The following question was posted this week through my Midweek Momentum webinar:

Marty,
I am looking at creating some additional income from home through an already established online business. I’ve recently heard about “My
Online Income System” & “Independent Profit Center (IPCP)”.  Are you familiar with either of these?

Is there any that you know would be safe, secure and legitimate to work with? Thanks Marty!

Answer: RUN AWAY! From what I can tell, these are both scams designed to prey on people who are looking for just the type of thing you are seeking.

As far as I know, there are no (zero, zilch, nada) “safe, secure and legitimate” work from home programs out there.  In fact, a few years ago I did a posting to my entire social network asking for anyone who knew of a legitimate work from home (not MLM, not straight commission work) opportunity and I got nothing.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but seriously, if it was really possible to make “$379/day from hone in 60 minutes a day”, don’t you think we would all be doing it?

Actual screen shot from one of the websites mentioned above showing the "Too good to be true" (and probably illegal) earnings claims

I’ve had several relatives and friends get ripped off by falling for just these type of deals, so this is a VERY important subject to me.

Please, please, please don’t fall for these scams.  If you need a job, get a job.  If you want to start a business, start a business.  But there are no shortcuts to making a bunch of money from home in an hour a day.

This question was posted on my Facebook wall today. The answer was a bit more extensive than I wanted to post on Facebook, so I’m reposting the original question (along with my answer) here for all to read and comment…

Question:

Is there a difference between non-profit and not for profit?  I would love to do a foundation but I know my partner would like to make enough to decrease her hours at the office and put her hours into the business. What are your thoughts?

Answer:

For many people, the terms “non-profit” and “not for profit” are interchangeable. However, there can be subtle differences between the two.

A “Nonprofit” is generally an organization with a 501(c)3 IRS designation which allows them to receive charitable donations, and have the donor claim such donations on their taxes. Most non-profit organizations are formed around a “cause” or area of focus such as Salvation Army helping the poor, Boy Scouts of America training tomorrow’s leaders, or your local Sertoma civic club promoting hearing health and awareness across the country.

A “not for profit” is an entity which exists to serve a community or cause, but it’s not in the business of soliciting donations, but is rather a more traditionally-run business. The best example of a “not for profit” that I can come up with is a Credit Union. Unlike a bank (blech!), a credit union is charted by and owned by it’s members, so any excess “profit” at the end of the year is returned to it’s members.

To answer the second part of your question:

Many non-profit and not-for-profit organizations have paid employees, including board members, staff, and even a president. So it is possible to have a “nonprofit” organization that is chartered to serve a community or cause, may receive favorable tax and social benefits AND pays a salary to the founders of the organization itself.

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DISCLAIMER: I am neither a licensed tax adviser nor an attorney. This response is my opinion only, and may or may not be accurate depending on your particular situation. Please consult an attorney and a tax adviser before acting on any advice you read here.

Today’s post, a replay from my Midweek Momentum webinar series, is a lesson about the six Principles of Influence, as outlined in the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini.

I sincerely believe that these Principles of Influence will help you become a better marketer, copywriter, negotiator, and all-around more successful business person, and this video will get you started understanding the Principles of Influence and Persuasion. Click the video below for the replay . . .

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So what do you think? Are you ready to leverage some of the Principles of Influence in your business?

(Interested in buying the book? Click here to get a great price on Amazon)

I’ve kept my previous Funny Friday posts to topics that are mostly business or marketing related, but this one is just too funny not to share. . .

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In case you were wondering, I share no resemblance whatsoever to the people portrayed in this video. None at all. I swear.

It seems everywhere you turn lately, you’re hearing about “Pinterest”

Have you asked yourself:

• What is Pinterest?
• Why should I care?
• How can I use Pinterest in my business?
• How do I get started using Pinterest?

If you said “yes” to any of these, you’ll want to watch this video replay from the Midweek Momentum webinar series where you will learn some great information and ideas for using Pinterest.  In this Pinterest video tutorial, I’ll answer each of the questions above and give you some pointers on how to get started using Pinterest for YOUR business . . .

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Do you have questions about Pinterest, marketing, social media or any other aspect of helping your business grow? Then join us for the Midweek Momentum webinar every Wednesday!  Click here to register for FREE!

A cool story out of Florida today where 14-Year-Old Willow Tufano is making headlines because she just purchased her first real estate investment property using funds she raised buying and selling items on Craigslist.

Read the full story HERE

Every day I hear from people how “tough” and even “impossible” it is to make money as an entrepreneur in today’s economy.  Heck, I even send myself an invitation to the “pity party” once in a while.

But Willow didn’t make excuses.  She made money.  She made it through online marketing (Craigslist) and now through real estate.  And of course she made it by working hard.

So if a 14-Year-Old in Florida can make money in today’s economy, what’s your excuse?

As for me, I’m fresh out of good excuses.  So back to work I go, but with a much more positive attitude!

Yesterday I did a short interview on KLZ 560 AM in Denver, Colorado.  (Also broadcast in St. Louis, Birmingham, Minneapolis/St. Paul and streaming online at http://www.560thesource.com.)  The broadcast was a business talk show called The Experience Pros with Angel and Eric, and the topic was Social Media Marketing.

Angel and Eric are EXCELLENT interviewers, which allowed us to cover a lot of ground in 8 minutes, from ROI on LinkedIn, to a couple of real-world case studies, and finally the latest thoughts on Pinterest and Google Plus.   It was a fun interview, and I have to tell you, I feel really energized when I am teaching, training and helping others grow their business, even when it’s just for 8 minutes.

Click here to download and listen to the mp3 recording (Opens in new window, right-click to download)

Later in the day Angel Tuccy, one of the co-hosts of the show, posted the following wonderful recommendation on LinkedIn:

“I interview 6-8 expert guests every single day on my radio show. Marty Fahncke is one of my favorite guests. Being able to share your business message in less than 8 minutes takes an expert and Marty delivered. Not only is Marty an expert in business, he compelled me to invite him back to my show, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his video AND write him a testimonial, all within a few hours. He is a positive and encouraging voice for business. Marty will help you create a campaign that works!”– Angel Tuccy

Thanks Angel!

A question for my readers, what are your best tips for Social Media ROI? Please leave your comments below . . .

I just read an awesome post from Rick Webb called “Lay off the Social Media Experts”.  (The alternate headline when it hit my inbox this morning was “Why you should stop hating on social media consultants”, which I actually like better)

The article contains some very good explanations why it usually doesn’t make sense to try doing Social Media all by yourself, and how outside experts can be a tremendous asset to your business and marketing strategy.

Mr. Webb’s position can be boiled down to this one paragraph:

“First off, yes, it can seem silly for someone to go charge a small business to help them set up a Facebook page or a Tumblr or a Twitter. I mean, I guess by the same logic lawn mowers, dog walkers, hairstylists and house cleaners are mockable positions too. I mean, I can do all of these things. There are people who are better at it than me. Why not have them do it and do something better with my time?”

Read the entire article HERE (Opens in new window)

After reading the article, you will see in the comments that the second one is from a Scott Kidder, who says “The problem with “Social Media Experts” is that they generally aren’t experts . . . Alas, real Social Media Experts are few and far between.”

I totally agree.

If you DO decide to hire a “social media expert”, be sure they really are an expert, and not someone who played Farmville on Facebook all day so they lost their job, and they are now hanging out a shingle as a “Social Media Consultant”.   Believe me, these types are out there.  BE CAREFUL.

What perspective do I have to back up my opinion? Well, I’ll tell you, but to do so please allow me to blow my own horn just a bit:

• As a Kansas City social media consultant who works with clients all across the United States, I have a proven track record of success in marketing and promotion utilizing tried and true methods, as well as cutting edge technology and media channels.  These campaigns have resulted in revenues exceeding $1 Billion for my clients and employers.
• I’ve been using Social Media for my own business since 2004
• Since 2007 I have been engaged in actually GENERATING REVENUE through Social Media marketing on behalf of companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.  (That’s 5 years folks!)
• As a professional speaker, I’m a recognized thought leader in the area of Online Marketing and Social Media, and I’m frequently quoted in the press as an expert in the space.
• I have been utilizing LinkedIn since 2004, generating over $2 million in revenue from this one channel alone.  I currently have 52 recommendations on my profile, each one from  someone I’ve actually helped in their business. Click HERE to check it out

Bottom line: If the “Expert / Consultant” you are thinking about hiring can beat that background, hire them.  If not, contact me here and I’ll help you out.

“How do I get more traffic to my blog?” is a question I get several times per week.

My usual response: “Consistently write interesting, and compelling content. You should be blogging several times per week, at least”

“But what can I possibly blog about? I can’t think of anything good” is the standard retort from the audience.

If you’ve asked that question yourself, here is one strategy that is VERY effective:

Identify the HOT topic of the day, then write your own spin about it.

Example:

Today, February 13th, 2012 the whole world is talking about Adele.  It’s a great story with her 6 Grammy wins, and her heart-stopping live performance after having vocal cord surgery. The social media AND traditional media websites are lighting up with “Adele” everywhere you look.

But the Wall Street Journal’s Michaeleen Douclefff found a unique twist in the topic, focusing on how Adele’s song “Someone Like You” leverages scientific principles to elicit a strong emotional response. The article, entitled “Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker” outlines why so many people (yes, including me) are filled with emotion when listening to this haunting song.

The article is a very interesting read.

But this is what I find even more interesting; TWO DAYS after the initial publishing of this article, it’s the #1 most popular on the Wall Street Journal website. Why? Because it’s gone viral.

Top articles on Wall Street Journal 2/13/2012

Mr. Doucleff didn’t just write another “Adele is a great singer” article like so many others out there. Instead, he found a unique and compelling twist on a huge story, and now he’s getting worldwide attention on the piece he wrote.

So how about you? What is the unique perspective you can add to a current event or topic that people will find useful, interesting, or entertaining?

A new website just launched called Your Social Colonic that promises to analyze the posts of all your Facebook friends and identify which ones are “toxic”.

I’ve been slowly and strategically reducing the number of connections I have on my personal Facebook, favoring instead to have most of my connections through my business Facebook page. So I figured doing a “Social Colonic” was worth a few minutes to help me clean up my friends list.

The website took about 5 minutes to run my report, which was fine because I had it going in the background and kept working while it was doing it’s thing.

Screenshot of part of my actual Social Colonic report (Click to embiggen)

The report was a little surprising, because it identified some of my most favorite people as “most toxic”. I’m really not sure if that’s a condemnation of the Social Colonic service or my choice in friends.

It broke up my friends into different categories, such as “Johnny Stalker”, “Hitch-liker”, “Emo Therapists” and “Self-Likers”. Through these breakdowns, I found a couple of people that I determined I should disconnect from.  CLICK! Gone.

The most useful part of the report for me was the “Total Profanities Detected” section, which showed me who was peppering my stream with unnecessary vulgarity. (Yes, I do believe there can be necessary vulgarity at times) Anyway, ZAP!, they’re outtahere.

Overall, Your Social Colonic wasn’t quite as amazing as I had hoped it would be, but it wasn’t totally lame either. I think it’s worth taking 5 minutes to check it out, so click the logo below to get started . . .

Have fun! (And please be sure to leave a comment below if you learn anything interesting from running YOUR report)