If you've been working online for any length of time, you already know that it's pretty tough trying to 'do' everything by yourself. Without assistance and guidance of fellow publishers and mentors, you would not come as far as you have in your business.

The right software can also eliminate some of workload, but it's people we come into to contact with and relationships we build that are vital to our success.

Sharing Knowledge and Skills

This is why forums have become so popular. They offer advice, suggestions and assistance to those looking for answers. It's a great way to develop your internet presence while helping others to succeed. Websites that offer 'how-to' tutorials or videos are also gaining recognition and popularity.

Eliminate Need For eMail

If I was just starting out and had to rely on email as my method of delivery today, I would not start publishing. When I first started publishing KIT in 2001, delivering my content and receiving feedback from my readers was a relatively simple task.

Today, it's become something of a nightmare. You see more publishers sending out notes to let you know that if you didn't receive latest issue, it probably got killed by filters. I would suggest that another reason for this second notice is that publishers are no longer receiving kinds responses they are used to when they send out their latest issue.

Each time we step up our level of security or protection by switching from single opt-in to double opt-in for instance, our subscribers are also being asked to jump through hoops just to stay with us.

The reason: email is broken. Until protocol for email is modified, you will continue to see invalid email addresses, false headers, spoofing and phishing scams that directly affect your business while putting everyone at risk. It's time to put an end to this risk.

Direct To Desktop Publishing

There are no two ways about it. If you are a publisher, you know how much time, effort and commitment is involved to put out good content on a regular basis.

Now add all nonsense that goes hand in hand with publishing through email today. Masking words so they don't trip filters. Invalid email addresses. Handling bouncebacks. ISP blocking and filtering. The list goes on and on and it's costing you.

You have an idea for a business. You know what you want to sell, who you can sell it to, and how much you stand to earn from it. There's just one more thing you need: a business plan.

Many people dread idea of preparing a business plan. They think of them as complicated, unnecessary documents that exist only to make it more difficult for them to get started as an entrepreneur. They are wrong.

Business plans are necessary because they help you "see" your business. Instead of just talking in abstract ways about your "customer base" and your "profit potential," it lets you put those things in writing and in concrete terms. It forces you to think through every aspect of your business in advance so down road you don't realize you've made a mistake that's cost you your business, your life's savings, and your job.

Besides all of that, they are also important tools for getting other people interested in your business. For one, if you've taken time to create a business plan, others will realize that you are serious about this endeavor and that it isn't just some pie-in-the-sky dream. A business plan also shows people that you are a professional and that you understand what it takes to start and manage a business. This is all extremely important, particularly if you need any type of outside funding, such as loans or investors.

So while bad news may be that you definitely do need a business plan, good news is that they don't have to be complicated. The truth is that your plan only needs to cover seven main areas and none of these areas are going to require you to write a full-length novel. These five sections are executive summary, company overview, business environment, company description, and action plan. All of those sections may sound complex, but most of them won't involve information that you don't already know.

Executive Summary

Even though this section will technically be first in your business plan, you should actually write it last because, just as its name implies, it summarizes entire contents of your business plan. Because many readers never bother to get beyond executive summary, you must make sure that it is comprehensive and well-written.

If that sounds difficult, it isn't. Just make sure to read through your entire business plan before you start writing executive summary. Make a list of information that you think is most important or that would really stand out to a reader, and be sure to include all of it in your summary.

Company Overview