> because doing a bunch of stuff that you hate because it is what you think you should do is worse than being an oppressed cube dweller

Joy is, for me at least, easy to overlook when focusing on building a self-employed practice. The urgency that results from the man unknowns we face can easily offset the big pluses (control, for example).

It’s so refreshing to hear someone else say “formulas work, but only if they are the right formula for you”!

I’d say given all the good news in your camp, your courage to follow your own path has really paid off!

Now if only more people could follow that lead… but I suppose it’s equally important to make a move to break free from fear in your own time.

Linda M. Lopeke
http://www.smartstartgiving.com

Most successful people say to do what you love and the money will follow.

I spent the last 2 years blogging and messing around with web 2.0 gadgets. Why? Because I loved it, and ended up getting a full time job where I research and implement that stuff for a living. Pretty cool.

Formulas are for suckers.

And you are right about Scott Ginsberg, he’s a friend of mine and he LOVES what he does. That translates when he gets in front of people. You can’t fake his enthusiasm, or his talent.

Blog on!

What a well thought out and touching post. Might make a great outline for a book. Hmmmmmmmm.

- John

I’m one of those who is following the “traditional” Internet marketing path kicking and screaming. Some of it I love, like blogging, and some of it I hate, like those massive sales letters.

I don’t like the feeling of HAVING to do something, yet I fear that if I go my own way too much I won’t succeed. That’s a sucky feeling.

Creating a perfume may be old – though I like the suggestion of “eau du spitup”! – but I think the key here is creating multiple income streams, and, ideally, a few passive streams – if that truly possible [I'm still sceptical that "passive" income exists].

From all that I’ve read and seen about marketing and from watching successful people [at various levels], it seems to come down to creating your owm media empire and then using cross media promotion to market. To use a well-known person as an example, in my opinion, Oprah has done an excellent job at building her own media empire with her talk show, magazine, movie production, website etc etc and using one to promote the other. Of course, we aren’t all in her league, but the strategy is the same. Nowadays, there are so many ways to marketing inexpensively – without writing those slimy long one-page sales websites – from blogs, ezines, podcasts, internet radio shows, social media, etc.

If solopreneurs and entrepreneurs focus on a few of these mediums that really inspired and energized them, and find a way to create their own mini, well-humming media empire so that they can then focus on what their actual business is [rather than on marketing], I strongly believe great successes would be seen.

Sorry if this comment became a post! Just an idea I wanted to share here.