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[16-year-old] Does IM really work or is it just another get-rich-quick scheme?

by Conzy
17 replies
G'evening ladies and gentlemen.

I currently reside in the United Kingdom and am in Year 11 at school; my GCSEs are coming up shortly. I plan to go continue with further and higher education but am looking for other means of making money both in the short-term and long-term.

I consider myself to be fairly intelligent. I went to one of the best grammar schools in England up until a year ago when I suffered from severe stress, anxiety and depression (this was mainly a by-product of my parents' ongoing breakup) and 'dropped out'. It took me eight months to be re-integrated back into the education system and am now predicted MUCH lower than I was before. Looking at it logically, this is probably why I'm looking at 'out-of-the-box' ways of coping in life financially - I feel as though I have wasted my youthful opportunities.

In terms of why I think IM would suit me, I would point to my innovative nature, addictive personality and drive to succeed. Moreover, I am confident in my linguistic comprehension and believe that that will help me when coming to creating websites (although, admittedly, I don't actually know what you do in IM). I would say that I am fairly competent with computers but have no experience with HTML or website design/creation.

That's enough background and context; I have some questions for you experts:
  • In layman's terms, what is IM and how does it work?
  • Is IM just another 'get-rich-quick' schemes or is it truly sustainable financially?
  • Will IM become more or less effective for making money as time goes on?
  • I probably wouldn't do this, but do you put enough trust into IM that you would drop out of further/higher education in order to pursue it?
  • Any other information that would help me understand IM/convince me to give it a go would be much appreciated!
I'm currently thinking of starting the 'thirty day challenge' with my friend during the summer holiday. Am I right in thinking that it's completely free, or will I need to pay for hosting domains et cetera?

Thank you in advance!

Conzy.
#16yearold #getrichquick #scheme #work
  • Profile picture of the author Zabrina
    Hey Conzy, congrats on your initiative and good luck! I sent you a PM, pretty sure you can read but not reply, so I also included my email address. Drop me a line when you have a minute.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    IM is what it is

    Its not a get rich quick scam its a business and you have to treat it that way.

    The 30 day challenge is awesome and ed dale delivers some awesome content and is a fantastic marketer.

    being educated or not does not really matter in IM however you may over complicate things in your own mind.... I tend to sometimes

    I personally would carry on with higher education while doing IM on teh side then if/when you get to a decent financial status you can make teh decision but I definiatly would not go burning bridges.

    IM has enabled me to make a nice income month after month and provide me with opportunities that are just not available with having a normal job.

    You do not need to be a web designer Wordpress (free web platform) is all you will need to get started.

    Have a plan and stick to it

    Dont jump from one big idea to the next

    Hope this helps some what

    Danny
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    • Profile picture of the author Conzy
      Originally Posted by Danny Cutts View Post

      IM is what it is

      Its not a get rich quick scam its a business and you have to treat it that way.

      The 30 day challenge is awesome and ed dale delivers some awesome content and is a fantastic marketer.

      being educated or not does not really matter in IM however you may over complicate things in your own mind.... I tend to sometimes

      I personally would carry on with higher education while doing IM on teh side then if/when you get to a decent financial status you can make teh decision but I definiatly would not go burning bridges.

      IM has enabled me to make a nice income month after month and provide me with opportunities that are just not available with having a normal job.

      You do not need to be a web designer Wordpress (free web platform) is all you will need to get started.

      Have a plan and stick to it

      Dont jump from one big idea to the next

      Hope this helps some what

      Danny
      Thank you very much for the hasty replies!

      I'll definitely continue on with education but how much time, realistically, does IM require daily? I'm not terrible with time management but am a world-class procrastinator most of the time.

      I'm downloading Wordpress at the moment! It looks quite interesting and I've always wanted to delve into the world of blogging (Zabrina was telling me about this).

      Thanks in advance!
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  • Profile picture of the author TimGross
    Originally Posted by Conzy View Post

    Does IM really work or is it just another get-rich-quick scheme?
    To clarify to you and others, "Internet Marketing" is not in itself a "scheme" or any other type of actual business, it's just another form of media, another form of advertising.

    It's like asking,
    • "Does selling through mail order really work?"
    • "Does being a door-to-door salesman really work?"
    • "Does running running classifieds in the back of magazines really work?"
    As you could probably guess yourself about the above bullet points, sure, some people make them work, and lots of other people don't and give up.

    As far as something being a "get rich quick scheme", that has nothing to do with the method itself, and everything to do with how people hype it. And lots of people hype online marketing enough that they make it sound like a get rich quick scheme.

    It sounds like you're asking the right questions to be able to get the proper mind-set, which is that usually it takes quite a bit of trial and error, and there's a lot to learn to pull all the pieces together. Certainly not a get rich quick scheme, but it definitely has the potential to turn into a viable business with much less start-up cost and risk than most other start-up businesses take.

    Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author jennypitts
    IM is NOT a "get rich quick scheme". HOWEVER, this is not to say that there aren't any of those online, oh THERE ARE... So you have to make sure you do not fall for any promises of you getting rich overnight, because they simply do not work, UNLESS of course you play the lottery and WIN. That is the only way I see that anyone can get rich overnight.

    ON to making money online. There are MANY things you can do to make money online. You can start by joining Affiliate or Referral programs. You do not need to make any major investments, except of course in order to promote your links. These are programs where you get compensated for selling someone else's products or for referring people to join any particular site, service or program.

    There are also clickbank products, selling things on ebay, etc. I think what you need to do before you even start is read, learn and educate yourself a little better with regards to all the probabilities there are to make money. Set a plan of attack and take action. But my most important word of advice is be PATIENT. The world was not built in a day... AND you are young and motivated enough to have the driving force to succeed.
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    • Profile picture of the author Conzy
      Originally Posted by jennypitts View Post

      IM is NOT a "get rich quick scheme". HOWEVER, this is not to say that there aren't any of those online, oh THERE ARE... So you have to make sure you do not fall for any promises of you getting rich overnight, because they simply do not work, UNLESS of course you play the lottery and WIN. That is the only way I see that anyone can get rich overnight.

      ON to making money online. There are MANY things you can do to make money online. You can start by joining Affiliate or Referral programs. You do not need to make any major investments, except of course in order to promote your links. These are programs where you get compensated for selling someone else's products or for referring people to join any particular site, service or program.

      There are also clickbank products, selling things on ebay, etc. I think what you need to do before you even start is read, learn and educate yourself a little better with regards to all the probabilities there are to make money. Set a plan of attack and take action. But my most important word of advice is be PATIENT. The world was not built in a day... AND you are young and motivated enough to have the driving force to succeed.
      Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear that it's not a get-rich-quick scheme.

      I definitely need to educate myself on the different possibilities available to me. I'm currently just throwing myself at whatever presents itself and researching it; I'll take a more reserved approach and look into everything before I start.

      Would I be right in thinking that the thirty day challenge is a form of affiliate marketing?

      Also, what sort of yearly 'salary' would be realistic if I were to start and spend about 4 hours a day on it all (in time with knowledge about it all, not to begin with)?
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    Its hard to say how long a day it takes......

    I recon I could stop work tomorrow for 6 months and my income wont drop......

    However I am building new sites and tweeking existing most days I enjoy it and its exciting stuff a passion, a way of life, when I am working its more like a hobby so I can spen 15 hours a day on it....

    I dont think I could put a time on it

    ClickNewz! Internet Marketing Blog | Internet Marketing blog by Lynn Terry with How-to, Tips, Reviews, Case Studies & Ideas to help you succeed online. Known as the Voice of Integrity in IM… is a good blog and Lynn Terry is an awesome marketer check that out and read absorb.

    Dont get sucked into too much of whats going on here in the WF there is a lot of people on here that are trying to sell stuff and they dont have a clue

    But there is so much fantastic info in here its unbelievable!!!!

    Good luck

    Danny
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    Hey Conzy,

    I have one year left in university. I discovered IM when I was 18, so you're lucky in a way because you have a head start

    Anyhoo, I'm still in school because I want a degree for nothing more than to hang it on my wall and to be able to say I got it. Also, the university experience is great...in a sick way, I wish I could do more of it.

    If you have no other reason to be in school than to hope for a job, then you might as well quit, because a job won't make you wealthy. But if you want to be in school for personal fulfillment like I am, then you should stay, of course.

    It's not about trusting IM enough to quit school (or full-time job for you older folks)...it's about trusting your own ability to make IM work out for you.

    Curtis
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    • Profile picture of the author Conzy
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      Hey Conzy,

      I have one year left in university. I discovered IM when I was 18, so you're lucky in a way because you have a head start

      Anyhoo, I'm still in school because I want a degree for nothing more than to hang it on my wall and to be able to say I got it. Also, the university experience is great...in a sick way, I wish I could do more of it.

      If you have no other reason to be in school than to hope for a job, then you might as well quit, because a job won't make you wealthy. But if you want to be in school for personal fulfillment like I am, then you should stay, of course.

      It's not about trusting IM enough to quit school (or full-time job for you older folks)...it's about trusting your own ability to make IM work out for you.

      Curtis
      I'm definitely only staying on in school for a job - apart from Psychology; I'd actually be really interested in doing that as a career - not personal fulfillment.

      You say a job won't make you wealthy but surely it provides more financial security than making money on the internet?

      Can anybody give me a rough idea of how long they've been doing IM for and their current salaries (roughly) from IM?

      Also, will IM get more or less difficult to make money with as time goes on?

      Thanks in advance!
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
        Originally Posted by Conzy View Post

        I'm definitely only staying on in school for a job - apart from Psychology; I'd actually be really interested in doing that as a career - not personal fulfillment.

        You say a job won't make you wealthy but surely it provides more financial security than making money on the internet?

        Can anybody give me a rough idea of how long they've been doing IM for and their current salaries (roughly) from IM?

        Also, will IM get more or less difficult to make money with as time goes on?

        Thanks in advance!
        Not sure people will give you a salary figure but there's people doing IM that earn nothing and have been doing it for years but there are people that have been doing it for less than 5 years earning 7 or 8 figures a year. Bear in mind IM includes companies like google were the main shareholders earn 9 figures a year.
        Think of IM like shops...you've got people earning £25 a week with a saturady job then you've got Sir Philip Green that earns 8 figures a year from the exact same profession.
        IM is getting easier in my view for anyone to get involved (lower start up costs) but maybe requires more effort to make money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    I would say that I am more financially secure working online than any job in the world... if you get sacked or made redundant your income stops.... with IM it doesnt!

    I can stop work today and never touch a keyboard again and i woudl still make money!

    Salaries ..... I am not into giving that away I could lie or I could tell teh truth you would never know so I wont.

    However I do have £1k days....

    I have been online for over 10 years the first 7 years I did not listen or pay attention the last 3/4 years I have listened and worked hard and now its all paying off

    Danny
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    yeah you do actually have to do some work and burning the candle at both ends is a must!

    its not easy and there is no real guide that you can follow you have to get there on your own by testing split testing and testing again!

    Its not easy at first but when you do get the the hang its not hard to make a living!

    Danny
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    There is really nothing "get rich quick" about it....it takes a long time and WORK, believe it or not I do most of my own IM via web sites which i rank high in Google..and believe me it can be a lot of work, starting from making a site, writing content, design (even making my own banners/headers/themes)...until a site is actually on Google #1 via link building and SEO. WORK, WORK, WORK.
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  • Profile picture of the author Laura B
    In my opinion, it's a more financially stable form of income than most jobs. Maybe not right in the beginning, but once you're established and have diversified enough so that you're not depending on any one avenue of IM to provide the bulk of your income. You're not working for one company, which can fold at any time (and with little or no advance notice); you're pulling revenue streams from various sources. When one takes a dip, the others can make up for it. People will always buy on the Internet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    yeah there is no other business like it...

    email your list and over a few days loads of money £££££££

    hehe (I am getting a little excited ..... sorry)

    Danny
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