Online Business Partnerships
Content Websites – Good fit for Partnerships?

by Nicole Dean

Content sites are springing up left and right. People want to share their expertise and the information they find. However, many Internet Marketers overlook Content Sites as an opportunity to partner with another online businessperson, although it can actually be quite a good fit.

How would this be a mutually beneficial project? Here are some scenarios:

If you’re not technical and don’t know how to build a website, but you enjoy writing, share the work.
OR…
If you aren’t a writer, but enjoy making websites… find a writer and you’ll have a perfect partnership.

Working with another person has many benefits. You’ll come up with ideas and topics that neither one of you may have thought of on your own. And just having someone else working on the site with you will keep you on your toes and motivated. It’s just like having a gym buddy. You work on the site because there’s someone out there that relies on you.

How do you both benefit financially?

Adsense Income – Set up an adsense channel to track the income from your website. That way, you’ll be able to see how effective your ad placements are – and easily split the profits at the end of the month.

Affiliate Income – This one gets a little trickier. If you’re promoting a clickbank product, you can set up a new account name to use. No problem. However, if you have many other affiliate programs on your website, you can split the profits in any number of ways. One thing I do on one of my shared sites is we each use our own affiliate links on the pages that we create.

Incoming Links to your other sites – Feel free to link from your shared content site to some of your other related sites. You’ll get free advertising and free incoming links, which the search engines love.

Newsletter – You can also built a newsletter list together that can drive traffic to your other sites, and sell affiliate products. By sharing the responsibility of coming up with new newsletter topics and articles, you benefit from the list with half the work.

Now, if you’ve read any of my other articles about this topic, you’ll see a common theme. Don’t sweat the small stuff in a partnership. It’s just not worth it. Nobody wants to partner with a Nitpicky Nancy. Get a reputation for being fun to worth with and a hard worker and you’ll have people knocking down your door to partner with you.

Nicole Dean welcomes you to visit www.EasyPartnerships.com where you’ll learn how to team up with your peers to profit — and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

Online Business Partnerships
The Risk Level of Partnering in Internet Marketing

by Nicole Dean

“DON’T DO IT — NEVER get involved with a Partner!”

However, of course, you’ll want to minimize your risks, and be choosy about who you’d partner with. For now, I want you to just turn off the nay-sayers and open your mind. Think of some of the bright, hardworking women you’ve met online. Do you think that you could work together to make a great product, service, website, or store? You betcha.

Nicole Dean welcomes you to visit www.EasyPartnerships.com where you’ll learn how to team up with your peers to profit — and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

Online Business Partnerships
What is a Partnership?

Online Partnerships have been the secret behind many people’s success in the Internet marketing community over the past few years.

Miriam Webster defines a “partnership” as “the state of being a partner”.
And “partner” as “one who shares”.

Therefore, you could reasonably definite partnership as “The State of Being One Who Shares” and I would like to add “so that all who share benefit”.

Or in a simpler language: Any sharing of skills to complete a task where both people benefit.

The term “partnership” is oftentimes viewed very loosely in Online Business (as opposed to an Offline business partnership). I’m sure you can understand why. In an online business, your start-up costs can be as little as $20. Just purchase a domain and hosting and you’re off and running. Starting a business offline can easy cost tens of thousands of dollars (if not much, much more). So, it’s clearly easier to jump into a partnership in an online business than in an offline one.

A partnership can be the missing link in your online business.

– > If you’re struggling at each and every step in your business, partner with someone who has “been there and done that”. As long as you’re bringing something to the table, too, the partnership could easily be a win-win situation for both of you.

– > If you stink at writing but are great at web design, then partner with a writer. If you hate web design but are a great writer, then partner with a geek!

–> If you’re a busy business owner and you don’t have the resources to hire help, consider bringing in a skilled partner. You can split the profits in whatever percentages you’d like. It doesn’t have to be 50/50. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be a full partnership. You can set up an arrangement where the partner does certain tasks each month for 10% of the profits paid monthly. We call that a partnership in that you’re both working together and you both benefit.

For instance, I have partnered with my friend, Kelly McCausey on several large projects — the projects had a lot of tasks to split. We used our resources (our brains, our monetary assets, and our technical assets) to get the job done.

Kelly is a wiz with audio. So, of course, she recorded all of our audios.

I happen to enjoy writing. So, here I am, writing away!

Between the two of us, we can create websites and products that we might not have been able to pull together by ourselves (due to time constraints or skill sets). Each of us brings our own expertise to the table and we keep each other motivated along the way as we go. Not only does this increase our productivity, but it makes work more FUN.

A partnership can be the boost your business needs. Just use common sense as you proceed. Talk about every aspect of your partnership in advance and get everything in writing (preferably a contract). In any JV or partnership, split things fairly, but don’t sweat it or keep tabs. It’s much like a marriage. If you keep a calendar and write down how many times your husband takes out the trash and compare it to how many times you do the dishes… you’re just wasting your time and energy — and no one wins. Just assume it all comes out in the end and focus your time and energy on the things that matter — growing your business and having fun doing it.

Nicole Dean welcomes you to visit Easy Partnerships where you’ll learn how to team up with your peers to profit — and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

Online Business Partnerships
Are Paid Masterminds Really Worthwhile?

by Nicole Dean

You’re surfing the net and you find a paid membership site for a Mastermind group. You laugh and wonder why you should shell out a monthly fee for a forum when you can find thousands of forums online that are free.

I’ll give you two words: Joint Ventures & Partnerships.

Ok. So, that’s three words, but you get the picture. When looking for partnerships, can online Mastermind group benefit you more than a free forum?

Yes. Without Question. Yes.

Compare joining a Mastermind group to sports. In sports, the quality of your coach and teammates can make or break your game. If you play on a team with players who are mediocre, your game will remain mediocre. If you join a team with better players who take the game seriously and you add a great coach, your game will improve as well.

So, how do you determine if the team and coaching will improve your game?

1. Are the people running the program already successful? If not, move along. You don’t want to learn the game of football from someone who rode the bench. Spend a little time getting to know the people that run the site, and take a look at their websites and online businesses. What do other people in the industry have to say about them?

2. Is there a free trial period or very cheap trial? If so, you can test the waters before you make a commitment. That way, you can get in, look around and see if the monthly fees are worth investing in for your business. Try out a few of the ideas and suggestions from the Mastermind group without spending too much money. Talk with the other members to get a feel for the community. If there isn’t a free trial, do they offer a money back guarantee? Stay away from groups who are not willing to refund your money. I would look for at least a 15 day money back guarantee. It shows that they believe their product is worth it’s money and they stand behind it.

3. Is the support area active? Take a look at the frequency of the messages and make sure there is some active discussion going on in the past few weeks. If the other members are asking questions and you see the mentors actively answering the questions, then you know you’ve hit the jackpot. You may have found potential team members who will help you grow your business.

4. Of course the last thing you’ll really want to check is if there are actually partnerships forming in the community and if they are productive and successful. If so, you may have found a community worth paying to be a part of.

If you want to improve your game, then find the best coaches and jump into the game with a team of peers who can take you to the top. Shorten your own online learning curve by learning from those who have already accomplished what you want to do. You’ll be reaching your goals in no time.

One Mastermind Group for Women that I feel fits all the criteria above is Mom Masterminds. If you’re ready to join an amazing group of successful women, you will want to check it out.

Nicole Dean welcomes you to visit www.EasyPartnerships.com where you’ll learn how to team up with your peers to profit — and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

Here are five great tips for creating a lasting and profitable online joint venture partnership:

1. Good attitude. The first and most important attribute to creating a lasting and profitable partnership is a good attitude. Not only will a good attitude help to ensure that your partner also has a positive attitude – since a positive attitude is contagious, it will also help you get through any difficult times. A good attitude is a sure sign of a good partnership and future profits.

While it is true that your business partner will be there to share the everyday complaints with, make sure that it is not every day. Make sure that you balance out any complaints with many more positive things that are happening. It goes a long way in making both of your days productive.

2. Willingness to compromise and communicate. Any partnership has moments where one partner will need to compromise. If you’re prepared for these moments, then you’re a step ahead of the game. Stay focused on the larger purpose of the partnership and don’t allow yourself to get swallowed by the finer details that are often so easy to get stuck on.

If your partner wants 55% of the profits, then fine: make sure that you negotiate the proposal so that you benefit elsewhere.
Communication is also key. If you’re unhappy about something, be sure to express that to your partner while remembering to stay positive. Additionally, communicate when you’re pleased. Positive comments are helpful in maintaining a healthy equilibrium with your joint venture partner.

3. Willingness to contribute 50% of the effort. If you’re going into a partnership with someone, it is unfair to expect to reap all the benefits and do none of the work. Of course, if you can both reap profits with little or no work then that’s the ideal partnership.

4. Willingness to stick to the plan. If you outlined and agreed to a plan with your partner, it is unfair to change the plan halfway through. You wouldn’t want your partner to do that to you, right? Of course, circumstances are occasionally beyond your control and things happen; however, it is important to work your hardest to stick to the plan, timeline, and workload you originally agreed to.

By veering from the plan you are saying that you actually don’t value your partnership and that the things you agreed upon do not matter to you. Remember that before you make important decisions and not talk to your partner.

5. Willingness to modify the plan if need be. I know this contradicts the above tip; however, if your partner has one of those unforeseen circumstances mentioned above, it is a good idea to be flexible. Maybe the timeline can be adjusted or the responsibilities and profits adjusted to accommodate the new circumstances. Be willing to adapt if need be.

Making sure that you have things outlined from the beginning will go a long way in keeping a partnership fun and productive. Also, make sure that you join in business with someone of similar work ethics. Pick someone that enjoys or is good at the things you aren’t and vice-versa. This makes a well rounded business.

The big picture of a joint venture partnership is that you’re building a benefit that goes beyond profits. The potential for a successful joint venture partnership can be more customers, more associates in your network, more credibility, and yes…more profits. The right attitude toward your partner and your partnership can and will create a lasting benefit for years to come.

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Well if you remember I posted that two friends and I are putting together a new site for WAHM's. Well the program is finally up so we can start tweaking the modules and templates. This took me almost two weeks to get loaded because I had to walk... Read more

Well if you remember I posted that two friends and I are putting together a new site for WAHM’s. Well the program is finally up so we can start tweaking the modules and templates. This took me almost two weeks to get loaded because I had to walk away from it for a week. I was close to tears so many times with frustration on why it wouldn’t just install in 15 min. like it said. I knew I had done all the uploading correctly because it checked out in the easy install check. It just didn’t want to connect to the mysql. No matter what combo’s I put in for password. I even made a new database thinking maybe it hated the name I used for the other one. lmao

Well I went to the forums and got a quick answer. I also didn’t know that I had anyone to contact for hosting because it is set up on Anita’s hosting account and it’s a reseller account. Now that I know I have used her resellers account to set up our joint site I am sold on getting one. It’s totally the way to go if you know your way around the admin and cpanel. So one more thing to add to my list for the fall. I’ve already been combining many of my sites on larger accounts, but this would be one stop shopping!

Anyway, I got ahold of the answers between the program forum and the host. Of course Anita’s is the one that will do most of the tweaking behind the scenes and it’s already quite late for her. lol Didn’t mean to do that on purpose. Now she won’t get much sleep since she’s gonna want to dig in.

We’ll get you guys in there as soon as possible!

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Well this is a biggy. I know I just posted a few months ago about hooking up for a site, but that was already in place and not even close to the magnitude of this new one. Alas it is with Lauren and Anita which I have been around and involved in business for years. That is great because I know exactly what we expect in our new business.

It’s hard not to talk about it but it will be open by early fall. All WAHM’s can expect great things and especially those that are looking to branch out from being just a MOM. Cause guess what? We are also women! We need to chat and complain so we can continue to be the great Mom’s that we are. I know this for fact.

So keep an eye out for the newest venture grand opening. It will be open within weeks to our few friends to test out. So if you would like to be included, then please do include your link here. I’ll let you know about it by email.

I finished 2 newsletters today. Yes, they were late, but one of them I am merely the VA for and have to wait for the owner to get her info back to me. I still feel bad, but honestly not my fault when I send the request ahead of time. RIGHT? I do know that I need to get the into request out sooner and I will do that for the May newsletter.

I am already working on my May newsletters. I want them back out on schedule. Life is crazy, but I have to get control where I can. I do have my new partner so I can get the momchats newsletter out weekly.

I just have to figure out advertising to get some more parties scheduled. Next week is all about momchats.com . Lauren is working on the new header and I’m gonna update the entire site. Advertising options will happen. Right now our weekly advertising goes out to 307 subscribers. Want to be a part of that target market? Only $3 for top sponsor and $2 for bottom sponsor. You can paypal contact@momchats.com with payment. Then email me at littlescrapbookshop@gmail.com to get your ad listed.

Well I was originally looking for a VA for a site.  A site that I have thought about selling.  But then after chatting with a friend and doing our best thinking.  You know, the chatting you do at 2 am cross country?  Oh, is it only a few of us that do our best thinking then?  lol  I know, I know, but sleeping is such a waste of valuable time.

So back to partnerships.  As I said, I had thought about selling it.  Then a good friend was thinking of doing the VA work.  Eventually, I went DUHHHHHH!!!  Let’s go in full partnership and both of us promote the site.  BINGO!  Partnership made and the smartest decision.  Mom Chat’s works wonderful with her doing the scheduling and I doing the web work.  We still have to work out all the basics, but it will be good.  We chat well and are honest.  I let her know that I don’t get offended when you have to remind me, hopefully she takes that to heart.  She does know, but you know how you worry.  Goodness, if someone told me that, I’d worry more.  Cause I already stick to an honesty path.

It’s going to be such a good combo.  You can see Lauren’s sites at www.momsonlineretreat.com.  We are both avid scrapbookers, so the combo is even smoother!

We have some great ideas for the site and it’s wonderful to bounce ideas off someone else that cares just as much!  Plus, it’s a revival of the site.  I have always cared about it.  But now, there is someone else that is expecting something to happen with it.  So it feels like I should REALLY get to going with it again.  lol

As the saying goes, “If you want something different, do something different!”