Does Anyone Else Ever Feel Like This Is A Lost Cause?

I know how you feel. I'm still developing and not even near where I want to be, but I think I took a huge leap in the right direction when I decided to look for the answers to IM in myself rather than in products that other people offer. What do you like, and what are your qualities? I think the key to success is doing something you feel comfortable with. This will encourage you to stay at it, stop switching often and be confident in what you do. I tried CPA, bit of list building and a niche website based on what is popular, but I found out that I am not comfortable with it and it wouldn't work for me in the long run. Now, I do things that I enjoy, and it doesn't feel like work and any kind of money I will make with it will feel like money I deserve.

Take some time to analyze yourself, see what you like, choose something and stay at it. Make use of your unique qualities to offer something that makes people want to pay you for. I hope you find your way, you seem like a genuine person. Good luck!

Stick with something for 6 - 8 weeks. If you don't see results then move on...

BUT IN A NUTSHELL...

STOP CHASING SHINY OBJECTS.

I think we've all been there, well probably most of us...
I have to agree with Subseven here, so far the things I've had the most success with are those I am actually an expert at, writing about what I know best and sharing my knowledge did make me a little money (still does), but buying stuff and methods hardly ever did. I even got in trouble with eBay because of one of these methods...

Yeah, I've gone through the same thing.

The fear of putting yourself out there and risking failure/judgement/negative reaction is often overwhelming. But, once you get past this fear, success starts to accumulate.

Just keep working hard and having a positive mindset that you can succeed in this business and that your work is great.

Jake

I can empathize with where you're coming from because I went through a similar process myself about 14 years ago. Just like any industry, there are people out there that are only going to be focused on the almight dollar. Some of them would sell their mothers for a buck.

But over time I realized that I cannot worry about them or their actions. I had to focus my efforts on my prospects and customers. I had to focus on 100% of MY actions and by providing value and running an ethical, long-term business that focused on my markets' wants and needs, that I would be making some kind of impact in this world.

The "Make Money" market has been around for centuries and there have always been snake oill sales people and unethical boobs. It's sad to hear about stories of people who started their coaching services and then they don't deliver or, even worse, turn around and run off with the money.

The silver lining in all this is that there are plenty of good people still out there who genuinely want to help others. But they generally proceed with caution because they aren't sure who they are dealing with at the onset (this feeling comes from both sides of course). There are some really good coaching offers right now in the WSO section and, unfortunately, some really bad ones as well.

Now with the bad ones I wish more people would use the "report post" icon to ensure that people who are breaking the rules aren't getting away with it.

RoD

Don't Quit!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Well written article, l also do a lot of blogging sometimes l feel like l am totally wasting my time. Most people have no concept of what they are looking for and have no time to actually leave a comment of some feed back, feedback on any article is a compliment. What l do understand it took time to build an audience that understood what your aim for and why yo wrote it and they comments started coming and so did the results...so what l can tell you is beleive in what your doing and do not stop doing it....all the best

Create a value in the marketplace and don't be ashamed to charge for it. That's it.

Wow...awesome to hear from everyone!

I really wasn't trying to sound desperate or whiny. That was not my intent. I just had an urge to share my thoughts with others and let people know that it's ok to struggle. Everyone does. And it's also ok to admit it.

I really do believe I have found my place in the niche. I've gotten over my SOS and fear that I need to know everything. I have been able to come up with a gameplan that I know will help a lot of people and I much happier giving a ton of value away, than trying to milk someone for all they're worth.

I'm happy that my post didn't get completely slammed with negativity. It's encouraging to know that there are genuine people in this industry who really do have good character. It's like the late great Zig Ziglar said "if you help enough people get what they want, you can have everything you want."

I realized I was neglecting the first part of that quote....which really is the most important. Thank you everyone who has responded to this thread! Keep it coming. I love hearing from all of you!

The most successful IM people who don't sell IM products that I know, hardly ever post to this forum.

Just saying..

I don't even know why i'm here right now!

Oh wait...class is boring today...

Hello Ctutz21,

I think virtually everyone has gone after a few "shiny objects," thinking that that is what will propel them to success. It's when you realize that the "shiny objects" aren't the real key to success, but implementing what you know (i.e. using your brain) and taking strong action (i.e. committing to doing something with all your will), that's when Internet marketing will really be successful for you.

Take care,

Joe Chengery

I have found is to take criticism like a pinch of salt and not it let you down. Listen and if they is anything to learn from it then take it in but above all believe in what your doing and keep ploughing forward and not let anybody knock you off your path! Do that and you will go a long way

You're not alone, but how you decide you want to work will dictate your success.

The shiny object syndrome I think is endemic to new internet marketers, who probably have a lot of time on their hands, are hungry for information and success, and are looking for guidance.

A lot of the reason I believe many people take years to find any real success is staying in that same place. No direction or goals, hungry for success, needing guidance. Then they are find what they need to succeed, or give up and blame it on a bad industry.

First of all, we're in the business to make money, so that does need to be high on the list of priorities. Being Mr Nice Guy and selling nothing isn't a good business model

On the other hand, I absolutely believe that we can truly help people with useful, well written content, and tools, and create a win/win situation. If I could find a tool that costs $97 to buy, but makes the new owner thousands directly as a result, then that is a good product to suggest that they use.

I personally wouldn't push rubbish out there just to make a dollar, I truly want to help. I don't like to con people into buying things that do not truly help them. In the same way, I really am not interested in hype either. I don't think it is necessary, if you're truly helping someone, as the benefits will shine through.

Out of interest, what sort of response did you blog post get?

Depending on which side you are on, shiney object syndrome can be either a curse or a blessing.

Great post.

The way I see our little world of IM is simple. It's made up of 2 main groups of people.

• Those who have a dream.
• And those who try profiteer from the dreamers.

In saying that though. The world of IM has always been like that. And probably will continue like that long into the future.

The most successful IM'ers I meet. Don't really put much effort into being an IM'er. Their simple passion for a subject naturally created amazing sites, products and services.

And when they get infected with the deadly "SOS". Everything goes downhill very quickly.

Hey Tutz,

I know exactly how you feel. Over the past few years I have been there more than enough times. When you really step back and look at the IM industry and the types of practices that are currently dominating it is very easy to say that it's a lost cause.

My advice to you is to stop worrying about what other marketers are doing. Stop worrying about whether or not they are legitimately helping others or just in it for themselves.

All you need to worry about is whether or not you are legitimately helping people. Worry about yourself and let others do what they may.

In regards to the SOS..my best advice for that is to simply tell yourself you can do it and attack it head on. Part of the reason we fall into this trap is because of fear. Doing something we have never done before scares us as a race and it's no different when it comes to creating a product or launching a service or even just building a list.

Learn to attribute that fear with excitement and it will do wonders for your productivity.

Hope this helps
Gregg

I think most of us suffer from the "information overload" as there seems to be too many clever shortcuts. But as you said yourself, unfortunately they don't exist.

The best way I can advice anyone starting out is: Take Action. Don't wait for the next software or ebook to help you out. Just do small things that make you happy and motivated, before long - you will see the money coming in.

I was the EXACT same way a couple months back. I never stuck to ONE thing, I was bouncing back and forth to this and that. It makes you think that this isn't for you and maybe your not cut out to be an internet marketer.

In this industry, you have to be somewhat interested in what you're doing. That's what's going to keep you motivated, keep you on top of things, and most importantly make you never give up.

To Your Success,

Daniel

What you should have learned by now is that YOU have been focused on the wrong things.

You need to start thinking in terms of CAUSE and EFFECT.

As I see it, you have said that the things you have been doing (CAUSES) are NOT producing the results (EFFECTS) you want.

So the answer to your problem is in changing the CAUSES.

When you change the CAUSES, you simultaneously change the EFFECTS.

There is a big difference between throwing your hands in the air and saying 'this is a lost cause' and saying 'this doesn't work, I need to try something else'.

Will

There are a lot of aspects of this industry that I don't like. The whole guru's and snakes, it annoys me. Then again I should be realistic, no I won't be making 100k my first year being a noob and I can't compare myself to others.. Maybe it's just me, I do have a lot of learning to do.

I am not even close where I want to be yet, but I think I'm in this boat where I want to see results fast. Not being consistent... I keep trying to find something new to do, I end up buying domain names, and just blowing my money.

I start something and honestly I get lazy about it. I do more reading, blowing my money on WSO's, then I try a new project and just realized I wasted more money. I am in basically my larva stages lol.

I have not followed a guru or paid huge money to be coached (I am on some lists though), that's one path I don't want to take. I know I'll get robbed, hear so much fluff and them bragging about their bank accounts. Maybe not all are the same, but it's a huge amount.

Though recently, when I try to go back to my original project and promote it, I get a sale... as opposed to leaving it. I haven't had anything on "auto pilot" yet, like these people keep claiming, then again I'm not even close to the first page of google. The most frustrating part for me right now is backlinking, and I don't have the software to make it go faster and be less tedious Costs too much at this point, since I keep spending and spending...

But what motivates me is that every time I do promote, write articles and submit... good things do happen.

I also feel like I have a lot of doubt in myself that I can do these things. But when I do "take action", once again, good things do happen. That's what keeps me going for now. What makes me sad is that this is my only shot at anything, I dropped out of college and my life is empty. It's a lost cause for now but I have to make something happen, I basically have no choice. I am also dumbfounded because this whole processes of IM, isn't what I thought it would be. I'll be honest, I thought I wouldn't have to work this hard lol. Welp, lesson learned.

If I do become successful, I will pay it forward.

Looks like you need to READ THIS http://www.warriorforum.com/mind-war...ling-lost.html

FEELING LOST is a CHOICE.

Hey, I understand where you're coming from. I'm a newbie and not even close to being good at this business. I have my moments also when I thought I did everything to put my site on the top but still can't see progress in terms of ROI. But at the end of the day it's about you doing the thing you love most, the thing you really want to do. Failure is always part of this job.

I wqould have to say that at least 95% of the Internet marketers out there are like that. They're just in it for themselves and the money. If you watch one of the meriods of videos that show you somebody's ClickBaknk account what do you think that you see? You end up seeing all the sales that they made pushing their product, not sales made from using their own system because they don't use their own stuff because it doesn't work.

Not only that, but if their so-called systems really did work, then why is it that they are always so wrapped up in showing you their ClickBank accounts then? They speak very little about the software tool or strategy that is supposed to make you filthy stinking rich.

Believe me I have seen countless videos on making money online and many of them if not most of them are filled with actors pretending to be gurus driving rented red sports cars and standing in front of mansions that aren't even their's to begin with and did I also mention the blondes that surround them? Those are rented too. They too are paid actors.

To many of these so-called gurus are too wrapped up inthemselves and their money to even lend a helping hand to a newbie or somebody that doesn't have the hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on their over priced courses and such.

There are very few marketers out there who freely give time to help another human being out even though they realize that they had to start from somewhere themselves. They forget all about that because now they're rich, and you're not.

If you do find somebody who will help you then count yourself among the few and very fortunate to find somebody like that because most people will not find such an individual.

However, I am more than willing to help people, and no, I am not wealthy by any means whatsoever. I lvoe to make money nline, but I also love to help others too. That's the name of my game.

I don't have to ask you to pay me hundreds or thousands of dollars for me to help you. I do it for free because the way that I feel about it is that if I help you and treat you like you're supposed to be treated; as a human being, then I know that you will come back and maybe purchase some of my stuff, and even after you have purchased from me I will still treat you decently and farely.

That's the way that it should be done.

I believe in being totally up front and honest in my marketing online. I also belive in building a solid reputation and solid relationships with people because that's how I will make money in the end. I will always treat people farely no matter how much money I end up making online.

Even if I were an Internet billionaire, I would still help the newbies for free or for extremely low cost. I don't believe in ripping people off and making them believe empty hopes and promises. I don't take fake screen shots of ClickBank accounts or PayPal accounts because what I make is my business and nobody else's.

Showing people your bank accounts online is equal to showing off your underwear! Hmmm, I see a lot of people's underwear online these days haha!

What really gets me is when I get an email inside my inbox that claims that some young kid is now making $30,000 per month while the rest of us are struggling. How is it that that kid made that kind of money when the rest of us are busting our buts trying to make it?

What gives? How did they crack the so-called code? I'll tell you how. They're getting promoted by the huge marketer who is sending out those emails and they're piggybacking off of their lists. That's how it is done. They're getting the extra help and assistance that most of us would never see in a lifetime.

Or, it could be that there is no kid making that kind of money and the email was just a lie to get you to whip out your credit card to make an unwise purchase based on a whim or to get you to click on a link to watch yet another hyped up video filled with rented props and actors.

Most of these videos remind me of television infomercials where they're trying their hardest to get you to order. All they focus upon is those bank accounts filled with boatloads of money and they spend very little if any time at all on what it is that they're trying to offer you.

There was a time I spent a lot money of my student's budget to buy books, courses from many different Internet Marketing gurus. I got thrilled by the "shiny objects" that they showed and I must say they are the best at words. They use powerful words and all kinds of figures to make me to do the same. And whenever I watch a new course, I just try to imitate the same.

But then I start questioning after many efforts without getting anything. And I realized something:
- Don't listen to everything that you hear. Try to think and learn what methods works the best for you. Because what works for others doesn't have to work for you. So be flexible and apply your own way.
- Make a plan - a detailed plan that you will have to stick to it in a long run. I make a so-called project log in Excel to keep track with what I do. And it helps a lot!
- I am not the only one. There are a lot of newbies and also people who have attended the industry for long but didn't get much out of it. But if you stop, it means you will never ever get close to what you want. SO keep moving.
Good luck to all of us

It happens, it's there and it's part of everything we do. You can hate what you do in some days and feel bad about it most of the time, but if you want to win you got to have that level of commitment. Focus on things that keeps you going, get a check list of what works and what not. Appreciate how far you have achieved instead of remorsing about what not.

There are definitely many lost souls out there that just doesn't know what to do.

First thing is stop looking for the shiny objects and just focus one one and work your hardest at it.

Second i think which is important is to have a mentor or a coach, would who keep you on track to guide you.

My story was totally different from your story, but I had the impression that my intention to have the public attention in this chaos was a lost cause, like you said.

When I saw all the competition I had to face, I felt like a drop in the ocean.

Besides that, I had so many problems online that I thought that I would never manage to go ahead.

However, my persistence helped me find ways to survive and somehow triumph in some aspects, even though I’m still far from my aim.

Persistence is the key.

=35Y 9q3=05ti

Chasing is normal when starting out, but eventually you have to focus on something, do the market research for that something, test and keep testing, and scale up as you can.

I like what Seth Godin said about products and services...that if it makes sales, even if only a few sales, it's a good product, good service, and worth learning how to take it further.

I've spent as much as 2 years on market research before - service related - and made money in the process, but much more once I got a real handle on the buyer profile for that service.

This stuff takes time. Too many want instant results and think 3 months is good enough to try something. For most methods, it's not.

I'm sure you are better off having expressed your feelings and will be stronger for it - best wishes for all you go for in the future.

As someone who has done the same, I wonder if there is any way that offers on this forum can be graded? The advice is not to chase shiny objects, but how can you really find out which shiny object works, unless you buy and try?

And who is qualified to say who the best mentor or coach is? I work in sports - a result-driven business. It seems easier to find your way through what is good, mediocre or not for you in this 'niche', than it is on the WF.

How about a league table for mentors?!

But then again - perhaps it just has to be survival of the fittest.

This is a very timely thread for me. I am at a place where I do not know what avenue I should take to start making some money. I know it has been said "do what you like" but sometimes it is not easy.

What I need is someone that I can speak with, exchange ideas with, someone that can help me get going. I am very determined to do well.

Thanks again for starting this thread.

I felt a lot of my business model on teaching people the strategies that Apple used to become the most successful company on the planet, and one of the things most people don't realize, is that all they do is they read a bunch of cookie-cutter marketing advice, they don't really think about why they're doing what they're doing, and basically just parrot what they hear, but they don't really actually understand what marketing is.

if you break down what makes a business successful, you come to the conclusion that people buy your products because they're looking for a solution to a problem (common sense, right?).

The thing is that your product is the whole reason you have a business,in any money you do make from your business is directly attributed to the product or service you're selling.

and while most companies are focused on trying to figure out how to cut costs, cut corners, and so mediocre products for much higher prices than they're worth, Apple's marketing strategy was (specifically under Steve Jobs leadership), to focus on creating the best products on the planet, something of such high quality that none of their competitors can match it.

Then, Apple didn't have to compete with other companies, and they were able to set their own prices (while other companies are cut throating, there making profit margins as high as 55% off their products).

but the reason this all works, is because Apple understands that their products are the moneymaker in their business, and what allow them to have a business, therefore they should focus on making the product the best they can possibly be, and educating people online that is the best product for them, then everything else just falls in the place.

the problem is that, many times, marketers fall victims to becoming slaves to money, and they literally waste their lives just requires, when they could, much more effectively, acquire money by following their passion, making a difference in other people's lives, and spending every day doing something that they love, and as a result of all that, enriching the lives of the people they serve, which is the true intent of business.

but most people get blinded by selfishness and greed, and forget about their passions, their desire to help others, their desire to change the world, and their desire to do what they love, to create something meaningful with their life ( like Steve Jobs with the iPhone, the Wright brothers with the airplane, or Walt Disney with Disney World).

if we remember back to our childhood, we all have that part inside of us that wants to do something great with our lives, wants to help people, and do something great for humanity, and who wants to become wealthy and successful by changing the world, not by becoming a slave to money, to the point where were willing to degrade ourselves to the point that were willing to scam, rip people off, and waste our lives just to obtain it.

those are just a few of my thoughts

P.S. Click the link below to get my free 50 page Apple marketing strategies PDF, out of anything you've ever read on the Internet, it's EXACTLY the advice and education you're looking for, because you and me share the exact same philosophies and values about marketing, about the Internet, and most importantly, you and I both understand that true success is about obtaining happiness, in making money by changing the world, and doing something meaningful with your life, and that it's really about being happy, and making life better for everyone, not just obtaining empty money.

That's a perfectly justifiable position to be in. The question is, why are you so interested in getting into the IM/MMO market? Internet marketing has hundreds of markets and niches for you to get into, so why are you focusing on the MOST COMPETITIVE and MOST BLOODTHIRSTY market possible?

I see that "tunnel vision" as your only obstacle here. Think about moving into other markets where 1) you feel more qualified, and 2) are much less competitive than the IM/MMO market. At least that's my observation & suggestion.

@Ctutz21 yeah man it can be tough becasue the bottom line is this...marketing is closely related to propaganda. Propaganda relies on persuasion that includes not so honest methods and or outright lies.

Propaganda hopes to shape peoples minds and then persuade. Many people in all marketing, whether it's sales, IM, offline marketing, relies on it's ability to persuade. The problem is most marketers and sales people, don't know how to persuade without propaganda(hype).

There is a difference between honest persuasion and propaganda. The problem is most marketers have not defined the difference, or they don't care and like using the propaganda method. They have no confidence in their product or ability to persuade without the use of lies and hype.

Here's my advice, don't worry about those sleaze. Market according to your own standard. Don't lower your ability by stooping to their level. You will find, as I have, people, will respond to honest marketing.

You can still use the emotion that sells. But even if someone could make $20,000 a day selling your product, no one will believe that, and you disqualify yourself as an expert by making such a claim. Trump makes $$$$$ in Real Estate...but if I say..."look, there are people making$100,000.00 a month in Real estate, just look at______." The fact is everyone else is not Donald Trump. People instinctively know the difference, even if they don't understand why. Sometimes, its too good to be true becasue it is too good to be true!

So the point is...don't sell your self short, and one thing I learned a long time ago, most info crap I've bought over the years, I learned something from them. So it's not a total waste.

BTW, there is nothing better than trying to help other people!!!! Please PM me if you want and I'll freely offer more info. I firmly believe the interchange of ideas is worth the time and investment without trying to offer some service or offer!!!!!

I've just joined this forum as I'm keen to get started earning money online - I just can't find the starting point, let alone which direction to go in.

I have no business plan, no idea what skills I have other than knowing that I have zero creativity or imagination and I'm also not great at writing. I can't start a blog because I have no knowledge to impart on others.

I've been keen to start making money a few times - I did it in the late 90's by building email lists which sent things like daily jokes and recipes - and that did brilliantly for a couple of years, enough to provide a full-time income. Now I can't even remember how I built the lists and I no longer have them.

When I get a passing interest in making money online this always leads to me spending money rather than making it. I have filters on my email otherwise my inbox would be overwhelmed by the number of marketers 'mug' lists that I'm on - often getting emails from 50 different marketers trying to sell me the new latest and greatest product - this is because, in the past, I have bought things. I don't know which of the products I've bought are great and which are rubbish because I haven't even done anything with them once I've bought them. I probably couldn't even find many of the logins. I'm also paying a monthly hosting subscription fee for some 'money making website' that was supposedly worth many hundreds of dollars.

I have been a bit of a mug and organisationally I've been a bit of a disaster. If I thought that any effort was going to get even a little payback then I might be more inclined to do something. I also don't want my friends/family to know that this is what I'm doing - is it ever acceptable to use a fake name? Some of the names I see are obviously rip-off merchants and I would hate to think that I'd ever ripped off or allowed anybody to be ripped off. I want to help people, not hurt them. If anybody wants to help me get going I'm happy to pay them back in kind at some point - you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down. When I build my mailing lists I was given free adverts when I started out from other people who owned lists - my lists were eventually bigger than their list and I was able to promote their list and get them subscribers. I have a firm belief that if you are nice to other people then other people will be nice to you. So, does anybody want to be nice?

I just hope that I don't start to feel like that! (The 1st post)

I think the fun for me is discovering all the different techniques you need to apply in order to create the product to sell.

It feels like a jigsaw puzzle/recipe to me... a bit of this, a drop of that... using a bit of all aspects of IM to create a free flowing automated cash flow system.

I know 1 product telling me it'll make me $1000's isn't going to make money but using a combination of this + that + another etc.... will create a system

I know exactly how you feel. I've finally pulled myself out that awful Shiny Object Syndrome myself, and even though I'm not any kind of expert at all, I still enjoy helping people whenever I can. Even if I can't directly point them to where success lies (I think that's different for everyone, and since I haven't tasted it for myself, it would be wrong of me to fake it), I can at least warn them about the pitfalls that I've fallen into, and perhaps share some bits of wisdom I've managed to pick up after failing myself.

I think the hardest thing in this industry is getting used to failure. Normally, I celebrate my failures, as it means I've learned something new somewhere. Avoiding mistakes is helpful, but learning from them is probably more helpful. That's hard to do in this particular job because you spend so much money it seems that you really, really want to earn it back. Failure can be very costly, especially if you don't have a fall-back job to begin with. This fear of failure seems to promote the SOS, which in turns promotes cynicism.

Sometimes it does seem that everyone out there is just looking out for his bank account, and doesn't care much either way whether you get anything substantial out of it or not. There's a lot I can complain about in this industry, but I think if you look hard enough, you'll find someone who is actually genuine. I know they're out there - it can just feel like a waste of time to go looking for them.

My advice is this: don't go looking for mentors or gurus, automated software, or anything of the like. Most of the information that you actually need to get started can be found for free on Google. Regard everything else as over-hyped, and stay clear of the WSO forum. Focus on doing the things you've been reading about for free.

Think about yourself and what sorts of things you do best. Where are your hobbies? Are you a private person, or an outgoing one? Do you enjoy writing? Editing? All of these things may seem trivial, but by carefully examining myself, I'm carving out my own style and strategy. I know when I'm about to leave my comfort zone and can expect failure when I do so.

For example, as a very introverted person, I much prefer writing to talking. However, I've been practicing for doing some youtube marketing. I enjoy filmmaking and even acting to a certain extent, but I know I'll be leaving my comfort zone when it finally happens. This means that I'm prepared to totally bomb for a while. I'm prepared for negative comments, the cringes, etc. If I never get good at it, I'll know to drop it and move on to something I'm more suited for.

Finally, budget yourself. When you're feeling the despair and desperation set in, having a strict budget to work on will prevent you from splurging on a new shiny product that promises you thousands of dollars overnight, just like most other products out there. It will also keep you from investing your money on too large of a gamble for you to handle. This was advice that took me quite a while to sink in. I found that I was spending way too much money trying to make things work and not getting any back. I had to budget myself and remember to think of the long-term instead of short term riches.

So, whilst I don't think it's a lost cause, IM does have a steep learning curve, and it can feel like a lonely struggle sometimes. However, as long as you keep track of yourself, I think you'll be okay in the end.

Dude, success in IM depends on this formula:

What you know+Who you know= Success

You have to have skills. The more skills you have the better you are in a position to make success. Me, I'm a professional writer, illustrator, voice work, and more. I can write ads that blow people's minds. I have news connections and worked in journalism for over 30 years.

In IM, my success is from listening to the PROs. The best success was ONE WSO I bought, one of the first WSOs I bought ever and it came from Shane Natan. I did what he said and made money. Wish I had done more. Paulie 88 had a WSO that I bought and the potential is huge.

Now it's about working with the PROs. JVing and producing products that SELL.

Produce, produce, produce. That's my motto from now on. Buy the WSOs from the PROs and modify your work schedule around their guidance. End of story.