Online Marketing for Business Owners

Cash Flow is King - Especially in Business Startups

2009-09-17T22:44:00Z

I had my most recent 'cash flow' lessons in my real estate business. We all know about how tough that market has been the last year or two - a real housing crisis.

But what does the housing crisis have to do with cash flow and what does either of them have to do with starting a business? Well, a lot of people own a house, usually the one they live in, so most people feel the housing crisis. But most people use the term cash flow for business, not personal, finances.

Let me ask you a question: What is the Golden Rule of Real Estate?

Location, Location, Location.

NO, not that one; the other golden rule. What is the golden rule of real estate investors?

Cash Flow is King!

Yeah, that's the one. The current housing crisis and credit crunch reminded me, personally, that cash flow is indeed king - a lesson I won't soon forget. I knew about cash flow, of course, but sometimes it takes a near miss to really get the point across.

Robert Kiyosaki talks about cash flow in several of his books, like Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Cash Flow Quadrant. Actually, he probably talks about it in all of his books.

Cash flow is the money used to pay your bills - regular income that can be used to pay expenses, keep the lights on and keep your business open. When you think about it that way, Cash Flow really is King!

Often new businesses, 'startups', use 'cash' in place of cash flow during the early days for the very simple reason that the aren't generating any sales yet. Independent businesses aren't like jobs - there is no guaranteed paycheck every two weeks.

Many new businesses go out of business in the first year - a scary percentage, in fact. Inadequate cash flow is the primary reason. But what does that really mean?

Inadequate Cash Flow = Ineffective Planning

Usually too optimistic on the Sales side and too liberal on the Expense side. Once the money is spent (expenses), it's gone! When the Sales don't come in as quickly as 'planned', voila - cash flow problem.

So what does that mean for the independent businessman?

First and foremost -- make some money before you spend it! Don't go on that company trip until after you start generating sales and revenue.

Second - plan to have enough 'cash', actual liquid or near liquid assets, to cover the worst case scenario startup. If you won't have sales for 6 months in the worst case scenario, you need a full 6 months of expenses in CASH before you even start.

See how important being frugal and holding down expenses can be?

Finally - make sure you actually have a plan! It sounds simple, but far too many entrepreneurs set off without a plan at all. Even a basic plan (with financials) is better than no plan at all.

If you don't know how to draw up a business plan, there are many resources on the internet. A business coach is a good resource. Take out a pencil and a napkin and get your ideas down in writing - you'll want something to show your coach to get you started.

I don't know how many people who had phenomenal 'belief in their business' and still didn't make it. Personally, I believe you've got to capture that belief in something a little more concrete, like a business plan that recognizes the Cash Flow is King!

Copy Writing - Get It While It's Hot!

2009-08-17T20:05:19Z

No matter what type of business you are in or what type of marketing you are doing, Copy Writing is critical to success!

"Copy Writing is salesmanship in print."

That's one of my favorite lines from this interview with David Garfinkel done by Ann Sieg.

Listen to more about copy writing - Here's a link to the entire interview:

Ann Sieg and David Garfinkel Interview - "Wealth Experiment"

Get it While It's HOT!

The opportunity to learn from one of the best teacher's working in Copy Writing today is happening RIGHT NOW!

The Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course

Registration opens TODAY and the opportunity is very limited, so Don't Delay if you need to improve your copy writing skills.

August 17th - sign up now - the low price makes this a no-brainer!

August 19th - first session starts - total of 6 sessions in this course, one per week

Since Time is of the Essence, I wanted to get some links up for people to use quickly.

What is Copy Writing?

That's a good question. NO, I'm not referring to protecting your material so other people have to pay you a royalty to use it - that's 'copyright' law.

As I said, "Salesmanship in print" is a good way to think about it. It's inviting people to take an action that you want them to take. It is guiding someone through a thought process.

It's all of those things and many other examples. We've all seen examples of GOOD Copywriting and BAD Copywriting. The good stuff touches us emotionally and gets us excited to take action!

Bad copywriting is either ineffective, we don't read long enough to care, or it has an effect that is the opposite of the intent ... usually it offends or angers.

Good Copy Writing

I'm looking forward to the good stuff from The Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course.

I promise to report back on the progress and keep everyone informed.
Of course I signed up for it!

If you want to join me, get registered quick. If you aren't sure, go check out the interview at the link above. You'll get to know David Garfinkel better.

Here's another resource with more information and reader feedback.

Can't Afford a Business Coach? or Can't Afford to NOT Have a Coach?

2009-08-01T22:58:48Z

For many people, hiring a business coach never crossed their mind. Mainly because it is not all that common to have a business coach. By that I mean there are millions of independent business owners and only a small fraction of them utilize a business coach.

How do Successful Business Owners Get that way?

Ask successful business owners and you'll see the percentage of them that use all types of support people goes way up. That means that successful business people value help and guidance of others. Moreso, it is quite common to hear about coaches and mentors - two key ingredients in business success.

New Business Owners

It can be a real challenge for new business owners, I know it was for me. I actually knew several business coaches when I was getting started. I even met with a couple, followed their work, even went to a couple of group meetings.

So did I get a coach? Not right away. I remember thinking "I'm a little embarassed to tell anyone that I need a coach". I guess I wanted to do it on my own.

The old chicken and the egg dilemma

What comes first, success or a coach? Look around at athletes. Have you ever seen a successful 'independent' athlete?

NO. They all have coaches ... and it's very clear that they got where they are because they had good coaches. Most athletes these days have multiple coaches.

How many does Tiger Woods have? 6 or 7? I know he has several.
(I'm not sure how many coaches he has - leave it on the comments if you know)

So successful business people and athletes, and many others use coaches. But we seem to be somewhat conditioned to believe that we need to do it alone. That is especially true for independent business people.

It was true for me. Not only did I love the 'independent' part of 'independent business owner', but I was also starting a second career as a business owner. I wanted to immediately be as successful as I was in my previous career and was reluctant to seek advice.

That probably slowed my success. For me, when I started actively seeking consulting help, coaching help, my business really started to take off.

I was very used to helping other people - training, coaching - but slow to see that it was a two-way street.

Cash Flow is King

Just so I don't mislead anyone. I am a firm believer that Cash Flow is one of the most critical aspects of startup businesses.

I remember a training course I took some years ago - it was on business finance, focused on small businesses. I was a business consultant for small, and not so small, business owners at the time. This was one of my favorite courses - I really like the instructor, very down-to-earth.

He said, "If the Cash Don't Flow, the Loan Don't Go"

We were obviously talking about how owners can get business loans, at the time. But it turns out, that phrase is so important, it really is the start of a lot of thoughts that successful startup businesses have. The banks know this, even if the business owners don't - always keep your cash flow healthy.

If the Cash Don't Flow ... the bills don't get paid
If the Cash Don't Flow ... you can't buy groceries
If the Cash Don't Flow ... your suppliers lose interest
If the Cash Don't Flow ... you can't afford a coach !

... and yes, of course, the Loan Don't Go either - the bank won't lend you money.

So back to the chicken and the egg - you must have positive cash flow, that does come first, but then a coach is right up at the top of the list after that. Stay within your budget.

I've even known some business owners that have sought out consulting or coaching help even in times of negative cash flow - to help turn the business around. Risky, but successful.

Affordability

Most people can't afford to NOT have a coach. After having tried it both ways, I'm a big believer in actively seeking out the right kind of help early in starting a business.

If I had it to do over again, I would have skipped the assistant and spent the money on a coach. My first two coaches cost less than I spent on a part-time assistant for six months and I've got some permanent progress to show for it.

What kind of Coach?

That's a good question. There are life coaches, business coaches, marketing coaches, fitness coaches, weight training coaches, coaches coaches ... and the list goes on and on.

Not everyone needs a coach. Pure and simple. But for the majority of people that want to start a business and be successful, the journey to success will be shorter with a coach.

If you know your weakness and it is specific, look for a trainer or a training course. Free information exists for a lot of business areas. Free training exists.

Here's a hint: FREE stuff doesn't hurt your Cash Flow. So free is good.

Consultants have expertise in specific areas, like marketing or business organization. They can typically analyze your business and make specific recommendations for improvement. Your benefits from a consultant should include a 'fresh eyes' look, some new ideas, and information about best practices.

Coaches, on the other hand, have expertise in helping you help yourself. They can facilitate growth in a variety of areas in which they may or may not have specific expertise. Their approach is much different than a consultant or a trainer. It is important to have a good rapport, or develop a rapport, with a coach. A good coach will help you figure out the best solutions for your business and the benefits are often the most significant and far-reaching with this approach.

Start a Business - Become Indispensable at Work

2009-07-13T13:16:19Z

I just read an article in the paper about keeping your job by making yourself more valuable at work. And I have to tell you that I fully support the idea.

Before I start in with my perspective of making yourself more valuable, here's a link to the article I read: "How to Be Indispensable at Work" . It was in The Parade Magazine, the Sunday insert, in our local paper and probably in yours too.

The article was well-written and had some great advice that is applicable to the workplace ... and for business people in general.

BRAND YOURSELF is the basic solution the author, Martin Lindstrom, is proposing. Here is a summary of the key methods he identifies; I've paraphrased to make a point

Define yourself - become clear about who you are
Single attribute - focus on one thing you want to be known for
Communicate - make sure others see your image
Your Look - it's about image
Publish or perish - make it last

It struck me that this list was a perfect starter set of ideas - for someone starting a second career as a business owner!

This is a journey to success for a new business owner more than for someone that wants to keep their job. Think about it - it's EXACTLY what you need to succeed in your own business!

Define Yourself:

Create a brand around YOU
Define who you are and what your business focus is going to be
Nearly as important is what your business is NOT - focus is critical, NOT Everyone Can be Your Customer
Mission - Vision - Values

Core Attribute:

The ONE thing you want to be known for
Again, the more focus, the more successful in getting your message/image/brand across to your audience
Go Deep and Not Wide - drill down in one area and become good at it - it's the fastest way to success

Communicate:

Constant, Consistent, Communication
A Brand without communication is no brand at all - to be effective, the 'brand' must be communicated
Start a Blog, Create a Website, Write Articles, Hold Seminars - there are all kinds of ways to communicate
Communicating Your Message/Brand = Online Attraction Marketing

Image:

Your Look is important and it applies to yourself as well as your business
Casual or Professional? Make it consistent with how you define yourself/business
Your Picture - make it personal and use pictures of yourself ... or video marketing
Make it easy for people to recognize you - they will relate to you and trust you more simply through familiarity

Publish:

OK, I borrowed 'publish or perish' from academia - it is the pressure to publish in order to successfully compete for tenured positions
A lasting impression, and more importantly, in print is able to influence a far greater number of people - critical for successful marketing
Businesses must create successful marketing in order to fully develop a brand image, the lasting impression, positive and recognizable, in the mind of the customer
For most businesses, 'publishing' means 'online marketing' simply because online media is the single most powerful, affordable, method for communicating today
Yes, it also means everything from business cards to ebooks that further your brand

These all all very important aspects of building a business. The original article talked about keeping your job, but I see it differently. I believe all of these same activities can be used to start a business, or build a business, or start a second career as a business owner!

I don't begrudge anyone a job and it pains me to see so many people that want to work being laid off and forced out of their jobs. However, the image of the Caped Worker in a Cubicle just really rubbed me the wrong way.

Doing time in a cubicle is one of the reasons I left the office world. It just struck me one day that being a gopher in a cube farm was not really a long-term benefit to me as much as it was to the owner of the company or cubicle farm, as the case may be.

INVEST IN YOURSELF - START A BUSINESS - That is how to truly become indispensable at work! Think about it a bit. Use the exact same activities to become indispensable to someone else's business OR use these same activities to create your own business and become indispensable to YOUR business.

For me that is not a hard choice. Every minute I spend at work is an investment in my own business. Find out more about how to market your business and brand yourself - once you get started, you'll never turn back.

BRAND YOURSELF - I agree that is the answer. Start a Business to become truly indispensable at work; you'll never get laid off from your own company!

8 Tips To Start Using Linkedin Quickly

2009-07-07T20:23:22Z

Linkedin is classified as social media, but it is probably the most 'professional' of all the social media. The purpose, and real power, of Linkedin is as a networking tool. Use it to connect to others in your market, both peers and potential customers.

I cover more details of why you should use Linkedin in other posts in this same blog, so for now I'm going to focus on simply how to get you started and using Linkedin quickly.

Get a free account
Go to www.Linkedin.com (this link will open in a new browser)
Enter the minimum amount of information, just so you can get your account setup and active.
(use a valid email address - you will need to 'confirm' the email Linkedin sends you).
Login to your account and complete your profile
Choose 'edit profile' on the left side of the home page
Add as much information as you can, quickly; you can always add and change later.

Your profile is important - it is the first impression and the way that you start to attract connections with similar interests.
Over time you can update and beef-up your profile -- make sure to add a picture!
Invite friends, co-workers, etc.
There is an option during account creation to invite people from your address book.
Alternately, choose 'Connections' on left side of the home page
Add people from your email address book as a start
Use 'people search' to find others by areas of interest and invite them to join

If you are a new to Linkedin, start by adding ONLY people you know, and add a personal note (even a short one) to remind them that they know you. This type of approach will help ensure that you get maximum connections and minimum 'IDK' (I Don't Know) responses - IDKs are bad.
Join groups of interest
Choose groups from the home page and search for ones that are interesting
Simply click 'join' to request membership.

Join Attraction Marketers group if you are interested in online marketing; it is an open group
Increase followers
To build your connections quickly, use Open Networker to connect with Open Networkers
Consider using ‘LION’ (an acronym that means Linked In Open Networker) in your 'Professional Headline', the top portion of your personal profile

If you characterize yourself as an 'Open Networker', either Accept or Archive all connection requests. Do NOT respond to connection requests with 'IDK', it is bad form and looks bad for the requester.
Do NOT spam people with invitations, messages, etc.
Avoid spam invitations - start out inviting people you know or have a relationship with (work, etc.)
Avoid spam messages - it is a Social / Professional site, so don't blast ads or opportunities to your connections without first trying to get to know them
Avoid spam posts - add value to groups and follow their stated rules
Get involved - Contribute
Post questions in the general section, as appropriate for your interests and expertise
Answer questions when you have the expertise
Respond to direct mail, invitations, etc.
Add to group discussions
Post new discussion topics - just make sure they are pertinent to the group
Add comments on existing posts
Share value with your comments and engage in the conversations

This barely scratches the surface of Linkedin, but it should get you up and running quickly.

There are over 40 million people using Linkedin and more than 20 million of them are in the United States. That is a huge number of people that can become your next customer, supplier, partner, or friend.

Don't forget to send me a connection request once you get your account setup.

Michael Wilson on Linkedin

Renegade Professional Webinar Series

2009-06-30T18:14:48Z

You may already know Renegade Professional as the premier online training source for network marketing, and now we've added another benefit.

Renegade Professional is presenting a LIVE Webinar Series featuring your Renegade Professional Trainers and Super Guides!

Best of all, this valuable information is FREE. You just need to get registered and attend to get the benefit. You'll experience the same caliber of training you'll get inside Renegade Professional because the presenters are Super Guides and Trainers.

Register for the Renegade Professional Webinar Series
Clicking the link above will take you to a notification page and then on to GoToMeeting to register for the first webinar.

Send the registration link to your team, downline, or anyone who may benefit from valuable online marketing information. This webinar series is not business specific and is no cost, so it is an excellent resource for fundamental online marketing concepts; free up your time to concentrate on team building and selling rather than training.

If you are building your business on a budget, you'll love the first webinar in the series - it's about using WordPress which does not have a fee to purchase or use. You can get started using a blog to attract prospects to your business and it won't bust your budget.

The first webinar in the series is this week: 6 p.m. PT Thursday, July 2

"Why WordPress Is A Powerhouse Attraction Marketing Platform"
Click the link above to get registered and save your spot now.

You don't want to miss this one if you are interested in starting a blog or if you've been meaning to make it better, but just don't know how. I've had a WordPress blog for months and I'm definitely listening in to get the latest expert advice.

Steve Anderson, the Renegade Professional's WordPress expert, will detail why WordPress is such a powerful lead magnet. You can implement his information an advice immediately!

This webinar will be 1 hour in length and we will be covering:

Why choose WordPress platform for blogging
16 plugins you should use to make the search engines love your blog
How to make your blog easy and enjoyable to keep your readers coming back
How to maximize search engine rankings and improve conversions - your blog structure is key
13 hot tips you need to know - Steve's advice for building a better blog
9 key strategies for promoting your blog content
A technique the pros use to automatically distribute content through social network sites

If we have time we'll also do a Q&A at the end of the call. After you register for this call you will be redirected to a page were you can download and print the workbook for this call (there will be lots of notes to take).

Watch this blog for more webinars in the Renegade Professional Webinar Series as we schedule them!

The Ultimate Tweet Cheat Sheet

2009-06-14T16:01:21Z

I’ll be honest, when I first heard about Twitter I laughed a little because it's such a simple-sounding social network that I couldn't believe so many people were using it, I just didn't think it would be very useful to me at all, especially with my business. But I created a profile and I gave it a try. It turns out that Twitter can be quite addictive, if you're not careful.

Luckily I was quickly able to get my hands on a whole set of tools to manage twitter so it works for my business without being so time-consuming. Here are some that I found helpful and have saved me a lot of time and stress:

Tweetlater: Allows you to do several things all on the same site. Choose from a free version and a paid version; more robust features in the paid version, of course.

Schedule your tweets for release at a later time
Automate repeated tweets, schedule, and alternate related tweets
Lets you automatically send direct messages to people who follow you
Tweet-cockpit lets you focus in on the people and topics of your choosing and filter out the rest

Open networker: This one is not specific to Twitter, but is a program that allows you to get more followers to you without you having to go and search for them. It looks for people who are ‘open’ to following and being followed in return. There is a free version of this program as well as a paid version. Both will help you add followers and connect to people in Twitter as well as about 20 other high volume social media sites.

TwitPwr: Helps you generate short URLs to use in your tweets in order to conserve the 140 characters you are limited to. One thing that sets TwitPwr apart from other URL shortening services is that you get an actual page for each shortened URL, so you are creating backlinks to the sites you shorten. In addition, you get your own page, with a short profile, and your links list or at least the last 20. Additional exposure for you and your business.

Twollo: Is a free service that lets you follow people in groups by a given topic, so you can access what you need without having to filter through everything that doesn’t pertain to your search. Pick keywords that you're interested in and Twollo will find those wrokds in Twitter discussion threads and then follow those people for you, automatically.

My Tweet Space: Lets you spruce up your Twitter page with different backgrounds, colors and fonts. They give you the option of choosing from the free backgrounds they have available or they will make one for you for about $50. Easy to use and it makes

SocialToo Gives you the option of ‘unfollowing’ people that don't follow you back; preserves your follow/follower ratio. Follow total cannot be more than 10% above follower total. Huitter is free - works if you don't have very many follows; SocialToo works with any number ($5 for this particular service, use it repeatedly with no further charge). SocialToo has several other features that can be valuable as well, some free, some for a small fee. One that is interesting is the DM 'optout' feature, which allows you to opt out of Direct Messages and clean up your twitter box, which helps you efficiently use Twitter in social marketing.

Huitter: This a free service for removing people that are not following you. There is a limit, so it only works with less than 1800 people (as of this writing), but it is very good for helping you breakthrough the 2000 follower barrier.

I've talked about the 2000 barrier and the follow/follower barrier and just want to be clear about the intent. To some extent, it is a numbers game, meaning that the ratio of people you follow to your followers is part of the algorithm. But your real focus on every Social site, including Twitter, should be on connecting with and attracting people who are a good match. You do that by providing value, interacting with others in a positive way, and adding to the benefit of the community.

If you add value, people with follow you and connect with you - then you'll blast througth the 2000 follower barrier and have a healthy following.

Don't forget to follow me! Michael Wilson on Twitter

Of course I follow back, I'm an Open Networker myself and always interested in connecting with other network marketers. Look for a direct message back from me after you follow http://twitter.com/1mwilson - I use Tweetlater, but I typically only send a single valuable message, automatically, to those that follow me.

A Great Deal on Infusionsoft -- The Premier Automated Marketing System

2009-06-14T14:41:02Z

Are you spending way too much on advertising and still not getting as many buyers as you would like? You can make as many great sales pitches as your heart desires, but if the audience isn’t ready to buy then it may seem like you have lost out on those people for good.

But that’s not always the case, often it is more important to simply keep in touch with people and keep educating them about your product so it sticks in their mind until they are ready to buy. With all the different ways to get in touch with potential customers, continuing to be proactive to those who weren’t ready to buy at first can be extremely time-consuming.

My business runs much more smoothly because I have found a solution to this ongoing problem: Infusionsoft. This software lets you keep track of all the leads that were interested in your product but needed more time to think about it as well as your previous customers in order to get the most out of your advertising. The way I see it is like recycling leads; if people show interest but only a few buy then the others simply disappear into the woodwork, but with this software they are constantly being reminded of your product and therefore can come back and buy.

It is vitally important to be in front of your customer at the exact moment they are ready to buy. If you simply continued with the general method of advertising and acquiring new leads and prospects, then those who didn’t buy right away might not come back when they were ready. You must have an effective and efficient follow-up system.

There are many systems that help manage customer relationships, automate email campaigns, include web forms, thank you pages, and more. And many of these are very good, but it seems like they all do only part of the job. Infusionsoft is the industry leader because it truly puts it all together. In fact, it is so complete, the challenge is to use all the functionality.

I used to have the challenge of trying to find ways to get my customer database linked to my autoresponder system and email campaigns, my fulfillment requests integrated with my sales process, and on and on. Follow-up was taking all my time.

The only reason NOT to use Infusionsoft is if it's too big for you or too much horsepower for your business right now. And the perfect way to find out is with a free trial. The sooner you get fully automated, the happier you'll be in business.

The best part is: Infusionsoft has a new deal for first-time users as part of the free trial. They will waive the usual start-up fee if you continue the service after the trial period! That can mean a savings of nearly $2,000! That and only pay the monthly payment for this lead-saving software.

For more information, check out MLM Online Resources or go directly to the infusionsoft website.

How to Choose a Business That is Right for Your Second Career

2009-06-12T15:52:56Z

Choosing the right business for your second career is extremely important for both your happiness as well as for your financial future. There are a number of reasons why you would venture to network marketing as a second career and one of the biggest factors for most people is because their first career choice ended. If you left your last job because you were unhappy or unfulfilled, then you know how important it is to enjoy what you do. If your last job left you, it wasn't your choice, then you know how important it is to earn money and create a successful business, quickly.

One of the first steps to finding what business is going to be a good fit is to determine what you are passionate about. Doing what you love and learning to make money doing it is perhaps the most rewarding thing in the business world. Investigate your hobbies. It is likely that something you like to do in your spare time would also be something you would be motivated to do full-time to make a profit.

Your personality and style need to play a role as well. You have the ability to shape what your second career as a business owner is going to look like, so take advantage of it. While you are thinking about things you enjoy, think about things that you dislike, especially what you disliked with your first career, and steer clear of those things. During this process, look to others for guidance. Mentors and leaders in the business are great when you need to see what success looks like. When you look at how they reached their goals, is that something you would be willing and able to do in your business?

Renegade Breakthrough is a mentoring program focused on teaching you how to have the most success possible in your home based business. This also includes helping you determine what the best business for you looks like. The techniques associated with this program are proven by some of the best in the business and are efficient ways to increase your success.

Renegade Breakthrough is ideally suited for someone with some business experience, though it is also being successfully used by people starting a second career as a busines owner. If you are just starting out and do not have an established business and also do not have previous business experience, try this free ebook: The Attraction Marketer's Manifesto as the next step in your education.

Attraction Marketing Handbook

2009-06-12T15:49:00Z

The Attraction Marketer's Manifesto is a piece of literature that should be in every network marketer's arsenal. If you are looking for a second career as a business owner and are thinking about network marketing, read this book before you join any MLM or pick your opportunity. It's a free ebook, so there's no reason to hesitate.

To start, this ebook is a rundown of all of the network marketing techniques out there today. Next, Ann Sieg takes those techniques and shows you how to best use them for your benefit, no matter what internet market you are in. Common myths and misconceptions about various aspects of MLMs and network marketing are addressed and then she gives more reasons than you can count to try these simple new methods.

Attraction marketing is the new way of life for MLM internet marketers and this handbook makes it available to anyone who is willing to read. Ann Sieg's original, The Renegade Network Marketer, started a real movement in the network marketing world and The Marketer's Manifesto takes it to the next level.

As someone who has read all of it, I can easily say that this is one of the most beneficial things you can read at almost any stage in your business, even if you do not read the entire thing. The Attraction Marketer's Manifesto is packed with valuable tidbits of information that are designed to help you jump start your income and the best part is, it's free!

This ebook is strictly for your benefit and is written by one of the best in the business who has found success. Even reading a few pages a day will be beneficial. But from experience, you may not be able to put it down because of the amount of compelling information you are being handed will make your mind race!