There are lots of posts online about how to make your first dollar, or even how to grow a modest side business. But there’s precious little information on how to build a billion-dollar company.

Before we get into the how, though, there’s something I want to address–and that’s why. Why would you want to build a billion-dollar business?

Even if you have decided you don’t want to build a business that large, I encourage you to read this anyway…it may very well change your perspective on how large you want your business to be.

Pushing Through the FUD

There’s a lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) around building large businesses. In particular, news media loves to hate on “workaholics”–people who seem consumed by their work. Reporters dish on divorces or family fallouts stemming from overworked parents or people who just can’t seem to disconnect from their smartphones.

So, the logical choice, if building a huge business causes you to be overworked and potentially lose your family, is to start a smaller business, right? One where you can work on the side to begin with and not over-tax yourself. One where you can still see your family. One where you don’t kill yourself for your business. It seems like a utopian ideal. But is it really possible? (more…)

You may have noticed this is my first blog post in 2013. Despite this blog receiving over 1.2 million unique visitors last year, I almost gave up on it entirely. Here’s what happened…and the huge mistake I made (which probably isn’t what you think.)

I’ve been wavering back and forth on what to do with erica.biz for a while. Unquestionably, writing this blog has had a huge influence on my life. It’s allowed me to meet movers and shakers in the tech industry and beyond, connect with people who would normally be hard to reach, and it’s even made me some money. (Though likely less than you’d guess, given my traffic numbers, as I put my focus into building my tech startup instead.) Heck, having this blog even helped me raise a small seed round of investment for my tech company–the first time I’ve ever been able to successfully pitch to investors.

With the help of meditation, I dug into my real fears and concerns about running a popular blog. Eventually, I was able to pinpoint exactly when and why writing on erica.biz lost its luster for me. I was surprised to discover that it stretched all the way back to February 2010. That’s when I made a mistake–although I only knew it was a mistake in retrospect.

I wrote a survey and opened it up to you, my readers. The survey wasn’t a mistake–I got hundreds of responses, and they were incredibly valuable. But I asked one question that was problematic. (more…)

“How do I price my product?” another entrepreneur recently asked to an email list I’m on. “I’ve looked at our competitors, and I know how much it costs to produce what we offer. I think I know what my audience will pay. So–looking at all of that–what’s the best pricing strategy?” (more…)

You probably know me as one of those people who’s a straight shooter. I don’t think entrepreneurship is easy, or that everyone should do it. But I do believe it’s rewarding, and that more people should do it. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I write this blog.

And here’s the (shocking) story of how I almost gave it up entirely. (more…)

The truth about how to make money on the
Internet–minus the hype and BS. I can’t stand this any more. I’ve had enough. Something needs to be said:

Too many of us have completely forgotten how to work for a living.

I can’t count how many emails I’ve received that say something along the following lines: “Erica, I need to know how to make money on the Internet. But I need make at least $100,000 in my first year or it won’t be worth it for me. Can you suggest something that would help me do that?”

You–yes, you, the person who writes that–do you know what you’re called in the Internet marketing world by all the “gurus”? (more…)