Where to draw the line at accepting failure

Hey Swords,

You should give up when:

- you hate what you are doing with IM
- you don't believe in making money online
- you don't have enough money to pursue your goal

Even if money is a problem, I would still come back to continue internet marketing and carry on.

For the Warrior For Hire thread, it is probably because you don't have a reputable name in this forum and not enough posts. There are lots of article writers and with good post count, so they would get preference.

For your online business, I would advise you to stick with ONE thing only.

If it's building back links, then focus on offering services for building backlinks and creating a product/coaching for it.

Continue to test and improve in this area until you are happy with your conversions and are getting some sales. Then move on to another area since you have made a name for yourself.

If you stay focused on one area, I can safely say that is would be extremely hard for you not to get any sales. There are a lot of crappy websites with awful sales copy and they manage to make some money. So I don't think you should have a problem if you really work at it.

Drive is a big determining factor. some of the best guys online have "failed"'badly, bit the continue on. I would also say stick with one thing for a while. Dave Ramsey has a great formula he runs his business by, it's focused intensity over time, multiplied by God, equals unstoppable momentum.

You have to keep at it, keep falling (that's how you learn), and keep getting back up.

Sounds like you're coming along fine if you ask me. A very successful executive once said "Want to double your success rate? Triple your failure rate."

Hey, you did say you're not a get rich quick kind of guy. You have youth on your side and that's a huge advantage. If you choose this path (IM) then you need to pick up some scrapes, broken bones, and scars. It's all part of the game.

Failing is not the problem. Being unable to adapt to stuff that happens to you is.
Charles Darwin found that out over 150 years ago.

You seem to me to be a bright guy. Look at some of your school mates. Are they studying marketing and learning how to write copy? Or are they playing around on Facebook or burning up valuable time with their xBox? I'll put my bets for success in life on a guy like you.

The average millionaire in America tried and failed at seven things before finding the sweet spot that worked for them. Don't give up if want to win. But use "intelligent" gut persistence to guide you along the path.

Good on ya.

I guess we all have to pass through the tough stage. I'm relatively new in this forum, trying to stay focused and develop my Article Writing business. This thread speaks to me very personally because I do have those moments too. Hey, lets keep at it. We shall get there if we don't give up.
I totally enjoy what I do and that is really motivating!

swords,

My forte is asking questions. It is what I DO best. So,

Where will you be in ONE year from today (it is Nov. 1, 2010)?

Are you off to college? Or where?

See, the reason for your frustration and lack of any income isn't because it is 'REQUIRED' to get bumps and bruises, as many say...it does NOT have to be part of the experience.

Those educational "hard knocks" come as a result of poor planning. If you were to search my posts here at WF, you'd find me to be a one trick pony, and that is PLANNING.

You came, looked around, found a voice or two which spoke to you, particularly from others of your age and you said to yourself (as they told you to)..."if he did then so can I." AND off you went to the races, buying WSO and trying to do what they did.

NOW, 400 bux later and NO results, you are scratching your head. And so many people will tell you that you must spend a lot of money to learn, you must FAIL FAIL FAIL to succeed.

It is the pablam fed to the masses who never take the time to THINK and to plan and to know why they are doing the activity they are doing on a daily basis. It comes from a lack of planning.

Spend two hours going over this forum and you'll see a few CENTRAL themes taking place. These are FRUSTRATION over a lack of progress after spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars on WSO and other packages.

A lack of focus. (Everyday someone wants to know how to overcome procrastination).

A lack of direction.

ALL of these "problems" are a direct result of NOT having a detailed plan of action, with specific goals and time frames and a good reason WHY for having the goal to start.

Consider this:

IF you are going to college, and IF you follow the tested and proven PLAN which has produced millions of college graduates, you too will become one of them.

The "standard" PLAN is to go 4 years. Take X number of credits a semester (quarter) fulfill the requirements of the college you choose, get passing grades, complete the PLAN, get a diploma.

And people go tens of thousands in DEBT following that plan to get a higher education.

NOW, what if you had a PLAN, a part-time PLAN for the next 4 years which took you to a certain income goal. And all you have to do is follow the plan? Well you could come out of college a debt free person, with CASH in your hands and TWO educations, one with a diploma behind it, the other with the HOW TO behind.

Don't you think in the next 4 years you could become THE expert on ___________ in IM? Does it matter what? Only if you say so.

Could be CPA, PLR, SEO, Video, Google TV, any of 101 things. YOU create your own "degreee" and become the expert and you'll have phenomenon success.

Since NO one else here will tell you this, here goes:

START with a definite Plan Of Action, with a goal with numbers (cash) and deadlines (dates) and a WHOPPING big reason WHY you want to reach that goal....

then you'll stop spinning your wheels and you'll know on a daily basis EXACTLY what you have to do and it eliminates chasing after greener pastures (the ones filled with cow pies) and you'll get to where you want to go.

gjabiz

PS. Sure, every once in awhile a whiz "kid" comes along, or someone who hits a home run first time at bat, and they live off of their success selling their one-off or unique results to others who buy the, "if I did it, you can too" routine. IF that were true, we'd all be doing THE thing which brings in the most money with the least effort. Alas, we're not.

August to November is not long. Some people see results in this kind of timeframe, the vast majority do not.

Two things I would say to you. First, Ross Perot (billionaire that looks like ET, ran unsuccessfully for the US Presidency a few elections back) said "90% of people who fail give up within 100 yards of the finish line". In my experience, if you're feeling the way you say you are feeling, you're within 100 yards of the finish line. Now is not the time to give up.

Second, I made my first sale within 7 days of starting IM. But that was a long time ago. How I did it was I thought about something *I* wanted to know, but didn't know. I went out and I found out the answer (did a little barter and trade with someone who DID know the answer), then I sold that information. It was something that was very specific to a percentage of the residents of ONE country (not the US), and I knew that if *I* wanted to know, so would other people. I gambled that they would be prepared to pay for the info, and they were.

These days it would take longer to get the SE ranking than it did back in 1997, but there MANY more people (prospective customers) online and many more avenues to get their attention, so it about evens out.

Everything you read about 'hungry buyers' and 'hot niches' is true, but you have to think outside the box a little. I didn't do weight loss, acne, dating, forex... None of the 'niches' you may have heard of were anything to do with it. It was a simple piece if information about how to acquire something that I knew must be available somehow, but wasn't publically advertised anywhere (online or off).

So think, what do YOU want to know that you don't currently know? Where could you get the information from? Then get it, package it, and sell it. Good luck.

If you are considering giving up then do it now. Most internet marketers will give up within the first month of even trying. I didn't see any money until my third month in and it was because I was targetting competitive keywords. At that time I didn't know what keyword research was and after I learned that all my sob stories turn into happy ones.

Try learning something new if what you are doing isn't working.

You haven't been doing it that long... granted $400 is not play money, but you still need more time. I saw minimum profit for the first 4 months, and I'm talking about minimum... though, at the same time, when it's not fun anymore, that's when it's time to hang up the old IM hat....

looks like you were making $ before you got here ? interesting to say openly, and guess some one is ducking low ?

Hey Swords,

I noticed that you only have 18 posts and I find a lot of people like to deal with someone that has been around for awhile. Maybe over the next few weeks, you can get active with some discussions and build up your reputation.

Also maybe there are some technical skills that you can offer as well as I'm sure their are a lot of techno newbies on here.

Just my 2 cents ... but don't give up unless you really hate what you are doing : )

Sid

Hi swords,

It seems like you are being honest about your story and you really want to create a solid income online.

I can really relate to your story because I started internet marketing when I was 17 as well (I'm now 22). I remember that I had to create a Clickbank account in my Mother's name since I wasn't 18 yet. It took me about a month to make my first paycheck, but that $33.27 paycheck change my life forever.

After seeing that it was possible to make money online, I tried EVERYTHING to create a large and consistent income online. It took me about two years to create a solid income online so I could finally quit my 9-5 job. In those two years I had many challenges, but I decided I wouldn't stop until I had what I wanted.

The thing that helped me immensely was getting a success mentor. He pointed out to me that the money making opportunities were not the problem, I was the problem. After that discussion with my mentor, I started driving deep into personal development and mastering my craft.

Fast forward to now and I can say that I'm at the point where I make at least $3500/week online. My advice to you is to continue moving forward. If you never quit and you always move forward, it's only a matter of time before you reach your destination.

Make a commitment to yourself that you are going to see this journey through to it's completion because you will not settle for anything less than what you want.

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I have looked at your websites and I want to be straight with you Swords.

Your websites offer very little value to website visitors.

When I'm creating websites/offers, I always make sure that my website has enough value to go viral.

Do you believe someone would tell their friends and family about your website? If not, you're probably not offering enough value.

I don't mean to be harsh; I give you this whoopin' out of love

If you want to make money online you need to do the following.

Give more value than you are asking for.

Oh, and let me say this as well.

I love doing IM. For the things I don't enjoy doing like writing articles and building links; I outsource to other people.

You do need to find something you enjoy doing Swords.

I was heavily into SEO until I realized that I hated it.

Now I'm into video marketing/consulting and I'm loving every minute of it.

Find something you love Swords.

PS: I also want to say lighten up a bit. When you are making $10,000+/mo, you will greatly appreciate the challenges you're going through now.

Hi Swords,

Do you really want to do what you're doing? That's the question only you can answer.

If you say yes, never quit. These are the times when you're introduced to your higher self, the part of you that ignores these feelings and moves forward.

If you've chosen the wrong field it might be time to look in another direction but your drive and commitment to self-improvement indicates you might be on the right track, at least from my view.

Double up on self-improvement time. Start meditating daily. Shut off the computer for a few hours a day, shut everybody out and map out your goals. See them. Feel them. Be them. You won't have a problem development persistence if you make this practice a habit.

All the best!

Ryan Biddulph

Swords,

Sometimes bad things happen.. It's true that you should do only what you truly enjoy doing.. Ask yourself what it is that you want? what are you good at? and if you could choose any job in the world what would it be? Good luck!

People often quit right before they're on the brink of success.

The tunnel looks dark but the light on the other site is worth it. Keep your head up and NEVER QUIT NO MATTER WHAT. You'll find a way to succeed. Good luck.

I have subscribed to your backlink thread. Will order tmrw. Thanks.

When I've tried everything and did achieve what I want then I accept it. It's not actually failure.

How about you keep going even if it has not happened yet ... there are always reasons to push on or to give up if you look hard enough .

if you keep going and refuse to quit .

you will succceed

Swords,

This may sound really simple but... That site you've got, the one that makes you 30 cents a day...

THAT'S what you should be focusing on. Build on it, work on it. That first 30c is all that matters, now it's just a matter of scaling it up. A lot of people new to IMing think "oh wow, this sounds great, I've been earning a tiny bit of money from a site I made years ago so now I'm going to make a new one and earn more!", which is crazy.

Start putting everything you know into making this site earn more. Do it not to earn a million dollars straight away, but set yourself goals:

In one month I want to be earning $1 a day
2 months: $2 a day
3 months: $4 a day
4 months: $8 a day
5 months: $16 a day

and so on. If nothing else, this site of your's will be a good one to learn on. Install Google Webmaster Tools and learn about A/B testing your pages to increase conversion rates, install Analytics and learn about how to position yourself in the SERPS.

You might find this hard to believe, but if I set up a site that and it starts earning me 30 cents a day then I would put a LOT of effort into it because it's proven that people are willing to either click ads, or buy. This is how I started out. Now I build sites until they earn an average of about $5 a day, set it up so that I've created a lot of SEO'd content that'll keep updating itself for a couple of months, and move on to the next project. Then I come back to it after the two months and see what more I can do.

If you're making this amount with, presumably, zero SEO work, zero thought to conversion rate optimisation and no thought to copy writing then think about how quickly you could earn more with putting what you now know into action! (I say these things because you said you set this up before you knew about IMing, so I'm guessing you didn't set it up in the same way you'd set it up now).

Don't work to get rich, work to get damn good. Think about school / college / university:

You sit in a lecture hall and make notes on everything your professor is saying. When you leave the hall are you now endowed with a whole new skillset? No. You have to do practice papers and example questions until it really sinks in and you "get it".

You must set into your mind that you will be successful and must not have any self doubt or self pity so if you want to achieve success.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I love what I do. But not all the time. There are some days it would be EASIER to go get a job.

But, in the grand scheme of things, there's nothing else I would rather be doing than creating my own destiny, my own wealth, and my own schedule.

You aren't always going to enjoy every single thing you do in life. So long as the end justifies the means, then keep going.

failure shmailure...

american woman, gjabiz and willquick are pointing to the right idea.

in the past three years i ahve failed MASSIVELY at everything i have done... but the failure doesn't translate as 'bad news'.

i set on a course to LEARN learning means failing and figuring out. so i have learned TONS, and because of that, i know i am on my way to where i want to be. i started a plan three years ago and i am closer to my goal, even though it always seems to be right around the corner.

if i want to learn fast, it means i need to fail fast. the quicker i want to learn, the faster i have to fail.

it is all good in my book, failure is part of what you are doing. the planning comes in terms of goals but more importantly, WHY ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING? this leads into your "WHY".

i see failure as bad when there is no end game/goal. if you are doing what you are doing and you don't know why, then it gets frustrating.

what do you hope to acheive?
when do you hope to acheive it?
why do you want to acheive it?

this will not only keep you in the game, it will win you the game.

i had to fail selling to ten people to successfully sell to one. the sooner i got through the ten, the quicker i got to the one.

i have built seven businesses in the past three years. only three made money, and only one of those made me profit - a lot of profit. this looks like to most people around me, that i should quit and go get my job back. i'd rather shoot myself.

you spent $400.00 you have spent countless hours. you are only 17. you make better money mowing lawns... these are excuses.

i have spent over $400,000.00 and the last three and a half years-full-time-of my life, my wife's life, my children's lives... and i will not quit. EVER.

the fact that i was able to get one to REALLY work keeps me going, and makes it fun. and you have to keep working until you get it to work. you feel like you said... you feel like you won the lottery.

it's nice to wake up to that in the morning.

you will do well with whatever you choose.

One of my favorite quotes that I do not know the source of:

"The harder you work the luckier you get"

It has always worked for me.

Sorry the offer I orchestrated for you didn't work out.
You may have thought it modest, but it was real...and gone now

Don't give up if want to win. But use "intelligent" gut persistence to guide you along the path.

After reading every words here... It sure does lift the heart of a newbee like myself !
I'm an IT expert / Webdesigner for over 10 years and never thought of diving into IM until now.

But the time invested in both of the skills above sure help me learn faster.
Learning is a process and you need to spend hours in the doing to become you an expert.