Well, if you’ve made the decision of wanting to be an internet or social media marketer then that’s great and I truly do wish you the best with your new or existing venture. I’ve been doing this for about three years now and still not close to my goals. I’ve made some money, hired some mentors, gathered some clients, and even been to a couple of new places such as Dubai but it doesn’t amount to the amount of effort and energy that I still need to put forth.
Right Outside My Hotel
I’m writing you this blog post today because I wanted to tell you a couple of things that will probably help you out right now that you’ve probably not heard of yet or if you have you probably haven’t really paid attention to it..
Trying to make a living online is probably one of the hardest things you’re going to encounter. You will hear people tell you to follow your passion, follow a keyword rich industry, start an freelance writing career, become an affiliate marketer, or create your own informational products. Which all of those are some great areas to get into but one thing that is never talked about a lot is the personal development and financial stability arenas you need to understand before you begin.
You see when I first began in this industry I had no idea what I was doing and I had no money. I mean I started this with just -$35.22 in my Citibank checking account and I was totally lost. If I knew what I know today I probably would of never left my job or probably would of found a part time job for at least six months to a year to get my financials under order. That’s what you must do! Please, don’t just think just because you hear people having six and seven figure product launches that you’re going to do it out of the gate.
It truly does take preparation, time, and money to make money online. If you can clear out most of your bills under $200 per month for at least six months and get all of your small bills wiped off of your books. This will clear so much frustration out of your life that you will thank me later on. Then you need to save your monthly expenses for at least four months at minium but try and shoot for eight months. You want the comfort to really be flexibile with your time and devote a nice amount of time to growing your business.
Dubai’s Transit Station
These are things that so many people never consider.
You either hate your boss and want to leave or you’re just bored at work. But, you have to understand that when the frustration settles and the boredom goes away you’re still going to be left with bills to pay.
Next thing is that understanding and reading about personal development is very crucial. Before you take that giant leap of faith understand that you’re about to step in an area of life where most people fail in three months, most people get scared, depressed, lose relationships, and a lot more. So, you need to prepare not just yourself but also the people around you too.
I recommend that you read these books:
- The Charge by Brendon Burchard
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding By Al Ries & Laura Ries
- Moonlighting on the Internet: 5 World-Class Experts Reveal Proven Ways to Make Extra Cash By Yanik Silver
- Millionaire by Thirty: The Quickest Path to Early Financial Independence By Douglas Andrew, Emron Andrew, and Aaron Andrew
- The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All By Julie Chow
- The Richest Man in Babylon By George S. Clason
- Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance By Jonathan Fields
You want to prepare yourself for this entire path that you’re looking to go on and these books have truly helped me out a lot in my path to growth and freedom when it came down to entrepreneurship and growth.
Over the course of the past three years I’ve read tons of blogs, opted into tons of email lists, and purchased a lot of different products. But, you know what? Most of them didn’t help me until I realized what I really wanted to do in my life and business. You have to understand what you want to do and how you want to do things in order for you to succeed in this online business lifestyle of wacky people.
I’ve put together a list of people that are very talented individuals in their areas of expertise. Please take a look at this list and find the person that best motivates you and please focus on understanding that person and how they’ve grown their business. Don’t do what I did and try and follow five people at once and sometimes even ten people at once. Focus on one and understand their business. Hire them as a mentor and purchase their products.
In no way is this list in order of relevance:
Ryan Lee: http://ryanlee.com
Tom Ewer: http://leavingworkbehind.com
Darren Rowse: http://problogger.net
Carrie Smith: http://carefulcents.com
Amanda Abella: http://gradmeetsworld.org
Danny Brown: http://dannybrown.me
Christian Hollingsworth: http://smartboydesigns.com
Benny Hsu: http://getbusylivingblog.com
Danny Ivy: http://firepolemarketing.com
Nate Riggs: http://nateriggs.com
Gini Dietrich: http://spinsucks.com
Jonathan Fields: http://jonathanfields.com
Marie Forelo: http://marieforelo.com
David Garland: http://therisetothetop.com
Chris Ducker: http://chrisducker.com
Sean Davis: http://sdavismedia.com
Lewis Howes: http://lewishowes.com
Pat Flynn: http://smartpassiveincome.com
Cliff Ravenscraft: http://podcastanswerman.com
Sterling & Jay: http://internetbusinessmastery.com
Yaro Starak: http://entrepreneur-journeys.com
Jim Connolly: http://jimsmarketingblog.com
Thomas Frank: http://collegeinfogeek.com
Terry Lynn: http://clicknewz.com
Corbett Barr: http://thinktraffic.net
Sean Ogle: http://location180.com
James Clear: http://passivepanda.com
Ramit Sethi : http://iwillteachyoutoberich.com
Chris Brogan: http://chrisbrogan.com
These people and these blogs have educated me in ways that you can’t believe. I’m telling you I’ve dedicated a lot of time to becoming a better person and online marketer and each resource played a crucial role in my development.
You have to remember that building a business online isn’t just about making more money and having more freedom to do whatever you want to in life. It’s about adding value in a specific industry that you want to help. Brendon Bruchard talks about this in his book about offering value to specific causes and that’s how I think of having a business online. Is that you’re now offering valuable content to a specific cause to help another person out.
Don’t be scared about coming online but you want to make sure that you prepare yourself, understand yourself, and motivate yourself before you do.
If I knew about these resources three years ago it would of saved me about $10,000 in money from purchasing products that I didn’t need. Also, saving me time on focusing on what I’m truly passionate about and that’s personal development and online marketing.
I wish you the best in what you’re planning on doing in your life and I want you to continue to kick ass in life and business.
Discussion area:
If you’ve had a business online longer than six months what’s one piece of advice you would give to a beginning person wanting to start a business online?
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