Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Finding a Profitable Niche - Avoid These Deadly Mistakes! | Solopreneur Success!

Fail to Connect on an Emotional Level

When targeting a niche, you want to connect to them on an emotional level. Connect emotionally to their problem and then provide them with the solution – YOU!

But what if you fail to connect to them on an emotional level? Take our dog groomer for instance. If she chooses to focus on small dogs (you know the cute little dogs they carry in purses?). Sounds like a great market because EVERYONE has those designer dogs these days.

However, does this niche really have an emotional connection to your services? Will they pay you a higher fee for your expertise?

No.

A laser beam 1,000 times more powerful than the U.S.

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Beach volleyballers might cover up for Olympics | Fourth-Place Medal - Yahoo! Sports

Friday, July 20, 2012

Finding a Profitable Niche - Avoid These Deadly Mistakes! | Solopreneur Success!

Knowing how to find a profitable niche market is essential to your overall success. Perhaps it seems obvious, because if you’ve ever  read anything about marketing, you’ve heard about niches. But choosing the right niche is not simple and can be quite complex.

And although this post is partially self-promotional (I’ve got a link to my newest online class), the topic of niche marketing is completely relevant for the solopreneur. Remember, your future paychecks depend on finding a profitable niche the first time. So avoid these deadly mistakes when choosing a niche for your small business.

Don’t Focus on a Small Problem

finding a profitable niche

When choosing a niche, you start with identifying a problem that your potential client might have. For example, if I was a pet groomer, my potential clients problems could include:

  • My dog is filthy
  • My dog’s hair is matted
  • My dog’s hair is too long
  • My dog has fleas
  • My dog is hard to control when grooming
All of these are problems for pet owners, but could you really be profitable if you only focused on dogs with fleas? No. But you could become the grooming specialist who is an expert with unruly dogs?

Of course you could. And by focusing on this niche, you could charge a higher fee for your expertise.

Fail to Connect on an Emotional Level

When targeting a niche, you want to connect to them on an emotional level. Connect emotionally to their problem and then provide them with the solution – YOU!

But what if you fail to connect to them on an emotional level? Take our dog groomer for instance. If she chooses to focus on small dogs (you know the cute little dogs they carry in purses?). Sounds like a great market because EVERYONE has those designer dogs these days.

However, does this niche really have an emotional connection to your services? Will they pay you a higher fee for your expertise?

No.

But if you chose the unruly dog niche, you could certainly connect to your potential clients on an emotional level. For instance, if your dog had some kind of behavior issue that prevented them from getting properly groomed you might be…

  • fearful that a groomer might be too rough
  • stressed out that your dog was not properly cleaned
  • worried that they might bite the groomer
That’s the kind of emotions that you want to connect with when marketing to your niche.

Effective Marketing – How to Find Your Profitable Niche

If you’re interested in learning more, I urge you to take my new online class Effective Marketing – How to Find Your Profitable Niche. It will take you step-by-step and help you chose the right niche to specialize in.

 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tom Cruise visits with daughter Suri for first time since split with Katie Holmes | Omg Goddess - Yahoo! omg!

Tom with Suri on Tuesday. (James Devaney/WireImage)Tom Cruise said he would visit his daughter Suri as soon as he wrapped filming "Oblivion," and on Monday, just days after he finished, he flew overnight straight to New York City to see his little girl. The "Mission: Impossible" star was spotted carrying the 6-year-old — who he has not seen since weeks before Katie Holmes filed for divorce on June 29 — on Tuesday morning into The Greenwich Hotel, where he'll be staying the next couple of days instead of at the apartment he and Holmes shared during their marriage (Holmes and Suri have since moved into their own place). Although it was reported that Cruise wanted to see his daughter in a neutral location, the actress, 33, apparently wants to keep Suri on a schedule to make the divorce easier on her. And the doting dad is doing just that: Later in the day, he's set to bring her to her usual gymnastics class at Chelsea Piers, according to

Cruise, 50, didn't come alone on the trip. His sister Cass, who has accompanied the Holmes-Cruise family in the past on outings, was photographed carrying toys — including a stuffed puppy (and we all know how Suri loves them!) — into the hotel. Perhaps Cass is acting as the intermediary between the exes. According to reports, they will have no contact when passing Suri back and forth as per their July 7 settlement, though TMZ says that Cruise did enter Holmes' new Chelsea apartment when he picked up his daughter. Holmes was not home at the time and he only stayed a few minutes.

"He's been dying to see her," a source tells People magazine of Cruise and Suri, who have kept in touch via Skype since the split. Going forward, "He'll be with her whenever he can." As for Cruise and Holmes, they have vowed to keep things civil for the sake of their daughter, adds another source close to the former couple. "They both know they are going to have to make decisions together regarding Suri for many, many years. And they know she loves both her parents."

More Celebrity Features on Yahoo!:


Friday, July 13, 2012

Parents of 11-Year-Old Who Died of Septic Shock Say Hospital Sent Their Son Home "Desperately Ill" | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine

Rory Staunton, who died of sepsis in April, 2012.
The story of 11-year-old Rory Staunton of Queens, New York, who suffered a routine cut on his arm during basketball practice and died four days later of septic shock --after being sent home from the emergency room at NYU Langone Medical Center--is a cautionary tale for parents.

Related: Faith healer parents let son die of treatable illness

In a statement just released to Yahoo! Shine, Rory's parents, Cieran and Orlaith Staunton write, "Our beloved son Rory was the light of our lives. He should never have died. It is clear to us he did not receive the basic standard of care which would have saved him and which he, as an innocent child, above all, had a right to expect. Our beloved boy is gone but we want to ensure that no other family experiences the utter heartbreak and grief we have because of such substandard care." The Stauntons have announced their intention to pursue Rory's Law, which would require hospitals to discuss the results of a child's blood work before discharge, among other measures.

A chilling chronicle of Rory's last days and his death on April 1 was reported yesterday by The New York Times.



On Wednesday, March 28th, the 11-year-old cut his arm during basketball practice in school. It was a small cut mentioned casually in passing to his mother that night. Rory had a stomach-ache by the time he went to bed. 



That night, just after midnight, (March 29th), Rory woke up vomiting and complaining of pain in his leg. By morning he had a fever of 104. 



On Thursday, March 29th, he went to the office of his pediatrician, Dr. Susan Levitzky, already feeling so sick that he had to lean on his mom to walk in. He threw up twice in the office. The pediatrician said the cut on the arm wasn't the issue and recommended that Rory go to the emergency room. Dr. Levitzky noted Rory's parents' concern that his skin was blotchy when they pressed on it--a symptom that could indicate sepsis, Dr. Michael B. Edmond, the chairman of the division of infectious diseases at Virginia Commonwealth University told the Times--but didn't follow it up. Rory's leg pain was also a sign that could mean an invasive infection, according to Dr. Edmond. 



Thursday March 29th, 7:14pm, Rory went to the emergency room and was discharged two hours later, after being diagnosed with "acute febrile gastritis" (the flu), and told to take Tylenol.

On 

Friday at 10a.m. Rory's parents started calling the pediatrician again. His skin had turned blue around his nose and even a slight touch made him cry out in pain. The pediatrician recommended fluid and crackers again, but then said to return to the emergency room, as reported by the Times. 



On April 1, Rory Staunton died in intensive care, of severe septic shock brought on by the infection.

The Staunton family's statement continues, "NYU hospital and its Emergency Room were in turn extremely negligent in their treatment of Rory. Signs of serious illness were ignored and Rory was allowed leave the hospital desperately ill. Rory's pediatrician continued the following day, despite our appeals, to dismiss our concerns. We believe NYU hospital and Rory's pediatrician should acknowledge their negligent treatment of him to the Staunton family, treatment that we believe resulted in his death. They owe it to Rory and the children who will come after him, to ensure that this never happens again."

NYU Langone Medical Center and Dr. Susan Levitzsky did not immediately return calls for comment.



Related: How do you want your doctor to act in a crisis? 



Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a severe form of sepsis, is when the ordinary streptococcus pyogenes bacteria gets into the blood or soft tissue and causes a generalized infection. It's a common cause of death in hospitals. Organizations to promote better protocols and raise awareness include the STOP Sepsis Collaborative, affiliated with the Greater New York Hospital Association and the United Hospital Fund, and the Sepsis Alliance, which will hold the first Sepsis Awareness Month in September 2012.

Parents who want more information on how to recognize sepsis and Toxic Shock Syndrome can visit the Mayo Clinic web page.

Dr. Scott Weingart, co-chair of the STOP Sepsis Collaborative, stresses that "This is a very rare circumstance. If your child gets sick a few days after they get a cut, they probably do not have Toxic Shock Syndrome." Symptoms that parents should look out for include a child who is confused, showing a different personality or very sleepy and hard to wake. Another "hallmark" of TSS is a bright-red rash all over the body that looks like a sunburn, and may be more pronounced on the hands and feet.

Dr. Weingart also says, "I don't want a family to hear 'sepsis' and think their child is at risk of death. Sepsis is not life threatening. Severe sepsis and septic shock are more worrisome."

The bottom line, Dr. Weingart says, is that parents are very good arbiters of what's normal when it comes to their child. "If your child looks much sicker than you would expect from a simple virus, cold or flu, you should contact your pediatrician or visit an emergency room."


More on Shine:
Why I fired my child's pediatrican (and how it saved my son's life)
4 signs of a bad pediatrican
The sad truth about kids and cancer

Friday, July 6, 2012

'Rightful heir' to British monarchy dies in Australia - Yahoo! News

An Australian forklift driver who some historians argued was the true heir to the British throne has died in the small New South Wales town he called home, his local newspaper reported Thursday.

Mike Hastings, 71, was a real-life aristocrat, born the 14th earl of Loudoun, who moved to Australia in 1960 in search of adventure.

He made international headlines in 2004 when a documentary team from Britain's Channel Four conducted extensive research into the monarchy and concluded his ancestors were cheated out of the crown in the 15th century.

Hastings, an avowed republican, died on June 30 and was buried Thursday in Jerilderie, about 750 kilometres (465 miles) southwest of Sydney, the local Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser reported.

[Related: Happy Birthday, Prince William! Here's $14 million]

Hastings was a descendant of England's House of York, whose dynastic struggle with the House of Lancaster became known as the Wars of the Roses and was dramatised by William Shakespeare.

The British documentary's historian Michael Jones found documents in France's Rouen Cathedral that he believed showed King Edward IV, who ruled with a brief interruption from 1461 to 1483, was illegitimate.

Jones believes that Edward's father Richard of York was fighting the French at Pontoise when he was conceived, while his mother Cecily was 200 kilometres (125 miles) away at Rouen, allegedly in the amorous arms of an English archer.

If true, the crown should have passed on to Edward's younger brother George, the duke of Clarence, who was a direct ancestor to Hastings.

[Related: First look at Naomi Watts as Princess Diana]

Hastings showed little interest in pursuing his claim to the monarchy when interviewed by AFP in 2005, citing the intense public scrutiny endured by the royals.

However, he joked that his claim to the crown could prove lucrative if confirmed.

"I reckon I might send Lizzie (Queen Elizabeth II) a bill for back rent. The old girl's family have been living in my bloody castle for the last 500 years," he said.

His son Simon, who now becomes the 15th earl of Loudoun, also appears in no hurry to try to seize the throne.

"It's something that I'll have to look into in the near future," he told the Advertiser ahead of his father's funeral.

 

Monday, July 2, 2012

FREE 1st Time Homebuyer Class | L. Joseph Labonte

Sign up for our FREE 1st Time Homebuyer Class!

Classes are the first Monday of every month at the Casco Bay Conference Room, 6-8pm. Space is limited, so please register early.

Upcoming Classes:

  • August 6th
  • September 3rd
  • October 8th

Residential Mortgage Services, 24 Christopher Toppi Dr.

South Portland, Maine, 04106.

Please put “Free Class” in the subject line.

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