Your thoughts on young internet marketers?

Well, age is just a number I'd say...check this out -

You'll make more money (and much quicker) doing offline marketing.

Start now and build a list...it will pay you for years to come you wont have to worry about money.

Well I just turned 15, I have been making money online since I was 12 but didn't get interested in Internet marketing until I was about 13 going on 14.

You are never too young to become rich If you ask me.

Waw i am really surprised how young these people are and they achive success and make money, I think the young internet marketers will always bring new stuff and strategies on the IM arena as they get experience over years so it is great to see these kind of stories.

Never too young....or old.

In fact I congratulate and envy you youngsters for 'seeing the light' so early. I only wish the Internet was around during my teenage years, I would have done so much more back then!!!

I think study and get something firm under your belt, but always have this as something on the side to fall back on.

First, in my opinion the fact that the OP is asking this question tells me they indeed probably should be living life and focusing on their studies primarily.

As someone who made more money by age 30 than most make in their entire lifetime, I can tell you for certain that making this a full time dream job won't happen if you are the type that needs others to say what you are doing is "ok".

I am not trying to be hard, just trying to make you realize that nothing about IM or working for yourself is easy. Working for yourself is not a "followers" game, its a leaders game. leaders don't need validation, they make others react to what they have done.

Age is absolutely not important unless you allow it to be.

Gavori,

First of all I want to tell you that I think you have answered your own question. If you haven't even begun yet and lack initiative then IM isn't for you. Initiative is one of the main things you need in IM. Without the drive to attempt different things and not being afraid to fail are essential to this job. Without action you will never earn a dime in IM. I do not say that to be mean but it is my honest opinion.

Secondly, if you do continue, remember that in IM nobody will know how old you are unless you tell them. You can focus on both your studies and on IM and be successfully. Many people work full time jobs, have families, and continue to work on their websites. It is all in time management.

Lastly, this job is not just a way to fill a few hours everyday. It is a real job, in the real world made to be taken seriously and not just as a hobby. If you focus your energy properly and take it seriously IM will give you plenty money for leisure items.

Aaron

Hey there Gavori,

If you haven't set up your first website (you make it sound as though this is a necessary aspect to internet marketing) - how have you already determined that you've failed?

What strategies have you been using?


As for what you should do...


There are a lot of people who come online because they think they can earn a full time income online, without any prior knowledge, if they just follow X number of "simple steps". If you want to succeed I would highly recommend becoming acquainted with the basic foundations of business and more specifically, sales.

You can't expect to be successful at anything you don't understand. It'd be like saying you're sure to win a game of basketball if you just dribble the ball across the court and then throw it into the net - there's a bit more to it than that.

Working online is most like working for commissions as a salesman or starting up a small business. Neither of those are a good route to take unless you are dedicated to succeeding. Doubting yourself, or leaving room for failure, WILL lead to failure EVERY TIME when there is no guaranteed pay. You could earn a lot, but you stand to lose a lot too. Reward only comes with Risk.

If you do not have the time and inclination to learn, or don't even really want to be successful online, then go get a "real" job that will actually earn you money (without having to understand much about what you're doing).

Personally, I put myself through university by working crappy jobs starting at age 9. It's not going to make you rich, but it will get you where you want to go.


Cheers,
-Adrian

Do both.

I'm a graduate student now and have been marketing since I was 14.



PS: I made mad cash when I was still in high school. (I remember showing off checks to people in my algebra classes.) Don't let your youth prevent you from success.

Thanks for the response guys, I guess I will continue the building of my current site and see where that takes me. (trying list building)

If my son (10 years old) has just half the motivation and determination that these young marketers have, in whatever path he chooses, I'll be very proud of him.

Well done to you guys, I can't wait to see what innovations and improvements you bring to the industry in the years to come.

Respect to those even younger than myself. I started when I was 15 and failed and failed and failed and failed. Finally got my act together at the ripe age of 22.

I'm trying to get my 14yo brother involved in IM because to me it's the way of the future. I've showed him a few tricks and he's kinda interested, but he's still enjoying his childhood.

I keep telling him that if he starts now and works his ass off, he'll be able to be a kid for a longg time. lol

For what David said, I've never agreed anymore on any WF post.

I'm turning 16 this month and have been doing online marketing since last February. I think it's fine for young entrepreneurs to be doing this. Just don't let people tell you that you can't do it. Another thing that is hard to balance is school and IM. I started making so much money so fast on IM and I actually went from a 3.6 to a very low 2 GPA. I failed a bunch of classes and started smoking weed. I now have night school because I ****ed up. It can really change who you are and how you act. Just be smart when doing things like this at a young age.

There are very good things about it for young entrepreneurs. For me, this is a way of getting back at others who used to laugh at my ideas,tell me I couldn't do it,etc. I now make more than they do and they're 3 times my age. Work hard and it will be worth it.

Another thing, what makes you think this isn't a job in the "real world"? Just curious.

Mate, stick to IM, but by all means finish your studies to keep the folks happy!
Another 10 years, you could be a very wealthy 25 year old with more freedom than you would ever get in the corportate world.
I work full time in IM and meet new people all the time; plus I live in Asia so if it's travel you want, then the internet is the way to go.
The "real world", as you call it is over-rated! LOL
Good luck Gav and keep us up to date with your ideas.
Best regards

I believe that the younger you start, the better. The best athletes and musicians became the best because they started young and early. I'll be 19 next month, but I started making money online when I was 12 years old and was fortunate that I did. I've learned a ton over the past years, experienced many failures and some success, and will continue pushing and pushing.

Bear in mind though - sacrifices WILL need to be made.

It depends on what you want to achieve in your life. Some people want to be rich, some just want a normal 9am-5pm job and have a simple life etc. I wish I knew about IM when I was at your age.

My advice, stick to IM. At the moment, complete your studies of course. At least you have completed your "education" level in your life. When you have achieved success in IM (means you are rich). Then you can do whatever you want!

You are still VERY YOUNG. Don't be afraid to work hard when you are young =)

All the best.

The benefit of starting young is: you will make stupid mistakes now rather than making them when you're married (or worst, have your own family already)

Many of you may wonder why make mistakes now rather than next time? It's simple because the more you grow older, the more expensive the mistakes is. It's simple as it is.

Jeremiah

At your age it might actually be easier to make money online in my opinion. As long as what you are doing doesn't have age restrictions. Even if you are just writing articles, you can probably make more money than you would at some part time minimum wage after school job. Having said that, with you already talking about not wanting to make this a career, you should definitely look into doing something offline, because if your heart isn't in IM, you probably won't succeed.

Young entrepreneurs are the future. You should consider to master internet marketing and learn everything that you can if you want to have alot of success later on in life. You'll be ahead of your peers.

We are awesome and we are the future.

I'm 20 do I fall into the category o_o

Ah haha, thanks for all your responses. All your responses have made me continue my internet marketing path yet at the same time balance my studies. To be honest, I don't see anything online as a real job (sorry!), although I DO know how much money it can bring in. If I plan to continue internet marketing, I will definitely not make it my main job, maybe a hobby. I shall continue the construction of my site and I will update you all on it! haha. Besides, mastering internet marketing couldn't be a bad thing either, some of the skills could be utilized in real work jobs too

It's all about a balance. Think of IM as "extra credit", in that only when you have free time will you work on your site or list. This sort of mentality will help you ease the stress of IMing and balance out the rest of your life, with grades, social life, relationships, etc.

In regards to the young IMer thing, I personally approve of it. I'm 15 and have been IMing for a few years, and I feel like it's taught me so many life lessons, along with technological knowledge. As you've probably seen, our generation is pretty pathetic. Competitive edges like knowing how to set up a site and how to write articles puts you ahead of the game.

The choice is yours. If you feel like you're a smart guy, and will never make IM your full time career, like me, take it easy for now and stick with a good education and work at it. However, if you feel like you won't ever complete college and can't rely on an education, then start now.

Bro, you should dive into your passion and DO what totally turns you on. GET INTO your favorite stuff... GO CRAZY!

Do you LOVE something? Go find people who are already doing it, go find the artists who are doing what you LOVE... interview them, get to know them, see if you can help them.

Forget about 'internet marketing' if it doesn't turn you totally ON. Get connected with people who LOVE what you love, and help them, and go crazy. The money will come.

You're damn right, online is just a tool. You can get more done with a pre-paid cell phone and a phone book than most 'internet marketers' get done in a WHOLE FRIKKEN YEAR. Unbelievable.

Okay, working on my site! Do you think I should put ads (BidTraffic, Adsense) on my site for back up income in case the products I promote don't sell?

I think it's great you're starting at such a young age. I'm 25 years old and I already feel like I started too late lol. But seriously, you're making a good choice by starting at a young age. Imagine how much knowledge you will accumulate in 10 years. You'd be a guru making millions for sure.

No Way!

You should absolutely do this while you have the chance to spend time on it without having to pay your own bills or support a family while learning, like maaaany do/did.

I know several successful children in the IM space and when I look at them, all I see is the level of freedom they'll have in their future and how wonderful it will be for them to always have these skills (the ability to make money whenever and wherever they want to).

If you can stomach the learning curve, I vote "Do It"!

IMO, if you need assurance you should move on.

Why ask people whom you don't know from a bar of soap what you should do with your life?

in my opinion, IM + Studies = No social life

They'll be spending most of their time at work when they turn 20+.. So why hurry?