Mikael Rieck is the author of more than hundred articles on topics of how to make money both online and offline. He has been online since 1999 and has always had a passion for money making opportunities and teaching others how to make a profit.The Importance of Knowing Where You Are Stuck (or Suck)
There are basically three types of online marketers working the Internet and trying to make money from it.
The first group is those that are just getting started and are basically just beginning to dip their toes into the big wide World Wide Web. Very few of them are making any money from their efforts and most are fumbling around in the dark. Nothing wrong with that because that is where we all started at some point!
I’ll skip past the second group because that is the one I want to talk about so let’s first have a look at the third group. These are the Gurus and High Rollers of the online world. They own the majority of the money making websites online and are all in all a big family that attend each other’s seminars and JV each other’s products. Again there is nothing wrong with that as that is what you would want to become a part of if you want to make it big online. They know what they are doing and they do it well.
That leaves the second group of people and it is a very big chunk of people at all levels. Some have been working online for many years but have very little to show from it. They might have been jumping from one product to the next trying to make money from everything from auto-generated Adsense sites, affiliate marketing, digital products and drop shipping to selling physical products, giving seminars and whatever you can possibly think of to make money online.
Some might have been able to avoid too much “product jumping” but are still not making it big when compared to the amount of time and effort they have put into it.
Others are simply not putting in any efforts at all and even though they might THINK that they have been online for years and years they have actually never spent any more than maybe 100 hours in total because of all sorts of distractions that they have had in their lives.
Finally there are those that spend hours and hours daily being online surfing and convincing themselves that they are actually “working” on their Internet business while in reality they are merely killing time doing very little productive work.
No Matter Where You Are at It Is Okay
Most of what I have talked about above is situations and experiences that I have had and I am not pointing any fingers at anyone. It doesn’t matter whether you are a “product jumper” or an “unproductive surfer” as long as you’re not lying to yourself about where you’re at. Take a deep and hard look inside and at least be honest with yourself about what your current situation is.
Today can be a new beginning for you but only if you have a starting point will you be able to improve and move on.
I’ve been in most of these situations from being a total newbie to the product buying frenzy nightmare so I know what it feels like and I know what it is like to tell yourself that you’re doing all that it takes and then some but you’re just in bad luck and that is why you’re not making any money. This is NOT true and the sooner you can acknowledge that the better. It took me a couple of years to get to that point so don’t be too hard on yourself. 
Moving Forward Fast
Once you know where you’re at and you know what your main problem is you can find a way to solve it. All the information you will ever need is available at your fingertips (your keyboard and an Internet connection) but only when you know what you’ll need to find.
Let me give you an example…
One of my major problems was that I had an extremely hard time being focused on just one thing and learning how to become good at it. The point where I bought every product pitched at me had long gone but I was still having a really hard time not getting excited about the different concepts (from free ebooks and videos) that were being launched every week.
Once I realized that this was a major problem for me in terms of wasting my time and not working on my business I could finally see what I needed to do to become more focused.
This were things like unsubscribing from newsletters from every major Internet marketer, unsubscribing from every RSS feed that was not directly relevant to what I was trying to do with my business and several other things that would help me not only stay focused but also become a lot more productive.
Did I come up with all of these ideas myself? No, definitely not. But once I knew what the problem was I could Google “how to be more focused” and “how to become more productive” and VOILA these answers were there by the thousands!
Your Next Step
No matter which of the three groups you are in there will always be something that is keeping you from moving forward faster than you currently are. This will always be the case! When realizing what your biggest restraint is, it is much easier to get past it and as a result have your online business grow at a much higher rate.
So start now and find out what you will need to find the solution for.
If you need to become more focused like I did, then here are a few posts that might help you along:
Practical Ways to Focus (one of my favorites)
To Your Success,
Mikael
31 Responses so far
Rod@Tri Nations Rugby
June 24th, 2009
6:56 pm
All very true, Mikael. That’s one thing that always struck me about Yaro Starak’s advice too: stop reading, planning, dreaming, and get to work!
As you say, there is more than enough information online to help people along. But that’s actually part of the problem – it’s often not easy to know whether you’re following the advice of a wannabe who doesn’t really know any better himself, or someone who really does. And are they saying what they’re saying out of a genuine desire to help, or simply to flog their latest affiliate product?
At the end of the day, you have to focus (there’s that word again) on a strategy and find out for yourself if it works. If it doesn’t, at least you’re wiser than you were before.
Mikael
June 24th, 2009
7:02 pm
It is a valid point Rod and the best thing to do is to let your guts tell you whether the person is sincere.
But even if you find someone that is only trying to pitch a product then go buy that product and get on with it. Following what is in the product will most likely help you on your way and that is what you’ll need.
And as for testing what works that applies to everything (even with the Gurus products).
Jeff Bode@get internet marketing
June 24th, 2009
10:20 pm
Hey Mikael,
You explain this very well… It’s hard to stick to 1 business model and stay motivate… A few things that helped me are self-hypnosis for motivation and focus (from Steve Meade), I also create an idea box (folder) where I add all the new ideas I have so that I can go back to them, but more importantly stay on task with my current project!
Deneil Merritt
June 25th, 2009
12:47 am
We all been a newbie. I been there “surfing” and just telling myself I am working. I even became unhappy at my old blog. I made a new blog (kind of like new life) and really focused on making my blog the best I can.
.-= Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..On Site Search Engine Optimization For Blogs =-.
Mikael
June 25th, 2009
7:44 am
@Jeff, the “idea box” is definitely a good solution. I’ve used that as well and have now converted it into a small journal that I always carry around with me.
@Deneil, I think that the process is the same for almost everyone but the key is two-fold. One is that you will need to push through all the phases as quickly as possible and the second is to be persistent enough to endure all the phases. If you give up you’ll never become part of the “guru family”
Sire
June 25th, 2009
7:47 am
I think I am very lucky that I do not have to rely on my marketing expertise to make a living, because if I did I would be failing miserably. Perhaps if I did have to rely on it I would be doing things differently but I don’t and that is fine with me.
I think that a lot of the gurus have two things in common that helps to generate income for them. The first is a huge amount of traffic and the second is they have built a name for themselves and that alone is enough to get them over the line. As and example let’s say that Darren Rowse and I were both promoting Thesis, who do you think would be more likely to sell it?
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Helium Helping Writers Fulfill Their Dreams =-.
Mikael
June 25th, 2009
8:55 am
Hi Sire, well the important thing is to be okay with where you’re at. If you wanted to be good at marketing but wasn’t and didn’t see any improvement when putting in some effort, that would be a problem.
As for the Guru part of your reply I’m not sure I get what you’re trying to say?
Sire
June 26th, 2009
9:01 am
Look at it this way, if both Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) and I were both promoting the same affiliate, who do you think would make the sale. The answer would have to be Darren Rouwse because of the credibility factor. He is so well known that just because he is promoting something he has a greater chance of making a sale.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..The Argument For Paid Reviews =-.
Mikael
June 26th, 2009
9:13 am
Yes I understand that but how is that related to this post? That is what I don’t get
Sire
June 26th, 2009
9:41 am
I was just pointing out how some bloggers have an advantage as in marketing stuff because of their position in the blogging world so that others take this into consideration when judging their own marketing capabilities.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..The Argument For Paid Reviews =-.
Mikael
June 26th, 2009
9:46 am
Well Darren didn’t just wake up one day and had a following and neither did he just wake up and found that he was good at marketing. He went through the same process as everyone else and was probably stuck a ton of times (like everyone else).
The only difference is that he has been in the game longer, put in a lot more effort and have learned from the mistakes he has made.
So to be honest I don’t see your point in regards to finding out what is holding you back and trying to improve on that.
Sire
June 26th, 2009
10:09 am
What I am saying is a person should not compare their efforts against that of one such as Darren and then use that as an excuse to give up. Instead they should see it as a challenge to improve on what they have.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..From Birth To Realization Of The Word =-.
Mikael
June 26th, 2009
10:58 am
Now that is definitely true. You should never compare yourself to anyone but rather strive to do the best you can.
And whether or not you compare yourself to anyone you should never ever give up. Giving up is the only way you can ever truly fail
Thanks for clarifying what you meant Sire.
Sire
June 26th, 2009
11:30 am
Yeah, well it certainly took me long enough.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..$90 Million OZ Lotto Jackpot Up For Grabs =-.
Nicolas Prudhon@SEO Help
June 27th, 2009
11:25 am
Hi Mikael,
The hardest part for newcomers generaly is to learn to be focused on what you are doing. Beyond having a plan and goals, there’s a fact very real that it’s much more easier to waste time when doing online business than when doing offline business.
As to all the emails one may receive from the Gurus, you need to know what you know. What I mean is if you clear on one point and satisfied with it, move on to something else that you need to improve, and don’t get distracted by the “latest discovery” about that setting that you already got right in the first place.
By reading more, if you are not trained enough, you’ll just end up re-questioning your choice, as well as considering the new potential method, and this is how to start to loose focus.
Before you know it, what was good on your site is no longer, and what you should improve, you totally have forgotten about it.
When doing online business, you time is your most valuable asset so use it properly.
.-= Nicolas Prudhon@SEO Help´s last blog ..Day 17: 21DSM – On-Page Analysis With IBP =-.
Mikael
June 27th, 2009
5:44 pm
So enormously true words Nicolas. But how (besides walking the path that we have all walked with trial and error) do you, as a newbie, come to the point where you only read what you need to read and not all the stuff that will make you question yourself.
Sometimes I think that the trial and error is a process that we all NEED to go through as it is often only in hindsight that it seems so obvious what you should have done
Nicolas Prudhon@SEO Help
June 28th, 2009
12:24 am
Hi Mikael,
I guess it’s a problem of personality.
What I mean is there are so many true information out there to really help you doing the right thing by not going through all the problems more experienced people did.
Here’s what you get:
1 – Some people can do that and build directly on it.
2 – Some people can get that information but can’t realize the value of it, and re-question it over and over wasting its initial purpose.
3 – Some people know that the information is correct but just want to try by themselves first.
4- Some people just ignore it all.
Maybe, this is where goal setting may just help to stay focus, just like having a checklist of what you need to learn or focus about. Once you “master” a topic, you should tick the box and never look back… at least until all the boxes of your list are ticked down.
For example if you don’t know how to find good keywords, and learned a bit here and there, and suddenly find out that my method works well for you
, then that should be it. From this point on, you should delete any email talking to you about finding keywords, or bothering your mind about that, it’s time to move on to finding links or whatever will truly help your business to move forward rather than running in circle.
.-= Nicolas Prudhon@SEO Help´s last blog ..Google Now Focuses On Speed! =-.
Mikael
June 28th, 2009
4:20 am
Now I don’t have any statistical facts but I am pretty sure the #1 group is pretty small.
Goal setting will definitely get you far but as you say I also believe it is a personality thing. Most don’t have that personality and that is where personal development comes into play. If is wasn’t for the personal development books, tapes and seminars I’ve attended I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Mikael
June 28th, 2009
4:22 am
And the part of keeping a structure and doing one thing before moving to the next is actually what I was trying to explain in my post about the step for an Adsense site.
Flashback Monday - Good News, Great News, & Killer Whale Arms? | Deneil Merritt
June 29th, 2009
1:44 pm
[...] for your Blog Don’t be a victim of perfectionism Alternatives to Checking Statistics The Importance of Knowing Where You Are Stuck (or Suck) How JohnChow make $40,000 a month from a blog (even if you hate him [...]
Ion
July 31st, 2009
7:58 pm
Hi Mikael,
When I came to the ideea that I should learn internet marketing, I started searching. I found a couple of good sources but World Wide Web is so big that I was happy that there is so much information and I had the feeling that I have to read everything and I will become a guru.
I think I need more determination to take action than to relax reading good stuff about “ways or steps which leads to success in internet marketing”.
I caught myself in a trap of web information which made me think – the more I read, the more I will know. The more I will know the more success I will have.
Mikael
July 31st, 2009
9:20 pm
Hi Ion,
I know of that trap and it is something to avoid. But let me ask you this question as I think it will help you move forward.
What is it that you are trying to achieve online?
Ion
August 1st, 2009
10:14 am
A first step I would like to achieve is to make a web site which will generate good traffic. I’ve started working on choosing a niche which will be interesting for me. It will be a niche related to sports, fitness, body health. I already made a list of around 150 – 200 keywords for my niche and I’m grouping them in categories. But this is where I stopped because of this newsletters.
Firstly I would like to make some money through adsense. This is what I’m trying to achieve now.
Thanks,
Ion
Mikael
August 1st, 2009
12:55 pm
Hi Ion, okay so you are trying to make money and you want to do it with Adsense. That is good.
So next questions are:
- Do you know how much you want to make?
- Do you know why you want to make it?
- Do you have a plan?
- Are you following a proven method (ebook?)
Mikael
Ion
August 1st, 2009
2:08 pm
Hi Mikael,
I will try to make money with Adsense and probably promote some affiliate products on my web site.
1. It’s hard to estimate my future income as I never made money through internet. I will be happy to see my first 500$. That will open the door for me. But to be convincing I would like to see at least 100$ of stable income per month (even if I dream for a bigger amount).
2. The reason I want to make it is to have a couple of income source. The other reason is that I can’t find a good job in my country now, and I see World Wide Web as a solution for making money. Struggling financially is not interesting at all.
3. My plan is to start my second website (my first one appeared to be opened in a very small market with very little searches, but I use it for learning), and try to earn some money with it.
In fact, I’ve got confused here. What do you mean by having a plan?
4. I have read a couple of ebooks. I can’t say that I follow step by step shown in a single ebook.
I am following Nicolas Prudhon’s method which I learned in his 21 Days SEO Mastery Course.
Ion
Mikael
August 1st, 2009
5:22 pm
Hi Ion,
If I were to give you some advice then I would say to either stick with Adsense or affiliate income. Until you have mastered on of them it will only confuse you to focus on both. Choose Adsense or Affiliate Marketing, but not both.
Great so your first goal is to make $100 in a month. That seems like a perfect and achievable goal when starting out. Expect that you can achieve it in 4-8 months depending on the time and effort you put into it.
Having a plan is CRUCIAL if you want to make money fairly quickly. If you don’t have a plan you WILL be wasting a lot of time. Sit down and make a plan that you will be able to follow. It can include thing like: posts per day, linkbuilding per day, blog commenting per day etc. Depending on the number of hours you plan to work you can do more or less per day.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When you have created you plan you MUST followed it every single day. No excuses. This is a vital point and where most people fail.
Find an ebook about making money with Adsense (or affiliate marketing). Now follow everything that is said in that ebook. Don’t read any other ebooks or try to come up with your own stuff. You’ll only hurt your progress if you do that.
Now I know where you are at because I have been there myself. If you are like me you are probably not going to follow my advice and it might take you 12 months or more to make your first $100/month.
My advice is to not be like me. Follow the advice and don’t try to be smarter than the people that are already making money online. Do what they do (exactly) and you will get the same success.
Geoff@babysitting jobs
August 22nd, 2009
8:22 am
Mikael, do happen to have a recommendation as to an ebook with a proven method on making money with Adsense? My primary focus right now is making adsense income with niche websites.
Mikael
August 22nd, 2009
9:25 am
Geoff, actually I do and I were planning to write a post about it so that I can give you all the reasons for why I believe it to be one of the best ways. Give me a day or two and I’ll be sure to have it up.
Mikael
Ion
August 22nd, 2009
12:45 pm
Hi Mikael,
That’s good news. I would love to see the recommended ebook for AdSense.
Will wait for this post too.
Thanks,
Ion
Geoff@babysitting jobs
August 22nd, 2009
7:17 pm
Excellent, I’m looking forward to it
Tourq@Lose 30 Pounds
November 25th, 2009
9:56 pm
I love this post. I JUST realized two days ago that I was indeed spinning my wheels. So I took a few minutes to have a discussion with myself and realized that I had to stop reading so much (often conflicting) advice, and just start DOING. I found a couple of tools and plugins, and then developed “My Plan.” I have to say that I haven’t been as hyped as I am now. Just having a written plan and the basic tools have really lit a fire under my ass. Finally, I am actually DOING something productive.
Thanks for the post,
-Tourq
.-= Tourq@Lose 30 Pounds´s last blog ..A Moment of Silence for the Gracies… =-.
Leave a comment