Week 30 of the Empire Building Kit just wrapped up. I was delighted and honored to find myself featured on Day 219 in one of Chris Guillebeau’s “Emperor Spotlights.” Getting a plug from Chris not only helps spread the word about my blog, website and the work I am striving to do, but it is also good incentive to keep current with my weekly Empire Building Kit reviews!
This week’s lessons had more of a philosophical bent than direct practical information. However, the opportunity to get a glimpse into the mind of someone like Chris who runs his business with integrity and honesty, is a great gift indeed. Over the course of the week, Chris talked about the importance of keeping momentum going in growing your business (and how to recognize when you’ve stalled or need to move in a new direction), why keeping your word even when it might seem easier to “bend the rules” for a customer or two will help you build a more successful business in the long run, and why crafting an offer intended solely to lure away a competitor’s business will usually fall flat.
If you are curious about the Empire Building Kit, you can click here or on the Empire Building Kit button in my sidebar.
Joana, thanks for the updates on the Empire Building. I’ve looked forward to every one, searching for an “aha! Here’s something they offered that actually made a difference to her business!” There just doesn’t seem to be anything like that. When evaluating the idea of trying the program for ourselves, can you say if it’s allowed you to accomplish something you could not do before? What real results would you say you are receiving?
Hi Brian,
Thanks so much for following my blog and for your thoughtful question. If I may, I’d love to quote your question in my Empire Building Kit review post today and answer it “publicly” since I bet other people may be wondering the same thing.
The short answer is that I’m not anywhere near earning the 55K that Chris “promises” as a benefit of working through the Empire Building Kit. There are many reasons for this, not the least is that I’ve had to rethink my business entirely as a result of our move, and also as a result of working through this course (more on that later.)
The real tangible results I’ve received so far are
1. earning about $500 in affiliate sales as one of Chris’ affiliates
2. earning sales from my Aweber email broadcasts that have covered the cost of the service and beyond (Aweber is Chris’ email marketing company of choice)
3. receiving Silver Circle Finalist status from the 2010 Halstead Bead Jewelry Business Development Grant (writing a compelling business plan for this competition wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t been learning great marketing and business development ideas from the Empire Building Kit.)
At the very least, the 1st and 3rd “result” wouldn’t have been possible without a connection to Chris. I’ll discuss some of the other benefits (if not measurable results, I’ve received) in my post today. These are less tangible, but no less important to me, since they’ve broadened my perspective, my outlook and my overall focus.
All that said, I also know that in this economy there are lots of “get rich quick…buck the system…live your dream life while working 1 day a week” schemes out there. In fact, one thing I’ve struggled with is that it seems that the only really lucrative business right now is telling other people how to create a job or a business for themselves. I’ve stuck with the EBK because I don’t think it is fundamentally about that.
More soon!
Joana