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Blogging. What's the Point?

10/6/2013

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​I tell all authors and budding writers that they need to blog. Some listen to me, some don’t and some have every good intention but simply cannot find the time. I believe that blogging has made a big difference to my business because it:
  • Makes it easy for people to find out about you and what you do
  • It is a great way to build a network of like-minded people
  • It gives you a greater presence on Google
  • It can build your brand
Today, I am delighted to publish a guestpost by Elizabeth Helsley, an expat blogger based in Mexico, about why she blogs and what the benefits have been for her:
When I first started out blogging, it was really more of an accident. Friends, colleagues and other contacts had been emailing me with questions about doing business in Mexico for years. I saw blogging as a great way to compile the information that I had gathered over the years and put it in one place. I knew from the get-go that my expertise lay in the business arena and more specifically in doing business in Mexico as an expat. Originally from San Diego, California, I have lived, worked, and studied in Mexico for over 9 years. During that time, I have learned a lot of things the hard way, but I’ve also been fortunate enough to create a great network of contacts that have helped me tremendously. Thinking about the combination of entrepreneurship and my love for Mexico, I came up with the name  “Mexipreneur”.

Blogging has been far more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. It allows me to express my opinions, share important news stories, and give tips to my readers that I think will help them doing business in Mexico. A couple of years ago I was asked to participate as one of the bloggers for the Mexico Today program, a joint public and private initiative intended to promote business and tourism in Mexico. Writing posts for the program was extremely rewarding and I came in contact with other bloggers and readers from all over the world. One of the best benefits of blogging for me has been connecting with people (who I’ve never met in person), but who share a common interest.

Blogging has also helped grow my international consulting business. People who are doing random Google searches and come across my blog reach out to me and ask if they can hire me to help them with their business ventures in Mexico. When I first started out blogging, I would wonder “Is anyone reading this? Is this helping anybody or is it just going out to some black hole in cyberspace?” Over time I realized it was definitely making an impact as I would receive emails or comments from people who were thinking about starting a blog or a business. One of the things that surprised me the most about blogging is how much time and dedication it takes.There are days or weeks when I get really busy and finding the time to write is challenging, but then I think back about how rewarding blogging has been and find a way to make it happen. My advice for anyone thinking about starting a blog is just to get started. Your blog will evolve over time and you don’t have to have it all figured out from day one. One of the best things about blogging is the process and the learning experience along the way, so enjoy the ride!
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Stavanger, I am Sorry

4/6/2013

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This weekend I was invited back to Stavanger by a new friend of mine. I have to admit to being a little reticent. We’d lived in Stavanger in 1996 and 97 and it had not been a happy time for a number of reasons. Rather than ‘pining for the fjords’ as the Norwegian blue parrot did so famously in Monty Python’s Dead Parrot Sketch, we were pining for the wadis of Oman. Maybe.
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Going back was difficult. Not because it brought back bad memories but because, this time I saw the place with new eyes and felt sad for not noticing and guilty for my betrayal. This poem is one step towards putting right that wrong. It was videoed spontaneously on my iphone against a dry stone wall on the property of Maggie Myklebust, author of the American-Norwegian memoir Fly Away Home.
Stavanger, I am sorry
I never felt your sun,
nor saw the way it licked the rooves
and white-washed walls
until they shone like stars.

I’m sorry that I never heard
the scalloped fjords
scuff their shores
while in silence they would sigh and stretch
until their fingertips touched land.

My bones ache with regret
that my veiled eyes
were blinded then by memories –
of brighter sun, a warmer shore, a bluer sky –
so strong, like clouds, they hid your technicolour beauty.

To me, back then,
younger and more foolish,
my jaw was clenched against sweet sentences,
eyes narrowed into bitter slits
that refused to see the light,
as a toddler’s tantrum lingers, though the ball’s now in his hands.

It’s fifteen years since I gladly waved goodbye
to a cold, damp year
that had left my soul screaming for sustenance
while a groaning table
had lain there all along.
I had never looked beyond the window
of my home-made prison.

Today, renewed and wiser,
I see the gift of blossom
that’s lingering in June,
of clematis thick with pastels
and white peonies with a thicker scent
than I have ever known
and so I must record these thoughts –
and drag my eyes from waving trees, plump lambs
that trot on tussocked hills strewn
with rocks painted in lichen’s rich Tuscan hues, the
buttercupped fields, the dips
and folds, the soaring  fells that cluster
shoulder to shoulder round the fjords –
but I cannot bear to tear my eyes
from this, down to the page, lest
I miss a morsel of this Norwegian feast.
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David J Scarlett, The Soul Millionaire

2/6/2013

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The Soul Millionaire

When he was 28, the author was alone, broke, and homeless. Thanks to chance introductions to mentors and new friends, he turned his life around, repaid more than $100,000 of debt, and became a respected financial adviser and business coach. Today, he inspires others to become Soul Millionaires.

A modern-day parable that I wish I had read 20 years ago and been clever enough to understand. — Chris Barrow, The Million Dollar Coach

In this autobiographical novel and guide David J Scarlett reveals the astonishing lessons that experience and visionary mentors have taught him. Some of the lessons include:
  • The 10 Laws that lead to true riches
  • Why Financial Freedom is less than 5 years away
  • How to easily double your income and make it more predictable
  • Why your knowledge and experience is worth a fortune
  • How to leverage serious property deals with small deposits
  • How to become an information millionaire
  • The one secret of great relationships and extraordinary influence
  • How to enjoy balance, fulfilment, success and leave a legacy

From the depths of despair, Scarlett rose to become a respected Financial Planner in the City of London, mastering his craft to such an extent that he created revenue streams enjoyed by only the top 1% of Financial Planners in the UK. Now, through his business school ‘The Ultimate Adviser’ he is engaged to coach, train and mentor entrepreneurs, professional advisers and corporate executives, gives money advice on BBC Radio, and travels internationally as a professional speaker for conferences, conventions, seminars and workshops. Amongst his greatest milestones as a writer was the invitation to co-author a book by business and financial giants Brian Tracy, Robert G Allen and Mark Victor Hansen – who between them have sold 150 million books. Yet, it is his role as a work-in-progress husband and a father of four children, which he sees as his greatest adventure of all!

A must-read for anyone who’s ever been frustrated by the ‘you-can-have-it-all’ blockbusters. — Jonathan Jay, Founder, The Coaching Academy

Key lessons are conveniently captured at the end of each chapter. A must-have volume. — Tony Burgess, Director, Academy of High Achievers Ltd (Aha!)

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  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
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    • Publish with Us
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    • Our Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Services and Fees
    • Publishing Programmes
    • Selected Services
  • Our Bookshelf
    • Summertime Direct
    • Anthology
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    • Children's Books
    • Country Guides
    • Expat Life
    • The FIGT Collection
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Third Culture Kids
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    • Springtime Shop
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    • Jo Parfitt, Mentor
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