Like I said in the last post Mat and I are preparing to speak next week at the eTourism Summit so not a lot of SEO posts this week. I wanted to tap into some of the very successful business people that I know and do some interviews from time to time. Below is an interview with Bill Zanker from Learning Annex. The owner of the largest and most successful Large Scale Education Company on the planet.

Me: What gave you the idea to start Learning Annex?
Bill Zanker: I was a professional student and my father took me to lunch and said “You need to get a job. I won’t support you anymore.” So I took $5,000 dollars of my bar mitzvah money and started The Learning Annex. My girlfriend at the time was a pottery teacher and she convinced me to expand the curriculum so that’s how it started.

Me: What was the key ingredient to its success?
Bill Zanker: Listening to what the public wants to learn and getting the best to teach them.

Me: Was it your Goal to go after the Big Brand Names from the start?
Bill Zanker: It was always my goal to get the best instructors in every field to teach. So yes, big names and celebrities were always on my list to get.

Me: What is your Goal for the Future of Learning Annex?
Bill Zanker: It’s my goal to take the Learning Annex to the billion dollar level through other streams of learning both online and on television. It’s really an exciting time for The Learning Annex.

Me: What advice have you learned that can help any business?
Bill Zanker: One of the most important pieces of advice that I have learned is to listen to your customers. They will be able to tell you how your business is doing and what direction you need to go in.

Me: How do you define Success?
Bill Zanker:Seeing how proud my kids are of me.

Me: The Purpose of the new book?
Bill Zanker: Think Big and Kick Ass is a book I wrote with my business hero, Donald Trump. He taught me to think big and he teaches my students at my Wealth Expos the same thing. I convinced him to write his message down and I contribute by being the living embodiment that his strategies work. It’s been a great collaboration and a great success.

Me: Any other words of wisdom?
Bill Zanker: Have a great passion in everything you do and it will be the most fun and rewarding life you can have.

You can go here to find more info on Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

So I brought my family down to Vegas last week because nearly all of my wife’s family lives there and they have kids the same age as my twins and it is always easier on her to hold down the fort when I leave on Biz. I left super early this morning to catch a flight on Alaska airlines to Seattle it would of got me to the conference just in time, but I was 3 minutes late when I missed the 7 am flight.

That airport is one of the poorest run airports I have ever seen, I’m sure all airports seem that way when everything goes to pot, but it was bad. I arrived on time but because of how understaffed that place is I waited in line forever. Once I made it to the check in counter I was 3 minutes later than the 45 min cut off that Alaska has on all their flights. Basically you have to check in within 45 minutes or you lose your ticket on that flight. I begged and plead with the lady, but she was just as stressed as I was since that place is so crazy and I am sure she had been there since 4:30 this morning.

She put me on standby on the 9 AM flight and then booked me on the 11 just in-case. I have been on standby before I missed a flight once with Mat coming back from a conference we did in Hawaii and standby was no problem. Today was a different story as Alaska had over sold all of their Seattle Flights. There were 3 people that had been sold seats when there were no seats to sell. There were about 9 of us desperate travelers all pitching our story to the check in counter trying to convince them we were more deserving of the standby spot if one became available. One never opened and we all waited for the 11. At this time Mat had already arrived in Seattle from AZ and was giving me the play by play at SMX. He said Rand mentioned one of our clients in a session, that was pretty cool, good exposure for the client especially if it gets linked to and blogged from all the SMX recap posts going out right now.

1 0:30 comes around and everyone is tapping their feet dying to get on the plane and the guy gets on the loud speaker and says there is a little piece broken on the plane that has to do with the fuel regulator and that it won’t be a moment until it is fixed. 2 hours later they say they have to order a part from Seattle and fly it here in Vegas then use it to fix the plane. Meanwhile I have seen 3 planes leave in front of me all one way to Seattle and all over booked with no standby’s.

They keep egging us on saying one more hour, one more hour, well 13 hours later I am back at my brother in laws house in Henderson getting ready to leave in the morning. They never fixed the flight and all flights even on other airlines were totally booked. So I missed the entire first day of SMX.

The crazy thing of it all was how peoples true colors come out in a situation like that, these two guys that where super huge, hung over and tatted out ended up being some of the most relaxed and laid back in the group, whereas the touristy 40 somethings wearing mom jeans were the ones swearing and yelling and confronting everyone. There was one lady in her mid thirties super manly and buff, she faked a panic attack to try and get on a flight. No joke, she told the two guys with her that she was going to go up and fake a panic attack to try and get service, and she did. It was super awkward and totally idiotic. I can’t believe how desperate people get in certain situations, I was stoked to have 12 hours of uninterrupted work, with no pone calls, 4 hours of newly ripped music on my Treo and Tony Hawk Down Hill on my DS.

Anyways stuff like this sucks but it shouldn’t ruin your day or your week, there is too much to do and get done to let this stupid stuff get in the way.

One thing for sure is if I ran my business as poorly as LAS airport it would of never got off the ground.

Look forward to seeing you are SMX (for a day).

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

On April 5th, 2007 Dan Eastman a member of the Utah State Senate announced on the Utah Senate Blog that legislation past a new bill he is calling, “The Next Generation in Identity Theft.”

To sum it up it is now illegal to bid on keywords via Adwords or other Keyword Sellers that are either trademarked company names, product names, and it seems even domain names, as well as anything seen as confusing similar brands or products the searcher.

“We passed a bill this session that would protect the value of trademarks held by Utah companies. People who own a trademark or hope to own one will love this new law. People who want to carjack someone else’s trademark will hate it.

Electronic trademarks are protected around the globe, just not in the U.S. or Canada. There seem to be few applicable laws with teeth. Trademark violations on the internet are rampant. In some cases people invest millions on their trademark, only to have their customers’ on-line word searches shanghaied by a pirate who bought off the search engines.”

There are three sites discussing this better than I can with the proper legal rebuttals found here:

Utah Bans Keyword Advertising

A Bad Idea From Utah: A Ban on Comparative Advertising

Utah Ban on Trademarked Keywords Rankles Groups

Utah has quickly become a great place to do business in the last couple of years, the summers here are awesome, and the snow boarding is unparraled, but this latest chivalry by the Utah Senate reminds me I am glad to be a Californian.

It’s pretty Utarded if you ask me (I couldn’t resist Im sorry), this is about as lame as having a blogging code of conduct. or suing someone for linking to them. It is all chipping away at the raw nature of the internet and is definately in favor of large companies.

I guess I will be getting more business for ranking companies for their competitor’s names organically

**Update: Forbes has written about it, andClick Z did some good research.

There are rumors about some companies dipping in the pockets of some State Reps. Also

In the Forbes Article they say that Utah likened it to “You get right to the front door and somebody whisks you away to a different store.” That is one of the worst analogies I have ever heard, when doing a search in Google you have to choose to click on the ads, they don’t force you. You see neighboring stores next to each other at a mall and then choose which one to go in.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

It has been said that one of the best qualities of US corporation law, is its federalist organization. A firm may choose its state of incorporation, a domicile that is independent of its actual physical presence, and one that can be changed at any time with shareholder approval. The corporation codes in each state contain the standard provisions for corporate governance and function as default provisions in corporate charters. The firm therefore can tailor their corporate charters to fit their needs more precisely under the state code. Just as important to them, firms may also look for a state whose corporation law best matches their needs. (more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

In Dec. 06 I was telling just about everyone I knew in search and out of search that there was something in the air for business in 07. It seemed everyone I talked to in and out of the Internet was preparing to ramp up and dominate in the new year. We were no exception, every year I get excited for the next because I know as time goes on more and more companies will see the necessity to invest serious money in online marketing and branding. It seems 2007 is living up to it’s expectations. (more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

I think a good lesson can be learned from the people that are visiting your website and the questions they ask (that’s a given) but I think a lot of people miss out on the obvious opportunities, and just get to “comfortable”. You can get awesome feedback and ideas, but if you never do anything with that feedback and keep your site “stale” and “same ole, same ole” then its done nothing for you.

I have a perfect example of this with a site I own an operate and want to share everyone. (more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

I was thinking about some really great conversations I have had lately with a good friend about monetizing website traffic, and the power of the “individual browser”.

Right off the bat I am going to ask for feedback on this because I want to hear all sides. Depending on the industry you are in, when it comes to making money with ads, affiliate banners, etc.. the “individual browser” is what matters the most. If you are in an industry where you are providing information to only “affiliate managers” there is a good chance that not many of them are actually going to click on your affiliate ads on your site (since most know exactly where they are and what they look like).

What do you do in a situation like this? What do you do when you have a topic that is a great niche, and you are getting a crazy amount of traffic every single day but hardly making a cent because users of your site are aware of all the money making methods you are using?

I say it will pay off in the long run. If you can be patient and keep building up domain authority, page rank and back links then eventually you will be able to sell text links, and have valuable “real estate” space on your site (so to speak). People will come to you and pay good money (some text links I have see have been up to 700$/month, and I know some go higher) to get their site more traffic and more visibility within the search engines.

Enjoy the traffic you are getting and don’t knock the sources where its coming from. You are building a brand for yourself and in time will be a huge money maker. It all comes back to “authority” online and if you are building your site as an “authority site” it can only mean long term success in my opinion.

Thoughts?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

Ok, Firefox just froze up on me and I lost this amazing post I just did on this topic. So lets hope round 2 I am as “passionate ” about hating passions as much!

Dealing with the new internet business owners I do on a daily basis has got me thinking about the phrase that you hear most often with internet businesses, and home based business owners - “Find your passion.”

I am not trying to ruffle any feathers, but I am here to say that this phrase is a load of crap. I have even caught myself in the past using the verbage, but have not in a long time, nor will ever again! I have several reasons why, but I think the most are so obvious that it pains me to even bring them up.

1. Do not get into ANY business (let alone internet based business) if you do not know (or atleast have a little clue) what you want your business to be about.
2. Do not get into internet business (or again ANY business) if you are relying on someone else to find a niche, or passion for you!
3. Do not get into any kind of business venture without really knowing what you are undertaking when it comes to starting a business from the ground up - especially if you don’t have a clue what your business is going to be about!

Alot of times people jump the gun to quick and think that a miracle person, or a niche will fall from the sky all of a sudden. It does not work that way.

I am the best example when it comes to this. I have a site selling memory foam mattresses. When it comes to mattresses, I did not wake up one morning and say; “I am so passionate about this mattress I sleep on that I want to get into business selling them!” The only thing I really do care about mattresses is if they hurt my back when I get up in the morning or not! But here is the point of this post, I am passionate about making money. I started to sell mattresses because I found out that it was a really good market, plus I had access to a supplier that was basically giving away the mattresses to me. So the light went off! SELL MATTRESS = MAKE GOOD MONEY. That was my passion, but I never would have even thought about starting up a business without all those elements in place already.

I guess what I am trying to say here is, if you are involved in internet business and have no clue why. First ask yourself if that is a good idea in the first place, and then if you still want to be in business online start thinking about passions in a new way. Think about being passionate about making money online. Like I said I could care less about mattresses, but when it comes to them making me money… I have no bigger passion!

Think clearly about what you are doing with your business ideas and if you should really even be thinking about starting a business with no product or ideas. Once you get past that then start thinking about the money a certain product could potentially make you and start being passionate about that!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

What is AGLOCO? It is a powerful website created by John Chow, one of the dot com boom pioneers, and its designed to give back to the users, and simply put in 3 words - Own The Internet!

Right now when internet browsing for research, shopping, work, blogging or whatever you may be using the internet for you are probably making other people money by clicking on ads, viewing websites, filling out lead forms etc. What AGLOCO was designed for was to eliminate that and reverse the role where you get paid for the searching, surfiing, researching or whatever else it is you do online!

This program is completly free, and there is never any personal information shared, or no obligation. I really can’t do it justice talking about it on this post, so I would encourage you to visit AGLOCO today and sign up (remember its free) and start making money for what you already are doing online!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers

Most of the time I catch myself telling my clients, “You need to do a better job finding a niche” but what really does that mean? Also, do they really understand what I am telling them. Lately I have not felt like most have been getting it.

Let me explain. Here is an example of what a client would tell me if they have not researched out a niche:

“I want to sell electronics on my website.”

Compare that with:

“Through proper keyword research and analysis (based on numbers from the search engines) I have decided to sell underwater digital cameras and accessories that go along with them.”

See the difference?

They are both wanting to sell electronics, but one has a specific audience and market and the other is going up against best buy and other major electronic stores (and shooting themselves in the foot) before they even begin. Another common question I get is: “Why would I just want to sell one product?” If you are selling underwater digital cameras instead of “electronics” you are not just going to be selling ONE product. You have all the different brands, accessories and underwater goods that go along. I am not saying just sell ONE type of underwater digital camera on your site. There is a big difference.

Most of the time when working with brand new clients it takes a while to understand the concept of a good niche. There is alot of misleading software out there as well that lead you away from really good niches. I say through proper keyword research and analysis - based on numbers that people are searching for (any keyword selector tool) as well as how many websites you are going up against (example in Google type: allintitle:keyword in the Google search) this is really the only “software” or tool you need….and common sense I guess. That is where the biggest problem comes I figure!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow Chris Bennett on Twitter and make sure you check out our free analytics product BLVD Status and Social Media for FireFox Which is used by more than 500,000 marketers