On March 27, my friend Michael Hyatt started a firestorm with a blog post entitled, How Much Business Is Your Profanity Costing You?

Let's start with this: the headline (or in the case of a blog post, the title) is the single most important copy you will write. It often means the difference between a winning ad or a losing one, between a blog post that explodes in popularity or one that decays in the silent darkness of obscurity.As if that isn't enough pressure on you as a writer, the image associated with your blog post is becoming increasingly important. Blog posts with images are more likely to be read. Recently, I noticed a slight downturn in the number of reads my blog posts received. After comparing the popularity (click-throughs) of posts with “image covers” vs. those without, it became clear to me that every blog post needs a great visual headline. (I just made that term up. I hereby ™ it!)

The Gospels – the first four books in the Christian New Testament – are a unique form of literature, and of Scripture.

We often hear success stories of people who go from “rags to riches”. We usually hear about the struggles they had when they started. What is uncommon is to hear about the struggles they still endure, and how they are overcoming them in the present moment.

I just completed reviewing the progress I've made on my 2015 goals. With most of my goals, I'm doing quite well. I'm even ahead of schedule on a few of them.

You're smart. You never believed the people who said “there's no money in Social Media”. You thought the people who said Social was all about “pictures of what people had for lunch” or “videos about cats” were missing the point. Yes, those things are popular on Social Media… and it's also true that Social Media is a vital marketing medium that can bring big rewards, monetary and otherwise when done right. Just ask Taylor Swift, Oreo, the folks behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, or even President Barack Obama.

Cash is the oxygen that lets your business breathe. And just like oxygen, when there is none available it's all you can think about because you need it to survive.

Many people struggle with getting their online business rolling because they never get around to creating their product. They think it has to be hard and take a long time. But I don't think either of those things are true. In fact, today I'll share 3 easy ways you can create products fast!

It can be hard to find time to build your business, especially if you have a full-time job. “Moonlighting” to build your business can lead to burnout, problems with your current employer, or the failure of your spare-time startup.

I'd like to give you my list of top secret tools, apps, sites, and books that I use to run my personal platform business. While some of these are common knowledge, others I have not spoken about publicly before now. Certainly I have not published so definitive a list. I'll give you the download link as a gift, when you complete my new Reader Survey. Click here to take the survey now.

I have written quite a bit about productivity, and done more than a few podcasts on the subject of getting things done. Today, I am taking a departure from the normal recommendations about being productive-including my own.

This guest post by my friend Jeff Goins should be useful for anyone who is thinking of starting (or has already started) a business. Jeff is the author or four books, including his latest The Art of Work. Jeff is an award-winning blogger and online entrepreneur. Also, he has great hair. ~ Ray Edwards

Does this sound like you? You hear people talk about “finding their passion” and “discovering your calling”, but you don't seem to be able to find yours. You want to do work that matters, and enjoy the process – but you don't know how. The secret, as suggested by Jeff Goins in his new book The Art of Work is to find the intersection between what you care about and the needs of the world. (And, by the way, you can get a free copy of The Art of Work for a limited time here.)

Frank Viola is a dear friend who also happens to be one of my favorite Christian authors. His book God's Favorite Place on Earth (2013) remains one of the most impactful books I have ever read. Today's post is an interview with Frank & Mary DeMuth on their new book, The Day I Met Jesus.

The time comes for all of us when we have to make big life transitions. In fact, it comes many times over the years… going off to college, getting married, starting a family, starting a business or new job. And there are other big transitions, too, the ones we don't enjoy so much.

I think we can all agree, if you get your writing published on Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, or Entrepreneur.com, that would probably be a good thing, yes? It turns out it may not be all that hard to do…