All Kinds of Pottery

Gold Gravy

Gold on the Playground

"If it's work, it won't make you rich." Dan Kennedy

"If it ain't fun, I ain't doin' it." Pat O'Bryan, May, 1996.

"If this seems hard to you, you're doing it wrong." Pat O'Bryan's advice to coaching clients.

At this week's mastermind meeting, the joke was on me. We were talking about the projects I have in progress, and Bill said, "he'll probably have 'em done before sundown."

Joe, Craig, and Nerissa laughed... and I think in a nice way.

I've gotten a reputation as the guy who cranks out dozens of products while others are still talking and planning theirs. It's true. An example: "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Joint-Venture Proposals." I had the idea during dinner, and had it finished, edited, and online before I went to bed.

Due to my long years as a musician, my bed-time is probably different from your bed-time, but I know people who have spent over three years getting their first ebook started.

Here's another good quote: "Money loves speed." Joe Vitale.

We all know that the secret to making a good living from info-product marketing is having multiple streams of income. Yes, John Reese made a million bucks in one day. Yes, gurus like Joe have five and six-figure days. But, for the rest of us, we have to make our money the old fashioned way.

And, there's nothing like a string of base-hits to keep you in the game while you're working on a home-run.

So, what's the secret to creating a product-generating lifestyle?

Fun.

That's the big secret.

Some of my coaching clients have been agonizing over finding their "niche." I think that's a non-problem. I have lots of niches. So do most of my guru friends. I choose my niches based on the amount of fun I think I can have. My niches are my playgrounds, where I go to have fun.

In my case, I create and market audio products for "inner-directed professionals" at www.instantchange.com. I teach dozens of students the basics of info-product creation and marketing through The Your Portable Empire University. I write and co-write ebooks on various subjects.

How do I choose my niches? Strictly based on how much fun I think I'll have.

I've been a musician since I was a small child. I really can't help it. I'm addicted to that magic process, and the moment when I hit "play" in the recording studio and listen to a piece of music that I've written and recorded is payday for me. The fact that I can sell that audio product is just gravy. Mostly.

I love to write. I come from a long line of writers. My father was a professional writer. My dad and two of my uncles were newspaper publishers. I can remember going to bed as a child to the music of my father's typewriter clacking in the next room.

And, that moment when I convert my latest ebook to a PDF and it appears on the screen as a finished, professional product is also magic. It's a way in which we exist in God's image- the act of creation is one of the most spiritual things we, as mere humans, can do. The fact that the income from those ebooks supports my lifestyle is just gravy. Mostly.

I love coaching. It may be the "big brother" in me, although, looking back, I was a pretty rotten big brother. It may also be a genetic predisposition. Both of my siblings, several of my cousins, and at least two aunts and one uncle are all educational professionals. It runs in the family.

I could never operate in the public school environment- my mind processes public schools as prisons. I'm eternally grateful that my son was comfortable in charter schools, and is now out of school. From the design of the buildings to the attitude of the administration, I found lots to rebel against in the public school environment. No fun there for me.

But, I do love to teach. I especially love to teach students who love to learn. My students must love to learn- I charge them for it, and I'm a pretty tough teacher. By focusing on fun, I've created a teaching environment that pays much better than teaching in the public schools. Just gravy. Sort of.

(I'm about to make a startling confession.)

I'm also addicted to the thrill of watching invoices slam my inbox.

There. I've admitted it.

I do love the process of creating. But, I also love the thrill of the hunt. Creating something and then finding that it resonates with others- enough so that they will part with their hard-earned cash to purchase it- is akin to the feeling that some bow hunters must feel after they've spent hours or days tracking an elusive elk, and subdued it.

It's fun.

It's especially fun when it happens fast. Those times when I've gone from concept to cash in a day or so- when the rush is on, and I'm focused and in the zone- are times I relish. It's when I'm at my best.

There are those who choose their projects based on time-intensive research and planning. Scouring google and overture to find out what the hot search subjects are and then creating products based on their research.

I don't think I could get passionate about a subject that way, although I do research my own way. I hang out on forums- usually at The Your Portable Empire University,- and see what questions are being asked. Those questions represent a problem that somebody is having. I love to solve problems. I just hang out and see which problems resonate with me. What solution would be fun to come up with?

I love the puzzles that the info-marketing game presents. I have a saying, "every problem is a product." That's how the whole "Absolute Beginner's Guide..." series got started. I figured that if I was having trouble with something, others would be, too. I was right. A niche was born, and now I'm the author of a series of books on solutions for "Absolute Beginners" and a recognized expert in the field.

It's pretty amazing what you can accomplish if you focus on fun.

My next project sounds like a lot of fun to me. I'm going to explore video, and the ways it can be utilized to solve problems. I'm able to visualize several applications, from straight-ahead educational videos to psychological conditioning training.

I stumbled on this niche totally by accident. I just thought it might be fun to have a video camera. It is. Now, I'm looking for fun ways to monetize it by solving problems.

So- what's this got to do with internet marketing, and more importantly- what's this got to do with you?

If you're wondering how to create your own online empire, let me tell you the secret. Look at all the possibilities. Imagine what you would do if you had no fear, and no limitations. Then, holding those options in your mind, let yourself feel each one- and find the ones that feel like fun.

That's where you want to play. That's you're playground. And, proving once again that the universe is a wonderful, magical, holodeck of a place, that's where you'll find your success.

About the Author

Pat O'Bryan is the CEO of Practical Metaphysics, Inc., Director of the Milagro Research Institute, an award winning songwriter, recording artist, visual artist, author, video producer and internet marketer. He is the host and promoter of the "Your Portable Empire" Un-Seminars.

Work at home, or from anywhere - http://www.patobryan.com