Guru Interview Of The Month -- Cathy Wagner [Lawrence] Cathy, could you briefly describe some of your online business operations and products/services?
[Cathy] Sure, I am a one woman operation working out of my home. My site, http://www.onestopinternetbusiness.com is designed to help anyone build an online business with straight forward information, tips and recommendations.
In addition to writing articles and providing tested recommendations, I am also available to all members (free and paid) for questions, advice and live interactive marketing discussions. I really like to talk to members and it feels great when I can help others by telling them how I overcame an obstacle that they are now facing.
My free membership is designed for beginners who really need to learn
basics of promoting their offer (whatever it is) online. It includes recommendations for most effective free advertising sites, live discussions and support I mentioned, plus my ebook which explains what you need to start an internet business and gives a comprehensive overview of most common forms of free online advertising and how to get most out of them.
My paid membership is for those who have been around for a while and are looking for new ways to get their offer to more people. I have compiled over 50 recommendations for a wide variety of free and low cost tools, tips and services that range from handy pc and web design tools to low cost, quality advertising sites and free information on advanced marketing strategies.
The low cost of membership, diversity of my recommendations, and interactive aspects of my site are what makes it different from other marketing information sites I have seen, and believe me, I have seen a lot!
[Lawrence] What made you decide to start a business? What was your inspiration or motivation?
[Cathy] My husband is a contractor and we relied solely on his income when our two children were first born, so I could stay home to care for them. While it is good money, it is not always steady and it became quite clear that we needed another stream of income to carry us through lean times. Because it was important to us that I stay home with kids, we built my pc piece by piece and I started with my first online business opportunity a little over 2 years ago. [Lawrence] What have been your major challenges or obstacles so far? How did you overcome them?
[Cathy] One of biggest challenges I have faced was my lack of experience when I started. My first business opportunity made it sound so easy, but everywhere I went for information wanted so much money or gave poor quality information.
I overcame this by doing my own research and tracking my results. I continue to do research today, I am always looking for new and better ways to promote ONE STOP.
Another challenge was being totally isolated from others in this field. Until about a year ago, I did not have contact with any colleagues. This didn't seem like a big deal at time, but now that I interact with them regularly, I find them to be an inspiration; I have learned a lot and I have really been able to help others.
