Hosting your own live event can be risky. I posted about this recently, and I posted my reasons for hosting live events anyway. Now, I'm offering five crucial steps you must be aware of if you want to successfully market your own live event. Ignoring the steps could mean the loss of a lot of money, sleep, and peace of mind.

Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode:

• The “five things” approach to productivity.
• The Word that heals.
• Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Crucial Steps To Marketing Live Events

Tip Of The Week

The curious case of Dr. Canoe, props to Alex and Robert, and the simplest productivity tool I know.

Spiritual Foundations

He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
Psalm 107:20

As Christians, we sometimes fall into using the Bible as a talisman. We hold it like a good luck charm. We pull it out in times of trouble.

The power of the Bible-God's word-is released only when you receive it as truth, and then speak it out loud.

When God wanted to save the world what did he do? He sent the word.

When God wanted to heal his people, the Bible says he sent his word.

There is no “your part” that you need to do to receive God's goodness, except this: you must receive it. We help ourselves receive it when we confess it out loud.

Feature Segment: 5 Crucial Steps To Marketing Live Events

The biggest risk you take when you sponsor a live event is the most obvious one: the risk that nobody will show up.

The next biggest risk is not so obvious, but perhaps more commonplace. This is the risk that people will show up, the event will be great, and you will lose money like crazy. Here are five crucial steps you can take to ensure against both of these problems.

1. Be intentional about the model.
2. Identify your attendees carefully.
3. Remember the 5P's.
4. Watch them chickens.
5. Market early, market often, and market using different media.

Your Feedback

Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me.

Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page

And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.

Maybe the best way to grow your business if to do less. I'm not encouraging laziness, but rather suggesting something very different. It's time to speed up… by slowing down.

Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode:

• Scrivener is my new writing tool of choice.
• The value of comrades in arms.
• Stu McLaren is back from a dog sled adventure with a talk on sprinting.
• Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Ways To Simplify Your Business

Tip Of The Week

Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.

Spiritual Foundations

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:12,14

It's about time we stopped confessing our sins. Why are we so caught up in the idea that we need to remind God of something he has said he has forgotten?

You don't need to become more conscious of your sin. You already know when you sin.

What we need to become conscious of is our righteousness.

Being conscious of how imperfect we are is not humility. It's a failure to understand what Christ has extra done for us.

In fact, the Bible tells us that being conscious of our sins means we haven't “evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22).

God sees us without spot, without imperfection, and he sees us wearing his own robes of righteousness. We are righteous, not because of anything we have done, but because of what he has done.

Lifestyle Business Segment

Stu McLaren,  superstar entrepreneur from WishList Products And RhinoSupport, brings us our Lifestyle Business Segment. This week, Stu tackles the subject of sprinters vs. marathoners.

Feature Segment: 5 Ways To Simplify Your Business

From last week's podcast, here are 3 good reasons to simplifying your business.

1. Simplifying helps you to focus more on the most profitable elements of your business.
2. Simplifying helps you get paid more for what you sell.
3. Simplifying helps your customers feel as if they are clear on what you do.

The question this raised was, how do we do that? Here are five ways to simplify your business.

1. Eliminate 80% of what you are doing.
2. Renegotiate your agreements.
3. Increase output, decrease input.
4. Build intentional constraints into your schedule.
5. Ruthlessly practice “The Art of No”.

Your Feedback

Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me.

Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page

And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.

Hosting a seminar can be expensive, risky, stressful, and the source of many potential headaches. So why on earth would you want to host your own seminar?

I can think of 5 good reasons. And in this episode we'll examine them.

Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode:

• In favor of simplification of your business.
• How can God help me in my business?
• Stu McLaren is back and has some thoughts on progress.
• Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Great Reasons To Host a Seminar

Tip Of The Week

There are 3 good reasons to simplifying your business.

1. Simplifying helps you to focus more on the most profitable elements of your business.
2. Simplifying helps you get paid more for what you sell.
3. Simplifying helps your customers feel as if they are clear on what you do.

Spiritual Foundations

What's the most concrete way God can help you in your business?

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:13

How does God answer or speak to us? Some ways…

• His written Word.
• Strong impressions.
• Other people.
• Coincidence and circumstances.
• The audible Voice.
• Dreams and visions.

The quickest way to get an answer from God is to (1) ask and then (2) listen. Try it!

Lifestyle Business Segment

Stu McLaren,  superstar entrepreneur from WishList Products And RhinoSupport, brings us our Lifestyle Business Segment. This week, Stu tackles the subject of progress.

Feature Segment: 5 Great Reasons To Host a Seminar

I have hosted quite a few of my own events over the years. This past week, I just completed my most ambitious seminar to date. It included a crew for running the administrative side of the seminar, and audiovisual team that handled all of the video, music, microphones, lighting, etc. Several guest speakers. Getting people to show up for the seminar. And a host of other details. It was mega stressful. I also felt compelled to do it, and I'm not sorry for a minute.

After having been through this taxing experience more than once, one might ask me the question, “why on earth would you put yourself through this, Ray?”

I can think of at least five good reasons why it's great to do your own seminars.

1. It's a great way to create a product.
2. It's a great way to offer higher end programs for sale.
3. It's a great way to crystallize your thinking.
4. It's a great way to network and bond.
5. It's a great way to expand your thinking.

Your Feedback

Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me.

And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.

Who are “Internet Marketers”, and how do they get it wrong? There is a very distinct group of online entrepreneurs that are referred to as “Internet Marketers”, as opposed to the general online population of business people who do marketing.

And within this distinct group, there are some common practices that will lead you to disaster… in this episode, I'll show you how to avoid that problem.

Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode:

• The app that made me a journal keeper… against my will.
•  Is there a time to stop crying out to God?
• Stu McLaren is back with advice on living well.
• Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Traps “Internet Marketers” Fall Into.

Special Announcements

1. This weekend is the 3-Day Live Intensive,  April 5-7 in Phoenix. Get your ticket right now – click here.
2. Would you like to have me speak at your event or church? I am accepting a limited number of engagements for 2013.  Click here to visit my speaking page and get details on my availability.

Tip Of The Week

If you've ever wanted to keep it journal, but just never been able to stick with it, you might want to try DayOne.

Spiritual Foundations

Is there ever a time to stop “crying out to God” and start taking some action? Consider this story from Exodus:

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.” Exodus 14:15-16

God gave Moses authority. That's what the staff in his hand represented. So when Moses had the people crying out to God, the Lord asked Moses why. And then God told him to have the people go forward, and exercise his authority.

As partakers in the new covenant, we also have authority. It comes to us in the name of Jesus Christ.

If you feel that you're caught between “the devil and the deep blue sea”, perhaps it's time to stop crying out to God, and start exercising your authority as a royal priest, and in the name of Jesus Christ.

Lifestyle Business Segment

Stu McLaren,  superstar entrepreneur from WishList Products And RhinoSupport, brings us our Lifestyle Business Segment. This week, Stu tackles the subject of living well.

Feature Segment: 5 Traps “Internet Marketers” Get Caught In

When I use the term “Internet Marketers” in this particular episode, I'm referring to that curious group of folks who can be described like this: marketers who sell marketing stuff to marketers, who then sell marketing stuff to marketers, who sell… you get the idea.

Now I am not saying that Internet Marketers are bad people, or that there is anything wrong with this particular niche. In fact, I believe quite the contrary.

I do believe there are some common pitfalls that many people in this niche encounter. And today, I'm going to outline five traps Internet Marketers get caught in. I think you can en joy great success either as an Internet Marketer yourself, or by learning from Internet Marketing experts… if you avoid these five traps.

• The Internet Marketing MLM Trap. Please don't flame me, I'm not criticizing multilevel marketing companies that sell on the Internet. But within that industry (the MLM industry) there are many scams. Most of them are some version of “selling the dream to people who then sell the dream to other people”… And nobody is selling any actual product. The same happens in Internet marketing.
• The Copycat Trap. This is the bane of “how to” content creation. If all you are teaching is “how to” it quickly becomes indistinguishable from “me too”. The antidote is moving beyond mere knowledge, and producing Wisdom.
• The Hamster Wheel Trap. Instead of creating foundational products, and building a marketing system, entrepreneurs stuck in this trap are having to produce the “product of the week”. Always a new pitch. Always a new topic. Very tiring.
• The Hyperbolic Intensifier Trap. We get the word “height” from the word “hyperbole”. When you are creating commodity products and information, the only way to fight the competition war is by exaggerating the benefits of your own product. You have to intensify your hyperbole until eventually, you're just telling lies.
• The Spirit of Mammon Trap. Call it greed. Call it avarice. Jesus called it Mammon. This comes from a Greek word that seems to imply the personification of a spiritual force behind the worship of money.

“Do not love the money and use people. Instead, use money to love people.”-Joseph Prince

These traps can sneak up on you. Keep your eyes open, stay well away from these, and enjoy more success and fulfillment. Not to mention sounder sleep.

Your Feedback

Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me.

And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.