Authority Blogger
Learn more about blog consulting services
Name:
Email:

The Recession Post

It had to happen. Yes, it’s the inevitable post about the recession and the economy and business and ZOMG what WILL we ever do?

I’ve seen a lot of marketers lately preying on your fears that you will lose what you’ve worked so hard to build if the economy worsens. To help you get some sense of security back, all you have to do is buy this earth-shattering instant online automagic money-making cash program. The riches will come rolling in and you’ll be safe sitting on piles of cash. When people start to worry and get scared, the notion of making quick, easy money online becomes more appealing. Bloggers are more likely to encounter these kinds of sales messages

People fall for this, unfortunately. But if you’re scared (and many are), you’re not thinking clearly. Pitches that would be a stretch in the believability department even on the worst of days seem to be plausible when you’re desperate. Ask yourself: if there were no recession or economic turmoil right now, would I really consider this program?

At the risk of inflaming your anxiety, if you’re in this fearful position right now, it’s too late for you. Yeah, I know, that doesn’t sound very encouraging, but look: if you haven’t been making the right moves up to this point, some kind of desperation play isn’t likely to succeed, either. You don’t need an emergency version of a bad decision-making process. You need a new and better decision-making process.

You may have noticed over the past couple weeks I’ve mentioned having a good blog plan. If you are engaged in blog marketing or blog monetization, your blog plan is a big chunk of your business plan. You’ve got to move forward with a deliberate strategy that gets you where you want to be. But you can’t do that unless you know where you want to be.

If you had a good blog plan, the economy would not be such a worry to you. It’s not much of a worry for me. I have been following my plan. My plan will put me in a good position to thrive or at least weather just about anything… eventually. Since I’m still carrying it out, there is always the possibility that unfortunate world events might rush forward faster than expected.

I’m not rich, but I’m not panicking, either. Eventually, my family and I are going to be living on a farm in Vermont, with a woodlot and a fantastic garden. Until then, all the milestones are loosely mapped out (there’s room for flexibility). That’s not some pie-in-the-sky dream, that’s part of my plan.

So… here’s the problem. If you were so great at this, you’d be doing it right already. It might be you haven’t really thought about it and you haven’t tried to put together a blogging plan. But it also might be because you have issues that are getting your way. Personal, emotional issues. Everybody has them, including me. I’ve done pretty good in working through them and it’s helped open up the path to success for me. But I’ve always been dedicated to personal development and I have an awesome wife.

What I’m getting at is that you might need some help to put together a good plan. I know three people who might be able to help you:

Me

Helping bloggers figure out their game plan is what I do. That’s why it says blog consulting up there. You’re welcome to secure a little phone time with me so we can work together on getting you a kick-ass blogging plan that will help you no matter what the rest of the world does. Learn more about my blog consulting here.

Havi Brooks

Havi has a knack for getting people unstuck when personal issues are holding them back. She even has made up her own charming vocabulary for talking about this in a non-threatening way. She calls it destuckification. I have been reading Havi’s blog, following her on Twitter, and I know some of the people she’s helped, such as Pam Slim and Naomi Dunford, and she is the real deal. If you want something that isn’t like some kind of manly-man boot camp, Havi Brooks is the best destuckifier around. Check out her Emergency Calming Techniques program (there are bonuses and free samples).

Dave Navarro

What's Holding YOU Back?Dave is what you could call a “rapid results coach”. In other words, Dave is way more than productivity or time management. Dave knows people. He knows what motivates people and what holds them back from being their best. Dave is also a friend of mine, and I recommend his What’s Holding YOU Back? book if you want hard-hitting kick-in-the-pants type stuff.

I’ve read this myself. This was shortly after I had begun to get to know Dave, and I was impressed as hell by his clear, unpretentious writing and solid advice. In fact, this was a long time ago, but I never wrote anything about it. Why? Because at that time, it didn’t seem like a good fit for you. But now, with economic turmoil, housing market disasters, joblessness, and other outside forces closing in, suddenly it seems very much like the right thing to recommend.

Don’t get me wrong–this is not a “panic” recommendation. Dave’s book does not promise instant riches, it gives you methods to help take your life back and be in control. Check it out here.

And stay tuned for more non-panicky stuff about blog planning and recession-proofing your blog marketing. In the meantime, be cool.

Online Business School

11 Comments

  1. Posted October 20, 2008 at 9:25 am | Permalink

    Thanks for being frank about the situation most of us are in. I don’t believe in quick fix solutions either. Most real solutions take time + effort + repetition.

    I’ll look into both of those folks you mentioned above. Getting destuckified sounds like fun.

    Best to you Michael.

  2. Posted October 20, 2008 at 9:27 am | Permalink

    I couldn’t agree with you more, Michael. I’ve been putting off my own recession post because I don’t want all my comment luv to turn sour. I don’t see this as a recession or a depression. It’s a correction, simple as that. The piper’s standing at the door with a smile, that’s all. We’ve made some poor decisions, and it’s time to pay for them.

  3. Posted October 20, 2008 at 9:41 am | Permalink

    Michael, if you’re going to be making cheese on that farm in Vermont, I just got a great little book from Amazon on how to do it in my New Hampshire abode. Seems like a nice diversion from my writing business. Probably won’t build a temperature-controlled cave, though.

  4. Posted October 20, 2008 at 10:30 am | Permalink

    @Todd - Thanks. I tried not to sugar-coat anything or scare anyone, just present things as realistically and pragmatically as I can.

    @Writer Dad - Well said!

    @Jean - Maybe we’ll have some goats! ;)

  5. Posted October 20, 2008 at 10:32 am | Permalink

    I am sooooo glad I didn’t change my book title to “What’s Holding You Back From Instant Riches.”

    That would have been embarrassing.

    Thanks for the mention!

  6. Posted October 20, 2008 at 12:43 pm | Permalink

    Michael,

    I’d be happy to offer up my knowledge and experience if people see an online offer that they would like some feedback on. I’ve written a few posts on things like this (one on autosurfing and one on UFirst, a mortgage payoff program) and have discussed other programs privately with readers. No charge, it would help give me blog topic ideas if people would send me the programs they see. Honestly, I’ve become so good at tuning out that thing that sometimes it’s hard to “see” them on my own.

  7. Posted October 20, 2008 at 12:55 pm | Permalink

    @Dave - It’s all in the name! Thanks for creating such a great program and book.

    @Andrea - That is a very kind and generous offer. I hope that people do not hesitate to take you up on that.

  8. Posted October 20, 2008 at 8:07 pm | Permalink

    Glad to read this. I was getting a little worried that I was the only person not worried. :-)

    Your Vermont plan sounds pretty cool. Hope you’ll invite us all out to visit!

  9. Posted October 20, 2008 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    @Amy - You definitely aren’t the only one who feels this way. This post has been retweeted a lot on Twitter, so I think I hit a nerve.

  10. Posted October 20, 2008 at 11:57 pm | Permalink

    “If you had a good blog plan, the economy would not be such a worry to you.”

    That goes as well for a sound financial plan and budget, both for one’s personal finances and one’s business finances.

    Having a well-thought-out plan, having faith in it, and sticking to it methodically and consistently, despite disruptions and fears, is crucial to success–in anything, really.

    Good to see you reminding us to chill out and think a little bit, Michael.

  11. Posted October 21, 2008 at 3:05 am | Permalink

    Great post, I found you via Writer Dad.

    As to your topic, it seems that the vultures tend to circle in hordes when the weakest are scrambling for safety.

    I lost my job as a newspaper reporter in June and am still searching for a new job. I didn’t start blogging until two months ago. Hopefully, I’ll get on my feet soon and I can take advantage of your services. Until then, I will subscribe to and enjoy your posts.

    Keep up the great work!

One Trackback

  1. [...] Martine wrote a great Recession Post about how to keep your head when all around you the Marketing Reavers are trying to make you even [...]

Post a Comment

Comment Policy:
No personal attacks - play nice.
No keywords or site names in the name box - Use your real name. Branding/identification words are okay.

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*