So conventional “marketing wisdom” says when I give away free stuff, I’m supposed to hype it up and rub it in your face (e.g. “FREE FREE FREE”).

At the very least, I’m supposed to make you opt-in to my email list in exchange for the kind of content that’s below . . .

. . . and then tell you over and over again how all my friends told me NOT to give this stuff away without charging, and how I’m afraid this will cost me my business, etc.).

And at a bare minimum, I’m supposed to tell you that everything below is worth AT LEAST $5k . . . and that you should use this stuff (see below) to make a pile of money so you can buy my 20 DVD homestudy course that’s coming out in a month.

Let’s just skip that.

Here’s some good stuff (no opt-in necessary) . . .

1. First, here’s my virtual assistant hiring exam (this is the EXACT exam that I give to potential virtual assistants before hiring them, and it separates the wheat from the chaff).  Click here to download it.
2. Second, here’s a market research survey that I’ve created.  You can use it IMMEDIALY by copying and pasting into and email and sending it to your list.  This survey (which I personally use) allows you to get inside the minds and hearts of your customers and make the exact product they’re looking for.
3. Third, here’s a link for a free video (that I created) that explains a little-known SEO strategy that’s provided me with countless Google first page rankings within weeks.

Enjoy!

–Clay

P.S.  One spot just opened up in my 6-month-long intensive 1-on-1 mentoring, training, and consulting program (it’s called Project Sonora).  If you’re potentially interested in being considered for that spot, email tracy at tracy {at} projectmojave {dot} com (she’ll let you know about the selection and application process).

[Note: This post is by Johnny B. Truant. A good friend and one hell of a weird dude].

My dad (who isn’t the guy in the photo above; he comes later) has this really interesting way of combining the surreal with the profound.

I mean, he lives above a big Italian Market warehouse populated by a gun-toting right-wing conspiracy theorist who can’t bring himself to click open a ballpoint pen, a woman with one arm, and a bizarre multipurpose hourly worker who argues that he should be paid twice what the woman with one arm gets, given that he has two. Dad will cook chili in tanker-loads and then eat it all year, and then (almost literally) not eat for two months in the winter to save money and lose holiday weight.

But he’s also always been my advisor, my shrink, and my moutaintop guru who simply doesn’t live on a mountaintop.

He’s the one who taught me to have faith. He’s the one who gave me the idea to operate on an all-cash basis. And he’s the one who gave me a really obvious — yet really underrated and often-missed — definition of freedom.

He’d say, “You just need to make enough money to let you do what you want to do.”

So obviously, a lot of you reading this blog are either working on your own freedom businesses, or you’re thinking about getting in the next time Project Mojave opens and taking a crack at one. And maybe you’re running the numbers in your head, trying to figure out what dollar figure would replace your J-O-B income so that you could be free.

But now would be a really good time to stop and think about what you really want, because it may not be what you think it is… and it may not take the amount of money that you think it will. What is it that you really want to do with and in your life? Once you’re free, what do you want your life to be?

Yeah, you really should consider this.

My dad is an artist. And, I mean that in the purest sense of the word. I don’t mean he makes illustrations for an advertising agency’s campaigns, or paints houses, or creates sculpture schematics for city parks departments. I mean that he lives in a loft and every single day, sits in front of an easel with a brush and paints. He does nothing else for money. Either he sells paintings or he’s shit out of luck. And you know what? Sometimes, when this is the way you operate… well, sometimes you end up shit out of luck.

It wasn’t always like this. He used to work for a big ad agency. I don’t know how much money he made, but he drove a Corvette and lived in a really fancy-ass condo and had one of those American Express cards with no limit.

And he was constantly stressed out and angry, because all he wanted to do was to make enough money so that some day, he could quit the job he hated and just paint all day.

So right now, you should say, “Aaah, I get it.”

See, every once in a while, we catch ourselves going in circles. We’re doing X so that it’ll provide enough income so that we can quit X and do Y, but then it’ll dawn on you that if you’d just stop X, that Y actually doesn’t take much money at all. It’s X that takes the money.

I heard an anecdote on a CD seminar recently where some big business guy lived in the city and hated it… he hated the traffic, the congestion, the people, the noise, the commute, the pollution. He really wanted to live in the country, but the problem was that he could only work his current job if he lived in the city. And he had to have that job — had to! — because living in the city was really expensive. If he didn’t keep the job, he would no longer be able to afford to live in the place he had to live if he was to keep the job.

Or consider my new buddy Adam Baker of Man vs. Debt. Go read his “About” page. What did his family want? They wanted to travel, to see the world NOW instead of working and working for things that society told them they should want, and to go deeply into hock to get those things. So they sold everything they could. Became minimalists. And now all they do is travel.

Or… you’ve seen Office Space, right? Peter hates his job, so he’s dreaming, asking people what they’d do if they had a million dollars so that they didn’t have to work. (That’s when Lawrence says that the thing he’d do is two chicks at the same time.)

And then he asks Peter what he’d do if he had a million dollars, and Peter says he’d do nothing. He’d sleep in, lie around the house all day… and do nothing.

And Lawrence says, “Hell, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothin’, man. Look at my cousin. He’s broke; don’t do shit.”

This is really, really worth looking at right about now, as you look toward your own freedom, and the income you want your business to give you. Maybe you make $5k a month now, and live in an expensive house with two cars. Maybe you’ve told yourself that you’d make that income all your life so that you could retire and… move into a loft above the Italian Market (where you won’t need cars; there’s a subway) and paint all day.

Think about what you’re really gunning for in life, because it’s for damn sure not money. Nobody gives a shit about money. What we want is what we think money will mean, what it will give us. If what you really want is to go skydiving every day and to live in a mansion, then okay, you DO need a lot of money.

But a lot of us want to “do nothing.” Or paint. And that’s not expensive at all.

What do you want? It may be a hell of a lot cheaper than you think, and the number you have in your head about how much money you need to make might include a lot of infrastructure: I need THIS so that THIS can happen and I can funnel THIS into THIS so that I can stop doing THIS and eventually have THIS.

But maybe you can just have THIS now if you’ll let go of the rest.

Think about it. Freedom might actually be one hell of a lot closer than you think.

Note: Every other month we’re going to profile one of the extraordinary members of Project Mojave. We’re kicking it off with Danielle Coleman, who has an amazing story and an amazing gift to give to the world. Here is her story, told in her own words:

I am the proud mother of a beautiful two-year-old girl named Myrdin Rose. She, like most two-year-olds, is fiercely independent. She is a definite Daddy’s girl, but can always be counted on to snuggle up to Mama at bedtime. She loves dancing and singing, being outside in the fresh air, and playing with her dolls or stuffed dog. She “reads” more books in a day than I can read in a month.

Myrdin lights up my world and gives me new reasons to smile every day.

She is my first child, and one I would never trade. But she is not the child I expected.

After an uneventful pregnancy, and a quick, easy labor and delivery, my daughter was born with a full head of dark hair, ten fingers, ten toes, and an extra 21^st chromosome.

We first learned she had trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) about an hour after her birth, following some hushed conversations among the doctors. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a whole lot of information on what this meant for our child.

What was supposed to be the happiest day of our life turned into a scary, exhausting week in the NICU.

We kept the diagnosis from most of our family until it was confirmed through a genetic test, six days after she was born. Through that time, we had very little access to information. The doctors gave us a few books and some pamphlets that the hospital carried, but they were full of terrifying statistics and more horrifying conditions we couldn’t imagine having to deal with. The nurses warned us about feeding issues and “failure to thrive.”

I grieved.

I grieved for the “normal” baby I had “lost” when this one was born.

I grieved for the baby hooked up to all those machines, my baby girl, who may have a future of hospitals and hand-holding ahead of her. And I grieved for my husband and myself, as we struggled through the week, loving our daughter immensely, but feeling lost, terrified, and alone.

When we finally took her home, I got online and started researching everything I could. I joined special-needs mom’s group forums, signed up for newsletters and blog feeds, bookmarked dozens of sites, and read through several books. I learned that the scary clinical statistics I received from the hospital did not necessarily compare with the stories I heard from actual parents of children with Down syndrome. And they didn’t quite mesh with what I saw in front of me each day as my daughter grew and learned and progressed.

I was determined to be my daughter’s best advocate, but I had to scramble for months and sort through an overwhelming amount of information in order to feel like I knew what I needed to know to help my baby become the best version of herself that she can possibly be.

Life can be exceptionally challenging for the most typical of us…add a disability on top of everything we face, and it can become absolutely terrifying.

When a parent receives the news that their child has a disability, everything changes. They question what tomorrow will bring, how they will pay for therapies, how their child can possibly make his or her way in the world. And when they face that alone, it can be overwhelming, and both the parent and child can suffer.

But no child should be given less than a full chance to be their best self, despite their family’s resources.

No family should receive the devastating news that their child will be challenged by a lifelong disability, and then have to blindly scramble around in the dark for the best resources and information available to help them cope. And no child should be less than they are capable of being, simply because their parents did not know where to turn for help.

My vision is that families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome will be able to have access to the resources and information they need to accept that diagnosis confidently, and to help guide them forward in a manner that best supports the needs of both their child and the family as a whole. Instead of scrambling all over the Internet and bookstores for information, families will be able to turn to one definitive resource that will give them all the information they need to get started living this new life, and that will offer suggestions for other resources as they become ready for them, in each stage of their child’s life. My freedom business will be based on being this resource, connecting families to each other and to the real-life stories and experiences of children with Down syndrome, rather than relying solely on outdated statistics or cold clinical facts.

I’ve had the sketch of this dream in my head for a while. But becoming involved with Project Mojave has really ignited a fire in me to share this vision with the world. Project Mojave is designed to be a community of purpose-driven people who are out to change their corner of the world with their freedom businesses. Being a part of that community is in itself supportive and encouraging.

You cannot be around a high level of excitement and passion and walk away unchanged, or unmotivated.

I am inspired by the mentorship calls, where members can ask Clay their questions and share their ideas, brainstorming and gaining new perspectives. And the forums are a welcoming place to turn for assistance, with members willing to offer their support and expertise. Being actively and publically involved in both of these venues helps keep me accountable and motivated, moving forward each day on making my freedom business a reality.

I am passionate about pursing this dream, but I am not without fear. I think fear is the most prevalent emotion in each of our lives.

Because of fear, we make excuses so that we don’t have to feel bad about our inaction.

We’d take action and create positive change if only we had more money, more time, less stress, fewer demands. But really, it simply comes down to the fact that we are afraid to step outside the familiar. And however uncomfortable or unhappy it may be, it is safe, because we know what each day brings and what our role is.

But we condemn ourselves to mediocrity when we do this. We condemn ourselves to lives where we merely exist, going through the motions, never really being happy or fulfilled. I’ve had to push past all the underlying fears of failure, of not being important enough, of not knowing enough. I have something to share that will help other people get past their own fears, and help them have happier, more confident lives.

I had to decide that my purpose is greater than my circumstance, and that my purpose is more important and stronger than my fear.

I have to focus on making progress each day, no matter how slight. And if I’m feeling afraid or insecure, I have to refocus and ask myself what one tiny step I can take that day, in order to make sure I am at least maintaining forward momentum.

Each of us has unique gifts to share with the world, gifts that someone, somewhere needs right now. Gifts that can truly make a dramatic difference in someone’s life and make a lasting positive impact on the world. We help no one by waiting for the "right time." The right time is today. It is now. We have to make this moment the right time, so that all the moments from here on out will matter more than they ever could if we just continue to wait.

It’s okay to be afraid…big visions and big change can be naturally terrifying. But they can also be exhilarating, and the pursuit of them can bring you the most enriching experiences of your life.

Even if you start slowly, like I did, you can still move forward.

I joined Project Mojave back in May, and though I did go through many of the videos and glance around the forums, I never posted anything, and I never attended a mentorship call. I always let life get in the way, until October, when I just decided I had to make a change now, because waiting until the “right time” to jump in with both feet was not working! The right time doesn’t come until you decide it’s here. I used the Freedom Business Contest as my springboard. I shared my idea and my vision with Clay and his staff, and I jumped into the forums and posted a long overdue introduction, and replied to other members’ posts, too. I started making it a point to be on the mentorship calls, if only to listen to the fabulous ideas and passion of the other Project Mojave members. I’ve made some great connections, gotten fresh perspectives on how to progress in my business, and I’ve become even more enthused about my own ideas by hearing the passion of others when they share their visions.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to determine what your purpose is, and to take action on that purpose—today.

You don’t have to change the whole world; that’s too big. You just need to identify who needs help in your own little corner of it.

Figure out what skills, knowledge, or connections you have to offer them, and then use that to build a business that meets their needs. Then take action every day, even if it’s small—purchasing your domain name, writing a paragraph in your ebook, or just discussing where you are on your journey in the forum with members who can be there support and encourage you. The world needs your vision. Share it today.

If you’d like to contact Danielle, head over to her web site that she’s just beginning to create.

Awhile ago, I selected a Project Mojave member’s business idea and decided to personally take that idea and turn it into a successful automated “freedom business.” In my spare time.

Since I started building this business, a LOT of people have asked me about it.

So here’s a video that discusses the business I’m building …and how you can apply my techniques to your market to rapidly increase profits.

Also – in case you didn’t know, I’m offering the final 50 spots in Project Mojave on Tuesday December 15th, 2009.
These spots will only be available for a 24 hour period . . . and what’s cool about this is you can try Project Mojave out for $5.

So if you’d like to get an early link before December 15th, enter your email below and I’ll send you one.

Email:

Here’s where you can enter your email address and get an early link for the new $5 offer.

Email:

In case you didn’t watch the whole video, here’s what’s up. On Tuesday December 15th, I’m offering 50 spots in Project Mojave…and this time (for a nominal fee of $5) you can try it out for three days.

These spots will only be available for a 24 hour period (and right now I have no plans to open up Project Mojave in the future).

Given the price, it’ll probably sell out supa’ fast since there’s only 50 spots.

Click HERE For More Information

Click HERE For More Information

Hey, it’s Clay here, and I’m getting ready to open the doors to Project Mojave today (Tuesday) . . . at 4:30 Eastern (1:30 Pacific).

I hope you’re getting ready to KILL it with your freedom business.

Anyway, I’ve got lot’s of great stuff in this blog post for you today… like…

1. I’m announcing the winners of the Project Mojave Contest

2. A short video interview by Cody McKibben that explains who the HELL I am and what the heck Project Mojave is fundamentally about (at its core).

3. Lot’s of other cool stuff.

But before I get to that, I want you to know . . .

The Main Purpose of Project Mojave

The main purpose of project Mojave is to SHOW YOU (side-by-side with me in the trenches) how to create a business that allows you to work when and how you want, spend more time with family, and that enables you to live a life of massive personal freedom.

Project Mojave was created after it became clear to me that . . .

• Too many people get up in the morning dreading their upcoming work day.
• Most people will retire from jobs that they dislike (as much as the ones they have now).
• Too many people’s jobs are the #1 life-sucking force in their lives.
• We’re going to take a very new approach to teaching and learning and I think you’ll be in for quite a few surprises.

Anyway, Project Mojave is, quite literally, a project. And over the course of 3.8 months, I’ll be building a Freedom Business *alongside* YOU. So as you’re building a freedom business, I will be too.

In fact, I’ll be selecting someone’s business idea . . . and turning it into a successful AUTOMATED business. In my “spare time.” And showing you what I’m doing.

We won’t ONLY be *teaching* Project Mojave members how to build a Freedom Business.

We’ll be showing them as well. (While I’m building a Freedom Business, you will be also).

I’m going to literally build a successful business right before you eyes, while you’re also building one.

Anyway, In Project Mojave, I’m Going to Show You . . .

• How to use market research to get over your fear (of failure, going broke, pain etc.).
• Step-by-step instructions to begin a very small but profitable business to ease into making money.
• How to try new business ideas before you develop a product.
• How to figure out the business ideas you can start — with your skills — and actually be excited about for years to come.
• How to find reliable sources of income that don’t monopolize all of your free time.
• Detailed instructions on how to discover profitable markets and niches that others are overlooking (and that can fund your freedom for years).
• How to decide which of your ideas will likely be the MOST profitable and succeed.
• How to eliminate much of the uncertainty involved in starting a business and launching a product.
• How to figure out which of your skills are sufficiently developed to finance an independent lifestyle.
• A step-by-step blueprint for testing whether or not people want to BUY the product you want to make.
• How to “run” with your business ideas and make them profitable as quickly as possible.
• How to specifically focus your time and energy so that you’re not wasting time or resources.
• How to determine the best way to market your business (SEO, Adwords, etc.)
• And really, there’s a lot more. But you’re find out more when we start accepting new Project Mojave members.

Who The Hell I am, And What the Hell Project Mojave is About

If you’re still wondering what the hell Project Mojave is about (and who the hell I am), then this video is probably the #1 piece of launch content you should watch. Hands down.

Winners of the Project Mojave Contest Announced

We had SO MANY ridiculously good entries for the Project Mojave contest.  And thank YOU for all the amazing and thoughtful entries.

Picking two winners was *very* difficult.

But after lots of reading and thinking, I chose the winners around 2AM this morning.

Anyway, if you get a chance, it would mean a lot to me if you could take a quick sec and congratulate the winners in the comments section on this page.

Winning Entry #1: Tim Kerr

I’m working full time in sales and studying part time, and it’s killing me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, my family and my studies, but my wife accuses me (rightly so) of spreading myself thin. I’m a drummer and musician at heart, and my first love is to play and teach drums and percussion. I was self-employed in that capacity for a number of years. The money wasn’t fantastic and the work was inconsistent, but I loved it.

The kids were a major factor in my deciding to put that aspect of my life aside for a season and earn a full-time wage. When my daughter came along three years ago, I decided the best thing to do was to shelve the gigs and teaching, and work full time. My main reasoning was that my family depended on me for an income because my wife was no longer working. Now, I earn enough to get us by, but not much more.

We’re not poor, but we’re not exactly getting ahead, either. I don’t hate my job, the company I work for is fantastic, but it’s not where I really want to be.

Talking of freedom, I want some! I work retail hours. I work Tuesday to Saturday. I see my kids for an hour or two in the morning and another hour or so at night.

My wife is pregnant with our third child and I wish there was something I could do to be able to help her more. My kids aren’t even at school yet, but I want to become more involved in their lives, as they won’t be young forever. I would love to be able to work from home so that I can be there to support my wife and love my kids. I would love to be able to take them on a holiday for a week or two every now and then. I want to be able to be there for my family when they need me.

Did I mention study? I’m completing my Masters in Music this year, with a view to commencing my Doctorate in Creative Industries next year. Having the flexibility to go to uni when I need to, rather than just on my one day off (which chews into more family time) is the stuff of dreams right now. I would also love to be able to work in a capacity that would enable me to take on the occasional recording session, or drum tech a festival, or (heaven forbid) small tour if the opportunity arises, or even a few local gigs here and there.

My passion is to play the drums, and to help others get better at playing also. I have already in the last year developed a drum method book, based on the last 15 years of my experience as a drummer and drum teacher. This book is essentially my “ideal” drum method book. It is designed to give a budding drummer the skills and knowledge they need in order to function as a working drummer.

I can see potential for this book to be sold online in modules in PDF and MP3 format. I can also see a number of ways that the product line can be expanded. People who buy into the book could then have member access to a library of videos and other resources to tap into. Each chapter of the book has potential to be expanded into further modules that build on what the student has already learned.

I’m not trying to sap people’s money by telling them they can have “instant results” or other crap like that. I’ve been teaching for too long to know that instant results are non-existent. Playing the drums well requires dedication and commitment. I simply want to help other people achieve to the best of their ability. I want to help average people achieve their dream of being able to play drums in a band.

I also have an idea of building drums from recycled hardwoods, but this is more of a long-term thing.

My weakness is, I have no real idea about how to put all of this together into something that will earn me an income. I play and teach well, but I’m not really business-savvy. I know I don’t know everything, and this is one massive hole in my knowledge base. I guess that would be where Project Mojave would come in. Right now I have no money to play with. I’m saving a bit here and a bit there for birthdays and Christmas, but I don’t have $10k in the bank to just throw at this thing (or even $1k. Or even $100 right now). It’s just me, doing what I can. If I can even generate a small passive income stream to supplement my current income I’ll be more than happy. Ecstatic even. Because it’s a start, and something I can build on for the future.

I also am worried about my job stability. My income is stable, but not great. I want to know that whatever I do will put food on the table for my family and ultimately bless them. I don’t want to let them down. I know Clay talks a lot about this fear, and it does have a hold on me. I’m not sure how to break it’s hold, but I know I need to.

Well… that’s my ten cent’s worth. Reading these stories is pretty inspiring. Thanks for your time.

TIM

Winning Entry #2: Charlotte

Hi Clay!

First of all, thanks for this contest and for your dedication to making Project Mojave what it is. It’s extremely exciting to watch.

I started my business, inspirIT, as a way to live my values. I’ve been working in the technology field for years, but my efforts have always gone to propping up large banks and corporations – entities which are not geared towards providing freedom for anyone.

Two weeks ago, I left my job to begin working full-time on my business. I could have used the money I was making to slowly grow my business in my spare time – but I don’t want to grow slowly. I didn’t want to keep snatching hours out of my day to grow inspirIT (I was only sleeping 3 hours a night for a while, spending every waking moment doing things like building my site, doing client work, etc). I wanted to openly declare and live my values – freedom for myself and others, the pursuit of art and creativity, and giving freely back to the world.

I’ve worked with several wonderful clients so far who absolutely rave about the service they’ve received… but I’m at a bit of a loss right now as to how to find more people to grow this thing.

This is where Project Mojave comes in. I could continue growing inspirIT by trial and error. I WILL continue to do so if I don’t get into Project Mojave. But I want to reach more of my Right People sooner. I want to be able to use my knowledge of and love for technology to free brilliant, creative people to do their best work. I want to contribute to the world by helping others contribute to the world. To do that in the best and fastest manner possible, however, I need expert guidance. Guidance in finding my Right People. Guidance in figuring out how to best help them. Guidance in providing the most value to the people I work with.

My whole soul, will, and being are invested in this project. I think my passion for technology and entrepreneurship – and for life in general – could power a city. And I’ve only found this passion and dedication increasing in the time I’ve been free from working for others. I’ll do absolutely whatever it takes to make this thing a success.

(Also, eventually I’d like to free myself up to do my most creative work – to finally finish a novel I’ve had in me since I was 12. This is also where I need your help to set up my business model in such a way as to provide maximum freedom for my own creativity as well.)

Thanks so much for this opportunity,

Charlotte