What John Reese Said...

[Eric Louviere]

I was listening to an old audio of John Reese and Frank Kern - from 2003 I think. It's on kern's site. One thing JR said on that audio is something I think is extremely true, and I've said it a million times myself.

However, he said it in a way I think I'm going to steal

He said.... and I'm paraphrasing...

He said...

"I believe success can be narrowed down to a four letter word. That four letter word is:

W O R K

As long as you work harder than everyone else, you will eventually be successful."

You know, I dig that.

I shall steal that and make it my own. And, it's true. I actually think... when I look at people struggling. I think to myself... "They just are not working hard enough". Ok, Ok, I'll admit it. I often think... "They are not working hard enough and they are just being lazy".

I do think that.

But, when I think back in my past - at the times in my own life when I was struggling - I was either not working hard enough, or was not working very smart either. But, mostly was not working hard at all. I think if you work hard enough, the "working smart" part will work itself out.

So, the key really is to just W O R K

Good stuff JR.

Eric

[Anna Johnson]

Hear, hear, Eric. I'm guessing some people might qualify that by saying 'work smarter' rather than 'work harder' but all things being equal (i.e. talent, intelligence, etc) he/she who works harder will probably win.

In his latest book The Outliers (great book, although I don't agree with everything) Malcolm Gladwell compares elite musicians with music teachers i.e. musicians who were good enough to teach but weren't elite.

The difference? It was NOT talent. It was actually that, from a young age, the elite musicians tended to practice much, much more than the music teachers. Can't remember exactly, but it was something along the lines that the elite musicians practiced a few hours a day, while the others just practiced a few hours a week.

The same applies to every other field with the general view among experts that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to become a master at it.

[imaddict]

"The only time success comes before work is the dictionary" - can't remember who said that but I too shall steal it and make it my own

[Joseph Then]

JR always end this in his forum posts:

Get Back To Work!

[Debbie Songster]

... and somehow the people looking for the "get rich quick" solutions never seem to get it. Do they?

[chris_surfrider]

The only possible thing to add to that, is to work hard at the right thing.

A lot of people are tying to sell the unsell-able.

I speak from previous experience, and I worked damn hard.

Other than that, though, W-O-R-K will pretty much solve all your financial problems.

-Chris

[MichaelJ168]

I like both JR and Frank Kern very much!

It is ...

We all need to WORK hard enough to gain whatever we dream..

Wish every warrior a successful 2009...

M

[ExRat]

Hi Eric,

Some alternative ideas were thrashed around and mulled over here recently -

The secret to achieving success online is contained within this thread

Admittedly, many of us are not quite as far ahead as Mr. Reese, although I must admit personally, I have no fear of hard work myself.

Enjoy

[kohym]

That's the law of compensation. As long as you keep working hard, you are creating a vacuum and it must be filled up with some other things.

[utproducts]

To paraphrase someone else's quote: "If all it took was hard work, all coal miners would be rich."

The key is smart work. Not hard work. I know people that hardly work at all and make more money than I'll ever make.

[jrsencio]

Yeap.. work.. work on the right thing and work smart.

[Steven Wagenheim]

Eric, you know I have as much respect for you as anybody in this business
but I have to disagree.

When I first started, back in 2003, I worked my tail off...14 hours a day.

I made $28 in 5 months.

Why?

Because I didn't have a freaking clue what I was doing.

Working hard is totally meaningless if you don't know what you're doing.

I learned that lesson the hard way.

[carmene]

I agree Steve. When I first started, I worked HARD. Very Hard and didn't make any money for a very Loooong time.

There are other things that need to be included in the equation. There must be focus. So, you can't have a general goal such as "working hard to make money at IM". That's too general. You have to zero in on that target such as "Working hard in the Affiliate Marketing arena to make $x a month".

Only then will your hard work be channeled so it provides fruit.

That's just my 2 cents.

Carmen

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Eric, you know I have as much respect for you as anybody in this business
but I have to disagree.

When I first started, back in 2003, I worked my tail off...14 hours a day.

I made $28 in 5 months.

Why?

Because I didn't have a freaking clue what I was doing.

Working hard is totally meaningless if you don't know what you're doing.

I learned that lesson the hard way.

[absolutelee]

The thing about working smarter is this. Unless you work harder, you have no idea what to do in order to work smarter. You can't work smarter first. You have to make the mistakes, then decide not to make them anymore. So, right on! WORK!

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by absolutelee

The thing about working smarter is this. Unless you work harder, you have no idea what to do in order to work smarter. You can't work smarter first. You have to make the mistakes, then decide not to make them anymore. So, right on! WORK!

How about getting a proven mentor to show you how to do it correctly
from the start?

That's what I wish I had done so I didn't make all those dumb mistakes.

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by qkz283

To paraphrase someone else's quote: "If all it took was hard work, all coal miners would be rich."

The key is smart work. Not hard work. I know people that hardly work at all and make more money than I'll ever make.

I've noticed many people still make the connection that money equals success
which isn't true for everyone...The coal miner may consider himself very successful
and could also consider himself the riches man in the world.

Why?

His vision of success or being rich could be having his job, health and family around
him. Where as Warren Buffets vision of success maybe being the richest man in the
world {in monetary terms}

Everyone has there own vision of success based on there own preferences.





-paul

[Ron Douglas]

I agree that you need to work, but I think two words are even more important:

PLAN and MANAGE

You could really sit here and not physically do work, but if you have a good plan and know how to manage assistants, coders, designers, writers, systems and your ROI, you're in business.

That plus a good idea & some creativity and you can make millions.

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Eric, you know I have as much respect for you as anybody in this business
but I have to disagree.

When I first started, back in 2003, I worked my tail off...14 hours a day.

I made $28 in 5 months.

Why?

Because I didn't have a freaking clue what I was doing.

Working hard is totally meaningless if you don't know what you're doing.

I learned that lesson the hard way.

And I'll have to disagree with you Steven. You learned what NOT to do.
You made a lot more than $58 because you gained an education in
what DOESN'T work.

99 blows at a rock and its the last blow that splits that rock! This doesn't
mean that the other 99 blows were a waste of time--on the contrary--those
blows prepared the rock for the last blow.

-Ray L.,

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Raydal

And I'll have to disagree with you Steven. You learned what NOT to do.
You made a lot more than $58 because you gained an education in
what DOESN'T work.

99 blows at a rock and its the last blow that splits that rock! This doesn't
mean that the other 99 blows were a waste of time--on the contrary--those
blows prepared the rock for the last blow.

-Ray L.,

I take you're point, but in regard to Steve's post, he could also have simply paid a geologist to show him precisely where to hit as there could have been a weakness in the strata...or he could have hired a guy with a jackhammer. In both cases he would have achieved his goal quicker AND learned how to break similar rocks in the future.

Similarly, we can learn to drive by crashing into walls, hedges and people over and over until we get it right, or we can simply take lessons.

This was the point he was making.

Thomas

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Raydal

And I'll have to disagree with you Steven. You learned what NOT to do.
You made a lot more than $58 because you gained an education in
what DOESN'T work.

99 blows at a rock and its the last blow that splits that rock! This doesn't
mean that the other 99 blows were a waste of time--on the contrary--those
blows prepared the rock for the last blow.

-Ray L.,

I would have much rather somebody gave me a better sledge hammer
to begin with and saved me all that expended energy.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

I would have much rather somebody gave me a better sledge hammer
to begin with and saved me all that expended energy.

I FULLY understand the arguments about; working smart... etc etc

I TOTALLY understand that, and have always thought that myself.

However... for just a second. Put that on the shelf. Forget about working smart for just one second. Ok? Now, with most of the people out there (MOST) they do not work hard. They may act like they do... or maybe they work hard here and there. Or, maybe they just spend a TON of time infront of the computer, but not working HARD.

Just in the real offline world too, most just show up to work. They just react. Do they really work harder than everyone else? If they did work harder than everyone else, then they'd most likely get further ahead... figure stuff out that most dont... and begin to work smarter in the process.etc etc

"Working hard" is the missing ingredient.

Most successful IMers ALL say the same things... "I busted my ass for a year or three, and then made my breakthrough!" etc etc

And many were involved in other things... like MLM... offline businesses... into business opportunities... Direct Mail... etc etc BEFORE they took the plunge into IM.

AND, they still had to work their asses off at the beginning.

You cannot work smart, until you work hard. You can be smart and try to work smart, but when you are new to something (or not yet successful at something), then you dont know what working "smart" even is yet.

I can easily say to someone who is very smart... and getting started in this business, "Make sure and focus on traffic and conversions" and they will find themselves spending weeks and months installing a fancy blog.

How do I focus on traffic? In fact... what the heck is "traffic" anyway?

Again, I totally understand the rationale about working smart. I get that. In fact, I've noticed myself working smarter and smarter each month - it seems.

Eric
PS - I know a lot of rich IMers who are not that fricken smart (at least not like me)

lol

[tomw]

Eric,

This is one of those subjects where reaching consensus will always be difficult. In their own ways most people are right in what they say and the "argument" I guess, comes down to semantics. Simply the terms used by different people to define almost the same thing.

You're right. Steve's right. Many others are right.

In my view, I think that the key is "working productively" and therefore also working hard at being productive.



Thomas

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

I FULLY understand the arguments about; working smart... etc etc

I TOTALLY understand that, and have always thought that myself.

However... for just a second. Put that on the shelf. Forget about working smart for just one second. Ok? Now, with most of the people out there (MOST) they do not work hard. They may act like they do... or maybe they work hard here and there. Or, maybe they just spend a TON of time infront of the computer, but not working HARD.

Just in the real offline world too, most just show up to work. They just react. Do they really work harder than everyone else? If they did work harder than everyone else, then they'd most likely get further ahead... figure stuff out that most dont... and begin to work smarter in the process.etc etc

"Working hard" is the missing ingredient.

Most successful IMers ALL say the same things... "I busted my ass for a year or three, and then made my breakthrough!" etc etc

And many were involved in other things... like MLM... offline businesses... into business opportunities... Direct Mail... etc etc BEFORE they took the plunge into IM.

AND, they still had to work their asses off at the beginning.

You cannot work smart, until you work hard. You can be smart and try to work smart, but when you are new to something (or not yet successful at something), then you dont know what working "smart" even is yet.

I can easily say to someone who is very smart... and getting started in this business, "Make sure and focus on traffic and conversions" and they will find themselves spending weeks and months installing a fancy blog.

How do I focus on traffic? In fact... what the heck is "traffic" anyway?

Again, I totally understand the rationale about working smart. I get that. In fact, I've noticed myself working smarter and smarter each month - it seems.

Eric
PS - I know a lot of rich IMers who are not that fricken smart (at least not like me)

lol

So in a sense what you're saying is that the working smart doesn't
come until you've worked hard.

So in the case of the doctor, the working hard is the 4 years of med
school. (I hear it's a bitch).

Okay fine. Then why can't we have something like that in IM? Why can't
we get a "certified" training program (even if it costs $20,000) that will
absolutely prepare us for the IM world where, in our first year, we can
earn 6 figures without all the "banging out heads into a wall trying to
figure it out."

All I'm saying is, there must be a better way, because the way I got to
where I am...sucked big time.

[James Schramko]

Drucker used to talk about doing the right things is more important than doing things right...

Notice they both have 'doing things' in them......

You have to do things. (Work).

[Eric Louviere]

Because you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.

Think about it. If I had a program like that and one of the requirements
was to rewrite 25 professional sales letters by hand. How many would
actually do it? Most would say they did it. Most would say they did it
to move on to the next requirement to finish the course as soon as
humanly possible so they can quickly get to the "magic button" and
"tricks" and "secrets".

Then - after that has happened, and they are at the end of the 20k
course/certification... and they have not done jack-s%^t on any of
the required work assignments... and they are NOT making any money...
they yell at the top of the hill --- "Eric Sucks Rust Off Bumpers and
all his stuff is crap...!!"

(not true btw)

Then that certification becomes a piece of virtual paper that does not
mean squat for making money.

And lastly.... no mentor or guru or monkey can make you rich (or successful).
Only you can do that. There's nobody who is going to fly in with a cape
and red boots and save your day. You are your own Superman!

Up, Up and Away!

Eric

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

So in a sense what you're saying is that the working smart doesn't
come until you've worked hard.

So in the case of the doctor, the working hard is the 4 years of med
school. (I hear it's a bitch).

Okay fine. Then why can't we have something like that in IM? Why can't
we get a "certified" training program (even if it costs $20,000) that will
absolutely prepare us for the IM world where, in our first year, we can
earn 6 figures without all the "banging out heads into a wall trying to
figure it out."

All I'm saying is, there must be a better way, because the way I got to
where I am...sucked big time.

[OnlineMasterMind]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Then why can't we have something like that in IM? Why can't
we get a "certified" training program (even if it costs $20,000)

Sell pieces of paper for 20k? Brilliant!

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

Because you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.

Think about it. If I had a program like that and one of the requirements
was to rewrite 25 professional sales letters by hand. How many would
actually do it? Most would say they did it. Most would say they did it
to move on to the next requirement to finish the course as soon as
humanly possible so they can quickly get to the "magic button" and
"tricks" and "secrets".

Then - after that has happened, and they are at the end of the 20k
course/certification... and they have not done jack-s%^t on any of
the required work assignments... and they are NOT making any money...
they yell at the top of the hill --- "Eric Sucks Rust Off Bumpers and
all his stuff is crap...!!"

(not true btw)

Then that certification becomes a piece of virtual paper that does not
mean squat for making money.

And lastly.... no mentor or guru or monkey can make you rich (or successful).
Only you can do that. There's nobody who is going to fly in with a cape
and red boots and save your day. You are your own Superman!

Up, Up and Away!

Eric

Well, I'm not talking about anybody saving my day. I'm talking about
a course where I have to do the work. Where if I don't write those
25 sales letters and they're not top notch I don't pass.

You give me the freakin education and I'll make sure I get my sh*t
together.

Will everybody do it? Probably not. Probably only 2% of the people who
take the course will be serious about it.

But I'm one of those 2% so yes, I wish to God I hate it when I first
started.

[Steven Wagenheim]

And here's another thing. You're saying a formal education is crap?

Then why do we bother selling these "how to make money online" products?

If the formal education is crap then these products are even worse crap
and none of them should be allowed to be sold.

You can't have it both ways.

If you're going to sell products to teach people how to run an online
business, how about just simply having one that is accredited by some
organization like the teachers association and be done with it? Make it cost
a small fortune, just like going to Harvard or wherever, and that way only
the really serious of us will take the course?

It's not rocket science. Formal education works.

I'm just saying that if we had it in the IM community it would help a
small percentage who were dedicated enough to actually take it
seriously and complete it...satisfactorily enough so that they will have
the real tools to run a successful business provided they actually take
that information and use it.

That's all I'm saying...let's finally standardize this sh*t and stop having
people wonder what works and what doesn't work.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Well, I'm not talking about anybody saving my day. I'm talking about
a course where I have to do the work. Where if I don't write those
25 sales letters and they're not top notch I don't pass.

You give me the freakin education and I'll make sure I get my sh*t
together.

Will everybody do it? Probably not. Probably only 2% of the people who
take the course will be serious about it.

But I'm one of those 2% so yes, I wish to God I hate it when I first
started.

Well dude, Wags, you are different
;0

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

Well dude, Wags, you are different
;0

Then that is a sad commentary on people.

[OnlineMasterMind]

No.

Formal education does not work.

SELF education works.

"Formal education will make you a living, self education will make you a fortune."

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

And here's another thing. You're saying a formal education is crap?

Then why do we bother selling these "how to make money online" products?

If the formal education is crap then these products are even worse crap
and none of them should be allowed to be sold.

You can't have it both ways.

If you're going to sell products to teach people how to run an online
business, how about just simply having one that is accredited by some
organization like the teachers association and be done with it? Make it cost
a small fortune, just like going to Harvard or wherever, and that way only
the really serious of us will take the course?

It's not rocket science. Formal education works.

I'm just saying that if we had it in the IM community it would help a
small percentage who were dedicated enough to actually take it
seriously and complete it...satisfactorily enough so that they will have
the real tools to run a successful business provided they actually take
that information and use it.

That's all I'm saying...let's finally standardize this sh*t and stop having
people wonder what works and what doesn't work.

lol

This topic is twisting and spinning into something dangerous. I dig it.

So, uh, yeah, I'm saying a lot of the products that teach "how to make
money" ARE crap. Many are sold by people who dont make crap. Many
are thrown together and cost more than the value provided (crap).

A formal education can be a good thing. But, again, you can only lead
a horse to water.

So... who's going to start this IM college? I want a hot teacher.

Eric

[OnlineMasterMind]

and you know what else...

you LOVE arguing!

Just sayin

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by OnlineMasterMind

No.

Formal education does not work.

SELF education works.

"Formal education will make you a living, self education will make you a fortune."

Well, I guess we'll just have to disagree on this and that's cool.

I know what works for me.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Then that is a sad commentary on people.

Sad but true

(man, I seem like the negative one here)

I'm just saying WORK HARD!

That's all.

Work hard = success

laziness = not working hard

Drinking = drunk

Eric

[OnlineMasterMind]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

lol

This topic is twisting and spinning into something dangerous. I dig it.

So, uh, yeah, I'm saying a lot of the products that teach "how to make
money" ARE crap. Many are sold by people who dont make crap. Many
are thrown together and cost more than the value provided (crap).

A formal education can be a good thing. But, again, you can only lead
a horse to water.

So... who's going to start this IM college? I want a hot teacher.

Eric

I'll teach you Eric but I'll tell you upfront - you can only make $50 per day until you get "certified"...

...well once you become "junior certified" you can make $67 per day but be patient. One day we will "appoint" you worthy of making money.

You have to wait - this takes time you know...

This isn't some get rich quick scheme!

[OnlineMasterMind]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Well, I guess we'll just have to disagree on this and that's cool.

I know what works for me.

OK - so you are saying the six figure income that you now earn is a result of your FORMAL education?

Just want to clarify

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

lol

This topic is twisting and spinning into something dangerous. I dig it.

So, uh, yeah, I'm saying a lot of the products that teach "how to make
money" ARE crap. Many are sold by people who dont make crap. Many
are thrown together and cost more than the value provided (crap).

A formal education can be a good thing. But, again, you can only lead
a horse to water.

So... who's going to start this IM college? I want a hot teacher.

Eric

Eric, you're one of the smartest guys online...why don't you start it?

Get together with some other big names and seriously put together a
massive curriculum. Price it so that only the very serious will even
consider it, but most importantly, no holding back on those "closely
guarded secrets" that only those who are earning 7 figures know. All
must be revealed...full disclosure.

I'd do it, but honestly, since my smarts have only taken me to 6 figures
annually, I don't have all the pieces to justify charging $20,000 for an
education. A few hundred? Certainly...but not $20,000, or whatever price
tag you want to put on it.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by OnlineMasterMind

I'll teach you Eric but I'll tell you upfront - you can only make $50 per day until you get "certified"...

...well once you become "junior certified" you can make $67 per day but be patient. One day we will "appoint" you worthy of making money.

You have to wait - this takes time you know...

This isn't some get rich quick scheme!

50 bones?

lmao!

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by OnlineMasterMind

OK - so you are saying the six figure income that you now earn is a result of your FORMAL education?

Just want to clarify

My 6 figure income came 4 years too late because I had to struggle through
making some of the biggest bone headed mistakes a person could make. And
guess what? I'm STILL making mistakes. I don't have all the answers. And at
this stage of my IM career, I am ready to pay for all the answers, provided
somebody can actually provide them.

In med school, you get the whole human anatomy...not just the vital organs.

That's all I'm asking for here.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Eric, you're one of the smartest guys online...why don't you start it?

Get together with some other big names and seriously put together a
massive curriculum. Price it so that only the very serious will even
consider it, but most importantly, no holding back on those "closely
guarded secrets" that only those who are earning 7 figures know. All
must be revealed...full disclosure.

I'd do it, but honestly, since my smarts have only taken me to 6 figures
annually, I don't have all the pieces to justify charging $20,000 for an
education. A few hundred? Certainly...but not $20,000, or whatever price
tag you want to put on it.

Most who need it don't have 20k to invest. One of the important things
in marketing is pricing. You have to price it in a manner to which the
product "moves" off the shelves, yet makes you the most you can make.

However, if the governments of the world would allow grants and financial
aid for students to attend my prestigious "Louviere University" I might
consider.

...And if I get an economic stimulus package too!

...And if I get my own college football team (with cheerleaders)

Eric

Thanks for saying I'm the smartest guy online.

[Louis Raven]

The thing that attracts most to this online business is the freedom. That's also the reason most fail.

Having no boss around really does bring out the lazyness in me and I'm guessing it does in others.

Double edged sword marketing.... "on crack".

Louis

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by Eric Louviere

Most who need it don't have 20k to invest. One of the important things
in marketing is pricing. You have to price it in a manner to which the
product "moves" off the shelves, yet makes you the most you can make.

However, if the governments of the world would allow grants and financial
aid for students to attend my prestigious "Louviere University" I might
consider.

...And if I get an economic stimulus package too!

...And if I get my own college football team (with cheerleaders)

Eric

Thanks for saying I'm the smartest guy online.

It would be a certified college, just like real colleges so yes, you would get all that government sh*t.

I know you think I'm kidding but I am dead serious.

As far as the market not being there, maybe you're right now given
the current mindset of the general population.

But why is that?

I mean after all, people do go to college. My daughter pays $30,000 a
year for the privilege so why can't we, but changing the perception of
the industry itself, make going to college for Internet marketing be just
as respectable?

I don't think it's impossible to do. Hard? Maybe, but not impossible.

There are people out there who are already educated, losing their
corporate America jobs, who would be more than open to a formal
education in IM. If anything, given what they've come from (a formal
education) they'd probably not only be open to it but they'd expect it.

Hell, I could be totally off base here. It won't be the first time. But it
just seems to me that the right minds could actually make this thing fly.

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

My 6 figure income came 4 years too late because I had to struggle through
making some of the biggest bone headed mistakes a person could make. And
guess what? I'm STILL making mistakes. I don't have all the answers. And at
this stage of my IM career, I am ready to pay for all the answers, provided
somebody can actually provide them.

In med school, you get the whole human anatomy...not just the vital organs.

That's all I'm asking for here.

I'm not having a go at you (you know this!) but you ALREADY know what to do in order to make the leap from six to seven figures. You have consistently (and publicly) said that you refuse to do it for a catalogue of reasons and I'm sure that anyone who reads your posts, particularly over the last couple of months, can list them!

Just sayin', dude...as requested

Thomas

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by tomw

I'm not having a go at you (you know this!) but you ALREADY know what to do in order to make the leap from six to seven figures. You have consistently (and publicly) said that you refuse to do it for a catalogue of reasons and I'm sure that anyone who reads your posts, particularly over the last couple of months, can list them!

Just sayin', dude...as requested

Thomas

I have a decent idea Thomas but I don't have all the pieces. At least I
don't think I do.

And that's another big problem that I don't even want to get into but
what the heck.

No matter how much you know, if you're self taught, you can't possibly
ever be sure that you know everything.

Now, you might argue that you don't need to know everything, and
that's a fair argument. Plenty of people make great incomes online
without knowing everything.

But man, I'd hate to put together this massive comprehensive plan to
hit 7 figures next year only to end up falling way short because I didn't
know 1 or 2 key elements for reaching that income level.

That's where, I feel, a formal education (as long as it's certified by a 7
figure earner or group of earners) can really make a huge difference.

And if you want, have different course levels.

5 Figures a Year Junior Program - $5,000 tuition
6 Figures a Year Senior Program - $20,000 tuition
7 Figures a Year Masters Degree - $50,000 tuition

And you can't move onto the next one until you've completed the one
before it.

There you have it...a $75,000 per student 3 year college program.

Now go on...tell me I'm nuts.

[tomw]

Surely it's better to put together a "massive comprehensive plan" and fall short at $500K than one to aim to break the $200K mark.

The things you learn from that "failure" will help catapult you even further in the next financial year.

LOL! Nuts? No. But you're a strange character, because in many ways you appear to be such an idealist, a dreamer. Maybe this is the artist in you. Imagine what you could achieve if you focus such energy, passion and belief on your business goals.



Thomas

[mbealmear]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Eric, you know I have as much respect for you as anybody in this business
but I have to disagree.

When I first started, back in 2003, I worked my tail off...14 hours a day.

I made $28 in 5 months.

Why?

Because I didn't have a freaking clue what I was doing.

Working hard is totally meaningless if you don't know what you're doing.

I learned that lesson the hard way.

I totally agree. I began working with IM and worked non-stop for 6 months before got my first measly paycheck of $120. Shortly after that I decided that something had to change because I was putting in so much time and getting nothing back from it. Thats when I decided to work "smarter" rather than harder. And it has paid off for me.
Now I do about 1/3 of the work and make a much better living!

[Steven Wagenheim]

Originally Posted by tomw

Surely it's better to put together a "massive comprehensive plan" and fall short at $500K than one to aim to break the $200K mark.

The things you learn from that "failure" will help catapult you even further in the next financial year.

LOL! Nuts? No. But you're a strange character, because in many ways you appear to be such an idealist, a dreamer. Maybe this is the artist in you. Imagine what you could achieve if you focus such energy, passion and belief on your business goals.



Thomas

Yes, I am an idealist and freely admit it. My wife thinks I live in a Peter
Pan fantasy world. That's okay. I have to believe that there is a way to
reach "perfection" in this world, or at least darn close to it.

Why?

Look at what some people have achieved in this civilization's history. NO,
don't worry...I won't go listing them.

Point is...I have seen some amazing things just in my lifetime...things that
100 years go people would have called science fiction.

Do I believe that somebody can put together a "Mr. Spock" business plan
that is absolutely fool proof as long as they just follow the ABC's?

Absolutely.

Will somebody create such a plan?

Maybe not in my lifetime.

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

I have a decent idea Thomas but I don't have all

But man, I'd hate to put together this massive comprehensive plan to
hit 7 figures next year only to end up falling way short because I didn't
know 1 or 2 key elements for reaching that income level.

That's not the right thinking there big daddy.

You should know that you reached six figures without having that mindset.
It's the same thing reaching seven.

You just take off and do that thing you said you'd do. Just move forward
and take action with courage to reach seven figures. Those one or two
key elements will then be figured out along the way.

There are no secrets or key elements anyway. You just reach more people,
that's all. There are two main ways to reach higher income levels:

1. More reach (more prospects, more traffic, more JVs, more sales)
2. More conversions (higher ticket prices, higher conversions, more people buy your stuff, branding, credibility, positioning, entertainment, attraction, endorsements, relationships, etc)

Lastly, sure, some do not want to do all the things they think it takes to get to seven figures and that's fine. The question to ask yourself is: "how big of a business do you want?"

Eric
PS - I made another thread for you wags: Go From Six Figures To Seven Figures In 2009!

[Eric Louviere]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Point is...I have seen some amazing things just in my lifetime...things that
100 years go people would have called science fiction.

Do you see dead people?