Win Paid Advertising

Win Paid Advertising: The Unconventional Marketer, Jason Burlin, 2020

For any business, small or large, the world of online advertising can be very confusing. This book attempts to take the reader through the whole process.

First of all, why are you advertising? Do you want people to buy your product or service? Are you looking for something totally different? If all you want is likes or followers, why are you spending all this money advertising? You have to decide how much you are going to pay Facebook, for instance, each time someone clicks on your ad; it's called Pay Per Click. That ad had better take the potential customer right to the main page of your website. The process in getting from the main page to your ordering page must be as easy as possible.

It's very acceptable to have several ads, on different platforms, going at the same time. But, do not use the same ad on multiple platforms. You have just pressed Send for your first online ad. Checking on it, a few hours later, or the next day, you see that not much has happened. Do you delete it, and start over? No, Leave It Alone. The machine learning algorithm needs time to work. Each time you change an ad, the algorithm has to start over from the beginning. If, after several days, one of your ads is not working is not working, then you can change it, or delete it.

There are ways to analyze how many people click on your ad. Next is the number of people who go from the main page of your website to your ordering page. How many of those people actually complete the buying process? The problem may be your product, or your website, instead of your ad. 

This book does an excellent job at explaining the online advertising process. It may take more than one reading to "get" this book, but it will be time very well spent.

You Are Not Them

 You Are Not Them: The Authentic Entrepreneur's Way, Sid Mohasseb, Leaders Press, 2021

This book takes a different approach to being an entrepreneur. Instead of being a How-To book, this book helps the reader to look inside themselves, to see what sort of entrepreneur they will be.

It's quite normal, and reasonable, to be inspired by the story of Steve Jobs or Richard Branson. Just don't try to imitate them, or be like them. Their story is not, and should not be, your story. You need to figure out your own Personal Entrepreneurial Philosophy, or PEP. 

According to the author, it's also normal to want to reduce risk as much as possible. Totally eliminating risk is not possible; risk is part of what makes us human. We would turn into a race of people who spend all day, every day, in bed. There is no "best" time to become an entrepreneur, there is only Now.

Do you want to have an active role in your life, making things happen, like a pilot? Do you want to have a passive role in your life, letting good and bad things happen, like a passenger? The early days of a business can be like being a fighter pilot, with risk coming at you from all sides. If your business becomes established, and runs on its own momentum, you suddenly become a commercial pilot. Your job is to keep things running smoothly. 

The entire world of "business," including suppliers, customers and market conditions, can be likened to an ocean. Can you adjust accordingly, and quickly, when an underground mountain is suddenly right in front of you? Will you manage to hit an iceberg, and sink, like the Titanic?

This is a very interesting book. It will help the reader see just what sort of entrepreneur they will be (there is no Way to do it that works for everyone). Reading this book is a really good idea.

The Rock of Achill

 The Rock of Achill, Jim Sheehan, Newman Springs Publishing Inc., 2020

Set in Ireland during the time of Napoleon (around 1800), this is the story of a young man named Donn. Intending to save enough money to recover his family's land, Donn joins a crew of rebels and Irish knights as they attempt to restore an ancient kingdom. It involves recovering the lost treasure of Tuatha de Danaan.

Donn has all sorts of adventures in his travels. He battles faerie guardians and Barbary pirates. There are giant sea creatures that can sink a ship very easily, and brawls in foreign ports that quickly turn deadly. Uppermost in Donn's mind is the lovely Bridget, waiting for him back home. Or, will she wait? Her parents are pushing her to marry someone more "acceptable." Does Donn survive the voyage? Do Donn and Bridget live happily ever after?

This is a half-fantasy/half-historical novel, and the author does an excellent job. The reader is right in the middle of the story, with enough romance and action for anyone. Here is some Really Good Writing.