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There is a new fad in online marketing and it is not one I like or think is very beneficial. In fact, I really dislike it and I avoid anyone who uses it because I think it’s unprofessional, rude, lacks class, and is very objectionable.

It’s the use of profanity in marketing.

Now I am very old school when it comes to business. I started my career in the late 1970s at a time when we went to the office every day and dressed for business. For women that meant dresses or suits, stockings, and heels. Men always wore suits and ties and a white shirt. I worked in law firms where the dress code was very strict because clients were always visiting the office. I remember when they first introduced ‘casual Fridays’ and we were so excited even though that meant what would be called formal business casual today.

If you used the kind of language in a professional setting that people use today you would be fired and it would be justified. Profanity has no place in the workplace and it should not be used in business settings, or online either. I think that level of professionalism is something we need to return to. And I will tell you why in this podcast.

I do not swear and I never have. It is just not part of my vocabulary. Maybe it’s because I met a woman when I was about 14 years old, the mother of one of my brother’s friends, who swore like a sailor. I had never heard language like that and she saw that it made me very uncomfortable.

She apologized for her language and told me that people who swore and used profanity didn’t have a very big vocabulary and they had to use swearing to fill in the gaps. Although she was probably joking I never forgot what she said and I vowed that I would never swear. I also have a very big vocabulary in 4 languages.

Should you use profanity in your marketing? Is it ok to say that something is good AF? Should you spell out sh*t and then follow it with a little emoji? Not if you want my business. And I do not think I am alone.

The rise in profanity has followed a rise in the lack of integrity in business marketing, from people who overstate income claims to those who scam their followers with outrageous claims of income potential from their products and programs, who market with sleaze and take your money with ease, the internet is a scammer’s paradise.

It is getting better with time and I have been online since the late 1990s and have seen the wild west days. But the use of profanity is one area where we could use some improvement.

Why is this an important issue for me? As I said I have an extensive background in different areas, law, technology, finance, as well as multiple business degrees. I have been in many professional settings, including the board rooms of some of the world’s top companies and biggest startups, and I have never heard profanity used in the office in any of those environments.

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In the 21 years that I have been in business I have never talked about how much money I make. I don’t think it is appropriate and to be honest, it adds no value to my credibility, my customers, or to what I do. As a privately held company I do not have to file public documents every year and as a business and legal professional I know that these kinds of claims must be done with care and with plenty of documentation so they are verifiable. Knowing this, I have been rather annoyed by the people who claim to have ‘6 and 7 figure’ businesses and making other income claims lately, which are frankly rather unbelievable and very unprofessional.

The problem with income claims is that they are generally greatly overstated and they do not accurately reflect the person’s financial standing. They are also no substitute for professional credentials, expertise, experience, or authority.

I will give you a few examples of bad income claims in this podcast because if you are going to be choosing a coach or mentor based on their income claims, thinking that you can replicate them in your life and business, you should probably know the truth and be prepared to ask relevant questions. Or better yet, find someone who has actual business credentials.

The other problem with income claims is that they can get you in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission in the US, the government agency that oversees and regulates truth in advertising laws. Making an income claim is a form of advertising and all businesses, regardless of size, have to follow these laws. If you are investigated by the FTC for false advertising, which they can do if they feel your advertising is fraudulent or misleading, the penalties involve hefty fines and possibly jail time, as well as financial restitution to anyone they feel you have defrauded or misled by your claims. Do you see why this is important?

Read the rest of this article in the blog at gpsbusinessacademy.com

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AI, artificial intelligence, is the new buzzword. Everyone is talking about it, how great it is, how many problems it solves, how it can help you create products, courses, solutions, write your emails, your books, and let you tap into a wellspring of knowledge without having to do any of the work.

Sounds too good to be true.

And it is.

The problem with AI is that it is not really artificial, it is a lot of knowledge based on the work of many other people so before you dive into the AI pool let’s look at some of the pros and cons of AI and talk about how to use it efficiently, effectively and with integrity in your business.

When I first heard of Ai I was skeptical because something that appeared out of the blue and could solve so many problems had to have a down side. And AI has plenty of down sides. It is useful, I have used it before and been happy with the results. But before you get to the point where you use AI for everything, take a step back and consider the potential for a host of consequences, some of them legal issues that could get you into a lot of trouble.

At its earliest introduction many top names were promoting AI and of course then came the barrage of people who were going to teach you how to use AI in your business , for a fee of course.

Within a few weeks though, many of these people were backpedaling on their AI stance when they realized that AI could cut into their profit margins.

For example, you do not need to buy a $2000 course on how to create digital products if you can just ask chatgpt or another AI tool a few questions and it will write the course for you. This does work, I tried it. I asked about creating a course on a specific topic and AI generated the entire outline for me, in seconds.

Or you do not need a $2997 copywriting course or a $500 an hour copy writer when AI can write all of your copy for you, in a number of different tones and even multiple languages. For free!

And you do not need the services of a $15,000 brand company when you can ask chatgpt to design your brand, suggest fonts, colors, styles, and even get the proper hex codes. AI will now even generate images for you.

So why not use chatgpt, gemini, or any other AI to just start and run your business? Let’s look at some of the benefits of ai first, then we will look at the downside.

First the benefits:

If you are confused, shy, or an introvert, chatgpt or ai programs are a great way to develop confidence, get information, and ask a lot of questions without fear of judgment, or looking stupid. AI loves to answer questions and it will answer them until you stop asking. And the answers are good too. You can even ask AI for help with something you can’t remember.

Last week I was trying to think of a concept that had two words and I just could not remember it. I tried to look at the dictionary or thesaurus but it didn’t help because I could not think of the proper term and I did not want to look at lists of words. So I asked chatgpt and on the second try it got the word right. It was critical mass. I said thank you and chatgpt was happy to help.

AI knows a lot about a lot of things. It’s true, if you want to know about something you can ask ai and you will get a great answer. If you need 50 catchy email subject lines, ask AI and you will get them within a few seconds. If you want them to be less formal, ask AI to change the answers and there they are. Need more formal or professional sounding email subject lines? Ask ai to amend its output again and you will get 50 more subject lines that are professional enough to send to any board chairman or ceo.

Do you need to get detailed information on a topic? Ask chatgpt, gemini, or any other ai program to help. You can get information on a nearly unlimited number of topics just by asking questions and letting ai answer you.

Do you need help with a process? AI is glad to help with detailed instructions. It doesn’t draw diagrams (yet) but it does provide very specific instructions.

Want to write a book this weekend? Give AI the topic and some details and it will write a book for you, from a short e-book to a very long chapter book. Fiction, non-fiction, biography, science fiction, children’s books – no topic is beyond ai’s capabilities.

And this is just a small sampling of what you can do with AI. It can solve math problems, write code, and do just about anything you could think of. Try asking chatgpt about anything you want and see what kind of response you get.

If AI can do all of this what is the problem? There are actually quite a few problems, let’s look at them.

Consider where AI gets its information. It is ‘artificial intelligence’ so it does not think for itself, it does not come up with new ideas. AI puts data together from the massive databases that are its collection of knowledge. Where did that knowledge come from? From the work of many other people.

This is especially important to know if you are using ai to write books or papers or reports or other documents that you will claim ownership of and perhaps even copyright on. Microsoft and google, two of the biggest AI platforms, are being sued in a class action lawsuit by a large group of authors, a few of them are my clients, whose books and protected copyright information were used to populate the AI databases. So if you are writing a book using AI you may want to double check the results on a plagiarism website to avoid a copyright infringement lawsuit.

AI will give you information but it will not give you expertise. If you plan to use AI to create a course, program, or submit information on topics you are totally unqualified to write about, you may be setting yourself up for a blow to your reputation or worse, a lawsuit for fraud or misrepresentation. Just because you can get AI to tell you how to do something from an expert standpoint does not make you an expert. There are enough people on the internet who falsely claim to be ‘experts’ , especially in the area of business, and who don’t know what they are talking about and who do not have the credentials to support their business ventures.
AI responses can be generic and repetitive. I saw this happen firsthand. I watched a video on Instagram on how to generate some content with AI and when I entered the same questions in AI I got exactly the same answers that I had seen on the video. So be aware that AI is not creative or original and the answers it is giving you it may well be providing to someone else.
AI can become a crutch and prevent you from using your own ideas and creativity. It’s easy to ask AI to generate content for you and it’s fun. The answers are usually good, the content quality is acceptable, and it’s refreshing to have a resource to use when you are feeling creatively blocked or stuck. But that can quickly become a crutch you rely on all of the time rather than an occasional creativity boost. Don’t get too dependent on AI to provide information and content for you.

Now let’s look at some of the benefits of AI, and there are many good ones.

It offers a new perspective and a new way of expressing ideas. We tend to write in one way and have trouble coming up with different ways of expressing our ideas and thoughts. That’s normal and I know it’s true for me. Sometimes I will ask AI to express my ideas in different ways that are outside of my normal thinking or speaking style, and I will use that content to create ad content.
You can learn new things from AI. Ask AI a random question about a random topic and see what response you get. You can learn many new things with AI and it’s interesting to see how it responds to your questions inquiries. It is like having your own online copy writer and dictionary.
It is great for market research. Although AI is updated with content through the year 2023 it is a useful resource for market research when you ask those kinds of questions. If you want to know whether a topic is popular or how many people are interested in a specific issue, AI is a good resource for that. But always double check the responses.
It’s a great conversationalist. You can talk to AI like you would a person and it will reply. I asked AI about different topics and its opinion and it was very forthcoming. But don’t ask it to be mean to someone or for negative feedback because it will not indulge you. Instead, it will tell you to be nice to people and try to respect their differences. I know, I tried it.

Like any technology, AI has both positive and negative benefits and you need to use it with caution but I would also encourage you to avail yourself of this technology, with care. It is a very useful and helpful technology when used in the right ways and it can be a great resource for you if you need support. But it is not a replacement for your own experience and expertise, your unique voice, insights, and perspectives, and it will offer a limited opinion, at best.

And get my trademark resource to identify your Credibility Matrix – your experience, expertise, and authority and gain confidence in how to use what you know and can do to create revenue streams. This is my iconic Expert Skills Audit and it is the only resource that allows you identify and leverage your 7 Expert Revenue superpowers – your experience and expertise, knowledge and know-how, gifts, talents, and skills to create multiple revenue streams and income opportunities. It’s so good that a top digital course creator has been trying to steal it and use it in her business for several years.

You can learn more about the Expert skills Audit at this link and start discovering the benefits of your 7 Expert Revenue Skills and how you can leverage them into multiple income sources.

It is the only business program created, developed, and promoted by a real business expert with real business credentials - 3 business degrees, decades of business experience, a pioneer in online business, recognized digital product subject matter expert and one of the first online course creator on the internet – with an online presence since 1999.

Should you learn to use AI? Absolutely. You are passing up on an opportunity to use a creative resource if you don’t but do use it to enhance your creativity, not fill in the gaps of your knowledge and expertise. You want to be an authentic, knowledgeable, experienced resource to your audience, not a faker. And in today’s online world someone will find out if you do not know what you are doing!

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It’s Karma Time !

We have a strong full moon on October 17, 2024, and this one has karma written all over it. Of course if you have not been sending out any karma boomerangs you don’t have anything to worry about. But if you have, you might want to start being careful and looking over your shoulder.

There are people in the world who don’t care about the consequences of their actions. In fact, they think that their actions should not have any consequences at all and they can do whatever they want without fear of reprisal. I have known people like that, some of them have done some really awful things to me. And today I learned that one of them got the karma boomerang in a very strong way.

Since I began my online business in early 2004 I have had problems with people stealing content. This is a real problem for any author or content creator and the internet has just made it 1000x worse. And you have unprofessional, unethical, and uneducated people who seem to populate the coaching world, especially business coaching, who think that the internet is a ‘content buffet’ that they can just help themselves to at any time they want.

They don’t have the credentials to create original content, no problem. They will just steal it from someone who does. They aren’t creative enough to generate consistent content for their audience, no problem, they will find someone who has content they like and they will use theirs.

This is not just happening with small accounts, it is happening with popular and well known people too. In fact, I am currently initiating copyright infringement actions against a well known ‘digital course’ leader who has been stealing content from me for 2 years – I have proof – and who should know better. If you say you have a $100 million business you should be able to create your own content and not steal it from someone else.

But I digress.

If you have been following me for the past 10 years you know that one of these content thieves is a former business coach named Christine Kane. I first learned about her content theft, which by the way is copyright infringement and theft of intellectual property, in October 2014 when she announced her new ‘Becoming 360’ program which was entirely stolen from articles and programs I had created in 2013. I have proof. So I sent her a Cease and Desist letter telling her that she could not use that content because she had not created it.

Not only did she not reply to me, but she also continued to use it and called it one of her ‘most successful programs.’ I hired a lawyer to take legal action against her and she still did not stop stealing my content. In fact, she stole more. I also found out, while doing the research for my lawyer to prepare the case against her, that she had started stealing content from me in 2011. I could find my words and ideas all over her programs and blog that were published then.

Anything she taught about business, energy congruence, or alignment, integration, and energy use was from content she read on my website and in my newsletter. To be honest, anything she wrote about or presented in her business was something she got from me. And she never paid me any licensing fees or royalties, never contacted me to get permission to use my content, she just took it. Although I had blocked her email address, she had people working for her who would go through my writings and take what they wanted. And she could use her phone or other computers to access my website, blogs, and podcasts if I blocked her IP address.

She was using so much of my content in her business that she nearly destroyed my business. I could not use my own ideas and words in my business because she was using them in hers. It was a nightmare.

And of course Christine Kane calls herself a spiritual person, she talks about love and light and how we should all be nice to each other. She even had the absolute gall to write an October 2014 blog post saying that ‘it’s OK if someone steals your content because they can’t steal your energy.’ Was she trying to deflect the karma she was building by stealing my content or pacify her guilty conscience about using content that she knew was not her original work? Did she write it just before announcing the Becoming 360 program so that I wouldn’t respond?

So I did the only thing I could do, I let everyone know that she was a content thief and everything she produced that was from my work I let my audiences know. I was not afraid of a defamation lawsuit because it is not defamation if you have proof and are telling the truth. As a paralegal and experienced legal researcher, I would never publicly accuse someone of such a serious charge without having irrefutable proof. And I had it. There was so much proof that my lawyer, an experienced copyright infringement and IP lawyer, said it was the worse case he had ever seen. And the content theft continued.

Eventually, in 2022, she was so discredited that even her most loyal followers were asking her about the source of her content and she declared that she was taking a ‘sabbatical’ and closed her business. It has remained closed for the past 2 years.

Since she was no longer writing or actively managing her business, that was one problem solved although she still owns the illegal becoming 360 trademark that my attorney is trying to get for me and the becoming360.com domain name.

How does this connect with the upcoming full moon and karma? Well yesterday I learned that she had suffered significant losses in the Asheville, NC flooding. Yes she lives in Asheville and has for many years. Her home was on Riverbend Drive, less than 30 feet from the Swannanoa River. She owned 2 homes and both are gone. In fact, it is all gone, the homes, her possessions, the land – it is all washed away. She has nothing but the clothes she is wearing. She can’t rebuild because the flooding washed the entire riverbank away. There is no land on which to rebuild.

Now I am not one to gloat over someone’s misery and losing all of your possessions is a big deal. But this is a person who gladly stole everything from me without a second thought, who happily hurt my business and income while bragging about how much money she made using my content. And who waved the spiritual flag for her followers while engaging in very dishonest and unethical actions.

Now she is homeless and has to re-think her life. I call that karma. I wonder if she gets it and whether she will take a long, hard look at how she is living her life and what she is bringing upon herself because she sure wasn’t concerned about that when she was stealing from me.

It’s karma time and the karma boomerang may take some time to circle back but it eventually does. What goes around comes around and that is absolutely true at this time. Anything that has been done since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 is coming back around so if you have been doing good things, you will probably be fine. But if you have been living your life on the wrong side of ethical behavior, you should probably be thinking about making some changes.

And as far as Christine Kane is concerned, I wish her well but I do not feel sorry for her at all. I hope she has learned something from all of this and if not, that’s her problem. One thing about karma, it is relentless. It comes at you until you get it and if you don’t it comes around again.

It’s karma time and time to balance energy accounts and make good on promises and consequences. If it has your number it will find you and if not, you will watch the karma boomerang hit its mark with pinpoint accuracy. You do not need to feel worry for or pity these people. Bad behavior does eventually get punished and it always has a foundation in the truth of their actions and being. It’s something you can’t escape and while you may think you’re getting away with something you are not. Karma keeps score and eventually it demands payment. This is one of those times.

Learn more about the GPS Business Academy at gpsbusinessacademy.com

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Here are the questions for this GPS Business Podcast Q&A:

Do I need to get capital or a loan to start a business?

Depends on the kind of business – if you are producing or manufacturing or selling products that you have to make then yes you will need start-up capital.

What’s the best way to start making money in a business?

This is a great question because every single business coach in the industry today never talks about this. They refer to profits (when they mean revenues) and wave a few numbers around, like ‘6 figures’, but no one addresses the important issue of revenue and cash flow. I do, it’s the foundation of my business training because you must make money in your business or you will be out of business.

When is the best time to start a coaching program?

What is coaching and how do you define it?

Coaching individual or group is always a good way to work with clients.

You can offer coaching services at any time, with both individual or group coaching..

Biggest mistake people make – charging too much and making programs that are too long. And offer a price point customers can afford – group coaching is less expensive than individual coaching and a paid master class is also a low cost option that generates revenue, educates your audience and is an opportunity for you to offer training and information and share your expertise.

Don’t shame yourself because you do not have 1000 people in your group from the outset. Everyone begins at the beginning and having fewer people at the outset is a blessing because you get to fine tune the program with their feedback.

How do you handle difficult clients?
Depends on what they do – I do not tolerate abuse or criticism and if that happens I fire them and block them from purchasing

If they attack you verbally or online, there are legal remedies for that. Do not tolerate it.

Get an attorney to write a cease and desist letter especially if they threaten to defame or interfere in your business.

Have a very clear Terms of Use and procedures on your website so you can refer to that with difficult clients.

And once the situation is handled be sure to block them and no longer allow them to buy from you. You do not need to have these kinds of clients in your business.

What kinds of services should I offer in my business?

Coaching or mentoring is a great option and everyone knows what that is. But don’t build your business with it, coaching I

Programs, courses, and masterclasses are also very good options for cash flow and to give people opportunities to learn from you.

A paid masterclass or launch or challenge is a good source of cash infusion.

Take someone through a transformation that you have gone through as a case study.

One on one coaching or sessions is a good place to start. Don’t believe the ‘hours for dollars’ people who teach you to trade hours for dollars but just charge a lot more with a ‘raise your rates’ philosophy.

Other great services to offer is consulting and contracting, which offer your expertise and skills in a specific area.

Many people define these areas in the wrong way so let’s clarify what they are.

Price point for individual sessions?

It’s an insult to charge too much or more than your market will pay. If people tell you your price is too high, it is too high. Lower your price or change your audience. What do others in your space charge? Charge a little less

How can I show my customers that I am an authentic resource for them?

Share your story and experience because that is your point of connection

Focus on your point of resonance – how do you want them to resonate with you?

Be mindful of where they are now (where you once were) and how you are relevant to their situation

Be honest about your experiences and how you relate to them and their experiences. Above all they want to be understood and to have someone relate to them.

That is it for this week's Q&A and if you want to submit a question use our email support@enlighteninglife.com and put GPS podcast QA in the subject line.

Visit gpsbusinessacademy.com for more business resources and the expert business 'advice, resources, and training' you need to make your entrepreneurial dreams a solid business reality.

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I just made my final $239 payment for B-School and I could not be more relieved. Every month I have been dreading having to pay for the program that I haven’t accessed in months and that I have my regrets about signing up for. I tried the B-School experience because I wanted to learn some new marketing techniques and to see if I could improve my business processes. Since I have been online since early 2004, I have experienced a lot of changes in the online world. I was open to learning new strategies and applying some new procedures in my business. B-School is one of the most aggressively marketed online business programs and I was curious to see what it was all about.

Although I thought the $2499 tuition price was very expensive, I thought that the marketing training alone would be helpful since Marie Forleo has access to some of the top internet marketers in the industry.

I had read a lot of reviews about the program, all of them positive and glowing which made me somewhat suspicious. The old adage, ‘you can’t please everyone’ applies to all businesses and I wondered why I could not find a single negative B-School review. So I did a little digging and it seems that Marie and her team don’t like negative reviews. In fact, they have a clause in their terms and conditions, which you must agree to before signing up for B-School, which specifically prohibits you from posting critical reviews of the program.

Really? Aside from violating the US Constitutionally protected free speech, it also violates the Consumer Review Fairness Act which specifically empowers consumers to provide reviews of products they purchase, positive or negative, and also specifically prohibits sellers from limiting customers’ ability to review their products.

So this B-School review is my lawful assessment of my B-School experience and is provided within the terms of the Consumer Review Fairness Act, as well as my expertise in the areas of business, economics, finance, technology, and law, which are all areas I have education, experience, and authority. Any attempt to intimidate, threaten, or harass me for this review will be responded to with civil and criminal prosecution.

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Thinking about starting a business? Here are 5 things you need to do for a quick, successful startup. Monday Motivation is you business training resources with tips, tactics, and training to start your business the 'cash flow to profit' way, with Jennifer Hoffman, the iconic business expert and cash flow catalyst with the intuitive advantage.

5 things you need to do for a quick, successful startup

Implement a cash flow plan from the start. You do not have to provide expensive courses, programs, and coaching. In fact, it’s better that you don’t. Instead, focus on high volume, not high prices. You’ll create a better cash flow stream with more consistent and predictable revenues, and you will provide affordable solutions for your customers. It goes against every economic principle to think that there are throngs of people wanting to pay thousands for your programs. It’s fine to have a passion and a vision to ‘help people’ but you are in business to make money and earn a profit. If you do not have your revenue and cash flow as prominent goals you will not make any money in your business.
Start small and build up. Houses are not built from the top down, they are built from the bottom up. Every house starts with a hole in the ground (for a basement) or a concrete slab on the ground. Don’t focus on high prices or high value clients, there are not that many people who will pay you thousands for your solutions.
Do your marketing diligently. Marketing is not sales but marketing leads to sales. While you cannot sell to your audiences all of the time, you do need to promote your products and services regularly. Whether you launch using webinars or live or online events, marketing is an important part of your business.
Stop fearing the competition. There is no competition on the internet. That’s why we focus on building your platform in the GPS Business Academy programs, and not your niche. If you think you are not making as much money as others, don’t be fooled. There are a lot of deceivers out there, not being mean here but it’s the truth. The people who tell you they make millions probably do but what they do not tell you is 80% or more of those millions are spent on advertising. No one ever shares their profit margins. Look at their engagement numbers on their social media sites too. Someone with 5 million followers who only gets 36 comments or likes on a post has paid for their following and their numbers are fake.
be confident in what you know. People will follow you because of a shared experience, relevance, and resonance. They want to know you are authentic and you understand them. When they are in a tough place they don’t care how many millions you make, that’s like telling someone who is thirsty that you just had a glass of water and it was great. Give them the water, let them experience you as a teacher, mentor, and friend. That begins the journey to loyalty, not showing them your million $$ house.

And the most important thing – focus on your cash flow. You cannot manage a business if you are not making money and while everyone likes to teach all about business strategies – like building your list, creating a course, creating different revenue streams, it’s all part of a ‘hit and miss’ strategy that never really addresses the core steps to start a business that reaches an audience and generates revenue on a consistent basis.

Authenticity is the name of the game. You are authentic in your story, your experience is your expertise, don’t doubt yourself and no one else will doubt you. Be confident, your story is your ticket to business success, market yourself with clarity and confidence, and focus on cash flow because you are in business to make money.

Visit GPSbusinessacademy.com for more information about our 90 Day Business QuickStart program and other resources for your business.

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I have been wanting to talk about this topic for a while because of a troubling practice I see with many coaches and business owners in the online space regarding how they are using contracts as an extortion tool to force their clients to pay.

A few months ago I received an email from a group called ‘Team Irvine’. This is the company of Dr. Shannon Irvine, who practices neuroscience. The email demanded payment in full for a contract I was a signator to, claiming I was in arrears and if I did not pay up immediately I would be subject to collections which means that would be reflected on my credit report.

Here’s the problem. I am not a client or a customer of Dr. Irvine. I have never purchased anything from her and I never signed a contract. I replied to the email demanding proof of this transaction and letting her know that it was illegal to send harassing demand letters and if I learned that they accessed my credit report or reported me to a collections agency I would be seeing them in court. I also let her team know that her demand letter was illegal and violated the tenants of contract law.

Her team replied saying it was a glitch in their email system, that they were trying to fix the problem and that I should ignore the email. Ignore it? Without finding out if they were reporting me to a collections agency and accessing my credit report? I don’t think so.

And I could ignore it but what about those people who were being harassed by Dr. Irvine’s team, who were in arrears on their contract payments and who faced collections? What were they going to do? What was their defense against this illegal demand for payment, even if they did sign a contract.

Why should you listen to my opinion about this? Because I was a paralegal for 10 years, 3 of them for a prominent contract lawyer who is the best in the field. I learned a lot in that job and it has saved me a lot of headache, time, and money. I know an illegal contract when I see it and further, I know an illegal collections attempt, which this email from Dr. Irvine represented.

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A website is essential for today is the first exposure that a potential client or subscriber has to you and to your products and services. So you want their experience to be easy, memorable for its content and not its frustrations (people remember these things – let me share my Ruby Tuesday story), and you want them to return.

With so many websites on the internet, over 2 billion, there are many people who offer similar products and services and you want your visitors to stay on your website as long as possible.

The longer they stay on your website the more likely they are to buy (provided you have something to sell and they can find it).

Here are the 5 ways to make your website easy for customers to use:

Be intentional in the path you want to take them through your website and provide proper navigation with buttons, links, and clear explanations. Do not leave people hanging on a page and no way to go anywhere with either a top menu or a clickable link to take them back to the home page.
Note: be careful with re-direct links, those links that take your visitors away from your website. They won’t be able to get back and you may lose them – the internet is a big, busy place. Once they are re-directed to another site they are no longer on your website. Is that what you want them to do?

Give them clear options to purchase in the content. NEVER say ‘email me to schedule an appointment’. Have you looked at what happens when you click an email link? It opens a browser window and not an email address.
and use links and scheduling applications to get them to talk to you . If you offer free intro sessions, make them easy to set up. NEVER use email or phone to set up your appointments – waste of time and you will miss appointments. If they are on your website at 2AM and they want to purchase something or connect with you, they need the buttons, links, and tools to be able to do that.

Do not write too much content in descriptions, you can always write a short sentence and direct them to another page for more. And avoid too much navigation to get information or to purchase. They will get frustrated especially if they arrive at a dead end and cannot get back to your home page or another page on your website.

Be sure to include information about yourself, write a good ‘about you’ page. You would be surprised how many people read your bio. They want to get to know you. Make your bio focused on your story or how you got started in your business. Be sure to write your ‘hero’s journey’, no one wants to hear a sob story. Let your story be focused on the products and services you provide so you establish relevance and alignment with your audience. This inspires and encourages them to become paying customers.

Publish your prices – your visitors do not like to have to fill out forms and set an appointment with you (or a sales service) to talk about how great your program is, only to have sticker shock because you are much more than they can afford.
Price is important and you insult your site visitors if you say it isn’t.
How many of you own a Ferrari? That’s my point.
If you are so uncomfortable with your prices that you do not publish them, you should be charging much less.
As my grandmother said, “if you have to ask the price you cannot afford it.”

It is very important to ensure that visitors to your website don’t get confused and frustrated because they won’t be back and they will tell everyone about their terrible experience.

And if you are clear about how you want your website visitors to navigate your website and you make the process easy, clear, and intentional for them, they will spend time on your website, enjoy the content, become a repeat visitor, and refer you to their family and friends.
Get more tips, tools, and tactics to start, manage, and grow your business at gpsbusinessacademy.com/

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Does the word marketing fill you with fear?
Do you dread the word sales in the same way and get stuck in that process?

Marketing and sales have been so over hyped and misrepresented in the online industry.
Let me begin this discussion by advising you that marketing is not sales although marketing is related to sales
And sales is not marketing although you need some kind of marketing effort to generate the interest required to make a sale.

Marketing means ‘bringing your goods and services to the attention of the market’
Think of the market as an audience that you are showcasing your products and services to.

What do they need to know about your product or service to be interested enough to want to know more
How do you let them know that their lives are enhanced by your product or service?

Note: you cannot market to people who have no interest in what you offer, no matter how much marketing you do

Example: vacations
5 kinds of vacation venues – all in one, cruises, hotels, adventure trips, camping
I am not interested in camping so I do not include those in my options
No matter how wonderful it may sound, I won’t consider camping.

That’s why information and education are the heart of your marketing. You'll quickly let people who have no interest in your products and services that you are not a good resource for them. And you will know who is and who is not your customer.

You can use marketing to create an interest when you focus on information and education first, instead of leading with your sales pitch

Sales is the process of offering goods for sale. Sales are an essential part of your business.

Your marketing begins the path to the sales form and the purchase process.

You market with eventual sales in mind but your marketing has to be honest, clean, and clear – no bait and switch. Listen to the example of how I got switched to a $500 per month membership from a $27 digital product (and yes, I demanded and received a refund).

Marketing is not a one-shot effort, it is a process of informing your audience about who you are and what you offer

Forget passion – you cannot market your passion but you can market why you are passionate

Your story is important but it will only appeal to the people who share the story or an interest in it.

Passion out of control – vegan client who tried to ‘convert’ me

Think of marketing as information and education, letting potential customers know there is a solution and you have it but first, you need to share that story so you create relevance with them. And once you have done your marketing, providing information and education, they will be ready to buy and you will have a loyal, long term client who will become a repeat buyer and a source of referrals.

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Should you involve family in your business?

You have a business and family members want to get involved or you want to give them an opportunity to use their skills with your customers

Key decisions and things you must do before allowing family members to work with you in your business.

Know what it is they have the skillset to do
clearly define the role and make it legal

What to do to ensure your business success

always make a contract and make sure you keep control of your business
Implied contracts count too
does this person have skills that complement your business or add value to your customers?
what do you want them to do in your business (you must keep control).
are they an employee or consultant/contractor? Figure in tax costs too as an employee you pay their taxes
do you get along with them enough to have them in your business? Key question: do you trust them, how far, and with what

What to avoid

let family members practice on your customers
Hear about my former admin who let her 16 year old son practice making websites with her customers (including me), with a terrible outcome and cost me 2 weeks of time (and it's why I fired her and refused to pay the invoice)
involve your young children in your business especially when it's not a fit and does not make sense
Unless you have a family focused business or you are marketing to families, don't call your 5 year old your 'co-ceo'
Hear about the 'business coach' who allows her 5 year old to disrupt marketing calls and
allow family members to join your business and become substitutes for you just because they are ‘family’
Make sure your family members who are involved in your business understand your customer service practices and
allow them to ‘give advice’ that dictates your message, shifts your business and alters your business strategy
do not give them access to your financial documents, checking account, or payment accounts and never give them check signing or withdrawal permissions unless you absolutely trust them with those processes. If they have that kind of access make sure they purchase a bond that protects your financial and business assets. There’s a good reason for that.

What do you do if family members ask to join your business? First treat them as you would any other potential applicant. They need to have the right skill set and to be qualified to work with you. To do that you need a clear job description and make sure they are a fit. If not, say no.
And if you do bring in family members, do it because it’s a good fit, you are comfortable with that decision, and you have very clear energy boundaries that you can maintain. If not, say no.

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These are guidelines for operations

Let customers know what to expect when doing business with you

Protects you from legal liability when enforcing a policy or in the cast of customer legal action

Can and should include:

1. A Privacy policy – this is required by some countries and institutions and is required by most state and federal law

Should state how you handle customer data and that you do not sell or share it

Copyright policy – affirms your copyrights to your content
Download policy – states how customers may download your digital products, that they can only save it to their personal computer or digital media devices, they cannot share or post it, no sharing with others, and not using it in their own programs or business
Refund policy – when and how you offer refunds

You are not obligated to offer any refund for any reason

Must have a well defined refund policy – do not offer 100% refunds

If you do not offer refunds you must state it here and on every sales page

Your Guarantee - be very careful in offering a guarantee of results or services as you cannot guarantee results. Also be careful how you offer a guarantee in conjunction with a refund
Hours of operation – state what your business operating hours are, be sure to include your time zone too, for example: 9AM to 5PM US Eastern Time
Service level agreement – when you’ll respond to emails and communications, how you will handle customer support issues and other interactions with your customers
Disclaimer of results – state how testimonials are not typical results, be clear that you are not guaranteeing results

If you are offering coaching for mental or emotional issues, you must state that it is not a substitute for professional mental health services

If offering coaching for health or wellness, you must state that it is not a substitute for professional medical treatment

Your terms of user or terms of service are an important part of your business legal documents and they should be posted where customers can see them and agree to them, where appropriate, so they have a clear understanding of what they can expect from you and your business and it protects you from unreasonable customer expectations and provides a clear definition of your services.

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Profit and profit margins are the most important business metric yet no one teaches them (except me) and no one talks about them in the right way

Revenues are not profits – anyone who says this is not an experienced, educated, and authentic business coach.

-- Revenues are money that comes into your business via sales

-- Profits are what is left over after expenses

Profits formula is Profit = revenue – expenses - this is accounting 101

Revenue is dependent on sales and how you market your business

Expenses are what you spend in and on your business

Expenses include your salary, cost of running your business, equipment, utilities, and more

Expenses are fixed or variable – marketing is a variable cost, your course platform is a fixed cost

Profits are what is left over after expenses

Sell $100 with expense of $99 your profit is $1.00 This is your COGS – cost of goods sold. It is an important metric in your business as it tells how much you are spending per sale – you want this number to be low so your profits are high

Profit margin is the percentage of profits you can expect based on sales. You want this number to be high. In an online business with few overhead costs and good management of your expenses, you should expect a profit margin of 50% or more

Here is the business information and background for this Profit Case Study:

$3.2 million in sales

$1.5 million spent on ads

$170,000 in profit

$1.93 million in incidental costs (fixed and variable)

That’s a .05% profit margin and it’s terrible for an online business

What can you expect?

$497 course price x 100 people is $49,700

Costs: $97/month for the course platform $200 marketing

Administration costs for help at $40 per hour, 20 hours is $800. I manage my administrative staff and they work on very specific tasks, which means they do work they enjoy and have the skills for and do not spend time on 'busy work' that eats into my budget.

That’s a total of around $1000 in expenses (remember the course platform is a fixed cost which covers all courses in the platform, not just this one)

$49,700 - $1000 = $48,700 in profits that is not an unrealistic number if you have done your pre-sale marketing correctly, meaning you are nurturing your audience, posting on social media, and creating interest in your upcoming launch and sale.

I corrected my math here since I had originally said that there was about $1 million in administrative costs (outside of marketing and ads) but there is actually $1.93 million in uncategorized costs that could represent a host of expenses including administrative, design, support, etc.

In closing, this is not a profitable company. Sure it makes money and it sounds good to say “I made $3.2 million in sales” but when you look closely at the numbers, the expenses, and the profit margin, this company could use some expert advice on how to better manage its profit margins and a profit audit to determine why its profit margins are so low.

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Your top 10 questions answer with strategies and tips to overcome your anxieties, doubts, and fears so you can get your business started. Here are the questions I answer in this Q&A podcast:

How can I go from my job to starting a business and replace my income (plus some)?
Should I offer discount, free services, or trade?
What’s the best social media platform to use?
How do I stay motivated?
How do I make money in my business when I’m just starting up?
What is the best pricing model?
What tech should I be using in my business?
What are your time management strategies?
How to budget your time
An annual strategy for time management

Visit the GPS Business Academy website at https://gpsbusinessacademy.com

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Blogs and podcasts are really popular and some have millions of listeners, thousands of downloads, and get a lot of attention.

This is a new type of celebrity called an influencer – when these people showcase a product, service, or person, they can gain instant celebrity and become very popular.

What if you could get the attention of these bloggers and podcasters by being a guest on their podcast or a guest writer on their blog?

Would that help your business? Probably. Getting recognition or an endorsement by a highly recognized blogger or podcaster would be great for you and for your business. It would be free marketing and you could get a lot of attention and business out of it.

But before you jump over to itunes, simplify, or another big podcast site to make a list of the most popular podcasts or go to social media sites to find the people with the most followers, here are some tips to consider before you take action. Follow these tips first to get hosted on popular blogs and podcast.

Take the time to listen to previous episodes and read the blog articles. This is so important because you need to ensure that your topic
1. is aligned with their message, content, and audience
2. is not a direct competitor for their product or service
3. While you may benefit from being associated with a popular blogger or podcaster, it’s not about you. How does your content and message benefit their audience?
4. have they recently talked about a problem that you have a solution for
5. what is their audience’s biggest problem or need that you can answer?
6. Make sure they have guests on their blog or podcast before you ask to be a guest. This shows that you are familiar with their content and their process.
7. Don’t approach the biggest bloggers and podcasters first. They get thousands of requests. Start small, work your way up to the bigger audiences. Build up your credentials so you can show that you have some experience in doing interviews and in writing.
8. Respect their timelines which are usually 3 months out. Don’t expect to send out a request to big name podcasts or bloggers on a Monday and get a reply on Tuesday.
9. Use your credentials – a popular book, recent event, something you got noticed for is a promotion tool for interviews and guest articles. You can promote yourself and your work proudly, just keep it aligned with their audience and content.
10. Relate your interview request with a past podcast or blog content.
  For example: dealing with stress and you have stress reducing solutions
  Parenting issues and you have just written about ways to deal with that issue
  Your solution addresses an audience need.
  Remember you’re not competing with the blogger or podcaster so do your research and be of service.
11. Practice your interview skills before being a podcast guest and have some examples of your writing to show bloggers. A podcast interview is a conversation so be prepared to talk and have a link to recent articles show your writing style and content topics.
12. Show that you are actually interested in more than a one-time appearance, or just getting onto their blog or podcast by following them on different social media accounts. Respond to posts, engage with them, so you get to know them first. This establishes a connection that you can eventually use to promote yourself to them.
13. If you do get an opportunity to be on a podcast or share you content on a blog, be prepared, be on time, deliver what you have promised, and be sure to follow with a thank you, market to your audience, and be professional. Always request permission to repost or remarket your interview or articles, get it in writing. And always follow their copyright and content guidelines.

Finally, respect the fact that they started with no audience and have built their business through persistence, commitment, and hard work. They are not there for you to take advantage of or make money from. They serve their audience and they will ensure that their guests do too.

This is part of your business marketing and promotions strategy so build a list of blogs and podcasts you want to approach and make a schedule of contact points, Keep a list of who you contact and when, and always follow up, respectfully. One appearance can lead to more requests so stay professional and respectful and you could be the one who gets interview requests from popular bloggers and podcasters.

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Imposter Syndrome is the new buzzword that everyone is talking about, using it to describe the fear that they do not deserve their success. But it’s being used by unscrupulous internet marketers and mavens to sell gullible people their products and services to overcome the imposter syndrome they believe they have. In today’s Goals, Profit & Soul podcast we’re going to talk about Imposter Syndrome, what it really refers to and what we should be focusing on instead.

Imposter Syndrome, also calledCapgras syndrome is a psychological condition where a person believes someone they know has been replaced by an imposter. Sounds a little different from what everyone is breathlessly proclaiming to be ‘imposter syndrome’ today. First described by French psychiatrist Joseph Capgras in 1923, it’s part of the psychological disorders classified as delusional misidentification syndromes (DMSs).

It’s more common in women than in men and here’s how it works. Over time, a woman believes that her husband of 20 years has been replaced by someone else, either a body double or a different person entirely. She then begins to develop anxiety, fear, and can even become violent in her effort to expose the ‘imposter.’ The cause is often attributed to brain lessons, tumors, or brain injury.

Now this real definition of imposter syndrome has been massaged by internet marketers to apply to people who are afraid that others may think they’re a fraud. On a fundamental level, they doubt their own abilities and accomplishments and are afraid of being exposed as a fraud.

Does this sound like the ‘imposter syndrome’ theory that internet markets are telling you they have the cure for? Of course not. It’s another breathless theory that someone is using to promote their products and services as a cure for.

Now while I have been denouncing imposter syndrome as a scam for several years, there is something that I know causes people to doubt themselves and their success, that causes them a great deal of conflict in their business, and that is what I call Approval Anxiety.

It is far more prevalent that the phony imposter syndrome and it impacts everyone in the business space but especially women entrepreneurs and new business startups.

Approval Anxiety is the fear that people won’t like you, will disapprove of what you do, and will criticize and judge you for what you do. And it probably has a lot of basis in fact. There is a strong cancel culture on the internet and it can be vicious. People who hide behind the anonymity of a screen name, email address, or social media profile can say things to you online that they would never say to your face.

Once an online rumor is started it spreads quickly and it can be very hard to stop.

When someone sends you an email criticizing you and what you are doing, writing about, or saying online, or tells you that you look fat or ugly in your videos, (this has happened to me and I’ll share that story with you in a few moments) it can create a lot of anxiety, fear, and self doubt.

And if your self esteem isn’t where it should be, meaning you have a strong enough foundation of self esteem that you do not care what others think about you, then you’re going to be devastated by the smallest amount of criticism or judgment.

If you experienced a lot of criticism while growing up about your appearance, personality, style, or body, you’re going to be very anxious about whether or not people approve of you – meaning whether they’re going to criticize and judge you.

If you grew up with a critical mother or father, as I did, you will be very anxious about being judged or criticized by anyone, especially people you are marketing your expertise and authority to.

Aside from growing up with a critical mother, I was very anxious about criticism and judgment, I was the object of scrutiny from age 5 to 11 years, because I was paralyzed, in a wheelchair, walked with leg braces and crutches, or walked with a limp because of the residual paralysis from my vaccine injury, I developed anxiety about people who stared at me. But it was mainly because I did not want to be classified as handicapped or crippled – I had been paralyzed and mostly recovered but it was my body that was affected, there was nothing wrong with my mind. As an aside, until the mid 2000s, most people who were considered disabled, handicapped, or special needs (not a term they used at the time) were all considered to have physical and mental issues, there were no distinctions made between them.

So it’s probably a good thing that when I started my business in 2004 I communicated mostly by email and teleconference – there was no video or social media at the time.

But that’s changed and there is a need for strong visibility in today’s online world and the audiences are bigger so there is a bigger potential for judgment and criticism. And the Approval Anxiety factor goes through the roof.

Here is what you need to know about Approval Anxiety:

it’s the fear of judgment and criticism from others
it’s more common among women than men and especially if you had a critical parent, were bullied, or have something that sets you out or makes you ‘different’
it’s the reason you hesitate, doubt yourself, and are afraid to really put yourself out there 100%
It is possible to overcome your Approval Anxiety by building up your self esteem.
No matter what you do, someone is always going to criticize you or judge you and not on the basis of what you do, but through their own jealousy, insecurity, and lack of self esteem.

Now for my story that I said I would share with you about how I cured my Approval Anxiety. I had just started my business in February 2004 and had about 500 people on my email list (that was a lot in 2004). Someone wrote and said I was ‘full of crap’. I was initially dismayed, crushed, and very hurt. Then I thought I had 500 people on my list and 1 person wrote this and 499 people did not. So I wrote to the person and said I wasn’t the right teacher for them and suggested they move on. I deleted them from my mailing list and banned them from my website. Problem solved

Imposter syndrome is a fakeout – approval anxiety is very real. The snake oil hucksters of the early 1900s have grown into the internet marketers of the 2000s. Anyone who peddles ‘imposter syndrome’ cures or solutions needs to be avoided.

Deal with your Approval Anxiety by building your self esteem. Trust in yourself, your abilities, your experience and your authority. No one can question your experience and the expertise you gain from it. Do not let others’ opinions of you become your truth.

People have the right to their own opinion about everything, including you, whether it is good or bad, true or not true. Do not waste your time defending yourself or trying to overcome phony imposter syndrome.

You know who you are, what you know, and the value of your products and services. Build up your self esteem and create a strong foundation that can withstand the naysayers, haters, and people who envy your success. Those who criticize and judge you are not part of your audience, so do not waste your time on them. And avoid anyone who tries to sell you the cure to imposter syndrome – they don’t know what they are talking about either.

Approval Anxiety is a trademark of Jennifer Hoffman.

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You hear it all of the time from business coaches, you need to raise your rates. But if you do that without considering the needs of your market and their willingness and ability to pay a higher rate for your products and services, you may find that raising your rates decreases overall sales and negatively impacts your profits.

How do you price your products and what criteria do you use to select your pricing?

You can choose whatever price you want, from free to $1 to $100,000+

Some people charge $250K for coaching services and they get them but they're established in a specific market and they also offer other, lower priced services and products.

One thing to remember in pricing – basic finance principle – the higher your price the smaller your available pool of buyers

Ferrari makes 8500 cars a year, GM makes over 2 million - Ferrari knows that their buying market is very small because a $300,000+ car is not in everyone's budget.

Cannot price on value alone – doesn’t matter how much it’s ‘worth it’ to get the problem solved, if they can’t afford it, they can’t afford it

Is raising your prices or rates a viable and profitable cash flow strategy? Let’s look at the numbers in this case study.

Here are the details for this case study:

Subject is a course creation product marketer

During a webinar she revealed her Stripe sales data and I picked up on a few key metrics

During her first launch the program was priced at $997 and 75 people purchased

Facebook advertising spend around $500

The next launch doubled the program price to $1997 and doubled Facebook advertising to $1000 35 people purchased

So doubling the price resulted in 50% decrease in signups even with increased Facebook ad spend - this should have been the first red flag that her price was too high

If she had kept the price at $997 would she have doubled her signups?

Here’s a couple of other results of price doubling:

With the higher price at risk transactions were at 20% and refunds were at 5%

And there is the ‘won’t pay’ factor, people who would make one payment and then refuse to or cannot pay the rest

Refund policy was 100% so all $1997 would be returned if a customer wanted a refund

20% at risk transactions was 7 out of the 35 people which is $14,000

Let’s look at the numbers;

Launch 1 at $997 75 signups about $75,000 FB ad spend $500

Net profit about $74,500 without considering non payers or refunds

Launch 2 at $1997 35 signups about $70,000 (already has a-5,000 deficit over Launch 1)

20% payment/fraud risk -$14,000

10% won’t pay/refunds -$6000

Less $1000 fb ad spent Estimated net profit $49,000 (not counting non payers)

What if she had kept her prices the same for Launch 2?

Double signups at $997 would have been 150 people, approx $150,000

5% no pay would be 7 people -$7000

Refunds at 2% 3 people or $3000

FB ad spend $1000 == Net profit $140,000

Would keeping the price at $997 increase signups? Yes and it would have reduced the at risk payments, as well as maintained some good will, which must also be factored as a revenue loss.

During her offer, when she announced the $1997 price, se had at least 5 people write in the chat that they expected the price to be $997 which indicates she is not pricing for her market.

Does raising your prices pay in the long run? No and it prevents people who do need your products and services from getting them, as well as attracting people who will default on payments, won’t be able to pay, or want refunds in the longer term.

It is also not a good long term strategy for customer retention.

The results of this case study, using numbers that were available during the sales webinar, show that raising prices had an overall negative impact on sales volume and increased revenue risk.

As I have said many times, if your customer says your prices are too high, your prices are too high and you need to either lower your prices or change your market.

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What's all the hype about business phases and stages now? I listened to a podcast where the host was describing the 8 phases of business. As she rambled on I was thinking 'this is way to complicated and unnecessary.'

There are only 3 stages of business that any business owner or entrepreneur needs to be concerned with -

startup
growth
empire

and within each one is a range of characteristics that you can expect to happen and with the right tools and training, can deal with.

Then there is profitability which is not the same as sales or revenues. If you have a business coach who is talking about profits, sales, and revenues, and using them to talk about the same thing - please find another business coach.

First, let's cover the profitability formula which any accounting 101 student has to learn:

Profits = Revenues - Expenses (that's profits equals revenues minus expenses)

You make a profit when your business makes more money than it spends.

Profitability depends on sales and on cash flow - again, two different topics.

Sales is the process of generating revenue and cashflow is the stream of money into and out of the business - it is one of your most important business metrics. If you do not have consistent cashflow them you have a zigzag revenue model, where you have money coming in one month and maybe no money for the next month or two. It's a very frustrating and unprofitable way to run a business.

In this week's Goals Profit and Soul podcast you'll learn about the 3 stages of business and the 4 phases of profitability so you can apply these models to your business and know where you are in your business lifecycle and your profitability cycle so you can put your efforts towards building a sustainable, profitable business that you enjoy and that meets your wealth needs.

That's why we focus on these basics at the GPS Business Academy, your source of "expert business advice, resources, and training" utilizing our integrated training model and our Cash Flow Profit Platform as a foundation for a strong, profitable business.

Expert business advice, resources, and training, Integrated Training Model, and Cash Flow Profit Platform are trademarks of Jennifer Hoffman and Enlightening Life OmniMedia, Inc.

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First I want to address 5 market issues you need to be aware of to make the most of the opportunities in 2021. Paying attention to these 5 things may help make this next decade a profitable one for you, so you can best serve your clients and ensure your own profitability.

The markets are not saturated, consumers are more educated and want more specific products and services from authentic and aligned providers they feel connected ti and who meet their needs. In the early internet days there was a ‘wild west, anything goes’ mentality and anyone could sell a service or a product, especially coaching, at any price.

Newsflash: there is no competition on the internet – it is an interest based marketplace

Customers don’t want to be dominated, crushed, or overwhelmed with your marketing. They want marketing messages they can connect with, relate to, and that answers their questions.

With many providers in the marketplace consumers are looking for more specific solutions that meet their needs, addresses their specific issues, and are aligned with their values. In short, they are more discriminating. If you don’t have the expertise, education, or experience they feel makes you an authentic service or solutions provider, they will choose someone else.

This is not the time to boast about your ‘lack of business education, training, or skills’ when you are selling your business coaching services.

The gig economy has become the self determined economy. I have said for the last 10 years that the corporate model of employment is shifting and we’ll see more of that starting in 2021. As a veteran of the corporate world for 25 years, I started my business after 6 layoffs in 8 years. Especially in the high tech, information services sectors, you’ll see a greater demand for consulting services and fewer long term employment opportunities. If you have a marketable skill in these areas, and it is a wide open market, you should consider going into business for yourself as a consultant. We teach you those skills in the GPS business academy, which features a special consultant business master class as well as the advice, resources, and training to start and manage your business.
Women entrepreneurs will continue to flourish. Whether you want to start a business to stay home with your children (I started my first businesses for that reason), augment your monthly budget or you lost your job and you want more financial control and freedom, now is the time to start your business. Women have more resources, training, and options available to them now, and there are no barriers to entry if you want to start an online business.

Now is the time to start your business and there is an opportunity for everyone who has a skill, idea, vision, or solution to share with the world. Our ‘Your Expert Solution’ tool will help you identify what that is and build a profitable business around it.

It’s time to think volume instead of exclusivity, especially when it comes to pricing. The days of ‘high value clients and high ticket programs’ are over. They have been overmarketed, overstated, over hyped, and it’s time for something new.

There are simply too many alternatives and choices in the marketplace. Providers need to get clear on who they are serving and what their customers’ budgets are. If you want to serve a market that pays you $100K a year for your coaching that’s great but your audience will be very limited and you’ll lose access to a very big customer base that could benefit from your services at a far more affordable price.

By the way, the higher your prices, the smaller your market, remember that.

More businesses moving into the digital age and a virtual strategy is necessary, even for brick and mortar retail establishments. I remember when the internet first started entering the public sphere, in the late 1990s. I am an internet pioneer who wrote the first book on the internet in 2000. My book was the first one used at the university level because I was the first person to suggest that the internet would play a substantial role in business.

In 2000 I did a talk for the Small Bus Admin about how the internet could work in the real estate market. A man argued with me, saying that real estate was a face to face business and would never be virtual. How many of you did your preliminary house search using zillow or trulia or redfin?

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you have, an online presence gives you greater visibility and viability in today’s market. If you aren’t online people question the validity of your business. And it is easier to market to a mailing list. You can’t afford to wait on foot traffic and many people will find you online first. Online is the way to go now. And a word of warning, it doesn’t replace customer service, connection, or attention to your customer needs.

Here are some tips for business success in 2021

You need a strategy that includes BOTH the virtual and the real presence. Customers want to see you and hear your voice. Part of your virtual strategy can be a video blog or podcast, along with your mailing list and other methods of customer contact that the internet makes so easy.

Need help to include this strategy in your business? Set up a free consult with us to determine your needs.

Stop focusing on your why, your high ticket programs, high value clients and especially, your high prices. Focus on cash flow and what I call ‘compounded revenues’, build your business on volume, not exclusivity. Think of the customer connection process as a courtship. You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you after you say hello, so you should not expect your customers to expect to spend thousands of dollars with you when they barely know you. Cultivate the relationship before you ask for a commitment.
Stop using the word scale to describe your business. That’s a vertical marketing strategy. If you’re in the growth phase of your business you need to start moving into a horizontal business model. If you’re a startup you need to lead with a long term horizontal focus which means keeping your customers with you for years and you do not do that by being exclusive (excluding everyone), charging high prices, or selling programs or services with a short term engagement commitment. Need help with that? You’ll learn about it in our GPS Business Foundation program where we teach our trademark cash flow profit platform and b
Avoid thinking about the competition – there is no competition on the internet. It’s an interest based marketplace and your customers look for the best fit, not the loudest voice. Stick with your message, your story, your solution that is available to those who need it. Promote your expertise, share your authority, claim your credentials and step up your promotions. Customers want relevance and resonance and they’ll find it with you when you let them know you have been where they are and can help them get through their issues with reality and experienced based information, solutions, and
Plan to have a long term relationship with your customers. That means your pricing has to include greater affordability options and your programs, products, and services need to have some sort of . You know how I feel about ‘high ticket programs’ and high value clients, it’s a huge mistake to get all of your customers’ money up front and then they are out of your business.

2021 offers new opportunities for everyone with smart marketing, attention to customer needs, and paying attention to shifting trends so you stay on track with your business goals.If you’re ready for some real business coaching with an expert business leader, then join the GPSBusiness Academy now.

You can read the full article (and our past articles and podcasts) on the blog and podcast page at GPSbusinessacademy.com

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I tried to publish my first book in 2000, no one would represent it because they thought I didn’t have the credentials to write it. It was a book on alternative health treatments, a topic I have researched for 3 decades.
Recently, I wrote my 8th book in a weekend, published it in 15 minutes and it was a best seller – my 8th best seller as each of my books has reached best seller status. I’m going to tell you how I did that and how you can do it too. A lot has changed in the publishing world and I am going to show you how you can make the best of it to get your book written and published in 90 days or less.

Traditional publishing model was to find an agent to represent you, agent submits manuscript to publisher, publisher reviews it and decides whether to make it part of their catalog. Acceptance to publication takes about 2 years.

New publishing model – you write your book, self publish, market it to best seller status. Time to publication is the time it takes you to write and format your book and you can find people to do that for you.

How can you write and publish your book in 90 days or less? Let’s look at some key decision criteria you need to consider when making the decision to write a book.

What is your book about? Don’t write for your readers, write your story. Your story is what your audience connects with and how they will see you as a trusted resource. Your audience looks for 3 things:
Authenticity – do you have experience in your topic and is that shared in your story?
Relevance – can they see a shared experience with you through your story?
Resonance – you are at their level and they resonate with your story
Which publishing model do you use?
Self publishing is very easy, learning curve is short and you publish your own book
Print on demand changed the self publishing model, you no longer have to buy hundreds of books and try to sell them

Traditional publishing requires that you find an agent, who will market your book to publishers who will determine whether they want it and they have editorial control over the content. Your book gets published according to publisher’s timeline

With the Self publishing model you are in full control of your book, publishing timelines, and content.

Who markets my book?
Here is where there is a lot of confusion because many people think that if you choose the traditional publishing route they do all of the book marketing and all you have to do is get your royalty checks.
Wrong
You are required to actively market your book even if you get a publisher and while they may assist, the bulk of the marketing effort is up to you.
You also have to market your book if you self publish so either way the marketing effort is up to you. Whether you decide to self publish or not, you should start your marketing now to create an audience, showcase your expertise, and build interest in your book and your topic. You can do this by starting a blog, podcast, becoming a guest on others’ podcasts, using social media, and a host of other marketing strategies that we teach in the GPS Author Academy program.
How does my book get published so I have copies to sell?

In 2010 something wonderful happened to make the self publishing option even more attractive to authors and that is print on demand. In the old self publishing model you had to reach out to printers, have them print hundreds of copies of your book, and then you stored those books in your garage until you could sell them.
With print on demand you buy your own books if you want to but your books are printed when they sell so you do not have to buy any books at all, just upload the formatted interior and cover .pdf files into a self publishing platform (like createspace, an amazon brand), and you’re done. The book gets listed on amazon, you market it so customers can buy it, and you don’t have to buy anything. Then you can just collect your royalty checks (while you actively market your book and create your platform)

Can my self published book become a best seller?

Best seller status is probably one of the most confusing aspects of book publishing because many of you, and me included, probably thought that achieving best seller status meant that you had written the ‘best book’.
Wrong
Best seller status has nothing to do with how good your book is. It is a measure of your book selling the most copies in your category at a point in time. And if you choose a publishing category that is not as competitive as others, you are practically guaranteed to be #1 in that category, which is what identifies a best seller, if you market your book launch correctly.

Here are the 5 steps to successfully writing and self publishing your book in 90 days or less:

choose your topic and message. Be sure it’s part of your story, you have the experience and expertise, and you share an authentic story.
organize your thoughts and start writing – writing a book takes commitment and discipline. Try writing a chapter every few days, stick with it and your book will be finished
start your pre-launch marketing while you are writing by creating a blog, podcast, short videos you share on social media. You need to create the interest now as you’re building your book platform. This is what I teach in my GPS author academy program. It’s not just about writing a book and hoping it sells, it’s building a platform that expands your book into programs, courses, coaching, speaking, and more.
Choose a launch date so you will know when your book will be finished. You’ll plan your writing schedule, book editing and proofreading, interior and cover design, and final details around this date. This is when you’ll also plan your launch activities so you have time to market your launch.
Launch your book and your programs. Finally, it’s the big day when you can launch your book and let the world know all about you and your writing. It’s an exciting time and you deserve to do this right.

In case you’re wondering about how big the self publishing market is, Bowker, the leading authority in book printing and official issuer of ISBN numbers issued 1.4 million ISBN numbers for self published books and ebooks in 2018, a 40% increase over 2017 and predicts that the number of self published books will increase exponentially every year as the self publishing industry becomes a more viable alternative for authors.

And finally, let’s dispel one more untrue rumor, that if you self publish you won’t be able to get a publisher to sign you. That used to be true but it isn’t any more. Publishers are interested in taking on authors with an audience and a platform so if you hav those thanks to your previous work that could include one or more self published titles, they will be fine with adding your next book to your catalog.

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Understanding the client you serve in your business means the difference between making money and going broke.

Get the client wrong and even with the best product or service, you will spend a lot of time chasing clients, wasting money on ineffective marketing, and being frustrated every month as you try to reach that ‘6 figure goal’ and never achieve it.

With so much really bad business advice focused on list building, mindset, upleveling, scaling, kickstarting, driving, high ticket, high value, and so many other copycat systems, it’s no wonder that the average coach earns less than $25,000 a year.

Yes you heard that right, $25,000 a year.

But with the right client focus, you can reach your sales and revenue goals, build a thriving business and develop a market presence that can ensure a steady stream of clients.

Rather try to explain this to you, let me give you some examples. I will give you 4 case studies based on the following criteria which are the biggest reasons for :

My client Gary came to me to see if I could help him. Had just left another business coaching practice that focused on client attraction that he was unhappy with because they were focusing on creating an ‘avatar’, developing the perfect client, etc. and not on revenues and cash flow.

And Gary was closing his business because he was broke.

His business focus was helping struggling restaurant owners become profitable.

He was great at it but he had a very big problem – struggling restaurant owners didn’t have any money so while he could easily find clients, they could not pay him.

We talked for a few minutes and then I asked him some questions:

How long did it take him to get a new client on board?
Was he working locally or across the US or globally?
What was his average time spent with a single client to fulfill his promise?
If I could point him in a more profitable direction, would he give his business 6 more months?

We discussed the answers to his questions and then I told him the problem with his business was his choice of client. He had the experience and expertise to provide services to help restaurant owners but he was focusing on the ‘perfect client’ instead of the right client.

His ‘perfect client’ was the struggling restaurant owner. His right client was the equipment leasing companies that he got his kitchen equipment from, the mortgage lenders, and investors.

He needed to focus on getting the information to restaurant owners at the beginning of their business cycle, not at the end. And to focus on who has the greatest vested interest in their profitability – those who fund them. Here’s why that is a superb strategy:

They will pay for coaching as an add-on benefit
It helps their business and protects their investments
It helps the restaurant stay in business

They don’t want their equipment back or to lose their investments and they have a vested interest in the restaurant’s success

See why it’s important to pick the right client and not the ‘perfect’ client?

note: 'Right Client' marketing is a trademark of Jennifer Hoffman.

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When I started my business in early 2004 websites were hard to develop and very costly, email systems were just starting out, there was no video our zoom or social media

We used instant teleseminar and email to teach

We used password protected website pages to share materials

You hoped people signed up for your mailing list and the only way to reach them was to reach out via free courses and webinars, word of mouth and referrals

In 2005 I added 1000 people to my mailing list in 24 hours when a very large list, the Gratitude Project, used a quote from one of my blog articles (with proper attribution) in one of their mailings. That’s how we grew our list back then, sharing, and whatever on and off-line marketing we could afford.

Things have changed now but we are still dealing with real customers who have real needs and who need to create real connections with you

Tech is a business tool and you can’t be afraid of it. You must see it as a means of getting things done more efficiently and more quickly. Example, scheduling appts. If you’re still doing it by email or phone you’re wasting a lot of time and effort

Scheduling apps are easy to use, versatile, and easy for your customers to use.

Why am I the right person to talk about this? What qualifies me to talk about technology and this choice for your business?

Before I became the life and business energy coach with the intuitive advantage, before I became an 8 time best selling author, before I became the leading voice in the self awareness movement and the founder of the Becoming 360 energy mastery method, I was a business exec and tech expert.

On the internet since late 1980s, prodigy email first customer, godaddy early customer, wrote the first book on the internet and ebusiness used in college courses by astute, forward thinking professors. I wrote the ebusiness curriculoum for u of phx ch

I have seen many changes in online technology in the last 25+ years and seen some improements and some things that are not so great.

I like tech and am not afraid of it but I am careful to choose tech that fits my business profile, my process needs, and my customer’s tech use. And I avoid the flashy, complex tech that doesn’t meet my needs.

Why is business profile important? If you’re a tech guru, gamer or tech heavy industry you want a wbsite that is heavy on tech, the more sophisticated, leading edge, the better. That’s what your customers expect.

But if you’re a health, lifestyle, or business coach or you’re an energy worker, healer, or not tech centric, that won’t work for your clients or your business profile. And your clients and customers won’t expect it. They’ll be intimidated by it and you will lose them and their business

There are 7 tech essentials, 1 is optional or more advanced but before you choose technology for your business there are two things you must consider and you can’t get these wrong because if you do, you won’t have a business or customers

choose tech according to your customer’s level of tech sophistication (and yours too)
remember that in the virtual world of online business you are still dealing with real customers and sometimes a phone call is the best solution.

How to choose technology for your business

Make a list of what you want the tech to do first – that way you know what you’re looking for

Which features are most important to you and which are not critical? Ie time zones

Research what others are using – choose other entrepreneurs in your space and at your financial level. Many applications used by the 'top' entrepreneurs are too expensive and no one uses except people making more than $1 million with a team to set it up

Use their free trial period to test it out, see if it is easy to use and has the features you want. If you can’t figure it out your customers won’t be able to either

Is the price within your budget?

Use their online document to learn how to use it and see if it works for you. Be sure to look at it from the customer’s viewpoint too and test it from their perspective. Software often looks a lot different from the admin view than from the user view.

7 top tech solutions

website
email

3 payment processor

scheduling system
course platform
graphics
leadpages or clickfunnels

Always make sure you are choosing the tech that fits your business and is going to help with sales, marketing, time management, or customer support. And if it is customer facing tech, your customers must be able to use it easily and efficiently. If you can’t figure it out, they won’t be able to either.

And you need a computer to run your business. I know some people say you can do it using a smart phone but I disagree. If you’re keeping files and videos you need a place to store your data and dropbox is not a secure environment.

7 top tech solutions for your business – 6 + 1 optional or more advanced method hope it helps. Need help with your choices? Try a business consult or coaching with me – get expert advice from a real business expert with the expertise, experience, and education to provide you with the business advice, resources and training to help you build your cash flow profit platform and a business that makes sense and generates revenues you can rely on.

Visit gpsbusinessacademy.com https://gpsbusinessacademy.com

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While there is so much focus on mindset, list building, and other strategic suggestions, the tactical processes that actually keep your business running, your cash flow flowing, and the profits rising are rarely mentioned.

Well you will hear about them in today's podcast because you're going to get 5 actionable items you can implement starting today that will accelerate customer connection and interaction, with the ultimate goal of creating stronger relationships with your customers. And that can translate into more sales and stronger cash flow.

The 5 action items you should be doing in your business now are:

Backup your computer to protect your business assets - this is the most critical item and if you are not doing it you should start right away. Use an online system like backupblaze.com or carbonite.com plus external hard drives to have adequate redundancy and access to your files.
Learn to use canva.com or picmonkey.com or another graphics design system to design easy graphics and memes for your social media sites.
Do a weekly live broadcast on your facebook page or in a group.
Publish a blog and a podcast episode every week.
Run small, inexpensive facebook ads to boost interest, attention, and build your audience.

Do all of these to build your business and get comfortable with having your face and your voice out there. Customers expect to connect with you live on the internet, in videos, on social media platforms, and this is how you create the 'know, like, and trust' factor that will encourage customers to buy from you.

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How do you avoid customer chaos and cash flow calamities in your business? You have strong business and personal boundaries.

Boundaries are important in business, both personal and those you use in your business. they determine how you run your business, how you interact with customers, and how your customers interact with you. Boundaries help you manage your life and your business and they help you manage your energy and your business.

In this episode you learn the 3 keys to personal and business success and freedom with strong boundaries.

If you are a coach or do personal or group consultations or programs with customers, boundaries are not only important, they are absolutely necessary. You will, at times, have to deal with difficult clients. In this podcast I share a few difficult client stories and how I used my business and personal boundaries to handle them.

As a business owner you need your own energy boundaries

Establishes how you work with clients

Don’t confuse your personal energy boundaries with your business boundaries, which I will call the terms and conditions in your business

Let’s look at these two separately

Personal energy boundaries define your relationship with your clients

Terms and conditions define your clients relationship with your business

These are your Terms of Use and Service and they are a legal statement of how you run your business and they are important. If you ever have a disagreement with a client or customer, you’ll need to prove how they violated your terms of service or terms of use.

Boundaries are important from both a personal and a professional perspective.

How to set good personal boundaries

decide what’s important to you
don’t make exceptions
know your trigger points and be vigilant when they happen

How to set good business boundaries

set up your terms and conditions
let your customers know what they are - they must be written and visible
be firm in enforcing them but make exceptions on a case by case basis

Use boundaries in your business to manage your energy flows and your cash flows. They will help you maintain good relationships with your customers, protect your business, and keep your energy at a high vibe.

Do you need help setting good boundaries? Register for my Energy Boundaries program and learn how you can use them in your life to empower yourself.

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Since February 2004 I have written a widely shared blog with over 5 million weekly readers. I have written over 5,000 articles, hosted over 400 radio shows, written 8 books and have a strong social media presence. I produce a lot of content.

But while my content is available to my audiences, it is not to be illegally used in someone's programs, on their blog, podcast, or in their work. In this episode, which is part 3 of my Copyright Infringement and Theft of Intellectual Property series, I write about my experience with a content thief who has been mining my website, blog, radio shows, books, and social media sites for 10 years and stealing content.

This is a somewhat well known business coach who believes that content on the internet is freely available. So imagine my surprise when I found my 'becoming 360' content, which I have been writing about since 2011, in a program she was selling, with my content copied, word for word.

In this episode you'll hear of how I discovered this and other examples of content theft and what I have been doing to stop it.

I'm writing about this topic because I want everyone to know about it, to know what to do when it happens to them, and to know how to stop it. Content theft hurts everyone and especially the content creators who are robbed of their creative output, their energy, and their vision. And yes Christine, everyone should worry about having their content stolen because stealing content is stealing someone's energy.

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In Part of of my series on Copyright Infringement and theft of IP, I talk about how it happens and what to do when it happens to you. While you'll be angry and feel violated (and rightly so), you need to take some action first, before firing off that angry email, to prove your case.

Here are some highlights from this episode:

1 Keep a record of what you write on your blog or publish. It's easy to do, write your content in a word document which has a date/time stamp. You should be doing this anyway.

2 Get on others’ email list and take note of their content. This is especially important if you already suspect they are 'borrowing' your content. You do not have to get too detailed, just know what they are writing about.

3 Know your rights and follow up with all infringers. You have exclusive right to your content as its creator. No one can use it without your permission but you have to know your rights, follow up, and get legal advice and support.

I know this is a tough topic and no one wants to talk about it. We all want to believe that everyone is honest, ethical, and trustworthy. And most people are - but some people are not and they do use others' content. Take precautions so they don't steal yours and if they do, know how to protect yourself.

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No one wants to believe that someone could take their content and use it in their own business but it happens all of the time. This is part 1 of a 3 part series and you'll learn how copyright infringement happens, who it's happening to, and why it's such an important problem today.

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If you are a content creator, blogger, or author or you post any original content on your website, blog, or social media and you use images with your content you need to know about copyright extortion. This is abuse of copyright law by image providers to extort money from people who use their images without permission.

I know about this because it happened to me and I share my story as well as define this scam and tell you how you can avoid getting caught in it.

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Going paperless is a bad idea for most entrepreneurs. While wanting to save the environment is a noble cause, when it comes to preserving your business records, practicality, logic, and common sense must prevail.

If you're going to go paperless you must have an easily accessible, redundant, multi-level storage system in place that allows you to preserve and access your financial records.

If you are ever the subject of an IRS demand letter you must prove that you do not owe any taxes by providing the relevant documentation. If you can't, be prepared to get your checkbook out.

Even when you file your taxes properly, as I always do, an error in the tax process can create a problem for you. You'll learn about this in the podcast.

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Money is an area few entrepreneurs want to address because many do not make any money, especially in the coaching industry. In this episode I'll talk about why the 'money mindset' paradigm is creating more problems for entrepreneurs and how to expand it into a 'wealthset' mode to allow for growth and prosperity. You'll learn how you can use this expansion of mindset into wealthset and the power of your intention to turn your cash problems into cash flow.

For more information about our high value, high volume, high growth business programs with best in industry training and coaching, visit gpsbusinessacademy.com

Wealthset, 'Business advice, resources, and training for start-ups, re-starts, and expanding empires', cashflow platform, are all trademarks of Jennifer Hoffman.

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