I've unearthed some surprising bits of wisdom for new wahms by
listening to Johnny Cash lately. I thought I would share some of
these tidbits from the Rockabilly legend.
1) Understand Your Man ...er, target market!
That's right. Do you understand your target market? Are you
aware of her needs, desires and driving ambitions? Does your
website speak to your target audience? If not, perhaps you
should make some changes or your website visitor or customer
will be "as gone as a wild goose in winter" too!
2) A Boy Named Sue
Life ain't easy for a boy named Sue...and life ain't easy for a
wahm either. In your business you will have those confidence
killers, dream stealers, fun suckers...whatever you want to call
them. You will have people who try to tell you that you can't
achieve your goals, that what you try won't work. Don't let them
get you down!
Sue's father told him, "This world is rough, and if you're gonna
make it, you've gotta be tough."
How can you get tough in your business?
3) Man In Black- or Branding 101
J.R. Cash didn't don the all black suit because he didn't have
anything else to wear. It was his trademark. He wore all black
for a reason.
What about you? Are you working on your brand? In a world full
of Elvis Presleys and Jerry Lee Lewises, how will you stand
apart? And remember, your target market doesn't have to be just
like you- Johnny Cash wrote Folsom Prison Blues and connected
with inmates when he had never yet step foot in jail!
4) The Legend of John Henry's Hammer
This song has two bits of wisdom:
a) Learn your business and you will succeed
John Henry's Daddy told him to: "Learn to a turn a jack, learn
to lay a track, learn to pick and shovel too." Are you learning
all you can about Internet Marketing so that you can succeed in
your business? Do you reinvest in ebooks, coaching and
mentoring, and software like John Henry's hammer?
b) Technology has its place but it can't take the place of
humans.
When the steam engine threatened to take the place of men,
Johnny proved that in the end, humans are more valuable. Learn
to use technology (like autoresponders) but remember that your
website visitor is a human and inject some of yourself into your
marketing efforts.
5) One Piece at a Time
This ballad is about a man who decides to build a Cadillac. He
steals one piece at a time from the assembly line "and it didn't
cost him a dime". But in the end, it didn't work out exactly
like he planned!
Does your website look like a pieced together jalopy? Are you
unwilling to spend any money on your own domain and hosting,
content with a free site cluttered up with ads?
6) In The Jailhouse Now
Please don't throw away your hard work by doing one of the
following things:
Spamming Copying other people's articles or content Stealing
graphics Clicking on your Adsense ads Not keeping records and
neglecting to pay taxes
It just isn't worth it, and you may find yourself in the
jailhouse. Much better to Walk the Line so you can sleep at
night.
7) Ring of Fire
Maybe you've made a bad choice... entered into a shotgun romance
with a business that's not right for you. Don't be afraid to
realize this, chuck everything and start over! Don't beat your
head against the wall if, after working hard on a project, you
decide it's just not profitable. Better to find your match and
pour your energies into that.
In this song, June Carter Cash chronicles her growing attraction
to John. Though they were both involved with other people, they
were obviously soul mates and ended up making music and growing
old together for the next 40 years.
May you make beautiful music with your business!
About the author:
Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4 who offers the free "No
Fluff" marketing mag for moms in business. Claim yours free at
http://www.business-moms-expo.com and get the free report "How
To Make Money With Your Newsletter".
