Lively Biz For Lifestyle Entrepreneurs With Alicia Forest

It seems that, at least in the US, the holiday season starts earlier and earlier, with Christmas cards taking over most of the card section of any store right after Halloween (if not before!). And while it bugs me to hear holiday music over the store speakers while I'm shopping for my kids' Halloween costume (because by the time Santa does visit, I'm quite tired of dreaming of a "White Christmas"), as far as planning on how to market for and during the holiday season for my business, it's almost never too early.

Writing valuable content-rich articles for your target market and submitting them to article directories and other publishers is one of the best ways to market your business, become known as an expert in your field, and add subscribers to your list. For example, if you regularly write an article for your ezine, you can get a lot more mileage out of it if you submit it to article directories and other online publishing services. And making every piece you write work more than once for you is one way to work smarter and not harder. That's called leverage.

About 3 years ago, I was driving around running errands, and I tuned into a local radio station that was hosting a radio-thon to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. When the DJ said, "Think about what your healthy child is doing right now, playing, having a snack, whatever... and then think of the kids at St. Jude" - well, I couldn't pull over fast enough to whip out my wallet and cell phone.

Whether you're publishing an ezine, sending an ecourse, posting to a blog, or building an email list of clients and customers in another format, there are a few things you need to know to make sure that you're complying with the legal aspects of sending email as well as for making your list-building efforts that much more effective.

Are there ezines that you receive that you just can't wait to read? I know I have 3 or 4 that I read as soon as they hit my inbox, and others that I print and put in my "reading box" next to my desk.

Just like writing a sales page for your product, program or service, writing successful email promotions can be easier than you think. There's a science to it, more than an art, and to get you started, I'd like to share a tested formula for you to follow.

Now that the fall is upon us, I'm already gearing up for 2011 - planning, organizing, strategizing, visioning, and more. There are many transitions and transformations on the horizon for me and my business, and much to do to prepare for them, so I'm making space and opening the flow.

Here's a question I get asked all the time: "I don't know you how do it, Alicia...with two little ones to care for and so few hours in the day to actually focus on your work. Somehow you manage to write your weekly ezine, hold a bunch of teleseminars each month, run your group and private coaching programs, AND be creating and promoting new offers and new products all the time. I'm so impressed and inspired by you, but more than that, I want to know how you do it all!?"

Want to encourage people on your email list to buy one (or more) of your products or programs sooner than later? Have a sale! The following are 7 ways that you can provide value to your potential clients/customers and still bring in a profit for you at the same time.

As I'm wrapping up a slew of private retreats with my clients this month, it's become clear that it's time for me to get focused on practicing what I've been preaching - or more specifically, to put myself through the same intense process and plan that I take my clients through.

I was one of those online business owners who was hesitant to add an affiliate program to my business-building efforts. But once my clients and customers starting asking me if I had one that they could join, I knew it was time to bite the bullet and conquer this particular piece of technology.

Have things slowed down for your business now that the warmer months are upon us and people are on vacation or otherwise taking a break from their usual routines? Use this downtime to focus on getting your business ready to rock for the fall by implementing some of the 8 ideas below.

Have you been thinking about offering a teleseminar, webinar, or live workshop, because you know that it will increase your list numbers, showcase you as an expert, bring you new clients and customers, and be just plain fun, but you haven't actually moved forward with the idea?

If you publish an ezine regularly, inevitably there are times when you get stuck and can't quite come up with the perfect article for your issue. Sometimes just taking a break and coming back later will give you a fresh start. But other times you need more of a "writing prompt" to get you going.

If you're anything like me, you start looking forward to summer as soon as the calendar flips to a new year. Take advantage of summer's slower pace and people's more casual attitudes and plan to not only take time off but to make some money while you do!

One of the most effective ways of getting people to discover and try your products or services is by offering a Free Taste - which is just that, a taste of what it is that you offer.

At least once a week, a client will ask me what they should charge for an offer they're making. And as much as we both like to think that I have the magic number for them, I don't. At least not until we do some groundwork first. Since this is such a common stuck point for so many entrepreneurs, I wanted to share with you four basic steps that will help you charge what you're worth and get it.

If you're adding multiple streams to your service-based business model, where you're moving away from 1:1 services to adding more ways of generating revenue, here are 8 easy ways to accelerate your timeline to success and cash flow.

Reading Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness" book was like reading a novel and a business book at the same time. It was so engaging that I read the entire 250+ page paperback in one sitting. Here are my favorite snippets from the book - enjoy!

Even though I've had a 6-figure business for a few years now, it still amazes me how easy it was to create and how it's been even easier to grow. And it's why I'm so passionate about helping other women entrepreneurs create their own 6-figure businesses. Most heartwarming to me is showing them how to break through to that seemingly elusive $100k mark for the first time, by taking them from the beginning stages of building their business all the way to creating $8-10k a month.