One of the wonders of this virtual world we occupy through the Internet is the number of people you’re friends (even very good friends) with, but have never ever met in person!

Indeed, I’ve got to know some very nice, very rich, very famous and very interesting (not all the same person!) people over the years - and only a few I have had the pleasure of meeting or even speaking to on the phone.

Which made me wonder, today, as I listened to a interview with one such friend…

“Do I Know You? Really?”

Paul Evans is the CEO of Nicheology.com. When he took over the reins from my good friend, Ryan Deiss, and his business partner Jimmy D.Brown, Paul wrote to me (I assume he got my details through Nicheology’s affiliate records, I’ve been one of their early affiliates). He invited me to help promote a re-launch of what I still consider to be the world’s best Private Label Right’s membership site to my list.

I next came across Paul when he posted an excellent note on a forum we both frequent, talking about his system of patiently and painstakingly building up a successful membership site (not Nicheology.com) to a point where he had 2,500 members, each paying $10 every month!

It took around 3 years. That was his point. Not many people are willing - or able - to wait and work so long for success.

That post was so informative and insightful, I printed it out and referred to a couple of times - but as is typical with me, I failed to implement an idea based on it. That omission will soon be fixed!

More recently, I heard Paul’s name mentioned on Twitter (by a mutual friend, Carrie Wilkerson, the ‘Barefoot Executive’ - who herself was introduced to me by my friend and mentor, TIMIC.com creator, Willie Crawford - vive la social networking!).

I added Paul Evans to my Twitter network - and through it heard about the interview he was doing yesterday on Blog Talk Radio with Willie Crawford. As it happened way past my bedtime, it was only this morning that I could listen to the recording of the 1 hour interview.

It changed my outlook.

Not only did I learn something new about my business and how I could improve it, I also learned some personal things about Paul Evans, including a painful incident that, had it happened to me, might have permanently shattered or devastated me - yet Paul talked about how he drew STRENGTH from it… how it made him what he is today.

And he gave listeners an huge dose of common sense business advice - the kind that you DON’T hear often from ‘gurus’. In fact, quite coincidentally, his interview was titled “3 ANTIDOTES TO ONLINE FAILURE” - which nearly mirrors the title of a message I wrote to send my list yesterday… “THE ANTI-DOTE”.

It is an interview that I strongly recommend that you make time to listen. And if you simply, absolutely cannot afford to spend one hour, at least download it and listen to the last 10 minutes where Paul shares 5 powerful tips or breakthroughs to get over your hurdles and hurtle along to huge success.

I awoke this morning looking for some direction.

I listened to this interview, and found it.

I took 2 hours off, sat in a room with a sheet of paper and a pen, and drafted out an important document that will serve as my guide for the next few years.

And then I wrote this blog post.

It is almost evening. I didn’t do any of the regular ‘conventional’ work on my business. But it probably grew many times over in the hours since I woke up.

I also realized I didn’t know Paul Evans well enough at all.

Until today.

And now, I want to know more. So I signed up to his list after visiting his blog, “Nicheology News - Your Business. Your Money. Your Freedom”.

Has a nice ring to it, right? Like… Money.Power.Wisdom

I can’t wait until Paul and Carrie are visiting India in 2010. Maybe we’ll meet sooner. It’ll be worth the wait, though!

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