Lots of well meaning and motivated people are drawn to online business for a variety of reasons - the dream lifestyle, the potentially high earnings, the work-at-home ability, and the anti-corporate work environment. Some land here out of desperation and unemployment.

Most often, however, after a few months (or even long years of hard work) the motivation wanes and the thoughts of doubt take over, i.e. that this career path is a cruel hoax and that every guru is lying about what's really possible. It's all just a fantasy and every system and product is a big scam!

Contrary to often given advice on this forum, hard work alone, 100% focus, and any system or niche you choose may not result in earned income.

The work you do and the focus you have should be on applying techniques and strategies that actually work. Some are saying any niche, any system, and anything you do, if you set your mind to it, work hard and focus, will give you online income if you're persistent. WRONG!

You see, a washing machine can work hard all day long and still not get anywhere! Same thing applies to doing the wrong things in your business.

You can work 24 hours a day checking email, building web sites, learning IM techniques, building a presence on social media, and planning your next product launch . . . and it can all be for naught! You're working hard. You're focusing like a laser! But you're not doing everything that's necessary to make money.

Lots of marketers struggle a long, long time until they finally quit this business in frustration and say IM is a big hoax because they themselves were never able to figure out the "IM puzzle" and how it works.

Often the difficult thing to grasp for new marketers is this:

Every marketing system, every business model, every niche you enter, and everything a coach or mentor has you do . . . can result in total failure - or wild success - or anything else in between! It's quite simple really. So what determines which it will be?

You do!

You see, every person is different. We all have different aptitudes for creating and running a business. We all have different work ethics. We all have varying degrees of creativity, of ability to solve problems, to figure things out. We all have a different capacity to read or hear instructions and then apply them properly in order to get the results we want.

We all have varying backgrounds, educational levels, goals for our business, previous training, time available to start and execute a business, etc. We all have different resources we bring to the table (money, time, energy, influence on other people, support from spouse, family, and close friends) and we all have a different propensity or natural inclination for being our own effective boss.

Most any proven money making system can work well . . . and it can also fail miserably.

The key to success in all this . . . the missing piece of the puzzle . . . is you.

Can you implement a system (your own or someone elses') that fits your current situation given everything you know and can do? Can you choose a path that takes advantage of your personal strengths and minimizes any deficiencies (weaknesses) you may have?

Here's a quick example: Can't write a lick? Then don't choose a business model or strategy that is heavily dependent upon your own writing skill. Or, figure out how to outsource your writing needs. Or join with a partner who is a great writer.

Here's another example: You don't relate to people well? Don't focus your effort on blogging, building a community, or building a social media based business. Do you get what I'm saying?

Pick and choose your IM path based on what you can do well, on what you enjoy doing, on what you can do consistently over the long haul, and on what will ultimately allow you to focus on your knowledge/talents/passions on a daily basis.

"But I don't have any talent or skill" you say.

Fine. There are ways to make money online that don't require specific personal skill.

Always, YOU are the key. You will determine how easily you figure out an online money making path that's right for you. Some never get there! Some work hard for years and years but don't figure out how to do something that they can do and get paid for doing it.

Is every guru's system fit for you? No. Even though a guru tells you otherwise, your skills and abilities are not a good fit for his product or strategy. Of course when you're not successful, the guru is going to say you didn't apply yourself or follow his exact instructions.

Is every mentor or coach going to "make" you successful? No. They may instruct you to do things you can't do, or that aren't a good fit; but again, it's your fault when you fail because they told you to do things how they would do them.

Is every niche and every business model going to prove profitable? Not for you . . . maybe someone else with a different set of skills can make money with them, but there's no guarantee you can.

The bottom line is this: we are all unique and quite different individuals from one another. What someone else does in his/her business to make money has no bearing whatsoever on what you can do with the very same approach or system. If it did . . . if every system was easily duplicated . . . we'd all be millionaires! Online business just doesn't work like that.

Complicating things even more, the online selling environment and consumer sentiment is dynamic, ever-changing, and the successful sellers learn to recognize, even anticipate, changes and new opportunities inside and outside their niche.

Anyone can be successful in IM . . . and anyone can be a total flop. It's all up to you. Don't "blame" the system you employ, or the niche, or business model you might choose.

You, and you alone are accountable for your own success.

I hope you discover the path that fits you best! Good luck.

Steve