Are people really making millions online? Yes, they are. Are they the minority? I don't know. I don't have the data on that. Are there plenty of people making a decent living online? Yup! That I do know because I'm one of them and I know many others. Can you make a fortune online? Yes. It's definitely possible. But more importantly,I know that you can make a living online just like many of us are already doing.
How Do I Get Started Online
How do you get started? First, you need to decide what your business will be. Will you become an affiliate for others' products? Join a network marketing company? Will you create your own products? What types of products and/or services will you offer? Coaching? Training? Both? Will you be a paid speaker?
Second, it's a business. Treat it like one. If you think you are going to sign up for free affiliate programs, put up some free classified ads, then sit back and watch the checks roll in, don't quit your day job. Join a network marketing company, sign up all your broke family and friends, and make millions. Self-publish your book and wind up on the New York Times bestseller list. It doesn't work quite that way. You can't own a McDonald's franchise without a little upfront investment. The same is true of any business. You can find some legitimate businesses that are very inexpensive to start. Many network marketing companies have very low start-up fees. And there are some very good affiliate programs that are free to join but pay very good commissions. Yes,you can self-publish a book for very little cost. Start an eCommerce site for a low monthly cost. But you still need to invest a little bit of money, no matter what business you start. And the less money you invest, the more time you will need to commit to make it successful. If you aren't ready to make the investment, in time or money, you might as well walk away now.
Once you have decided on the basis of your business, you need to learn all you can about internet marketing and your business in particular. There are many ways to do this and you will find all kinds of "gurus" offering to help if you will pay them enough. Some of them really do know what they are talking about and some of them don't. I can personally recommend some of them and we will be featuring many of them on this website. You can also read this blog for help. Be prepared to spend a little bit of money on some of the better books, courses, and seminars. Consider it part of your "online marketing degree!"
Spread the Word
Let everyone know you are in business! This seems to be one of the biggest obstacles for most online marketers. Either they think they can't afford to advertise or they don't know how to do so effectively. Some, especially the network marketers, are afraid to do so because they think no one will take them seriously. Let's face facts. You can't slap a McDonald's on a street corner and expect to do business if no one knows your McDonald's exists. You can't expect customers to find you if they don't know who you are. Tell people! If you don't have money to advertise, start by telling everyone you know. You can do that pretty inexpensively and you know far more people than you realize. When I started, the first thing I did was send an email or a postcard to everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) I could think of telling them what I was doing and inviting them to visit my website. Some of them ignored me (Network marketing, after all). Some didn't. Some of those that visited became my customers. Six of them even became involved in the business with me. Those six helped me build my initial team of over 300. Not too bad for a few emails and a postcard or two. And the ones who laughed? They aren't laughing so much anymore!
Do the Work
Work your business. The number one reason most internet marketers fail is that they give up. They just quit. They don't make thousands of dollars overnight and so they just stop working. Do you know how much my first commission was? 84 cents! Twenty-five years later I'm not going to tell you how much I make, but it's enough to support me quite nicely. Am I a millionaire? Not yet. But I make more than enough to live on. So get up and go to work every day. If you have to keep your regular job while you build your business, that's okay. Just be sure you do at least one thing everyday to move your business forward.
Making money online is just like any other business. You will get out of it what you put into it. I can't promise you will get rich. I can promise you that if you find a legitimate business or affiliate program, take the advice of those who have gone before you, let people know you are in business, concede that you aren't going to get rich without some investment, and most importantly, WORK YOUR BUSINESS and DON'T GIVE UP - you can make a living online. Heck, if I can do it, so can you!
If you're looking for a very select company of entrepreneurs to hang out with, come join my private Facebook group. We'll support you, challenge you, train you and encourage you when you need that extra push. Come check us out!
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