My wife gave me the idea for this post.
7.30am (no 10am starts for me with two small kids who wake at 6am!) in the kitchen. I’m still half asleep and can only focus with one eye but it’s enough to get me to the coffee maker.
Then my wife took this, and suggested (laughing) I should ‘stick in on my blog’ and show my subcribers the ugly truth of what internet marketing from home is really about!
Actually I thought it was a great idea – so I went upstairs to take a pic of my workspace.
I resisted the idea to tidy up my desk. After all I wanted to show you what my desk looks like most of the time and not just when it’s posing for photos so here it is – this is where I work most of the time.
My office is also the guest room and the room where I ocassionally sleep if I’m working very late or on an early morning call with someone from another time zone, so I don’t disturb the family in the middle of the night.
You can see my desk lamp is still switched on – that’s because in Yorkshire at this time of year it’s pretty dark at half past seven in the morning.
It’s quite a sparse set up, with a laptop and a netbook being the only computers I’m currently using. The silver laptop that’s folded up and acting as a platform for my netbook in the picture is slowly packing up – the keys are sticking and I think it’s time to get a new one.
The other reason it’s such a laptop-based setup is that it’s portable. The netbook, a notebook and my mobile broadband connection (iphone plus cable) can be grabbed and stuffed into a bag in under a minute and they provide me with a mobile office whenever I’m off on my travels. This will be coming with us when we go to the cottage on the coast in two weeks or so for an Autumn break.
So I’ve shown you mine – can I see yours now?
I’m inviting anyone and everyone who reads this to send in pictures and/or video, and a brief write-up of where they work.
You can be at any stage in your marketing career – working full time from home or just doing a few hours in the evenings to try to generate a little extra cash. Even if you’ve not made a penny yet, tell me about it.
I want to show other marketers out there that you don’t need a huge, custom made office complex to be an internet marketer, and that the reality is, most of us get by with, or even enjoy working from a small corner at home.
I want to know how your marketing fits in with your lifestyle – adds to your lifestyle – and in a way that real marketers work, not the usual laptop on the beach in a hammock (unless that IS your reality)
Anyway – ever tried typing in a hammock? – it’s bloody hard let me tell you.
In return I’ll publish your pics and/or video and writeup on my blog along with a link to your blog, site or whatever. Just send that in with your write up.
There are NO rules unless I make them up at a later date, so you can send in anything – there’s no right or wrong way to do this, and you’ll get your link seen by thousands of people.
Send your stuff – doesn’t matter about format, we can sort that out – to tonyshepherddirect@googlemail.com
You can send links to your youtube vids, or web based pics or attach them and send them through. NO pre-existing promo vids or pics though – this is about your lifestyle and where you work NOT a blatent plug for your biz, and in return we’ll put your blog or site link in with your write up. Just jot down whatever comes to mind.
If you’ve never published your picture (and it would be great if we had a pic of you as well as your workspace) or done a short video (no more than about 3 mins please) about your lifestyle and how it’s been affected by internet marketing, then this is a great excuse to do it AND get seen my a LOT of people.
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Hey Tony,
So that’s the hub of the business empire is it?
An impressive set up:)
I’ve sent my photos through to you and I look forward to the next post with everyone’s stories.
Best Regards
Andy Michaels
Hello Tony, Greetings from Howick Auckland NZ a freezing spring evening !!! Yup its a cold snap from the south pole this week. Hey i love your idea ! i will drop you a quick video over the next couple of days , sounds like fun… make it a great week
Cheers Theo
PS love the office space…
Howsit Tony,
Great pics. At that time of the morning I don’t even know if I am alive. Been trying internet bussiness for a while now, no luck yet. No budget either. But still going because I believe in it. I think it is the greatest opportunity around. I must say I get a lot of encoraragement from you…..
Thanks for everything.
TIE
Kenneth
Oh yeah I forgot I am from South Africa. And please excuse my spelling
TIE
Kenneth
Thanks Tony, I know you didn’t need to do this, nice to know the big fish look after us minnows sometimes, I have sent my info to your email address, now your gonna know what ugly is, lol, kind regards Andy
Hey Tony, Great Sunshiny Fall day in Canada, We’ve just had a week and a half of rain so its really nice to see the Sun. Love the idea, sending some stuff very soon
All the Best
Arvin
Hi Tony.
I have to admit that your routine is not far from my own. Do not have the kids in the morning, but other than that it appears very much the same.
My home office is also in a spare room and from time to time find myself waking up in there after a long night.
Thanks for sharing the “ugly truth”, lol
Terry
What a fun idea! Let me rummage through the total mess on my desk to find the camera, and I’ll send something off shortly.
Hi Tony,
Something fun, hooray! I share this PC (slowly dying) with my kids and my husband’s just left me so hey ho, better figure out how I’m going to buy the next one! Perhaps this is the motivation I need to get a grip. Thanks for cheering me up – and a lot of others too I see!
Pulling my stuff together. I am sure mine will win the “grand prize” for unusual setup. I am going to leave you guessing until you see my pictures.
Carol Smith
Hello Tony
Thank you for your e-mail. I haven’t got a Blog as yet, what do you suggest? I would like your advice.
I live in North Yorkshire too, what a coincidence.
Your little office is a lot tidier than mine. I have a small spare back bedroom and it looks like Steptoe’s Junk Yard. I used to make greetings cards (and still do occasionally) so there’s blank cards trimming, stickers etc all over the place, I keep tidying them up then pulling them all back out if someone wants cards making.
You seem to be a happy family and that’s all that matters family happiness. I have been married for nearly fifty two years ( done five life sentences) only kidding I have 3 grandsons and 2 granddaughters eldest grandchild is16 youngest coming up 4 in December. One of my grandsons has his birthday Christmas Day, he has a younger brother who is a special needs child (Down’s Symdrome) he’s a very loving boy but he gets up to mischief, he hides things and we can’t find them so we have to trace back to where he last was in the house but me and my husband don’t care as long as he’s happy.
l’ll sign off now
Kindest Regards
June
P.S I wouldn’t know what to write about on a Blog! Also can I sell anything on a Blog?
Hi Tony,
Greeting from Malaysia. It’s nice to show your actual daily life. I like it and I’ll do the same.
Hey Tony,
Well isn’t that special, haha.
Just proves it’s only “location, location, location” in brick and mortar business.
Too bad I just cleaned my “main office” (its the dining room table).
What a great idea Tony… my thanks to your wife for sparking
it!
I have my corner setup and a camera… now I’ll have to
figure out how to do this…
Fran 🙂
This is a good idea Tony… This is the real life without hype. And we all love real stories, don’t we?
I am sending my pics to you soon. Nothing special just my office,
which I made by myself from the scratch. We are living in mid size bungalow in Toronto. I like to do renovation as much as Internet marketing. Also, real estate investing (flipping and renting) is my big “hobby”. 🙂
Alexander
Hi Guys,
Thanks for posting and sending in your pics, vids and stories.
I’m sorry I’ve not replied to each individual comment – it’s just not possible because the posts above are just a fraction of the people who’ve sent in details of how and where they work (it’s fascinating stuff!)
So I’m working hard sorting through it all and getting it ready.
I’ve also ambushed some of my internet marketing mates and asked if you could see inside their most private working areas, and I’m very pleased to say that if the promises come about, then you’re in for a treat because you’re going to see how some rather big names actually work behind closed doors! Well worth waiting for…….
Tony,
Thank you for this op for sharing where we work in our own worlds. Being a California boy (60+) born and raised it is really hard to put my hands around the kind of weather that some of people out there experience. Today is another great sunny day (70) and then for those wine lovers, I have 50+ wineries just 20 minutes from my house and most of them I can ride my bike to.
A real tough like, haha.
I am going to send off the pictures of me and office right after pushing the submit button.
I am really fond of great Quotes so I will close with one.
“Never surrender your dream to noisy negatives.”
Author unknown
Hi Tony,
You home office looks… bad. Mine is not pretty ever, and like you I am a lap top guy. I just can’t use desktop computer.
All the best,
Franck
the Body Guard marketer
Tony:
What a great bear of a guy! I really like your energy and your humor as well! Can’t wait to see the results. I got so excited to “interact” that I didn’t read your whole blog, just rushed off to send the picture of my work space. Being an artist and a writer, I have quite an “eclectic” desk.
My husband, who is a neat freak to the max, continually thinks I should “clean” my space — he doesn’t understand that it’s not messy it’s artistic!
Can’t wait to see what you’re putting together. Thanks Tony! (I think I found you through Travis Sago or maybe Jennifer Ledbetter – but I’m glad I did!) I love connecting with great folks on the net who are in the biz and SUCCESSFUL!
It’s inspiring.
Tony, are you still working hard sorting through it all and getting it ready? Could you advise when we can see the results of your hard work? 🙂
Had a couple of technical problems and quite honestly had too many to include this time round.
Should be ready within the week!
Tony
Hello Tony, not sure if you’re still doing this but my photo should be with you later today.
Hope I haven’t missed the boat.
John Burton
Hi Tony,
I like how the comments section shows up so clearly. Is that the theme itself or a plug-in? Thanks Dorothea
Hello Tony,
I have wanted to drop you a line for a while now. This is as good an excuse as any. I actually use a shared laptop, shared with the entire family. I sit at the kitchen table, so it’s always clean. I do keep an Ideas book though, and it is chock full of my finest works.
And I wanted to mention, I am from the US, but I actually met my husband in Burnley Lancs UK, around 8 years ago now. Every time I get your newsletter I feel bad for stealing him, I think of that and dropping you a note.
Well, take care. Have a nice holiday, and work smarter, not harder.
xxx Penny