What I Wished I Knew When I First Started Out...

Warning - May Offend Some Guru's by Snatching Away Their Online Ricebowls...

In my years in IM and entrepreneurship as a whole, a few things have really helped me along the way.

And no - I am not trying to sell you anything ;-)

Just wanted to share this you guys (especially new people looking to get started) and pay it forward.

I will be updating this list from time to time - to make this even more clear (so do check it out). Some of it might even irk some guru's out - but I am just sharing this as to my opinion on what I would have liked someone to tell me when I am first starting out in the IM-world.



Know Yourself
- Know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Focus on your strengths and what you like to do. Know yourself and half the battle is won.

A few good resources for this:

StrengthsFinder 2.0
DISC Profile - http://www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile.php
VIA Survey - https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys.aspx


Clarity
- Being clear on my goals, what I wanted, how I wanted to contribute to the world at large and just being able to chart my path.

Being clear about what you want to do and what you should be doing also eliminates obsessive WSO buying and spinning your wheels and reaching dead-ends.


Focus
- Next having laser focus on what I wanted to achieve. I found that writing it out and having a look at my goals on a daily basis helps. I also keep update my daily log that lists down what I should be doing the next day.
I write everything down - from the simple stuff like "Getting Up" "Drink H20" "Meditate" etc.

This also includes unsubscribing to mailing lists that do not serve you / your goals (eg. you might have considered Kindle but if your current focus is on Solo Ad's - unsubscribe to the Kindle Guru's - so that you stay on track and in focus).


Your Influences
- Surrounding myself with people who are also motivated to achieve what I want to achieve. As Jim Rohn says "You are the average of the 5 people you meet. Even if you can't find like-minded motivated people in your workplace (like myself) - I minimize my interactions with negative people and spend my time reading and interacting with positive people online.

Sure, that might sound anti social - but I really think your surrounding determines your success.
Always mix with people who are 2 or 3 steps ahead of where you want to be. This ensures that the bar is always raised.


Be Grateful
- Being grateful helps you stay grounded on your own reality - things aren't always as bad as we think they are.
By being grateful for what we have - we open up our ability to receive things in the future.


Understand That There Are Different Means To An End
- Different strategies work differently and have different time scales of success. Also understand that there is a ratio of Time vs Money (i.e. How much time is needed to make it work versus how much money you need to invest to get it started). This is different between different projects / strategies.

Eg. If you are starting out - offer a service: Understand that you will be spending more time (unless you leverage via outsourcing - not when you are starting out)

You need to identify and perhaps tweak a few things to ensure that they work optimally.


Get The Fundamentals Right
- Most of the information out there are just a spin to the fundamentals of business and marketing. Learn and understand the fundamentals:
* Testing
* Optimizing email funnels
* Upselling
* Cross-selling
* Basic sales copywriting (notice its sales copywriting that includes some basic human psychology on selling).
* Understanding your market - needs vs wants. Gaps in the market. Sell people on what people want.
* Knowing your numbers - minimum breakeven, conversion rates, etc.




Know What You Want & Be Clear On What You Are Willing To Give Up to Achieve The Goal
- Yes, there is work involved. You need to be clear on what you are willing to give up - that late night out with friends or another re-run of Friends is not going to bring you closer to your income goals. You can hang out with them and re-watch Friends (heck even the whole season) once you have achieved what you set out to achieve!

So stop reading that latest WSO you just bought - and get to work - else ask for a refund! Some WSO vendors and gurus might hate me for saying this - but please hear me out.
I honestly believe if a guide that is written isn't actionable - it is a waste of both your time and money - if there is money back guarantee - ask for a refund. You would be doing the vendor a favour as well to help him / her improve the product in the near future. Get out there and take action!



WSO's / Programs / Courses / Strategies Are Just Tools
- Yes, they are just tools as I find most of what works is a mix and match of different tools (or tricks of the trade) not necessarily a one size fits all solution. It takes experience, testing and failing forward to know what works before achieving success.


Have A Gameplan
- If you can't plan out what you want to do - you are doomed to failure (OK maybe not so grim...but you get the point. LOL).
Set tasks for yourself in - daily, weekly, monthly, 6 monthly, 1 year basis.

I find that working backwards helps. Don't have a gameplan? Find someone who is 2 steps ahead (not 10 steps ahead - although being bold might be good) - do some digging to what he / she did initially and model your path. Heck, just drop the person an email. Most often, people (who are worth modelling) are also great people at heart. Else, find a better role model. There's so many successful people out there.


Always Be Learning & Contributing
- You can never stop learning. Sometimes I even find that I discover new marketing ideas from my 8 year old niece! Always be hungry and ready to soak up new information and ideas that you can use in your own "utility belt" as an online marketer. Mix and match ideas, test them out, and do contribute and pay it forward (I do admit to be guilty of not doing this as often as I should...)

and finally the last 2...

Don't Ever Give Up
- Don't ever - ever - ever - ever give up. Sure, obstacles do come. But obstacles and challenges are meant to make us grow.
Be proactive, ask, research and find ways to solve them. Lots of marketers and entrepreneurs usually sell you the rosy "I got it right the first time - look at me - I am genius pitch" but honestly - it usually starts with taking the initial action and learning from it.


Take Massive Action
- Need I say more? :-)


All the Best!