Personal Improvement

Most entrepreneurs fail because they don’t think like businesspeople. Especially online, those who say they want to make money think and act more like desperate homeless people than savvy marketers. A prime example is how a majority of start-up entrepreneurs look for what they think is a killer product first, when indeed they shoudl find their potential customers before even considering a product or service!

Naturally you’ll want a great product, but that comes later. The first order of business is to identify a group of people with a very specific want or need.

This is called finding your niche market. And it takes only a small amount of focus and effort to achieve.

Your first step is to list a few general areas you’d like to explore. Start with things you like, know something about, or simply find interesting.

For instance, do you enjoy camping, playing the saxophone, the latest and greatest DVD releases, or fixing up old cars? Make a list of anywhere from 10 to 25 general areas you want to explore.

Once you have a basic idea of the kind of market you might want to explore, you’re ready to find some numbers and data to back up your initial idea. Thanks to the invention of keyword research tools, it’s actually quite easy to figure out what people are looking for online.

All keyword research tools work from the same basic interface. This is a form where you enter a word or group of words and click a submit button.

The keyword tool then finds data on how many times the terms were queried at sites like Google over the past 1 to 30 days. Good keyword tools will also come up with a list of terms similar to the keywords you entered, and this of course will lead you to ideas you may not have even considered before.

Your goal with basic keyword research is simply to get a better idea of what people are looking for relative to your initial list of concepts. You may have to spend some time brainstorming or looking into the suggested terms that come up during your research before you really hit on anything solid.

As an example, let’s say you know something about remodeling kitchens. You might start your keyword research with terms like “kitchen remodel”.

The tool you are using could indicate people are doing a good deal of searching for terms like “kitchen remodel under $1,000” or “remodel kitchen cabinets” or “do it yourself kitchen remodel”. As you begin to sift through more and more specific data you will see an emerging pattern and come up with a more refined idea of what people are looking for in terms of information about remodeling their kitchens.

Ultimately, you’ll want to make a list of the more popular search terms. And you’ll want to go to your favorite search engine and do your own direct searches on these exact terms.

The results pages will tell you whether or not a substantial amount of competition currently exists in these areas. By finding out what information and services currently exist you’ll be able to determine where you can fit into things; i.e. you’ll get an idea of where your potential niche might be.

You can also browse sites like Ebay, Amazon, and Buy.com to get an idea of what people are currently spending money on, relative to your area of focus. And you can browse popular blogs and forums to discover what Internet users are saying about the current marketplace.

In particular look for questions being asked. If you can identify a few core questions being posed in a variety of places you will be well on your way to finding a solid niche market.

It’s beyond the scope of this article to go into complete detail about the research process, but just by following the steps above you’ll be able to target a potentially profitable niche market. Once you understand what people are looking for, all that remains is to figure out how you can offer these people what they want and/or need.

Recommended Resources

For an in-depth, easy to follow blueprint on how to generate great money-making ideas and find winning markets and niches I strongly recommend my Idea Goldmine special report. Also, once you’re ready to think about owning your own site be sure to review this free article on basic Webmaster tools.

Harv Eker first coined the term “wealth blueprint” in his best-selling book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. This is a revolutionary concept in the self-development and wealth creation world, while at the same time being based on long-standing psychological principles.

The premise of the wealth blueprint, also called the financial blueprint, is that each of us has a specific way of thinking and feeling towards money and success that is buried within our subconscious minds. These thoughts and feelings come from our childhood, what we are told by others, what we see on television and read about, and what we experience early in life with regards to money.

Great evidence of the Harv Ekers’ financial blueprint theory can be seen in the behavior of most lottery winners. For example, almost 80% of people who win major jackpots are seriously broke again within only two years!

Most researchers believe this happens because these winners do not feel comfortable with or deserving of great wealth and financial success. If you think about it you can probably identify one or more people in your life who seem to have a way of sabotaging themselves whenever they are close to monetary success.

In fact you might even be able to see this behavior in yourself if you look closely enough! I admit that I discovered a seriously flawed financial blueprint after reading Harv Eker’s book and taking his philosophy to heart.

Prior to my realization I had created numerous successes through my business. But I invariably found some way to discredit these events and throw a wrench in them to avoid long-term success.

Before reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind I had no idea I was doing this. But now it’s so clear, and I see the blueprints of other people all the time.

And the really powerful point to the concept is that a blueprint can work for an individual’s benefit as well. How many business people do you know who seem to bounce back from a fall no matter how bad it is?

Think about big time investors who lose everything, only to be incredibly rich once more in a year or less. This is a direct result of their financial blueprint being set for great success and wealth.

Each of us, according to Eker, has the ability to change our blueprint and structure it as we see fit. But this involves real work, and the first step is taking an honest look at your current blueprint.

Here are a few basic tips to help you determine if you have a healthy financial blueprint:
Do you ever use terms like “filthy rich” or “obscene amount of money”? Beware that this kind of talk is very detrimental to your plans of achieving success! Think about it; why would you want to be filthy, obscene, etc.? This is a very powerful negative subconscious message that needs to be avoided.

Also, when you see someone who is obviously very rich and successful how do you feel toward that person? Are you happy for them, or do you resent them and mutter things like “rich jerk: under your breath?

If you are jealous and bitter about other people’s success, it’s a clear sign that your blueprint might be in trouble. Because how can you honestly expect to achieve something you feel angry or spiteful about?

Most people don’t take the time to think about these things. But as Harv Eker points out in his books and seminars, most people aren’t rich either!

You can begin right now to create healthy thoughts and feelings about wealth, success, and money. In doing so you will be rebuilding your wealth blueprint to serve you better. Check out Secrets of the Millionaire Mind for an in-depth explanation of the wealth blueprint and a complete list of Eker’s famous “wealth files”.