The Business of Me

Backlinks   There are many strategy's for building backlinks and what will work best for you won't work the best for everyone else. It's important to find your target audiences and the places they spend their time online. That will help you to know how to build your own strategy.  My strategy contains consistent posting on social media sites that have been found to be where my audience is located such as Pinterest and Instagram. I will also include LinkedIn for the purposes of my backlinks. It's important that your social media backlinks are shareable and highly valuable. You need high quality content if you want it to do well. I will also be reaching out to authors to include products and backlinks onto their sites.  Analytics Google Analytics is a helpful tool to gain insights on your target audience. You can find ages, gender, location, even browsers and device types. Another thing analytics is great at gathering information about is how long people are staying on...

     This week we learned about using social media for search engine optimization and networking. Social media is a fantastic tool that is free to use. (Of course, you can spend money to help your efforts.) With many people on one or more platform, social media is helpful for reaching a large audience and establishing authority in the industry.       In order to take full advantage it is important to do your due diligence. This includes researching where your audience spends their time online to discover which platforms would be most beneficial to use. It's also important to discover what keeps your audience engaged to keep them coming back. Their engagement means they will also be sharing your content and gathering others. So, it vital to make sure that your content is in fact shareable.      Using social media for SEO means that you still need to on top of keywords and calls to action. These things are important to making your content ...

This week we worked on our search engine optimization. There are many things that going into this but important things to include are unique value, keyword optimization, social media sharable, and user experience. Each of these play key parts in your website being included high up on a search engine.  Having unique value sets you apart and keeps you revenant. You need to be able to offer something in a way that no one else is.  Keywords are how people find you. If you aren't using them correctly then when people are searching for something you are able to help them with you will not be included in their results.  Nothing turns people away like a poor user experience. It creates your first impression and reflects your customer service. If people don't have a good experience on your interface they are going to trust what you have to offer.  Social media is a key tool these days. It's a way to build a brand and you can use it for free. It offers a quick way to get word ...

 This week we learned about calculating ROI's or return on investment of our Google Ads. Google has their own help page to assist with this.  Return on investment (ROI) - Google Ads Help We also looked into creating better keywords and ads.  " How do you determine which keywords are most effective in your campaign? Remove ineffective keywords Add resources to strengthen the most effective keywords Better align the keywords with the proper ad and landing page Limit impressions on irrelevant searches" This quick list comes directly from our assignment and gives an overview on getting the most out of your keywords. To dive a little deeper, ineffective keywords have low conversions, low clicks, or are rarely searched, essentially doing nothing for you. To strengthen your effective keywords you want to find similar ones that would also work well. Align your keys words with your landing page for better relevance. And lastly, to limit impressions that are irrelevant you'll w...

 Quality Score      A Google Ads quality score is like a check engine light. It shows when something is in need of attention but doesn't tell you exactly what. The score is best off of three things. Your click through rate, the relevance of your ad to what people search for and the quality of your landing page. It's an overall performance score at how well you are doing at giving the consumer what they want. A few tips for raising your score are: 1. Optimize the mobile site. Be sure it is easy to navigate and has a fast loading time. 2. Answer the user's search. 3. Treat data responsibly.  Google Analytics      Google Analytics gathers data on your user. It tell you how long they are staying on a page as well has how they navigate to each page. It also shares your demographic. This data can help you further optimize your site, generate leads, drive sales, and raise brand awareness. 

 This week we focused on writing and finalizing our Google Ads. I believe I have come up with some good headlines and descriptions, but I won't really know until we put them into action and see how they do. I'm excited to test out the ads and adjust as needed. I think going through with an actual campaign will be the best way to learn the ins and outs.  This is a youtube video our teacher shared last week that is a pretty thorough explanation of Google ads.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=DQmaymgbBfC5vjYa&v=a-JmhK9nKJk&feature=youtu.be What I will be testing out.  Headlines  Bookish Merchandise Prose Before Bros Prose Before Bros Co Literary Community Literary Designs Popular Book Designs Book Club Fits Shop Bookish Tees Merch for Readers Book Lover Merch Inspired by Bookstagram Inspired by Booktok Inspired by Indie Authors Niche Bookish Apparel Descriptions Book Sweatshirts and Tees Inspired by Your Favorite Books | Literary Community | Shop Online No...

Finding good keywords and avoiding bad ones is necessary for well preforming GoogleAd campaign.  A  good keyword is high quality, and relevant. It describes your product and targets your audience. It will be niche to your business and competitive in your field. It sounds like a tall order but being able to hone in your keywords will drive business to your site and offer a higher conversion rate.  Avoiding bad keywords will help to save money and grow your business quicker. I want to make my brand known as quickly as possible in order to help with word of mouth and get into the market I am striving for. If you start out advertising to the wrong market it could cause more problems trying to get into the RIGHT one.  It's similar to an indie author that I know. She started out making friend people in the "clean reads" community and really loves it but her books are a little more heavy than people in that community read so she has trouble marketing it to them. 

 This week was rough. Taxes are definitely out of my wheel house but I think I made some headway. This website was really helpful in figuring out sale tax  https://www.bench.co/blog/tax- tips/calculate-sales-tax . I will be using Stripe and PayPal and they will help with collecting the right amount of sales tax for each state. As for licensing, I don't need much except for registration, which I did preemptively last week. Registration was pretty easy because Utah has a one stop process which makes it really easy (relatively) and included filing with the federal government for tax purposes. I chose to go with an LLC for the protections if offered. Never mix business with pleasure as the saying goes. haha   There is a lot more involved in starting a business than I thought. I guess that's why more people aren't doing it. The legal aspect is the part that scares me most and I really hope I am doing everything right. 

       When people say coding is its own language, they mean it. This week we focused on design of the website as well as adding credit card payments. Getting everything set up is harder than I thought it would be. For payments, specifically through PayPal, you need to insert a code to allow the button to function and unfortunately it is not as easy as copy/paste. I still think PayPal is a good option for my site and I want to see it through.       The design aspect is fun for me and I’m glad a chose a builder that is a little more intuitive for now. There is a lot of information to make sure is added to your website and I am glad I can focus on that instead of trying to design a site without a template. Choosing colors was a hard task but I finally came up with a color scheme I like and now I just need to figure out how I want to incorporate it.

   This week was the hardest yet. I am learning things I know nothing about and a lot of it is researching it for yourself. I struggled a little bit learning the difference between a web builder and a host because most builders will also host your website and it's packaged up together half of the time. A web builder is basically something that is writing code for you, speaking web creation language so you don’t have to learn it yourself. The host is who stores all the code and makes it readily available for use.         My favorite builders were probably WordPress and Squarespace but there are so many great options out there. It really comes down to your business model and ideas for the future. For me, look and customization played a big part in favorites.          I feel like there were even more options when it came to webhosting. I ultimately settled on Hostinger and will most likely end up using them for ...

  Affiliate and drop shipping business models both offer some ease where startup costs and convenience are concerned. Knowing your business goals will help you to decide which model would work best for you. The affiliate model allows you to market products that are on a site like Amazon and then receive commission when the traffic you drive their purchases the product you advertised. Many influencers have a business like this. They talk about a product they like and link you to it. When you buy it, they get a small commission. As anyone who has used Amazon knows, they process the order, ship it out, and take care of any returns. This is a low-risk business model but needs a strong marketing strategy as you won’t make very much unless you are driving a lot of traffic to the site. Some top affiliate markets: CJ Affiliate ClickBank Rakuten Advertising Awin Impact Amazon Shareasale Ebay Partner Netwo rk    Bass Pros   REI Drop shipping is ...

       This week in Web Creation we focused on demand and completion research when starting a business. All of this information was gathered in GoogleAds. We created an account then switched to expert mode or create campaign later. We then used the keywords functions to find clicks, impressions and competition (high, medium, low.)      Using the numbers we found within, we had to decide if the business idea was a viable one. Something that has low demand and high competition is probably something to stay away from unless you have a way to innovate it. On the opposite side, something with high demand and low competition could be a winner. There are things to keep in mind with what you find. To use the example Brother Scott used. Let’s say there is a high demand for hot dogs but there a ton of hot dog stands out there, if you choose to sell hot dogs as well you are going to have to find a way to differentiate yourself. Or let’s say you are going to sel...

  Week 14 4/4/21   This was my first semester back in school after a ten-year break. I am so thankful I was led to taking this class to dip my toes back in. This course has been very inspiring from learning more about integrity, gratitude, and perveance to establishing habits of character, finding your passion and disciple leadership. The biggest takeaway, however, is the significance of relying on our Father in Heaven. As we rely on and align our will with God’s we can create a life full of meaning. The journey to entrepreneurship is not an easy one and to take it you need to depend on guidance from Heavenly Father to help keep the rest of your life in balance. Entrepreneurship requires acts of faith, which is something that develops the more use it. It takes a lifetime of learning but that is what this life is for.     My last bit of advice for someone wishing to begin the journey of entrepreneurship is this, begin with the end in mind. I have a house f...

  Week 13 3/24/21   “ We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. ” (Thomas S. Monson, An Attitude of Gratitude, General Conference April 1992) This week’s focus is on a journey of gratitude. The practice of gratitude has played a large role in my life. My minutes, hours, days, and weeks go better when I remember to exercise gratitude. In President Monson’s address he lists a few seemingly simply things to be grateful for. One of them is mothers. He says “Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to take us by the hand and introduce us to birth—even to mortal life—deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.” I grew up with a single mother who sacrificed much so that I could have plenty. We lived with my grandmother f...

Week 12  3/16/21 This week’s theme is "Becoming a Change Maker." The study from this week is bringing home the importance of choosing a career where you can make a difference in the world. It is necessary to investigate the mission of each of our steeping stones. The mission of the company/job is just as if not more valuable than the position we accept. Elder Holland in this October 2014 conference address, “Are We Not All Beggars?”, stated “ Down through history, poverty has been one of humankind’s greatest and most widespread challenges. Its obvious toll is usually physical, but the spiritual and emotional damage it can bring may be even more debilitating. In any case, the great Redeemer has issued no more persistent call than for us to join Him in lifting this burden from the people. ” In one of the videos watched this week, it was stated that Isaiah 58 and Malachi 3 tell us how to relieve this poverty. Specifically quoting Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the store...

 3/12/21 "We have the responsibility to be prepared, to be productive, to be faithful, and to be fruitful as well. What we need, as we journey along through this period known as mortality, is a compass to chart our course, a map to guide our footsteps, and a pattern whereby we might mold and shape our very lives… First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love." (Thomas S. Monson, Formula for Success, churchofjesuschrist.org) The formula President Monson shares is one that will lead anyone to a fulling life and beyond that, coupled with a few ordinances, back to our Heavenly Parents. This week’s theme for Intro to Entrepreneurship is “Measuring the Cost.” I think it is important to note that nothing is worth the cost of this formula. Truth, service and a heart filled with love are crucial aspects of a vibrant life. If, more likely when, we come face to face with a choice that would lead us away from these things we ...

         The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and teachers were given that we may all attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” ( Eph. 4:13 ). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be  convinced  of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are  converted  by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to  know  something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to  become  something. (Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become, General Conference Oct. 2000)        I recently read a book called Return From Tomorrow by George Richie. It is a true story about a man that dies as a solider and has an out of body experience where he meets Christ before returning to his body. In this experience Christ shows him around the spirit world. Richie is amazed by all the spirits in spirit prison that ar...

 2/22/21 “People in their late teens and early twenties often have a misconception about life. They believe that their greatest challenges will come from unforeseen events and external circumstances. This turns out to be untrue. The greatest challenges always come from within.” (Acton Business School, A Message to Garcia: Will You Deliver It?, Austin Texas, USA, 2008)                Now, being in my late 20s I can say this statement is true. I was always trying to prepare for unknown challenges while simultaneously being my own greatest obstacle. As we have heard a few times throughout the Intro to Entrepreneurship course, the only thing that can stop us from achieving greatness is ourselves. There are many things that must be overcome on the entrepreneur journey, both external and internal, but as the Acton booklet states, “The greatest challenges always come from within.”      ...

 2/16/2021 “The only limitations you have are those you set on yourselves. All of the tools and texts are here, right at your hand. But sometimes we cannot recognize the real purpose and significance of the moment which is ours to experience. ”(Patricia T. Holland, However Long and Hard the Road , Brigham Young University January 18, 1983) On that same day, with his wife, Elder Holland stated, “..nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part. ” That may overwhelm us. That may make us feel like giving up but Elder Holland pleads, “I am asking you this morning not to give up “for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.” That “great work” is you—your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That “great work” is what, with effort and patience and God’s help, you can become.” God is rooting for us. God is rooting for me. I know that when things become hard Jesus will be there to succor if only, I turn to him. I ...

  Shall the youth of Zion falter In defending truth and right? While the enemy assaileth, Shall we shrink or shun the fight? No! True to the faith that our parents have cherished, True to the truth for which martyrs have perished, To God’s command, Soul, heart, and hand, Faithful and true we will ever stand. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Saints Hymn, “True to the Faith” Text and music:   Evan Stephens, 1854–1930 )  2/10/2021 In one of the talks we read for Business 110 this week, “Stand True and Faithful” by President Gordan B. Hinkley, he quoted the above hymn. This hymn has a special place in my heart, as does the meaning behind it. As a youth I was able to participate in a large cultural celebration where we sang this song. The spirit was strong and there was such power as hundreds of youths sang this song together. That moment will be with me forever and I know that I was singing a testimony of my life. Faithful and true I will ever stand...