Bootstrapper Notes

Attention to Detail

Last Friday we moved our Architectural firm into a new, larger office space.  So today while I was sitting on the phone I noticed a very interesting detail that made me stop and think about taking pride in your job and attention to detail.

I noticed that on my light switch, the screws that hold the cover plate on have the slots oriented perfected straight - up and down.  Then I looked at my outlets, and they were exactly the same way.  So I took a quick walk around the office, and every outlet and switch in the entire office had the screws all oriented exactly the same way - with the slot running vertically.

I find it very fascinating that an electrician - a career many would sadly find beneath them - would take the extra pride in his work to orient every screw in a simple plastic faceplate exactly the same. 

When I get done with this post, I am going to call the General Contractor and get the name of this electrician.  Why?  Because if he pays attention to such small details as the screws - I can almost guarantee you that he gives that much attention to the thousands of other things he installed that you cannot see.  I want him on future projects!

As I further reflected on this item, it reminded me of "The E-myth Revisted" that I recently listened to on my iPod.  There is a section in the book where the author tells a story of a hotel that he stayed in.  Everything was perfect with his visit, so he talked to the manager to figure out how they did it.  If you have read (or listened) to the book you will know that it focuses on systems - and systems that make a business run.  This electrician uses a system, probably his own, but it is a system that he takes pride in.

I really take this a lesson - put all your screws straight, and someone just might notice and send more work your way.

Vacations are Great!

Okay, I am back in town from a fantastic week in the Orlando, FL area.  My Wife and I took our two boys (ages 5 and 7) to Disney for the week.  Needless to say we had a great time, and dropped a load of cash in the process.

I did a bunch of thinking about new site ideas.  I also had the opportunity to meet with my sales rep at my distributors - we had never met face to face.  We had a great visit, and he gave me some new ideas for niche markets that are basically untapped in their product lines.

I logged in a few times and processed some orders, and checked up on email - but tried to do as little business as possible.

Now back to work....

Project X update

Okay, so this site started as a way to document my success or failure in starting a new web site selling just one product, primarily on a subscription basis.

There is no way to sugar coat it, things are slow.  The good news is that the lifetime value of the customer that subscribes is very high!

The bad news is that I simply need way more traffic than I am getting right now.  The site converts, but with only 10-13 visitors per day (some not very targeted), it just takes a long time to convert a sale.

I am not giving up yet, I am still here battling it out, and will continue to do so.  I more than cover my expenses each month, so that is not a problem.

I have started creating content to broaden the reach of the site, but it just takes time for these pages to be picked up by the search engines.

All in all, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here working hard.  The focus of this blog will continue to be on web business - with updates on Project X and affiliate marketing information as well.

You will start seeing more from the old Bootstrapper on a regular basis, but not for a week.  We are taking our first "real" family vacation!  While I will still have to be plugged in for a bit everynight to keep the orders shipping, I will be focused on the kids and having fun.

May Content Site Review

May was a good month for my 2 affiliate content sites - still pocket change, but if you look at the growth rate it is amazing! 

226% growth rate for the month - I made a total of $28.52 from Adsense and Affiliate sales.

I just launched my site about cellulite last week.  The search engine spiders are all over it this week, so hopefully it kicks in some income for June.

I was reading over at a forum about the success of another affiliate building the same type of sites I am building.  She had two sites built and it took about 4 months before they started doing well.  The fifth month they kicked in and she made about $400 for the month of April, and it is still growing as the site matures in the search engines.

So I will just keep building and see what happens in the coming months.