2013-1995=18 yrs of life wasted on IM. Plz read and give me some advice.

Daniel, I will try out your advice, but it won't be easy. I want to get rich but what I want more than that is simply to be able to live a decent life where I don't have to go to work for someone else for the rest of my life.

I'd like to not have to worry about bills, food, rent, gas, etc. If I could make $50k a year from the internet I'd be very happy (but ecstatic if I got rich - though it's NOT a necessity).

I've held jobs most of the time and done internet marketing in addition to the regular job but the tough thing for me when trying to apply a strategy like you've suggested is Writer's Block.

I can write 50 pages in a single day...but I can't do it consistently.

Writing 1 to 2 articles a day I could COMMIT to it, yet still not be able to do it. I could STARE at the computer after a few months of doing that and lock up and not be able to write anything.

I started a self development blog way back when I was using 1and1 for hosting (that's why I hired a web designer because I couldn't get the blog to do what I needed it to do with a really crappy web hosting company) and I wrote 126 "Steve-Pavlina-Style" (LONG) articles in three months but than after that I got severe writer's block and just couldn't put words to paper even though writing is easy for me in general (it's NOT after doing it day after day for months as a "have to do it" kind of thing).

I've gotten better at it but to be consistent for so long will be a huge challenge but I know it's worth it. Figuring out a way to conquer writer's block and being able to write consistently like that for that much time I can see that making money.

If I write that long that consistently I'll be really good at writing and once people know my site exists they'll want that value that I could provide them.

Nothing against you Daniel, but I hate this kind of advice.

He's been sitting around for 18 years and hasn't done squat. Now your telling him to sit around and write articles all day.

Here's the honest truth about internet marketing. A lot of people here need to wake up, because this kind of work is NOT a real business.

You're all competing against thousands of other people on the internet. Everyone is trying to get their slice of the pie. You wonder why so many people on this forum run in circles and never get anywhere?

Because they don't put on their big boy pants and take this seriously.

This isn't the early 2000s anymore. That kind of half ass'd approach to internet marketing isn't going to work anymore. If you really want to succeed you gotta go out there and take control of your future. Learn something that's going to be useful and that's going to benefit you in the future...

Better advice would be to tell him to go pick up a damn marketing book and learn how to sell. Writing articles all day on a niche website isn't going to do a damn thing for him. That goes for all of you who sit there slaving away writing articles for your blog or website thinking your going to hit it big! Yea you and 100,000 other people who are doing the same thing...

Learn something beneficial, think outside of the box and grow a damn pair. That's how you're going to succeed. Or you can follow Daniels advice and be back here making the same post a year from now.

With all due respect, Daniel, this is horrible advice.

These two things contradict one another. If you are blasting out 10 articles a day, they really can't have a lot of quality to them, can they?

Think of the content you publish on your website as a stick of Juicy Fruit gum.

You put a stick into your mouth and you chew on it, savoring the flavor. The visitors to your site will also. Leave that stick in too long, chewing the same old gum will cause it to lose its flavor and you'll spit it out. The returning visitors will find your site just as flavorless as that gum and spit it out, not wanting to return.

But when the flavor has been savored, you put in a fresh piece and begin to savor that sweet flavor again. So when you put a new piece on your site, visitors will savor the flavor too.

What happens if you put a whole pack of that juicy fruit in your mouth all at once? The juice begins to seep out of your mouth and dribble down your chin because it is too much for your mouth to hold and you end up looking like a drooling idiot. Throw 10 articles a day on your site and you will look like a drooling idiot too. That's too much all at once.

You need to add content strategically, equally metered out over a span of time. This way you keep the fresh flavor going without overwhelming and prevent the loss of flavor as your site sits too long and loses all of its flavor.


Terra

Alexa thanks for the long well-thought-out reply!

You caught me: I do seem to equate success with ranking on Google, but I know there are other sources of traffic it's just that a lot of them cost money that I don't have to get momentum. I don't dare rely on "luck" trying to make things like Viral YouTube videos. Facebook marketing - friends don't like getting advertised to, etc.

***I'm 100 percent open to forgetting what I've learned so far because IT ISN'T WORKING.*** No one's ever said to me anything like "close your ears and eyes firmly against any advice with the word "keyword" in it" but I am in complete agreement with you. I've never had ANY success with keyword marketing whether it be through "article marketing" (articles on my sites or articles on article directories). I've never had any "keyword success" in getting a page one ranking for a "high traffic keyword."

I hate the keyword concept and I hate SEO, I hate all that ####. I just don't know what the alternatives are for getting tons of people to my websites (and more importantly people that are INTERESTED in what my websites have on them...interested enough to buy or become repeat visitors).

You mentioned you don't rely on Google for traffic and you get lots of traffic to more than one website. How do you do it?

My ears and eyes are open to any new methods, but I am going to close them to "keyword advice."

I wish I had blocked "keyword advice" out years ago. It's such a distraction from what I really SHOULD be focusing on.

It's a distraction from where real success is.

Alexa, also meant to say thanks for the link to the advice for when you are desperate. I have skimmed through it and found some good nuggets of wisdom.

Getting *rich* isn't the most important thing, it's being able to enjoy life, getting rich would provide the means by which to live a way better life but simply having a wage-or-two equivalent from not having a "job job" is what is most important. That'd be enough to live very well, and over time possibly (though not necessarily) get rich.

There's no particular reason that the non "job" income has to come from "internet marketing", making money with the more "cash flow generating" methods people posted from that link you gave me is a lot better than having no money at all by wrongly-believing that shooting for the stars and missing and hitting the moon is better for shooting for the ditch and making it...because in REALITY shooting for the stars is so unrealistic it often LEADS to the ditch instead of the moon, and shooting for the road (basically living comfortably) isn't as likely to cause burnout, or financial ruin and may even lead to the moon when unexpected.

^^^Hope that makes sense?

You're right: Quality over quantity. The only sites I ever stick around on are the quality ones, yet I've been producing VOLUME instead of quality; not producing anything anyone would want to stick around for.

I don't care at all where my traffic comes from - I just need it, but since I don't have much value to offer people now I probably couldn't even convert it to profit anyway.

Making something of value and THAN getting traffic makes more sense than going for traffic before providing value. Value, not volume (which has been a great source of time-wasting for me in the past: I made huge volumes of effort, did everything-and-anything out there to make money...article marketing, Adsense, affiliate programs, but I never actually BUILT VALUE, I just built "link-connections to potential money", and no one ever clicked on my links because no one ever saw value on my various sites/articles/etc.)

I agree! I forgot the name of this marketer. He said the formula to making money online is:

"traffic + conversion = money"

A lot of people focus all their energy on generating traffic for low-quality sites or products. I think we must always create (or find, if you're an affiliate marketer) quality products before we look for the traffic.

What sort of programming do I do?...I DID Visual Basic, but I was completely self taught (at 9 years old). No one taught me coding standards I was "winging it" and thus it took me a lot of trial and error to make things happen. Technology advanced faster and now Visual Basic is out of date. If I took classes than I would be able to keep up but being self taught and having had to have jobs and pay bills my internet marketing efforts and programming and stuff is done as EXTRA HOURS and I've just never had the time/money combo for lessons.

I can't teach myself C - I've tried, not smart enough to teach myself that (but I am smart enough to learn it if I took lessons).

I can code HTML and I can figure out how to make things happen with PHP code in WordPress themes and plugins (but I'm not able to code a whole theme or plugin I'm just able to reverse engineer what's going on and how to make things happen when needed).

As far as teaching people how to build websites goes, that is not meant as a teach-internet-people-how-to-do-it kind of plan but more like a "have the website online, and tell people I meet in real life about the site so they will check it out and follow the tutorial...and I'll get the hosting commissions - plan."

I've been unsuccessful with internet marketing but figured why not have an online site that I can market OFFLINE? If it makes some money great, if it makes more, even better. And a website making tutorial with screenshots step by step - sure they are all over the web, but most people don't like the effort to find the information, if you have a good tutorial (not saying mine is but I hope it is) and tell people (who ARE website-illiterate and not likely to know about the tons-of-places you mentioned nor how to find them) who you know need websites that your site can teach them how to make their own site, naturally they'd be inclined to check it out, and if they tell their friends and their friends tell their friends it equals an expansive money source (and value get's delivered).

Hmmm,

I can see where we differ in our views even more, here.

I wouldn't consider 200 words a blog post, let alone an article. Perhaps a snippet...

Think about this. 5 x 200 words = 1,000 words. Why on earth would you write just 200 words 5 times on your site? Why not take your time and compose a quality intriguing piece that covers all the information with a smooth flow from one point to the next.

Personally for me, reading 5 200 word pieces would be a very choppy read. I don't think I could cover any one point or idea in just 200 words. I'm afraid if I came across a website built that way, I'd leave and not come back, as I'd hardly have time to become compelled or interested in just 200 words.

Other than what I've said above, I'm speechless.

Terra

Not sure how to take that lol.

Hey maybe I should write a WSO and show how you too can use all the social icons! I even was one of the first to use the blog function and wrote one of the first war room member posts. Essentially this all proves... I'm very good at wasting time.

I didn't even catch that, but unless that was a typo on his part, that would actually put him at 8 years old when he claimed to have started marketing online. If he really did start that young, then yeah, something was definitely wrong with his childhood. No one should have to work until they're at least 9.

Start with a product first, and then build your website after that.

This is where most people fail, in my opinion.

It's like going down to your local mall, spending all kinds of money opening up a shop without really knowing what you're going to sell.

Internet marketing is still sales. You've still got to have a valuable product or service that people want.

You've still got believe in your product enough to look people in the eye, and mean it when you suggest that they should buy it.

There are days when I read posts on the WF and I just want to give the OP a hug. I'm not going to pretend I know how long failing for 18 years is. I don't. But I know that somehow, some way you'll make it eventually

I just want to affirm you on one point. From your post it seems that much of your failure is attributed to technical stuff (Hosting as you have mentioned). As such, I feel that you have the potential within to achieve success online. When it comes to questions like 'Should I still try and make it online?' I tend to be a little cautious in answering. I don't know you personally, which doesn't put me in a right position to advise you on this. I don't want one comment of mine to change your mind which could potentially screw you over, you know? You have to make that decision yourself, bud.

But anyway, moving on. If you do decide to stick with making it online, you might want to consider changing your course of actions. It seems that you want to try to earn money from ranking websites no matter what. I'm not quite sure about this. In fact most newbies first impression of IM is almost always 'I'm going to create a website and get rich.' Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is no money to be made in ranking sites, there are a lot of people getting rich just by ranking sites alone. Personally I feel that is just a tougher route. You sure you want to work your butt off only to be outsmarted by Google engineers? Ranking sites as I see it is a volatile trade, one which there is a lot of uncertainty. Whether in stocks or in IM, uncertainty is never a good thing. As you've said yourself, EMD have made ranking sites much harder. You never know what Google is going to do next to make it EVEN harder for you.

You have so much in you bro. It doesn't take a normal person to struggle for 18 years and still not give up. You've said you are an action taker. Great! But here's the thing, don't take action on things that are not actionable. If that even makes any sense. Don't overwork yourself on things that are so much harder to achieve. Play the game that is easier for you.

You should sit down for a day and just think about what your next step is. It may be that you decide to offer programming services or web development. Or you could choose another method not involving ranking a site altogether. It's up to you. But for me, Listbuilding was what I stuck with.

Take care dude and all the best

On a side Note: I don't get why some of you are bashing the OP here. You don't even know him, his background. Why judge and criticize? There's a noteworthy difference between giving someone else a wake-up call and being a jerk. And if you just want to get your sig out there on threads like this, shame on you.

Caleb Prince

Why give up? Exactly...

I don't plan on giving up!

After all these years I know a lot, and I'm capable of a lot, re-forming and getting more focused, and who knows? Maybe I will succeed.

If I don't, than I don't. I certainly won't waste another 18 years of my life with internet marketing as my main focus that's for sure, but part time in addition to having a job yep you bet.

Most Americans work until there over 65. They may "have a house" but they don't even really own it until they are almost dead.

They have spending money but not much. And 65-26(the age I am now)=39 more years of being Just Over Broke (from relying on a JOB as a sole income). Yeah, thanks but no thanks. That is not for me!

I will be retiring (from having a job working for other people) by the time I'm 30. That's only four years away. I don't know how I will make it happen but I'm going to do it. With internet marketing or with some other method. I will find a way.

One things certain: by coming on Warrior Forum and asking for advice like I have done I have thus done something I never have done before. I've asked for help. I've admitted that I am not going to figure it out all on my own. I've basically asked people to review my failing points. I've never asked for constructive criticism before and I really needed it. A lot of mistakes have been pointed out by a lot of people. Some I saw myself, and some I didn't.

But by asking for the constructive criticism I have an opportunity I didn't have before. The opportunity not to repeat the same screw-ups.

The opportunity to identify what went wrong so I can turn it around.

I think having recognized that it was time to stop being too stubborn to ask for advice itself reflects a huge shift in my mindset which I certainly needed.

There's a lot you don't know about me. I do blame myself more than you know for my failures. But when I say I have no doubt I would've been successful if I had HostGator earlier it's not that I'm blaming them for the sake of having an excuse it's a FACT that I COULDN'T GET MY WEBSITES TO UPLOAD WITHOUT SPENDING ALL DAY TO UPLOAD A SINGLE PAGE AND IT NEVER CONSISTENTLY WORKED. 1and1 was messed up and sometimes pages would load fine in my browser in my computer but when uploaded the pages would look like this:

3rd qtr of pg here
1st qtr of pg here
4th qtr of pg here
2nd qtr of pg here.
^^^^How could I be successful on the internet with this problem?

I did everything I knew to do but if you simply cant make your website work than you can't make money with it.

With HostGator, I can point and click and make WordPress sites (way easier than what I needed but at least FUNCTIONAL whereas 1and1 WAS NOT).

With 1and1 it was like fighting a war trying to get my websites to upload correctly. That's definitely not my fault.

And there's so much you don't know about me and you just assumed:

You say I should get a job already and not have wasted all this time not having one if I was making so little money.

I have only been unemployed for a couple of weeks.

I drove half a million miles in a 18 wheeler in the last few years. Wasn't able to do internet marketing on the road so in the 18 years from start to now I didn't actually have 18 years of time to work on stuff.

I've only been an adult for 8 years.

And most of those 8 years I was working in the most corrupt industry ever.

Truckers have to pay tolls out of pocket. Loading bars/loading straps, door locks, new headlights, all kinds of stuff. Supposedly we get reimbursed. LOL.

"Supposedly we get reimbursed"...if you only knew what I've been through you would understand why I haven't been successful. I'm ready to move on, I'm ready to change my ways but as far as having excuses go? If everything you do is met with resistance it's going to take a long time to get anywhere.

Trucking companies get away with so much stuff because without trucks America stops. The conditions long haul drivers go through is absolutely abusive.

Yet I stuck with it for a while. I saved money. But after a year or so of LIVING IN THE TRUCK, that the companies I worked for OWNED, and them not caring at all about me, well it's a lot tougher than a regular job where you go home every night and take a shower and all that. I've made sacrifices. Huge sacrifices. I know what it is to be tired beyond belief. Which is why I don't have a job. I "quit" over the road trucking making a good judgment call.

I "quit" more than one time because when I ran out of money I simply wasn't able to get a job that paid the bills before my savings were depleted but I could snap my fingers any day and have an over the road job the very next day because trucking companies are desperate for qualified drivers because their poor treatment drives drivers away from them.

Driving 80,000 pounds down the highway TIRED is FREAKING INSANE. So I don't allow myself to do it, when I get to the point where continuing to work is unsafe I "quit" so I won't be guilty of causing an accident that would most likely be a fatal one.

But that's where the general public doesn't understand... trucking companies THREATEN YOU, if you don't do things there way you're out of a job. That's untrue of course - just a scare tactic - an abusive one - but just a scare tactic. They need drivers because there are very few people that will put up with there crap.

I only did because by not paying rent at all whatsoever when I lived on the road I was able to save money, but of course when you get burnt out on the conditions you wouldn't understand unless you've been through it; it's simply not safe to continue with that job until you take time off from it and recharge your batteries/your health, and get un-tired.

If I had the money I'd buy my own truck - it's what I'm passionate about (not internet marketing - but the ideal with internet marketing is PASSIVE INCOME once established).

If I had my own truck I wouldn't expect myself to push myself into bad situations that put my life, my license, and other people's lives at jeopardy (whereas when you work for a trucking company they don't care about you at all, all they care about is there bottom line and they have really good insurance so it's cheaper for them to put drivers in situations where they might screw up their life and other people's lives by rolling over or jacknifing etc.)

I've delivered to NYC about thirty times in a tractor trailer truck. Before that I worked on a farm. I know what it is to bleed, sweat, and I have calloused hands. So in no way was I being lazy or unmotivated.

There are people that always say "its the way you think stop making excuses" and all through my life while people have at times said things like that to me THEY THEMSELVES MAKE EXCUSES FOR THEIR LIVES NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

I've done more than enough to be successful and have something for myself by this point in my life.

I've delivered LITERALLY over a billion dollars of freight.

I've hauled thousands of loads, and not every load is a load of toilet paper and groceries. Some times trucks contain antibiotic pills and "get it up" pills. 2 pallets = $30 million dollars.

I've contributed to society. I've sacrificed years of my life sleeping in places where you had no access to food/restroom.

Truckers get almost no respect.

You park at Walmart, you go to sleep. You wake up and go in (and haven't had a shower for a while) and people look down on you. Even though you just delivered inventory for that store that they just bought. They look down on truckers yet if we didn't make the sacrifices we made they would have nothing.

I don't have a job now. I refuse to go over the road again and put up with those unsafe working conditions, but as far as me making excuses - no way.

I've done everything humanly possible to get somewhere in life. How could I have known before I got into trucking how corrupt trucking companies are and how they would make all my work pointless?

I couldn't have known that.

I have 500k accident free miles. I'm going to keep it that way. So thus I'm not on the road and I am in the process of getting a local job where I only will have to work 40 hours a week. Trucking is why I have no money. Not internet marketing. Trucking drained my bank account because the industry is so scam-filled you wouldn't understand unless you've experienced it yourself.

Internet marketing wasn't the source of my poverty it just hasn't been the source of wealth or the means by which I can quit my job and than buy my own truck because that's what I want (just not with dispatch cracking a whip).

Internet marketing's not possible or even legal when driving over the road because you are expected to work every single hour that you can legally work by the companies. They really don't give a #### if you need to sleep. So you push back, you take the time you need to sleep anyways, but they push back on you. Since you live in THEIR TRUCK, they have so much control over you until you quit. Truckers are regulated for safety reasons to protect the general public from getting FLATTENED BY HUGE VEHICLES.

I have worked for a handful of different trucking companies, tried to make my passion work. Didn't work, won't ever work unless I own the truck, but without being able to make the money for the truck by working as a trucker since it clearly doesn't work: I've resumed internet marketing efforts and will have a 40 hour a week job soon that gives me plenty of time to do internet marketing in addition whereas over the road sure does not.

In the past local jobs as a cdl holder didn't pay the bills (now it's different I've gotten my debt down to where I can live on 150 a month plus food plus rent).

I've paid off most of my debt through trucking, farming, and in general working my butt off.

I appreciate your view point, I understand that making excuses is self defeating, but some times some people go through #### that is no fault of there own.

When I was 9 years old I spent every minute of every day when I was home researching internet marketing and programming.

And I did that for a long time.

I took action when I could.

But until I was 18 I didn't have a credit card, couldn't make online purchases.

Simple things like paying $45 to become a ClickBank Vendor were more complicated. Simple things like buying paid traffic - had no means to do it. Simple things like buying the software that would've helped me to upload my sites to 1and1 wasn't possible until I was 18.

Front Page & 1and1 and me just werent working out. Maybe other people have succeeded with it consistently, I didn't. But I damn well did my best, and if I hadn't met the ridiculous resistance to simplicity that 1and1 happens to be than I would've made way more progress. There is no doubt about it whatsoever.

I had the drive to succeed. That's never been an issue.

I have taking mountains of action. That's never been the issue.

Only results. That's the issue. The lack of them. Not the lack of action, or sacrifices, or doing this and that and that at the same time.

I agree.

In my last job before finally being able to leave the job world behind, I was working 60 hours a week from January to November, and working upwards of 90 hours a week during December.

I was working in retail sales at the time.

During most of the year, I was working 60 hours a week on the job, and I was working another 30-40 hours a week online.

During December, I was working at least 90 hours a week, but I still managed to keep working my online business while working those obscene hours at my job.

I actually earned more money online than at my job for 18 months, before I quit my job. I wanted proven stability in my online income before I cut my safety net.

I've always worked hard to accomplish my goals. And, I always kept a job -- for as long as I needed one -- to ensure that I would have the money I needed to take care of my family and to have the tools and resources I needed to grow my business.

I needed the job before I started making real money online, and I kept my job longer than I wanted to keep a job, and I am glad I did both.

It took me roughly 5 years to cut my safety net after I made my first sale online. I had actually cut my safety net earlier, but 9 months after, I took another job. This time around, I have been flying solo since March of 2005.

Maybe it is because I have a family and three kids, but I didn't have the luxury of working for peanuts until I could make it big. I had to keep making a living wage, until I could replace my job income with a reliable online income.

Yes.

But having tried for so long with only aggravation and distress to show for it... you already knew the answer yourself.

you have the skills and experience.i recommend you to get coaching from somebody in your field, it seems like you have the skills, but lack in how to implement it in todays market. the market is actually huge in the niche you are in.

and change your mindset, instead of focusing on "do i have to quit" rather focus around " i will succeed!"

it's no doubt that you had bumps thru the years, but never quit! receive some mentorship. some people have a lot of potential but needs that guidance from a mentor.

after this long there's no way you can give up!!

best of success for the next 10 years!!

Some thing just doesn't seem right with WebsiteMadeByYou. I think you're focusing too much on not working (retiring at 30 - not working until 50) than actually working. You bring that up numerous times in your posts. Everyone would like to put their IM business on automatic and make six figures, but that is not reality.

Take it from me - time does pass - even if you are not being successful. So - I would do something - anything - to get your out of your financial situation (maybe sell items at a flea market (no knock on this - I know someone who did make A LOT of money doing that) and do your IM business on the side. Multiple streams of income is a key to financial success.

I am working in IT and have dabbled in selling on the internet for years (started with eBay). I have just started taking it more seriously. This year I'm taking action (getting a coach and also doing a JV with a friend of mine).

Baby Steps - you need to walk before you can run -- and getting some income - any income - going will create a better mindset for you.

EXACTLY!!!

How can having a job be a terrible way of making money if I make no money???!!! -->BECAUSE I MAKE NO MONEY WITH A JOB!!!

70 hours a week of long haul trucking including hand unloading the truck for several years and after all the reimbursements not paid back to me by the evil trucking companies I make $20,000 a year. They say truckers make more... they really don't. Companies report on your tax forms YOUR GROSS but that's not even really gross income earned, it includes reimbursements (when you do actually get them).

Therefore, $40,000 really is $20,000 (truckers have to pay all kinds of stuff like headlights, fuel when in locations where the fuel card wont work, etc., out of pocket because if you are going to have a job as a truck driver that's simply how the companies do it).

So than $20,000 minus 30 percent for taxes.

13333 left over. Now, that's all fine and dandy when living on the road but oh wait - truck stop food is super duper expensive. And getting groceries don't work, you don't consistently get to park in a good location always run to the last minute on delivery deadlines.

Fridge? What a novel idea...they make them at truck stops to run off the cigarette lighter charger, BUT trucking companies won't let you idle, and they are usually too cheap to install an auxiliary power unit (a generator that uses about 4 gallons of fuel a day to keep the batteries charged) so THUS: you can't keep the batteries charged, you can't run your fridge.

Trucking was the real problem, it's the most F'd up industry.

I literally would've made more money working at McDonalds and being home every night, but "I'm Overqualified", that's what MANY COMPANIES have told me when applying for regular jobs.

And local trucking jobs have huge problems too. They simply don't pay that much.

Try unloading two 18 wheeler loads by hand every day with no help from anyone in the trailer (the store will have 5 or 6 people on the ground handling the boxes you send them one by one down ROLLERS).

I've done that, I've driven a heating oil delivery truck (100 gallons at a time to people's homes).

Having a job in America simply doesn't pay the bills. That's a normal problem that most people have. Most people work till there 65.

I've "failed" (but not really) for 18 years SO I CAN SOME DAY FIGURE OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO NOT BE 65 when I finally don't have to "punch the clock" MAKING BARELY ENOUGH TO BREAK EVEN.

I've worked on a farm, I've had jobs that were non-Dot-hours-of-service-regulated where I LITERALLY WORKED 18 HOURS A DAY FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK.

It costs money to live and jobs don't pay enough.

When you live local food is way cheaper. BUT RENT = 1/3 of your paycheck. Your car = gas, registration, insurance, and maintenance...and suddenly UNEXPECTED BREAK DOWNS happen so there's another 1/3 of your paycheck.

But you still need FOOD to survive, haven't even mentioned phone bill yet. Where's the "life enjoyment money?" It doesn't exist.

Or it barely exists.

My problem is with the system. The 1 percent having 99 percent and 99 percent having 1 percent.

There's no margin for error.

You can "budget" all you want but when an unexpected car repair is needed, or you buy a lemon and than you're only able to afford at any time (because you never save because your first car was a lemon) to go to the cheap mechanic who won't do a good job and you'll be back five times more than the good mechanic but you're kept in the hole because you don't have the money to break free from the start.

THAT'S WHY.

I'm not an excuse-person. That's reality. Shit does indeed happen to people.

One tiny bit of bad luck and how much the average American makes and there's NO MARGIN to scrape by or recover.

Mat, (OP)

I just wanted to let you know that I think you are a bloody genius! You've discovered so many ways of what not to do, that the road forward will now be a whole lot smoother.

That's what I always do when I attempt something new that ends up being less than successful, okay, a complete flop or failure. I always say to myself, "Self, you are a bloody genius! You have just discovered yet another thing that won't work!" This helps the ego, the drive and to change any negative mindsets. Why beat yourself up when there are plenty of people out there who are all to willing to do so, right?

I admire your tenacity and readiness to learn, the change of your mindset, and your goal setting. May I just make one recommendation? Set small goals for yourself and when you meet those, set another one. Starting out with lofty goals has a tendency to cause disappointment and disillusion. When we first learn to walk we do it one step at a time and after that, we learn to run.

Terra

Games are the hardest to build and the most time consuming. To build a game, even a small one, that would matter, you'd need at least 6-12 months of hard work of a whole team, including graphic designers. And then you have to market it, on top of that.

In terms of making money without such investment, I'd go for utility apps if I were you. Just to gather some capital - then you can get into games developement if you want to.

Are you serious? I didn't read all the replies but I read all the OP's posts and they are revealing.

The excuses just keep rolling and the dream of being rich...of retiring very young....of not having to worry about bills.

You keep talking about "18 years" but truth is if you were using services online from 9-18 you were lying about your age. If you were using 1and1 back then, probably were using one of the free accounts they offered when they opened their services to the public after years of working only with businesses.

The thread of self pity that runs through your posts will keep you from succeeding in anything until you get honest with yourself. You even complain that your father didn't spend enough time with you. At least you had a father who was alive and cared and was providing for you - have you considered that? You have nothing at all to gain by continuing to provide excuses - and everything to gain by finding an optimistic outlook that considers possibilities rather than focusing on failures.

Your childhood is over and what you did at age 9 isn't relevant at this point - time to stop fussing about it.

Trucking is a rough job - a lot of jobs are hard and uncomfortable. You were delivering products designed and produced by other people to companies built by other people in a rig owned by other people.

I personally know two truckers who worked for others for many years while they saved to buy their own rig - and now run their own companies. It wasn't easy - but the results were worth it.

The "life enjoyment money" comes when you succeed. Until then, you work to pay the bills. Your problem at the basic level is you are convinced you deserve more. The system doesn't owe you anything - you owe it to yourself.

It sounds as if you've been living in a "margin for error" for the eight years you've been an adult. You are stuck on a wish you had at age 9 - to be rich. You have added to that the desire to retire very young. It's not realistic and not a plan that will work unless you put some years of focused effort into it.

It sounds harsh, I know - but wishes and dreams and excuses don't pay your way through life. Some people work 60-80 hrs a week year after year. Others prepare themselves educationally for a career they enjoy. Too often, we fall into jobs we are able to get (trucking/day labor) because we didn't plan for the future and life gets away from us.

You are young and have plenty of time to create a good life for yourself. To do that you have to stop the introspective of "poor me" and focus on finding work you enjoy and can do well without complaints.

Successful people have one thing in common - they provide services or products that others want and need. They focus on helping others rather than on explaining themselves.

Learn to do that - and you'll get what you want out of life.

kay

^^^You listed what could be seen as excuses I've made but some of the things I've said are in deed FACTS. Things held me back. Than I was in a position of difficulty making it tough to get anywhere because of that position. A paradox of sorts.

***I have worked over 8000 hours in my life. You don't think I'm entitled to SOMETHING BY NOW???

If anyone's making an excuse it's all the people JUSTIFYING working any harder than I already have TO GET NOWHERE.

I need to change my mindset, and loose negativity, but sometimes people who tell me *I need to be realistic* aren't even being realistic them selves.

The lawn mower example you sent me to...you know when I was 18,19, 20, and 21 I tried THAT. I had a pickup truck, and a lawn mower and TODAY I DO NOT HAVE A CAR I DO NOT HAVE A LAWN MOWER.

I could spend money getting a lawn mower, BUT (and don't you dare call this an excuse) I've WASTED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON AN UNSUCCESSFUL LAWN MOWING BUSINESS BEFORE.

What's written on that thread seems simple: yet for me when I do the same exact thing for some reason I LOOSE MONEY.

You can say I haven't done this or haven't done that BUT I HAVE DONE THIS THAT THAT AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF...and IT'S GOTTEN ME NOWHERE.

If I make excuses than why do I ***DO*** (take action) SO MUCH and get almost nothing in return?

That's just bs. Terrible luck. Failure.

I want to "not make excuses", I really do, but when nothing works and every "excuse" people say I make I THAN "void" the excuse BY TAKING THE ACTION that I "supposedly was not taking" and IT STILL GOES NOWHERE.

Of any one out there on this Earth I am MORE WILLING TO FAIL THAN ANYONE YOU KNOW.

(I've failed over and over and over and over and over and over and over again).

***And will continue to do so UNTIL I become successful. I won't ever quit.***

But if I'm "making excuses" than why I have I been trying for so long and so hard and continuing DESPITE EVERY SET BACK?

An excuse making person WON'T TAKE MORE ACTION. I DO. I take the action. No matter how many times things go wrong. I keep chugging along unsuccessfully.

Things that look like excuses on the surface are actually IN REALITY more complex.

There is such a thing as a paradox.

No it isn't "me making excuses" it's the things that went wrong. That REALLY DID GO WRONG.

I want a way out, absolutely.

I AM LISTENING TO YOUR ADVICE.

I agree with you I do make a lot of excuses but HERE'S WHAT I DON'T GET: even when I have NOT made excuses at certain points in my life for long periods of time it still got me NOWHERE.

Success breeds success.

Failure breeds failure.

Failure breeding failure cuts down on your resources, your mindset, etc.

I was "gung-ho" (freaking intensely motivated/ambitios/etc. for almost two decades now and I'm just FINALLY getting burnt out).

I've done pretty good on keeping a positive mental attitude for what I've been through and how many times I've failed.

But NO RESULTS.

Something other than "me making excuses" IS INDEED MESSING THINGS UP. Because other people don't even try one tenth as hard as I do AND THEY GET RESULTS.

If you could explain ^^^the solution to what I just wrote I would love to hear it^^^

I'm in a failure-loop-paradox. It takes serious momentum or good luck or something to break free.

No matter what I've tried NO RESULTS NO RESULTS NO RESULTS.

***BEFORE I EVER MADE EXCUSES***

Looking back and saying "this messed me up and this messed me up" those aren't excuses, those are OBSERVATIONS.

Excuses would be "I've failed before so I'm going to quit."

^^^I don't do that. Never have. SO HOW AM I ***REALLY*** MAKING EXCUSES?

I'm not.

I will give your advice a try (but I'm not doing the lawn mowing one I've lost too much money failing with lawn mowing before).

I know in ways I am keeping myself down BUT (yes this is an excuse but also an explanation) it just doesn't make SENSE that after all I've done I haven't succeeded one bit.

Excuses or not I've been a productive worker at every job I've ever had. I've never been fired, I was usually more productive at each job than the other people at the job (I got company recognition for that).

I've done so much for so many other people but I've gotten nothing.

I've given away productivity to make other people money.

But in my own life have failed to be productive at making anything happen (despite spinning my tires with immense effort sustained for a really long time).

It absolutely does. Doesn't seem quite fair when I've put way more effort into it than them. People who accidentally made tons of money are so lucky they don't even have a clue. I've put my time in, I've made sacrifices, I've lived like crap for my entire life. And I keep plugging away. But no matter what I do I never break free of the lack of money problem. I get ahead, get some saved up, and than (when I had a car before I got debt because of not making enough money to pay for it) car would die. Would have to fix it with money I didn't have. If you have a job it's kind of a paradox because you spend so much money on keeping a car going just to get to work to make money that simply going to work eats up half your money.

It's not right. Not right at all.

The world certainly ain't fair. The people who DESERVE to be successful do not have while the ones that just had success fall in their lap get everything.

Even crazier than that: there was a girl who made DRAWINGS of flip flops with fishes on them.

She's "sold the idea" to an investor and the result is "Fish Flops" Fish Flops! Fun Footwear For Kids

She's a millionaire. And she will never have to work a day in her life. 10 years old or something like that. Drew a picture. And than...successful.

It almost feels like the universe hates me. If success is THAT EASY for a 10 year old kid, than why on Earth after working my butt off for almost two DECADES, and having a job since 16, and doing odd jobs, and internet marketing, and EVERYTHING TO MAKE MONEY: I still have almost none?

It's so messed up.

^^^That's not even considering people with inheritances, or people who won the lottery or celebrities that certainly worked hard but not THAT HARD (hard enough to deserve what they have when so many other people work 100 times harder and can't even EAT)

I've been homeless before.

Whenever i've been out of work I've always immediately gone job hunting. Some times it takes a while to get a job and than money dissapears.

You work and save for a long time only to have a gap and it all comes crumbling down.

And in trucking I'd rather have a gap in employment than fall asleep at the wheel and die/cause the death of other people so when you get burnt out on that it only MAKES SENSE (even though it will personally set you back financially) to do the right thing and "quit" (which isn't really quitting because you're doing what you HAVE TO DO TO NOT DIE - if you didn't quit when you got burnt out you actually WOULD BE QUITTING because you'd be risking your life - that's not acceptable).

So yeah, whether i make excuses or not ( and I probably do), there's no doubt about it: life isn't fair.

Some people have so much they really didn't deserve.

Why not combine trucking and internet marketing?

Plenty of ebooks and website content to work with.

Best Trucking Road Food
Trucking news website
Trucking jobs
Trucking blog
Trucking resources
etc.

Sounds like you might want to introduce yourself to gonzotrucker and check out his website.

Yes it has been suggested and I think it would be a really smart thing as I have so much know-how I just don't know what to do with it (information overload) though the biggest problem I have is excuses.

I need to tackle that first, and get a mentor second (to learn how to un-overload the information overload problem and put it to use).

Money's low now, so I have to focus first on getting money coming in, and when that happens I definitely am open to having a mentor (not right now though as I need cash flow instead of debt flow @ a tm with no income).

I kind of do...but "a job" certainly isn't better. I've had a job basically since 16 and worked ever since with only brief gaps in between long haul trucking burnout recovery phases.

BUT DOESN'T WHAT YOU SAY ALSO APPLY TO ALL THE *JOB PEOPLE* WHO WORK FOR FORTY YEARS OR MORE AND JUST BREAK EVEN????

This is no different. Except I've had a job the same time so I've worked WAY MORE HOURS and gotten the same results an average American is getting in today's economy. There are 35 year olds who HAD HOMES and lost them because of the economy and had to move back in with "Mom and Dad." There are people who ARE NOT EXCUSE MAKERS that by no means of their own got screwed over and set back and do the best they can and still get nowhere.

Than there are people who make exuses. I've made a lot of excuses over the years, but there are people who don't make excuses (or not as many as I have) and they barely get anywhere.

Living in poverty until 65 is WAY MORE THAN 18 YEARS OF HAVING A JOB and getting no results.

By doing the 18 years of extra work at the same time I've ALSO HELD JOBS, I have knowledge, and skills and stuff, that if I ever figure out how to apply: I'll do very well and sooner rather than another 18 years from now.

In today's economy if it stays the way it is now people WON'T be retiring at 65 they'll be retiring at 75 or 85 (if they live that long).

It's time to "move on" in a sense, but isn't it time for all the JOB PEOPLE that SWEAR ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A JOB (and who never rise above poverty in all the time they have one) to WAKE UP AND MOVE ON TO?

Absolutely.

Problem is: that's everyone who has a job who fits the "work forty year mold."

That's a lot of people. Obviously some have to have low wage jobs and some have to have higher wage or salary or commissions "jobs"/businesses/investments/etc. because that's just the way it works.

It shouldn't be and I think there are better ways but the world doesn't WANT to change as much as people talk about wanting change. So many people are "content" complaining about how they have no money and their job doesn't get them ahead in life but they don't make the extra effort to do other stuff on top of their job until they figure out how to make it work.

I've done extra- and gotten no results from my extra.

But all the people who just do jobs and don't bother with the extra aren't getting any result (their giving up less of their time so if I were to never succeed (which won't happen because I've had a mindset shift and am bound and determined to succeed) either.

So I'm losing more time, but if I catch up quickly than I'll actually have caught up and gained time because I won't be 65 + years old retiring with nothing like most people do.

If I should "just move on" than so should ALL the unhappy job folk that are JUST OVER BROKE and stay that way for FORTY YEARS.

I don't even know where to begin!...thanks for probably the best advice I've received yet.

Me making excuses was a huge problem and without fixing that I won't get anywhere (a lot of people gave me advice about fixing my mindset and I agree with them).

With that said: there were huge periods of time when I didn't make excuses (before I got burnt out on failing for 18 years with no results).

And that's not failing because I have indeed learned from it, but to me at the time (until basically today) I looked at my past as a complete failure (which it WAS NOT).

In those huge periods of time when I didn't make excuses I still got nowhere.

I was chasing after low hanging fruit (but no one's ever described it as eloquently and simplistically as you have). That fruit got picked up fast.

EMD would have made me money IF I was launching sites basically immediately when EMD was figured out. Once something like that gets figured out all inet marketers scramble to reverse engineer it and engineer a way to profit from it. The lack of people building websites meant EMD success wouldn've been so easy if I was one of the first to catch on and got focused and launched websites left and right.

Quality matters in many cases but way back than the sheer volume of SEO traffic I could've gotten in huge bursts would have made tons of money (that would die off quickly but also would've made me more money in a single year than what I've earned in my entire life if I acted fast enough -- which I didn't).

I do not like SEO. I never have, and Alexa gave me a golden nugget. That I should firmly close my eyes and ears to anything with "keyword" in it. I agree with her on that completely, especially since I missed the "bandwagon" for EMD, long tail keywords, SEO itself in whole in part, general SEO or "niche SEO"...it's all PAST IT'S "low hanging fruit days."

The way I'm understanding you, the low hanging fruit is like oil and the gold rush (when it takes off before the market/ability to profit from it gets way more difficult). The higher fruit is kind of like what hasn't happened yet. I need to be ready for it when it falls, and get to it before it does because when it becomes low hanging fruit I won't have much of a chance.

I can still go after the low hanging fruit but since everyone else is in a mad dash for the cash if I'm in that mad dash I need to be one step ahead of them.

(Out running the lion not possible but out running the competition, being ahead of them at the golden-moment of opportunity).;

I've been trying to ride a wave that long ago settled down. It's low tide now (in the areas I've been focusing), but the waves are strong and fast in the un tapped markets.

Those markets will be low hanging fruit some day, and if I'm ready for when that happens (before it happens or IMMEDIATELY when it does happen) and I go after it AGGRESSIVELY -- more aggresively than the competition, than I WILL stand a good chance on being able to ride the wave successfully.

To basically get the gold without having to dig for miles.

I've been chasing what's already been reverse engineered and written about and almost all the information overload that I had in my mind was USELESS INFORMATION because I didn't act fast enough on the new techniques.

Which is why SEO (anything in SEO) is a waste of time. It's unreliable because it changes too fast.

The waves were big in the beginning, and they were slow waves (relatively speaking in "internet time") compared to how fast SEO changes now.

The waves now in SEO are small and move faster. There's less fruit available when it's low hanging fruit and there are more people trying to get it.

I need to stop going after the low hanging fruit that people have already scooped up.

When it's low and first shows up (when some big new advance/innovation/technique in something ("F" SEO -- anything other than SEO) shows up...GO AFTER IT "Fast and Furiously", don't hesitate.

Because in today's world the "gold rush" is the equivalent of month's time. The oil rush is a month. Low hanging fruit gets scooped up VERY FAST.

Thanks for the really great advice.

Between what you've written and me working on not making excuses I KNOW (NOT "I THINK") I CAN AND WILL TURN THIS AROUND.

When that low hanging fruit falls I will be the first to get it. I will be ready for it. I will have my eyes on it before other money-chasing people REALIZE that the fruit IS a golden nugget.

I will realize before someone else does and go for it without waiting around for other people to succeed (a few people) and THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T SUCCEED to write about the technique as if "it's so easy you can do this and do that... throw up some articles on EzineArticles, make an EMD site... yadayadayadaya and you'll be a millionaire tomorrow"

I now realize that a lot of the information that's cluttered my mind has been SO USELESS because it was written long after those techniques worked, and other people's minds have been overloaded with crap-info that they've then spread around as "this is what you to do make money online" when THOSE TECHNIQUES WERE ALREADY LONG EXPIRED because somebody else got to them and capitalized on them first.

While other's "still make it" in those low-hanging fruit niches, their LUCKY because their getting the few pieces of fruit left over that the SCRAMBLING FAST PEOPLE WHO CAUGHT ON RIGHT AWAY happened to miss.

Thanks for you're way of looking at this. It's been an eye opener. (As has the advice of all the people who told me (and showed me) how many excuses I make).

I’m glad that you found something relevant for you in the whole story.
Since it is the “low hanging fruit” you find most relevant, I would like to clarify a mistake you mention.

*High hanging fruits are not future possible low hanging fruits.*

If you wait for them to fall on the ground, somebody could get it before you before it falls down or while it is falling!

I was not a good basketball player. You know it is a team game, and as I’m not a good player they usually don’t want me in their team and shout at me etc. I lost the ball once and the other player of my team shouted at me angry. I said what could I do, the ball was blocked before it reached me! What could I do about it? He said, your problem is that you are waiting over there waiting the ball to come to you. Run and jump towards the ball when I throw it at you. But I thought, It is already coming to me, why should I bother to go towards it? But he was right. Yes if you sit there and wait opportunity to come to you, even though it was coming toward you, someone jumps out suddenly and block it coming to you and get the ball for himself.
Same for fruits on the tree. If you wait for fruits to fall, sitting and watching them all day, somebody climbs up can gets them all leaving you no fruit. Or it is falling, you opened up your hand waiting, a fast bird suddenly gets it on the air and flies away.

What I mean with high hanging fruits, is go ahead and climb high to get them.

EMD still works. Not like before but still works. Did you know that? You just need some extra work/seo more. But maybe not that more if you compare it to 15 more years from now on.
I just want to let you know that, the discovery of EMD was not the whole thing. It was a component of a whole machine. Whole machine is, a converting product, keywods that it converts for, profitable niche, buyer keywords, byer traffic source etc. And promotion. Seo, ppc, social media whatever.

Traffic x conversion rate x $ per sale x # of repeat business you don’t want any zero in the formula. This is full path to money. Traffic is just part of it. Keywords are just part of it. EMD was just another component of it. If you target wrong keywords it leads you to dead end road.
Also tools were needed to cover those emd’s and long tail keywords. Cool softwares were developed those times. You needed those tools to check search volume and competition. And commercial value. Without those tools it was hard. Sure can be done manually. All these were part of system. Not the whole machine. Even if you were to ride the emd wave, you still possibly could not make profit of it.
You were in distraction. You are working on offline job and online after it. It loses your focus. The online is business is just like any offline business. It is a business. Sometimes they ask me, can I make money with internet? I ask them, can you make money with fax machine? Telephone? No difference.

Even tough I’m online professionally since 1995, I send the whole last year reading all the wso’s and educations you called crap. You called outdated. Why? To see how it progressed before I was not actively progressed between 2006-2011. To get up to date with today, I needed to know what happened in past etc. Everybody has his/her tactic. I’m not telling you this is the right thing to do. I just did it to let you know. Whole year studied courses on many IM area. I then saw that it became a big machine. I can not run it by myself. I switched from offline business to online for several reasons. But as I’m serious on this business, I planned and braked it down to components. I saw there are many things you should accomplish to make the machine run today. I asked can I do it? How can I do it?

Machine is the same. From those EMD times. It was just easier to rank. Is that all major problem? No. Can I fix it? Yes. This post is not about seo tactics so I won’t bother too much on how.

So I decided that I can/should/must climb higher to reach todays fruits. Beating the competition ranked for EMD only before me. This is outrunning not the lion. Reverse engineer the competitor, just do bit better and it is all you miss those EMD days.
Finally, very important. Look back 1900’s. There were names of people of inventors. Now can you see names? Now companies. Things changed. When you were to build a machine in 1970’s in your house, you could sell it and be rich. Now try to do that! It won’t be industrial quality! It is gone. People are using 3d softwares, simulation, calculation, latest technology materials .. etc.. every part of this component became a science itself. A company, gathers around those people having those skills individually on each of this components, and leverages the overall skill on product. It is just enough to put the company among the many competitors. Try to make an engine on your home and compete with ford.
I saw personally that, internet niche marketing business we call, building and marketing website and hoping to get some adsense revenue or affiliate sales, passed those individualism days. Individualism is gone. It was gone before for many online niches, industry. Online platform is just a platform. Like offline industry, machinery, chemical, etc.. Just like offline businesses once before, IM was once before doable by yourself. Maybe even part time someday before. But now I see that, you need to do many things like article marketing, video marketing, seo, ppc promotions, social media, etc so on… all and each of these became a science.

On one of the courses someone told me that, wright brothers or something, who invented the plane worked on a plane that could almost fly then add motor to it. Those days somebody was also working on to invent a plane. The other guy thought that that the engine should be so big for it to fly. 1st one won. He said, in short. Business is like this.

I (hope) found my solution to employ people that are expert on their area and form an online company to do it.
It is nothing new. It is like offline businesses. As you use leverage, it leverages both good and bad progress. I mean if you have 100 units amount of money, if you work alone, you may go bankrupt and loose all your money in 10 months. If you employ 10 people, roughly same in 1 month! Also, If your business model works, you can reach some income level in 1 year by employing 10 people, where it could possibly take 10 years by working alone. Employing people is multiplier. It multiples good or bad progress.
I pay salaries for months for many people without making any money. Somebody could say that why not work yourself and when you see that you get enough profits then employ people. I calculated it and saw that I may never reach that point myself or could take too long time. For example, I built a website. Spend days for articles. Then switch to seo. Then try to make video marketing. Social media, return to writing articles. And it could take so long that tactics might change and my living costs still counts. You have to be expert on each of these. It will take time. And when you switch to other, time pass, you forget the one you were expert before, how you made it.. things change and you can’t keep up… So I found everything to be in sync and developed dependently, there had to be a team which is very costly and risky.
I think today is one of the main reasons people try this internet marketing and fail. Even if you work 20 hours a day, I see that it is very hard or almost not possible to keep up with seo, ppc, video, social, article… etc.. And If you target wrong niches, wrong keywords all efforts for no return makes people sink both financially and motivationally. This is high hanging fruits. You have to climb high to reach fruits in internet marketing. Climbing high is risky, hard of course.
And you have to be sure. Is this the business you would want to make? I find it like playing strategy computer game and I find it fun. Many people don’t like to sit long in front of computer. Depends on people. My wife for example, she has offline business about training little kids. She still uses internet for promoting her local offline business a lot. But she is not online internet marketer.
This whole thing in the end comes to your strategies, what you like, what you had experience etc.
Be aware that, be careful that, internet marketing has become industry. It has become serious business. It needs teamwork, full dedication (not part time), serious investment etc like any offline business. Question is are you ready for it?
Try solving the puzzle from the end. Start with your final goals, how much timeframe do you have for these goals? How much investment can you make? Will the path to these goal be fun to you online or offline work? Like this. Make a plan and simulate it in your head, as if you started doing it today, tomorrow and possible problems you may face. Think very deep in simulation. Try to cover every unknown or possible hazard. Even advanced simulations fit real like by only percentage. Low or high but percentage. Keep this statics in mind. After you made the whole simulation, sit down and calculate what have you needed along the way. Were you stuck somewhere? Is the path fun and exciting journey or a must-do-to-survive job? You have to have a solid foundation and roadmap which is simulated many times to progress. Calculate where you want to focus spending the future money, effort, attention etc before you start to spend it. Whether it is offline or online. Everything is same, business is same. If you decide offline, you have to choose among many sub niches to focus. If you choose among online, same.

I have been stuck in Google Dependence Land for too long.

Building a list makes sense, however I have to get SOMEONE to know my site exists before I can even get to that step. It's definitely something I will set up, but presently even if I had the double-opt-in script all set up, there's simply no one on my site and it takes a lot of people to get a few signups.

I'm very knowledge-able about "the sales funnel" concept and getting return visitors, and gaining user trust by sending them a newsletter. I know it increases conversion rates and on avg it's about 7 times people need to see an offer before their likely to respond to it.

Yet I simply don't have ANYONE at my website.

I've got to get people to it before they'll sign up for a list.

Having no visitors whatsoever (except 3 people from Warrior Forum) is a not-cool situation, but I will turn it around and eventually get a list established.

I'm not quite sure why everyone is suggesting that the OP give up having an online business. Granted he has tried various things that have failed, but my goodness, that is an awful lot of experience he has gained in what doesn't work.

He could learn from those mistakes and chalk them up to testing. In discovering what doesn't work, the field is wide open for him to move on with many of the suggestions he received and give those a shot. I think he has a better chance of making it than a complete newbie with no knowledge of what works and what doesn't.

The only thing he did was ignore the adage of more of the same does not bring change for way too long. I'm sure by now, he realizes that. I think he has some good odds in his favor now if he actually learns from his mistakes. Anyone can make lemonade from lemons. Without lemons, lemonade wouldn't exist.

Terra

IT ABSOLUTELY DID:

However I had a substantial investment in 1and1. I owned quite a few domains and 1and1 is a SCAM company.

***They do everything in their power to make it impossible for you to transfer your domains elsewhere***

They strong-armed me into staying with them, and I put up with it for a long time. Though I had huge challenges getting sites to load there I did build a lot of sites but wasn't able to build profitable sites through their hosting.

I didn't want to loose my domains, and I held on to them for a long time because of the work I put into them. I was of the "keyword and EMD mindset" before. NOW - I'm doing my best to steer clear of that nonsense!

Looking back though, since I did have several "EMD domains" and "developable domains" I lost money over the years PAYING OUT OF POCKET the annual registration fees of a lot of domains.

^^^1and1 was my biggest money drain. I had tons of domains. I had "golden ideas" and combined my super creative ideas with EMD domains and even though it wasn't working out with 1and1 doing simple things like SIMPLY MAKING A WEBSITE WORK.

I had already thrown money away for a few years on registration fees AND I WAS IN POSSESSION of what I thought was "valuable domains."

Today I don't believe that, but the internet is LITTERED with "Emd this and Keyword this", when you fail and fail and fail again and you go online and research the advice that's all over the web and the "consensus" is certain outdated techniques ARE working you just have to be REALLY GOOD AT THEM...than it's easy to fall victim to INFORMATION OVERLOAD.

My fault ultimately, but it HAS been a learning experience so I AM going to do better going forward.

I would've abandoned 1and1 REALLY QUICKLY (and I thought about it for a while), but I didn't do it because leaving them meant losing my domains.

And while I could "transfer the content" to HostGator and than simply get new domains: it wasn't really that simple because of all the reasons I wanted to leave 1and1 for in the first place.

So I didn't just loose my domains, when I dropped 1and1 and moved to HostGator I didn't know how to save my years of effort and get it to HostGator's server...I lost the content as well.

The 126 "steve-pavlina-ish" self development articles. I lost them.

And I lost a lot more.

Indeed your right, yet there's information you didn't know now you do.

I STILL: should have left 1and1 sooner.

I was holding on to "the work I had already done and still had online", not wanting to start over, but I wasn't getting anywhere with 1and1 and the domains were draining my bank account.

Now I have a new rule of thumb.

I don't buy a new domain until I develop the one before.

I buy one domain: put something on it, build a site that's quality and eventually build another. But I don't jump idea-to-idea-to-idea and say "oh I think I can make money doing this...", register a website, and than get stuck in "...this idea is tougher to profit from than I thought"..."let's try THIS.." and so on and so forth.

I should've adapted better. I didn't. I won't excuse myself for that.

But I will say I've learned from it.

And the fact that it took so long doesn't null-en-void the fact that I have learned from it. I am in a much better position to prosper. To succeed.

And to give value to others as well.

***I have what it takes to be successful on online: I am not going to quit. Because I KNOW I have what it takes!***

I just happened to stumble upon this thread this evening and after reading all of the comments on here, I thought I would chime in...

First, I would like to thank everyone for taking their time offering their insights, wisdom, and tough love to the OP because I feel it's beneficial for those who may be in his place. There's a lot of solid advice in this thread to learn from which includes me, so I thank you!

I would just like to begin (maybe from a slightly different perspective) by saying to the OP that after 18 years of failing in this field (your viewpoint) and the fact that you have NOT quit is... Well... In my opinion--commendable to me! In fact, I take my hat off to you and I salute you! I'm sure I will receive some backlash for saying that but that's okay.

The reason I say that is this... most people (including me) would have given up on this dream and moved on long ago. Instead, for whatever reason you have pushed on. Failure after failure and you are still pushing on asking for advice. To me, that says a ton about the character of who you are. It takes some "gonads" for a young man to admit what you have on here and to remain resilient in the aftermath of some of the responses here.

Yes, many have viewed your replies as "whining" and this and that and so-on-and-so-on, and respectfully so... Nevertheless, you are still here with a sense of determination which in my viewpoint shows a great amount of persistence, especially after 18 years and being so young when you began your journey.

With that said, I also agree with some of the "tough-love" advice that's on here. Sometimes we all need a swift kick in the a_ _ / rear to get us out of our potholes so we can eventually succeed, but by NO means will I ever suggest that you QUIT and move on to something else! Why? Because you have already demonstrated that you are someone who does not give up (PERIOD!), especially with the failures you have described.

Through your persistence and unrelenting determination along with the right guidance, I believe you will be successful! You have received a college degree course of advice here so I suggest you take it seriously and with a passion to succeed!

The posts by: Brian Tayler , Alexa Smith (especially in post #16), GyuMan82, Jeff Caceres, Publisher1953, Brandon Tanner, MissTerraK, tpw (Bill Platt), Midnight Oil, IamBaski, and all the others who I have failed to mention are contributing to your success so please do not take it lightly. They are trying to help you!

With that said...

Here's my contribution to you that I found in this very forum and many of you may have already seen this posting by Jarrett Stevenson but just in case the OP has not, I thought I would share it...

http://www.warriorforum.com/war-room...-friendly.html

To the OP, read this and take it in. If you look at post #508 I have incorporated everything he discusses in that thread in a PDF file (WF member Roueric also contributed a Q & A PDF file) so you don't have to scroll through the entire thread to find out what the OP is teaching. I hope this helps you tremendously as it has me. With that said, I wish you all the success in the world!

Cheers,
Rob Atchison

Maybe this was OP's problem, chasing too many rabbits at one time.

jeff how are your kids making $100 a day by youtube?