Retirement Start-up

[charleyh's mom]

Hi
I stumbled onto this site while I’ve been checking out forums for suggestions. This one seems to be the best forum I’ve found so far with up to date postings and great advice. I hope you can help me also.

About 20 years ago I wanted a business so I started one in the only trade that I knew, house cleaning, I didn’t know a thing about starting a business but I was pretty confident that I knew how to solve some of the problems that cleaning businesses were facing at the time. To make a long story short, within my first 2 years in business I grew at a rate of about 10 times faster than my 2 biggest competitors.

Fast forward to 2008, I lost 2 houses (my nest-egg) in the Real Estate Market crash, so I decided to move across the country to be closer to my family. I am now a self-employed cleaner near retirement age, but I can’t retire since my nest egg has flown away and I don’t want to keep cleaning till I’m 104 years old so I thought I’d start another business. My problem is I don’t really want to start another major cleaning service (too stressful) so I thought I could write an Ebook about my strategies, successes and failures from the business plan to start-up, employees, clients, marketing etc. That would also be helpful to other offline service businesses. But I don’t know if there would be a market for that, seems like nowadays everybody is trying to start a business online, which brings me to my 2nd problem, I have no Internet experience, 20 years ago I didn’t even have a computer.

So after this long chapter, here are my questions: 1- How do I find out if there is a market for another “How to start a business and succeed where others have failed” ebook

2- How do I promote my ebook online with no Internet experience? I found a program that teaches people to start their own Internet businesses in colleges in Canada and Us. I’ts called SBI or SiteSell, I was wondering if anyone had used them before and what results had you gotten?

I really appreciate any help I can get (not really crazy about working till I’m 104 :rolleyes:

[dave@businessecon.org]

Lets start out with more information to help us: 1) working with an existing house cleaning operation in a management position? 2) When do you want to retire and how old are you now? 3) You mentioned you are near retirement age, do you have any savings now? If yes, about how much? 4) Have you thought about writing an introduction to the book and then sending it out for review; you could post it here. This would give us some insight into your background, skills etc that made you successful.

Thanks.

Dave

[Harold Mansfield]

Yes, there is always a market for helpful "How to" information. With 20 years experience seems like you may have some solid tips to share for someone just starting out.

As for your next question, How to promote and sell it online with no web experience, that is another thing altogether. Learning the web is not quick or easy.

My first reaction would be to either self publish and sell through a 3rd party such as Amazon ( Create Space), or maybe another e-book seller that specializes in business books. Doing it this was at least gets it on the market.

The downside is that your book gets lost in a sea of others and you have to give up a portion of earnings in commissions. And when you sell it that way, it's hard to set your own price higher than how cheap other e-books are.

You could however do your own advertising and marketing to promote the book using various ad programs, blogging, and social media.

If you're not crazy about that option and are set on selling it yourself, then I'd recommend having a professional build you an ecommerce site to sell your book, and then you can spend your time learning how to promote and sell it, rather than trying to learn how to build a website.

It will take you a long time to learn everything you need to know about web design, marketing and ecommerce. By charging some of it to a professional you can get it up while you are learing how to make it sell.

Basically, you could feasibly have a site built and spend your time learing something like say, Google Adwords, to bring traffic to the site to convert into sales.

[libra]

I haven't created any eBook as I do not have any useful or substantial content to share. nevertheless I give my 2-cents of suggestions.

I should think you can go ahead with creating your eBook first in your spare time. At least do an outline of the contents and chapters. You can then add the 'meat' as you find time to do so.

There are lots of instructions available on the Web about creating and publishing your own eBook.
Keep googling and reading.

After your product is created, you can also put it up on the CLICKBANK market so others can sell the eBook for you as affiliates.

[charleyh's mom]

[QUOTE=dave@businessecon.org;70991]Lets start out with more information to help us: 1) working with an existing house cleaning operation in a management position? 2) When do you want to retire and how old are you now? 3) You mentioned you are near retirement age, do you have any savings now? If yes, about how much? 4) Have you thought about writing an introduction to the book and then sending it out for review; you could post it here. This would give us some insight into your background, skills etc that made you successful.

Thanks guys

Right now I'm working on my own (self employed cleaning lady). I'm 59, will be 60 in the summer, I was hoping to retire at sixty and be able to fly south for the winters but it won't happen now, that was the other reason I wanted to start a business on the Net, so I could work from anywhere in the world and wouldn't have to freeze my butt off in Canada. No I don't have much in savings. Where do you send a book out for review?

I had another idea this morning that doesn't even involve the Internet. Tell me what you think: I put an ad on Craig's list and small local business websites offering my services as a coach to help small offline service business owners manage and expand their business. Instead of charging by the hour or contract I would charge by the strategy until they would get to know me. That way if they don't see any improvements they don't have to continue. And, as Libra mentioned, I can work on the book in my spare time. If things work well offline, I could get someone to help me with taking my business online later on as Harold said. I guess learning the web is not as easy as some of those "gurus" make it sound eh!

What do you guys think? I mentioned it to a friend today (he's not a business person) and he thought it was a great idea, I'd like to know what you guys think
Thanks again for all your comments.

Haylie

[machine]

Can you get student loans and go to school?

[KristineS]

There definitely is a market out there for consultants and for books about how to be successful in business. The biggest obstacle you face right now is that you have no credibility in the marketplace. In order to sell your book or to be hired as a consultant, people need to perceive you as someone who has the skills and knowledge they lack. It isn't enough to say that you have the skills, you have to have others say that as well and if enough people say it you build a reputation. If you want to be credible as a business consultant, you can't put an ad on Craigslist. You have to have a website that tells your story and touts your skills. You could sell your e-book off the same website.

The trick here is to convince people that you have the knowledge the need and it's worth it to pay you for the knowledge, so you have to start establishing yourself as an expert. Check with the local newspapers and television stations and see if they'd be interested in your story. Look into signing up with Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and responding to queries in your area of expertise. Start building a name for yourself.

[charleyh's mom]

Thanks guys
I'm not sure I want to get into debt with a student loan at my age and go back to school, I was merely trying to figure out how I could help people who are struggling with their small service business like the one I had. I want to teach them what I have learned the hard way.

I know what you mean Kristine, with the lack of credibility, I have thought of that too, even though I have had more success in a shorter amount of time than most small businesses out there and I can prove it. That is why I thought of getting paid by the "strategy" rather than trying to sell a 300.00 course or write a 200 page ebook on general business practices. That way I can taylor my strategies to each person and help them with one strategy at a time for a "bite-size" price, that way if they find that my coaching is helping their business grow they will continue on to the next "bite" on the menu and it will build my credibility at the same time with testimonials.

[charleyh's mom]

How do I find this HARO Link?

There definitely is a market out there for consultants and for books about how to be successful in business. The biggest obstacle you face right now is that you have no credibility in the marketplace. In order to sell your book or to be hired as a consultant, people need to perceive you as someone who has the skills and knowledge they lack. It isn't enough to say that you have the skills, you have to have others say that as well and if enough people say it you build a reputation. If you want to be credible as a business consultant, you can't put an ad on Craigslist. You have to have a website that tells your story and touts your skills. You could sell your e-book off the same website.

The trick here is to convince people that you have the knowledge the need and it's worth it to pay you for the knowledge, so you have to start establishing yourself as an expert. Check with the local newspapers and television stations and see if they'd be interested in your story. Look into signing up with Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and responding to queries in your area of expertise. Start building a name for yourself.

[KristineS]

How do I find this HARO Link?

Here you go.

Free Publicity - Connecting Reporters and News Sources - Help a Reporter Out (http://www.helpareporter.com/)

[charleyh's mom]

Thanks Kristine I appreciate it