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Monday, 07 July 2008

Inspiration for Writers

I love writing for the web and sharing my tips with other people. I gain lots of inspiration by looking around the Internet and seeing what I find. I also get lots of tips from fellow tipzters at Tipzu!

For example, I recently read some tips from a professional artist: Creative Process by Carol Ann Howell.

She says:
The creative process needs input. We must make something out of nothing. We have an empty page, an empty space, and we must take something of ourselves to birth a new entity. That takes a lot of ego-strength. We need someone to cheer us on when we run out of steam. Read more >

Everyone has a different creative process but I find it very useful to read about each artist's ideas.

Til next time,
Chad

Monday, 09 June 2008

COOL TIPZINES

As the founder of Tipzu (and an active tip-writer myself), I see the Internet as a multifaceted place, where people can give and get information, do business, build community, and, of course, have fun. In our first year in operation, we've worked with some very talented and interesting folks who have written great tipzines.

Thinking about starting a tipzine yourself? Or just like reading advice? Check out our tipzters:

Meditation Tips
"Everything you are seeking is within"
A smart and savvy collection of meditation tips and blog by Los Angeles spiritual guru.

Old Time Music
News and information about classic country and bluegrass music from the President of the National Traditional Country Music Association.

Envision the Best You
A friendly, accessible, and optimistic site about self-transformation.

Curls of Sunshine - Crochet Tips
Folks who relax through crochet and knitting will find free patterns and great links on this crochet tipzine.

Creative Inspirations for the Inner Artist"Spark that creative fuse!"
A South Carolina based artist and teacher shares creativity tips on her blog!

Drink Recipes
Want to impress your friends with professional style cocktails? Cocktail lovers will find lots of recipes, presented by a professional New York bartender.

Saturday, 07 June 2008

How to Choose a Theme for your Blog or Tipzine

As an entrepreneur, I believe that passion is at the heart of every great business venture. As the founder of Tipzu, I've gotten to meet at lot of talented writers and hobbyists who have been able to create money-earning businesses by talking about their passion (If you haven't heard of Tipzu, check it out: Go to Tipzu!)

The first question to ask yourself is, "What am I passionate about?" Make a list of everything that comes to mind. Next, narrow it down to topics you feel comfortable writing about. Finally, you need to choose the one with the largest potential market.

If your idea is snail collecting, you can have a slightly profitable enterprise but there is a limited amount you can make because there just aren't that many snail-collectors.

The best Tipzines have potential readers of many millions, and while you can make do with fewer, remember that the larger the audience the more profit you'll earn. Here are some great tips ideas, because they could be read by millions:

Babies
Dogs
Running
France-Travel
Diet
Chinese-Cooking
Coin-Collecting

On the other hand, poor ideas are those that don't have a sizable audience:

Camel-Riding
Coconut-Collecting
Latvia-Travel
Tribeca-Real-Estate

The rule of thumb - aim for something with at least 1 million potential worldwide readers.

Another key to success is whether you can sell a product to your subscribers. This is discussed at length in Chapter 9, but for now, keep in mind that good site ideas are those for which there are many related products.

Your products will come either from Tipzu partners or from boutique manufacturers you have contacted. (It's unlikely that Proctor and Gamble or IBM will give you the 40-50% discount that you will need.) Ideal products are consumables (things that you buy more than once -- perfume, soap, jam, oft-updated e-books, wine, etc.).

Here are some examples of things you could sell:

Babies: custom cribs, handmade toys, unique clothes.
Dogs: organic dog food, sweaters, jewelry.
Running: pedometers, packs, books.
France-Travel: maps, guides, travel accessories.
Diet: energy bars, e-books, recipes.
Chinese-Cooking: woks, accessories, rare ingredients.
Coin-Collecting: coin holders, coins, display cases.

Still need some help getting started? Here is Pro Blogger's Principles of Choosing a Profitable Blog Topics or Performancing's Tips for choosing a niche blog topic.

Can't get enough?... check out my Squidoo site about choosing a topic for a blog or tipzine.

Til next time, happy tip-digging.
Chad

Wednesday, 04 June 2008

Why did I start Tipzu? Will it really work?

Since I founded Tipzu, many people have asked me: how do you know Tipzu will work? Can I really make money from a web page?

I founded Tipzu to help other people turn their hobbies and passions into a job. I know from experience that Tipzu works.

First, a little background:

My father is a marketing expert and about ten years ago he developed a system to make a profitable online business. The basic idea was to provide free, valuable advice through a website and newsletter, and offer products at the same time. His site was focused on providing marketing tips.

In 1999 he tried to convince me and my two brothers (along with his wife Maria) to start our own online businesses. I was skeptical. I thought it might work for his site, but I ran a theater company. What would I provide? What would I sell?

We all thought we lacked marketable expertise and experience in building websites. However, as we watched my father's business grow while he seemed to be working less and less, we succumbed to the temptation and started our own newsletters.

Today, everyone in my family has a profitable online business that garners top Google rankings. Check them out!

Joseph Gracia: GiveToGetMarketing
(1st in Google out of 89,000,000 sites for "free marketing tips," 4th for "marketing tips")
Maria Gracia:
GetOrganizedNow (1st in Google out of 69,000,000 sites for "free organizing tips," 2nd for "organizing tips")
Chad Gracia:ActorTips (1st in Google out of 14,000,000 sites for "acting tips")
Scott Gracia: Throwzini (1st in Google out of 865,000 sites for "knife throwing tips")
Jason Gracia: Motivation123 (1st in Google out of 4,670,000 sites for "motivation tips")

We all make a decent living from these sites, none of us have office jobs, have to set an alarm clock, or report to anyone but our many customers. (Well, I've now outsourced customer service so I don't even have to do that!)

As you see, almost any idea can make a successful "Tipzine" if you follow our tips (check out the Tipzu Cookbook). Yes, you do have to have a passion, yes you do have to put in time (especially in the beginning) to write your articles and promote your site. But I believe it is well worth it.

Friday, 30 May 2008

What is Tipzu? And what is a tipzine?

Tipzu is a free web platform that helps you turn your passion into an online business. If you have a hobby or an interest that you can write about, you can start an income generating Tipzu site, or a "Tipzine." Your Tipzine is a website where people can hang out, exchange ideas, get information about your topic, and shop at your store. They can also subscribe to your free newsletter, which provides the main source of visitors to your store (as well as advertising income).

Tipzu handles everything. You just cut and paste your blogs into simple webforms. We take care of every other step in the process of creating a profitable online site.

You get to write about what you love and promote your site to the world (don't worry, we'll show you how). Tipzu provides a how-to guide (the "Cookbook"), web hosting, design, newsletter, store, advertising, customer service, credit card processing and all the technical support you'll need.

Want to know more? Check out our web page (http://www.tipzu.com/) or wait for my next blog!