Andy Brice, the genius who thought of using genetic algorithms for solving seating plans, has put together a range of T-shirt designs for programmers. The proceeds go to two charities chosen by Andy so please check them out.

Watching and learning

Today on the first day of the Thirty Day Challenge Ed Dale presented his ‘Symphony in Four Parts’ about the order of creating a product through Internet marketing.

As I watched the screen pan over his ‘In 4 parts’ diagram showing the actual product last, and Ed said that most people do it the other way round, my heart sank. It brought home that we created our first product ScreenRest in reverse and explained why our marketing efforts were proving so difficult.

Playing in reverse

I created ScreenRest first because it met a need of my own that would apply for many other people and that seemed to be a very sound reason. Once it was complete I turned to traffic generation and that led me to market research. It was at that point that it became clear we were struggling for traffic because it is in highly competitive niche. The bid prices for converting medical keywords in AdWords are too high for a low priced product which in turn means there is high competition with niche AdSense sites for organic traffic. In addition our market was too broad to target effectively. Our conversion rates are quite resonable and we have recieved glowing feedback, but without sufficient traffic it will not form a viable business.

Not all is lost

Fortunately one reason I chose ScreenRest as our first product was that is was a small enough project that the mistakes like this would also be small scale. It has taught me many new skills and technologies and highlighted aptitudes I didn’t know I had. It even set me down a path that led to taking part in the Thirty Day Challenge–what a great outcome.

A valuable lesson

Creating the product last seems counterintuitive, but I am in the position now of knowing that it makes complete sense. I doubt that Ed’s diagram would have had such a strong impact without first having seen what happens the other way round. I guess many people watching will be sceptical of the presentation, I’m sure I would have been this time last year.

What is the Thirty Day Challenge?

The Thirty Day Challenge is an annual free training course about starting an Internet business, with the goal of making $10 in a month, run by Ed Dale and Dan Raine. I first came across it a few months ago in a post by Caroline Middlebrook about the effect it had on her decision to leave her job.

With the next challenge starting in a few months I thought I would wait rather than going through the previous years lessons. The only problem was that I was working a full-time contract that didn’t finish until after the challenge had completed. However I must have been fated to take part as the client terminated their project and the contract early. Normally this would have been bad news, but it meant the contract has ended just in time for me to start on this Thirty Day Challenge full-time.

My Goals for the Thirty Day Challenge

Past experience has taught me the value of goal setting and the power of declaring my intentions. So I’ve written up why I’m doing the challenge under the principle that I’m more likely to achieve my desired outcomes. I also thought it would be helpful when people ask, “Why are you doing the Thirty Day Challenge?”, I can tell them about this post.

Above the intention of making my first $10 from Internet marketing, my other goals are:

Widen my horizons

I’ve been a software developer for 20 years now, sometimes permanent and other times contract, always working 9-5 in an office. I want to see what else I can apply my skills to and maybe find some that I don’t know I have.

Discover my true niche

Our first product ScreenRest is in the ergonomics niche, more specifically RSI and eye strain. While it is a product I believe in, as I initially created it for my own use, it is not a niche that I can say I am passionate about. It is also highly competitive which makes everything a struggle.

Learn new tools and techniques

The pre-season tutorials have already introduced me to new web services and tools. And more importantly it has got me using them. I had heard of Twitter, Stumble Upon and Google Reader but had never thought them any use to me.

Get a soft introduction to Internet marketing

There are a lot of Internet marketing products and services available and it is a difficult to determine good from bad, or even what just suitable for my skills and requirements. I just can’t make it through those epic sales letter pages without getting bored or thinking, “What are you hiding? Just tell me what this is about using short bullet points!”

To have fun!

I’m genuinely excited about taking part in the challenge. Each day is going to be a surprise; I don’t know what will I learn, who will I meet or what Ed will tell us to do. Sounds like good fun.

Oh, and contrary to some opinions, I’m not doing the challenge as an excuse to get an EEE PC. I didn’t need an excuse–it is cute and shiny :-)

I’m really pleased that circumstances have aligned for me to be in a position to dedicate my time to taking part in the Thirty Day Challenge. Please feel free to share your own reasons for taking part.