Posted via email from Ed’s posterous

Posted via web from Ed’s posterous

I spent the past week in New York meeting with early investors and doing interviews about taking our company public.

And given there are so many new people here and we are in the final few days before completing the listing process I thought i’d take a few minutes to outline why we’re doing this.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

When I started building these little niche websites back in 2004 it occurred to me the ultimate test of if these sites had value, would be, can we sell them. Lets face it - it doesn’t matter what it is - Domain Names , Houses, Art, Baseball cards and comics - ultimately the only true value of each is what people are prepared to pay for them.

The same goes for web sites. In todays flippa driven age - it must be funny for you to imagine selling and buying websites was virtually unheard of.

In 2004 it was voodoo that anyone was making money from a website! Let alone buy or sell them.

As history has shown - buying and selling websites makes sence.

Perhaps even more importantly history has shown many of these businesses - started from nothing - have matured to become businesses that generate tens of thousands of dollars of profit each month with long histories of doing so.

A STUDENT OF HISTORY

You don’t have to be following me very long to relies I have pretty much zero unique ideas. My inspiration in thinking about the value of business is Warren Buffett. The general public think of him as a great stock picker - it’s simple not true - he is a BRILLIANT buyer of wonderful businesses. He identifies great profitable businesses and buys them - he grew Berkshire Hathway by buying great businesses and adding them to his portfolio.

The other thing I noticed - with any new industry you have a start up phase where a thousand flowers bloom - then you have a consolidation phase where one of the leaders in the industry starts making acquisitions.

There is a significant advantage to being a public company with public tradable stock. The company can buy a company with a combination of cash and shares. If you buy with just cash - you’re limited to what you do before the money runs out!!

MY BORROWED IDEA

After publishing Dominiche (My course in buying and selling websites released at the end of 2006) I was approached by many entrepreneurs who had built their online business into a real profitable success and they were interested in cashing out (A lot of people wonder why someone who is making all this money would be interested in selling - there are many good reasons and I’ll write about them in an upcoming blog post.)

These companies were extremely profitable but by themselves - too small to get any serious attention from Wall Street. Then it hit me.

What if we bought these businesses and listed ourselves as an amalgamation of these companies.

It was total win-win.

The person would make more than if they sold to someone privately (The current going rate is around one times earnings - if they sell to us they could get 2-3 with the potential for much more if they hit targets)

The owner sells to someone who actually understands the business and better yet knows how to renovate them to increase profits. (There is nothing worse than selling your business to someone who doesn’t have a clue - it can turn into a nightmare)

From our point of view we get a great business, highly profitable (one we can grow even more knowing what we know about this game) with a track record.

TAKING THE NEXT STEP

As opposed to a lot of “internet” stocks out there. We are highly profitable from Day 1, we have proven the model by making our first acquisitions and have a pipeline of buying opportunities (and hey - if you’re one of these great businesses and want to sell - shoot an email to me at eddale@mac.com)

We have two significant opportunities for growth.

1. We buy more companies and add their profits to our bottom line.
2. We grow each of our component businesses by applying the full force of everything we know about growing the business.

It’s a potent mix and for me a business challenge we can really get our teeth into. Just think, in a couple of years from now one of you will start the challenge this year, build your business up and send an email to me about buying your business - how cool would that be!!!

This is the first in a series of articles on the business plan of 30dc inc (if your interested in perhaps being part of the listing as a founder investor contact Clinton Carey at clintoncarey@ozemail.com.au - please note, there are a bunch of rules and regulations around investing in a company prior to listing - Clinton will go over these with you and of course, ALWAYS seek the advice of professional qualified advisors)

It’s been a long time coming, we are so excited to get this show on the road.

Ed

Posted via email from Ed’s posterous

Posted via email from Ed’s posterous

I’ve told you why we are changing the Thirty Day Challenge - now let me explain exactly what we are going to do.

The first thing we need to do is address some realities.

REALITY 1

You don’t have time.

Nobody has any time for anything else these days - how many people do you know who are blissed out and have all the time in the world…

Exactly.

We need to design the challenge to accommodate this.

So the first design rule is this.

You need to be able to complete each lesson in thirty minutes. Including watching the video AND taking the required action for each day.

Thirty minutes.

No exceptions.

REALITY 2

It takes longer than Thirty Days to start an Online Business.

STOP DON’T LEAVE - LET ME EXPLAIN !!!!!!

Google wants to see if a website is here for the long haul. They don’t want web sites created for the sole purpose of manipulating Google - This is a good thing!!!!

The bad news is to get a result - get you traffic and a sale - we need to let your site “cook properly in the google oven!”
We might have been able to get this done inside a thirty day period this year but we would be using “Silly Rabbit Tricks” - the whole point of the challenge is to build the foundations of a business that will last. A business that will replace your 9-5 pay packet over time.

It’s just not going to happen in Thirty Days.

We need to let your site marinate.

Which brings me to the next reality.

REALITY 3
Anybody can stick at something for seven days - virtually no-one can stick at something for eight…

This is a universal truth - it’s not your fault - it’s not mine. But looking at every challenge I have studied - exercise, writing, photography - you name it - the drop off after seven days is spectacular as it is predictable.

So why fight it.

Rather than have you slog for thirty days straight. We are going to get everything you need to do for each part of the challenge completed in…

Just SEVEN days.

Now anyone can stick something out that is only going to take them 30 minutes a day for just seven days.

YOU can do it. I can do it!

In particular when we wrap it up with Reality 4…

REALITY 4

We hate getting left behind - This is the number 1 reason anybody quits any challenge.

Your brain is awesome and ALWAYS has your best interests at heart.
ALWAYS.

You know what happens…

Everybody starts off at the first day of the challenge, and through whatever reason you start to get left behind. So not only do you have the stress of learning something new - you have the stress - the PERCEPTION everyone else is getting ahead of you.

Combine these two stresses together - along with the fact LIFE has this brilliant knack of throwing you curve balls at the totally the worst moment and you have a lethal cocktail…

As soon as you start to get into negative stress - Your brain starts running it’s self defence mechanism - it wants you to feel good - not bad!

So it starts throwing up perfectly reasonable excuses as to why you should stop what you’re doing and go watch Top Chef and eat a bowl of ice cream (or is that just me…).

You’ll blame your computer.

Your bandwidth,

That short fat Aussie with the stupid accent that can’t spell anything properly,

You’ll decide it’s a scam.
It’s a cult.

They’re just doing this to fleece me of every dollar.

etc, etc, etc,

The above is all bull.

But in the heat of a challenge - each can seem like a valid excuse to drop everything and give up on whatever process you’re doing.

It’s a tragedy but overwhelmingly powerful - that’s why so many of us live a life of the mundane - getting a wage, enjoy a bit of TV, have the occasional holiday…
So few create a business that gives them the flexibility - that put in the hard yards to get fit, to loose weight (Yes, I’m seeing my reflection in the glossy 24inch mac display in front of me)

So we may as well give up right….

umm No.

We are going to take that excuse and slam dunk it into the nearest dumpster next to the sleeping smelly hobo who represents every path where things could’ve changed if not for a lack of self discipline in the heat of the moment.

So - What are we going to do?

Simple.

After every seven days, where you only need thirty minutes to watch,learn and complete your challenge…

You get seven days break!!!!

That’s right!!!!

You get seven days to catch up!!! Or Rest, or watch back episodes of Project Runway!

You see this way - we take the pressure off - you won’t get left behind (not that it’s a race anyway!!!)

LETS BRING THIS ALL HOME

Now anyone with the most basic of math skills will point out this will take longer than thirty days.

But let me let you in on a little secret…

The last three years of the thirty day challenge were actually ninety days!

We just called the first sixty days pre-season!!!

So this year we get rid of preseason entirely.

And kick off the first Seven days of the challenge starting on…

JULY 1st!

You’ll do the first seven days (and remember 30 minutes a day tops!!) and then you’ll have a seven day break before we start the second section.

We will have seven sections in all.

If you complete the seven sections - you’ll get a result…

GUARANTEED

“Oh, Ed - why did you have to get all used car salesman on me!!!”

Stay with me -
Let’s look at the last reality before you go judging…

REALITY 5

People need to see the fruits of their labor

Here is why we can guarantee an outcome for you this year

One of four things will happen;

Outcome 1

You’ll have made your first dollar and built the foundation of your online empire!

Outcome 2

You’ll sell your website on Flippa.com and make some money back that way.

Outcome 3

You do all seven sections and you’ll be able to work as an SEO specialist. This training has been world class and I can’t tell you how many of people have used this training to get better jobs or get work on internet projects. To this end - for the first time we will be providing a job board for Challenge participants.

You’ll be able to get work with other online entrepreneurs.

Hang on Ed - isn’t that just another version of working for the man?

Well… NO!!!!!

Here’s the thing - you’re working for someone… sure, but your learning the skills that will help you go solo down the track!

Remember the Reality 4 above. The one where we talked about the piling on of stress - well if you’re under the gun financially - you’re going to have a real hard time dealing with the stress of not paying the bills and trying to be creative.

We’ve all heard the “burn the ships” and “gun to the head” methods for eliminating objections and getting you to do something.

Hogwash.

If you’re under severe financial stress you need to deal with it first.

AND TRUST ME - I’VE BEEN THERE!

In fact - i’ll be doing a special podcast (audio recording) to talk you through just that.

So,

If you’re solving money problems (or at least making them manageable) by working for someone - practicing all the skills you’ll need to have a great online business - to me that’s total win-win.

It just makes sense.

In the run up to July 1 we’ll keep you informed of everything you need to know to get ready for this years challenge.

You could do me one big favour.

Please hit the like button below and tell anyone you know who you think might be interested in taking the challenge.

We have totally changed everything to make this the EASIEST, simplest, challenge ever.

We know it works better if you do it with a team.

And as always never forget..

“there is no charge for awesomeness”

Ed

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Posted via email from Ed’s posterous

Posted via email from Ed’s posterous