The Secret Sexy Life of Plankton....

   Well, that is my take on the sensation of being a new author on the market. I'm a lonely plankton, floating in the ether of the internet, hoping to somehow get noticed, to be the sexy plankton, a plankton hottie. But most likely I am  "looking for love in all the wrong places..." The world of search engine optimization, and trying to get noticed on here, or Amazon, or anywhere is frankly a little daunting. Probably because I have never "ridden this bike" before.

   In a room of people or one on one, I am ready to rock and roll. That matters not one iota online. The e-world is impervious to charm. It is a world of key words, algorithms and getting the right placement that taps into those same formulas. There are some similarities to "normal" life, but the way to the goal line isn't clear. Frankly, a lot of people say they know the way but I'm not so sure that they really know. Because if they really knew how to stay in a top ranking and maintain visibility, why give the formula away?

   It is like stock trading. The advice is pretty worthless. Because anybody who really knows how to run the market printing press isn't going to tell you. They'll use it to make a few billion, buy an island and say bye-bye. Or in the instance of Buffett, most folks don't have the testicular resolve to sit out the ups and downs of Mr. Market.

  But just like a small kid (or plankton), I have as good a chance as any other plankton. So if I try to be smart, and have a plan that works, and adjust it as I go along, I should end up with a book that more than my immediate circle of family and friends has heard about. Otherwise I may get to do some whale watching.

  From the inside.

  Have a great weekend.

  Best,

  The Sexy Plankton aka Tim Fargo....author of the future bestseller "Alphabet Success"

  ps - available today....for the cost of a Starbucks latte. http://amzn.to/188eQvj

The Drums Have Stopped and the Journey has Begun....

This just in! The moment I have been waiting and working for quite a long time now.

This is the opening sentence of an e-mail I just got from Amazon.com.

"Congratulations, your book "Alphabet Success" is live in the Kindle Store and has been enrolled in KDP Select. It is available* for readers to purchase here. "

The beginning of this book began over ten years ago. I was driving across the Howard Franklin bridge and thought it would be kind of cool to create a book that used the alphabet to convey some simple, yet powerful insights into success. 

After a variety of events, including the sale of a business, the usual personal things that happen, and the distraction of having suddenly had my dream come true, I finally got around to finishing the idea.

Today is the day. 

Needless to say, I am one very very happy guy.

ABC - Always Be Committed. I knew I would finally finish this book, and now it is finally out for the world to see. Will it succeed as a "book"? That is my next application of the principles in the book.

After all, if a guy who promotes success can't get people to buy his book, well, that'd be pretty lame.

But that isn't going to happen...


    Alphabet Success, your personal step-ladder to success.  To buy, click here. 

Success is Not Laying Next to the Road...JKL - Just Keep Looking!

   The title of this post should state the obvious. But often people seem to equate success with having made a left turn onto the proper street. That would have saved me several years of experience.

   Want to get what you want? How hard are you willing to look for it? The road to success, in whatever form it may take for you, generally has a number of potholes and obstacles. If it were a straight smooth road,  the road would be much busier.

   So, what can you do to make ensure your arrival at your destination? Keep moving. Even when you don't feel like it. Keep moving.

   This is the whole point of the chapter "Just Keep Looking".

   A quick example: I wanted to get a US Bank - Club Carlson Premier Card. As a frequent traveler, the card has some significant benefits that I wanted. But alas they refused my application. I then tried calling and making a fuss, speaking to supervisors etc. Still, no change, the answer was NO. In the spirit of my entry, and in keeping with my personality, I opted to contact their Private Banking group.

   Now I do realize, that not everyone is a potential Private Banking client. However, I am, and I know enough of the jargon to essentially get across that if they ever wanted a shot at my business, they might want to reconsider their position on my application.

   Mission accomplished!

   While it might seem like a lot of effort, it wasn't more than a couple hours of total work. By getting the card I qualified for some special privileges that saved me about $3,000 on hotel rooms I'll be staying in over the next couple of months. While I do value my time pretty highly, getting a quick $1,500 a hour seemed reasonable enough as compensation.

   If you want something, you need to be willing to JLK - Just Keep Looking. Bags of money are not going to be laid outside your door for you. You need to have an idea of what you want, when you want it, and how you might get it. But you better be willing to be flexible if you want to succeed. The road is also rarely straight.

   But JLK! Just Keep Looking! You'll get there, if you persevere and are creative.

   Go to it!