How did YOU get your start in IM, and why?

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Oftentimes, it appears like there's a bit of a fluid evolution in the particular IM business models that people online engage themselves. While one may decide to immediately create their own product or their own website, there are areas of IM that have absolutely no overhead or startup. For those with little money, I could see how article writing could be very appealing...all one has to do is write and submit to a directory, and throw in a few affiliate links.

With time, however, someone may begin to outsource article writing. They may take those earnings and divert them towards the development of their own website or blog. At least, this is how I see things.....this doesn't mean that YOU had to follow this same sequence.

I'm wondering....where did you begin with IM, and WHY? (little cost or overhead? little competition?)
#main internet marketing discussion forum #start
  • <boring> Was a columnist for a local magazine. Lost my job (recession - publication went under). Got sucked into the freelance ebook ghostwriting thingamagee. Been writing for well over a year and only now starting to experiment in IM with my first site. Motivated to make it work but paralyzed by my super power (over analyzing). Lets see ... </boring>
  • When I first started in IM nearly 3 years ago, I had no choice but to look into low cost methods.

    I had money to spend but nothing considerable.

    I had enough to buy a few domain names and hosting. So I went down the SEO route and began building Wordpress sites with the view of promoting affiliate products.

    I still do this today but I now promote Amazon only products with my sites.

    I've developed a taste for list building so that's my main focus these days but I still have the sites on Google that earn me passive income. I still build more, too, on occasion.

    That's how I got started making money. It was slow growth but I kept battling on.

    Interested to hear others.

    ~Russ
  • Well, after coming across some things on ebay, I found a course in Bum Marketing, if I could remember the site name I would repeat it, I remember it all so vividly. The first place I learned what article writing, clickbank, and how to work it. It intrigued me.

    My big deal that I found was a google domination report from Kabita Kalita, and back then I could get anything I damn well pleased ranked high in google no questions asked.

    But did I know how to properly leverage this? Hell no, I made no money between the two. But I knew it could be done. I just wasn't doing it right and had no one to teach me how to do it right.

    Six years later I'm getting started again after wasting thousands on crap products and lessons that needed to be learned. Finally starting to get that list built, finding ways to flip websites for cash, etc etc.

    Needless to say, if I knew everything I know now, back then, I would not be in the sorry state of affairs that I am in right now.

    But, hindsight is 20/20, right? Keep on movin', keep on groovin'.

    -Sean
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    • I started with IM when I first heard about Travis Sagos Bum Marketing Method. I was sooooo thrilled to make money only to write articles! But I soon began to see that article writing was tough. But I wrote articles in 1 year and then when I earned some money with my affiliate products I bought a domain name
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  • I started in IM looking at ways I could make money from having a website. Coming from a programming background, and especially web programming I thought I could create a killer site that many people would visit or subscribe to.

    From this i learned about other aspects of online marketing like SEO and paid ads etc. etc. I learned that if you build it, you need a plan on how to get people to come. Made a lot of mistakes .... and still making them. But that's part of the game :-).
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    • Do you all believe that many people go into IM with a plan? If you don't think so....why not?

      Do you feel there is a fundamental barrier or shortcoming when it comes to the knowledge and understanding behind where their skills and ability fall in the BIG picture of business models online?
  • I started because I wanted to take a motorcycle trip across the USA. I didn't have a job, or a motorcycle, but boy did I fix that.
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    • Banned
      I started through moving from offline, academic writing/editing jobs to online article-writing, which I started reading more about, and my analysis of the market for this service prompted the realisation that I ought to be writing them for myself, rather than just for others. And I had to learn how to set up an affiliate marketing business, to do that.
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  • I've tried to outsource a couple of times from the phillipins and though I still believe this is the best option, I didnt have the patience to teach her everything I know.....
  • I got into IM 4 years ago when I lost my job, after finding a part time job I tried affiliate marketing but I didn't know what I was doing, started PPC and failed big time, lost 200 bucks in one day lol. So after that I just started to read books and everything I learned I put it to work, every blog I build is and was with free method no ppc.
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    • Knowing what you all know now, how would you recommend that new IM'er start, assuming that they had $0 to work with.

      All they have is passion, moderate skills, and a strong desire to succeed.

      What is the best, most logical, investment of their time and energy? Before the money is there, it all boils down to sweat equity....developing channels, forming relationships, and leveraging talents and skills.

      Where do THOSE Warriors start?

      What if they want to start out in IM and won't (or can't) pay for anything: Domain, hosting, etc. What do they do?
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  • I am interested in blogging and making more blogs.. I am from India.. I was not aware that blogging can fetch some extra income through adwords, articles, links, advertisements.. etc.. i saw my friend earning good amount of extra income (he was earning more than his regular pay for doing 8hrs work a day).. So i started looking deep in to it.. Now I am learning and learning more in IM and one day I am sure that I will be success..
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    • Hi Alexa,

      I made this point to Bill earlier today or yesterday and the more I read your informative posts the more I think it applies to you too.

      How about, for a WSO, you just get a collection of all your best posts, Just like Allens Private Posts book and call it "Alexa Smiths Ruddy good public posts."

      I'd buy it and so would others, it'd take forever to find some of your posts that are specific to peoples needs. How excellent it would be to have them all in a nice book.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
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  • My start in IM was the opposite of most people's.

    I had a good steady job at a bank... a bank that was actually growing instead of collapsing.

    But I wanted to take a week off for my 25th birthday to go to Vegas... and they told me I couldn't have the time off (my birthday is right at the beginning of the holiday season)

    So I flat out quit.

    Went to Vegas, came back, figured I needed to do something to make some money and my Mom wouldn't like it if I became a drug dealer.... so here I am
  • I started out reading about affiliate marketing several years ago as a way of making some stable income to compliment my more unpredictable trading profits.

    After starting out surfing the traffic exchanges for about 2 hours every evening, my interest really started once I sold a Clickbank product doing this.
  • I was already a software developer, worked for other people. Never even realized that i could combine the two (my programming/internet) to make money.

    The kicker was when i came across a "Rich Jerk" ebook - where i read about things i didn't even know existed, eg. Affiliate marketing, Clickbank etc.

    So i started to make my "own" web sites - HOWEVER i need to add it took more than a couple of years (at least) until i actually understood things and when money started coming in. Forums (Warriors etc.) helped big time.
  • I think I started with Wealthy Affiliate. And the reason was because I couldn't find a job or start any business here where I live.
  • Just coming home from training, and it's great to see all these replies!

    Has anyone here been very successful with little to no cost associated? Let's say less than $100/month in costs...
  • One of the reasons I began this thread was, in part, because of a series of pillar blog post that I've been 'planning' on do for some time now. Just from the IM 'experience', and living it, and continually experimenting and testing new things, I already have a substantial amount of material in my brain to draw from, however, there's no substitute for asking these questions of the very people who have been through the ups and downs...the ebbs and flows...that IM offers.

    I would like for the blog post to be called "a Logical Evolution of an Internet Business". Now, I know there are a millions different ways people could 'enter' IM, dependent upon their skills, abilities and desires, however, do think certain areas of IM may be particularly more appealing than others simply because of the little to no cost or barrier to entry.

    Has anyone else here managed to do something in IM that required little to no investment/cost? Did you figure it out yourself? Did you buy a course/book about it?
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    • I started with Jenn Dize's free ghostwriting course, then upgraded to her paid course once I brought in some clients. I picked up the first client through a thread in the main forum, then used a WSO to pick up more.

      I've really had next to no luck bringing in clients from outside the Warrior Forum. I have, however, managed to increase the number of product customers I have from outside the forum - and I'm continuing to push forward on that front.

      The best thing about writing (and web design, and SEO) is that pretty much everyone needs it. So you get to take an insider look at your clients' businesses, and you learn a lot about them; it's from those looks at client businesses that I figured out I didn't want to do affiliate blogs, or review sites, or CPA, or even authority sites.

      Providing services is an excellent way to figure out what you don't want to do, and that rapidly converges on just a few business models that you want to pursue - which for me is currently product creation and copywriting, and will expand this year into some coaching and personality blogging.

      Building those guru credentials, you know, so I can drop my $2k product.

      Syndicate, fool.
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  • I was broke, needed money and was too lazy to go out and get a job, much easier to stay home and work on my computer- figured out what works and I haven't looked back.
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    • lol...would you be able to expound upon the "figured out what works" part of your comment? I don't need to know specifics about analysis and your target market(s), but HOW did you actually get your start? Did you begin with your own blog? Writing articles?
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  • Awesome thread. I'm not a full time internet marketer, I'm more like a life hacker that wrote an E-book.

    I started IMing to get the message out and promote this global phenomenon I'm creating!
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    • Creating a "global phenomena" is quite a lofty goal, but you can certainly do it! One beauty of the internet is it connects people from all around the globe.

      How has your eBook been doing? Have you been selling it?
  • I have only just started a proper affiliate programme a few days ago, i had built my website for my off line work then found out about affiliate programmes which i was just using to promote my site and earn a little extra just to pay for my website which google adsense has. I am going to stick to one programme for now as i can't see the point of swapping and changing as if i swap i will feel like i have failed.
    Anyway its great to hear how everyone else got started and hopefully in a few years i will be able to tell my story.
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    • Does anyone here ever feel utterly overwhelmed by the amount of methods and 'information' that is available to make money online?
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  • I started because I saw evidence of so many "normal" people making decent passive income online so this was enough proof that it was possible!
  • Passion and the hope there is in IM
  • I got into IM because its something that I believe I can do well and chose as my "ONLY OPTION" to do.

    My dad died and I have no choice but to go back to the province and stay with my family. All my life, I was not home, and because of the incident, I made a promise that I will stay with my family as much as I can.

    From then on, I searched for ways how make money from home and then here I am struggling but faithfully doing IM.
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    • Could I give you the one tip that has helped me out the MOST online? (And, no...it won't cost you anything...lol)
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  • After being an unemployed professional for about a year I came across the 30 day challenge, learned about SEO, how to put up a site and get some backlinks. Went through a couple other training programs along the way. Took me a hell of a long time to master wordpress, probably my biggest stumbling block. I've got a pretty good handle on it now. I started making money promoting Amazon products after taking Dan Brocks "DeadBeat Superaffilate course", things are looking up...














  • I got into IM by sheer chance: I had a hobbyist blog that kinda grew in traffic and popularity, I saw the monetization opportunities so I implemented some IM-orientated changes (created my own ebook, tossed a few affiliate links, embedded an Aweber form, etc) and the first few dollars started to roll in.

    Back then I was unemployed so I needed the money desperately. When I saw those first few dollars coming in I decided to give it a full-time attempt... and it worked! The rest is history.
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    • Way to pounce on the opportunity when it presented itself! (and, way to recognize that it was an opportunity in the first place )

      It reminds me of the end scene of dumb and dumber.

      Some people wouldn't recognize an opportunity if it bit them in the rear.

      YouTube - dumb & dumber - 2 lucky guys
  • I started out just looking for ways to make money from home then gradually went into online marketing. Now I'm gonna get into product creation.
  • I've started IM because I need/ed money while I'm studying so hopefully I'll soon be able to make enough money to get by.
  • I stopped everything I was "doing" and decided to focus on one thing. I decided on membership site, because I knew it would be the most profitable. I created some content for the first month and only charged $1, then $9.99 a month. Most are so thrilled with the content I have a 4 month stick rate and over 500 average subscribers. I'm making $5,000 a month just off the memberships alone and close to 2k off the backend. Its incredible. I don't do much else. I got into IM so that I could have free time to do what I want. I'm thinking of building more membership sites but man I HATE working.
  • Fresh out of high school as a single mom I tried IM. Didn't make it too far.

    Decided to go the traditional route of University. Realized I would never have the finances to finish my degree, plus I missed my little girl way too much (full time school plus a full time amount of homework equalled very little extra time for her.)

    Was forced to move out of my parents place under really bad circumstances, moved in with my now husband. Got really sick (like deathly ill) lost my high paying job I had lucked myself into, and we were left with one income. To top it off, I found out I was pregnant with our eldest son. Hoped to get back to work but ended up in a very high risk pregnancy (was at risk of not only losing him, but my own life) and was put on bed rest. Was nothing really I could do except lay there doing nothing. So I went back to the internet determined to make it online. And I did. Back then I was in the HYIP world, made a damn good dollar till morality kicked in and I finally realized exactly how it works, and that the money I was taking home was coming directly out of other people's pockets (by pure luck and no skill of my own). Turned to the adult webmistress scene. Made some decent money and one day someone mentioned the WF, I came over to check it out and never looked back.

    That's the condensed version of how I got my start LOL.

    Best wishes,
    Sylvia
  • To make a long story short.... It started with my interest in learning about computer science many years back. I wanted to know more about good ways of earning money through the Internet.

    I wanted something which could provide an income and freedom for me. I started by building simple personal websites and years later moved into article marketing and later creation of my own product. It's been over 10 years now and I thank God for my success.
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    • Does here feel like there is some sort of natural, logical, progression in IM? What would YOUR logical progression be through IM?

      Because of the little to no initial monetary investment required, I see article writing/marketing, on free directories, as perhaps the first place that many people would be interested in starting. Then, I see the next logical step as moving on into outsourcing written content. That would incur some cost, but, depending, not alot.

      As one becomes more comfortable progressing in IM, I see them essentially beginning to start their own website/blog. And...then, going from there.

      Of course, my "logical progression" makes several assumptions right off the bat.

      1) That one has little to no $ to invest in IM.
      2) That one doesn't necessarily know or understand exactly what they are doing and are attempting to "enter" IM somehow....
      3) That they don't have many, if any, connections or relationships or strategic partnerships established.
      4) The value of their "skills" is essentially all they have to bring to the table.

      Does this make sense? In what I see as a logical progression in IM, I see those with little experience being drawn to websites like Fiverr, or Article Marketing or attempted to be a creative in crowdsourcing. These things are all essentially free with little to no barriers to entry.

      What are other FREE things that people can do to get a start in IM?
  • Here's my own story how I started.
    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...eres-mine.html
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  • Like most successful netpreneurs, my success wasn't overnight. Bit by bit little by little, year after year, I learned and eventually gained tremendous knowledge. So much that I started teaching folks how to earn a living online with a home based business. Where to start, where to go, what to download etc...

    I love teaching. Not everyone would want to teach for free and have everyone strip them of their knowledge, but heck, why not? I consider myself successful because my main goal was to become an Internet Marketing teacher.
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    How did YOU get your start in IM, and why?

    Oftentimes, it appears like there's a bit of a fluid evolution in the particular IM business models that people online engage themselves. While one may decide to immediately create their own product or their own website, there are areas of IM that have absolutely no overhead or startup. For those with little money, I could see how article writing could be very appealing...all one has to do is write and submit to a directory, and throw in a few affiliate links. With time, however, someone may begin to outsource article writing. They may take those earnings and divert them towards the development of their own website or blog. At least, this is how I see things.....this doesn't mean that YOU had to follow this same sequence.