Addicted to Marketing!

Ever feel this way? You know the determined feeling, the kind that sometimes keeps you awake at night. Your mind is in overdrive reminding you that you must reach certain goals by a set time period. So you rush around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get everything done! This is the way I feel right now.

There is an hour glass in my head that has been flipped over and if I don't get tasks completed, there are consequences like no money which means bills get left unpaid, no office supplies which means projects don't get done, and the worst of all is the demon of defeat will show up again and say, "I told you, you couldn't do it!"

So I became an addict to marketing and any business savvy mind can definitely relate! You know late night hours thinking of yet another way to get your product out to the masses. Outlines and more outlines of what more needs to be done. Rewrites of ad copy. Forum visits (looking for others' opinions to be sure you are doing everything correctly) and so much more!

As a child I started my first business selling tablets and drawings as a result of watching my grandmother hustle food, liquor, drink, and desserts from her home. She would send me to the front door with bags of product to give to a waiting customer. She entrusted me to take the money from the customer and place it in a Planter's peanut can. There were many times that I saw that can filled to capacity. She would then take the money out and either put it in her bosom or give it to one of her adult children to run an errand for her which was usually to get more supply. She always knew how to take a $1.00 and turn it into $5.00 -- I kid you not!

So when you see people like dear ole' grandma and others around you making a way when others see no way, you can't help but have the drive to make your own way. I can tell you many other stories of family members who did the best they could with what little they had, but I won't because I will be making this blog entry much longer than it needs to be, and besides I have to get back to marketing! God bless...

Uploading, Downloading, Scheduling...

This is what we do when our job is online. We upload articles, we download software to help manage our time, we schedule tasks to complete while we are away...I thought I was busy before, but clearly I am very busy these days! But I don't complain because I know that what I am doing gets me one step closer to achieving my goals this year.

My inner voice has been asking me, "Have we opened more accounts, gained more fans, followers and friends? Have we posted ads, wrote new articles, and sent thank you notes?" There is a manager in me right now that is telling me, "Enough of that typing on your blog! It's time to get back to work!"

Well with that said, I got to go! Until next time...

Nicholl McGuire
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Interested in Blogging in Your Sleep?

Finally I found something that automates some of my work for me and also helps me drive traffic to my Twitter account. If you are interested in the tool I use, Click Here. Take advantage of the cheap cost now before the price goes up.



Please note: software is not compatible with Blogger yet. They are still developing it. However, Wordpress it works fine!

Join Me on Twitter!

I enjoy talking about what I am up to (as you may already know,) there's plenty! So follow me on Twitter! I share with you some of the websites I visit, the deals I have found, and life experiences such as: parenting, finances and more!

Follow me today!

http://www.twitter.com/nichollmcguire

Does Anyone Have a Glass of Focus?

I could sure use a glass of focus! What I mean is a plan that helps me to stay focused and yields some noteworthy results! It's hard to stay committed to one thing when everytime you look up the Internet is changing. Marketing practices only a few years ago are now ineffective. Things that use to be hot to sell online is now over saturated and so cheap that you can't make a profit. As much as I would like to find just one simple thing that I could focus on, I find that my focus changes because the money or lack thereof keeps changing.

I am open to many legitimate ways to make money, but as some of you already know, and as I mentioned in a previous blog entry, not all of the ways are profitable. Case in point, a relative asked me to look at three websites for ways to make additional money. I found that two out of the three ways showed promised. The third a site that allows you to comment on websites for cash, failed after the first test. The server didn't respond, the software didn't work the first go round, etc.

The other two, a site that supposedly pays you for writing for them gave me the feeling that it was going to be one of those sites that demanded too much for too little pay. The other I didn't meet the criteria. It was a site that will pay you to Twitter about various advertisers. Once I get a large following on Twitter I will explore this opportunity.

I think tomorrow I will stick to one thing and that is just what I started to do today and that is finish my book! Cheers to focus!


Nicholl McGuire
http://associatecontent.com/nichollmcguire

Laboring to Love Myself: sequel to Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate

I am thrilled! My book Laboring to Love Myself is on Amazon.com If you aren't familiar with my first book, Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate then you might be wondering what's the big deal? Years ago, I was a victim of dating/domestic violence with a man ten years older than me. He was very controlling and believed that I was the problem for everything that went wrong with him. He blamed all the women of his past including his own mother. The problem was he had severe mental issues that resulted from some very disturbing things that he witnessed and experienced as a child and young man. I wrote the Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate, because I felt burdened to tell young women why we shouldn't stay in a relationship with an abuser.

Emotional and physical abuse is all the same. The controlling individual promises the sun, moon and stars but in the end he is bitter, manipulative, and scary. Who wants a relationship with someone like that? I urge anyone who happens to view this page, encourage those you know or yourself that this will be the year you will get out of the relationship and stay out! For tips visit http://laboringtoloveanabusivemate.blogspot.com

Click on the link to my new book, Laboring to Love Myself

Are You Restless in Your Spirit? In Search of Something?

Some pray, others chant, and still others will get involved with organizations and activities seeking higher knowledge to complete tasks. In the spiritual realm, I think due to the recession many are looking toward anyone or anything to increase their profits. I'm sure you have heard people selling their souls to the devil. This is real and there is much evidence on and off the Internet of people who do such things. Recently, rap artist, Kanye West, admitted he did it. I think he decided to confess this because he was severely impacted beyond what he realized when he stood in front of a young white woman and declared that a black woman was better than she. He should have known better. America is still very much comprised of racists who are seated at the top of many organizations of our society. I don't believe Americans would have made such a big deal of this had it been someone else who wasn't black. Will West's career rebound because of this? Not necessarily unless something negative happens to him. Something so bad that Americans will pity him. When one sells his soul to the devil, he is saying, "Give me whatever I want in exchange for me serving you."

What you rarely hear about are people who give their souls to God unless you read, watch or visit places where people provide their testimonies. I am one who has given my soul to God -- the one of the Christian Bible. The God of Moses, Aaron, Jesus, Ester, Naomi and many others that is the God who I gave my soul to. When you give your soul to God it doesn't mean you will be rich, famous, popular, or so important that people will worship you. To give your soul to God is to receive freedom from the things that have bound you mentally and physically for days, weeks, years, and decades. There were many reasons why I chose to give my soul to the Lord besides obtaining higher knowledge, but I needed to be free from the words and the physical assaults men laid on my body. I needed to be free from the fear of men and women's criticisms to keep me from thinking and creating for myself. I needed to be free from mental and physical illness. I needed to be free of everything negative that has kept me from reaching my destiny. How do you know what you are supposed to accomplish before you leave this world if you never bothered to study the word of God or ask Him.

I think people don't live up to their true potential because they have not a clue what their calling is in life nor do they care. It's unfortunate for those people who will die restless and troubled -- always chasing after things that provide them with no peace spiritually. However, for those people who know that there is something greater in living life and they are searching, may I direct you to the God of the Christian Bible who isn't affiliated with any specific religion, group, or evil occult activities. He is the God who says, "Come to me and I will give you rest."


Nicholl McGuire
http://spiritualpoems.blogspot.com

McGuire Family Book Underway for 2010

Before I die there will be many books about my life. I have made that a mission of mine simply because I want my children to hear my life's story from me and not from people who think they know me. With that said, one of the books I will be creating in 2010 is about the people who carry the same last name as me, "McGuire." My children will get the opportunity as well as those who didn't grow up around McGuires to read a bit about my father's people. They will learn about those that are dead and alive.

This book isn't an indepth study of our family lineage (which unfortunately in the past century started in slavery.) Rather this family history lesson is nothing more than a simple picture book that includes some experiences I have had with those who were still around during my childhood and some information provided by a select few. Unfortunately the man pictured below, Nicholas McGuire, had passed away before I met him. So anything I pen about him is from those who were willing to talk about him. He was in his early twenties at the time this photo was taken. His sister, Aunt Lillian, was alive during the time I was a child and never had any children. I use to mistaken her for being a white woman quite a few times. She too was in her 20s when this photo had been taken. I have no other photos of any of my grandfather's family.

Coming soon..."Growing up McGuire".

One of My Hobbies Messing with My Hair!

When I need an escape from writing, caring for children and doing other things that are considered "being responsible," I enjoy trying new things on my hair. This wet set is pretty much one of the hairstyles that have followed me through time. It is like an old friend you can't seem to get rid of even if you wanted to. I chose to rock this hairstyle for the photo shoot as a statement to those of you, including myself, who beat up on ourselves about wearing our straight hair for "certain" corporate events!

Accept me and my curly, nappy, afro, straight, puffy, frizzy, tangled hair!

Contemporary Poetry by Nicholl

I have been submitting poetry to contests and websites for years! I have found that at 30 plus years I have grown weary of them. I have received recognition in the past and performed before live audiences, but I am looking to do more with my poetry. What exactly? I don't know. Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate and Laboring to Love Myself have both quenched my thirst a little bit. I have provided the reader with excerpts of my life in the form of poetry and then challenged readers to think about their own lives.

I don't like anyone staring at my work for too long, analyzing and then coming up with some criticism about it. I think poetry is like abstract art, let it be! Must we comment on everything we see? Must we advise, teach or have meaning to everything? There are times I just want to write. I don't want to tell you nothing more than a story, a thought and nothing more. But logical thinkers...they want to analyze everything. "What did you mean when you said...what were you trying to convey..." Then sooner or later in the conversation they are trying to tell you how you felt and what you should have done with your creation. I know logical thinkers very well because almost half of my brain thinks that way. I say almost, because the creative side of my brain, every now and then, will drown out the voice who wants to question everything.

Stop by my "once in a blue moon I think about it" poetry site below:

My Poetry at PoetryPoem.com

Helium: Yet Another Site for Writers

I have been on this site for awhile, but nothing has come of it in terms of money. I find it a tadbit complicated. I enjoy writing, but I don't like the uploading process. I find the writings interesting. It seems that there is alot of young people writing on that site.

Anyway, I have various poetry at the site. If you would like to check out my profile and poems there, by all means. I could use your support!

My Helium Profile

Making Money Online: My Internet Experience

Some people ask me what exactly do I do on the Internet because every time they see me I am involved with either helping someone with a project or doing my own thing. Over the years, I have been involved with so many different Internet companies so I thought I might share my online experience with my readers. If you are serious about making money via the Internet, realize its going to take some determination, sacrifice, money, and a whole lot of prayer! I have been challenged in everything I have ever done on the Internet. If it isn't the negative comments its the lack of cash. My daily goals have been derailed many times due to broken links, my children interrupting me, the phone ringing, noises outside, sleep, hunger -- you name it! But come hell and high water, so the old adage goes, I keep going! So here are 14 experiences of mine selling via the Internet for almost a decade(2001 to 2009)Prior to 2001, I offered offline writing, desktop publishing and typing services and sold housewares at flea markets in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Okay, here goes:

1. My fever for Internet selling, all started with a classified ad looking for Avon sales reps located in the Penny saver. The year was 2001. The woman who signed me up said I could have my own website through Avon -- I was all over it! I had only been dabbling with eBay at the time.

2. I saw an infomercial the same year for people interested in selling novelty items. The company was SMC I would take my catalogs to the workplace, order products and sell them or get others to sell for me, and post fliers in the community promoting SMC products. Around the same time, I saw ads online for eBay and thought maybe this would be a good starting place to get my feet wet. Boy was it ever! I literally prayed for knowledge on what to sell out of my home and everything I touched turned into cash! Those were the days, but the long hours...whew! There were many days I didn't go to bed until 4a.m. I had just had a baby back then. So I had two little boys in my care and they were very needy. I eventually added Half, (eBay's affiliate) and Amazon.com to my growing Internet ventures. There were other small things I dabbled in at the time like businesses that gave you free websites and others that sold oils and natural remedies and health drinks. All of which didn't live up to the hype.

3. While eBay, Half and Amazon seemed to be picking up some momentum some time around 2002, I was introduced to Prepaid Legal. I didn't take that business seriously since it just didn't appeal to me especially since the one who introduced me to it was my husband and he was looking for me to work the business. He didn't seem that enthused back then, so I thought, "Why should I?" I had enough on my plate, so that venture fell by the wayside. With my long hours day and night working my businesses, eventually my computer would no longer be any use to me, so I got another one and became an affiliate for the computer company that I bought my computer from. I would post fliers around the neighborhood including my link code so that the company would discount my computer for every sale. Once the computer was paid off, I stopped promoting them especially when they seemed to forget to give me a credit for my sales and I would have to call to remind them.

4. A friend of mine wanted me to start going to meetings with her for Petra Lingerie during late 2002 early 2003. I thought, "Well this is a good opportunity to promote Lucky Heart Cosmetics," the alternative to Avon for women of color. I wasn't enthused about booking home parties. Neither was I interested in making new friends. I had two little friends (my sons at home) that kept me active enough and an eBay business that kept me up late at night.

5. Things were getting to be challenging for my Avon business in 2003, because I was losing clientele in my apartment complex of 729 tenants due to my customers not paying their rent on time. It seemed that they could have the money to pay for Avon and SMC novelty gifts, but no money to pay rent. I tried to get some involved with my business affiliations, but they weren't interested.

6. The same year, my sister was on fire for a business dealing with nutritional supplements and chemical free cleaning products. That business was Melaleuca. I kind of fell into that business, because my mother invited us all to the house and then surprise! A white lady shows up talking about the Melaleuca opportunity. I didn't know how to feel about the business at the time. It sounded nice, but there was no love.

7. I joined Melaleuca, but it was short-lived because I didn't appreciate having to get customers to give up their credit card information so that they would have automatic shipments that they would later cancel; therefore affecting my bottom line numbers.

8. By 2004, I had dropped all those businesses because I had to work too hard for pennies on the dollar. I was ready to make some serious cash and joined a business through a so-called friend called ACN. I name her a "so-called friend" because as quick as I invested $500 into the business, I didn't hear from her or see her. Meanwhile, I was left with a few brochures and a video tape, I was on my own, that is if I decided to commit to weekly meetings, "I think not!" I wasn't about to fork over more cash during those meetings for sales tools, seminars, etc. When I couldn't even see results with traditional means of advertising.

9. I would abandon all Internet and offline sales until 2006, I was pregnant with my third son and desperate for cash. It had been over five years since having a little one and I noticed quickly how much the price had changed on baby stuff. I had also noticed how much eBay had changed too. Just about every market I could imagine was saturated with everyone's stuff! Even the wholesale distributors were in competition with their own clients! I decided to explore something called affiliate marketing which basically promoted others goods and services using a link that affiliates you with the company. When someone buys through that link, similar to that computer flier I spoke about earlier with my own code, you make a profit. However, even with some of these businesses, people will rob you of your profits. Here is one of the ebooks Click Here I am selling about making money online. I created my first website How to Books Online the same year which I have since abandoned.

10. While posting links everywhere I could, I came across SFI. This was a business that provided health and nutrition items, home business tools, magazines, and other useful items. I decided to give them a try because of how easy the business was to join and the fact it was free -- that is until I found out that this business wouldn't provide any real profit unless of course you signed up for their monthly billing/ automated shipment program (sound familiar?)! If you didn't want to do that you had to try to convince others to buy from you each month.

11. While struggling with SFI, I decided to return to my first loves eBay, Half and Amazon. So I searched around my household in 2007, 2008, and 2009 seeking things I could sell just like the golden days. While my listings were up on the various sites, I returned to writing (something I did on and off for years as a hobby since I was 9 years old. I received my first dollars for my writings in 1993 while providing a typing service for people back in Pittsburgh, PA.) I decided to get serious about my writings in 2007 after submitting many of my past writings to Associated Content, Constant-Content and later Triond, Ehow, Poetry Poem, and Helium.

In recent months, I came across Demand Studios another site that pays for content. However, I was very disappointed to see that for hours of work, these sites would only pay at best $5 for suggested titles and $15 for assigned titles for a professional writer's work. I began to venture off on my own only submitting on occasion. I started creating my own blogs and submitting to my own sites as the spirit moves.

12. During 2007, I had ran out of stuff to sell, so I connected with a few wholesale distributors. They were small mom and pop types. Some prices were indeed wholesale while others were not which didn't constitute a true wholesale business (they didn't even ask for business licenses!? Not only that, they charged a fee? Since when do stores charge you a fee just for partnering with them?) I decided to get my business license in 2008 in California (I had others in Pennsylvania and Ohio) and hoped that future searches would lead me to true wholesalers. Well it did, but those companies were not delivering unless businesses could meet their minimum. So back to the small mom and pop businesses who call themselves wholesale distributors. Bummer!

13. I filed my taxes, as I did in the past, only to find that many times I actually didn't come out ahead like I originally thought, if anything, I lost money trying so many things. For instance, I was sold on the hype about buying traffic. So I got involved with pay per click and was disappointed when I found that I had joined a site that hadn't stopped people from clicking on keyword sites even after I requested they do so. Almost a day later, they finally stopped it, but told me about the malfunction at the site. I learned the hard way that when you get involved with pay per click you almost have to babysit your page and try method after method until it yields the result you want.

14. In conclusion, I have stuck with writing and selling on the popular sites and creating books. These seem to be the only things online that have worked for me. Oh and by the way, I recently signed up with AccountNow, this company pays a small stipend for referrals in case you are interested. However, you will have to sign up first just click the link I provided. This is a great company for those of you who no longer want to deal with banks.

To be continued...

My Recent Video Posts

When I am taking a needed break from writing, I post videos about various issues that people face regarding relationship, parenting, and travel.

See my YouTube Pages

NM Enterprise 7

Nicholl McGuire Media

Virtual Assistant


Daily Motion

Nicholl McGuire Media

Selling on eBay Part-time

Well with so many projects going on, I need the funds for marketing and I don't have any Rich Uncles that will help. From my domestic violence cause to offering my book publishing services and articles for sale, there is just never enough money to take care of the needs of my children and me. Those of you who know me, know that I don't sugarcoat the truth, but times are difficult.

So while waiting for my ship to roll on with some other projects, I sell part-time on eBay. Items up for sale include new toys for toddlers and older children and pre-owned electronics. Feel free to periodically check in, my site is still new so I don't have alot to sell. My seller name is 8booksandstuff.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with my latest projects. If you haven't stopped by Blurb.com or Amazon.com to purchase a book by me, please do. Just type in my name in the search boxes at the sites "Nicholl McGuire."

I appreciate whatever support you can provide.

Nicholl McGuire Book Samples

I have always enjoyed desktop publishing so much in fact I took courses, created my own publications over the years, and now due to the ease of book creation online, I am actively involved.

I encourage you to take a look at my work samples and if you could utilize any of my work by all means place an order. I have children to feed! (LOL) Enjoy.

My Book Creations

Everything Seems to be Going Well Until...

Have you ever had one of those days that you awoke and you felt really good inside, but less than an hour of being awake you are bombarded with problems? Well that was my day today. The computer does something weird and everything I was working on comes to a hault. It was at that moment, I realized many of us work at home people rely on the Internet almost too much. But what else do you have when over 90% of your workflow, human interaction, and marketing is on the Internet? I reminded myself I have to keep in mind that there is an offline world that needs to know what is going on with me via the Internet. Time to prepare a plan...

Too Many Ideas, Too Little Time

One of the biggest frustrations of being someone like me is having too much energy for too many things. I would have never dreamed that I would find one of the hardest things about working for one's self is to stay focused on a task until you see the results you so desire.

I don't like waiting around for results. I like doing what needs to be done and then, like cooking a meal, checking on it later while cutting up the veggies to go with it. But what I have been noticing lately is that every task I start it requires that I spend great lengths of time babysitting it. To shorten my time with certain projects, I decided to research "automated" then add whatever task I need to do next to it.

I have found everything from blogs that update themselves to forum posting automatically and most cost allot of money and usually come with monthly fees. Although many of these inventions appear to be great, after further research I found that they have many glitches, aren't worth the money, or violate policies of major websites and search engines that I really need to promote my projects.

So here I am back to square one, attempting to find something, anything that I can just let simmer while I start another profitable venture.

Testing New Projects These Days: Voice Overs

Those of you know me as Nicholl McGuire, the writer, author and poet, but what you don't know is I also enjoy reading copy for my pages on You Tube and Associated Content. From excited voices to sad ones, I have always liked reading aloud.

My first recording I did using a cassette and a microphone with a player back in 1986. I created a mock radio broadcast. I was about 10 at the time and pretended to be the disc jockey of my own radio show. My guests included my sister and my aunt who supplied me with the equipment. Every now and then I would disguise my voice as a guest sitting in the studio being interviewed.

Lately, I have partnered with others in trying to build a client base of people who are in need of people to read copy for their You Tube videos. If you are interested in becoming a voice, assisting with marketing, or in need of a voice, feel free to contact me.

Domestic Violence Awareness

During the month of October almost 100 Pittsburgh Women's Domestic Violence and Homeless shelters received my book, Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate by Nicholl McGuire.

I chose the Pittsburgh PA area because it was the location that my abuse occurred back in 1996. It was also the place that helped me get through my ordeal.

Thanks to a few family members and my own personal budget for the book, my cause got off to a great start and I hope to do it again next year!

Hopefully, someone will be moved by my writings and get out of a bad situation before its too late!

What ever happened to LightHouse 1795?

I don't know if anyone would ever ask this question unless they went through a relative or friend's old papers and found this spiritual newsletter. LightHouse 1795 was a small publication created by yours truly, Nicholl McGuire (owner, editor and writer) during the winter 1998 after a summer of 40 days of fasting. Prior to LightHouse, I decided to go above and beyond traditional church attendance in 1997 and do some indepth studying of the word of God on my own using prayer, fasting and a New International Version Bible.

The birth of LightHouse 1795 evolved from poems that I had wrote while on the fast. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit I was told to create a newsletter and to get other writers to submit their creative, spiritual work and include some of those poems. I placed advertising in local newspapers in Pittsburgh PA during the fall of 1998. My business name at the time was McGuire Publications replacing the former name McGuire Typing Services. Neither business made profits worth living on unfortunately, but money was not the sole intent, especially after I became passionate about a God-ordained newsletter.

Twelve writers did respond to the advertisements that requested spiritual writers send in their best work. There was a first, second and third place prize for the most creative and moving writings. Other work that were good, but didn't place were printed in the series of LightHouse newsletters. God instructed me that LightHouse would only print for a limited time. It was a seasonal publication that came out only when the seasons changed between winter 1998 in Pittsburgh PA to winter 2002 in Cleveland OH (I had moved during this time.)

God was definitely with me while putting the LightHouse project together, because it seemed I always had money for the paper, ink, and distribution of the newsletter -- all of which came out of my own pocket.

Here is a list of the writers from Pennsylvania at the time who participated in the contest and were printed in the offline newsletter:

Rod Alston
William Disso
Elizabeth Ann Fleming-Buford
Christopher Bill
Melissa Lamarca
Ron Thoma
Mike Nash
Rose Bennett
Regina S. Racke
Clarissa Glass
Mary Ann Haslett
Sandy Crowder

Looking back on the old copies of LightHouse 1795, I am still amazed and uplifted with the writings of each poet and writer. May God bless those that are still alive and their families.

Freelance Writers: Free Blog Promotion, Market Website

Simply respond to this blog entry including your website or blog url address. If your site is not offensive and useful to my readers, it will also appear on the left side of this blog site using the link you supply and the title of the website or blog.

Thanks for visiting.

Nicholl McGuire
Blog Publisher

New Blog for Young Women Interested in Dating Older Men

A collection of my best articles related to dating older men is available in one location. I am excited about this blog, providing tips on dating older men, because I know their are many young women seeking information about dating mature men. I use to be a single woman interested in dating older men and through my experience I realized that their are many older men that are suffering from andropause -- a male menopause. If young women aren't knowledgable about this very real issue they may find themselves being a victim of an older man's midlife crisis. I have an audio recording on Associatedcontent.com about the subject. Feel free to check out the blog if you are a single woman looking to try something different!