This has been a very strange last half of the summer for my wife and me. We have had the opportunity to do some traveling over three weekends in August and upcoming in September. Normally I would’ve not have been able to do this with my regular 9 to 5 job, but since I am working at my own online business, I have enjoyed as much flexibility as I need. So I work when I need to at my own pace and in my own time. Then, I travel as the opportunity arises and with just the laptop or an iPad, I am all set should there be something I need to do with my business.
Our first trip was interesting. We never win anything. But once in a while anyone can get lucky. My wife and I won a drawing for a 2- night stay at a very nice hotel located about 3 1/2 hours from where we live. The kicker was we needed to reserve and stay at this hotel by the end of August. So, not to let a good opportunity pass, we made sure we met the terms of the award.
It was a nice drive and as I said, it was a beautiful hotel. The following morning after our arrival as I was getting ready to go out for some sightseeing. I noticed that this bathroom had one of those extendable vanity mirrors mounted on the wall. I’ve seen these mirrors many times as many hotels have them, but I’ve never really paid attention to them.
I finished getting ready and as my wife was putting the finishing touches on her outfit for the day, I decided to extend this mirror and check it out. My wife immediately stated “I advise against that….” I asked her why and she said, “if you look in that mirror, you’ll be sorry.”
I looked at her like she lost her mind and, of course, when she told me not to look…I just had to look! I was shocked. I did not realize that was a magnifying mirror. It was like a camera lense that instantly zoomed in on my face.
Every blemish, wrinkle, imperfection, and everything that you don’t really notice (or want to notice) is right there in what appears to be 1000 font size! I immediately jumped back and looked at my wife, and I asked “what in the world is that?” She looked at me, smiled, and said “I told you.”
I certainly did not want to ask “Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all…” As I was scared the answer was going to be “absolutely not you!” 😊
She proceeded to tell me that people use that not only to put on makeup, but to examine their face and fix it up and do whatever is needed to make one look more presentable. I typically don’t pay that much attention to other people unless it’s obvious.
My first thought was why in the world would anybody want to examine themselves so closely and notice all these things about themselves that they probably don’t want to know about in 
the first place?
However, once I had a look, I couldn’t take my eyes of my huge face. I was like one of those rubber-neckers who pass by an accident on the road and slows down because they can’t look away. I kept examining myself. I began to notice many details and aspects of my appearance I’d never noticed before.
It’s not that I looked bad, it just that when I looked really closely, I was surprised to see a different side of myself. Again, not a bad side of myself, I just noticed a lot more.
So, the next morning, when I woke up, I was extra diligent on making sure that my face was presentable so that when I looked in this wicked mirror again, I would see a slightly different and more cleaned up version of me.
And, I was correct. I noticed that I shaved a little closer and had little to no stubble on my face. My face was perfectly cleaned and washed. Eyebrows were smooth and not all wonky. My hair was combed and every hair was in place. I made a little bit more of an effort to be polished and presentable. It was still me, just a cleaned-up version of me.
One thing that I don’t like about society is how much emphasis is put on body image. That’s not what this blog is about. It’s simply about looking deeper into yourself or into something to find out what’s really there. And if there are things to change that will benefit you, then why not make those changes.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
In my last blog post (see it here), I mentioned that I was going to dig deeper into the data to understand my customer base. I wanted to understand how I could communicate products and services that I have to offer and effectively explain their value.
I also wanted to learn how I could use my knowledge to gain more customers and to offer more value to those people that I have not yet had the opportunity to meet. I wanted to get further into the data to figure some of these things out.
The system that I use is very robust and has a lot of ways for me to clearly understand what is going on in the back end of my business. But I didn’t know how to access it or where to go to get this information.
So, I listened to myself in my last blog post and I asked for help. One of my mentors directed me to several different areas where I could quickly and efficiently get this information, preventing me from spending my entire day searching for the data.
In my previous occupation, I was heavily involved in the Six Sigma process where we used data to promote efficiency in an effort to waste less time, resources, and money to get the job done. That’s what I wanted to do with this information. I wanted to find a better way to promote my business and offer value to my customers in the most effective and efficient way.
When I discovered how I could obtain this data and I looked deeper, I discovered that I was missing a lot of opportunity. They were subtle things that I could do to make a difference in my online business. It was just like looking in that magnifying mirror. I did not quite see everything when looking at it from a distance, but when I looked very closely, I saw some areas that could be adjusted and modified.
As I think about that mirror in the bathroom at that nice hotel, I was initially not a big fan. However, it did make me aware of how I was presenting myself. It made me aware of some things that I could do a little bit differently, more carefully, and slightly more detailed that enhanced my appearance.
But I am a BIG fan of applying the concept of this magnifying mirror to my business. I will closely look at my business and change things up a little bit as needed in order to better suit the needs of my business and my customers. I am so thankful that I have information at my fingertips that is easy to access and analyze the data. I am so blessed to also have access to mentors and peers who can guide me to find this information.
Because of what I’ve learned I believe that my business will be better. I also commit to looking at this data on a regular basis to make sure that I’m not missing anything and that my business thrives because now I am giving my business the extra attention that it needs.
What about you? Do you have the ability to look closer to your business and get data and statistics in order to make your business better? If you do, you are very fortunate and I encourage you to use that information. It may be painful as changes might be necessary to improve or it just may to validate what you were already doing. But you’ll never know until you take a deep look and understand exactly what is going on in your business.
“What gets measured, gets managed.” – Peter Drucker
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein
“The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.” – Edward Tufte
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
I told my boss I had too much data to process…He said, “Just EXCEL at it!”
I looked in the mirror and said, “You’ve still got it!” Then my reflection said, “Yeah, but you should really return it.”
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
**If you are curious about this process and wish to know more about an affiliate marketing business, please subscribe to my newsletter here to learn more. And please continue following my blog. My hope is not only to create the freedom I so long for but pass on what I have learned to others who have similar aspirations.
Ernie, your post is another fine masterpiece. And being a data weenie of days gone by I like the idea of applying the concept of a magnifying mirror to business.
I would go so far in saying that “data” is MY shiny object to cautiously peruse. I mean I could spend days organizing it all when in fact a small little spreadsheet would be my most efficient manner for analysis.
It would be interesting to KNOW your data sources.
Hello – For me, digging in the data is not my expertise or my desire. It has never interested me as I have always been more of a face-to-face people type person rather than a numbers person. My last position required me to look at spreadsheets and analyze data and look at trends and do a whole lot of other things. I could do it and was successful at it, I really didn’t like it and would rather be with the people, so I had to force myself to look at the data. The data points that I use are the back-office tools in Internet Profits the tools provided in the Affiliate System software primarily in the system’s settings as well as the email and workflow settings and finally my Facebook Lead Ads has several settings for me to review. It does not take long, it’s just tedious but necessary. Hope you have a fantastic week!
Hi Ernie!
What a fun and insightful post! I love the analogy of the magnifying mirror—it’s so true that sometimes we need to take a closer look at ourselves and our businesses to see what’s there. It’s amazing how much we can discover when we dig deeper!
Your experience with the mirror has a great lesson in it. Just like you were shocked by the details that the magnifying mirror revealed, it’s often those subtle tweaks in our business strategies that can make a big difference.
All the Best,
Ezequiel Wells
Hello and thank you so very much for your visit to my blog and for making such nice comments! As I looked into the mirror the hotel I was shocked at what I saw and figured I’d better take a closer look in my business so I wouldn’t be that shocked at the results I was looking for. It turns out I was doing things pretty well but I still needed some tweaks and that’s what digging in helped me to understand. I hope you are having a great week and I look forward to watching you progress as well!
AS usual i always enjoy the little touch of humor. Comparing your business analyticsto looking in the the mirror that’s just brilliant. Another fine post my frien. Love the AI pictures as well
Hi Scott – Thanks for your visit to my blog post and for your comments. I usually find that I’m looking in the mirror of how I can do things better. First saw that mirror that hotel room I did not realize how closely it looked at me and then it came to me that that’s how close I need to look at my business. Enjoy your very productive and profitable week, my friend!
Hi Ernie,
It’s amazing how something as simple as a mirror can offer such a profound lesson about self-awareness and improvement.
I love how you connected that experience to digging deeper into your business data. Just like you examined your appearance closely to make improvements, examining your business data can reveal opportunities for growth and refinement.
It’s great to hear you’ve found ways to leverage data and mentorship to enhance your business. Your commitment to look closely and make necessary adjustments is inspiring.
Thanks for sharing this insightful journey. Keep up the fantastic work!
Meredith
Hi Meredith – Thank you for your visit to my blog and for your very nice comments. It is so very important to dig deep and to understand what is going on in our business so that we can tweak it as needed. It is equally important not to get bogged down in the data and forget to work on our business and not just analyze it. It’s a balancing act but a necessary thing to do. I do try to find correlations with personal and business life as it makes it easier for me to understand. I hope you have an incredible and productive week!
Hi, Ernie!
I’m so glad you’re already feeling the benefits of your online venture, and being able to travel about with your wife! That’s a win!
I’d be interested, too, in what data you’re looking into with a magnifying glass.
Your story is so funny! I love reading your posts!
Have a great week, Friend!
Nakina
Hi Nakina! I’m so glad that you took the time to visit my website and found value and humor in my stories. The data points that I use are the back-office tools in Internet Profits the tools provided in the Affiliate System software primarily in the system’s settings as well as the email and workflow settings and finally my Facebook Lead Ads has several settings for me to review. I hope and trust you are having a great week and I appreciate your time to visit my website and my blog!
Ernie,
I love the analogy of the magnifying glass as I agree we need to take a closer look at our business and know our numbers. I believe it is time for me to look closely at mine.
Sherri
Hi Sheri – I’m so appreciative that you took time to visit my blog and comment on my content. Data is so very important but it cannot be my main focus I can only use it as a tool. I need to focus on my customers and my list and I will use the data to validate my progress. At least, that’s my hope. Fantastic week!
Hi Ernie,
I love that you’re making the most of your online business flexibility. That mirror story is hilarious. Sometimes, those close up moments can be eye opening in more ways than one! It’s great you’re using that same detailed focus to fine-tune your business. Keep up the great work!
Hi Alberto – I completely agree with you! You’re right that sometimes those moments can be eye openers and can really make us think. Thank you very much for your visit to my blog post and for your nice comments. Have a great week!
Loved this post! The mirror story had me laughing, but I totally get the deeper message. It’s such a great reminder to take a closer look at things—whether it’s our appearance or how we run our business. Thanks for sharing how digging into the details can lead to real improvements. I’m inspired to take a closer look at my own work!
Hi Sarah! Thanks for your visit and your nice comment to my blog post. I agree that it’s so important to take a closer look at how we do things as long as we don’t let it get in the way of actually doing things. I have to be very careful as when I start digging in the data, I don’t get distracted that leads me down a path that does not promote productivity. However, knowing the data is so incredibly helpful! Have a great week, my friend!
Hi Ernie,
Such a great post! I really enjoyed and appreciated how you used your experience with a magnifying mirror to introduce the importance of taking a deep look into the data of a business. This is something I am starting to do as well, but sometimes find it tough. Would you feel comfortable sharing what data you’ve been tracking? If so I would appreciate it 🙂 Cheers!
Denny
Hi Denny – Absolutely. I am tracking the number of new people on my list, the number of unsubscribes, the number of bounces, the number of people that my ad has reached, the cost per result and the amount spent. In the actual Facebook lead ad, I am tracking the percentage delivered, the percentage opened and the percentage of people who actually clicked on any links in my email workflow. I am also tracking how many people are in each specific email in the sequence. This seems like a lot and it is, however, it does not take that much time and it gives me a pretty good overview to see where everyone is in the process. I hope this helps and good luck!
Hi Ernie,
Great post and I can relate: my wife had me install one of these beauties in our bathroom (no…you don’t have to ask: I never look into it LOL!).
Measuring what we do and how it impacts our daily lives or businesses seems something a bit far-fetched but once you look at the numbers well, like my accountant would tell me: “numbers don’t lie…I can make them say anything I want but they don’t lie”!
All the best!
Hi Marc – Wow! You have one of those in your house? I’m glad you have the self-control not to look at it and see all those “wonderful” areas of your face. HaHaHaHaHa! It is so important to measure and as you mentioned, the numbers don’t lie. Sometimes it is scary to look at those numbers but it would be scarier not to look at them if something needed to be adjusted. Have a great week!