazy.

And hey, sometimes it's just plain more fun to work with other people.

My partnering success tip would be to be open to your partners' ideas.

If you take on a partner, but then want to keep doing everything the way you've always done it – you're missing out and probably will end up frustrating the other person. Partnerships are amazing opportunities to try new things so shake off the same old attitudes and go for it.

Want to See One of Kelly's Partnerships?

Check out SoloMasterminds

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I have had a lot of partnerships over the years. Just counting quickly I can think of 10 different people who I’ve partnered with over the years.

• Some of my partnerships have been AWESOME.
• Most have been positive.
• A few have not. (I have several grey hairs from one partnership that went south.)

A few years ago, I was much more open to partnerships.

While I am still open to a win-win (or I’d be silly not to be), I’m definitely more hesitant to get into a partnership now than I have been in the past. If I have an idea for a project, I’d usually just create it myself, use my own team, and/or get an intern to help. That way it’s part of my core business.

The number one thing I look for in the people who I want to work closely with?

Well, there are several, but the one thing that is absolutely a must-have is someone who has proven to show respect. (Sing it Aretha! R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to ME!)

I always tell my kids that the one thing in life you have to learn is respect.

• Respect for yourself, including your health and wellbeing and your future.
• Respect for others, including their feelings.
• Respect for property, both our own and others.
• Respect for the environment.

Just respect.

Anyone I’d partner with would have to show respect for themselves, respect in their business, respect to customers by providing quality (no shortcuts), respect to others in their field, and respect to me. It’s kind of a broad answer, but it’s just an overall feeling you get when you meet someone. If they are backstabbing people or putting out shoddy products, I don’t really want to be associated with them. If they aren’t showing me respect, before we even partner, then I just can’t partner with them.

A business partnership (or even hiring someone) is very much like a marriage in many ways. If the trust gets lost… it’s very very hard to ever get it back. If there’s an uneven feeling in the relationship or one person feels the other isn’t treating her or their business with respect, then it’s never going to feel “right”.

Examples?

As for right now, I'm only in a few long-term partnerships.

My most active JV's at the moment are –

• CoachGlue.com – a project that I created with my good friend, Melissa Ingold, and I'm really excited about it.
• MomWebs.com – a web hosting company that I co-CEO with Kelly McCausey that specializes in helping moms get their blogs online to share their message with the masses.

What about You?

Talk to me. Any tips for my readers? I would love to hear what you think about partnering.

Warmly and with big hugs.
Nicole Dean

PS. Remember, the best way to ensure I get awesome peeps to contribute to Expert Briefs is if you go check out their stuff.

Here's a recap of the JV Examples in this post.

What a wide variety of ways we are all partnering. From software to web hosting to templates. Cool stuff.

• Connie's JV
• Karon's JV
• Lynette's JV
• Kelly's JV
• Nicole's JV #1
• Nicole's JV #2

This week I asked our panel of experts about improving ourselves.

After my podcast with Justin Popovic, I got to thinking about some ways that I want to “better my brain”.

So, how about you, my successful friends? Are you learning a second, or fifth language? Do you read self-improvement stuff?

Dish it. Inquiring minds want to know.

I think you'll enjoy the responses. I always do.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

I love self-improvement and look for every chance to improve my brain. Some of what I do is a conscious effort on my part and some of it is simply spontaneous.

Last year I decided it was finally time to learn Finnish. I had been spending time there (in Finland) for almost twenty years without learning more than a few phrases. I now practice almost every day in the car or at home, and I can speak more than I ever thought I would be able to. It's fun to surprise my family with phrases such as “Mikä tapahtuu?” (What's happening?) or “Haluan jäätelöä jälkiruoaksi.” (I want ice cream for dessert.)

I also spend time each morning in quiet contemplation. Some people call this meditation, but I just think of it as my ‘quiet time' to gather my thoughts before I start my day.

Connie knows Affiliate Marketing!

click here to learn her secrets
(use coupon SECRET) for 100% discount on this product that normally sells for $27

Kevin Riley of Maximize Your E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013  says:

Well, first off, I moved to Japan 16 years ago – knowing only “arigatou”, “konichiwa”, and “wakarimasen” from having watched James Clavell's “Shogun”. The first year was a definite struggle, as I had no time to study and just learned from non-English-speaking carpenters. Now, I speak in a local dialect, read all hiragana and katakana, and a lot of kanji. It was a difficult learning experience, but massively rewarding.

I've treated my whole life as one long learning experience, so I'm continually learning new things. As someone who creates and sells products on the Internet, keeping up with the changing technologies and new sites, software, etc. is a never-ending exercise. I'm continually learning some new software or other tool I can use. Recently, I decided to learn how to use Animate to create animated videos, and had my local Kinko's (yes, we have one in Osaka too) print out the massive manual.

I maintain a subscription to National Geographic, as I value the ability to keep learning about new places, cultures, habitats, animal behaviours, etc. etc. I'm continually finding new things that make this world we live in such an amazing place.

Life is a learning experience. Walking down a street in Osaka, I'll see new things every day. It's all about being conscious of your surroundings. One reason I never walk with an iPod (that's just for at the gym).

You can learn about email marketing from
Kevin here ->  Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

I've fallen in love with listening to podcasts that feature successful people, whether they are a success in business or in sports or life as a whole. I love hearing them talk about their experiences, especially their mistakes and the lessons learned.

Lately I've been picking up Kindle books that will challenge my point of view. You know we have a tendency to only read things and listen to things that will support our current opinion, right? Right now I'm reading a book that challenges everyone's point of view in one way or another. ‘Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave‘ points out how we are influenced by things (colors, symbols, cultural ideas) we're not aware of.

Finally, I have dedicated the first part of my day to Bible study. I pick up a new devotional every few months and study it through to the end, trying to pull every good thing I can from its pages. Some of them challenge my historical knowledge, while others challenge me on a personal level.

Being challenged in life is what keeps our lives (and us!) interesting. I hope I never shrink away from it.

Need Focus?

Check out The Power of a Focused Business

Barb Ling of Social Curation Ignition says:

Not reading but *massive* research – seeing how the world outside of IM views the same “in the trenches” marketing techniques we tackle every day.

It's *extremely* eyeopening….

Barb thinks differently than anyone I've ever met.

You can peek inside her brain in her Social Curation Ignition course (click for details).

Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing says:

As part of our curriculum, my daughter wants to learn Mandarin. I speak other Chinese dialects but not Mandarin – the most important one and so, I've promised her we'd learn together this school year. That's going to be interesting.

I've also been spending a lot of time lately exploring hard sciences related to evolution and creation. It's amazing what has been learned on both sides in the last 100 years or so. Some of it is mind boggling and a little over my head but that just makes all this stuff so intriguing.

On the business related side, normally I tend to choose self-help books but more and more, I find myself wrapped up in books about behavioral economics and psychology. Truly fascinating stuff.

Here's the funny thing about learning all this stuff. The more I do it, the more content ideas tend to pop up.

Want techie help?

Check out Lynette

Debbie Drum of Turn ONE PIECE OF CONTENT into 21 Sources of Income says:

Focusing On Speed.

There’s always room for improvement. No matter how old you are, you can always try to get better at something.

It has been quite a while since I learned to read. I have fond memories of reading out loud to my mom at the kitchen table as she cleaned the dishes after dinner. Unfortunately, I was never taught to read properly. I was taught to read one word at a time which is completely wrong. The end results is slow reading and slow reading leads to lack of attention which leads to wasting time because you are not comprehending what you are reading!!

I consider myself more of a visual and audio learner. That’s how I learn the quickest. But, there are times that I need to read things and I want to interpret faster and get through it faster….so I am focusing on getting better at this skill.

I started with 1) Cool Technology and 2) Free!

I downloaded an app called Acceleread Speed Reading Trainer. I’ve only just begun but it describes the exact reason people read slow and it also tells you that you CAN GET BETTER just with a little unlearning and practice.

The app has an entire day by day course for you to learn the skills to become a faster reader. At first, it is pretty crazy. The main mind shift is to start to group words together and read and interpret (and visualize) groups of words as opposed to the individual words on the screen. I am absolutely having a blast and I know that this is going to make me a faster reader.

Another cool and free tool I am using is Lumosity. You can play it on the computer as well as download the app. Lumosity is filled with games designed to better your brain as far as analytical skills, problem solving, think better on your feet, concentration, and memory.

I like this app because you can’t get sucked into playing it all day. They open only a certain amount of games per day to make your brain stronger and that’s all you need! It’s perfect.

I love these tools because you can use them anywhere – standing in line at the bank, waiting for someone you are picking up, and a little downtime if you need a break. Instead of wasting time on Facebook, better your brain because it will pay off!

Meet Debbie. (She's really smart!)

Check out how to

Turn ONE PIECE OF CONTENT into 21 Sources of Income

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Well now I'm really inspired. And, a little bit embarrassed that I didn't have a good answer planned.

Here's what I've been up to. It's nothing revolutionary, but small baby steps in the right direction. I hope they add up over time.

1. Got apps? Si!

I decided to relearn Spanish, which I used to be conversant in (not fluent, but able to communicate). In order to do that, one of the things that I did was to download some iPhone apps that have games on them for Spanish vocabulary.

The one I'm using the most is “Basic Spanish” but I also have been using “Duolingo”, too.

I'm also considering getting another program to go through. My daughter is starting Spanish classes at school, so the time is right. Anyone got recommendations? I see there are lots of options and strong opinions on many of them.

2. Exercising my Brain.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm also enjoying Lumosity.com – which is a brain training program. I’m doing it, along with my kids and we’re competing by score. I'm pretty impressed at our progress. My memory has improved tremendously already.

3. Learning in the car and at the gym.

I've signed up with Audible.com to listen to books in the car and at the gym (on my phone). I've also got several new podcasts to listen to, but I just can't get into them as much. I prefer the structure of books better than the freeflow of podcasts.  The other thing I regularly listen to is the CDs that come in my Success Magazines – which I just love.

What about You?

Got tips? I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Best of luck.
Nicole

As you may know, I just returned from my annual off-the-grid time this summer.

So, I'll ask all of the Experts this question.

“If you could only work an hour every day and needed to continue to make the most money possible, what would your schedule look like?”

I think you will like their answers.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Case Studies says:

If I only had an hour available to work each day, it would be spent on writing a blog post and an email message to my list. I actually do this for several weeks each summer while I am visiting family in Finland. They want me to spend every minute with them, so I get up an hour early and work on a new blog post and send out an email.

This strategy works extremely well for me, at least for three or four weeks at a time. It motivates me to be as productive as possible during my hour each day, and it also forces me to step away from my business to rethink everything I am doing. When I return to a full time schedule, which is three to four hours each day, I am refreshed and have more ideas than ever.

Connie knows Affiliate Marketing!

click here to learn her secrets
(use coupon SECRET) for 100% discount on this product that normally sells for $27

Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

With only one hour per day to make money, I would rotate between consulting clients and hosting webinars for two reasons.

First, it makes me a lot of money fast.

Second, I *really* love doing both!

I get a big kick out of consulting with companies and watching the results after they've implemented a plan of action we've created together. Whether it's working out the details of landing page campaigns, strategizing copywriting for a website or email blast, or coming up with new online marketing ideas that can help companies get the word out… it's all a blast!

Teaching is a big passion so, naturally, webinars fall right in line with that. I love making complicated things simple and showing people how to breakthrough on processes. And, when working with the right JV partner, webinars can produce a bunch ‘o bucks fast with great residual income, too.

When you think Copywriting, you think of Karon.
Check out her Step-by-Step Copywriting Course if you want to ramp up your skills.

Kevin Riley of Maximize Your E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013  says:

I like to go for long holidays – often in Europe. This autumn, Rieko and I will be spending 3 weeks in a chalet in my hometown in Switzerland, 2 nights in Geneva, and 4 nights in Helsinki.

Now, when at the chalet (or even in a hotel) I'll often work for an hour. What I do is, I get up early in the morning, make myself a good cup of coffee, and then sit at the table in the chalet (which has a wonderful view up the valley and you can see the sun hitting the peaks and then slowly coming down the mountain to the valley – priceless beauty that I enjoy while working). For about an hour (I never set a rigid schedule on holidays) I have a quiet time to do some work – usually writing content for a new product or website.

How would I roll this over into everyday life, if I could only work 1 hour all the time? I'd make sure that the 1 hour was 100% uninterrupted – no Facebook, etc. I'd spend the first 10 minutes taking care of any customer service needs (I get only a few e-mails requiring an answer or a solution, as I sell info products and they need minimal tech support). Then, I'd do only productive, move-my-business-forward work (see next paragraph).

To ensure my remaining 50 minutes are pure productivity, I'd sit down for a few minutes the night before (I do this anyways) and make a ToDo list of 5 important tasks to do the next day. Having a ToDo list that you created the night before makes sure you don't waste a minute of time thinking “Now, what is it I need to get done?” or wasting your time on non-essential work. Every task on this list must be something that moves your business forward – product creation, marketing, etc.

You can learn about email marketing from
Kevin here ->  Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013

Terry Dean of Monthly Mentor Club says:

While I normally take off several days a week right now, I’m going to assume I’m allowed 7 one hour days for the challenge.

First of all, I get to cheat a little.

The absolute essential for bringing in the most money possible is email. It has the highest return-on-investment.

Since I’ve written emails for over a decade, I’d spend the first 7 hours going through all my old emails and collecting them together in a long set-and-forget autoresponder sequence.

That’s priority #1. If you have a list and you’ve been sending any type of regular emails, you can also take advantage of this. Have you been going back through your mailings and reloading your successful emails as autoresponders?

Once the autoresponder sequence is together, I can invest the rest of my time in driving traffic to my list. With limited time, I’d stick to paid advertising.

This would vary by the market you’re in, but for me right now this likely means Facebook ads and Pay-Per-View ads. Six hours a week would go to setting up, optimizing, and tracking the ads.

Here’s the most basic formula for Internet Lifestyle Freedom:

Step 1: Target buying traffic.
Step 2: Get them on a list.
Step 3: Send offers.

The autoresponder takes care of the offers. Step 1 and 2 would be tapping into paid advertising and getting them on a list. The ads would be going directly to my squeeze page where visitors enter their email address to join the list.

Everything else such as customer support and anything technical would be outsourced. Even new products would have to be 100% outsourced. The final hour would be on checking on all the outsourced tasks.

Very simple system for a limited time frame.

You may not have the advantage of all those emails to load on autoresponder.

In that situation, I’d invest almost half my time or 3 hours a week in creating emails.

The next 3 hours would be spent optimizing and tracking just ONE paid traffic source. No way there’s enough time to work with more than one on that limited schedule.

The final hour still goes to checking on the outsourced activities.

This question forces you to focus on the 80/20 of your business. What’s absolutely essential? And where is your greatest return on investment?

Click here to Check out Terry’s Mentoring Club

Barb Ling of Social Curation Ignition says:

Grow my email marketing for both my affiliates and my own products as well. Plan out a month-long membership/continuity product and work my earlobes off getting that off the ground; recurring payments are key.

So…I'd give myself 10 minutes to socially network, 20 minutes to schedule email marketing and 30 for new product every day.

Barb thinks differently than anyone I've ever met.

You can peek inside her brain in her Social Curation Ignition course (click for details).

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Well, you know that I have an answer here, since this is what I have been up to lately. 

Like my friends, I focused on money-making activities – and I outsourced anything humanly possible to hire out.

That left me to do just a few things.

1. Check in with my Project Manager regularly.

2. Write my mailings.

3. Release some offers that I had ready.

4. Announce a few blog posts that were scheduled after they posted.

BUT — The important thing to note is that every day, in every way possible, I focus on building my recurring and passive income streams. So, my funnels are all built around long-term growth, not just spikes. That means that my income does not dip very much at all if I choose not to work for a few weeks. The base income stays pretty steady – so I don't have to sweat it as much as some might.

So what about you?

If you only had an  hour a day to work, what would you focus your time on?

Talk so me.

Best of luck.
Nicole

PS. Be sure to check out my friends so I can keep them contributing.

• Connie Green
• Karon Thackston
• Kevin Riley
• Terry Dean
• Barb Ling