So how, exactly, can you tell if your business idea will be profitable

There are several indicators…

Now I can’t give away all of the secrets that have been shared with us so far, but I would like to give you an idea of the kind of tips we’ve been getting… because they’re so good.

Example: Let’s say your passion is antique engagement rings. Could you make a business out of buying and selling them – or selling information about them?

To answer that question, Brian told us, you start by searching Google for the term “antique engagement rings.” What you’re really looking for is to see if any ads on the subject show up on the right-hand side of the page.

“If you don’t see any ads about antique engagement rings, is that a good thing?” Brian asked. “Does it mean that your idea is unique – that no one else has thought of it?”

“Probably not,” was his surprising response. “Chances are, that idea has been tried by others before you… and failed. That’s the reason you’re not seeing any ads.”

He explained that online marketers actually thrive on competition. The more Google AdWords or Clickbank ads there are on a particular subject, the better the market is for products that have something to do with it.

(By the way, there are more than 19 pages of Google ads for “antique engagement rings” right now – so you can bet a lot of people are making money based on this very popular subject!)

Here are just a few of the great (and potentially very profitable) business ideas our attendees have come up with:

 

• Frances from Connecticut wants to educate people about how to raise healthy dogs – a subject that’s near and dear to my own heart, too.

• Michael from British Columbia is proudly focused on his region’s flourishing ice wine industry. (If you have yet to try ice wine, put it on your ”must” list.)

• Andrea from California set up a website to help people buy organic products. (Green living is a popular subject with attendees this year.)

• John from Massachusetts is all about golf. (I’m guessing he’s already played a few rounds here on the lovely Turnberry Resort course.)

• And Bob from Delaware (an expert mixologist) is on a quest for the perfect home cocktail.

Brian and Joshua spent a lot of time detailing the Agora model. In a nutshell, they told us, the bigger your list and the more qualified names you add to it, the more money you’ll make.

They also revealed exactly why it’s important to give away top-notch free content to prospective customers instead of simply going for the “quick sale.”

Robbin Washington, one of our attendees, told me, “I came to this year’s conference because for the past two years I felt like I’d missed the boat. Well, this year I told myself was going to be different. I got myself here because life is short – and it’s time for me to start doing something I’m truly passionate about.”

I’ll be telling you more about Robbin in the coming weeks as she launches her products. She’s working on a self-empowerment website that I think will be really big. (She’s one of the most dynamic people I’ve ever met!)

Meanwhile, if you weren’t able to make this year’s conference, don’t feel left out. You can get all of the great ideas and workshop lessons compiled into a DVD set that you can watch over and over.