Now that I’ve beat the shit out of your amateur hour about me page I wrote here, it’s time to help you reclaim your dignity and rise like a phoenix…

Out of the
Ashes of Despair !

Crafting a compelling ‘about me’ page isn’t really difficult, we’ve discussed some important pieces you need to consider. However, it can be difficult to decide which way to tell your story, which is what…

We’re Going to
Discuss Today !

The following is a list of 7 different strategies you can use to pitch yourself to an audience. Choose carefully, and make sure the voice you choose is the one you are comfortable speaking with, else you could…

End Up at
Ground Zero
Once More !

1. Authority Figure

The authority figure is easy to spot. They show dozens of credentials, have lists of speaking gigs under their belt, and often a book cover on display. They have been there done that, and they are here to teach you…

How to Do
What They’ve Done !

The authority figure uses experience to validate their opinion, and provided their experience is authentic, has great reason for doing so. Experience + Authority = easy sell, and if you are fortunate enough to be in this position, then your choice is a…

No Brainer !

For Examples: Chris Brogan, John Jantsch, Carol Roth

2. Experienced Veteran

The veteran is not only experienced, but hardened by that experience. The veteran is similar to the authority in that they are both industry experts, the difference being that the veteran isn’t much for…

Sugar Coating or
Beating Around the Bush !

This curmudgeon-ness comes as a result of having suffered as much as he or she has gained. To the veteran, victory wasn’t easy, and the stories of sacrifice are just…

As Juicy As
the Stories of
Achievement !

For Examples: Steven Pressfield, Brian Clark, Hugh MacLeod

3. The Rebel

The rebel wants you to take your life of rules and shove them up your ass. He doesn’t respect authority, in fact…

He Loathes it !

The authority represents everything the rebel stands against. Experience is for losers, just up and do it already. The rebel believes don’t need someone else’s permission to be amazing, and they are dead set on defying tradition in any way they can. The rebel is a…

Traveler,
an Athlete,
a Life Hacker,
a Computer Hacker,
a Vagabond, or
Anything in Between !

For Examples: Chris Guillebeau, Tim Ferriss, James Altucher

4. The Villain

The villain loves to be hated. Sometimes she’s an experienced veteran gone bad, and others, just someone that thrives on negative attention seeking. The villain isn’t afraid to say what they think, even when it isn’t popular. She isn’t afraid to attack another member in the industry, and…

She Doesn’t Hide
Behind Book Deals and
Speaking Gigs !

People respect the villain because of her honesty, but fear her for her power. Many times, the people that speak ill of the villain do so out of jealousy. They wish they could stop caring about what people think. You’ll know this is you because you have more negative comments on your blog than positive, and you spend most of your days reading…

Angry and
Aggressive Tweets from
Your Readers !

For Examples: Michael Arrington, Nick Denton, Lisa Barone

5. The Saint

The saint is the antithesis to the villain. Where the villain is blunt force trauma, the saint is a sharp knife of truth. The saint is rarely angry, but always sympathetic. This persona is very popular among female bloggers, largely due to Oprah’s influence on the self-help industry, but that doesn’t mean…

You’ll Find it an
Exclusive Club !

The saint is not logical and experience driven, but approaches problems through soul searching and personal truth seeking. Some might find the saint a breath of fresh air, while many find her to be overly emotional and ignorant. But that’s the beauty of the saint, she does not cater to…

The Opinions of the
Unenlightened !

For Examples: Danielle Laporte, Pam Slim, Jonathan Fields

6. The Teacher

The teacher spends every day in the trenches, practicing what they preach. They might have 20 years of experience, or just a single year, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is they are open and honest throughout, and…

Live a Life of
Service and
Gratitude !

What makes teachers great is they’re not preaching from an altar, and they want you to be successful. More than any other member of this list, they are invested in your success, and…

Respect Their Audience
As a Result !

For Examples: Pat Flynn, Darren Rowse, Penelope Trunk

7. The Crusader

Ah, the crusader. Man on a mission, ready to light the world on fire. The crusader is a quasi-hybrid of all of the above, and as such is my favorite persona of all. It’s the one I used to craft this blog, and the way…

I Approach Life in
General !

You may or may not like the crusader’s truth, but he doesn’t give a shit. He’s going to keep on keeping on until he has achieved the change he wants. And when he does, he isn’t going to stop there…

He’s Going to Find
Another Opportunity to
Fix Something !

You’ll find crusaders in every industry: Self-help, finance, entrepreneurship, politics, health, social sciences, spiritual, etc.

For Examples: Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Sheryl Sandberg

I know this post isn’t what you were expecting, but I guarantee you it’s what you needed to hear. How many of you, before today, thought about your online persona in this manner? Many times, the successful ones stumble onto it by accident, and that’s usually for the best, but it doesn’t mean you can’t recognize who you are, and use it to become…

A Better Blogger !

And for the love of God, if this doesn’t get you thinking about how to craft a compelling story on your about me page, then…

I’ve Got Nothing
Left to Offer !

Which one of these is you? Share in the comments.

Crusader for the Win,

Also Known As “The Bad Crusader”

With all of the things that have changed in the world of blogging and content journalism over the past decade, there are a few that haven’t really changed much at all. The perfect example of this is the standard ‘about me’ page, which might have many names and conventions, but still remains, mostly untouched, as the principal place for website authors to explain what they do, and…

Why You Should Care !

The sad thing is even though this page is by far one of the most read, it is just as often ignored by its creator. And even when the author gets part one right (what they do), they often fail miserably at part two (why you should care), making the entire effort pointless and boring. In the end, having a bad ‘about me’ page is not only damaging to your business, but worse, it flat out…

Makes You Look Stupid !

But don’t worry, I’m here to help you through your ‘about me’ page perils. Here are seven things you can do right now to get patched up and looking good.

1. Fix Your Photos

Your ‘about me’ page should definitely have a photo, if not of you then of your company, team, or headquarters. Still, even then, there’s something worse than having no photo, and that’s having…

A Bad Photo !

If showing a personal photo, take the time to find a good one, and if you don’t have one, get a friend to take a nice professional looking head shot. From there, crop and size it proportionally, and place it on your page in a nice looking way. If it’s a large shot, the top or bottom works. If a smaller shot, float it right or left with a margin so that the text…

Wraps Around it !

2. Bad Spelling & Grammar

This page has to be 100% professional, and there’s no quicker way to trashing your image than using bad spelling and grammar, especially when so many tools are available to prevent you from doing so. Use spell check, have a friend or two read it, or if you’re really struggling…

Hire Someone to Write it for You !

3. Who are You?

You’ve got less than 10 seconds to provide enough detail to convince someone to move on, and if you can’t convey who you are in time, it’s likely the reader will move on. You need a sharp introductory paragraph, and better yet, strong visuals that help explain…

Who You Are and What You Do !

The principal applies whether writing as a solopreneur or a large company. You absolutely cannot afford to open with a whimper, and writing compelling copy is integral in preventing that.

4. KISS (Keep It Short & Simple)

You don’t need to rehash your entire life history, nor do you need to explain everything you do in great history. Your ‘about me’ page should achieve the following:

• Establish Authority

• Establish Credibility

• Establish Interest

The rest is really just icing on the cake. The first two bullets cover ‘who you are’ and the last ‘why people should care.’ Take great care in getting to the point quickly, without drowning your readers in information, and in a way that has them thinking of you as a professional. Even if they don’t take action immediately, they should go away bookmarking your page…

Remembering You When a Future Need Arises !

5. No Story

I know we talked about keeping it simple, but there’s still one part of that we haven’t addressed, which is the why. Why should they care? Why should they even read the page? What do you do that is different than others in your market? And…

How Do You Approach Your Customer’s Problems Differently ?

These are the questions answered in crafting a personal or company narrative, and the questions you should be thinking about as you write your ‘about me’ page. You’ve probably heard the term branding and thought about it in terms of design and logos, but the story is just as much, if not more of your brand than…

Any Image Ever Could Be !

6. No Point

Let’s assume I just finished reading your ‘about me’ page. What am I supposed to do next? I’m amazed by how many bloggers just drop their reader off at the end of a long page and expect them to figure it out on their own. I’ve got news for you…

They Won’t !

Give them a place to go to take the next step, learn more, or contact you. Show them how to get involved once you’ve got them excited about the opportunity. Capitalize on the excitement by converting them into a customer. At a minimum, find a way to get them into your sales funnel, be it an email address, social follow, or…

Even a Phone Call !

7. Too Much Ego

Of all the mistakes made in this list, this is the most egregious, often times being committed unknowingly. Yet, you’re turning away readers just the same. Yes, it’s cool you’ve climbed mountains, paid off debt, made millions, and did it all in your underwear, but this is ‘about me’, not you. Don’t turn me off with your arrogance, book covers, magazine logos, instead…

Use Those to Get Me Excited About Me !

How can I, your reader, get these things you’ve achieved? That’s really why I’m here, and if you turn your ‘about me’ page into a boastful essay on why you’re amazingly awesome…

I’m Out of Here !

Reading through this list, it’s probably very easy for you to point out instances of this happening on the web. The good news is now you can recognize it, you can understand how to do better, hopefully…

Taking Immediate Action to Do So !

The bad news is many of you will look at #7 and think it doesn’t apply to you. I can’t say this often enough, but have a friend, one you trust to speak honestly with you, read over your newly edited page. Even best-selling authors have…

Editors to Contend  With !

Be Simple & Smart,

Also Known As “The Double ‘S’ Blogger”

It’s great to be doing another bad ass guest post here on The Bad Blogger.

I recently learned about a method called, “The 80 / 20 Rule.” Since Implementing this rule only a few days ago, I’ve done away with 80% to 90% of my workload, while seeing a sharp increase in my earnings.

I’ve actually been doing this for even longer now, and I will show you two screenshots below so you can see that this isn’t a fluke. The first screenshot, I took when I first started writing this post. The second screenshot shows that my earnings are consistently coming in.

First Screenshot: 80 / 20 Rule Implemented

Second Screenshot: 80 / 20 Rule Still Bringing In Cash.

Fact #1. Some people like to work for the sake of working. Stop working for work’s sake, and start working for the sake of money!

I used to be so stressed about Internet Marketing. I had this long-ass list of tasks that I would need to do every single day, and to be honest, it was pissing me off. How do the pros make Internet Marketing look so easy? Why, to them, does success just seem to flutter into their hands no matter what project they touch?

The 80 / 20 rule.

I first heard about the 80 / 20 rule while reading the 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris. The 80 / 20 rule states that you should remove 80% of your workload that results in little to no profit, and focus on the 20% of your workload that results in all almost all of your profit. The same rule can be applied to clients, in your daily life, school work, etc.

Let’s think about the 80 / 20 rule for a minute, because it all comes back down to being smart and lazy. I used to have this huge problem with starting a new website, and being exact as to what I needed to do every day for that website to succeed.

I would make a numbered list of things that I would need to do daily for my website to succeed.

1. Write a blog post.
2. Make a video.
3. Write a guest post.
4. Send out a broadcast email.
5. Answer email questions.
6. Post in a related forum.
7. Build backlinks.

This looks like a pretty good list, right?

Most Internet Marketers will agree that the above list will eventually make a website be successful. And although this may be true, there are 2 huge rules we’re breaking with this list!

1. The list is not organized by what tasks will make the most money.
2. The list includes tasks that should not yet be included. 

To repeat,

1. Organize tasks based on the tasks that make you the most money.
2. You should only do tasks that actually help your business today.

#1. With any blog, let’s focus on the top 20% of the tasks that will make us the most money. Can we do away with some tasks completely?  Let’s get rid of tasks that do nothing for us.

1. Write a guest post.
2. Make a video.
3. Post in a related forum.
4. Answer email questions.
5. Write a blog post.
6. Send out a broadcast email.
7. Build backlinks.

#2. Determine why the crossed off tasks are pointless. On a new blog, can’t we agree that guest posting, video guest posting, and posting in a related forum are the only things we should do to succeed? Of course! We have a new blog, and we need to get our name out there.

• Answering emails is second nature, and we don’t need to put that on a list, because we’re automatically going to do it.
• Writing a blog post on a new blog is pointless; Who’s going to read it? 
• Sending out a broadcast email with no subscribers? Why bother?
• Building backlinks? Self-explanatory. Build guest posts instead.

If you want to become a bad ass, make more money, and remove 80% of your workload while you’re doing it, you need to start thinking, “money,” and what tasks make you the most money or have the potential to make you the most money RIGHT NOW!?!?

#3. Adjust the List Accordingly. In the same situation above, let’s say it’s 1-year down the line, and we now have 10,000 Aweber Subscribers. Wouldn’t it be safe to say that our focus can and should shift? No longer is writing a guest post the most important thing to do. Our list may now look something like this:

1. Send out a broadcast email.
2. Write a blog post on your own blog.
3. Create a video on your own blog
4. Write a guest post (occasionally)
5. Make a guest video (occasionally)

We’re basing the 80 / 20 rule on the situation that we’re in, but in all cases, we’re focusing on doing the tasks that will bring us in the most money. If you don’t have anything bringing you in any money, focus on the tasks that have the potential to bring you in the most money!

Eventually, the list may come down to you having to send out a broadcast email, write that one blog post and create that one video a week. The key to all of this is to adjust your list accordingly, and always focus on the top 20% of tasks, clients, etc that make you the most money.

I’m going to say that again.

The key to you getting MORE MONEY with LESS EFFORT is to ALWAYS focus on the 20% of tasks, clients, etc, that are bringing or will bring you in the most money. 

Want more tips like this?

Want to learn how you can get 10,000 Aweber Subscribers in 1 month?

Checkout my site at Max Speed Marketing to see what I’m all about.

What I’m going to share with you today is something I’ve (unfortunately) seen done over and over again, and it’s the one thing that stops people from being a successful bloggers. If you don’t watch out for this, you will fail. So…

Ready?
Let’s Roll…

I don’t remember the last time I commented on a blog post I’ve not previously read. The reason I don’t do that is, I think it’s rude and extremely unprofessional. Whenever someone comments on something I write, I can read their comment, and immediately know if they took the time to go through what I posted or not. I am sure if I can do it, other bloggers can do it, too. In fact. Let me make something clear:

This is Extremely
Easy to Tell !

Now, onto the story I have for you today. Some time ago I published a post on how to get the most out of guest posting and received a comment which read something like this:

“Guest Posting is Great and
it’s an Awesome Writing Strategy !”

Do you see what I mean? You really don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize the whoever wrote it, didn’t have any idea what the original post was about. They just wanted to get their link out there. There is at least one reason why posting general comments like that doesn’t work, and it is…

A Blog is Supposed to Be
a Discussion !

Whenever a respected blogger publishes something, he or she wants to get a conversation going, and general comments are conversation killers. I mean, think about it for a moment. If you want to join a discussion in real life, you don’t walk up to whoever is talking, and start saying general things, do you?

No !

If you want to join in, at first, you listen to what they’re talking about, and then you decide if you have something to contribute. If there’s nothing you’d like to add, you remain quiet, but if you do speak, you make sure what you have to say is valuable and relevant to the conversation. That’s obvious.

It’s Life 101 !

What some people seem to ignore is, it’s the same with blog commenting. You first read the post and see what other people are saying to determine if you can (and want to) contribute. If you think you have something valuable to say, you say it, if not, you don’t.

Easy, Right ?

I am tempted to believe that the spammers making general comments, like the one I mentioned previously, already know all this. The problem is, however, their goal isn’t to contribute. Their goal is to get a back link. They sit there all day shooting crap around and making our lives harder because they want to get their site to rank higher in the search engines. Hopefully, after they realize spamming for back links doesn’t work anymore…

They’ll Stop !

There are a few things I’d like you to take away from this post. One, I want you to treat blog commenting seriously. Following blogs (and participating in the conversation that takes place on them) is awesome for building your status and striking relationships with influential people in your market. If done wrong, however, it is also one of the quickest ways to make sure no one wants to work with you ever again.

No Partners !
No Affiliates !
No Business !

It’s not worth it to ruin your reputation for one lousy back link. What’s more… most of those spammy comments are not going to stick anyway, which means…

You’ll Get Nothing in Return

for the Time
You’ve Spent Spamming !

Two, none of the big boys do it. Have you ever seen Wikipedia spam links out there? I haven’t. The trick to ranking well in the search engines is posting relevant content regularly, and making sure it’s not only interesting to read, but also useful. Of course you need to have your on page SEO done well, but if you always strive to contribute and provide value on your blog, your content will be picked up by opinion leaders in your market which will get the ball rolling really, really fast.

You’ll Become
an Authority in
No Time At All !

Lastly, you need to understand your time is valuable. There are only so many things you can get done before the day is over, so don’t waste time on trashing the Internet up. If you’re still not convinced, I have an exercise for you. I want you to close your eyes for a moment, and go back to a time when you thought spamming blogs worked. Have you ever actually done it? If yes, let me ask you this…

What Was Your
Return On Investment ?

I mean, you’ve put in a lot of time and effort into this, but what did you get in return? If you’re like most inexperienced bloggers, your answer is going to be… not much. Why? Because, as I’ve mentioned previously, it doesn’t work. The people that sell spamming systems and software will have you think it does, but that’s not because they want to help you out. That’s because…

Their Only Goal is to
Sell As Much of Their products
As Humanly Possible !

A thing to keep in mind. People put a lot of work and effort into managing their blogs and making sure they provide value to the world. Don’t disrespect them by wasting their time with low quality comments. Make sure whatever you have to say is relevant not only to the original post but also to the conversation that’s already going on. When you show respect to people, they’ll see it, and whenever you approach them with a JV proposal or anything else business related…

They’ll Remember You, and
Want to Help You Out !

So that’s all I have for you today. Let me ask you this… Have you ever been upset by someone posting spammy comments on your blog? What happened?

Stay Smart,

Also Known As “The Smart Blogger”

Left Photo Credit to: Red Flava

I’m sure you already realize as a blogger, one of the very first things you want to do, is establish yourself as an expert in your field. The best way to do is, obviously, through sharing industry trade secrets people can take advantage of and benefit from. The thing is, however, too many bloggers I come across treat their readers like idiots…

Who Can’t Tell Bull Shit
When They See it !

They’re so stuck on the “fake it until you make it” mentality that they’ll do whatever it takes to seem competent even though they actually don’t know what they’re talking about. They try to share tactics they’ve read about somewhere, they’re literally unable to come up with anything original because they don’t have enough experience, they teach strategies they think work, but have never tried, because…

If They Make Sense,
They Must Work,
Right ?

Nope. If you want to share trade secrets effectively, there are a few things you want to keep in mind, or you’ll end up shooting yourself in the foot. Listen up.

1. No Rehashed Crap

You know how it works. Some random Guru shares a cool little trick that sounds good, you rip it off and blog about it as if it’s your own idea. When you do, your blog screams plagiarism, your visitors see it, and…

They Never
Come Back !

2. Share What Actually Works

Every market has thought leaders who, for the most part, have earned position through years of hard work, so you should respect them. That doesn’t mean, however, you should take their every word for granted. Instead, you should make sure as you learn and grow your business, you test.

Why ?

Because if you personally test something and achieve good results from it, then you know it works. What’s more, as you test, you have total control over the conditions the test was conducted in (something people don’t really reveal well.) Lastly, as you go through the process of testing, you’ll have discoveries you’ll be able to test as well, and as you do…

You’ll Have Even More
Trade Secrets to Share !

3. Be Precise

A little while ago, I told you sometimes people don’t give you all the details you need to repeat the success they enjoy. There often seems to be something missing. You don’t want to be that way. While I know most of the people sharing secrets and test results don’t really want to hide valuable information intentionally, they often do so unintentionally (due to lack of planning or thinking it takes to break the process down effectively.) If you have a valuable secret to share…

Be Sure Everything is
Broken Down and
Actionable !

When you create your post, just ask yourself this question: Are my readers able to take what I shared with them and get good, measurable results? If the answer is yes, you’re good. If it’s any different, edit and rewrite, until it actually is yes.

Above Photo Credit to: Red Flava

4. Don’t Tease Without Providing Real Value

Sharing trade secrets is an awesome way to get people to buy from you as it boosts your credibility like nothing else. You have to make sure you do it right, however, and the right way to do this isn’t sharing half the story for free and forcing your readers to buy your product for the rest of the story. Sure, you’ll make some money if you do, but it’ll actually…

Hurt Your Business
in the Long Run !

5. Wait Until You’re Ready

If you’re just starting out as a blogger, and really don’t know the market all that well, you should hold up with sharing trade secrets. As you develop and learn, and as you test new things, you’ll naturally learn insider information people will be stoked to hear. That takes time, however, and really shouldn’t be rushed. It is much better for you to be genuine and honest, than it is to share trade secrets you stole from someone else (more on that later.) Your reputation is all your readers have to hold on to when they decide to buy something you’ve promoted, and if your reputation is ruined…

You’ll Have a Hard Time
Selling Anything !

6. You Don’t Matter

The one mistake people frequently make when sharing a strategy or a tip is focusing on themselves. They tell the readers what game they’re playing when they came up with their idea, what time it was, what they had for lunch the next day, or how many times they went to the bathroom before…

They Implemented
the Idea !

Of course I am exaggerating to illustrate my point, but you know what I am trying to get at, right? This whole thing is not about you it’s about your readers and how what you found out can help them. Some unrelated details will make the writing more interesting and fun, but don’t overdo it. Again, as you write about your secret, be precise and specific, and make sure your readers have all they need to be able to…

Repeat
Your Success !

7. Thou Shalt Not Steal

Sometimes, as you research and learn about your market, you’ll come across a great test you’ll be dying to share with your readers. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you actually test the process yourself and share the source of the original idea. Do not pretend it’s your idea, because it’s not, and if you’re open about it…

Your Readers Will Appreciate
Your Honesty !

So, there you go, the 7 things you must know if you want to share trade secrets effectively. They’ve become my second nature, and I know you’ll do well if you keep them in mind before you share your next top secret strategy. What do you think? Feel free to share more trade secret tips below. I am looking forward to learning from you.

Be Secretly,

Also Known As “The Secret Blogger”

Left Photo Credit to: konradbak / 123RF Stock Photo

Koundeenya:  Hello Wong, would you please introduce a little about yourself to our readers?

The Bad Blogger: Sure. My name is Wong Chendong, but your readers might know me as TheBadBlogger, which is a nickname I got after I started running my blog at TheBadBlogger.com. My wife is from Thailand and I’m from Singapore, and we just had our first baby, Zoey, not too long ago. I run multiple businesses online and offline.

Koundeenya: How did you first get into blogging and is TheBadBlogger your first one?

The Bad Blogger: TheBadBlogger was first intended to be more sex oriented, but it gradually turned into a resource for bloggers looking for quality tips on how to be successful in their businesses. I believe blogging to be one of the most efficient ways to communicate with people online, as blogs are still perceived to be personal, and they’re not considered to be sales mechanisms.

This is great, especially if you are thinking about selling something through a blog. I’ve set up small, highly targeted blogs before, but TheBadBlogger is my biggest one.

Koundeenya: I’ve been following TheBadBlogger from a long time and I love the way you used a unique way of adding such images in your articles. How did it start?

The Bad Blogger: Ever since I started doing business online, I was determined to make myself stand out. Adding images of attractive women seemed to be the right thing to do to achieve that purpose, especially considering the fact that my target audience are young and middle aged men.

Koundeenya: TheBadBlogger is today one of the successful blogs. When you first started it, what difficulties did you face in taking it to the next levels?

The Bad Blogger: I remember, back in the day, I thought that everything I touched turned to nothing. It was terrible. Before I started having success online, there was a long streak of failures and disappointments I had to go through, and it was tough. There were long nights spent at the computer when I knew I didn’t have many visitors to the site yet.

There were endless emails sent out to potential business partners who didn’t really want to work with me because I was too small for them. There were a few scams I fell victim to. You name it. It was difficult, but well worth it. I wouldn’t exchange my life for anything else in the world.

Above Photo Credit to: danielkrol / 123RF Stock Photo

Koundeenya: What methods do you follow in promoting your posts?

The Bad Blogger: I believe a good blog’s foundation is its content. If you have good quality content that people come back for, the marketing and promotion will take care of itself. When I first created TheBadBlogger, content was one of the most important things for me, and it still is. I strive to share proven advice that works, I give my readers strategies they can put into action today and start seeing results in as little as a few days from now.

I think the bloggers and business partners I work with realize that, that’s why they’re eager to help me promote my blog on their sites. I do a lot of guest posting, which is incredibly powerful, as well.

Koundeenya: Blogging today has become very competitive. What advice would you give to someone who has just started a new blog?

The Bad Blogger: Read TheBadBlogger Of course, I am just teasing here, but I have covered this particular topic very extensively over there. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re first starting out is that you need to have a solid plan of action. You also need someone who’s going to show you the ropes and you can never give up. It’s going to get difficult. It’s going to get discouraging. It’s going to get plain ugly, but you can’t give up.

If you decided you’re going to publish new content every three days, stick to it, and don’t come up with excuses not to follow through. If your plan is to contact five potential business partners every day, then do that. Whatever your plan is, make sure it’s good and don’t ever stop until the work is done.

Koundeenya: What do you think is the most important thing in building a successful blog?

The Bad Blogger: You must have personality in your writing and design. I mean, there are people who hate TheBadBlogger, and there are those who absolutely love it. Thousands of my followers have awesome things to say about the content, the design and the way I run things over there. The main thing, I guess, is that I don’t really care about pleasing everyone. I have a personality and I let it show in the way I run my blog and do business.

Koundeenya: Can you please tell us any three blogs which you love to read?

The Bad Blogger: It’s hard to choose three that I like, because there are many good ones, but if you put a gun to my head and asked me to choose, it would probably be Problogger, Copyblogger and Daily Blog Tips. They’re excellent.

Koundeenya: Any final words of advice to our readers?

The Bad Blogger: The most important thing you can do, no matter what you want to accomplish in life, is make sure you have a solid plan of action, get a mentor and stick with it. Never give up. Stick with it and you’ll see success. I promise you that.