How would you teach Poor Americans online business?

I admire your objectives.

The reality, though, is that in wanting to teach a subject with very low overall success-rates to start with (whoever's figures you believe), you'd deliberately be selecting a sub-group which has about the lowest possible success-rates there could be, overall.

It's perhaps a little similar to trying to promote network marketing by sponsoring distributors who are long-term unemployed. Most commendable, and all the rest of it, but in reality a dreadful approach simply because the long-term unemployed constitute a demographic sub-group for whom "setting up their own business" is pretty unlikely - overall - to be the solution to their life-situations. Their overall success-rates will be far lower than most, and affiliate marketing has very low overall success-rates to start with.

I don't mean it uncharitably, but "rather you than I".

Apologies if this comes across "negatively", but it is realistic.

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I appreciate the feedback alexa. any thoughts on the way you would go about it for that group?

This is just my thought, but perhaps a good way to get people who don't have much is get them to start a blog. Have them pick a topic they like, and have them write about whatever they want. They will be learning the blog interface and (hopefully) having a lot of fun expressing themselves online. Over time you could show them how to connect with other blogs and help them get some traffic to their blogs once its built up a bit.

Then you could introduce adsense or affiliate offers onto the blogs.

But I would not go about approaching them saying it was for the sole purpose of trying to get them to start a marketing business, but rather how to have fun with their own blog expressing themselves, which will develop their writing and could turn into some cash down the road.

This is probably the best bet at them eventually being successful, but like I said don't make that the goal to start.

You can only teach if someone want to be taught. You can't spark a flame if there is no fuel there. The best is put out what you want to do, let those who are ready to be mentored come to you. That is just my observation I could be wrong, it would be nice to teach everyone but the reality in the world is some can't be tought until they decide (on their own) to open up then everything changes. Good luck.

I appreciate your comments.

I may have not been clear. My issue isn't to make money off this. Its a way of giving back etc.. So I don't have any interest in charging gov't agencies etc..

I would work with my church and the deacons of that church to find people who have an interest in doing something. As stated their isn't ONE reason for the unemployment and NOT everyone has the same advantages as everyone else.

My goal is to be a guy who has "made it". Who has had some success who you can talk to and learn from in person. Not just theory in a book or generalizations of go work hard etc...

Of course the success rate will be low. Its low in ANY part of life. How many college basketball players make it to the NBA. Maybe 30 new players a year. (usually second round picks never even make the roster.)

My interest isn't that EVERYONE is a success I am not that naive. But to give people who may not have the same advantages as a middle class person has.

Love the discussion though please keep it coming. I would love additional feedback.

The uncomfortable reality is that your target market probably isn't qualified to run their own business on any meaningful level.

its to open the possiblities to them. Not to make them rich or even sustain them income wise to start.

But making $1 online opens a new world to people. What is possible etc.. The work that it takes to ge there etc.. The people aren't going to go from $0 to $30k overnight or probably even in a year. It took me many years to earn real full time income even though I was working it full time.

It opens doors that aren't open now. Gives them a network they don't have now. It gets them thinking outside the current limiting space they are currently in.

Hey Alleycat...

I like what you're trying to do here, and I hope you can find at least a few people who are interested in working for a few bucks online.

I'd recommend starting small with things like article writing on sites like iwriter. They can get started for free, and if they can write well, they can get a little experience under their belt and build some confidence. If they're interested in it, they can move on to outsourcing on other sites or starting their own article freelancing business.

I think it was Jon who mentioned finding people and teaching them skills and working with you local government which is a fantastic idea, but even if you're just doing it as a charity... talking with each person and finding out what they're interested in will be your biggest asset.

Some people already enjoy making videos and putting them on youtube or photoshopping their faces onto bikini clad polar bears riding popsicles into outerspace. Connecting with them 1 on 1 and finding out what they're interested in would be the only way to know for sure how you could help them.

So if they're into something like design... you help them learn a free system like Gimp that will give them a marketable skillset to create logos or do banners, or whatever.

Not everyone, in fact very few people are interested in blogging, social media and list building. Just look at all the people who search it out online and never succeed with it and those are the ones who already have the interest in it, right?

It'd also be helpful for these particular people if you could focus on free methods. Sites like Blogger, or even registering domains for them and using a reseller hosting account to give them free hosting for anyone who shows effort in building their own site for free and posting content to it regularly.

It's important to remember too when working with people, just because they say they're interested, there's still a great chance they really aren't and like you already know, only a small fraction will ever do anything of any significance or even attempt to do anything extra.

You may also find a lot of these people who will be on government programs and they're afraid to make any money and lose that income because they got $14 one day... just a mentality to keep an eye out for ... IF YOU follow through with this.

You'd be better off mentoring high school kids.

Thanks for those comments very helpful.

I appreciate the feedback. Thanks also Ron, that would be one of the ideas for sure later on to do a junior achievement type for the kids in the area.

have a great day

An admirable question and one I have often contemplated as I see people in my country who are unemployed and need only a few hundred dollars a months to live a much higher quality of life. The decision that I came to and something I want to try out is to source those that are unemployed with higher than average writing skills. Show them how to create content for others and at first maybe sell their writing with a slight markup so that I make something from it, that way sustaining my interests as its not purely charitable and giving them the victory of earning money. Using the great books and resources that some warriors here have written regarding content writing and giving them the proper foundation and technical training to produce quality content. From that point on mentor them and ask them why are people paying for your writing what is in it for them, using that as a real life example of what affiliate marketing can do and guiding them through the process while they still earn money writing.

However I have tried this approach before out of a pure want to help and how I started was by offering to buy their first 10 articles and using that practical example to teach them more and more and I would have found a way to utilise the articles or worst case scenario have done my good deed without just a hand out. Something very disappointing happened though when I tried this not a single person out of about 10 I have offered it to actually delivered their 10 articles. So I deduce from this that many unemployed and please this is not a generalization just my experience are in that position because subconsciously that’s where they prefer to be or have a very limited scope of what they are willing to do for money.

I am sorry if this was not helpful as it was rather negative but as someone who has tried in my own way to share knowledge and better people in bad situations my experience has not been very rewarding.

There are very low cost ways to get people started in internet marketing,, but one thing you would need to do is to convince them that the work is hard and long before they would see any success.
I think the fall rate would be very high.

First I will assume here that the people you would be teaching have a basic understanding of the internet (there are still some communities with terrible access), and a minimum level of education/literacy.

I think some people in this thread have gone a bit far afield in their posts and are "overthinking" your question.

If I was going to take a person with very little money and teach them to make an income online I would first think about what was affordable. This means the upfront investment needs to be nearly non-existent.

So I would probably focus on teaching a person to build a list of 2,000 subscribers using Mailchimp and clickbanking / adswaps. As part of the training I would show them how to get very inexpensive hosting or provide a free sub-domain that they can use to begin their list building efforts.

Mailchimp + clickbanking + sub-domain = $0.00 initial investment AND they will see results (not necessarily sales) very quickly.

In my opinion this is probably the most approachable way to start. I suppose teaching to build a business through blogging could be a good idea as well, although that is a business model that has never really worked for me (probably because I hate blogging...).

I like your goal and determination. Some says it would be way too hard. I am a person that likes to prove other people wrong. Do what you feel is right or want to do.

OK. Good for you. You need a place and/or a few notebook computers. Many libraries have Internet access. So, I'd start with the library to see what they offer.

There are these places, called One-Stops, almost every state has them, they are funded by Feds, State, Counties and others, like Goodwill.

When someone has to go on unemployment, they are sent to the local Jobs and Family Services office, often the place to get food stamps, assistance, etc. Most are county or parish operated. They get funds from Feds, State and local taxes.

These people are then referred to a Job Center, or whatever they are called, the consolidation of many public services over the last decade has created these ONE Stop deals.

Organizations, like Goodwill, Good Neighbors and churches or local food banks are a place you will find students.

If you have a program, ASK if you can do a presentation at one of the meetings, many people out of work have to go to some sort of orientation, or meeting, or Job Club or whatever.

You just make yourself available. If your local library can't offer up a room to use, then ASK at local churches, or clubs or community centers. Wi-Fi is readily available, but if not, a small USB device makes your laptop a hot spot and you can have another 5 people on your network.

So, you need a place, people, a presentation, a plan.

BUT, let me give you some advice, from the trenches you want to get into...IF you do not have an initial MIND SET program, a first part that teaches the possibility and shows results...you will have a difficult time.

You must first, pick these people up, show them the hope and make sure it is reality based, not the WF type overnight success stories.

AND, know going in, you'll have many drop outs, but, if you can help only a few and have them spread the work, you could build something really cool.

Good luck with your efforts. Begin with the understanding you're dealing with people in stress and not in the best "thinking" condition to start and give them a jump start on what is possible with continuous and sustained effort.

gjabiz

It's sad that we live in a country like America and are poor. You have tons of people coming from all over the world for opportunity and a lot of them achieve it but then you have those the 80% who strive to just pay the bill each month. Is it mindset?

anyways....

You really have to ask... what are they poor?

Don't misunderstand me... I was poor for years. Litterly flat broke!

I stayed that way until my thoughts changed.

Give them a system that they can go out and give to other people and not sell anything but let the system do the selling. Actually get people to want to buy your products!

By poor Americans do you mean blacks or the homeless? I think affiliate marketing would be a bit hard for them to grasp, same with PPC and most other ways of making money online. The easiest way would be to show them how to make money doing small jobs on Microworker sites. Anything where you don't need any skills would be a good start.

Your motivations are admirable, but I must question whether you've actually thought this through...

Do you realize that you're trying to teach someone who cannot even land/sustain an entry job how to become an successful entrepreneur? Sorry to say, but your failure rate will be close to 100%.

Again, stereotypes about the poor abound in this thread. There are millions of people who do have regular jobs and are the "working poor." Some people have two and three part-time jobs trying to make ends meet. So, it's ridiculous and ignorant to make claims that poor people can't/don't qualify for entry level jobs.

Thank God there are people like the OP who are not judgmental about the poor, but genuinely want to find ways to help them lift up out of poverty and have a secure future. There's no easy answer for how to go about this, but Bravo to the OP and others for doing something.

I agree that some motivational encouragement is needed as well as a solid plan of implementation. Perhaps a focus on starting a microbusiness that someone can start for less than $100. With the church's help the program could choose a few business models.

Online: Amazon product promotion via website. Adsense site.

Offline: Service business of some type. Making and selling homemade jewelry, soap, perfume.

Pick a few test subjects and guide them through the whole process. Fix any problems or issues as they come up. Once there is success, roll out the program to more people.

Good, you found a cause that motivates you.

Step 1. Visit GreatNonprofits: read reviews of nonprofit organizations, NGOs and charities before you volunteer or donate. (or visit a similar site) and find a local nonprofit that is already doing this.
Step 2. Volunteer your services and/or donate to their cause.
Step 3. Get to work

I guess you'd need to clarify your goal a bit, before moving forward.

Are you attempting to pull people out of poverty that have already hit rock bottom? If so, logistics come into play -- how will they be accessing computers/internet? In my area, that'd be the library, in one hour chunks. The demand for those one hour time blocks is actually pretty high, and I'd think it'd be difficult to build an online business in 1-2 hours a day, especially for someone with no in person support. I'm not saying it's impossible, just pointing out an access issue.

Are you attempting to market to people who are working, but still struggling to make ends meet? Then you're likely looking at individuals who are almost making it, but not quite. They may have a computer and Internet, but limited time available. On the other hand, they're likely working at least a full time job, possibly part time as well, and are used to hard work for long hours. Again, in my area, because that's what I know, people are thrilled -- THRILLED -- to make $12+ an hour. That's fairly easy to do with something as simple as creating online content.

Or, if you're interested in long term change, maybe set up a multi-tiered approach of some sort? High school kids, working poor, homeless, but with slightly different plans of attack for each demographic.

If you're looking for solely online marketing, it might even be worth it to consider a job forum, or a work at home job site, or something showing people that there are legitimate "jobs" online from home. Not even the MMO niche, necessarily, but how to work for companies online. In some areas the job market's really slim, and Internet based jobs would open up a lot of opportunities.

Thanks again for all your comments thoughts.

As far as who its for.... My first thought is to the people in my church who don't have jobs for various reasons, who may be at wits end etc... Would I turn away the working poor person of course not and maybe it will be more helpful to them I don't know.

My point isn't to target a middle class person looking to make a few extra bucks or wants to some day leave his/her job.

This would be a stepping stone. It wouldn't be something that will go from $0 to full time income by the end of the class. Its to give hope, its to show that its possible, its to see the world a little bit different then you currently are.

I use to live in a beach town. Wilmington NC. My wife worked in the rougher inner city part school system. You would talk to some of the middle school kids and they have NEVER seen the ocean. It was like 10-15 min drive to the ocean and they have never seen it in 12-14 years they have lived.
People sometimes just stay in their own little world and NEVER know anything different. And with long term poor that can be the case.

If I can open their eyes a bit help them make a few bucks online get a check or a deposit for $5-$50 whatever it can lit a fire. Do you remember your first $$ online or first "BIG" payout online it probably motivated you and gave you a feeling unlike anything else.
I want to help walk along side of others who normally wouldn't get that chance.

Of course it will have MANY fails but that is ok. Many won't show up, many won't do the work but that is life not just poor people. How many people went to college but never finished? ME!!

I wasn't the schooling type nor was I the working for the man type. The last job I held I would actually Throw up each day prior to going in to the job because I KNEW, I was wasting my time their and knew I could have success online. (FYI I didn't stay long in that job :>)

Not everyone wants to work for themselves but I want to find some that do. Some that are willing to work but just need a hand/help/mentor to guide them.

Just like a basketball coach. The JV coach, HS coach isn't the right coach for that guy once he is in college or the NBA. But he helped get him to the next level.

I don't know it all and if you are looking to make a million I am NOT your guy. But I have been making money online for over a decade so I do know how to make a buck or two.

As far as cost for the client. Their wouldn't be any. I agree their has to be an element of hope/motivation/drive explained and shown to the clients.

As far as cost not sure what exactly we will tackle but I would probably fund the project myself IE at the end or during the process I would pay for the domain/ads/whatever out of pocket BASED on their work assignments/attendance etc.. So its incentive to show up etc..

So if you have some micro income ideas keep them coming we may go those directions to get the ball rolling.
Thanks

The majority of the lower class doesn't have the entrepreneur spirit. They've been taught to work for others their whole life. Internet marketing isn't overnight riches so they'll give up before trying.

Just my opinion.

I would honestly start people off with Fiverr. That is one of the easiest and most easily understandable ways to form an online business. Most people would get confused with product creation, affiliates, sales funnels, and email marketing.

I suggest you to teach these people how to make money by doing freelancing jobs,show them how to start a freelancing activity like ''writing,voice over,proofreading,transcribing'' Fiverr is a great option.

I agree with Alexa & Dubdubdot,

Another point is I don't want to make an assumptions but these poor people do they have the really basic things... A computer, Wi-fi or internet access?

If not do they have the money to hire them at the local Internet cafe?
I kinda think these are the biggest things to tackle first before teaching anyone anything.

Next you're going to come across the " I'm down and the world is against me" mentallity negativity changing minds is going to take you quite a bit of time to overcome; before you've even started on IM related teaching.
So the question is do you have the time, inifinite paitience to cope? Admirable though your aims are. I'm not saying it cannot be done but it will be very slow and cost you in money and energy to achieve.

I think that JohnMcCabe has a point going directly to community or government groups would be more effective.

Just my 2p

I am totally in support of Alexa and McCabe. However i would suggest blogging for some where they chronicle their experience on the dole. If well optimised such blogs canl attract thousands of daily readers and can be monetised big time.

The best way to teach someone any job skill is to have them work for a business that is in the same industry.

The people currently working here and previously working here have learned online marketing at an amazingly rapid rate. So if you want them to learn, find a way to get them hired by an established firm.