Advice needed - it can help every new entrepreneur

- What was your experience or knowledge that prepared you for this business?

As a blogger you need to know something about html and php if you are going to be successful.Creating content and marketing your blog is the main focus of course.I learned about php and html when I was working as a systems engineer but had no idea how much work there is with a blog.

- What are the things that I absolutely must do to be successful in this business?

You need to learn constantly new things and work hard every day.Also, you must focus on what you are doing and have clear and realistic goals.It is important not to jump to the next "big thing- no work required $1,000,000 by tomorrow" Bull S*** coming out all the time.

- What are the things that I absolutely must avoid to failing in this business?

Trying to do too many things at the same time.You will not build a successful business in a month´s time.Do not hurry, build it step by step.

I could write a novel about this but I'll try and keep it short.


- What was your experience or knowledge that prepared you for this business?

I started age 18 with no business experience and I was totally unprepared. I just knew I didn't want to work a job for a living. Might not be a good answer to your question really...

- What are the things that I absolutely must do to be successful in this business?

Have a clear set of goals and a plan, work hard and keep your focus. Take ACTION. Learn new stuff, test everything and throw out what doesn't work. For me the absolute biggest leap in my efforts came when I started working with mentors and coaches. Second biggest jump came when I started to teach others, then I had to really analyze why I did things and constantly refine things. Find someone who earns more and knows more than you and learn from them...and keep moving up the ladder...always seems to be someone making more...and most people know more than me!

- What are the things that I absolutely must avoid to failing in this business?

Hopping from method to method and jumping on the next big thing. Listening to the people who say it can't be done. Risking more than you can afford to lose. Not maintaining focus.

- What are the primary things you did right and wrong, the important challenges you faced and the way you handled them during the development of your business - and when did these things occur in months or years from startup of your business?

Right - invested seriously in my marketing education (6 months in), found a mentor (9 months in), started paying for coaching (several years in).

Wrong - spread myself too thin across too many projects without mastering any particular marketing technique this hampered my progress in the first year. Not developing my inner salesman producing weak sales pages and poor calls to action. Gave up on it twice and lost momentum.

Challenges - cash flow in the beginning was a major headache. After that was trying to manage my time and do everything myself which eventually was solved with outsourcing and getting people to join my company. Making the jump from small money to $50K in the first was the toughest part but after that I realized there was no magic to it.

Estani,

I had ZERO relevant knowledge and experience prior to entering the IM world. I was totally unprepared.

To be successful, you must have the right mindset. You must be willing to learn, be in this business for the right reasons, be able to network with people in the industry (both offline and online), and be able to take criticism. Mentors and coaches, IMO, are not 100% necessary, but the right one will take you a long way.

Do not think like an investor...so many people come here and ask stuff like "I have $500 and I want to learn IM, where do I get started?" This next one is just my opinion, but I don't think newbies should jump head-first into stuff that they know little to nothing about. List building and product creation are two things that are easy to screw up big time if you don't know what you're doing.

Lastly, the worst thing you can do is have a bad mindset. Thinking "Does this stuff work", "Is _____ possible?", "I can't afford this", "Everyone's a scammer", "What's the quickest way to make money online" ...and so on is very bad.

Good luck,
Curtis

P.S. Next time, don't bother asking your IM questions elsewhere. This is the best place

Heads Up = Long Post


If I were in the software development industry and targeting markets in the Internet marketing niche (could be corporations, SMEs or individual Internet marketers), I'd answer:

1) What was my experience or knowledge that prepared me for this business?

First would be fundamentals:

visual, verbal and written communications

data comprehension

logical data analysis

creative data angling

comparative and collaborative creative data angling and logical data analysis

specialized skills, knowledge and experience in (insert niche here, in this case - software programming)

fundamental research and analysis of business, manpower sourcing/recruitment, employee training, management/supervision, and marketing planning & implementation

fundamental research and analysis of online marketing supported by offline marketing strategies, and

fundamental research and analysis of knowledge in SEO and SEM,

*research includes consultation time with people who have relevant niche expertise*

then specifics (applicable to inserted niche above):

fundamental research and analysis of target market (what they need, where they're mostly found, how they communicate, how they act, their lifestyle, etc.)

automation of tasks needed by my target market via software

Implementation of business and marketing plans with business expansion and growth subplans included.


2) What are the things that I absolutely must do to be "successful" in this business?

I believe these will be crucial:
the (how-I-think,-talk-or-do-anything-is-who-I-am-and-good-ideas-are-useless-without-immediate-needed-results-plus-plans-are-nothing-without-immediate-action" mindset

the right business, manpower sourcing, training, management/supervision and marketing plans

the right implementation plans for everything above

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes just to get a task done right at the fastest possible time

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes just to get a set of tasks done right at the fastest possible time

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes just to get a job done right at the fastest possible time

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes just to get a set of jobs done right at the fastest possible time

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes for the good of my business and everyone involved

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes for the good of my business and everyone involved, and

consistent motivation and initiative to take action and do anything it takes just to learn fast, fail fast, learn faster, act, act, act, and become a "better" person in business and in every aspect of life.


3) What are the things that I absolutely must avoid to failing in this business?

The exact opposite of everything in number 2 will most possibly give me inversely proportional results.


4) What are the primary things you did right and wrong, the important challenges you faced and the way you handled them during the development of your business

Right Things

Everything in number 2.

Wrong Things

Right from the start, I invested my own time and skills but didn't invest in tools, systems and programs which can make people I work with better and happier each day working with me during the time it was the right thing to do (was delayed in doing the right things for 2 years --- from business startup to 2 years of operations).

Followed through with my growth and expansion plans (from 4 people to 140 in less than 3 years of operations) too soon without doing the right things as mentioned above.

4) When did these things occur in months or years from startup of your business?

Right Things and Wrong Things

Business startup (2006) to mid 2009.

Right Things Learned from Doing Wrong Things Above

Mid 2009 to present.

A question I'd like to add is:

6) Anything else I'd like to add?

Lemons are ..ummm lemons, but lemonade is better, and having lemonade with others is best. Turn adversities into opportunities whenever possible or necessary.

Seize those opportunities. Others are also looking for it.

Don't give away fish nor stop after teaching people how to fish. Rather, revolutionize the fishing industry and start from there.

Build something. It may be small, may be big, but still: it's still something you built.

Create plans from the ground up.

Implement those plans from the top down.

Ask the how questions and not the whys. This identifies specific causes of problems, extracts from the mind exacted solutions to specific problems and frees up more time and mindblocks to take immediate action.

Don't tell them. Show them.

Be brave. Be exceptional. Be a star.

Strike a balance between work and life. Those are different things for me. Remotely managing a business may or may not damage my life even if I get great results from my work.

Be careful. Spending more time and $$$ doing more things with my family which makes us happy and catching up with old friends is very very very very different from earning more free time and loads of $$$ then taking action to earn more free time and $$$ and improve my business further and taking action and taking action and taking action to earn more and more and more free time and $$$ and improve my business further and further and further.

Be thoughtful. Be the best at what you do, always, in every aspect of life and business.

These answers are based on my results and may or may not work for everyone nor provide the same or even similar results.