Merri and I are about to introduce a new series of flowers… proteas… pink eyes… and pin cushions from the first proteas farm in Ecuador. These Ecuador flowers are beautiful and really long lasting (some last up to 45 days in a vase).
Here is a bouquet of proteas on our condo balcony overlooking Cotacachi.
This message, however is not about Ecuador proteas, but about earning freedom and the amazing way that technology and nature can come together to provide richness and abundance… if we will just follow the lead.
Merri and I can offer Ecuador flowers wherever we are… at our North Carolina farm, our Florida home…. our Cotacachi condo or our Ecuador Pacific penthouse.
Had you suggested, a couple of years ago, that we would ever be in the flower business, I would have laughed.
Yet here we are… selling tens of thousands of Ecuador flowers.
This is because we show up for work every day… we watch where conditions lead us, and we embrace technology.
Fifteen years ago… we were tied to printing… paper and publishing. It was hard to live without special types of printers and post offices that could handle bulk mail.
Then along came the internet and this electronic wonder set us free.
Because of this we are helping our readers learn how to use the internet in two ways.
First we offer a course “Tangled Web – How to Have Your Own Internet Business“.
This course shows how to create an internet business just like ours.
The second way we help our readers to gain earning freedom is with a free course written by Michelle Toole on how to build your own website.
Michelle recently sent this note:
Hi Gary, I was so impressed with the changes you made to your website that I wrote this month’s article focusing on the importance of a web site’s “look and feel.” I think the changes you made to both your website and newsletter are fantastic. Your site is easier to navigate and is much more pleasing to the eye.
I also like the bit of technology you added to your home page; it is inviting without being overwhelming. I would be curious to hear the impact your changes have on your bottom line. For instance, are your visitors staying longer on your site? Have your page views increased? Are you seeing an increase in newsletter signup? And, of course, are you seeing an increase in revenue?
After seeing the new look of your website I realize it is certainly time for me to take a long hard look at my site to determine areas that could use some tweaking. Although I think “look and feel” will probably be last on a long list of steps that I can take to improve my bottom line. Right now I am getting over 2000 unique visitors each day and will consider a “look and feel” redesign when I reach 3500 visitors each day. I think for now my time is better invested in revamping my sales pages, tightening up the content on my home page, adding more original content, and creating additional joint ventures. As always thanks for your on-going support and enthusiasm. Much love to both you and Merri, Michelle
One frequent question I receive from those interested in living abroad and keeping up with the times is “How can I continue to earn income?”
One answer is… “with an internet business.”
This is why we share a free course from Michelle Toole who, after attending our self publishing seminar and Ecuador tour started and built her first web success and has started a second. She shares many lessons such as the one below.
Is Your Web Site in Need of a Makeover?
By Michelle Toole
I thought it timely to discuss the issue of web site design or the “look and feel” of a web site considering Gary’s resent face-lift. How important are “looks” to a web sites overall success?
You may be surprised, but while in the off-line world “looks” is a debatable topic, in the on-line world it doesn’t count for much! Not the answer you expected? Well, let me clarify…
The real driving force of any successful web site is CONTENT! Yup, I am going to say it again AND AGAIN, on-line the most powerful tool is “CONTENT.” CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT! Content drives traffic, sales, and visitor loyalty. The look of your site plays a very small part in making a successful web site. Don’t get me wrong it certainly has its place, but it is not where your focus should be when first starting your on-line business.
If you are just starting out your initial site design should exude professionalism without too much flair. Your focus should be on ease of navigation and content.
So, the question is, if you have an existing web site how do you know when is it time for a redesign? That certainly is an important question and one that requires some thought before jumping into it.
But, before I answer that question, it is best to know when it is NOT the time for a redesign. If your website is not getting enough traffic to generate any type of profit NOW is definitely not the time for a redesign. Your focus should be on building content, sales and visitor loyalty. But if you already have a loyal audience and a good amount of traffic, it is likely time to give your site a thorough checkup to determine if changing the look and feel of your site could benefit your bottom line. And this is where a good clean up can make a significant difference.
The first and most important thing to consider is to make sure you have a good reason to change the look of your existing site. Regular visitors, for the most part don’t like huge change and the last thing you want to do is to upset the visitor loyalty you have worked so hard to develop. Over the years, your readers have learned to maneuver through your site, problems and all, and if you make too many changes, you may lose more of your loyal readers than you gain in new visitors. But don’t let that stop you from redesigning a site that desperately needs an update. If your site is dated, has poor navigation or your readers have difficulty finding your products, it is definitely time for an update. Your regular visitors will likely thank you.
The second thing to consider is that redesigning a website does not mean you have to do a total overhaul. A redesign can be as simple as changing background colors, moving navigation buttons or adding a bit of video to your home page. Of course, you could go for the complete overhaul but you might be surprised how a little goes a long way. Not to mention there are many other techniques to consider, such as editing your copy that are not structural that could affect your sales much more dramatically. Consider all the angles before embarking on your remodel, at times even a little change in your headlines or font can have a significant impact.
And, finally, don’t forget that when you’re itching to get started, it’s easy to overlook the most obvious step in the redesign process, planning. Take the time to fully assess your web site, from reviewing your copy, headlines, call to action lines and site navigation to your color scheme. Take the time to acknowledge what is working and identify what is not; this step alone could save you lots of time and potentially lost revenue.
Here are some things to consider before you give your site a makeover:
1) Is your site’s color scheme or layout dated?
Did you build your site 5 years ago, thinking wow that looks great but now you look around and feel like you’re not quite dressed appropriately for the party? Well it is likely that your color scheme needs a bit of updating. The use of too many color families is a tell-tale sign of an amateur. We amateurs love to snazz it up! But it distracts the visitor and “feels amateurish.” So pick two to three complimentary colors.
Also something else to consider is the overall width of your site. Are your readers having to scroll left and right to read all your information? It is not always possible to create a layout that will view well on all monitors or browsers but your goal should be to create as universal a site as possible. Trust me, your readers will appreciate the change.
2) Is your site navigation confusing?
As websites grow, so do your navigation links. Your site may have started with only a few web pages and now you realize you have so many links that it’s hard for visitors to navigate through all your content. An overgrown or scattered link structure is a sure fire way to lose your visitors.
3) Does your site function properly?
One of the fastest ways to lose a visitor is to have a slow loading site. If this is your site’s problem, you may have some code issues that need to be addressed. This is also the time to check your site for broken links. Any link your visitors can click on should take them exactly where it says it will. Don’t mess this up, this is one sure way of driving people away!
4) Does your site take payments effectively?
If your buyers have to click through more than three screens to make a purchase, you’ll end up losing about 25% of them with every additional click they have to make to purchase your product. Yikes, not the kind of statistics you were hoping for if this is your situation; make sure that you stream line your payment process as well as product catalog to eliminate the additional pages.
This is the time to also make sure that your product catalog is easily accessible from all pages as well as providing crystal clear instructions on how to purchase each product.
5) Does your site keep people coming back for more?
Web site “stickiness” is an important factor to consider when analyzing and building your site redesign plan. Stickiness refers to the length of time your visitor spends on your site as well as whether or not that visitor returns. Lots of things come into play when trying to improve your site’s stickiness; for instance, you could be losing a lot of visitors because of your site’s look or because your visitor could not locate the information they were looking for fast enough. Having a modern, simple design with a clear navigation system and access to quality content will improve your overall stickiness. Using video or encouraging your visitor to engage your site through posts or contests will also improve the length of time your visitor spends on your site.
6) Are your pages ranking well with the search engines?
When building a website you have to consider both your reader and the search engines. Makes sure that all of your pages are properly optimized to increase your rankings, which will ultimately increase your traffic, and we all know what that means!
The above are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before beginning any website redesign. The ultimate goal of your Web site is to get the monetizing click. Your content and style give visitors a confident feeling that you are indeed an authority on the theme that your site has chosen. A great look and feel sets a positive, receptive mindset. It won’t make the sale, but it does set the stage to lead to that most wanted response, the sale, click or contact that puts the money in your pocket.
Bottom Line……..
Do your homework, create a plan and keep it simple. Building a business is all about building relationships and you can’t do that with a snazzy looking web site.
You can check out Michelle’s web sites at http://healthy-holistic-living.com and http://home-remedies-and-natural-cures.com. To get more great tips, like the ones above and to see how and what tools she used to create a successful on-line business go to sitesell-sbi.com
Learn more about Ecuador Roses here
Learn how Fedex delivers Ecuador Easter lilies to your home.
Learn how to earn income globally exporting Ecuador flowers at our Ecuador export course.
Learn how to export Ecuador flowers at our Ecuador Export Expedition Tour ($499 or couple $749)
See hand painted wooden bowls like this from Bonnie’s collection.
Stay on and look at Ecuador real estate opportunity.
Apr. 17-18 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21 Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24 Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
You enjoy discounts by attending multiple seminars and tours.
Here are our multi tour adventure discounts.
Two Pack… 2 seminar courses & tours $998 Couple $1,349 Save $149 on couple
Three Pack… 3 seminar courses & tours $1399 Couple $1,899 Save $98 single or $348 on a couple or more
Four Pack… 4 seminar courses & tours $1,699 Couple $2,299 Save $98 single or $697 on a couple or more
Five Pack… 5 seminar courses & tours $1,999 Couple $2,699 Save $496 single or $1,046 on a couple or more
Six Pack… 6 seminars courses & tours $2,199 Couple $3,099 Save $795 single or $1,395 on a couple or more
Here is the balance of our 2010 schedule.
NEW COURSE ADDED – Super Thinking Spanish
May 9-12 Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador
May 13-14 Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
May 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
May 19-20 Coastal Real Estate Tour
May 22-23 Quito Real Estate Tour
May 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
June 24 Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27 International Investing and Business North Carolina
June 28-29 Ecuador Travel & Andes
June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
July 3-4 Coastal Real Estate Tour
July 6-7 Quito Real Estate Tour
July 9-10 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 3-6 Ecuador Export Tour
Sept. 8-9 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Sept. 11-12 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Sept. 14-15 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Sept. 17-18 Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Oct. 7 Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct. 8-10 International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct. 11-12 Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct. 13-14 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct. 16-17 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct. 19-20 Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Nov. 4-7 Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov. 8-9 Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17 Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Dec. 3-5 Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec. 7-8 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec. 10-11 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14 Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17 Cuenca Real Estate Tour


























































































