Do your friends and family support your goals?

I don't really tell people about my goal to make money online. Usually when I do it's very vague because 99% of the time they have no clue what I'm trying to make money with to begin with. I tell my wife and I tell my mom but again they don't know so I usually just keep it to myself.

Just stay true to yourself and try to interact with others who are on the same path. It's hard to keep going forward when you see everyone doing the normal things society expects of them while you're trying to go the other way to live a life you want.

Don't get it get you down, just keep focusing on what you want to accomplish. By the way I'm in the military, it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I agree most people in general won't support your making money online goals, if you simply tell them you are doing an online business to make money online (or something similar to that.)

However, I find if you explain what you do in the simplest terms for them to understand, then it makes sense to them and they will support you. What I mean by this is... I too am an internet marketer, and I concentrate on affiliate marketing.

I explain it to my family and friends as follows. I am a salesperson for different companies, and when I make a sale I get paid a commission. However instead of going door to door, cold calling on businesses or consumers, telemarketing via phones calls, or attend networking events, etc. to get clients and sales, I do all of my marketing to potential customers through the internet. That way I can market to potential clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This also allows me to work from the comfort of my home which saves me time, gas, and all the other expenses I had from a typical sales position with a local company.

Most people understand the word "salesperson" (or at least they think they do), and most people know at least one or several people that are in sales. Unfortunately they usually don't realize the people they know or work with, are effectively salespeople. To explain that to them I usually use the following examples.

Do you have insurance of any kind? Example car, life, dental, etc. If so, then you know a salesperson. Why? Well your insurance agent sold you the insurance didn't they? They are a salesperson. Do you have a checking or savings account? Why? The teller or customer service person at the bank sold you they type of checking or savings accounts to suit your needs didn't they? They are a salesperson for your bank. Have you ever bought a new or used car? Well the person that sold you that car was a salesperson. Have you ever bought a house? Well, the realtor you used to find and purchase the house was a salesperson. Do you now realize that all these professions are in sales and are effectively salespeople, whether you realized it before or not? Of course there are hundreds more professions that are sales related as well.

The only difference between what they do and what I do, is that they are a salesperson for that one individual company that they are employed by. I can be a salesperson for as many companies as I want. I am not limited to just one. I am effectively an independent contractor that can sell for multiple businesses. The tools I use instead of the other traditional forms of advertising such as newspapers, radio, TV commercials, marketing flyers, etc. to gain business, is the internet. Most of the advertising I do to gain customers on the internet is free, or a very minimal expense compared to traditional advertising, plus I get the tax advantages of being an independent contractor (having my own business.)

Try this approach next time you are explaining your career path to someone, and I bet it will be well received, and you will find that your friends and family will be more willing to truly support you, instead of trying to convince you to get a "real job."

I hope this approach helps you the way it helped me.

Hey Bro... I got your thread. It's all about patience which is paid off against all odds if you are not depressed but confident and consistence..

I don't tell many people because I then get bombarded with a bunch of questions and comments that I don't feel like responding to. Sounds bad, but it's the truth.

My parents don't even know that I run a fitness site!

Jake

I'm a single mother with two kids at home. I tell people that I'm a freelance writer - which more or less fits just about everything I do - but my biggest challenge is because I work at home people think I can do whatever I want during the day! When they wouldn't think twice about asking a 'dad' to take off during the day to do something, they ask me.

I have learned how to say "NO" - I just don't scream it

People always think you're crazy (or lazy and trying to avoid a 'real' job) when you try and do something like this. Everyones convinced everything on the internet is a scam or that it's not possible to make money because if it was everyone would be doing it.

This may sound personal, but my whole family was into mlm type of busiensses their whole lives until they finally drained the life out of them because of it.
I was never interested in it until 4 years after my siblings stopped doing this. Because it is in our blood, once I got involved in marketing, I was addicted to it, but have failed in many ventures and succeeded in others.
Today I do pretty well making an honest living online, but my family are still against my motives due to either their jealousy, or thinking that it will probably fail.
I never let anyone stall me from success in any venture I am in, even if it be my family because it is my wife alone that supports me in my success that makes it all worth it.

They all thought I was crazy until I reached all of them, now they still think I'm super crazy for the next set of goals I set, but I personally don't care what others think, cause I don't need there validation.

I chose to be successful, and that is what I will be. Doesn't matter what others think.

Tell yourself that they are being less than enthusiastic because they love you to pieces! :-) Hec even if its not true in every case it will make you feel better lol

Next keep in mind that your in good company because pretty much every person that was ever told it can't be done was very much on the right path!

Good luck to you, I am just starting my online career as a virtual assistant and I will not let a few well meaning people stop me from achieving my goals.

I think there is not much jealousy but a thing they ask from you time which is hard to get for every person who is working online with any type of stuff.

Some relatives think it isn't possible to make money online. But other think that I can do it. It really doesn't matter what they think. What matters is what I think. My cousin and I now work together to make money online.

Others have already put it very well, but here’s my two cents. Most people have no idea what we actual do in the IM world, and honestly that is a good thing. The less people who know the better. I am a mother of two and I don’t tell friends or family what I do. They know that I am a homemaker and they are aware of my husband’s career and it’s simpler that way. Just tell your friends and family you’re in web design, it’s all the same to them and not technically untrue…

Forgive me for keeping secrets from my family, but I gave up trying to explain IM and my goals to them. After last months earnings, I finally got my wife to buy off on helping me with some aspects of the business. She's really getting into. I stopped trying to explain it to my parents, etc.

Yeah, in the beginning it's not very common for people to be supportive, but then once you achieve some success the tune changes.

My wife went from "Why are you wasting your time on this?" three years ago to "Thank god for your online empire" just a month or so back when she had some unexpected expenses come up. We joke about the "empire" part (all of four or five websites that are earning money at the moment) but the extra couple thousand dollars a month comes in very handy.

The thing is, it's going to take months, or more likely a few years, before your work really starts to pay off. That's a long time to put up with negativity, so I wouldn't tell too many people about what you're doing until it's up and running. (And then tell them on your way to Tahiti. )

No one I know has ever doubted that I'd succeed making money online. In fact, I hear people complaining that they don't have the support of their friends and family. I have to say that it would probably have been far easier and much more motivating to have a lot of doubters in my life. Believe me, it can be just as difficult when you have people in your life who are expecting you to succeed.

The herd only believes what it sees. Show them the results and they will believe you. Best of luck!

Mostly I hear: ”and you do that for that little money? It is such a waste of time and energy for nothing...”
:-)
But I do not listen to them, because I know someday it will be worth it :-)

Mostly, but sometimes they don't like it...)))