You see it all the time. Aspiring entrepreneurs that merely think slapping an ad or a quick blog post online will instantly make them a gazillionaire and an instant successful entrepreneur and internet marketer. I suppose there are one or two stories of instant success, but the reality is, it ain’t gonna happen that way.
Why think it is going to be so easy?
That’s what we are told. We see others ‘stories,’ ads and messages that say things like “Overnight I went from a homeless person to living in a glorious mansion filled with butlers and Lamborghinis.”
What’s the REAL truth?
Let’s look at some of the misconceptions and truths to making it in internet marketing.
DREAM IT, AND IT WILL HAPPEN.
Well, yes and no.
I’m a firm believer of dreaming and visualizing where you want to be, why you want to get there, and who you want to become. Dreaming and imagining is part of the work. BUT, you have to put things in action. Create real plans with daily action items, accountability, etc. Yes, Real work, not just fairy dust and rainbows.
WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL AND SUCCESS WILL HAPPEN
This is sort of a yes. Maybe another way people say this is if I write down goals, then they will appear.
My mentor, John Assaraf, teaches writing out your goals with positive thoughts to help them become a reality. My other mentor, Neurocoach Mark Waldman, explains how to write your ‘CRAP’ to help you disconnect from then, to create a pathway for success to happen.
In real-world speak what this is saying is writing down your goals is not enough to manifest them. You must have a follow-up plan to achieve them combined with writing down your C.R.A.P. (conflicts, resistances, anxieties, and any problem you have, including your negative thoughts, fears, worries, etc.). This allows your brain to disconnect from the negativity when you relax and mindfully gaze at your list.
If this sounds a little hokie, don’t let it. It really works.
ANYONE CAN BE AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
Here’s the buzz kill, there is no such thing as overnight success. Tweet It.
Although we may hear of someone’s rags to riches stories in the internet marketing world or any business for that matter, they have much more of a backstory. We often don’t see the struggle. The hours of training, studying, crying, stressing and forging ahead.
No matter how sudden someone’s rise to fame seems, they had failures, problems, conflicts, and a story of how they climbed out and up. Very few people get a free pass to success. If they did, they likely don’t have enough dirt in their veins to sustain it for very long.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CREATE A WEBSITE
UGH. Really? That’s all it takes? So if I build a coffee shop in the middle of the forest, with no highways, or signs, or notice whatsoever, people will find it? NO. No, they won’t, and I don’t think the bears and deer in the forest care at all about my coffee shop.
This is what it is like for a lot of websites.
People spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours working on a perfect website, but no real strategy or traffic plan letting people know you’re there. I know it can happen.
BUT, the success rate is significantly less if you don’t have an idea for traffic, the right copy on your site, the right message, an understanding of what your customers want and how to get it in front of them.
You should have a basic website with information, or at least a landing page pointing people to take action.
SOLVE PEOPLE’S PROBLEM AND BECOME RICH
Basically, this is the truth.
The whole point of any business is to solve a problem. Provide a solution, have people pay you, and if you do it well enough and effective enough, you could become rich.
The problem usually occurs when people are either just giving all their services away and not charging or not charging enough.
OR they are focused so much on becoming wealthy, they lose sight of the problem-solving part.
And to make money, make sure it is a problem people are willing to pay you to solve.
ONE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY IS ALL YOU NEED
It can if you have the fundamentals in place first.
Technology is great. Think how the iPhone has impacted life as we know it today.
Really, if we didn’t have our pocket-computers how would we live?!
photo courtesy, apple, inc.
Depending on what type of business you have, there will be a few essential pieces of technology and software you will need.
The reality is, having the perfect piece of technology or software will NOT ensure business success. Without the principles and fundamentals of building a business, growth and success cannot sustain. (My recent book, The Digital Marketing Success Formula, discusses the importance of the fundamentals and how to put all the pieces together).
ONLY HAVE TO WORK 2 HOURS A DAY
Let’s be real here, shall we? There WILL be days where you only work 2 hours a day. But, there will also be days where you will work 12 or more hours a day. Then many days in between.
There is no perfect formula here. If you want to build your empire, you must do the work. The smarter, more automated and efficient work you do, the less you will have to work each day.
The key here is efficiency and maximum output. Not maximum effort. Many great books and strategies outline how to improve your productivity. Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Workweek is a great start.
Overall, you’ll be working more than 2 hours a day. And you’ll have to work when it’s inconvenient. However, the incredible advantage of being an entrepreneur is getting to schedule your own hours. My greatest joy of what I do is that it allows me to go to my children’s activities and events.
HUSTLE IS ALL IT TAKES
Sacrifice 24/7, give up having a life and having any time with your family.
I’m so sick of hearing, HUSTLE HUSTLE HUSTLE and you’ll become successful and rich.
YES. We need to work hard.
YES. We will need to sacrifice some time. I mean really, how does watching Scrubs reruns or binging on Netflix’s Daredevil every single day get you closer to your goals? (Although, I do highly recommend a binge here and there to help keep your sanity and to keep you grounded. )
Life is always about learning how to achieve balance and harmony. Just merely saying HUSTLE and then working non stop like a mad person isn’t a guaranteed formula.
Busy and productive are very different things. If your mindset is all over the place and you lack a clear direction, no matter how much hustle and time you devote, chances are you’ll fall short of that dream of your castle with an indoor pool.
It’s incredibly important to understand the difference between working hard and working on purpose. I call this the daily Go Reflect Yourself time. What this means is if you don’t take a few steps backward to understand who you are now as a person, what your goals are, and who you want to become, then you’ll be spinning your wheels. Download my Lifestyle balance sheet here to see if you are on track.
The hidden truth behind HUSTLE is to understand where you want to go and who you want to become. When you have a focused plan, well-defined action items, accountability, and a positive attitude, and some hard work, yes, you’re closer to achieving your dreams.
But ‘hustling’ 24/7 is not the way to fulfillment.
What does all of this mean?
In today’s world of technology, it is far easier to see overnight success stories. The truth is, it is easier than ever to start a business and have success on the internet. There are fantastic tools, technology and some dedicated, smart people who have paved the way before us making easier today.
Success is defined by each person individually. Some find success with wealth. Some define wealth with freedom and unlimited time. Some define success as leaving a legacy. No matter what success means to you, know, each person’s journey is different.
What my journey over the past 14 years has taught me about being an entrepreneur and an internet marketer is
- Always believe in me. No matter what, if I don’t believe in me, who else will.
- The fundamentals will NEVER change. Technology changes. The market changes. Products evolve and change. BUT, the fundamentals will not change.
- If we keep things basic and simple and just speak an authentic, genuine message that is trying to help people, the rest sorts itself out!
Join me for a free live webinar where I will be addressing how to create a message that sells and how to make your sales copy not suck! (even if you hate writing!) Writing sales copy and your authentic message does NOT have to be complicated.
I will show you really simple, actionable steps & how to be effective.
If you have a message but just don’t know how to convey it. Or perhaps you’re well established, but you aren’t converting enough customers or the right customers. This webinar will uncover the myths of messaging, how to construct the perfect killer message to attract and convert your customers and how to use your messaging to create compelling sales copy so your customers will flock to you begging you to let them in. Join me for this free webinar.
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