How Would You Get This Off The Ground...

[vesonexdean]

I recently started a healthy lifestyle website
with the intention of helping people to do the
same thing I did, losing weight by changing their
lifestyle. Not follow fad diets and gimmicks.

I wanted to add a membership type plan
to my site but I didn't want to create workouts
for people, come up with a weight loss system
or anything like that.

However alot of people become passionate about
their way of living and if they could make
money or turn that into a business it would be
more fulfilling.

I was thinking about doing one of two things

Coming up with a membership site to teach people
how to create their own profitable website/blog
and how to monetize it while they track their
progress on their website. So they can create a
following. Keeping my original tips website

Option number two was to shift my entire site
to giving people tips on making their own site
and then having a membership site attached to
that.

I've done some research and people are looking
to BUY sites from other people with these things
already embedded in them, but I know I'm not
the only person who wants to learn how to do
things on their own.

I was going to try it out and see what happened.

What do you guys think, how would you go about
doing this.

~Vesone Dean

[Aletheides]

The reason there's a lot of gimmicks around is because people buy that stuff. Everyone wants the magic bullet, and if you're promising anything other than a magic bullet you'll have a hard time selling it.

You've probably heard of the saying, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." This isn't really true when you're marketing - people just want the fish, so give it to them. Give them the fish.

Just focus. Do you want to teach people how to make money or do you want to teach people how to lose weight? If you pick more your sales message will get confusing and diluted.

[vesonexdean]

I think you're absolutely right, I was
under the impression that I would be able
to do BOTH things at the same time.

Here's my dilemma though, I have a huge
passion now for living a healthy lifestyle, I mean
I live it everyday but I also think that I can
teach people how to set up sites/blogs and
monetize those sites, drive traffic to them
the whole bit.

I know that's far from original, EVERYONE is
teaching people how to make money, but I
have a passion for that too. I want to teach
people how to monetize and create blogs
about their healthy lifestyle.

I'm even considering doing both at the same
time, just separate one site for healthy lifestyle
and one showing people how to make sites.

Would I spread myself too thin by doing both
and should I focus more on my passion or
more on the money part.

Thanks

~Vesone Dean

[businessman413]

You could use this as an upsell. From what I hear, you are not currently selling anything on your health website. Your just giving tips and info, maybe in exchange for an email address. This is good, but I might think about creating a product, possibly...

But for the other subject... If it is true that people become very passionate about their way of living, then that's great. Because after giving them tons of tips, you could send along an email telling them, how to make money by using their knowledge.

Some people are not the most tech-savy people, mind you. In this case, you could offer to set up the site for them, and charge a little extra. And further more, you could offer to do one on one coaching with them. You personally telling them what to do, and working with them and their ideas, directly.

Hope I could help in some way. Tell me what you think.

[vesonexdean]

businessman413...I appreciate the advice, it's something that I was thinking about myself, as far as showing people, giving personal one-on-one training to show people how to set up their site...that might be an upsell.

At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually put these sites together for people, I'd rather that they knew how things worked but that could cut out a lot of potential customers...

Here's the part I'm having trouble with, trying to find the right wording for this niche I would create a business around. helping people build weight loss/nutrition/advice websites or blogs through sites like wordpress.

I feel like there's definitely something in this arena but is the arena too small, I know they say that you want to carve out a niche where you're the go-to-guy on how to learn how to perform a certain skill...but are there enough people looking to do that...

I've looked at google, google trends, word tracker and there are elements of what I'm looking for obviously weight loss, making money with blogs, charting your weight loss journey...but nothing specific like how to build or create a monetized weight loss website...

This concept brings four of the things I'm passionate about together business, nutrition, designing functional monetized websites and driving traffic to them...

My level of confusion is through the roof and I think I'm going to test it out and see what happens, if interest is generated from the little I put out there I'll continue with it...do you guys think that's smart?

[businessman413]

Nothing is wrong with testing, by all means, go for it. Don't take this the wrong way... I'm not saying your wrong, and maybe I just misunderstood you, but...

I'm not sure if there is a market out there for entreprenuers who want to build weight loss websites.

Like you said, there's interest out there for the niches individually, but not put together.

My advice: Use the website you have now, and build a news letter or a product of some type. (if you haven't already done this) And focus it on, solely, the subject of weight loss and nutrition. Then, after giving them there share of advice, introduce them to making money by doing what they love.

The basic message I'm trying to promote is... Keep the Two things as seperate as possible. Build two seperate websites, but drive traffic to your weight loss page. The traffic to the making money page, will come from promoting it through email.

This is just my thoughts on it, so, do with them what'd you like.

[vesonexdean]

You're absolutely right, and that's what I was afraid of!

When I tried to conceptualize the idea of combining these two things they didn't work in my mind, I knew they had to be separate and if I go down this road it could be a big waste of time.

There's probably a reason why I'm not finding alot of info on creating health websites...

The reason I came up with this idea was to create a continuity/membership site, but I don't want to write diet plans or workout routines for people, I'm not certified for that, but I know what worked for me to lose weight.

I'm not sure how I can turn this into some sort of continuity site...and by this I mean my original healthy lifestyle/weight loss tips website.

I can create a product but I was to go deeper than that...but I don't know what else would be worthy of charging customers a monthly subscription for.

I've looked at alot of other continuity sites and they're all based on providing weight training routines and such.

I feel like I'm stuck and there's something I'm not looking at but the thing I'm not looking at will enable me to create a fixed-continuity site for my own website...

[businessman413]

Oh, now I see what your problem is. I've been giving you advice that you've already known this whole time...

Just tell them what you did, personally. It doesn't have to be any special program, just be honest, and don't leave anything out of their. Obviously, there's going to have to be some difference in the free tips you give out, and the membership tips. You're going to have to make it better, somehow. Maybe make some special videos, or something.

Just use your mind and be creative. Think, what can I do to make this better.

[vesonexdean]

Businessman I appreciate the feedback you give me, you always chime in to give advice on my problems and I appreciate that.

My dilemma is definitely figuring out the amount of value I give to my audience and like you said with my tips, maybe I should separate the membership tips from the general tips that are still helpful.

I was thinking about giving people a glimpse into my life, basically showing my members 'exactly' what I'm doing to continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

My upsell at one point when I get to a good point in the business is to maybe travel to the fitness expo's and nutrition benefits and fly people out to the event and get to know each other.

That's a future thought though...

I think my membership site might go something like this, more in depth tips, nutrition, video recipes and a behind the scenes look at what I do.

The value I'll offer on my site will 'qualify' me in the mind of my audience and that will make the 'inside' stuff more valuable.

Again businessman I appreciate your comments, I was really really confused earlier today and I have a bit more clarity to work with now...

[businessman413]

Sounds like you are on the right track. I wish you luck in your business venture, and if ever you want anymore input, just ask.

[SophieBunce]

You could always start your own wordpress type script... You have your own site, when people visit have a link to 'Get a site like this' they pay, and an automated blog is created for them with a sub domain. If you find a good scripter Just a thought.

[Aletheides]

I thought Businessmans first response was right on the money.

Whatever you do start capturing the emails of people visiting your site - I use GetResponse.

While you're thinking about what to do (membership site, blogging for profits tutorials, etc..) you have a healthy database of people growing. If you have an idea, launch it on a salespage and hit your list with it. You can do as many different things as you want this one, just do it one thing at a time.