Students Of Success

If you want a good cup a coffee, you will need to add some oil. Coffee oil is very flavorful and improves the taste of coffee, but it is lost during the normal filtered brewing process. Coffee made with a French press doesn’t pass through a filter so you don’t lose those natural aromatic coffee oils. Most coffee lover’s agree that a French press makes a superior cup of coffee.

A French press (sometimes called a coffee press) is usually a glass cylinder with a plumber like device inside. You place your coffee grinds inside and pour hot water into it. The water should not be boiling or you will scald your grinds, which will affect the taste. 200 degree water is the optimum temperature for a fine cup of coffee. If you’re using a kettle to heat your water, remove it from the heat before if starts whistling. Either that or you can let the water boil but let it sit for a few minutes before pouring it into your coffee press. Remember to leave at least an inch of space when filling up the French press.

Coffee beans that are ground too finely will clog the filter. You will probably be okay with automatic drip coffee grinds but the best way to enjoy French press coffee is to grind the beans yourself. Try to grind the beans to a size a little bigger than automatic drip coffee grinds. This may take some practice to get comfortable with your coffee grinder but it’s worth it. And remember that once you grind your coffee beans they should be used immediately or kept in an air tight container to keep them from getting stale.

Let the coffee steep in the water for about 4 minutes. Now it’s time for the press part of the French press. Place the French press on a no slip surface and slowly and smoothly press the plunger down. Press too hard or too quickly and in a worst case scenario, you could have boiling hot water shoot out all over you. This step is how the coffee grinds are forced to the bottom of the container and you’re left with delicious fresh brewed coffee in the top chamber. You are now ready to pour and serve.

The French press has undergone a makeover in recent years. Manufacturers have added French presses to travel mugs and thermoses. As long as you have hot water you can make a fresh brewed cup of coffee anywhere. And most of these travel mugs and thermoses are insulated so that your coffee will stay warm longer.

With coffee becoming such an important part of most people’s days, isn’t it time that we pampered ourselves with a better tasting brew. The French press is an easy and flavorful way to make a cup of coffee. So if you’re tired of the brown water that comes out of coffee vending machines in your office, then the French press is perfect for you.

Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of EndlessCoffeeBreak.com - The Guide To Coffee. For more information about French Press Coffee, visit http://www.endlesscoffeebreak.com

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they start selling resale rights products is doing exactly the same thing in the same way as everyone else. Another big mistake is doing what nobody else is doing.

Sound a bit contradictory? Here’s what I mean…

Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest living direct marketers. In his eBook, 63 Killer Marketing Strategies, Dan says, “If you offer the same product or service as someone else, one of you is unnecessary.”

Sounds a bit scary when we’re talking about resale rights, doesn’t it? Think more people than just you might be selling the same thing?

On the other hand, if you’re trying to sell something that is totally different from what everyone else is selling, that can be a bit scary too. It’s possible you might have thought of something brilliant that no one else has… but in a world of six billion people, you’re more likely to find that others have had the same idea but found there just wasn’t a very good market for it. That doesn’t guarantee you couldn’t do it more successfully. But it does mean you might have to work harder to convince people they need your product.

So what’s the solution? The solution is to imitate what others are doing successfully - but without duplicating them exactly. Here is an example:

Maybe you notice that many, many people are selling a product that is a package of many resale rights products. You have master resale rights for the product, so you decide to sell it too. You set up a site using the sales page provided with the product, the graphics provided with it, etc.

If you get traffic to the website, you will make some sales. The problem is, that’s what almost everyone else selling that master resale rights product does too, because most people won’t take the time and effort to do something different.

You need some way to differentiate yourself, to brand yourself, while using the concept. You already know the concept works - many people have bought that package and are selling it! So the concept of bundling a number of master resale rights products together in a package, branding it, and selling it till it spreads like wildfire is a good concept that’s been proven to work. But what if there was a way to double the number of sales you make that way? Or triple them? How can you do that? By varying what you do just enough to differentiate yourself. For example:

Maybe you decide to package it with a group of other master resale rights products that appeal to the same market. Or maybe you change the graphics and the sales page so that it has a totally different look and feel. Maybe you include a number of great bonuses that people have been wanting and that no one else is offering with it. Or maybe you decide to create a very similar product (just different enough…) and sell that with master resale rights instead!

The examples above are great examples for how you can differentiate yourself even when others are selling the same resale rights product. But there is one way of differentiating yourself that you typically don’t want to do. You typically do not want to compete on price instead. That is the third big mistake people make. Suppose that instead of putting a nice master resale rights package together and selling it for $50, you instead decide to sell it for $1 on eBay. Let’s suppose you only want to make an extra $1000 per month. Which do you think would be easier and more likely, selling 20 products in a month (less than one per day), or selling 1000 copies per month (33 per day)? You wouldn’t even get the reputation you want. In fact, you would be more likely to find that no one believes the offer because it seems too good to be true! It’s much better to add more value to the package and charge a more appropriate price.

If you want to avoid making the three biggest mistakes with resale rights:

1. Imitate what others are doing successfully but…
2. Be just enough different that you’re perceived as providing better value, and
3. Charge a fair price for that value.

Keep repeating that process. Even though you’re selling other people’s products, you can brand yourself by doing something different. Then you will build your business, rather than someone else’s business.

Mike Adams has been marketing on the Internet since the early 1990’s. His latest project is Gigantic Resale Rights. As part of the launch of Gigantic Resale Rights, Mike is offering our readers several FREE Master Resale Rights Packages at http://www.gigantic-resale-rights.com/

The other day, someone asked me what it’s like to be a work at home mom. I just blinked back at him, my mind blank. How could I possibly describe life as a work at home mom? Only someone who’s lived it can understand the juggling act it requires.

Work at home moms have the usual responsibilities of being a mom - folding laundry, scheduling doctor’s appointments, helping with homework, reading bedtime stories, and basically being on call 24-hours a day. In addition, there is the conundrum of how to find time to work and answer emails, do networking, update bookkeeping, make phone calls, and more. And, it must fit into a 24 hour day. So, how do we do it? How do we stay sane in the chaos?

It’s disclaimer time. I am not the person to give advice on sanity. I’m pretty sure I filed away my sanity last year when I did taxes. I have my days where I say “That’s it! I’m getting a regular job!” But, then I talk to my wonderful friend who reminds me of the reality of the real world — the traffic, the boss who won’t let me go to my son’s field trip, and the fact that I’d probably have to buy pantyhose again. She manages to slap some sense back into me every time. I hate pantyhose.

Working from home the last few years, I’ve picked up a few handy tips. They aren’t magic beans, that, when planted, will grow you a nanny and a housekeeper, but they can help you to enjoy being a work at home mom just a little bit more.

10. Freezer Cooking! This is my personal life-saver. Spend one day during the week or one day each month assembling meals and your reward is a freezer filled with food. Then, when it’s time to make dinner, just grab a healthful, inexpensive meal from your freezer, heat it up and serve. Think about it. Next time you cook dinner, quadruple the recipe and put what you don’t eat into the freezer for later. Presto! Magic food will appear in your freezer the next time you need it.

9. Pay it Forward- By helping others, it reminds us that many of our own problems are much smaller than they appear. Whether you donate money, give blood, or volunteer your time, you are setting a beautiful example for your children. Involve your older kids and make volunteering a family activity.

8. Stay Healthy - Dust off your rollerblades, strap a pillow across your bottom and hit the pavement. Or surprise your children and the dog with a nice long walk.

7. Organize, organize, organize! If you’re spending hours each week sorting through piles of paper, looking for receipts or “to do” lists, that is wasted time and unnecessary frustration. Sweep the Magic 8 ball, the empty jar of peanuts, the Slinky, and the Snickers wrapper off your desk right now. You can do it!

6. Save Money - As Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Work at home moms know how hard it can be to earn a penny. So, do everything you can to save those hard-earned cents.

5. Time Management - Don’t let Time Stealers make you work any longer than you need to. When you’re sitting in front of your computer or talking on the phone, that is time away from your children. Always remember your “why”. WHY are you working from home? If the reason is to spend more time with your kids, then figure out how to make that happen!

4. Learn and Learn some More! - Find a mentor or someone who you like the way they handle their business. Network with other moms who are successful, take online classes, or hire a coach. Invest in yourself and you’ll invest in your business.

3. Play with your Kids - Whether you sit down to play a board game, or drive Hot Wheels around the carpet, there’s always fun to be had. If you need some ideas, check out http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com

2. Keep your sense of humor. Laugh every day! Turn off your computer, put in your copy of The Village People “YMCA” (I know you have one) and Dance! Dance! Dance!
and the number one way to stay sane as a Work at Home Mom …..

1. Always remember “The days are long, but the years are short.” Although it oftentimes feels like the days drag by as a work at home mom, remember that the years are flying by. It’s that reminder that keeps me grounded on days when the projects are heavy and the beach is calling.

If you’re looking for me, you can find me at the beach!

Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane Mom behind http://www.showmomthemoney.com - helping WAHMs Succeed. If you want to be a successful and mostly-sane work at home mom, too, don’t miss Nicole’s free tutorial at http://www.showmomthemoney.com/free-tutorial.htm