Sabrina Jefferson

James Brausch offers a product called, “Earn an Income By Creating Your Own Blog,” which I received as part of the intern program.

It shows you how to start your own blog based on the Wordpress platform.  I followed the procedure in the DVD to create this blog.  You’ll need to purchase your own domain, get hosting, change the nameservers, create a database, create a database user, change the Wordpress installation files to reflect your database information, install Wordpress and set up Wordpress with a theme and some options.

If any of that sounds like a foreign language to you, this would be a good product to invest in.  Like all of James’ products, you watch him do the exact steps and then repeat them yourself.  Having that kind of hand-holding makes it quite simple, even if you’re a techophobe.

Sabrina :: Feb.23.2008 :: Product Reviews :: 2 Comments »

I sometimes visit blogs that have private posts where you have to sign up to the email list to get the password.

I know some people don’t care to give out their email address for fear of SPAM.  That’s silly.  If you’re worried about that, get a Gmail email address and have it forward to your regular email address.  Gmail is very good at blocking spam, and if for some reason you account ever does start getting a ton of it, just stop it from forwarding to your regular email address.

Also, should you really let fear of something so inconsequential stop you from possibly learning something?  If you do get a few SPAM messages, would it ruin your life?  Hardly.

Aaron Brandon and James Brausch both offer password protected posts.  They also both use Aweber for their email list management.  Aweber is the absolute best in the business and each and every email sent from their service contains a working unsubscribe link.

Aaron’s latest password protected post went up yesterday.  He divulges some interesting test results; something which I will implement as well.

I believe it’s too late to get the password for his Thursday post.  But you can get the password to any future ones by signing up to his email list.  What he divulged was certainly worth reading.

Sabrina :: Feb.22.2008 :: Blogging :: 2 Comments »

James Brausch offers a product called, “Earn an Income By Creating Your Own DVD.”  I received that product for free as part of the intern program.

I already knew how to use Camtasia, the screen recording software, so I didn’t think I’d learn much from the James’ product.  I already knew how to create a screen capture recording me doing something.

James teaches you how to take the raw footage you’ve filmed and encode / produce it into DVD format - which was something I had no idea how to do, and now that I have done it, I know I’d probably never have figured it out myself.  It involves changing the format of the film a few times between different encoding programs to get it right for the DVD.  Fortunately, all the resources James gives are free and it’s quite simple to follow along since you see him do everything on-screen.

He also teaches you how to add your DVD to the Kunaki database, and how to get it listed on Amazon.

This is a product I would not have purchased because I thought I already knew it all.  Turns out I clearly didn’t.  If you’ve not yet made a DVD on your own, I recommend you purchase this tutorial before you attempt to do so.

Sabrina :: Feb.21.2008 :: Product Reviews :: No Comments »

When I first began learning about internet marketing and just how possible it was to have an online business, I jumped on to just about every “big launch” out there.

The thing is, a product about “joint ventures” won’t do you any good unless you already have a list, considerable traffic, or a product.

A product about getting traffic won’t do you any good without a website to get that traffic to.

A how-to on blogging can’t do much for you if you’ve not got a way to monetize it.

Some folks are all about Adsense, others affiliate marketing.

It’s enough to leave a newbie bewildered.  Everything seems quite attainable, but no one has the time to do them all at once.

If you’ve jumped from product to product and never followed through (and I mean really, really followed through from page 1 to the end, implementing every single step as outlined) then it’s time to put a moratorium on buying new products.

Stop blaming the product creators and put their suggestions into action.  Learn to use and execute what you already have.

You may find that a particular strategy doesn’t gel with you or fit your personality type after a while.  I, for example, don’t like writing content, so setting up niche blogs is probably not the most effective or enjoyable way for me to build my business.  But… You already invested the money in a product.  Learn it.  Do it.  At least once.  What you’ll learn is far beyond the nuts and bold of whatever system is being taught:

• Likely you’ll get ideas how to apply a particular technique to a different strategy
• Pride of completion and mastery of a topic
•  Less guilt for having a harddrive of stuff you’ve never opened
• What works and what doesn’t
• What kind of online business you do (and don’t) want to build

You owe it to yourself to spend the time actually working with and completing the systems you were once so excited about.  You may find them to be more valuable then you imagined.

Sabrina :: Feb.19.2008 :: Mindset :: 3 Comments »

Check out the comments on this post:

http://sabrinajefferson.org/?p=11 

Two rather lengthy comments were left questioning me on the information I posted.

I am not here to convince you, or anyone, of my experience, or that your experience will be the same as mine.  I’m simply sharing.  Take it or leave it.

What’s even more disappointing though is that both of these folks, rather then doing calculations in their heads based on assumptions (that were incorrect) and writing long diatribes about why/how what I posted wasn’t correct according to their fantastical, incorrect assumptions, they could have been working on their own business.   Or learning about it by actually doing the work they were assigned as interns.

I don’t care if you work slower then dirt and never get anything out of it, I don’t care about your assumptions or complaints, I don’t care if you do a crappy job and don’t get paid.  It’s your responsibility &  your life.

You’ll either do it or you won’t.   There is no “try,” only “do.”

Sabrina :: Feb.17.2008 :: Mindset :: 1 Comment »

Rebecca asked in comments:

Are interns allotted time off ever? I’ve read that you don’t receive your new tasks until current ones are completed. And I’ve also read that around 300 interns were fired for not completing tasks.

I’m thinking seriously about becoming an intern myself, but have a vacation planned in the future where I wouldn’t be able to work. And was wondering if I should wait until after my vacation to start the program.

I thought it would be worthwhile to answer here, so everyone could see my thoughts:

I can only answer from my experience, but here goes:

You can take as long as you’d like to complete a task. I was not in the old intern program, so I’m not certain how it worked, but I believe then you had a time limit or something and could be “fired” if you weren’t performing.

The way it works now is that you are assigned a task and it’s up to you to complete it. Guidelines are given regarding how long it should take, but you’re not “fired” if you take longer. I do think the compensation you receive is somehow related to pr dependent on if you complete the task within the suggested timeframe. I’ve received less for tasks that took a while. But that could also be related to their perception of the quality of work, as you are paid less if they don’t consider your wok up to par.

Once you complete a task, you are given the next one. So you’re only ever working on one task at a time.

If you’re going on vacation in a week or two, I’d probably just wait until you’re back so you don’t start, lose momentum during vacation and have to get going again.  Otherwise, jump in.

I should also note my compensation is now at $520.  This has been very part time.  I’d say I’m receiving about $20-$30 per hour for my work (although I haven’t kept detailed time logs, that is an estimate), which is much more then I can make at a part time job locally. Plus, I can work in the comfort of my own home.

And I’m learning how to build my own business and internet presence.

To join the intern program too, go here. 

Sabrina :: Feb.14.2008 :: As an Intern :: 9 Comments »

James Brausch talks a lot about not watching TV.  I don’t watch TV and haven’t for several years.  My husband still likes to watch TV, so we do have a set in the house.  I’d prefer we didn’t, but I can’t make ALL the rules.  :-)

Sometimes I hear a commercial with a headline from the local news meant to intrigue or even frighten viewers.  “What You Don’t Know About Local Sushi Restaurants May Surprise You!”  I find myself wondering, “Really?  What is it?  Is it not fish?  Was it frozen first?  Contaminated?  What’s going on at local sushi restaurants???  What time is that report on?  I should find out what they’re talking about.”

However, I don’t eat sushi.  In fact, there aren’t any sushi restaurants local to me.  The report is totally irrelevant to my life, and yet I’ve gotten sucked into their fear tactics to the point that I, a person who doesn’t watch TV, is immediately sucked in.

I didn’t watch the report, so I can’t tell you what’s going on at my “local” sushi restaurants.  I can tell you that instead of watching that report, or the hundreds of others that have aired since then, I’ve instead spent one on one time with my daughter and husband.  I’ve had time to keep a nice home for my family and prepared meals with love.  I’ve started the process of building my own online business.  I’ve gone on walks and started an exercise routine that makes my body feel good.

What are you missing because you are too busy watching TV?  What are you adding into your life (negativity, fear, irrelevance) as a result of watching TV?

Sabrina :: Feb.13.2008 :: Mindset :: 6 Comments »

My husband is not a very handy, do-it-yourself kind of guy.  But there are some things that need to be done around the house that simply aren’t worth calling out a contractor for.

Our sink faucet started leaking very badly a few weeks ago.  At first, he hoped it would go away but it didn’t.  Then, he talked to a friend about how to replace a faucet and waited some more to see if it would go away.  It still didn’t.

He didn’t want to jump into the job because it was unknown to him, and he was afraid of failure.

Eventually he went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet, as well as a special wrench you need to change faucets.  He got home and jumped right in.

Amazingly, the faucet change took only a few minutes.  It was quite simple.

He’d built it up in his mind as a terribly difficult task.  It turned out it was not.

Now, having completed something he though would be very hard, he’s had a bit of a self esteem boost in regards to do-it-yourself kind of projects.

He’s built his confidence by actually doing something.

I’ve done the same as part of James Brausch’s intern program.  I’ve learned that it’s entirely possible for me to, for example, create my own product.  It’s really quite simple.  I’ve learned that starting a blog on my own website can be very easy.

Now, new projects that I consider don’t seem so wrought with peril or uncertainty.

What can you do today that will make you feel more capable tomorrow?  Don’t think about it.  Just do something.  Even the smallest movement is worthwhile.

Sabrina :: Feb.12.2008 :: Mindset :: 1 Comment »

I’m a woman, so one of the ways I like to make decisions is to talk about the options, get feedback from people, weigh pros and cons and sometimes, could go on forever in this cycle without ever actually making a decision.

One thing I’ve learned both as an intern and reader of James Brausch’s blog is that decision making and vacilitating back and forth between options is really just another way of procrastinating.

I can weigh my options all day long if I’d like.  In the end, I won’t have actually done anything.

Instead, I have a new approach to decision making (if it’s something I really feel like I need to “think” about):

Take a piece of paper, write the project name on top.

Write the top 3 most plausible & possible ways to accomplish your desired goal.

Write down the worst case scenario.  If you completely mess this up and make a “bad” decision, what’s the absolute wost thing that can happen?

Circle the one way to accomplish your goal that seems least likely to product the undesirable results.

Put paper in the recycling bin and start the project using the circled way to accomplish your goal.

This works for a couple of reasons:

1. It gives your brain a chance to get out all the ideas swirling around it
2. It gives your emotional mind peace in that you’ve given all the options a chance to be considered and “thought” about
3. It gives your fear-mind (the most instinctual part of our brains that is entirely fight-or-flight based) a chance to come to terms with the possible worst case outcome
4. It gives your rational mind a moment to actually look at the worst case scenario - in most cases, you will see that it’s really not that terrible.

What if you create a product and no one buys it?  You will be able to repourpose it later, perhaps as a bonus for a product that does do well.  Or use it as a giveaway to create email subscribers.

What if you create a product and  get a bunch of refunds?  You have the opportunity to find out what was missing and improve upon it.

The worst case is often not that bad.

Instead of wasting hours, weeks, even years (as some forum junkies have) trying to figure out what to do, why don’t you just do something?

You will learn from the experience no matter how it turns out, and will be able to do even more exciting things next time.

Sabrina :: Feb.11.2008 :: Mindset :: No Comments »

Did you know that visual clutter can cloud your mind as well?

If you are sitting down to complete a task, and you’re at a messy desk with papers and soda cans and miscellaneous “stuff” strewn about, your mind will have a tiny little bit of it always thinking about the junk all around you.  You won’t be able to focus 100% on the task at hand.  It will take you longer, and will  possibly even be frustrating as your mind bounces from the task you’re trying to do and the stuff your eyes are seeing in front of you.

It’s important to minimize distractions.

My 5 year old daughter began kindergarten this year and with kindergarten came homework.  If we do homework in the living area, with the TV on and toys strewn about and my husband coming in and out, it’s impossible for her to complete a worksheet in a reasonable amount of time.  Instead, I take her into the office where there is a clean desk for her to work at.  She’s done in minutes without all the distraction.

As grown ups, we are just bigger children.  We are more able to remove distractions from our minds as we focus on something, but  there is always a bit of our minds busy seeing and then trying to remove the distractions.  In this way, we don’t perform at our maximum capabilities.

I have found that while doing a task, from working online to cooking dinner, it is fastest and easiest accomplished when I remove the distractions from my life.  Taking a few minutes before beginning something to clean up the clutter is well worth it, as you’ll spend less time in the end.

Sabrina :: Feb.10.2008 :: Mindset :: No Comments »