Take Your Company Public: Over The Counter Bulletin Board

By James Scott

So many companies dream of going public to raise massive amounts of capital, as set up for an exit strategy, to make acquisitions with stock and for many other reasons. While your intentions may be pure and with genuine motives, you're entering shark infested waters of boiler rooms, crooked attorneys and underbelly consultants who have made careers off of taking well intentioned executives just like you for a 24 month rollercoaster ride while they take every penny you have as your company shrivels up like week old road kill.

Just and honest consultants in the 'public offering' industry are as rare as the illusive white elephant. This industry exists in a cesspool surrounded by rose gardens; from afar it looks amazing and an image of a dreamland but get up and close and the sludge and odor are enough to make you run and hide. So what do you look for in a consultant? The best consulting firms are the 'boutique firms' with minimal overhead that keep a low profile and are made up of 3 or 4 'partner' consultants.

These firms typically have the experience of working with the large consulting groups but for one reason or another have decided to leave and go out on their own. The great thing is, these small groups typically have massive contacts and process your entire public offering in-house. Offering a complete turn-key solution that is managed in-house offers a huge advantage because there is accountability and you can actually build a relationship with the people that are making your dream of a public offering come true.

These 'boutique' consultants will usually stay onboard as growth consultants for the life of the company in exchange for modest fees and a pre-IPO or pre-OTCBB equity position. The large firms will hack you out at the knees and gouge you with fees while they take massive amounts of equity in your company which takes away your bartering chip when you need to offer more stock to the public to raise capital.

The small firms will also work one on one with you to show you how to use your stock to grow through acquisition and other nifty ways to use stock to grow. Seek out the boutique consulting firm and save the attorney for spot audits. Hold on to your cash. Why pay outrageous fees to lawyers when you can pay 60% less with a small consulting firm that will add all the bells and whistles for free and actually get your stock trading, usually in half the time?

About the Author:

Take Your Company Public, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Over The Counter Bulletin Board - Great Ways To Raise Money Fast!

By James Scott

Regulation D, Under Sections 4(2) and 3(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, the SEC adopted Regulation D to coordinate the various limited offering exemptions and to streamline the existing requirements applicable to private offers and sales of securities. The Regulation establishes three exemptions from registration in Rules 504, 505, and 506.

Rule 504, which provides an exemption for non-reporting companies unless they are "blank check" issuers or certain "shells", stipulates that: The sale of up to $1,000,000 of securities in a 12-month period is permitted provided that there is no general solicitation, the securities sold are restricted securities and cannot be resold except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption, and a notice must be filed with the SEC within 15 days after the first sale. Rule 504 does not provide an exemption under any state laws. In certain limited circumstances where an offering is conducted under state accredited investor exemptions, securities offered under Rule 504 may be freely transferrable. Unlike Rules 505 and 506, Rule 504 does not mandate that specified disclosure be provided to purchasers. Nonetheless, the business person should take care that sufficient information is provided to meet the full disclosure obligations which exist under the antifraud provisions of the securities laws.

Rule 505 was adopted by the SEC to provide small businesses more flexibility in raising capital than under Rule 504 - but without the uncertainty of determining the quality of the purchasers that generally is involved in using Rule 506. Rule 505 provides issuers a limited offering exemption for sales of securities totaling up to $5 million in any 12-month period.

Rule 505 contains certain restrictions regarding "accredited investors" and non-accredited persons. The-term "accredited investor" includes:

Banks, insurance companies, registered investment companies, business development companies, or small business investment companies; Certain employee benefit plans for which investment decisions are made by a bank, insurance company, or registered investment adviser; Any employee benefit plan (Within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act) with total assets in excess of $5 million; Charitable organizations, corporations or partnerships with assets in excess of $5 million; Directors, executive officers, and general partners of the issuer; Any entity in which all the equity owners are accredited investors; Natural persons with a net worth of at least $1 million; Any natural person with an income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse in excess of $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year; and Trusts with assets of at least $5 million, not formed to acquire the securities offered, and whose purchases are directed by a sophisticated person.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish audited financial statements.

If an issuer other than a limited partnership cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, only the issuer's balance sheet (to be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering) must be audited.

Limited partnerships unable to obtain required financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense may furnish financial statements prepared on the basis of federal income tax requirements and examined and reported on by an independent public or certified accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards; and The issuer must also be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers about the issuer or the offering.

Further restrictions under Rule 505 include:

The total offering price of each issue of securities may not exceed $5 million. The offering may not be made by means of general solicitation or general advertising. The issuer may sell the securities to an unlimited number of "accredited investors" and to 35 non-accredited persons. There are no requirements of "sophistication" or "wealth" for persons to whom the securities are sold. A company must take any necessary steps to ensure that the purchasers are acquiring securities for investment only, not for resale. The securities are thus "restricted" and investors must be informed that they may not be able to sell except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption from registration. The issuer is not required to file any offering materials with the Commission. Fifteen days after the first sale in the offering, the issuer must file a notice of sales on Form D. The notice also contains an undertaking under this Rule for the issuer to furnish the Commission, upon its staff s request, any information given to non-accredited purchasers in connection with the offering. Rule 505 does not provide an exemption from state securities laws.

SEC Rule 506 offers and sales of securities by an issuer that satisfy the conditions stated below are deemed transactions not involving any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. For an offering to be considered exempt from the registration requirements, Rule 506 stipulates: There is no ceiling on the amount of money which may be raised. No general solicitation or general advertising is permitted. The issuer may sell its securities to an unlimited number of accredited investors and 35 non accredited purchasers. Unlike Rule 505, all non-accredited purchasers (either alone or with a purchaser representative) must be sophisticated - that is, have sufficient knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to render them capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment. The term "accredited investor" is defined under Rule 505.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish the same financial information as would be required by registration on Form S-1.

If the issuer cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, then financial statements may be provided in accordance with the special treatment described under Rule 505.

The securities sold are "restricted" under the same stipulations in Rule 505.

A company is required to file a notice of the offering on Form D at SEC headquarters within 15 days after the first sale in the offering. All states except New York provide an exemption from state securities laws for offerings under Rule 506 but the company must file a copy of the Form D and pay a filing fee in each state. New York has a distinctive law which makes a Rule 506 offering within that state impractical.

Accredited Investor Exemption

The Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980 created a new statutory exemption from registration under the Securities Act for transactions involving offers and sales of securities by any issuer solely to one or more "accredited investors." Under Section 4(6):

The total offering price of each issue of securities under the exemption may not exceed the limit on small offerings set by Section 3(b) the Securities Act, which currently is $5 million per issue. The offering may not be made by means of any form of advertising or public solicitation.

The term "accredited investor" is defined to include the same individuals and entities as included for purposes of Rules 505 and 506. The issuer is required to file a notice of sales on Form D with the Commission 15 days after the initial sale is made in reliance on the exemption.

About the Author:

Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Need Corporate Capital? Take Your Company Public

By James Scott

Most companies who are on the venture capital trail are not set up properly to attract investors. When an investor looks at your business plan and private placement memorandum they are looking for certain things. Of course funding sources look for the obvious, a solid business model, positive cash flow, industry genre with solid future growth, recession proof business (if there even is such a thing) and minimal debt.

Countless companies are turned down for funding because they lack the basics such as: an advisory board, board of directors, solid executive staff with a well groomed pedigree, reasonable share price, business plan and PPM that spell out the risks for the investor and an original marketing strategy that covers all the angles. These are just a few of the most common mistakes that companies make out of naivety and by not taking the time to hire an expert to properly structure them to make the entity appeal to investors.

Seasoned expansion and turn-around consultants can step into a company and immediately zone in on the issues that will hinder a client's investment magnetism. Often times it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to completely reorganize a company to make it stand out like a beacon in the turbulent finance industry. If you are seriously considering the idea of raising capital with a private placement memorandum, traditional institutional loans, venture capital or a public offering don't be penny wise and dollar foolish.

Spend some money and hire a consultant who is completely submerged in the finance industry to take control of the elements of your corporation that are seen as 'black eyes' to investors so that you can achieve the capital you're seeking.

The reality is, raising capital for your company is easy and straight forward if you've taken the time to examine your business objectively and sought out the expert analysis of an industry expert consultant who will run your company through a formula and make the necessary changes to increase your ability to raise capital.

About the Author:

Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Take Your Business Public: How To Work With Investors

By James Scott

Discovering the 'thumbscrews' of investors is crucial to getting them to take action. In over a decade of dealing with global investors there are several elements that I've discovered to be universal truths about the mind of the private investor (angel investor, accredited investor).

When talking to an investor for the first time, it's more important to listen than to speak. It's more important to ask questions than answer them. It's more important to discover their needs and wants than to exclaim your own. Your first conversation with an investor should be all about piercing the armor and finding the trigger points that prompt a reaction that gets to the center of their 'childlike' state.

What I mean by this is, investors, just like anyone else, has insecurities that are rooted in their childhood and what they are outwardly today, is typically a polar opposite of what they are on the inside. For example, an arrogant, chest beater seems proud and obnoxious on the outside but the reality is that they are over compensating for an insecurity that is rooted in an individual or collection of childhood incidents.

Maybe they were made fun of as a child, maybe they're father was verbally abusive, maybe their teachers would single them out in class opening them up to playground mockery. When talking to these individuals it's important to listen to their voice and intonation when the conversation topic changes. Take notes on their psychological adjustments to the conversation. After you feel you have discovered the triggers that induce the 'pleasurable' responses, end the call, and set your second phone appointment with them.

On that second call, you want to have your conversation ready to go using the triggers you found in the first conversation. Play off of those insecurities that you found, become their best friend without being chummy but it is your mission on this call to be the "guy that understand me" to the investor. You want the overall tone of this conversation to have the response from your target along the theme of, "wow, this guy gets me" , "I can see investing in this company".

By using this method and not coming across as 'fake', you have become an investment opportunity and a shrink all rolled into one. You want to be the one person that this investor can lower his guard to because everything he says, you seem to be the one person who understands him at his deepest level. You seem to naturally be tuned into his insecurities, emotions, needs and wants. Sound strange? Try this out on the next investor you talk to, I guaranty you will be shocked with the results.

About the Author:

For Corporate Consulting or Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Easily Find And Secure: Angel Investors, Private Investors, Institutional Investors And More!

By James Scott

Easily Find And Secure: Angel Investors, Private Investors, Institutional Investors And More! Raising capital for a start-up, corporation in expansion mode or a company in virtually any position presents it's challenges and roadblocks. There has been no period in recent history that can simulate the difficulties that current entrepreneurs and executives are having when trying to achieve the procurement of venture capital. The standards have become more stringent and the cross-collateralization of personal and corporate assets as security for loans has virtually become a mandatory prerequisite for any type of funding, equity or loan based.

When initiating the process of raising capital one should take into consideration the use of a combination of funding options such as but not limited to: traditional venture capital, bank institutional, institutional equity investment, hedge fund lenders, private money lending, angel equity and loan investment, a private placement memorandum as the mechanism for raising capital distributed in shares, international equity based funding, the reality of taking your small business public on the OTCBB and many other concepts of capital raising that can be placed into a simultaneous strategy.

It's a common mistake among entrepreneurs and executives to place all of their attention and time into one singular aspect of the above funding concepts. Instead, you should pick a multi pronged approach and go after multiple genres of financing for your business. Some avenues will yield success, some will not but you are more likely to achieve incremental funding successes as oppose to one gargantuan, be all and end all finance victory.

To achieve funding you'll need to be able to contact multiple finance sources to start the ball rolling. Find online membership database sites that are owned and operated by professionals in the venture capital industry.

There is a big difference between a generalized database of possible lenders and a strategic database of success driven finance solutions. Find the most cutting edge, full range database on the web and join them.

About the Author:

Do You Need Financing For Your Business? Do You Need Angel Investors, Private Investors or Venture Capital, then visit Angel Funding Project's site and find the best Business Funding Sources In The Industry.

Doing Experiments Can Be Profitable

By Gary Foreman

Boosting income has always been a way to achieve goals, get the things we dream of or even just survive. This is particularly true in today's economic recession where any extra cash is most welcome. One sure fire way of making a bit of supplemental income is partaking in experiments and study groups. This article deals with how to make money doing experiments.

Millions of people across the globe take part in medical experiments every year to earn money. Although this may sound like volunteering to be a human guinea pig, these experiments are safe and the biggest risk to participants is boredom and the inconvenience of follow up visits.

These experiments are popular income generators world wide and although they may sound like something from a horror movie, are professionally administered and safe. The biggest danger facing those who take part is generally cold stethoscopes, boredom and having to come back in for follow up visits.

A wide range of medical experiments are available from simple, quick questionnaires to protracted drug trials. Most take no more than an hour or so and the only real inconvenience are the possible follow up visits. The more detailed and lengthy studies pay more but the quickies can be more lucrative as one can simply partake in more of them.

Sometimes the experiments involve a medical interview or examination which may require the participants to undergo a physical check up, MRI scan, EKG or have blood tests done. Although these usually pay more than the quiz style experiments, you may want to avoid them if you are queasy.

Pharmaceutical trials take far longer and are usually very specific regarding who takes part. If you are prone, for example, to hay fever, you may take part in new drug trials where you will be given either a placebo (an inert, harmless replacement) or the actual drug and then have your reaction monitored to check the efficacy of the medication.

You can also volunteer to undergo testing of new procedures or treatments if you suffer from a pre-existing condition and are currently receiving alternate treatments. Again, these are all safe and are only carried out to check the efficiency of the particular treatment or procedure prior to its release or institution.

These experiments are not only valuable as a cash generator for the participants, but of huge value to the medical community and eventually for those who benefit from medication, research or procedures once they are released.

These experiments are not only a good source of alternate income but also serve as an invaluable source of medical research and for this reason are well worth consideration.

About the Author:

Know where to look for Expedia coupon because you will want to go somewhere after taking a bunch of experiments.

Easily Find Angel Investors, Private Investors, Hard Money Lenders and Venture Capital Firms

By James Scott

How To Find All The Angel Investors And Venture Capital Financing You'll Ever Need! The once definitive line that would separate hard money and private/angel financing has merged into a hybrid of sorts in the past few years. As the economy has taken a dive and structured private lending firms have felt the crunch we are finding many of these lending solutions closing its doors and re-opening as privately owned and managed funding options with an interest in both lending and seed investment.

Approval decisions that were once made by a group are not being made by an individual or duo with an eye toward optimal capitalization with both short term and long term agendas. As investors are, now more than ever, trying to get as much bang out of their buck, entrepreneurs are in the precarious position of accepting funding from virtually any and every enterprise that is making an offering. That said, it is more important now than ever to swing open your mind to the possibilities of mass exposure of your opportunity to the investment world.

The best way to do this is to simply put your business in constant and automated 'introduction' mode so that you can be found by the moneymen. The best way to do this is to heavily investigate the venture capital industry for executives who have created offshoot programs that have deviated their process from the traditional path of simply approving or declining a transaction.

There are many VC professionals who want to capitalize off of the projects that their firm cannot accept due to underwriting criteria and industrial genre specialization so they are starting these small but well managed financial source databases where members can place their transaction directly in front of thousands upon thousands of angel investors, private investors, hard money lenders, venture capital firms, private equity firms and other alternative finance solutions.

These websites are now the hottest thing in the capital markets and will continue to grow because of the high success rate of individual executives and entrepreneurs who are able to find multiple streams of financing options with the click of a button.

About the Author:

Do You Need Financing For Your Business? Do You Need Angel Investors, Private Investors or Venture Capital, then visit Angel Funding Project's site and find the best Business Funding Sources In The Industry.

Reduce Your Bills This Month

By David Bradshaw

What working person doesn't need to be more frugal these days? Since we are getting lower returns on our savings while paying more to service debt, most people are looking for quick ways to reduce bills every month. I think I can give most people some simple solutions so they can put aside more savings, reduce debt, or simply get a paycheck to last the whole month. If that sounds like something you would be interested in, please read on!

Auto insurance is one of the most common bills. Most of us need to cover our cars, but we do not need to overpay for coverage. Since there are many companies competing for business in every area, this is one product you should be shopping around for.

In fact, experts advise people to compare insurance quotes every year or so. So if you are shopping for your first policy, adding a new driver to your old policy, or if you have had the same policy for years, you shoulds look around for the best deal.

Lots of insurers advertise on TV and the internet. They all say they have the best policies at the cheapest rates. How do you find the best one for you? You probably know that your rates may be based upon individual factors like age, driving history, and the type of vehicle. But all insurers are not the same! You could use a competitive quote form to make it fast and easy to compare rates.

One other bill that most of us have to pay are for trips to the grocery store. If we want to eat at home, we have to buy food. But even though we have to pay for groceries, this is one expense we have some control over. We can choose what food we buy. Let me just say right now that I am not a big fan of complex shopping lists and clipping coupons.

If you scan your grocery store for specials, and try to buy produce that is in season, you may save a lot of money. Coupons seem great, but I rarely find them for things I really need. And many times, the store brand is cheaper anyway.

And finally, be sure you prepare some sort of budget. Look at last month's expenses to see where you may be leaking money. You may be surprised. I know that I was spending a lot of money on some convenience items, and could actually save a lot by planning ahead and buying them in larger sizes to have on hand.

About the Author:

Our simple and quick online quotes can help you save money on insurance. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

Dream Control - Is It Possible?

By David Heoung

Many of us think of our dreams as something which is largely beyond our control; they happen while we are asleep, after all and whether they are pleasant dreams or nightmares, we shrug and assume there is nothing to be done to direct the course of our dreams. However, it is entirely possible to have dream control thorough the technique known as lucid dreaming.

What exactly is lucid dreaming though? How can you start using dream control? Are there benefits associated with being able to sit in the directors chair for your dreams? In this article, well look at how dream control works and what it can do for you.

What Is Dream Control?

Dream control, which is the ability granted to us by the technique of lucid dreaming is having the knowledge that you are dreaming even while in the middle of a dream. While you are sound asleep, your mind can be aware of the fact that you are dreaming, letting you be in control of the events which transpire in your dreams.

For those suffering from frequent nightmares, this simple but powerful method may serve to be just the thing they need to finally enjoy a restful night's sleep.

Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming

A rather effective method known for achieving lucid dreaming involves the use of binaural audio, which entails listening to two different frequencies at the same time in order to synchronize the brain waves, bringing about a deep sense of relaxation, as well as a state in which lucid dreaming is possible known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Before this use of modern technology was discovered and available on CDs or DVDs for the purpose of dream control, self hypnosis and meditation were the most widely used techniques for lucid dreaming, although many people report finding it too difficult to achieve this state using these two particular means of dream control.

Other than these methods, many others have been used by psychologists and sleep researchers. However the mind is trained to assert dream control, the object is the same; to enable the dreamer to realize that they are dreaming and to begin taking the reins of their dreams.

To do this, we must, of course, begin while we are wide awake, with the key being to remember to do or say something in a dream, which will trigger the recognition necessary within the mind and allow us to then control what happens next.

It's often a simple matter of telling yourself, just before going to sleep, that you will be dreaming soon and in that dream you will remember to do or say something specific, and when that happens, you will instantly realize that it is a dream.

This form of dream control is called mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (or MILD for short), a technique developed by researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Once reminded, you are then in control of your dream. You can then decide what happens in your dream, with your imagination being the only limiting factor.

A dream diary can also help you to get started with lucid dreaming. Immediately after you wake up, write down each and every detail that you remember from your dreams. After doing this for a while, you'll train your mind to remember your dreams; this is the first step to dream control and soon you'll start having lucid dreams!

You can beat back those nightmares, go anywhere, do anything and talk to anyone you want in these dreams. There are no limits except for your imagination to your dreams once you have mastered the techniques of dream control.

As with anything else, though there can be too much of a good thing. According to psychologists and other experts, dreaming is a way for our subconscious minds communicate important messages to us. So while lucid dreaming is indeed an incredible experience, you'll also want to have natural dreams; so remember to take some time off from lucid dreaming now and again.

About the Author:

David Heoung is a writer for the http://www.luciddreaminginfo.com website. Discover the amazing experience of dream control for yourself and get twenty nine Free lucid dreaming Binaural and hypnosis mp3 audios when you visit here.

Seven Steps To Blogging Success For Affiliate Marketers

You've probably heard us say this often, but it's worth repeating: One of the MOST important strategies for successful affiliate marketing is building relationships of trust with your customers and subscribers.

You'll always sell the MOST products (and earn the highest commissions) if you recommend your products to your list

...... and the MORE they trust you, the GREATER the chances they'll act on your recommendations.

Now, while we've always said that email marketing is the BEST way to go about building these relationships with your customers, it's certainly not the ONLY way!

Another excellent way to create a sense of familiarity and trust with your visitors and subscribers -- and build your online credibility -- is through a blog.

A blog gives your readers the chance to get to know the "real" person behind your website: You!

By writing short, simple blog posts related to your market or area of interest, your visitors will quickly begin to view you as a trusted friend who is looking out for their best interests, and they'll also see for themselves that you're a reliable resource for information and help.

So, if you'd like to try creating a blog for your site, here are seven simple "rules" you can follow to create one that your customers will return to again and again...

... and one that will help you sell even MORE of your affiliate products:

1. Post often, over an extended period of time

The most important element of EVERY successful blog is the frequency of posting.

Posting often -- daily if possible -- over a long period of time, is the best way to build a large, loyal audience. This large readership provides the base for you to make good money, so posting often is crucial to making your business profitable.

Ideally, you want your blog readers to return every day to read your latest post. If you stop posting for a few days, you risk losing those readers.

Imagine if your favorite daily newspaper often didn't appear for a few days without warning... you'd end up finding a more reliable source of news pretty quickly!

2. Make your content relevant to your target audience

Of course, there's no point posting frequently if your content isn't relevant to your target audience. By providing valuable information and links to other web sites and resources that they can explore for more information, you will keep your readers coming back for more.

To generate sustained levels of good traffic, it's not enough for your content just to be relevant to your audience -- it also needs to be insightful, informative, and even controversial at times (within reason).

And you don't have to be the greatest writer!

If your voice is your own, your tone is genuine, and your content is worth reading, then you'll attract an audience.

3. Encourage dialog and debate through your blog

The most controversial blogs often attract the most traffic. Political blogs are prime examples.

Obviously, if you're running a business blog, you need to be careful what you write, but there's no doubt that a great way to generate large spikes in traffic is to write something new, fresh, and, if not controversial, then at least noteworthy.

Not only does this generate interest in the blogosphere, resulting in other blogs linking to you, but it encourages debate. People leave a comment and then invariably return to read the responses to it, and maybe leave another contribution.

Asking for people's opinion, experience, or ideas is another great way to invite comments.

In a business blog you need to be careful when allowing comments to be left in case someone writes something damaging to your business.

However, blog comments can be managed, and there's no doubt that this dialog is one of the standout features of a blog.

4. Promote your blog everywhere, all the time -- online and offline

To make your blog work, you need to start by driving traffic -- and lots of it -- to it.

The most successful blogs use every tool, directory, and promotional technique they can lay their hands on. And because blogs are now so popular online, there are a LOT of these tools available for you to take advantage of.

5. Make friends, link, and connect

Blogging is not a solitary activity. "Community," "dialog," and "linking" are words you'll hear constantly in blog-related discussions. And the best blogs make full use of the linking features available to link to other relevant web sites or blogs.

By "making friends" and connecting with other blogs where your target audience may hang out, you can get those blogs to link to you, providing a bridge from their blog to yours... and more traffic for you!

Every time you post a comment on a blog you like, or drop the blog owner an email, you are effectively giving out your business card -- complete with an instant link to your blog.

6. Be active in the blogosphere

Just as blogging is a social activity, it's also an active one. The bloggers who really put themselves out there... who link with other blogs... who post comments on message boards, forums, and blogs... who become recognized as an authority in a particular subject... are the ones whose blogs pull in the really big traffic figures.

And ultimately, they're the ones who have the ability to make BIG money!

Think of promoting your blog as "working the room" at your local Chamber of Commerce networking lunch. Okay, the Internet is a large, global "room," but if you find out where your target audience and the other businesses that cater to that audience spend their time, then that's where you should spend your time "networking" and making sure they know who you are.

7. Make your blog a great place to hang out!

Of course, attracting tons of traffic is pointless if you don't ensure that your blog is a fulfilling and worthwhile experience for your visitors.

The content itself is important, but your blog should also be well designed, easy to navigate, and home to features like categorized archives and image folders.

The most successful blogs combine the best elements of chatrooms, online forums, and information and news web sites -- all held together by a template that's pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate.

Many blog readers treat their favorite blogs like their favorite coffee shops -- friendly, comfortable places where they can hang out to read, chat, and socialize.

Finally, remember that you don't need to be a professional writer to write your own blog! Just be yourself, write from the heart, and make sure you're providing relevant information to your audience...

... and you'll be rewarded with increased sales and commissions!

Article Sponsored by Internet Marketing Center©

Follow me via Twitter @igooglefriend