This is going to be candid blog post.
You see, over the past few months, me and my wife Laura have faced some of the most challenging battles in our short entrepreneurial life.
We were overworked… Toiling 12 hours straight nearly every day… And were on the verge of throwing in the towel.
It was as if we were sowing so much seed, yet seeing little fruit for our labor.
Yet 6 weeks ago, on the verge of hitting rock bottom… We stumbled across a startling secret that saved our skins and put us back on the track of rapid profitability.
I’ll reveal what this revolutionary principle is in a moment, for now I just want to lay the foundations.
Here’s a Biblical concept that the world readily agrees it…
“You reap what you sow…”
In other words, the more time, resources and energy you put into something, the bigger the harvest you’ll reap — be it financially, relationally or spiritually.
So if you put in your elbow grease and late nights, you’re guaranteed success right? WRONG!
Or more rather, the Sowing and Reaping analogy is only a half truth.
You see, we followed this principle to the tee… We “slaved like dogs”, yet we were “rewarded” with disappointment, stress and relationship strain.
Have you ever wondered why sometimes you work so hard, and yet don’t seem to reap the bountiful harvest you deserve?
Here’s something that may come as surprise for you…
There’s a missing dimension to the concept of sowing and reaping. If you miss this, you’re potentially setting yourself back months, even years from where you’re supposed to be.
In one of the Biblical parables, Jesus talked about the parable of the sower.
The gist of it was that the farmer was scattering seed across the land. However, he was rather indiscriminate about it and the seeds fell on stony paths, thorny soil, shallow earth and fertile ground.
The seeds that fell on the former 3 types of soil ended up with stunted growth, or worse… Not growing at all.
Here’s the awesome part…
The seed that fell on fertile ground produced a magnificent harvest of tenfold, hundredfold… and even a thousand-fold!
What made the difference?
It’s about WHERE the sower threw his seed.
That’s right. WHERE you sow is probably more important then HOW MUCH you sow.
It’s a principle we call STRATEGIC SOWING. And we believe it’s the single most important trait of mega-successful entrepreneurs.
Once you master this, you’ll get a return on investment that’ll blow your socks off. Because every ounce of blood, sweat and tears is going to give you a windfall.
One of the biggest bittersweet lessons we learned is that Laura and I may be world-class marketers, but we’re still newbies in terms of building a long-term sustainable business.
The single most vital trait that separates entrepreneurs from marketers is the ability to effectively allocate one’s limited resources. Unfortunately, it’s an ability that comes from hard-worn experience rather than any $997 home study course.
But hey, since we’re nice people and all, we’re going to reveal to you the top 5 areas you should strategically sow in (from our admittedly limited experience).
1) Alliances
As maligned as the whole “Guru Club” in our industry seems to be, it doesn’t change the fact that JVs work. In fact, I attribute networking to be the no.1 driver why the Puppet Master is where he is today in such a short time. However… Do note that you need to screen through the people you intend to partner with. Some are a complete waste of time. Some are middling. A few will deliver the breakthrough growth you crave. Just don’t be over-eager especially if you’re new.
2) Content
As mentioned in an earlier blog post, it’s about articles, articles, articles. Google cares more about frequency of unique content than about the quality. So invest in a reliable ghost writing team, a spinning service like HumanSpinner and submission services like Easy Push Button Traffic, SENuke or Unique Article Wizard. As article marketing guru Jeff Herring says, “the bigger the number of articles, the bigger your other numbers will be.” So get crankin’.
3) Basics
Ignore the fads out there. Marketers have made pushing your emotional buttons such an art form that they can make any product “the next big thing”. Learn to resist. Stop grabbing at every push-button solution. Most of it is crap. In fact, 90% of what I study seems to be just rehashed information. Master your internet marketing basics.
- Are you doing PPC?
- Are your sites optimized properly?
- Heck… Are you even using the right keywords to promote your site?
As a sidenote, keyword research is the most important skill you need to master. Get this wrong and all your efforts will be flushed down the loo.
4) List
Social media seems to be the craze, but honestly, the best response rates seem to come from the humble email mailing list. Even though open rates may be down industry wide, your autoresponder service is the most potent income-generating asset you may have. Build up the numbers and you can honestly pay off your mortgage, go for a safari in Kenya or buy yourself a new car with just ONE email blast.
Of course, don’t make it a pitchfest and give good content to build up the relationship you have with your list.
5) Character
This may sound surprising, but according to Seth Godin’s excellent blog post on the Hierarchy of Success, without good character your strategies, tactics and execution are going to fall flat on its face.
I mean… If your mindset is “I’m doing this on the site for some (hopeful) part-time income”, you’re not going to make a million dollars online, are you? I knew a guy who was eager to learn so I hooked him up with some of my $1997 products. Guess what? Because he has such a crappy attitude, he’s now worse off than where he started. Read the Bible or listen to Dan Sullivan (my entrepreneurial guru du jour).
Whew, that comes to the close of my rather lengthy blog spot. Hope the Strategic Sowing principle impacts your business the way it did for the Puppet String Marketing business.
As an aside, I’m going to introduce something remarkable that’s worth the strategic sowing. I may not be the biggest fan of its title or its positioning but the principles inside contain some of the biggest shortcuts to running a super-profitable business.
Indeed, what I’m about to introduce is fertile soil, and every dollar you sow in WILL result in a bountiful harvest if you do what it says. Just opt-in to my mailing list by clicking on the button below to get further details soon.
So back to this post… What do you folks think? What are the biggest areas of strategic sowing you think I might have missed out? Feedback is most welcome, as always. 
