For over a year, I’ve been running SimpleEcovers.com and have made it very successful.  I’m glad to announce that I have made my 3rd major change to the website and have now included a whole new look and feel along with an affiliate program too!

The site originally had simple Paypal buttons and just a few options to purchase graphics from me but now over a year later, I’m glad to see it grow to where I can finally add the affiliate program.  Now I’ve always hated websites that advertised right up front about affiliate programs because people would use my affiliate link to go to a site and then see that it offered an affiliate program.  Then my prospect simply signs up to be an affiliate themselves and then purchases the product with their own affiliate link

Most of you who come to my blog know that over the last few months I’ve been designing ecovers and minisites for free to Alex Jeffreys students and those who were needing help with getting their graphics done.

After some poking and prodding from those of you who like my work, I decided to launch SimpleEcovers.com, a website designed to give the online business owner vision for their products and services.  I failed forward creating my site and making it functional for all of you.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working this business online with the intention of giving as much as I can to a community of fellow entrepreneurs who likewise give of their time and talents to help me and others.  I have seen a social family emerge and if it weren’t for those people who continue to give their time and efforts to encourage and help others, I probably would have quit long ago.

As I strive to make my online business a success, I find that the tools you use will help determine that success.  Many people online use a variety of services for their business and as I come across successful websites, I take the time to see what tools and services they use so that I can eventually duplicate their success.

Below you will find essential tools that I use to create products for my online business.  You may use some of the same tools or you may have something else that works better.  I am always open to new suggestions so your comments will be appreciated.

Hey, Michael Ottman here with another graphics lesson for you. I was surfing Alex’s students blogs and came across yet another awesome site. Bill Vannot has a simple design and his blog is easy on the eyes. I definitely do not need to help him with his graphic for his free report.

In fact it is pretty awesome. There is however just one mistake that is all too common when it comes to putting graphics on blogs and websites. To the left is his awesome report cover. The dimensions are 238 x 300.

As I sort through the blogs of Alex Jeffreys students, I consistently come across graphics of ebooks, reports and others that are simply “non professional” looking. I see such great looking blogs with fabulous content but the graphics to some of these great blogs scream either “amature” or “cheap”.

I do not intend on being rude but rather intend to do my part to help others who have neither the resources, money or both to produce the kind of graphics that make people want to buy or click a link. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve started offering my services free to get Alex’s students a little boost for their blogs and to get my name out there.

Hey it’s new years eve and I want to let everyone know that I am ready to kick off 2009 with a bang!  Being a student of Alex Jeffreys has really helped me to focus on treating my business like a business.  No more surfing and email reading all day for me.

Again, I must say that I hope you all have written your goals down for the new year and organized them by priority.  For my first 90 day plan, I hope to get at least 2 paid products created and at least 4 free products.  I have a plan for my business to get the free content out there and make it viral. 

I am posting this in a new section I have called Graphics Creation. I am going to do my part in helping my fellow students of Alex Jeffreys by giving of my small services.

 I know a little about graphic design and I want to give some of Alex’s students resources to help their businesses to grow and at the same time, get my name out there.

I recently visited Chelsea Filan’s website and noticed that I could give her a better graphic for her newsletter. It took me about 20 minutes to duplicate her graphics but I think I came out with something better than what she’s got.  Her old one is on the left.