Ways That You Can Get Bitcoins

The only way to obtain Bitcoins when it first launched was to use the peer-to-peer network. You could do this anonymously and you didn’t need permission from anyone to acquire Bitcoins. With the growth in popularity of Bitcoin there are now several ways you can acquire them.

 

Cryptocurrency Exchanges

 

You can register with a cryptocurrency exchange like Coinbase.com and purchase Bitcoins using your native currency. Some countries do not allow the purchase of Bitcoins so you need to check this first. 

 

When you sign up with a reputable exchange like Coinbase.com you will need to provide a number of personal details. This certainly includes your name and address and other financial information. This is to comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) laws that exist in a lot of countries.

 

This defeats one of the key cornerstones of Bitcoin which is anonymity. The network was set up so that you could perform Bitcoin transactions without anyone knowing who you were or where you were from. 

 

There are some cryptocurrency exchanges that allow you to use fiat currencies to purchase Bitcoins and there are others where you can only make purchases with cryptocurrencies. You need to check that an exchange provides the service that you need.

 

A cryptocurrency exchange charges a transaction fee for every purchase of Bitcoins. The good news is that these fees tend to be a lot lower than those charged by traditional financial institutions.

 

Bitcoin ATM

 

In the last few years Bitcoin ATM’s have emerged in North America and Western Europe. They are now in other countries too. Here you can use funds from your bank account or a credit card to purchase Bitcoins.

 

Most of the ATM’s will allow you to make transactions as well. So if you want to send Bitcoins to another person or receive them then you can do this. The rise in the number of Bitcoin ATM’s proves the growing popularity of the digital currency.

 

Work for Bitcoins

 

A lot of freelancers in different parts of the world like payment in Bitcoins. Employers like it too because sending Bitcoins is a lot cheaper than setting up a bank transfer to another country. It takes a lot less time to receive a Bitcoin payment than it does a bank transfer payment.

 

There are freelancing websites where you can receive payments in Bitcoin. One of the biggest freelancer websites, Fiverr.com, will pay you in Bitcoins if you want and so will other big sites such as Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, Guru.com and PeoplePerHour.com.

 

Complete Tasks for Bitcoins

 

These days you can join websites that require you to perform small tasks and receive Bitcoins as a reward. Some of these tasks include:

 

• Watching videos

• Completing surveys

• Online shopping

• Signing up to free trial offers

• Playing online games

 

These tasks will take you a few minutes to complete and you will receive fractions of Bitcoins called Satoshi’s for doing this.

 

Sell Products and Services for Bitcoins

 

If you own a conventional brick and mortar store or an online store you can receive Bitcoins as a form of payment. In a brick-and-mortar store all you need to do is to print out the QR code for your wallet and then customers can use their smartphones to scan the code and pay you using Bitcoin.

 

With an online store there are a number of scripts and plugins available that create a Bitcoin payment gateway.

 

The Benefits Of Bitcoin For Businesses Explained

Since Bitcoin was launched in 2009 over 80,000 businesses have adopted it. The reason that these businesses and many more, like dealing in Bitcoin is because it offers them some incredible benefits. In this article we will examine all of the major benefits that including Bitcoin as part of a payment system works so well.

 

The Risk of Fraud is much lower

 

When a business allows their customers to use Bitcoins to make payments it is an advantage to the buyer because they do not have to share any of their confidential financial details such as debit or credit card numbers.

 

With conventional payment methods a business usually stores the customer’s financial data for future transactions. This is fine if their systems are secure and they do not suffer from any data breaches where cyber criminals can steal their information.

 

Trading in Bitcoins is really a form of digital cash and hackers cannot intercept a Bitcoin transaction. Also, this protects your identity and in the event of a data breach your financial details are not at risk.

 

There is no Inflation or Deflation with Bitcoin

 

With traditional currency the government of a country can manipulate the money supply by increasing or decreasing it. There are no governments involved with Bitcoin and therefore it doesn’t suffer from any inflation or deflation.

 

There are a finite number of Bitcoin tokens so creating more of them is not possible. When there is no possibility of inflation an investor can choose Bitcoin as a more stable investment than fiat currency.

 

The Transaction Fees are lower

 

The transaction fees associate with credit card payments and wire transfers are pretty high from banks and other financial institutions. In comparison, Bitcoin transaction fees are very low. 

 

Most businesses accept credit cards and end up passing on the cost of the transactions to their customers. With the low fees associated with Bitcoin payments they can reduce the sale prices of their products and services.

 

Payments can be Faster

 

Although credit card payments are usually fairly fast, there can be problems where a business will not receive their money for a number of days especially if customers initiate chargeback’s. 

 

Once a Bitcoin transaction goes through then it is irreversible. It normally takes less time to receive a Bitcoin payment than it does a credit card payment. It is common to receive a Bitcoin payment in around 2 business days.

 

Bitcoins are Safer

 

There are no third parties involved in Bitcoin. No government can seize your Bitcoins or freeze your account. It is very difficult to steal Bitcoins as well if you secure them in the right way. 

 

Faster and less expensive International Payments

 

These days a lot of businesses look to outsourcing specific tasks for their business to freelancers who are located in different countries. This is fine but usually there are high transaction fees associated with making international payments.

 

Also the freelancers have to wait several days to receive their money. International bank transfers are notoriously slow. You can make a payment in Bitcoins anywhere in the world for a very small transaction charge. The recipient also receives the Bitcoins a lot faster than an international bank transfer.

 

The 3 Pillars Of The Bitcoin Blockchain

Blockchain technology supports the Bitcoin network. It is extremely secure and now many organizations across the world are seriously looking at it for not just financial transactions but for their supply chain processes as well. In this article we will discuss the 3 pillars of the blockchain technology behind Bitcoin.

 

The Decentralization Pillar

 

Before the invention of blockchain most transactions over the Internet involved a central server. This server stored all of the essential data that supported the service that it provided. A good example of this is the banking system. Your bank stores your money and when you need to pay someone you have to use them and they charge you for this.

 

Client server technology is everywhere online. When you use a search engine to find something your query ends up on a central server which dispatches the information that you asked for. The problem with client server is that there are a number of vulnerabilities:

 

• The biggest and most obvious of these is that everything is stored in one place. This makes a central server a real target for hackers. 

• If there's any operational issues with a central server, the whole system grinds to a halt.

• The data held on a central server can be compromised which shuts down the whole operation.

 

The solution to these centralized vulnerabilities is decentralization. With a decentralized network all computers have the same information stored. If you want to interact with someone else on a decentralized network you can do this without any third-party intervention. You can send and receive Bitcoins without the use of a bank and a centralized server.

 

The Transparency Pillar

 

A lot of people do not fully understand the concept of transparency when it comes to blockchain technology. Isn’t the Bitcoin network supposed to be private? Yes, it is but it is also public for verification purposes.

 

You need to understand the concept of public and private keys here. A public key is used on the blockchain to show that you have made a transaction. Your private key is never shared. It is linked to your public key to make the transaction valid.

 

With the Bitcoin blockchain you can see the public keys associated with all transactions. No other financial system has ever had this kind of transparency. There is a much-needed level of accountability with blockchain that financial institutions certainly want.

When you have a blockchain public address you can view all of the transactions made using that key. A lot of financial institutions are looking at blockchain because of this but some are concerned that it will force their hand to reveal all of their transactions!

 

The Immutability Pillar

 

Blockchain technology creates immutable records. This means that after verifying a transaction you cannot change it. Once your transaction is added to the blockchain there is no turning back. You cannot reverse the transaction.

 

The immutability in blockchain comes from the cryptographic hash functionality. The blockchain system takes input strings of any length and converts these to an output string of a fixed length. The Bitcoin blockchain uses the highly secure SHA 256 algorithm.

 

Blockchain is basically a linked list of transactions. Each block has a hash pointer connecting it to the previous block. If a hacker tries to change the details of a block it will affect the entire blockchain which is impossible to do.

 

Why Is Bitcoin So Popular?

When Bitcoin launched in 2009 the promise was that it would allow financial transactions on a peer-to-peer network without the need for any financial institutions or government control. A lot of people that knew about it at the time were very excited about the possibilities while others were somewhat skeptical.

 

The digital currency was actually a secondary consideration. It was the blockchain technology that so excited the creators and those that were part of the peer-to-peer community. But the Bitcoin currency has turned out to be a lot better than was expected. There are several reasons for its significant growth in popularity.

 

Transactions are Private

 

The concept with Bitcoin is that it was totally anonymous. Anyone could make a transaction from anywhere to anywhere in the world and nobody would know who was involved. These days to use Bitcoin exchanges to make transactions you do need to provide some personal details but it is still a lot more anonymous than other financial transactions.

 

A good example of this is when using Bitcoin to make purchases from vendors both in online stores and brick and mortar stores. You can complete the transaction without having to provide any of your personal information to the vendor.

 

More Businesses are accepting Bitcoin

 

The growth of Bitcoin has led to more and more businesses adopting it. They will accept it as a form of payment and also use it to make payments to outsource workers in different countries. 

 

With large brands such as eBay, Intuit and the DISH Network embracing Bitcoin more people are becoming interested in the digital currency. A lot of people have now decided to invest in Bitcoin because of this.

 

The Security of Bitcoin

 

Over the last few years there have been some serious data breaches happening to well-known companies such as target. The cyber criminals who committed these breaches stole personal information about the customers of these companies. They then sell this information on the black market.

 

With Bitcoin and the underlying blockchain technology you can make financial transactions without the need to provide sensitive financial information. The decentralized ledger in Bitcoin is extremely secure and virtually impossible to hack. There is no exposure of Bitcoin wallets when making financial transactions.

 

Transactions are Cheaper

 

To send money to another person using your bank will often cost you quite a bit in transaction fees. These rise considerably if you need to send money to someone in another country. 

 

International payments also take time as well and it is not uncommon to have to wait a few days for a transaction to clear. There are very small fees involved with Bitcoin transactions and it is a lot faster to make a transaction to another country.

 

You can Hide with Bitcoin

 

This is not a good thing but it is another reason for the popularity of Bitcoin. Some people use it to make illegal transactions on the Dark Web. We are not condoning this in any way but it is no surprise that Bitcoin is popular because of this.

 

Bitcoin is reasonably Stable

 

While there is a degree of volatility with Bitcoin it is actually more stable than some fiat currencies. There is a limited number of Bitcoins so you can’t create more to cause inflationary problems. 

 

Will Your Startup Online Business Be Profitable? Here’s How to Know

You’ve come up with a winning business idea and you’re ready to get to work building your startup. But before you put in the work to make it a reality, there’s one crucial step that will save you a great deal of headache. You need to start with market validation.

 

What Is Market Validation?

 

Market validation means finding out whether there’s demand in the market for your business idea. It tells you how likely it is that your business will be profitable in a reasonable amount of time. If you find that it’s not a potentially profitable idea, you can abandon it or refine it so that it is.

 

Validation is important because you can’t tell all by yourself whether an idea is viable. You need objective data from your market, not just assumptions. This step in the process saves you time and trouble because it prevents you from launching a business that’s not going to take off.

 

Check out the Competition

 

A good way to get started is to see if your idea already exists and is out there making money. Get online and search. See if your competitor has an audience and if they’re selling. If so, this is a profitable idea. 

 

You just have to put your own spin on it. If you find that it’s taken, this doesn’t mean you can’t launch a similar business. In fact, it could tell you it’s a good idea.

 

If you find that many businesses are out there using your idea, you might want to refine it. This could mean the market is already saturated. You’ll face tough competition unless you can find a good way to differentiate yourself. 

 

Does Your Business Offering Solve a Problem?

 

Another way to assess your idea’s viability is to consider it in terms of problem and solution. The best business offerings solve a problem for their customers. What issues and challenges do your customers face? Does your product or service help to solve them?

 

Research your target audience. Follow them on social media, join groups where they’re members, and look for questions they’re asking. 

 

Use Web Analytics

 

You can gain a great deal of insight by looking at web analytics. Start by using a free keyword tool to investigate search terms. Enter terms related to your business idea and look at search volume. If people are looking for these keyword terms, it means they’re looking for what you’re offering.

 

This is also a great way to refine your idea. Keyword search tools will show you other high-volume words and phrases. You can discover what people are searching for.

 

There are programs that analyze social media behavior as well. Don’t forget also to look at Amazon and affiliate network programs and see what products are selling. 

 

Reach out to Your Audience

 

You can get great feedback on your idea by reaching out to your audience and asking them directly if they’re buying what you’re offering. You can start with friends, family members, colleagues, and employees. Reach out to social media followers, email list subscribers, members of your online groups, or any other access you have to your target audience.

 

Ask them whether they’re interested in your idea. While you’re talking to them, see what problems they’re facing. Find out what products they currently use and what faults they have. You can also ask how much they’d pay for a service like yours.

 

Validation Is Just the Beginning

 

Remember that market validation is no guarantee of success. It just tells you that there’s a market out there for what you’re offering. If you take the time to validate, your idea is more likely to earn in the short term. Now, your idea’s ready to launch.

6 Ways to Find Unique Ideas for Your Online Course

Ready to offer an online course? The first major challenge is to come up with a topic. It’s the most important decision you’ll make, so you really need something good. How do you come up with unique ideas for courses people will love to take? Here are 6 ideas for finding unique topics.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What questions do people often ask you? What questions are people asking online? You can look at Q&A sites like Quora or social media and other online forums. 

 

Another idea is to check a similar company or site in your niche and see what questions are on their FAQ. If you can create a course that answers a question on everybody’s mind, you’ll have a great topic that people are interested in.

 

Identify Your Strengths

 

If you offer an online course in a topic where you’re truly an expert, it’s guaranteed to offer great value to your audience. Brainstorm a list of your greatest strengths. 

 

You can often say off the top of your head what you’re good at. You can also analyze your work history to see where you have the most experience. But the best way to find out is to reach out to people in your network and ask them. They know you well and can tell you objectively what you’re best at.

 

Channel Your Inner Nostradamus

 

Get clairvoyant and try to predict what’s coming in the future. It takes a few months to organize and promote an online course. If you can choose a topic that’s going to be trending in the coming months when you’re live, or in the months after that, you’ll really have a great topic on your hands.

 

The good news is that you don’t need to be psychic. You can find out about future trends through market research. Follow industry publications related to your niche. Use tools like Google Trends. Monitor the competition and see what they’re talking about. You can also hone your psychic abilities by knowing past trends and looking for patterns.

 

Look in Unexpected Places

 

Sometimes a great idea comes from somewhere else, not related at all to your business or niche. For example, you might turn on the TV and get a great idea from a news story. Something that comes along your Facebook feed might offer inspiration. Think back on a conversation you recently had with a friend.

 

Get into the mode of always looking for ideas and take notes on your phone whenever something strikes you.

 

Find Gaps in the Market

 

For a unique idea, look for gaps in the market. Look at courses being offered in your niche. You’ll see a few topics being covered by many businesses. Try to find a sub-topic within your niche that’s not being covered and you can make this the topic for your online course.

 

The great advantage here is that you’ll be the only one offering this topic. It may not be a big seller, but if there’s interest, you’ll dominate.

 

Check Analytics

 

People often won’t tell you honestly what they’re interested in even if you conduct surveys and ask them directly. But their actions don’t lie. This is why it’s good to look at analytics. Analytics show you your audience’s behavior.

 

Look at website and blog analytics. Run a newsletter and see which links your subscribers click or messages they open and engage with. Analyze reactions to your social media posts. Look for patterns and you’ll discover your audience’s real interests. 

 

Once you find one of the above ideas that works well for you, document it and refer to it whenever you need new ideas. Also, start an ideas list that you can carry around with you on your phone or in your pocket. Any time inspiration strikes, write it down. You never know when you might hit upon a profitable idea for your online course.

 

How to Achieve Freedom by Working Online

At its most fundamental, time is freedom. The more time you have that is your own, the more choices you have regarding what you want to do and how you want to direct the course of your life. What this tells you is that you can increase your freedom and stop feeling like you’re being led around in your own life by freeing up more time.

 

And one of the best ways to free up time? Working online.

 

This is perhaps the most common example of lifestyle design: working online so that you can start to choose when, where and how you work. Now you can decide to make your work fit in around your lifestyle instead of being forced to squeeze your life in when you can.

 

The Digital Nomad

 

What does one do with this freedom once they have it? Well, a common choice is to become a ‘digital nomad’. This term describes someone who travels the world while working online. They use the ability to work not in an office as a way to work on the move. These people travel from country to country, meet new people and see incredible sights during the day. Then, in the evenings, they use the rest of their time to work in cafes and bars – anywhere with a power socket and an internet connection.

 

This is true freedom. These people are able to support themselves but in doing so they are also getting to climb mountains, see famous landmarks and discover other cultures. They aren’t tied to any one place and surely that’s one of the truest demonstrations of freedom.

 

The Alternatives

 

But the reality is that not everyone would enjoy this lifestyle. Some of us need colleagues to avoid going mad and many of us have partners or families that depend on us – we can’t afford to go travelling for days on end.

 

So instead, you can use the same thing to just have more freedom at home. 

 

How about working in cafes near you? Or perhaps there’s a beauty spot you could enjoy working in? Because there’s no commute though, you can spend an extra hour in bed. And if someone invites you out for an impromptu lunch? Then you’ll be free to take them up on that offer!

 

You can travel more but still come home in between to spend time with your family and with your creature comforts (like tea…).

Digital Marketing Lifestyle Resource Sheet

Want to be a digital marketer and lead the lifestyle that you’ve always dreamed of? Then you need to change the way you approach it. It’s time to stop thinking about making money fast and instead, time to think about having fun making money. And also enjoying the money when you have it.

 

There are several resources that can help you to achieve that, so to continue your education, seek out these books!

 

The E-Myth Revisited

Book

 

The problem with many entrepreneurs is that they start their businesses with a completely false notion of what life will be like once they do. They set out thinking they will live the ‘American Dream’ and start making lots of money from a single idea.

Reality doesn’t quite work that way. And if you really want to be successful, then you need to realize this going in. This book will help you to understand rules that apply to any small business.

 

The Four Hour Workweek

Book

 

This book by Tim Ferriss is one of the absolute classics when it comes to working online and managing your work-life balance. This is one of the books I recommend to anyone starting out online and it’s an incredible wake-up call for many who have ended up stuck in jobs they don’t love. It’s about lifestyle design: about working to live and not living to work. It also contains tons of practical tips.

 

The Personal MBA

Book

 

This book by Josh Kaufman aims to teach an entire MBA course in a single volume. Okay, so that’s a pretty ambitious concept but the end result is undoubtedly impressive and it’s something that everyone should take a look at.

 

How to Save An Hour Every Day

Book

 

This book was written with a single goal: to help entrepreneurs and other folk to save more time. Saving time is crucial for a digital marketer as it will give you more time to work toward your goals and more time to enjoy outside of work.

 

Smart Passive Income

https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

 

Smart Passive Income is a website from Pat Flynn that tells people how to make businesses that will be self-sustaining and provide passive income. Pat is a very friendly and likeable guy and the site provides real-world tips and candid insights into his own business. Highly recommended.

 

Headspace

App

 

If you’re someone who struggles with stress and managing your work/life balance, then getting an app like Headspace is highly recommended. This is a meditation app that will teach you the basics of mindfulness and help you to find moments of calm and to practice mental discipline. It’s game changing.

 

Warrior Forum

www.warriorforum.com

 

This is a forum for digital marketers to discuss their business. It’s a great place to find business partners, writing and web design services and more. What’s more is that it’s a great place to just chat with likeminded individuals and make genuine connections.

 

Nomadlist

https://nomadlist.com/chat/all_channels

For those that work on the move Nomad List is a fantastic place to meet people and find business partners. 

 

How to Look and Feel Like a Highly Successful Digital Entrepreneur

There are many reasons that you may have been attracted to the idea of working online. For many, the allure of being completely free to work when and how they please will be enough. For others, it comes down to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from financial independence.

 

But for some, it’s the allure of being highly successful. For some, it’s the appeal of being successful, accomplished, powerful and wealthy – of being able to live that hedonistic lifestyle of travel, partying and womanizing/manizing (?).

 

In other words, some of us just want to be highly successful in the traditional sense and to get the feeling of reward and power that comes from that success. Internet marketing makes this possible because it gives us a way to earn money that isn’t ‘limited’ by conventional career trajectories.

 

You have the prestige that comes from being an entrepreneur, and you have the theoretical ability to learn limitless money. You just need a good idea, a little business savvy and the dedication to put in the work. Do all that and you can quickly become highly successful.

 

You can rub shoulders with bankers, lawyers and other highly successful individuals, enjoying tailored suits and lavish parties – all without putting in the time at the bottom of the heap.

 

The Problem

 

But there’s a problem and that is the fact that many of us don’t know how to live this lifestyle. Many of us want that successful lifestyle but we miss the vital steps. Many of us end up simply working our behinds off at home, not remembering to brush our hair or do our teeth, and then looking completely dishevelled whenever we do leave the house.

 

Working alone is not highly conducive to presenting ourselves will and what many people don’t appreciate is that running a business is a lot of hard work. Without a boss to motivate you, you can end up falling behind quickly. And then you end up making up for it in the evenings, or by diving straight into work without getting ready for the day first. This is especially true if you are so driven by being ‘successful’ or wealthy. Kind of ironic!

 

The Solution

 

The solution is actually to make sure you leave space in your day for looking after yourself and investing in your look. We all know the saying: dress for the job you want. This is just as true when you work for yourself because dressing well will make you feel more successful and effective. 

 

But knowing that and actually acting on it are two very different things. If you want to spend time on yourself, then you need to ensure you give yourself that time – and more importantly that you give yourself that energy. That means clocking off at a set time and dedicating some hours in the day to getting dressed and ready.

 

Develop a morning routine. This will make it easier to ensure you get dressed and ready the same time every day and will ensure you start your day with the right enthusiasm, mood and footing.

 

How Working Online Will Change You

Lots of articles have been written about the kind of person who becomes a blogger or an SEO, and the ways that you can make yourself better at blogging or running a website. What is less often discussed however, is how working online can actually change who you are as a person and influence your personal development. There are many ways that this can happen and a number of common effects that blogging can have on your personality and your attitudes. Read on to meet the person you might become... 

 

How Jobs Impact On Us 

 

I used to proudly claim that I hadn't changed, because I became a blogger and never bowed down to the man. I have no colleagues as a blogger meaning that there was no one for me to become ‘more alike’, but this in itself can have an effect on you. And likewise, working from home and earning passive income has probably had some impact on me too. Blogging/optimizing changes you just like any other job, only it changes you differently. Once I was self-aware enough to recognize this, I set about finding out what had changed about me. Here's what I came up with... 

 

Care Free 

 

I would say that compared to my other friends, I am more carefree and less restricted. While my friends have to work 9-5 jobs and get very stressed if they stay out too late one night, I can remain flexible and free to work when I choose and where I choose. If I'm honest, this has also led me to somewhat resent those people who aren't free to hang out because they have work the next day. I guess it's fair to say that I've become somewhat detached from the 'real world' and regular routine. 

 

Opinionated 

 

Writing online regularly has also made me somewhat opinionated. Sure, I'm opinionated in my views on employment (and self-employment), but I've also become very used to expressing myself a lot online and sharing my opinion. This undoubtedly crosses over into my daily life, as I tend to wax lyrical about pretty much any subject that I get the opportunity to talk about. 

 

Independence and Confidence

 

You also get a lot of confidence from working online. Once you’ve made money yourself – completely yourself – you realize you’re capable of anything. This helps you to feel more successful and generally means you get used to ‘being the boss’.

 

And with that comes increased independence too. You don’t rely on anyone, and you have countless projects to pass the time when you are alone.

 

An Unusual View of Money 

 

In some ways, being an online entrepreneur has made me stricter with my money. The money I've earned has been entirely down to my own effort and is a reflection of my success, so I feel more personally affronted when I spend it. On the other hand, though, I also think of money now very much in terms of overheads and profits. Spending a little money on a friend is just another 'overhead' and I can earn it back by working a little extra hard for a while. 

 

These are just some of the ways you change when you become a blogger or a digital marketer. Of course, the precise changes partly depend on who you are to begin with. Either way, expect to grow and change and to get more from the experience than you necessarily bargain for…