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Why Earning Your First Dollar is More Important than Your First Thousand

by xohaibx
22 replies
So a lot of newbie warriors come here asking questions like, "How can I make $100 dollars a day?" or "How do I make $1,000 dollars a month?" ... You see such threads making their way to the forum all the time. So here's a small piece of advice that every newbie should understand...

Your first dollar is way more important than your first thousand.

Why? Simply because you cannot reach a thousand dollars without earning your first dollar. And when you earn your first dollar, you prove to yourself that IM works. You prove to yourself that you're headed in the right direction. You prove to yourself that you are not wasting time.

Once you earn that first dollar, it's all about scaling up to a hundred, then to a thousand, and then to ten thousand... Well, you get the idea.

This may have been said before, but it's worth saying again. It's okay to dream big and think big, but when it comes to success, you need to take that first baby step successfully - which requires a giant leap of faith

All the best,
Mustafa
#dollar #important #thousand
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Besides the psychological boost you mentioned, earning your first dollar builds momentum. This is one thing many people don't get. They always place their happiness-and self-validation-when they hit the 'big goal' of $1000 a day or $10000 a day. This can easily become a depressing downward spiral. The truth is when you earn your first dollar, you have set in motion other success metrics-you were able to start something and follow through, for example. Also, you obviously set off a series of actions that produced a positive result. All these are REAL and should be CELEBRATED and CULTIVATED. Too many people are focused on numbers and BIG numbers at that and they risk IGNORING core victories they should be cultivating.

    The money is just the part you can see. There are other factors going on behind that number. Cultivate those and you'll see greater numbers.
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  • Profile picture of the author datingworld
    First dollar will always give inspiration, motivation, courage and self support to scale it up to thousands....
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  • Profile picture of the author John J M
    I agree and disagree. I made $1, $5, $10, etc. when I was first starting out plenty of times. But that never really got me that motivated. Sure, it showed me making money was possible, but that was about as far as it went.

    I still hadn't figured out how to actually make decent money for my time. If it's $10 for a half hour of work, sure. That's a good deal. But if it's $1 for 3 hours of work, it's really just not worth it.
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    • Profile picture of the author writeaway
      Originally Posted by John J Rivers View Post

      I agree and disagree. I made $1, $5, $10, etc. when I was first starting out plenty of times. But that never really got me that motivated. Sure, it showed me making money was possible, but that was about as far as it went.

      I still hadn't figured out how to actually make decent money for my time. If it's $10 for a half hour of work, sure. That's a good deal. But if it's $1 for 3 hours of work, it's really just not worth it.
      Maybe you're cherry picking too much. Sure, you might have made $1 for 3 hours of work but maybe there are certain things you LEARNED from that experience that can be scaled up or have value other than $1? Maybe by focusing on these other success metrics, you can set up a situation where you can build the framework for success.

      Take my case. When I first started my outsourcing business I took $1 orders. It took me at least one hour to to complete these orders. Part of me was feeling insulted since I have a college degree from one of the top universities in the USA and have many years of corporate working experience. Part of me was saying 'this is beneath me.' But guess what, I ignored that part and stayed focused. Those $1 orders began to grow. But it wasn't all about the dollars. My real compensation was a) the value of building systems b) the value of discipline c) the value of being methodical. In other words, key parts of my character development were in play and I am glad that I stuck with it.

      Once you start thinking that 'something isn't worth it' based solely on $, you run the risk of failing to see the forest from the trees. Work towards building CHARACTER first and you'll see that REAL SUCCESS starts with the things you can't see. This is the invisible glue that holds things together. When you plant a seed, you don't see much at first. Eventually, that seed grows until you have a massive sequoia tree in front of you. It all begins with stuff you can't see.
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      • Profile picture of the author John J M
        I'm not saying there aren't lessons to be learned from it. I completely agree that I learned a lot of lessons from earning a little in the beginning.

        What I'm saying is that I simply wasn't motivated by those little earnings. Again, they showed me making money online is possible, period. But I wasn't truly excited/motivated until I took what I had learned and scaled up to make something reasonable. Everybody has different standards, but I'd rather hold myself to higher standards than just say $1 for 3 hours of work should be motivation enough.

        Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

        Maybe you're cherry picking too much. Sure, you might have made $1 for 3 hours of work but maybe there are certain things you LEARNED from that experience that can be scaled up or have value other than $1? Maybe by focusing on these other success metrics, you can set up a situation where you can build the framework for success.
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  • Profile picture of the author jfalxr
    Agree with that.. Use your first $1 to get started to get more..
    In fact, i always motivated if i get an income.. No matter how much it is.. For me, every $ is important
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  • Profile picture of the author Hannah Gardner
    The first dollar is the starting point. It is the living proof that money CAN get out of your business as long as you keep up the good work. It is only when you earn your first dollar that you get confidence and become more serious.
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  • Profile picture of the author wayneh
    I agree with you that earning the $1 is an important milestone and it should give you the inspiration. It shows you its possible.
    The other side of this is when the income disappears overnight because of a change in Google's algorithm. It's having to pick yourself up and starting again that can be very dispiriting. I think you need determination and perseverance to actually get you through to earning a decent income.
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  • Profile picture of the author becksoliver
    I agree with you entirely! its a great boost that spurs you on and makes you believe you can do this!
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  • Profile picture of the author briny
    Your first dollar is without doubt the most important because it's the big break, remember millions of people world wide are still trying to make their first dollar. Once you have made that first dollar it becomes a mind set of how much you want to make now and how much effort your going to put in to get there. The key is consistency and momentum.
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  • Profile picture of the author finne
    It means that you did take action.
    Most of the guys asking for hundreds of dollars a day are just fantasizing.(Im guilty of that :/)
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  • Profile picture of the author rmolina88
    If you can make one dollar, then you can make a thousand.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Ima have a to disagree. My first dollar was definitely something that could not be scaled and I would think many people in here (probably the majority) who earnt their first dollar online, made their first $100 or $1000 doing something completely different to how they earnt their first dollar. Yes, it can be an eye opener and make you believe that earning money online is possible but it can also be disheartening if you are unable to replicate it and make more money.

    I know lots of people who share your same thought and always say the first dollar online is most important but I tend to think your first $100 and $1000 online is far far more important because if you are earning those amounts it usually means you have some type of system that can be replicated and scaled.
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    • Profile picture of the author John J M
      Thank you for saying what I was trying to say Will!

      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      Ima have a to disagree. My first dollar was definitely something that could not be scaled and I would think many people in here (probably the majority) who earnt their first dollar online, made their first $100 or $1000 doing something completely different to how they earnt their first dollar. Yes, it can be an eye opener and make you believe that earning money online is possible but it can also be disheartening if you are unable to replicate it and make more money.

      I know lots of people who share your same thought and always say the first dollar online is most important but I tend to think your first $100 and $1000 online is far far more important because if you are earning those amounts it usually means you have some type of system that can be replicated and scaled.
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    • Profile picture of the author xohaibx
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      Ima have a to disagree. My first dollar was definitely something that could not be scaled and I would think many people in here (probably the majority) who earnt their first dollar online, made their first $100 or $1000 doing something completely different to how they earnt their first dollar. Yes, it can be an eye opener and make you believe that earning money online is possible but it can also be disheartening if you are unable to replicate it and make more money.

      I know lots of people who share your same thought and always say the first dollar online is most important but I tend to think your first $100 and $1000 online is far far more important because if you are earning those amounts it usually means you have some type of system that can be replicated and scaled.
      I don't disagree with you Will, but my point was, that the first dollar can give you a strong reason to believe in yourself and your abilities. It can give you the confidence to try out new ideas and move forward. A lot of newbies are stuck at zero because deep down, they have their own doubts and don't really believe that it's possible to make money online. Like they say, seeing is believing.
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      • Profile picture of the author glenda neal
        Earning your 1st $1 online is most important, because it's proof that more money can be made, period! But if you invest too much time in something that isn't making you $, usually there is a reason why, your lack of knowledge.
        Research your niche keywords 1st then build your content around that keyword phrase or your potential prospects will never find your site resulting in no traffic and zero cash.
        Dont over use your keyword either, just mention it once in your 1st and 2nd paragraph on home page.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
    That first dollar is also an accurate indicator of what business model or system works for you, works for your business and with your personality. Look into the different systems you have in place and try to asses which one earned it's first dollar first. Is it Adwords? PPC? Paid advertising? Find out which works and build on that
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    • Profile picture of the author BrianMI
      I would disagree with this. My first dollar was made online by creating a video guide that showed people how they could get internet access for their Xbox 360 without buying the $100 wireless adapter. I put it up on ebay when you could still sell digital downloads and made about $2,500 between Thanksgiving of 2007 and the middle of January 2008.

      It seems like it was beginners luck because everything got so much worse after that. First ebay pulled digital downloads so I decided to sell it on my own website. Then it tuned into building lots of little niche sites that each could earn $5.00 per day. Then google decided to hate on little sites and that went down the crapper. Then it turned into....the list goes on and now.

      Now I just focus on one site that is designed to enhance my brick-n-mortar real estate business. The next time I try a "true" online business will be when I have my real estate gig hammered out and on autopilot. At that time I'll create a membership site that teaches people how to do the same.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuperKC
    The $1 is everything. Every million dollar company starts from a small concept that PROVES itself when it makes $1 in revenues because 80% of failed companies never make that first dollar... but they might lose $1,000,000 trying (twitter was almost one of these companies).
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  • Profile picture of the author cyberzolo
    Newtons 1st law: A object that is in motion must stay in motion unless an outside force stops it. That is how your first dollar is important
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    Most people don't even produce 1 lead much less 1 dollar. And that is based on poor mindset issues. It's not that everyone can't produce, it's limiting beliefs that hold people back.

    Want to make money, learn how to 'create' your own traffic, generate your own leads and convert your own dollars.

    Many won't because most want 'instant' gratification.
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  • Profile picture of the author fmolina2010
    That first dollar for me was the all important step. Though I'd say this works more like a game with levels.

    .. and the levels are:
    1. Is this true? - Your first dollar.
    2. Is this scalable? - You multiply what you've done to make more.
    3. You are convinced - You've withdrawn the money. You are smiling, alone.
    4. Should I quit my job? - You research more, learn more and scale up more.
    5. Full time IM - You've decided that this is it! You can live your life doing IM

    Right now I'm on the transition period from my job to full IM. Good luck to us all.
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