Ninja Success

Today I found a short and sweet post by Seth Godin. It is so short that I took the liberty of posting the whole post here. But I do suggest that when you are done reading my post that you hope on over to Seth’s Blog and take a look around. He writes an interesting blog with a lot of good information.
So here is Seth’s post from back in November:

Small Business Success

By Seth Godin

Three things you need:
1) the ability to abandon a plan when it doesn’t work,
2) the confidence to do the right thing even when it costs you money in the short run, and
3) enough belief in other people that you don’t try to do everything yourself.

That’s all. So much said in so few words. Of course, I can’t just leave it at that!

If most people were to write 3 tips on small business success, I don’t think they would pick these three things to write about. I know I would probably write about having a business plan, making sure you have enough money, finding good mentors, that type of thing. But Seth points out 3 tips that can really make a difference in a business’s success.

First, know when to cut your losses and move on. We have all had great ideas that turned out not to be so great. But it is so hard to give up on them. After all doesn’t the old saying go.. winners never quit and quitters never win. How about, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. But sometimes it does make sense to quit. Even the best plans can fall short when put into action. A successful business person will know when it is time to give up on an idea and move on to the next thing.

Second, do the right thing, even when it costs you money in the short run. I can’t add much to this. Do the right thing, even if…. Even if it will cost you money, even if no one will ever know, even if it is hard. Just do the right thing.

And last but not least, believe in other people so you don’t try to do everything yourself. This is the big one for me. I want to be in control and I want to do it all myself. But I have found that I save myself time and money when I bring in other people. Graphic design is a great example. I have the software and a little bit of knowledge and in a few hours I can make a so-so graphic. But my friend Bob can turn out a killer banner that is 100 times better than anything I can do, and it will take just a few minutes. You can’t be an expert in everything. Find people to fill in your gaps and trust them to do a good job.

What do you think? What are your favorite business success tips?

A what point can you call your blog a success? Is it the number of visitors? When you reach a certain Google Page Rank? When you have hundreds of RSS Feed Subscribers? Or maybe you know your blog is a success when your Technorati authority is higher than your IQ!

Kaushnick’s Blog, Occam’s Razor had a great article on defining blog success. In it he gives 6 tips for measuring the success of your blog. Here is a summary of his tips, and my thoughts.

#1. Raw Author Contribution
Also known as content, content, content. Are you writing and posting regularly? How long are your posts? Kaushnick says to ask yourself, “Do I deserve to be a success?” Are you putting in the effort? Calculate your average number of posts per month, and average number of words per post to find your “raw author contribution”.

#2. Holistic Audience Growth
Now that we know you are talking, the next question is, Is anybody listening? Kaushnick stresses organic, holistic growth. He points out that getting on the front page of Digg might get you a one time spike in hits, but that will not carry over to the day to day readership of your blog. Track your visitors and unique visitors per day and look for steady constant growth.
Also look at the number of subscribers you have. Most people consider subscribers a better indicator of blog success than visitor count. And that only makes sense. Subscribers have actually given permission for you to push your content to them.

#3. Conversation Rate
Are you getting any comments? Kaushnick points out that blogging should not be a monologue. Ideally you start conversation and interaction with your guests. He feels that blogs should be a social interaction.

#4. Ripple Effect (Citations)
This is my favorite of all Kaushnick’s blog metrics. The ripple effect is how much of an impact you are making outside your own little “blog world”. Are people writing about you on their blogs? (Like I am here!) Are you creating controversy? Do people love you or hate you? Either is better than indifference!

#5. Costs
What does it cost you, both in time and money, to maintain your blog? I am not sure if this is a success metric. But it is an important metric.

#6. ROI (Return on Investment)
This is probably the most concrete of all the metrics. What are you getting out of your blog? What is it giving to you for all your hard work and money? Kaushnick mentions 4 values that you should look at.

Comparative Value is what your blog is worth to others. If you were to sell your blog today, how much money would you get?

Direct Value is the money you are getting today. How much are you earning from advertising, blog reviews, or consulting engagements. Maybe your blog drives traffic (and customers) to your business website.

Non-traditional Value. This one is a little harder to define. This is the social value of your blog. Instead of a public relations firm, use your blog to create great PR with your customers.

Unquantifiable Value. This is the good stuff you just can’t put a number on. The email from a stranger that says Good Job! and makes your day. The day to day happiness you get from blogging. Maybe it’s the ability to give to charity, or make a small difference in the world. This is the feel good value.

So that is just a quick summary of a blog post that is packed full of advice and information. I know I am falling short on almost every metric on this blog! That just means there is lots of room for improvement! Help me out and leave your comments. Do you think these are effective ways to measure the success of a blog? What is it about your blog that makes it a success? Then, I highly recommend that you read the complete post at Occam’s Razor. There are links to tools and more great tips on measuring the success of your blog.

Take your blog from small to successful with these key tips from a Top 50 blogger.

read more | digg story

Often, success means not listening to those who tell you it can’t be done. This article from mentalfloss.com showcases 9 People Who Did It Anyway.

When you tell someone they can
’t do something, it often serves as a motivation to prove you’re wrong, and disabled people are no exception. Of course, that’s not the only reason they do exactly what they are supposedly not able to do. Inspiring read!

read more | digg story

For many years I have studied success, and successful people. And one thing that comes up, over and over again, is that people do not become successful alone. Along the road to success they work with peers and mentors, friends and family, anyone who might give them a nudge up the ladder. Successful people are always networking, because no matter how good you are, there is always an obvious idea that you didn’t think of, a glaring flaw you can’t see, a fabulous customer you didn’t expect.

Blogging, by its very nature, tends to be a solitary affair. If you are an addicted blogger, like myself, you spend most of your time, typing into a computer. People in the “real” world might not even know what a blog is, and don’t even bother asking them an SEO question!

That is where Bloggeries comes in. Bloggeries is a forum for, by, and about bloggers. At Bloggeries you can ask for a blog review, find a great new theme for your blog, or help a newbie with blogging etiquette. You can request a graphic, get help tweaking your adsense, and even beg for advertising. You will find hundreds of helpful bloggers to answer your requests.

I’ve been a member of Bloggeries for months now, and it has made me a better blogger. Why don’t you check out Bloggeries now, and tell them Katalina sent you!