Last week, we started this series where Marketers share their pets.

• Terry Dean shared his handsome boys with us.
• Connie Green introduced us to her crew.
• Susanne Myers shared her wild kitty.

Today, we have David Perdew on deck to share his furry family members with us.

Show Me Your Pets!

Be sure to comment so he feels the love.

David Perdew of NAMS says:

You know, I was afraid of dogs until I was about 37 because I got bit when I was 9. Any barking dog just freaked me out.

At 37, I got a girlfriend who lived in SoHo in NYC and her dog – a beautiful Vizsla (think red Weimaraner), acted like it was going to eat me alive. But she was my girlfriend and I had to get over it.

I did. I fell in love with that dog. After the girlfriend and I parted ways, I was no longer afraid of dogs, and missed that Vizsla tremendously.

I've had several dogs since. Many I've inherited, but some were my own like Lila and Luann.

Those two pups (Lila is the black and grey and Luann is the black and tan) are dear to me.

Lila argues with me about bedtime and whether she's had her treat limit for the day or not. Luann does whatever you ask her to do. If I tap my lap, she hoists all 45 pounds up there like she's a real lapdog. Lila, quick to jealousy, comes over and pulls her tail, legs and ears.

They all like to hug.

But the funniest thing is the way the cat (Lois – yes, we like “L” names) has trained them to leave her alone. If they walk to close to her, she boxes at their tales until they scoot out of distance. Sometimes though, I've caught Lila and Lois sleeping snuggled together on the couch.

Since we don't have any kids at home any longer, we dote on these animals.

In the picture attached, they all three “sit” for a bite of left over pizza crust as Charlsa shares.

Be sure to sign up here for David’s Weekly FREE Webinars. (They’re good stuff.)

I hope you’re enjoying seeing our babies! I sure am.

Be sure to give a shout out to David to thank him for stopping by.

Coming up on tomorrow, you’ll see another one. Make sure you're signed up for updates so you don't miss a thing.

Have a beautiful day.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. I’ve been working on my Facebook Page and am spending more time there. Come on by and chat. Nicole Dean on Facebook.

I was shopping at PetSmart the other day (one of my favorite places to spend money in the entire world) — and I was grabbing some dog food. My two big boys eat like horses.

Anyway, I saw these bags of dog food and there is one word on there that stopped me in my tracks. See it?

“LONGEVITY”

As someone who has recently lost a very beloved pet – this marketing hit me in the gut.

I looked at the other bags for “Healthy Coat” or “Weight Management” or “Smart Puppy” or “Large Breed” or “Toy Breed” and it was interesting to me what the manufacturers and marketers deemed important on each bag. I could have studied those things for hours.

But, I do have to say that “Longevity” is a benefit that most pet owners – at least of adult dogs – all think about. And, there's actually guilt involved in buying a food that isn't longevity. Talk about emotion-based marketing. I guess the inevitable question they want you to ask yourself is “If I don't buy longevity food, then … what?”

Thoughts? Let me know what you think!
N

If you'd like to give me your feedback, you can here: Please Help Me to Best Serve You!

I've gotten over 70 responses so far and one of the common trends I'm seeing is a level of frustration. Basically “Stop telling me what to do and tell me what YOU do.”

I understand. It has to do with both Credibility and Trust.

I also got questions about “Do you REALLY make a sustainable income online?” I don' t know if you're asking about me, specifically or if it's possible.  I don't normally share numbers, simply because I was raised to be private about money, I don't really want to tick off the FTC, and because I figure I'll be real and you'll see the truth, as opposed to those who are talking out of their ears.

However, I also realize that's a leap of faith that I'm asking for.

Here's the scoop.

• Yes, I make over six figures online.
• Yes, I can send an email and make several thousand dollars if it's the right offer. (And, sometimes they just bomb. lol!)
• Yes, I consistently make money in niches OTHER than Internet Marketing. I don't just sell “how to  make money online” stuff. I started in other niches and still “play” there to make sure anything I teach works across the board for all niches.
• Yes, my ONLY source of income for my family is my business.
• Yes, both my husband and my mother work for/with me.
• Yes, I can have the heat pump break, have a new one installed and pay cash.
• Yes, I'm debt free.

My life is pretty wonderful.

• No, I don't own a Ferrari.
• No, I don't have a million dollars in cash laying around.
• No, I don't have a vacation home in Hawaii.
• No, I don't own a private jet.

I hope that helps clear that up.

So, back on that note — here's  exactly what I've done today. This is not an “average” day as there is no such thing in my life. I have  kids, dogs, a marriage, and a business. There is no “normal”. And, my to do list may not match yours.

However, in all transparency, here's my day as of 12:45 as I'm about to have lunch…

1. Got up, felt stuffy from allergies. Took two Benadryls.

2. Realized I probably shouldn't have taken 2 Benadryls when my fingers started to feel fuzzy.

3. Sat at my desk with coffee and decided to work anyway and hope for the best.

4. Checked on an issue for an affiliate promo that I wanted to send today to see if I had the all clear. Got the all clear. Things are apparently working now.

5. Checked on the mailing that I'd written yesterday (for today) to see if it was helpful, useful, and valuable to still send to my readers. Sent email to my EasyPLR.com leads list and then to my customer list. (30 minutes)

6. Dealt with puppies, kids, etc. Made sure everyone was fed and dogs had been let out, kids were doing chores, etc. (an hour)

7. Checked Twitter to see if all was well there. Retweeted a few people. Responded to a few people. (10 minutes.)

8. Purchased 6 solo ads for next year. (5 minutes).

9. Tweaked & wrote copy for 6 solo ads and sent it to list owner. (30 minutes)

10. Updated my bio for the new NAMS sales page to explain who I am and what I'll be talking about for my presentation. (15 minutes)

11. Checked on Emails and dealt with a few issues. Set some emails aside to think on them, and ignored some figuring they'll either work themselves out or go away on their own.

12. Pondered the answers I got from the questionnaire and decided to think on them for a bit.

13. Got email from my VA that I only had one response for Expert Briefs this week, so I resent the email to my group there to see if anyone else wanted to contribute.

14. Loaded up some audios on my mp3 player so I can listen if I do housework later.

15. Wrote this blog post.

On a usual day, I'll do a variety of things, but across a week's time things average out more. I normally make progress on the following things –

• Do something for my lists.
• Write something on my blog.
• Fit in some form of marketing (interviews, videos, article marketing, etc.)
• Tackle something for product creation.

Well, time for me to have lunch, go to a movie and do some housework – and hopefully kick these allergies.

Let me know how your day went. I'd love to hear from you.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

Recommended: If you'd like to peek inside the activities of other successful online business owners, you're in luck.

Two of my friends have private newsletters where they show you *exactly* what is working in their businesses every month.  And, you can get either of them – cheap.

But, they aren't for  absolute beginners – so only look if you consider yourself beyond the “newbie” stage.

Here they are – and I recommend them BOTH highly. Choose the one that connects more with you.

• Melissa Ingold's Private Newsletter. – Includes planning sheets, audios, and all kinds of cool stuff. Melissa really focuses on infoproducts.
• Tony Shepherd's Private Newsletter. – Includes a monthly report. Tony is no-nonsense and a little on the guerrilla marketing side of things. I pay for his newsletter and it's pretty cool, advanced stuff.

Thanks for reading!

Yes, wigs for pets. And, not just for balding cats or dogs, either. These are just for stylin' and looking cute.

It started like this – a simple Twitter from Traci Knoppe:

I quickly ran off to do a little research and found this website that offers wigs for dogs:

And, THEN of course I had to see if it was just dog owners that were nuts or if it spread across to cat owners.

Yes, cat wigs are for sale, too.

I hunted for Bird Wigs and Fish Wigs, but I couldn't find any.

As for business lessons –

1. I was very happy that each website stuck to their own niche, rather than having a line for ALL pets. That makes each site even more special in my opinion. Niche down and KNOW your market. A dog fanatic might not want to land on a store where there are pictures of cats and vice versa.

2. People WILL spend money on unusual items.

3. I LOVE the “make your own ecards” on the cat site. http://www.kittywigs.com/sendcard/index.php

4. NICE job with the Iphones app, kitty wigs site: http://www.kittywigs.com/app.html

5. Bravo on packaging Kitty Wigs! http://www.kittywigs.com/package.html

6. Kitty Wigs also has a book which is a great way to get media exposure to their online storefront.

Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs

7. I like how the owners of Wiggles Dog Wigs include sizing information and care/washing of the wig. SMART way to lessen customer refunds.

8. The owner of Wiggles Dog Wigs was able to get on Letterman by taking a niche, and tweaking it for a new market. See? And, having a sense of humor helps you do WELL on Letterman. She's awfully cute, isn't she? And, so are the dogs.

It looks like cats aren't quite as agreeable:

Where their online businesses could be improved?

1. No affiliate program. Rats!

2. More user-generated content & photos & stories.

3. A calendar would be adorable. I'd buy one.

4. Generate posters and items using photos of the animals using the product. Like the “Make your Own Demotivator” posters here: http://diy2.despair.com/

And, of course, thanks for reading. I hope that I made you smile.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Now, before I get too far into this, I do need to disclose that I am a total softie when it comes to dogs. In fact, I have two of my own:

This is Einstein.

And, this is Captain Eddy (aka Edison). I don't have a more recent photo as he's terrified of cameras. (I have crazy dogs.)

I also seem to attract ever stray dog in the neighboring county. They come right to my front door and sit and wait until we open the door. What is up with that? We even have repeat strays who find us multiple times. (I put their owners' contact info in my cell phone so I don't have to keep looking it up.) We just figure our organic dog food tastes better — or they miss playing with Einstein and Eddy so come to visit their friends. 

ok. ((rubbing hands together)) With that disclaimer out there, let's get into this week's Weird Niche Wednesday!

This niche is just cool.

What is it?

Doggie Eye wear!

Now, at first when I got to this website, I thought “These people are WACKED!” Because I just saw dogs in googles. Now, while Eddie won't get into the pool to save his life, my Einstein is a real swimmer. (In fact, he's neurotic about it and wants to be in the water alllll the time.) Einstein only has three thoughts “food”, “ball” and “swim”. He loses his MIND when we let him by the pool. I'm afraid if we lived on a lake, he'd give up sleep just to swim.

But, he doesn't seem to mind getting water in his eyes.

So, the Doggles didn't make sense to me at all.

Of course, I have to give you guys the whole scoop if I'm going to dish a site on Weird Niche Wednesdays, so here's the story. The doggles aren't just cute, but they are functional as well – preventing foreign objects from getting into the dogs' eyes in certain situations. They can also help with dogs that have light sensitivities to lessen the sunlight and glare.

Plus, look at these sweet babies! http://www.doggles.com/doggles.html

I wasn't fully convinced, until I got to this:

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy, we were one of the few companies that the
ASPCA contacted directly for protective gear for the Search and Rescue Dogs.

” You [will] be relieving unnecessary suffering of the dogs, and … facilitat[ing] this rescue effort.”

– ok. I give. I give. Doggles is a weird, but wonderful niche.

Now, looking at their website, there are a few things they're doing right, but a lot of things they could be doing much much better.

I love that they showcase their media exposure on the main page of the site “As featured on CNN, People, National Geographic, etc.” which adds a lot of instant credibility to a niche where you need to train people of the value of your product and why you need it before they'll buy.

They also have a number of testimonials on the site. I wish they'd have photos with them as well as video clips to make them more believable, but at least they're there.

They have an “about us” page which is good, but they don't have a story that draws you in and makes you want to shop there, unlike some of the other sites I've featured on my blog.

Also, as anyone with an ecommerce site knows, a phone number is critical to developing trust. While they do list a phone number and mailing address on their contact page, it isn't displayed prominently on the site.

Now, the product is good, but a bit of copywriting and some strategic positioning could do a lot to really explode this company's profits. Does anyone else have ideas? I have a bunch more but I love to hear from you, too.

Thanks for reading!

Nicole

So, what's so weird about bread? Well, uh, you'll have to see this to believe it.

Warning: Don't look if you have little kids around. It's pretty gruesome.

When you go to this page, remember you're looking at BREAD! The bread is made with nuts and raisins and is decorated to look like body parts and dead people. However, it is just bread.

I'll never do this justice with words, so here's the link: Human Bread

Now that you've seen it with your own two raisins… uh, I mean eyes… you can see what made this qualify as a weird niche.

Lessons for your own Business

Here's the deal. When you take something common and make it unique, you can come up with something really cool, or really disturbing. This weird niche is somewhere between the two.

So, what are the lessons here? Look around at the things we all take for granted. Can you make them more unique? More interesting? I mean, this guy has people blogging about him all over the world and is included in a tour of Bangkok — and he's just making bread.

How can you make yourself more unique? Are you an average baker who gets no press or free exposure? Or are you someone who pushes the boundaries a bit and draws attention? I know, at times, we all feel lost in the crowd. So, how can you make yourself stand apart from the masses? What makes YOU unique? While I don't recommend going the gruesome route, I do recommend that you allow yourself to be you and to shine.

Of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this weird niche. And, I'll be back soon with more!

Warmly,
Nicole

So here we go. I've already got the next few months ready to roll. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be to find odd-ball niches. Either that or I'm very easily entertained?

In my original “Weird Niches” post, I mentioned Pet Strollers. I guess I was raised that you walk the dog the old fashioned way — with a leash. Call me old-fashioned, but my cats never warmed up to riding around in my little red wagon (or going on walks in my backpack), so I never considered zipping them into a stroller. Go figure.

Today, I found the exact opposite end of the spectrum. Instead of animals that are pushed around in strollers — these dogs are put on treadmills for exercise.

Again, what ever happened to taking them to the beach or park and throwing a ball? Or taking them on a run outside? I know, sometimes the owners aren't lazy, but there are medical/health reasons why they can't take a dog on a walk, so I won't judge.

Also, in the name of full disclosure, when I was a kid, I had a very fat cat that I loved more than anything. I put her on the treadmill all the time. She didn't love it. (Surprise, surprise.) I also used to tie a belt around her and try to take her for walks (drags) down the road. Oh, what I did for love…

I must say that this is a very inventive niche. Instead of creating a treadmill site for humans, they put their thinking caps on and reinvented the market.

Dog Treadmills

Clever? Yes. Marketable? I have no idea if these are selling or not.

Either way, I must say that this wins the Weird Niche Wednesday Award this week.

Einstein and Eddy (my 2 puppies) salute you for trying to keep dogs healthy and fit!

Have a great week!
Nicole