Nathan Hangen

How to Mix Business with Pleasure

I remember when I first started building websites for profit and to be honest I didn’t really have any idea what I was doing. I was reading all the guru hype and thought that if I could just build a cool website, people would come and give me their money. Boy was I wrong! I was not only going after niches that aren’t very profitable, but I was also spending too much time trying to be the next MySpace or Facebook. I wanted to be a one hit wonder so I could retire to the beach and sip margaritas for the rest of my days.

Needless to say, things didn’t go according to plan. It wasn’t long until I realized that running a business was tough! I have a lot of things I am passionate about, but for some reason I just couldn’t connect the two together. I either had too much fun and didn’t make any money, or I chased after the profits and got very little enjoyment out of it.

I knew that it was possible to make a living doing what you love, but I was desperately trying to figure out how to get over that mountain. What I realized was not that I was going after the wrong niches, but I was simply going about it all wrong.

Saturday Project Update – This is Big

Where did August go exactly? I remember what seems like yesterday, thinking that I had a lot to accomplish this month. Next thing you know I’m looking at September 1st and a year on the brink of extinction. The bad news is that the good times go fast…the good news is that so do the bad!

Anyway, this month I’ve told you about a few of my new projects underway, including Facebook Rockstar, The Webrepreneur’s Guide to Social Media, and The Webrepreneur’s Guide to Twitter. I also mentioned something about the launch of the Webrepreneur Community, which has finally happened (only 3 months late)!

Now that the summer is winding down, I’m working hard to finalize the few projects that are supposed to launch soon, while continuing my reign of terror on Twitip and now Copyblogger.
Now – The Big Stuff

Be a Vanguard

The web is full of people trying to get something for nothing. Between the spammers, shady marketers, and people that just don’t know what they are doing wrong, the social web is a breeding ground for bad ideas and misleading directives. I’d like to believe that those of us that mean well need to serve as vanguards of what is truly good so that we can do our best to reclaim that which has been lost.

People need inspiration and even those of us that try to inspire have a down moment from time to time. When I’m struggling, I need you to pick me up and when you are struggling, you rely on me to do the same. Chris Brogan poised an interesting question on Twitter tonight that asked “how are you using the human web for your needs,” and my reply was that I serve when I can and share when I can’t. I think that sums up for me what my mission is online. I only try to make as much money as I need, not because I don’t want to make money, but because the money only serves to help me fulfill my desire to live the life of my dreams.

I’d ask you what your goals are and if you are really working towards them or if you’ve got caught in the trap of survival. When we get sidetracked by survival, such as by money or fame, then we lose track of where we were going in the first place. Our content starts to change and we start pushing people away rather than attracting them towards our cause.

I’m certainly not perfect, but I try. I rely on you to tell me when I am letting you down. I rely on you to be a vanguard of all that is important in life and on the web. You owe it to yourself to be true to your cause…don’t be distracted and don’t let yourself get put off course. We need people like you to be happy and live the life of your dreams. It inspires us and proves that it is possible.

The King of Content

Content Is King, But It’s Not What You Think

We’ve all heard the adage that content is king, but usually that refers to the content in a blog post, eBook, or another form of web content. However, I’d like to propose that within that meme, there is a king of kings when it comes to content and it probably isn’t what you think.

Before we get started though, I want to share a story about what inspired this post. You see, I lost a friend recently to a longtime battle with lung disease. He was a good man and although I’m sad he passed, his life taught me so much more than his death. However, what really hit home for me was when I was on Twitter asking for a moment of silence and I was flooded with responses from people I’d never talked to before. At that point I realized that what makes social media so wonderful, is that if you take away the spammers and bots, you end up with a community that embraces each other…often without asking for anything in return.
The Power of Social Networking

At that moment, none of us were trying to make money or launch a product, we were simply trying to pay our respects to a lost friend of mine. I didn’t want anything but to just hang out and talk with people to share my respect for this man. Incredibly, and what is really cool, is that these people I’d never met before were sending me replies and DM’s as if we’d known each other for years. Such is the power of social networking, particularly Twitter.
What’s Your Agenda?

Now, let’s get back to the king of content. You see, when it comes to content, I believe there are 2 types: content that has a hidden agenda, and content that seeks nothing but to be shared. In my opinion, the latter of the two is by far the most powerful and important. You might say as a rebuttal that all of your content falls in to the 2nd category, but let me ask you…are you sure?

Look, I’m not trying to claim sainthood and say that no one should sell anything, but I am saying that your intentions should always be clear and good hearted. If you want to sell something, make sure it benefits people and that you believe, without a doubt, that it does. Don’t try to trick people into clicking your link or buying your product if you aren’t relying on transparency and there is not congruency in your message.

I’m tired of meeting people and getting to know them only to find out that they are not what they seem. Let’s face it, that’s easy to do online. The way I see it is this: If you are trying to build a long-term relationship with people online as a brand or business, then you need to be able to look them in the eye and level with them. You need to be comfortable sharing information with no hidden purpose or agenda other than to enrich other people’s lives. You need to be the best at what you do.

I don’t expect your business to become a charity, but I believe there are times to focus on profit and times not to. Don’t be afraid to share your secrets and don’t cling to everything you know like it is your last dollar. I’m betting that a lot of what you know was inherited from others and rather than trying to squeeze a dollar out of someone, why not help them earn one first. Life is too short to worry about money all the time and I’m a firm believer that if you do what you love and help others do the same, then you are already wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.

Saturday Project Update

In today’s Saturday project update, rather than share information about my projects, I want to share some cool projects from other game changers I’ve met online. These guys and gals all create great products and have some very cool things happening for them right now. In my opinion, if you are going to learn how to create a business online, you need to treat it like an education. That means learning from as many professors as you can.

This list is certainly not all-inclusive, so if you think I missed someone’s cool project, let me know by submitting a comment.

1. Brian Clark – Teaching Sells. I admit that I haven’t bought into Teaching Sells yet, but that’s only because I missed the first launch. The good news is that Brian and crew are getting ready to launch a winter session to give a 2nd chance to those that missed out the first time. Starting Monday the 24th, they will be sending out some very cool free info to people that sign up. I’m looking forward to it.
2. Chris Guillebeau – The Unconvetional Guide to the Social Media Web. Chris is a great guy and his Art of Non-Conformity Project is one of the coolest things happening online. If you don’t want his guide, do yourself a favor and read his blog and watch him try to visit every country in the world (he’s well past 100 now). Talk about being remarkable, Chris is a true game changer.
3. Mike CJ – Mike’s Life. I met Mike recently via Twitter and I could instantly tell that this guy was a game changer. He’s published a very cool book about his life in Lanzarote and is constantly creating wonderful content on his blog. As much as I try to keep up with his ability to crank out great eBooks and blog posts, I’ve realized that I am no match for his energy and passion.
4. Jim Mahan – Let’s Get Training. I met Jim while I was deployed to Afghanistan after he bought my Twitter Rockstar course. We continued to talk via email and he told me about his combatives project. He’s also a veteran and is working hard to follow his dreams and passion. I’m cheering for this guy and if you live nearby, check out one of his great workshops.

These are just a few of the cool people I’ve met online and I promise to feature more of them as often as I can. If you aren’t on this list and want to be, use the comments form to tell me about your project. You can also send me an email at nathan at nathanhangen dot com.

Keep changing the game and don’t let anyone stop you.