YAHOO...

Life is GREAT isn't it?

The month of March and the beginnings of April have opened my eyes to a bunch of things that I truly think you can benefit from.  From a MAJOR high to a rotten feeling in the bottom of my stomach, this short period of time has been eventful.

The truth of the matter is I was scheduled to publish this issue over a week ago.  However, something happened and sent me on a miserable tailspin.

Listen to the audio to find out exactly what happened and why the article you'll find below is so powerful and important to you right now, wherever you are in your career.

Enjoy!!

Stu McLaren
MyIdeaGuy.com

Write to me at stu@myideaguy.com

MOMENTUM 
The Unknown Secret Of High Level Players

I have a confession to make.

Starting something new sucks.

Yup.  Plain and simple I'm impatient and when I see something I want, I don't want to have to go through the growing pains of getting it to where I want.

Can you relate to that?

For example, many of you know that I'm relatively new as an information marketer.  I started my career almost a year and a half ago and some people would say that I've enjoyed a fair amount of success in such a short period.

I would agree and I'm very happy with the progress that I've made.

However, being surrounded with guys like Alex Mandossian, Armand Morin, John Childers, Jim Edwards, and Matt Bacak, I see that I have a long way to go.

I know for a fact that these guys make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on complete autopilot and their income only grows every year.

In addition I've enjoyed watching their students implement the strategies they've learned from these guys and then experience all kinds of success.  Now the key word there is IMPLEMENT!!

It didn't take me long before I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my career.  You should memorize this because it will help you get more done, faster and you'll be up and making money quicker and easier.

Here it is.  Write this down.

You Don't Have To Get It Right,
You Just Have To Get It Going.

Success in life is nothing more than a series of small wins.  However most people try to tackle a HUGE project or idea and they get so overwhelmed that they never even begin.

Think about it...

Bill Gates didn't create Windows XP before he created Windows 2000, or Windows 95 or even Windows 3.1.  But let me ask you a question...

Do you think he would have the market dominance he has if he had waited until he had completed Windows XP?

NO way.

All he did was get going.  I guarantee you many of the ideas he had in the later versions of Windows were initially dreamed of when he first created Windows 3.1 but he didn't wait for it to be absolutely perfect.

He just got going.

This lesson REALLY hit home three months ago when  I finally applied what I had learned from Alex Mandossian, Armand Morin and John Childers.

Last March (2004) I signed up to be a part of Alex and Armand's $16,000 Platinum group.  My thought process was that the cost of $16,000 was insignificant if I could learn the process of turning my ideas into profit centers.  I was looking for someone to give me a swift kick in the butt and help keep me focused and on track.

There is nobody better than these two individuals.  I had personally seen the success of their students first hand so I knew what they taught worked.  The question is would I let it work for me?

Well, human nature took over and although the information I was learning was GREAT, I wasn't applying it.

Has that ever happened to you?

I was getting frustrated.  I was getting discouraged and I hate to admit this but I even had thoughts of completely giving up and getting a regular J-O-B.

Crazy eh?

So, I sat back and started asking myself questions.  I was looking for answers as to why people like Alex, Armand and John just keep on experiencing tremendous success, project after project, and why I was struggling to get my projects up, completed and making money.

Through this reflection I saw something that was holding me back.  Perhaps you've experienced this yourself.

Here is the problem:

I was trying to tackle the whole project all at once instead of breaking it down into bite size pieces.  This resulted in me getting irritated, overwhelmed and disheartened.

Then within the exact same week Alex and Armand both said something to me that changed everything for me.

Alex said:

"Stop Everything You Are Doing And
Go After The Low Hanging Fruit"

I gained tremendous insight from that one conversation.  Let me explain.

In a nutshell, I was making it too hard on myself.  I was going after the project that cost the most amount of money, needed the most amount of my time and it was draining me mentally, physically and financially.  I was starting off by trying to climb the biggest mountain right out the gates.

What I needed was to go after the low hanging fruit and get some of the easier projects completed, and making money.  When you do this, guess what happens?

You Build Momentum

Please do not mistake momentum with more ideas.  I used to, and in hindsight this was something that was holding me back.  Shortly after my conversation with Alex I had another "breakthrough conversation"  with Armand. 

Every month I have the privilege of sharing the platform with Armand and Alex at the John Childers Million Dollar Speaker Training.  So I regularly take advantage of my AM2 Platinum benefits by meeting with Alex and Armand to tap into their marketing wisdom. 

At this particular training I was really excited because I wanted to show Armand some of my new ideas. 

Here's the play-by-play of what happened.  I remember it so clearly.

I proudly opened my laptop and started my mind mapping software where I had brainstormed all kinds of new product and business ideas.

With passion and excitement I enthusiastically began to tell him what I was planning on doing.  Then he did something I will never forget.

He grabbed my computer mouse and closed my mind mapping program.

I was dumbfounded.  Was he kidding or was this some kind of lesson?

Here is what he said:

"Stop Generating New Ideas And
Start Implementing The Ones You Have!!"

Talk about a wake up call!!

Generating ideas was my form of procrastination.  That was a "light bulb moment".  I wasn't getting any of my ideas completed because every time I came across an obstacle I would stop what I was doing and start brainstorming on something completely different and unrelated.

Can you relate to that?

So let me ask you a question...

What form of procrastination is preventing you from getting your projects completed?

Armand explained his point by making another demonstration.  He opened his computer and logged on to the internet and took me to several of his websites where he has products available for sale.  Then he said "I want to buy what you have for sale.  Take me to your website".

Guess what?

I didn't have one. 

I only had two explanations why - I didn't have any completed projects for sale and/or I didn't have a sales page up for my completed projects.

Duhhh!!

 
You Can't Make Money Until You Launch Your Projects

He hit me square between the eyes by showing me what I was doing to sabotage my success.  His outside perspective seems so obvious in hindsight but I can honestly say that without it I wouldn't have made the $111,000+ I did on my most recent project.

Completed projects can do wonders for you and your business because they BUILD MOMENTUM.

You can't build a BIG snowman until you create a snowball and get it rolling.  The same principle applies to your information marketing business.  You can't make $1,000,000 until you make $100,000.  Similarly you can't make $100,000 until you make $10,000 and you can't make $10,000 until you make $1,000.

So often we are trying to go for the million right out of the gates and we get disappointed and frustrated when it doesn't happen.

Just get your projects completed and available for someone to buy!!

I can't tell you the thrill I experienced when I had the sale of my first ever e-book.  It was completely automated.  Completely hands free once I set it up.

Do you want to know how much I made?

$9.95!!!

Check it out at www.ideas4halloween.com.  The product is still selling and I haven't done anything after I initially set it all up.

Focus on getting your projects completed and start building your momentum.  Momentum helps you get over those humps and helps you make money faster.

When you have money coming in, your confidence grows. 

When you have money coming in, your excitement grows.

When you have money coming in, you have cash to fund future projects. 

When you have money coming in, you have money to pay vendors to get other projects completed FASTER.

When you have money coming in, you have people wanting to do additional projects with you.

This is all built on one principle. MOMENTUM.

When Alex and Armand helped me to understand what my low hanging fruit was I immediately took action and had sales of over $111,000 within an 8 week period on just one of my projects.

The success of that one venture opened up many opportunities for me and two weeks later at another event I had SEVERAL high profile people approach me wanting to do various projects together. 

The only reason that happened was because I experienced tremendous success with my previous project.  I discovered this - people want to work with successful people.  People who are doing things.

Momentum brings a tremendous amount of benefits to you and the more you take purposeful action to build that momentum the more benefits you will enjoy.

Takeaways and Lessons Learned

1)  Discover Your Low Hanging Fruit.  Don't be afraid to put those big hairy projects on the backburner while you pick up speed with some smaller projects that bring in some cash flow.  Ask yourself if the project you are working on right now has the biggest payoff - financially and mentally. 

Don't get bogged down chasing "the big payday".  Go after the projects that you can start making money with right now.  When you start earning money with your ideas, you start building momentum.  Momentum carries you forward and helps you blast through any obstacles that get in your way.

2)  Follow Through and Complete Your Projects.  You can't make money on "projects in progress".  The real money is made after you complete your projects and get them out there for the world to buy.

What projects do you have right now that are half complete?

What do you need to do to finish what you started?

What form of procrastination is holding you back?

Focus on completion.  New ideas will always present themselves but the only way to make money as an idea person is to take your ideas from concept to completion, and eventually to cash, as quickly as possible.    When that happens, then you move on to the next idea.

3)  Nothing Beats The Advice From A Wise Mentor.  I needed that outside perspective to put me back on track.  I needed that kick in the rear to get me in gear :) 

John Childers, Alex Mandossian and Armand Morin have been those individuals who have provided me with the advice that I've needed and they delivered it when I needed it most.

That's where the value of a mentor really comes into play.  They look at things from a different perspective and then leverage that perspective with their expertise. 

******************IMPORTANT NOTE******************

I struggled in the beginning because I was trying to learn from everybody.  I literally purchased educational materials from 15-20 different people and I was trying to implement everything they all taught.

It didn't work!!

The moment I decided to focus my attention on Alex, Armand and John my progress improved.

My advice is pick 1-3 mentors you most enjoy learning from and start implementing what they teach.  Don't get caught in the trap of learning a bit from one person, some more from another and even more from someone else.  It's difficult to learn that way and it's even tougher to make substantial progress.

**************************************************

However, anything you learn from a mentor is worthless if you don't apply what you learn.

You've got to implement if you want to bear the fruits of your ideas.   Without taking action and completing your projects... NOTHING HAPPENS!!

Complete projects,  make money and build your momentum.

******************************

I hope you enjoyed this month's Insider Ideas because I certainly enjoyed writing it.  The last two months have taught me a tremendous amount of information about building a business and my focus has shifted to the power of building momentum.

Let me know if there are any specific things you would like me to cover in some of the upcoming issues.  I always love hearing from you.  You can reach me directly at stu@myideaguy.com.  

Take care and may ideas come when you need them most.

Stu McLaren
Your Idea Guy

(c) 2005 Stu McLaren

As you know from the article above, in March of 2004 I paid Alex Mandossian and Armand Morin $16,000 to be a part of their AM2 Platinum Group. 

Was it worth it?

Before I answer that let me ask you another question. 

Would you give me $16,000 if I gave you $111,000 in return?

The answer is simple.  Of course you would.  My answer is the same.  My investment of $16,000 was absolutely worth it because with the guidance and advice of Armand and Alex I was able to generate sales of over $111,000 with just one of my ideas.

Most importantly I was able to take that idea from concept to cash in just under 8 weeks.  I learned the system for implementing my ideas and building my momentum.

That knowledge is invaluable and will add thousands and thousands of dollars to my bank account this year alone.

I recommend heavily that you take the time to learn about their new program called AM2 Gold.  It's their solution to the request that was brought to them over and over again from motivated entrepreneurs who wanted more access to them (like I have) but couldn't afford the $16,000 I paid to be a part of AM2 Platinum.

This is a much more affordable solution and the bonuses they've included will pay for the program almost immediately.

The real value comes from being able to mastermind with those that are selected to be a part of this group.  There is power in the network and when you share your ideas inside this environment the group will take your ideas to a whole new level.

My only advice I have for you is to demonstrate in your application form that you intend to apply what you learn.  They are actually screening people because they don't want people who are going to just sit on what they are learning and not do anything with it.

Click here to learn more about AM2 Gold.

Participate in your success and actively look to build your momentum!!