4 Tips for reader friendly content

By on January 27, 2012 in Tech 0

Photo Credit: PhotoJonny

This site took a major traffic hit when I converted from 100% business to more motivation and spiritual content.

Before you get confused and think I had all kinds of traffic relax a little. I was only at about 2,000 visitors a month. When I dumped the business coaching idea, and changed to what I am now, my traffic was cut in half. Just this month I have started seeing the same numbers as before (plus a little more). It has taken me seven months to recover the traffic.

I have doubled my traffic in the last seven months and I believe reader friendly content has been key. I try to use titles that encourage readers to check out my content. I try to think of something creative that, at first glance, will give some insight into the content being shared. I use “Journal” and “Essay” in titles to let Twitter and Facebook followers know the type of content being shared. For the most part I believe my content is easy and quick to consume and I try to build everything here, at this web site, with the reader in mind.

Here are some tips for creating reader friendly content.

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Break even does not scale

By on January 25, 2012 in Blue Collar Business 0

Photo Credit: JoePhoto

Tablets are the popular thing right now. Apple sells the iPad at a $499.00 starting point and Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire at a $199.00 starting point.

I read this nice article this week that points out the difference in business practices between Apple and Amazon.

According to the article:

Apple focuses on profitability for its hardware products with content providing a supporting role at much smaller margins, while Amazon is willing to sell hardware essentially at cost in order to support profitability in its massive shopping and content offerings.

There is a lesson to be learned in the battle between Amazon and Apple. While Amazon is apparently caving to the pressure to treat the Kindle products like a loss leader to grow customer base, Apple continues the time honored practice of making a reasonable profit on their hardware. Value is added by a community that creates extremely cost effective add-on’s.

Small business owners would be wise to follow Apple’s example and not Amazon’s.

Free and break even do not scale in the world of business. Amazon will probably get by with this because of their customer base, but as small business owners we cannot get caught in the tap of following Amazon’s example. All we will do is create downward momentum for our companies. As we drop our prices in an attempt to be more competitive (or carve out our own niche) we will only devalue our products and services, and our perceived value will go with it.

Amazon will suffer greatly if their customers purchase Kindle products but only use it for free content. With Apple’s approach they stay profitable regardless of the the way customers use the iPad.

Let’s keep the profitability of our businesses in our own hands, not the hands of our customers.

Journal: Hidden Benefits

By on January 23, 2012 in My Journal 4

A couple of weeks ago I updated my Current Hard Work page and added the goal to have prayer and bible reading time each morning.

I have never been an early morning person. My plan all along was to get up around 6:15 or so for my quiet time. I have done that each morning since my journal from January 9th.

Previously I would get up around 7:00 and have just enough time to get dressed, and have a cup of coffee before leaving at 7:20am to drop the older girls off at school then head to work.

With this earlier schedule I have been given quite the surprise. My two youngest girls, who normally do not get up till around 7:30 each morning, are coming out of their room around 7:00 to sit with me in the living room while I wait for the time to leave. Julie even pointed out to me that they are actually setting their alarm for 7:00 so we can hang out for a few minutes.

These events have left me to consider a few things.

1. Not all the benefits of spiritual activities are spiritual in nature.
Certainly it is spiritually healthy to start the day with prayer and reading. It is not just about getting prayers answered or growing in my understanding of the bible. It is about making myself available for what God wants to do. What if God wants me to be up early so I can have more time in the mornings with my family?

2. My kids are watching me.
Like many parents out there I am constantly trying to teach my kids how to be responsible people. Sometimes I get weary trying to get a particular point to stick in their heads. I really did not expect the two youngest girls to notice my new plan. I certainly made no announcements to the rest of the family. Still, they noticed and have adjusted their own schedule to have time with me in the mornings.

3. I am not the only one who benefits.
My spiritual obedience is not just about me and my needs. There is a bigger picture that may not be revealed until after I obey.

This new practice I am following has reminded me of something. My obedience is not always just for my benefit. There are others in my sphere of influence that need me to be more on task with my obedience to God’s word. The challenge is being willing to try.

Time Machine

By on January 17, 2012 in Let's Blog Off 7

Photo Credit: JD Hancock

I have been fascinated with time travel for a long time. Since I am a sci-fi fan I get plenty of entertainment content surrounding the subject. For the most part every episode of my favorite shows use time travel to give me a happy ending. Our hero goes back and saves someone or rights some kind of wrong. He or she gets to return back to their correct time and everything is better.

Well hurrah for them!

The rest of us have to live our lives looking back on bad decisions or experiences and wish we could go back and change them. My list is just as long as anyone else’s. Maybe I do not have some of the ugly things in my past many people do such as untimely death of family members, but I would like to think that kind of thing is relative anyway. My worst experience may not be as bad as another person’s worst experience but it is still MY worst experience.

I am such an emotional person that I would run back in time just minutes after a decision and change it. I would ultimately find myself in an endless loop of decision making, and changing, trying to find that perfect combination for a life that will make me happy.

I would abandon the need for a mentor. I can just try every single possible scenario and choose which result I like the most. I would become the ultimate manipulator leveraging my powers for my own welfare. My wife, children, friends and neighbors would become slaves to my every whim. I would become lazy and fat(er) since I would be able to win the lottery any time I ran out of money.

With the ability to turn back time and fix my past mistakes I will guarantee myself one thing. I will leave this earth as dumb as I entered it, and no one would be better off for my existence. I would live an uneventful, perfect and completely boring life.

Journal: The future is now

By on January 16, 2012 in My Journal 4

I understand my title for this entry is a little cliche. I cannot think of a title that is more fitting.

In April of last year (2011) I wrote a post titled: “Learn to foretell the future“. In that post I told the story of how our church leaders are showing us the direction our church is headed by their choice for youth leader and associate pastor.

Yesterday our church held a vote on whether or not we should appoint Todd Blansit to co-pastor which essentially set him up to be the future lead pastor of our church.

Let me share with you a couple of reasons why the future of New Life excites me.

1. Actively looking to fill needs in the community
An area I find most frustrating in ‘old school’ thinking is this idea that anyone with a problem needs to just pull up their boot straps and fix their own lives. Not everyone can do this on their own. It is the responsibility of the church (I am the church because I go to one) to help those in need. Todd and Tiffany are always looking for ways New Life can be a part of the solution.

2. Operating out of a plan
Todd and Tiffany are very organized thinkers and planners. A teen mom can show up at 5pm any Wednesday of the year and receive help. Consistency is key in any organization and everything these two people touch is orderly.

3. The truth is not watered down
In an age where many churches are changing the message based on popular opinion, Todd’s teaching holds strong to biblical truth.

4. A passion to reach the lost
Too many churches just focus on the people who walk in the doors. The world does not need any more churches designed and built for church people. A church body should be on the lookout for the hurting and lost and we should be taking the message and hope and healing out to where the people who need it the most live. I will gladly give my money towards ideas that will help reach people outside of our building.

I cannot wait to see what the next few years hold for New Life and I am excited to be a part of something amazing in my own community.

The land of the living

By on January 13, 2012 in General 0

Photo Credit: Still searching...

My two favorite bible characters are Kind David and Joseph.

One thing about David that I can relate to is his massive mood swings. I do not show my mood swings on the outside. I tend to hold them in. I am very thankful that David did not do the same thing. He laid it all out in the Psalms for us.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13 NASB)

David knew all about the highs and lows of life. You can probably say that out of all the bible characters he experienced the highest highs, and the lowest lows.

In his early years, before becoming king, David spent some time running for his life. This was after killing Goliath and basically saving the entire Israelite army from the Philistines. After becoming king David killed Uriah and stole his wife then lost his first born son in infancy.

In reading this verse I am reminded that David believed God for good things both in heaven and on earth. Sometimes I think Christians can get so caught up in how great heaven is going to be that we forget that God has promised us good things here on earth as well.

Andy Andrews comments on life: “We are either going into a crisis, in a crisis or coming out of a crisis!”

Both of these men know that in life we will experience many highs and unfortunately many lows. It is our faith that we will see God’s goodness while here on earth that can sustain our hope.

The challenge is recognizing God’s goodness when we see it.

Be chosen wise

By on January 11, 2012 in General 9

Photo Credit: Khaz


This last Monday I restarted my daily practice of prayer and bible reading. My favorite verse from the morning has really been on my mind.

Proverbs 9:8
Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

At first glance this verse is telling me to be careful of whom I try to rebuke (or correct). If I chose a scoffer I will become hated by this person. If I choose a wise man I will have a friend and someone who loves me. Apparently, I should choose wisely.

I came to the realization that I needed to take this verse deeper and ask myself: “Which person am I?”

How do I respond to rebuke? Am I defensive? Do I respond in such a way that tells others to write me off as someone whom cannot be corrected? Imagine the trouble I could get myself into if I was not correctable.

On the other hand, what If I respond to correction in love? Can I step back from myself and evaluate my behaviors and actions openly? Am I willing to change based on the correction of other Godly men and women? This verse says that someone whom responds in love to correction is wise.

This verse is not asking me to find a wise person to correct.

This verse is asking me if I am found wise enough, by others, to be correctable.

Journal: Routine

By on January 9, 2012 in Hard Work, My Journal 21

As I have gotten older I have found routine to be more important in my life. Most areas of our lives require routine to be successful.

An area of my life that needs the most routine is my prayer and bible reading time. I have always been inconsistent in this area. I know it is important for my spiritual walk but I do not always stay on top of it. Back when I had my business it was much easier. After dropping off the girls at school I would come back home around 9am and go into the garage. I had a small table and a chair in there. I would spend around thirty minutes reading and praying. Okay, 25 minutes reading and 5 minutes praying. I am not exactly a fancy prayer. Since closing my company last year and slowly heading back towards traditional employment my daily (Monday through Friday) quiet time has been neglected.

While working on my Hard Work Network (HWN) page this weekend I was considering something I could do that would challenge me over the next ninety days. In some ways it is a little bit of a cop out to just put down my school schedule. Since I will be taking classes for the next several years this could make for a very boring page, for everyone.

So, for the next 90 days here is what my Hard Work goals will be.
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A Plan

By on January 3, 2012 in Let's Blog Off 17

Photo Credit: Kaba

Probably the most stressful part of running my own company was keeping the pipeline full. I tried a little bit of everything.

It was easy in the early days. Demand was high for cabinet installation. Trim carpenters, at least here in Kansas City, wanted nothing to do with kitchen cabinets. All we really had to do was the basics. If we were on time, did our work well, and took care of the details we stayed busy.

As the market turned south the landscape changed. Trim carpenters all over the city decided installing cabinets was not such a bad idea. Since most of them knew very little about cabinet installation they looked to the builders and suppliers for pricing. The trim carpenters provided opportunity, and the building industry here in Kansas City cashed in, or out, or down, you get the point. The floor dropped out of market pricing and instillation quality went with it. I tried for 36 months to keep things above water. Ultimate we closed our doors due to lack of work. We were not willing to be the cheapest place in town; we were unable to perform that poorly. We were specialists in a market that did not want specialists; it wanted cheap.
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Journal: Yeah, there was food

By on January 2, 2012 in My Journal 9

Julie and I do not get out much. Lately I have either been in class or working. I realize it is not good to go long stretches without going out together. Sometimes, there just is not much you can do.

We had both been looking forward to this last Friday. My sister and brother-in-law have been in town and told us long before their arrival that they wanted to hang with the girls one night so Julie and I could go out.

They did more than just watch the girls. They also gave us some date money. They gave us A LOT of date money.

We decided to go ‘all out’ and hit The Melting Pot. Neither one of us had ever been to a fondue restaurant. We arrived around 7:00 and discovered the wait time was over an hour! Not to be deterred we went to the bar and waited. It was a great time. We just sat there and visited for an hour and a half while waiting for our seats. We did a little people watching. The young couple at the end of the bar was the most interesting. He sported an intentional five o’clock shadow. His jet black hair was slicked back; something Al Pacino would have been proud of. He never took his eyes off the young lady he was with. She was wearing a flattering red blouse and had long, curly, black hair. Every few minutes she would run her fingers through it and smile back at the gentlemen. They were putting on a show, sitting in the most obvious spot in the room.
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