It takes money and time to make money

by GGurls
30 replies
I made my first sale today by roughly selling ad spots for 500 dollars... I made a free entertainment site and then worked hard to get the traffic up and THEN started selling ad space... Does anybody else agree with this method?
#make #money #takes #time
  • Profile picture of the author Super Affiliate
    $500 for an ad spot? Wow, how much traffic do you receive to your site if you don't mind me asking?

    Joe
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    • Profile picture of the author David Morris
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Super Affiliate View Post

      $500 for an ad spot? Wow, how much traffic do you receive to your site if you don't mind me asking?

      Joe
      Yeah, that is a pretty good amount for an ad spot..
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    • Profile picture of the author GGurls
      Originally Posted by Super Affiliate View Post

      $500 for an ad spot? Wow, how much traffic do you receive to your site if you don't mind me asking?

      Joe
      No I don't mind you asking, I get approximately 250,000 UNIQUE visitors a month...
      If you value Alexa Rankings this will give you some idea of what I get (we all know Alexa is not 100% reliable)-->

      alexa.com/siteinfo/ggurls.com#
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  • Profile picture of the author mikelmraz
    That is a great price. Even better if your website is low PR or low traffic
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    • Profile picture of the author matt5409
      Originally Posted by mikelmraz View Post

      That is a great price. Even better if your website is low PR or low traffic
      if he is doing it right PR won't matter (not that it matters much anyway) as the link will be nofollow
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  • Profile picture of the author IMWinner
    Definitely agree with it.
    wow, $500 for an ad spot, great figure you got there.
    You really need some money and your time to make some money, invest money to generate more money but the important ingredient is to commit your time doing your IM business.
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  • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
    Time - yes.

    Money... not necessarily. The keyword here is resources. Of course, money gives you access to a greater range of resources.

    One thing that is becoming clearer to me everyday is that, in the long term, it's easier to make a lot of money than to make a little.

    Many people struggle because they aim for low margin businesses, and small change methods such as an Adsense based site. There is nothing wrong with those, they have their place and time. However those are the least efficient ways to make money.
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    • Profile picture of the author jvjoe
      Yea! it takes time, though money may not be compusory but it is necessary to make money. $500 for an ad spot that's a GREAT sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sonny Am
      Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul View Post

      Time - yes.

      Money... not necessarily. The keyword here is resources. Of course, money gives you access to a greater range of resources.

      One thing that is becoming clearer to me everyday is that, in the long term, it's easier to make a lot of money than to make a little.

      Many people struggle because they aim for low margin businesses, and small change methods such as an Adsense based site. There is nothing wrong with those, they have their place and time. However those are the least efficient ways to make money.
      You have made a really good point here. However the ideology people have with things such as adsense sites is the fact that one adsense site might make a small amount of money, however if they scale and produce 30 such sites then its a slightly different story. But then your point about efficiency comes into play.

      It would be a lot more efficient to product one proper structured site with a strong brand and image, offering fresh content and make it an authority in a particular niche, and i mean a real authority. However people are scared about this option because it requires time, energy, a steeper learning curve, and potentially a lot more risk if this one site they have invested so much in doesnt eventually take off. So people do opt for the pocket change option because it is easier to set up, they can see a return a little quicker and it is much less risky.

      The biggest money is to be made in these big authority sites. And I know people that have created such sites and within a year and a half sold them for tens of thousands on sites like flippa.

      Thats just my 2 cents. I think there will always be dramatically more people looking for a quick buck so use the first option as opposed to the second.
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      • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
        Originally Posted by Sonny Am View Post

        You have made a really good point here.

        ...

        It would be a lot more efficient to product one proper structured site with a strong brand and image, offering fresh content and make it an authority in a particular niche, and i mean a real authority. However people are scared about this option because it requires time, energy, a steeper learning curve, and potentially a lot more risk if this one site they have invested so much in doesnt eventually take off. So people do opt for the pocket change option because it is easier to set up, they can see a return a little quicker and it is much less risky.

        The biggest money is to be made in these big authority sites. And I know people that have created such sites and within a year and a half sold them for tens of thousands on sites like flippa.
        ...
        I believe the amount of time is relatively the same.

        It will take you the same amount of time to write 5 great articles as 10 or more crap ones. But the return on investment is much higher for the great ones.

        I think the truth is most people want to "hide" when making money. And that's why they struggle.

        They don't want to be criticised which they will be. So they play it safe, hoping that maybe luck will be on their side.
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        "Those who can - DO IT. Those who can't, say it's impossible."
        Jean Paul a.k.a AdwordsMogul
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        • Profile picture of the author FredJones
          Didn't understand this - if your objective was to make money then why didn't you start selling the ad spots cheaper till your geared up, and kept making it more expensive as you started getting more traffic to your site? Surely that way you would also earn some more money, plus whatever you are earning today?
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          • Profile picture of the author GGurls
            Originally Posted by FredJones View Post

            Didn't understand this - if your objective was to make money then why didn't you start selling the ad spots cheaper till your geared up, and kept making it more expensive as you started getting more traffic to your site? Surely that way you would also earn some more money, plus whatever you are earning today?
            Why would people buy ad space on a site that gets no traffic? Even if it didn't cost that much? I actually did try to sell before I reached this level and no luck. I even received an email that asked "why would I purchase an ad from a site nobody knows about". So in my opinion (and experience) it was smarter to build the brand for the long run, and once it got popular, start selling ad space.
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      • Profile picture of the author murtuza
        Originally Posted by Sonny Am View Post

        You have made a really good point here. However the ideology people have with things such as adsense sites is the fact that one adsense site might make a small amount of money, however if they scale and produce 30 such sites then its a slightly different story. But then your point about efficiency comes into play.

        It would be a lot more efficient to product one proper structured site with a strong brand and image, offering fresh content and make it an authority in a particular niche, and i mean a real authority. However people are scared about this option because it requires time, energy, a steeper learning curve, and potentially a lot more risk if this one site they have invested so much in doesnt eventually take off. So people do opt for the pocket change option because it is easier to set up, they can see a return a little quicker and it is much less risky.

        The biggest money is to be made in these big authority sites. And I know people that have created such sites and within a year and a half sold them for tens of thousands on sites like flippa.

        Thats just my 2 cents. I think there will always be dramatically more people looking for a quick buck so use the first option as opposed to the second.
        yes, I totall agree with this. To setup a long term business model you should have a content site, an authority site, a well planned out sales funnel, list building machine in place, quality newsletter or follow up email sequence and well tested system wherein you know how much per visitor and lead costs you and what are the revenues or your return on investment you can expect in a span of xxx time.

        This is how big companies funtion and this is how one can start purchasing leads and traffic once they have the matrics in place. Just my 2 cents...
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  • Profile picture of the author uebomoyi
    I'm not an expert or anything in the entertainment niche. I just assume you have to make yourself appear as an authority site when you are selling ad space. Great job making your first sale though, that's great, as long as it continues in the long-term and you are able to drive targeted traffic to your site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Paterson
    It's all about properly using the resources you have in your business. I find that it really helps to map everything out in some form of accounting software. It's so easy to just spend money on various products, WSOs etc. and not realize how much you've spent. If you have a program that tracks your expenses it really helps to magnify where you're wasting money and realize just how much you've shelled out.

    This month has been a record when it comes to business expenses, but it's also been my best month. Not only in terms of income but in terms of productivity and implementing projects.

    There are so many products or services that I use that I know are responsible for increasing my bottom line. I just wouldn't be able to make as much as I do or be as productive without them.

    So in my case, it takes money to make MORE money.
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesGw
    Money definitely makes it easier to make money, but the amount of money you need is proportional to the amount of time you'd like to save, generally. Most things can be done online with minimal money. The only issue is that they can take an enormous amount of time to complete if you do not have any cash.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ansar Pasha
    Banned
    I agree with you for the most part, AdwordsMogul. But I do think it will either cost you in time or money... if you don't have the skills you need to set up a business, you'll need to pay someone who does.

    And if you don't have the money to pay someone, you'll have to learn how to do certain things on your own, which is where I believe most people screw it up - like you said, they focus on low ROI activities and models like adsense which can be a good side income stream... but definitely not one you want to start out with.

    Either way, educating oneself on business and marketing is going to take time, and IS necessary to succeed. Regardless of whether anyone actually ends up finding a magic "system" where they don't have to do any work. Like many lottery winners, they wouldn't understand how to thrive in case sh*t ever hits the fan IMO

    Ansar
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  • Profile picture of the author Kate C
    It does not really matter if anyone agrees with your method as such. You came up with your own great idea and it paid off for you. If it is bringing you the desired results, stick to it and do more of the same. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut instinct and do something out of the ordinary, that is how most people make money. You need to stand out from the crowd.
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    • Profile picture of the author GGurls
      Originally Posted by Kate C View Post

      It does not really matter if anyone agrees with your method as such. You came up with your own great idea and it paid off for you. If it is bringing you the desired results, stick to it and do more of the same. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut instinct and do something out of the ordinary, that is how most people make money. You need to stand out from the crowd.
      Thanks Kate..!
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    Originally Posted by GGurls View Post

    It takes money and time to make money

    A bankroll helps, but it certainly isn't necessary to make money. I have built many successful online businesses with a shoestring budget. The last business that I sold started with a budget of $30 and a domain name. I sold that business for six figures. As for time, sure... but some startups take up more of it than others, so you can't really make a blanket statement like that.
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    • Profile picture of the author GGurls
      Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

      A bankroll helps, but it certainly isn't necessary to make money. I have built many successful online businesses with a shoestring budget. The last business that I sold started with a budget of $30 and a domain name. I sold that business for six figures. As for time, sure... but some startups take up more of it than others, so you can't really make a blanket statement like that.
      Of course there is ALWAYS an exception to a rule but you get the gist of what I was trying to say...
      Basically I'm stating instead of trying to make money right away from a site... invest time and money into it first THEN make money... see?
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Lessey
    Money helps with the pace of the project, but whats invaluable is the mindset you apply to the business
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    • Profile picture of the author JimFIX
      what kind of traffic brings more sales? What traffic is useless?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaymark
    I agree with the statement that it takes time to make money. Not sure if it necessarily requires a lot of money. That can help but there are many strategies you can implement which don't require much upfront money. The best thing to do is once you start making money, keep plowing it back in to accelerate your growth. That will pay off well in the long run.
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  • Profile picture of the author webmaster1742
    Originally Posted by GGurls View Post

    I made my first sale today by roughly selling ad spots for 500 dollars... I made a free entertainment site and then worked hard to get the traffic up and THEN started selling ad space... Does anybody else agree with this method?
    how much traffic r u getting per day?
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    • Profile picture of the author GGurls
      Originally Posted by webmaster1742 View Post

      how much traffic r u getting per day?
      LOTS lol go look at my Alexa Ranking (for a general idea)
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