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IntroductionProviding instant value to very many people online has never been easier than it is today. This has also been compounded by social media platforms which have literally introduced us to new kingdoms almost overnight. The result, many millionaires being made every day. You have probably heard of the terms ‘new money’, ‘new rich’, ‘digital economy’ etc. As an example, when I really started understanding the power of Instagram, I was blown away. In 5 minutes, just by putting up 1 engaging post with entrepreneurial speak and targeted hashtags, I was able to converse instantly with other entrepreneurs in 3 different continents!But how do you and I become self-sufficient in starting a profitable online business in the first place?We must first understand the requirements and then get the right education. Self-sufficient to me means my skills for being profitable online are future-proof. Think about all-weather paint… or an all-weather road. Plan to play a big game. It is also necessary to think expansively as Robert Kiyosaki puts it.That said, here are 7 steps that I discovered to ensure sustainable business success online. Excited?! OK. Let us get into it.7 Steps To Starting A Profitable Online Business1. Passion & ClarityWe must be driven by passion. We need to know WHY we want to start the online business in the first place. As for me, I am extremely passionate about freedom and choice. I really needed a way to make money without having to report to a job that required me to work inside a brain numbing routine. I was in between boarding schools for 10 years when I was growing up and that was enough for me to find out I didn’t do routines very well. Then I started my work life and realised how much control I DID NOT have about what I wanted to DO. Become very clear about what is driving you towards starting a business online.2. GoalsThe online space can compare to a noisy street marketplace; lots of people, all wanting to be seen and heard.Define your goals clearly i.e. passive income, time freedom, geographical freedom or even one of my personal favourites, financial freedom. Then go in and start creating a business with those clear goals in mind.3. Re – Think What You Know About Being OnlineBeing profitable online can create a lot of freedom but it’s not an instant success. There’s a lot of learning and re-skilling that needs to happen. For me, this was a lot more like learning a new ‘language’. I knew the Internet very casually. It was a place to spend my free time browsing music videos, posting random Facebook posts and watching news that I did not need to know about. I had to change my beliefs and the mindset that was driving whatever I thought I knew about being online. Every time I saw an ad I thought it was a scam. Sure enough, there are a lot of scams out there but we live in a society where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ must exist in the same space. The mindset that is driving you to the online space must be one that sees the vast opportunity that exists on that platform. A chance for you to create a life that up to this point was only a dream.4. Focus On Providing ValuePeople buy from people they think they know, like and trust. As much as it is tempting to think that people are online waiting to be told what they need or don’t need, most people are online looking to solve real problems, and sometimes very painful ones.If you can understand this fact, then your focus must be genuine interest in wanting to help people, a lot of people. This focus becomes your guide for providing high-quality solutions that will fix their problems and reduce or eliminate their ‘pain’.5. Master The Art Of Marketing With All Your HeartFind a way to reach as many people as you can who have big problems that need to be fixed with your proven high-quality product or service on the Internet. With so many options available today, creativity is key. Pick 2 marketing strategies, for example, Facebook and email marketing that you have the patience to run with for the long haul. Don’t stop until you have mastered these 2 strategies.Think about Amazon today. They started with selling books. In fact, selling books is formally their core business! Think about that for a minute. That said, today Amazon sells everything under the sun. Why? Because today they are in the business of fixing peoples’ everyday problems using the Internet.6. Power Of BeliefHave the belief that it’s possible for you. Before I started online, all I had ever sold was personal electronics I wanted to dispose of using the ebays and gumtrees. However, I had heard about people making millions of dollars online… But then came the day I was contemplating my first online business. I had to face my own self-doubt. I needed to answer the following question very honestly:Eddie, “DO YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE MONEY ONLINE?”If you are reading this today, this will be without a doubt the most important question you will ever ask yourself as an online entrepreneur.It is impossible to achieve before we believe. When the hard times visit, this is the only one thing that will push this ‘unwanted’ guest out the front door! I had to believe I could make it online and that it would change how I lived, worked and played period.7. Mentorship and Master Mind GroupsYou have heard the saying, “we become what we think about all day”. Thoughts make us act in a certain way, which then brings a certain type of results in our lives. To be successful we must think in a certain way and act in a certain way so that we can get the results we want. With that in mind, we must spend a lot of time with people who want the same results and those who have already created these results.The people who have already created the results then become your mentors. If I was going to create a lifestyle of freedom and choice using an online business, I needed to spend time with people who had already created one. I also needed to have mentors as part of this process. So that is exactly what I did. It really is that simple.Final ThoughtIn the end, all we really want is a better more fulfilling life experience, right? Money is good, very good indeed because it creates choice. Oh, how beautiful that word is! choice. With Money being a non-issue, we can freely choose any experience we want and go for it. When money is not an issue, I can choose to have a bucket of chicken at a local KFC (my personal favourite delicacy) or have a plate of honey glazed chicken dinner served at The Hilton, where service is absolutely top notch. In both cases, I get to have my favourite food, chicken but the experience is Worlds apart right?So go ahead & take action every day and make the decision to keep going until you get there. It is impossible to fail if giving up is not on your cards.

The difference between using a Realtor to buy or sell commercial property can literally be the difference of thousands of dollars. Buying or selling commercial real estate is a little trickier than residential property. There are more documents and contracts involved, and it typically takes longer to close. Not being protected by a commercial Realtor can end up costing you time, energy, and money.If you are buying commercial real estate, either a building, lot, or vacant land, having the right Realtor helping you with all the details can help make a better informed decision. Each commercial property will have its specific addendums and documents specific to that property. Making sure everything is signed correctly and that your rights and interests are protected is the job of a commercial Realtor. Any major mistakes typically fall on the Realtor not on the buyer. Unless you simply walk away from the deal most commercial Realtors are able to terminate the purchase and sale agreement if need be. There are different rules, finance restrictions, and laws to protect buyer and seller in a commercial real estate transaction.If you are selling commercial property, not hiring a professional commercial Realtor can mean the difference between selling and sitting on the market for months. Selling commercial real estate typically takes longer than residential but there is more money at stake and listing agents must find the right buyer that is financially capable and willing and able to complete the transaction. Using a Realtor that specializes in commercial property allows you the benefit of networking with possibly hundreds of other commercial Realtors around the country. This gets your property in front of thousands of buyers for more prospects as a faster sale. Many residential Realtors are not only under qualified but may not even have the license necessary to sell commercial property. It takes a special agent or Realtor to sell or buy commercial property. There are certain certificates and forms as well as separate education that must be competed to buy and sell commercial real estate. Check with your specific state for details regarding this as it can vary by state.Commercial property is an animal all of its own. If you are new to the commercial real estate business or have never sold commercial property in the past, you need to be fully aware of your rights, potential profit, and business needs. The a commercial Realtor is not only smart but could save you thousands of dollars either in profit in your pocket or digits of the sale.

The Top Mistakes made by InvestorsIn my dozen plus years of advising individuals and businesses I have found a number of common mistakes that have derailed even the best laid financial plans. I thought by sharing them I might be able to help others sidestep the pitfalls and the negative impact they can have on your portfolio and long-term financial plans.1. Failing to establish a time horizon and investing accordingly -If you have expenses that need to be funded in 3 years or less, you should not be investing the cash for them in the stock market or other risky investments. These monies should be carved out of your investment portfolio (the money earmarked for long-term investing) and invested appropriately in liquid assets such as money market funds or term-certain fixed income offerings. If the money is not going to be needed for 3 years or more, an investment plan should be established based upon specific a time horizon and risk tolerance for these funds.2. Failing to thoroughly diversify your portfolio -Many investors know about the concept of diversification and think that by owning different investments, they are diversified. Diversification of an investment portfolio makes good sense on an intuitive level. However, it wasn’t until Harry Markowitz published his model of portfolio selection that this concept became a formalized part of sound investment practice and formed the basis of today’s Modern Portfolio Theory. Beyond this basic concept of diversification, the key to Markowitz’s premise is the revelation that the risk of any investment can be reduced and/or performance increased by forming a portfolio of diverse and non-correlated assets. That is, it is important not just to seek a diversity of asset types, but also to seek assets that have low or near-zero correlations to one another. It’s not about owning different investments; it’s about owning different, non-correlated investments.3. Letting potential tax implications rule your investment decisions – Many investors delay selling an investment that has done well regardless of how good or bad the future looks for the holding. Their response is, “I will have to pay taxes if I sell.” By not selling, they set themselves up for not having to pay taxes at all – usually because the investment starts on a decline and their concern switches from “having to pay taxes” to one of “hoping for a turnaround.” Don’t be afraid to take some profits off the table. While taxes are an unpleasant result of investing, I prefer to look at them as a positive sign as it indicates you are making money and your investment plan is working.4. Buying a stock based upon a “hot tip” -Too many investors listen to a friend’s advice because he or she always seems to have the next “great” money making idea. They don’t take the time to assess the idea personally and jump in because it’s only a few thousand dollars they are investing. Unfortunately this is not investing – it’s gambling. If you want to gamble, go to Vegas and at least get free drinks, dinner, a show and a room for the risks you are taking. Any investment that is being considered for your portfolio should be thoroughly researched and have passed a comprehensive financial screening scrutiny.5. Attempting to time the market -Waiting an extra day, week, or month to try and buy in at the “right price” just doesn’t work. No one can predict the future. If they could they most likely wouldn’t be sharing this knowledge with you for free. Successful investors use time, patience and a disciplined approach to increase the likelihood of maximizing their investment returns – not trying to time the market. If you have done the research and the investment is sound and meets your criteria then buy it, regardless of timing.6. Failing to regularly reevaluate your investments -Over time all investment styles, strategies and types fall out of favor. So, like timing the market, it becomes virtually impossible to know what is going to be “hot” in the next bull market and what isn’t. For this reason it is always prudent to stay up-to-date on your investments to insure they are still the same investment that you originally purchased (segment drift and manager changes can be one reason they may have changed). If your investments consist solely of mutual funds then an annual review is a good place to start.7. Basing investment decisions on emotion -Maybe the stock market is going through a bad time because of a short-term geo-political or economic event. Stay calm and make an educated, well thought out decisions about what, if anything, to do. Assess whether the event will affect the economy long-term or if it’s just a short-term blip. The best move is often no move at all. If it is a short term incident, many times the smart, prudent investor will make additional investments because the current decline provides them with an excellent buying opportunity. The key to successful investing is to have a disciplined strategy and to stick with it.8. Cashing out gains and dividends rather than reinvesting -Once you’ve realized gains or had distributions and dividends paid out, insure they are reinvested back into your portfolio. If you pull out your capital gains, dividends and interest, your money won’t compound as quickly, thereby leaving you with a smaller chunk of change down the line. Letting your investments compound is one of the major tenets of successful investing.9. Owning too much employer stock -Many people get over-weighted in employer stock because of options and stock purchase plans made available in today’s competitive compensation packages. While these are great supplements to their annual salary they can put an employee in a position of having too much money invested in their employer’s stock. Additionally, it is quite common for people to invest in “what they know” and what do you know better than the company you work for? To compound the problem many people will add more employer stock to their 401k holdings and individual brokerage accounts. Not only does this create a diversification problem in their portfolio but it also subjects them to excessive single stock risk. A good rule of thumb to follow is to insure that no more than 5-10% of your entire investment portfolio is in any one single stock. If you find yourself in this situation the importance of creating a well thought out reduction strategy cannot be overstated.10. Following the herd -The most successful of all investors are moving in the opposite direction of what everyone else is doing. They buy when most are selling and sell when everyone else is buying. By following this simple plan you can preserve your capital and potentially sidestep the next bubble (can anyone remember real estate, internet stocks, and technology growth funds?).11. Not investing at all – Somehow in today’s society that Mocha Cappuccino Latte seems to take precedence over saving for the long-term. We are a society who wishes to satisfy the “here and now” rather than the securing our future. The important fact here is that those two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, BALANCE is the key in any long-term endeavor, but by always keeping an eye on the end goal you can make sure it is not out of mind while satiating the here and now.12. Investing without a plan -Investing without a plan and lacking the discipline to follow it is a sure way to lower your chances of success. The chances of obtaining any long term goal can be greatly enhanced by creating a strategy, following it and regularly reviewing it frequently enough so it reflects any changes that have taken place since implementation. Many investors start off with a small amount of money and start putting it to work without a plan. As time progresses they find they have a mish-mash of investments in their portfolio with no clear strategy or direction. It’s never too early to invest but it’s even better to invest early with a plan.13. Taking too little risk -Some people don’t want to take any risk and cannot stand the volatility involved with risky investments. While it may seem like you are keeping your money safe and secure by not taking risk, it is more than likely you are not because of inflation. If your time horizon is greater than 5 years it is recommended that you have no less than 25-30% in growth investments (i.e. stocks) in your portfolio to ward off the effects of inflation. The actual percentage to own is dependent upon many factors including but not limited to age, time horizon before money is needed, current financial situation, etc. A good general rule of thumb to use as a starting point for the percentage of equity you may include in your portfolio is “120 – your age.”