How to Know If You’re Asking the Right Questions

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In the blogging and online game, people often think that they’ll know they’re “asking the right questions” when they strike it rich, hit “overnight success,” or otherwise become famous.

You’re better than that, and you know there’s more to it than that.

But really, though, what are the “right questions?” 

And frankly, why is it so important to be asking them?

The Right Questions

The right questions to ask aren’t about time (“how long until I’m rich/famous/sexy/etc.”) or numbers (“how many visitors until I’m rich/famous/sexy/etc.”).

The right questions to ask, at least when it comes to building a profitable and long-term online business, are questions that get you thinking about your vision. 

Your vision is everything–are you hoping to change the world, or just have a little on the side? Both?

Your vision tells us what you’re hoping to accomplish and why we should care, and it tells you how you’re planning to get there. Without a vision, you’re just swimming upstream in the never-ending torrent of blogs and websites trying to make it.

I’ve spent the last two months trying to put a finger on the “right questions” we should be asking as bloggers, artists, writers, and creators, and I’m at the point where I can announce the results:

Introducing: Building A Blog for Readers: 101 Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Empire

This book–really a manifesto–is the culmination of business school, running two startups, launching (and closing down) about 10 blogs and websites, and over seven years of “online marketing” experience.

Except, rather than a long treatise on “what I learned, and how I’ll teach you everything I know!” (no doubt in uppercase red lettering), I wanted to just give you a very specific, no-frills guide to the “right questions” to ask yourself.

What I ended up with

What I ended up with was just that: 101 questions that lead in sequential order through Vision, Purpose, Strategy, Tactical, Structure, Lifestyle/Personal questions. These questions are meant to:

• Make you think. You will be challenged, so don’t expect the size (~15,000 words) to make this an “easy” book to read.
• Make you act. Advice without action is nothing. This manifesto is really good at whetting your blogging appetite
• Make you answer questions you don’t want to. I’ll bet there are few things you’re afraid of answering, like “how much money I’ll need to get started with this idea,” and so on.

At the same time, I wanted to make sure I included enough inspiration so you’ll understand that this stuff really is possible. The last section of Building A Blog Readers Love is filled with inspiration and advice (in the form of questions, of course!) from other popular bloggers. Have you heard of any of these guys or gals?

• Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing
• Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn
• Dan Blank of We Grow Media
• James Chartrand of Men With Pens
• Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income
• Cori Padgett of Big Girl Branding
• Michael Combs of Combsy

Trust me, these guys know what they’re doing–I got started by reading their blogs and their advice.

The pitch

Alright, here it is:

Buy the book, Building A Blog for Readers: 101 Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Empire, on Amazon and have it delivered wirelessly to your device (you don’t need a Kindle to read it!).

Further, if you write a review for me and let me know through email, I’ll send you a FREE GIFT to go along with the book!

I would really appreciate any feedback you might have–feel free to leave a comment, send me an email, or write a review!