Note that your submission must be an existing event, not a theoretical one. But it doesn’t take much to create an event. Name it. Announce yourself as the sponsor. (That means you’re responsible for renewal information about your yearly event.) Then declare your event by sending out press releases and posting it on your site.

Of course, Chase’s doesn’t accept every submission. They look for “appropriate events,” They do not, for example, accept birthdays or other self-aggrandizing events. 

You’re more likely to have your event accepted by Chase’s if it applies to or would have importance for many people.

Declaring your own special day and having it accepted by Chase’s is a great way to bring attention and importance to your particular cause. As a side benefit, of course, it also brings attention to you, the sponsor, and traffic to your site.

Getting listed in Chase’s can be like winning the public relations lottery!

Chase’s Calendar Of Events, of course, is the book used by every newspaper, magazine and calendar publisher. Anytime you see a list like “Today’s Events: National Pie Month, Fire Prevention Week, Pain Awareness Day, that list was compiled from Chase’s Events Calendar.

As a newspaper columnist, I always had a copy of Chase’s Calendar Of Events on my desk. Looking up events is an easy way to spin a story idea, especially when you need 200 words to fill a small space just minutes before print deadline. So keep in mind that you never know where your special day or event will be noticed. It could be reported around the world!

The deadline to submit an event to Chase’s Calendar of Events is April 15^th. Events submitted and accepted by April 15, 2010 will be published in the 2011 edition. You can see full details by clicking here to visit Chase’s Calendar of Events.

###

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Blog and The Internet Wizards Magazine for self-employed people that want to sue the magic of the internet to build their business and boost their profits. If you want internet marketing made understandable without all the hype and hard sell, you’ll want to add your name and email to the subscribe form in the upper right corner

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

In the January 2010 endition of The Internet Wizards Magazine, I wrote about basing a business on your life mission. (You can read that article in the magazine by CLICKING HERE)

I began The Internet Wizards Magazine as part of a mission. That mission is to inspire people, particularly self-employed people who’ve invested their whole heart and soul into their business, to use the magic of effective internet marketing to spread their message, and by so doing, expand their opportunity to help the world.

Because I have a sense of mission, I have never minded the obstacles and discomforts of being self-employed. So I was somewhat dismayed, and even a little annoyed, to read a newsltter last week whose author was complaining about the time and attention he had to devote to watching  trends.

"I’m fed up with everyone trying to predict the trends so they can be the first ones to profit from them," this fellow said. "This year I’m not paying any attention to trends. I’m just going to do what I do."

This fellow’s fatigue is understandable. He’s one of thousands who built a business out of promoting what’s supposedly latest and greatest to millions of so-called "internet marketing newbies."

Staying ahead of the trends in that tenuous market is a must. If you falter, even for a second, someone else comes along and usurps your place in line. It’s understandable that, after a while, staying on top begins to feel like work, and that’s hardly cohesive with the well-honed line that "internet marketing is the fastest way to make millions without working."

But this fellow’s fatigue does not really reflect on the art of trend watching. Rather, it reflects the fact that he let greed, the desire for those "millions made overnight without working," determine what type of business he would engage in.

It’s not trend watching he should be turning his back on. He should be turning his back on a life that’s not being lived from the heart.

The one business model that never fails, the one that carries people onward through fatigue, through recession, through failure, through everything life can throw at you, is the business that is based on a mission.

When your business is based on a sense of mission, you live for something greater than a flashy car, greater than a big house, greater than a Rolex watch.

When your business is your mission, you find joy and purpose in pursuing your vision. And if the flashy car and Rolex watch aren’t currently in the picture, it does not dampen your determination one bit.

In fact, I’ve known people so focused on their mission that the flashy car and big house did not become part of the picture even after they could easily afford them. I’m reminded, in particular, of a client who drove an ancient car painted only with primer, when he could have paid cash for a Rolls Royce. When I asked him about it, he said, "That car’s paid for. It runs good. It gets me where I need to go. What else do I need?"

This man focused all his attention and energy on the important service he provided to his clients and his community. Because he was on a mission, he had no need to pursue the trappings of status. In fact, he saw status goods as a distraction.

This is not to say that there’s anything wrong with rewarding yourself for whatever level of success you achieve. Rather, it is to say that when you base your business on nothing more than the acquiring of fast cash and physical goods, you’re bound to wake up one day and wonder, as Peggy Lee sang, "Is that all there is?"

I believe everyone is born with a mission already encoded in his or her DNA. They may never fulfill that mission, but so long as they pursue it, they will have a sense of purpose and passion. If they turn their back on it, their life will feel hollow and empty.

When I use the word "mission," people often think it has to mean something enormous, like being on a mission to create world peace. "I don’t have a mission," they tell me. "I’m not out to do anything that will change the world.

The fact is, if you listen to your heart, and pursue the mission that was born within you, you will change the world.

I give you, as exhibit A, Susan Boyle. All her life she was on a mission to become a professional singer. She pursed this mission, against all odds, until the night when, at age 47, a frumpy spinster, she stood on the stage of "Britain’s Got Talent, opened her mouth and let her soul fly out.

Within seconds, everyone hearing her knew they were experiencing something momentous.

Video of her performance was on YouTube within an hour. Within days, it became the most-watched video around the world. Her first recording sold more copies than any first recording of any artist since the beginning of the recording industry.

In a later program, the judges, producers and production people who were there that first night said, "My life changed that night. Hearing her sing transformed me."

Susan Boyle was not on a mission to change the world. But by pursuing the mission that was in her heart, she inspired millions of people in every nation on earth, gave them hope and a sense that they, too, could dream their dreams.

And becasue video of her was posted on tghe internet, millions of people around the world were changed not by Susan Boyle’s voice, but by seeing Susan Boyle pursue and achieve her dream. And in that way, Susan Boyle , via the internet, changed the world.

Your mission may not seem grand or world changing. It may seem as simple as helping people be better parents. Or helping people get out of debt. Or making people happy by singing great songs. Whatever it is, that mission is embedded in your heart. And by listening to your heart, by opening up your mouth and letting your soul fly out, you will change the world.

###

If you’re one of the three people on this planet who’ve never seen Susan Boyle’s performance on Britan’s Got Talent, of if you just want to see her and celebrate once again, CLICK HERE to see her on YouTube.

I’ve written before about the importance of pursuing your passionate interests. Read my article Should Stevie Wonder Do Keyword Research? for a look at what would have happened if Stevie Wonder hadn’t listened to his heart.

If your business is also your life mission and you want to work with a mission-focused marketing consultant on areas of site design, copywriting and relationship marketing, contact Bonnie Boots by CLICKING HERE to use the contact form.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I do believe one of the stumbling blocks people run up against is this—that most of the information on the topic of product creation is written by and for “internet marketers.” That is, it’s written by people that only make products that teach internet marketing. And it’s sold to people that can’t think of anything to make except more products teaching internet marketing.

The proliferation of this type of material can make it seem that all you can make and sell are ebooks, audios and software on internet marketing.

But the truth is that the internet makes it possible to make and sell an almost unlimited number of products. There are literally no limits! And great ideas for products you can make and sell are always at hand.

This week, on my local news channel, I saw a couple from a neighboring county showing off a product they developed that was inspired by swine flu. Steve and Cristie Aaron, the parents of triplets, were worried that the attention their triplets attract –along with the inevitable cheek pinching and handholding—could pass on swine flu germs to their babies. But they found themselves reluctant to ask people, out loud, not to touch the tots.

Their idea—a sign that said it for them. They developed and produced a waterproof tag that says, “Wash Hands Before Touching Baby.”

The business, Hands Off Baby, sells through their own web site (http://www.handsoffbaby.com/index.html ) as well as through the gift shops of two dozen hospitals.

The development of this product didn’t require any complex keyword research with expensive software. All it required was the realization that the solution to the Aaron’s problem could be the solution to many people’s problems. In other words, they followed the dictum of good business—identify a problem and sell a solution.

Their great ideas was right at hand—and that hand was potentially harmful to their babies. Rather than just worry, they took action.

There are many businesses that make it possible to produce and market your own physical products entirely on the internet. And there are many target markets, from anxious parents to pet owners to hobbiests, that share your problems and would buy your solution. I introduce many of these businesses in my book,  "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products"" It will inspire you to be your most creative, successful self  by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash.

Visit http://www.tapintotrends.com to learn how you can get started Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Products!

###

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people, especially small business owners,  that want to create their own products and market on the internet. To join in her adventures, add your email address to the subscriber box in the upper right corner.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The sales copy on the web site says, "The Sonogram Photo Cuff Links feature your very own bun in the oven. Send us your own sonogram photos and become a cuff link designer instantly."

"Up to 2 different images can be used. This is a truly unique gift and amazingly personal. There is no better way to surprise a first time Dad or to show off that you are a proud to-be parent."

You can see it here:http://www.cufflinks.com/sonogram-photo-screen-cufflinks.html

What a wonderful idea! Especially because a creative person could take it in all sorts of directions to make their own products.

With the manufacture-on-demand services listed in my book "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Products," you could make custom t-shirts with sonograms, custom tote bags, porcelain tiles or plates for display and so much more! You could even enhance the sonograms by adding colors or messages as I did in the illustration for this article.

Because each item is a truly one-of-a-kind creation made personally for the baby’s family, you can set the price higher than you would for a design available to anyone. And because the human race is always adding new members, there is always a demand for personal baby items, even in a tight economy.

How would you sell sonogram-imprinted products?

By putting up a one-page web site or blog and promoting it with AdSense or other pay-per-click advertising, by posting in forums frequented by expectant parents or any of the other methods mentioned in my book. Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Productsteaches my system for researching trends, creating products that reflect those trends and selling them on the internet. The number of things you can make through online services and sell through internet marketing is truly unlimited.

And once you get started, you’ll see product ideas are everywhere—even in sonograms!

###

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people, especially small business owners, that want to be more creative, make their own products and market on the internet. To join her adventures, add your email to the subscriber box in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

To me, the phrase "digital publisher" encompasses much of what I do within my business. I create and publish articles and books and blogs and web sites. I make and publish videos and animations.

These things exist in digital format. That is, they’re not printed on paper or transferred to video tape. They exist only as electric signals travelling from computer to computer across the internet.  They are digital. I am, therefore, a digital publisher.

But a title is only useful if it conveys information, and the phrase "digital publisher" clearly does not communicate to most people. I have therefore crowned myself with the new title, "Maker of Stuff," and when people ask me what I do, I say, "I make stuff and market on the internet."

My new title lets me add in some of the things I do that are non-digital. Now I say, "I make digital products like ebooks and I also make hard goods like T-shirts, and I sell them all on the internet."

That’s turned into my "elevator speech,"  the 30-second introduction I pull out when I only have  seconds to explain who I am and what I do. And that 30-second introduction turned into an ebook that explains how I use digital publishing and manufacture-in-demand services to make and sell all sorts of stuff–and how you can do it, too.

The need to market that book inspired me to make the video shown below that introduces me as a maker of stuff. And because I’m using all the sorts of simple ( but powerful and secret) ways to make simple videos and use them to drive traffic, I thought, "Hey, I bet other people would like to know how I do this!"

And that thought has turned into a new product, one I’m

I’m working on now. I think that’s a perfect example of how applying creative thinking to a problem —in my case, the problem of how to introduce myself —can lead to all sorts of unexpected ideas and products.

Visit http://www.tapintotrends.com to learn how you can get started Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Products!

###

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people , especially small business owners,that want to make stuff and market on the internet. To join in her adventures, add your email address to the subscriber box in the upper right corner.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The amazing speakers included Erik Stafford, Warren Whitlock, copywriting master Dr. Harlan Kilstein, Perry Belcher, Bob "The Teacherr" Jenkins,  Kevin Nations and Melanie Benson Strick.

I learned so much that my brain feels heavy. And after just two days at home, I’ve already implemented some substantial and very positive changes in my business.

All this focused activity wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had the good luck to injure my knee just before the seminar. Because I had to limp in on a cane and keep relatively quiet, I learned a great deal and was able to instantly put what I learned into action.

In the past, I’ve attended seminars in all sorts of fields, especially publishing, and come home exhausted from all the late night networking. Lots of business cards get exchanged, lots of plans get made, lots of promises to follow up get flung out. But arriving back at home, I get thrust right back into the ongoing rush of business and family life. Much of what I learned drifts away. Most of the people I’ve met fade from memory.

I come home feeling like I have a thousand new possibilities. I end up lucky to actually implement one.

But this time, a cement sidewalk and my left knee conspired to make me more productive. By colliding just days before the seminar, they interrupted my pattern and put me on a new track.

I went to the seminar as I usually do–armed with self-promotional materials ranging from business cards to multimedia CDs. They all sing the same song-"Meet Bonnie Boots!" And I fully intended to promote myself, no matter what.

But by the time I’d swathed myself in Ace bandages, grabbed my brand new cane and traveled to the seminar, my knee was throbbing, my back was aching and I was exhausted. My conversations with old friends were brief. I barely spoke to anyone I didn’t already know. I put business cards and brochures on my table with a "take ‘em if you want ‘em" attitude and made no effort beyond that to promote myself.

It took all my energy to simply focus my attention on listening to the speakers-hard to hear sometimes, as my knee was screaming "TAKE ME HOME!" most of the time.

In between speakers,  most of the people attending rushed about to pump hands and hand out cards. I sat alone, making notes on ideas I’d picked up that I really wanted to put into practice. And I wrote out plans for the ways I could realistically make changes now, not "someday."

That’s why, back in the home office, I was able to quickly take action. Pumping hands and running your mouth can be good activities at any kind of seminar. I’m not discounting their value. But thanks to a throbbing knee, I have learned there is also a value in the Zen art of attending internet marketing seminars-doing the most by doing nothing.

###

What is the sound of one hand typing your email address into the subscribe bar in the upper right hand corner?

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards for people, especially small business owners, that want to be more creative, make their own products and market on the internet.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I’m always saddened by how many of them are trying to sell the dream that you can make millions by making crap. They often advise people to create digital products by "slapping together" anything you can get rights to. The word "quality" does not seem to be in their vocabulary.

I won’t dispute that many of these newsletter writers are making money by making crap. I just think trying to get rich by avoiding real work and making crap is the primary reason the world economy is in the toilet.

I just finished reading an interview in Salon magazine with travel guru Rick Steves that puts it pointedly when it quotes him saying, "A headline today, "Americans lose 18 percent of their wealth." Well, no, it wasn’t real wealth, it was a bubble. You’re down 18 percent? You’re not. It shouldn’t have been up there in the first place. So get over it. Shut up. Go to work, produce stuff that has value. I really think the days are gone, I hope, when people can rearrange the furniture and get rich on it. You got to produce something."

Rick Steves has been making things of value for years. His travel guides and shows give real value to his viewers and readers. As a byproduct, Steves has gotten rich doing work. Work he loves, but still work.

Some people say work is a four-letter word. "Work" is not a four-letter word in my studio. It’s a holy mantra. Work is what I live for. It’s where I find meaning and fulfillment and happiness. When I wake up in the morning, my fingers are itching to go to work. And when I go to sleep at night, my dreams are about working.

I’m a maker of stuff. That’s been my primary means of making a living for three decades. Making good stuff is work. It’s often hard. Frequently frustrating. It is never, ever boring. And it is always in demand.

Spending the precious hours of your life making crap is an insult to your own creative spirit and your Creator.

And in this economy, it’s downright self-destructive. People can make crap and get away with it when the economy is fat. But when it gets thin, buyers  start taking a second and third look at where they spend their dollars. And you’d better be offering something of real value.

Bottom line–the world doesn’t need more crap. It needs more people waking up their gray matter, stretching their creative muscles and getting to work making things of real value.

My book, shown her, shows step-by-step how I create and sell a wide variety of products, both hard goods and digital goods. The book has real value, especially for creative, intelligent people that don’t think work is a four-letter word.

###

If you want to spread your creative wings and make stuff to market on the web, my book, "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products" will inspire you to be your most creative, successful  self by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash.

Update: Here’s another article I wrote about my struggle to understand why so much of the stuff sold by internet marketers has little or no real value. It’s titled "What Is A Product?"

###

Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine and this companion The Internet Wizards Blog to teach self-employed people and small businesses owners how to leverage the internet for advertising, marketing and promoting their business. To stay in touch with her, type your name and email into the subscriber box in the upper right corner of this page. You’ll be glad you did!

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It was thrilling to see possibly the greatest cover band ever assembled paying tribute to the art of singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder–all under the watchful gaze of George Washington’s formal portrait.

I almost typed "Little" Stevie Wonder, because that’s what he was called when he first appeared on the music scene at the age of 12, a small, black, blind boy playing huge riffs on a harmonica.

When Stevie Wonder was  "Little," being black was not cool in a lot of communities. Some people would have let that stop them from even trying to accomplish anything.

And when Stevie Wonder was  "Little," you seldom saw blind people out in the world. People with blindness, like people with other handicaps, were mostly hidden away. Some people would have let that stop them from even trying to accomplish anything.

As the assembled stars played and sang his songs, Stevie Wonder tapped in rhythm, clearly enjoying the performance of his music right along with the audience.  In that, I believe, lies the secret of why being black and blind in a bigoted world didn’t stop him. It’s this—

Stevie Wonder does what he loves. Always did. Always will. Stevie Wonder didn’t calculate his career and his success. He simply opened up his heart and let his creative spirit fly free.

I work every day with people who want to accomplish something on the internet. All of them are intelligent, talented and creative. Many of them are disabled by a terrible handicap–an overdose of internet marketing information. Too often, they’ve taken to heart advice that simply should not be applied to them. That misplaced advice can cripple creativity.

Recently, I’ve been encouraging a friend to take his expertise in living off the grid and put it online. He ’s been countering my advice by saying "But I’ve done the keyword research and I don’t find many people searching for living off the grid."

Watching the concert tonight, I wondered what would have happened to Stevie Wonder if he’d done keyword research. What if he’d discovered that no one was searching Google for "little blind boys playing harmonica"? Would he have gone on to be a dishwasher? A shoeshine boy?

What would happen to his music if he did keyword research before he wrote a song? Would "I Just Called To Say I Love Yahoo" be a huge hit? Would "That’s What MySpace Friends Are For" have won a Grammy? My guess is no

. I don’t want creative, intelligent and talented people cutting short their dreams and ideas because of marketing concepts like "keyword research."  I want them to follow Stevie Wonder’s example and soar to whatever heights their creativity can take them no matter what the "internet marketers" are proclaiming.

Internet marketing is a huge subject. It covers professionals working at Manhattan advertising agencies just as it covers high-school dropouts trying to make money in affiliate sales. Not everything written about internet marketing will apply equally to these two.

Not everything written about internet marketing will apply to you.

There are always people to whom the so-called rules do not apply. The rules generally do not apply to people inspired enough, creative enough and brave enough to let their own nature define their destiny.

The rule "If you’re black, get back" did not apply to toe-tapping Stevie Wonder. The rule "Only perfect people can be supermodels" did not apply to gap-toothed Lauren Hutton. The rule "Men make careers. Women make beds," did not apply to Martha Stewart. These people didn’t break the rules purely for the sake of breaking them. They broke the rules because rules do not apply to people who let their light shine. Put on your favorite Stevie Wonder record and think about that.

Stevie Wonder – The Definitive Collection

###

If you want to spread your creative wings and make stuff to market on the web, my book, "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products" will inspire you to be your most creative, successful  self by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash. Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards for people who want to discover their passion, make their own products and market on the internet.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Obamas Host Stevie Wonder at The White House (takepart.com)

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.