“Every day is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we’ve got 24 hours each.” – Christopher Rice
If you’re here because you’re looking for legitimate ways to make money online, you probably have stumbled on these statements so far:
Make $$$ while you ZZZ;
Make money online in no time;
Make money online, the lazy way.
The idea behind these statements is that there are ways to make money online with no effort and hard work.
If you’ve seen this before, you’re at the right place.
I’m going to show what’s behind the curtains of digital marketing and point legit directions so you can make money online in a safe way.
By finding out all the nitty-gritty details about this matter, you can:
Be ready for the challenge;
Be realistic on your perspectives and plans;
Put all your efforts in what really works.
But before you and I can go any further, let me tell a few important observations about it:
Yes. It’s possible to make money online while you sleep;
Yes. It’s possible to make money online at the beach with your laptop;
Yes. It’s possible to make a living with a fully online job.
So what’s the difference between what I said at the beginning of this conversation and these 3 points above?
Is that…
There’s no easy and fast way to make money online.
There’s no miracle, no easy money, no effortless life, no endless vacations.
The reality of this kind of job is the same as any other:
You must put the pedal to the medal before earning the benefits.
There’s no miracle, no easy money, no effortless life, no endless vacations. To make money online you must put the pedal to the medal before you can earn the benefits. Share on XKeep reading this article to know more about:
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TRUTH #1: Why most people will never make money online.
Starring: Someone desperate to make money online, the failure cycle.
S/He is tired of the 9 to 5 hustle, lack of freedom and harassing bosses.
S/He creates a free account on a blog platform and gets a fancy domain.
S/He looks for some click baits and ads to pile them up on the website.
S/He spreads banners all over social media craving for clicks like there was no tomorrow.
S/He copies some blog posts reviewing affiliate products and sit back waiting for greens.
“After all, what could go wrong? The internet has over 4.2 billion users online [ source ]. If a tiny fraction of this traffic buys the products I’m recommending, I’m going to be rich.*”
So they think.
Time passes by and S/He finally gives up.
If making money online was that easy, everybody would be rich by now!
The major problem here is the mindset.
Most people looking for ways to make money online are actually looking for a way to earn money easily.
And by easily, I mean:
Without studying;
Without thinking;
Without long working hours.
This mindset is perfect for scam websites. The internet is full of places offering:
“the code”;
“the secret bang for the buck”;
“the lazy approach”.
Do you think that if there was a way to earn money online with no effort at all, would anyone ever tell you?
Really?
Just for a start, you must know that to really make a living out of a fully online job, you need to:
Generating traffic (organic especially);
And you’re not the only one using these apps and fight for people’s attention online.
There are millions of people out there looking to find the same as you – ways to make money online.
You’ve got to know that you’re going to have competitors all the way.
Tell me:
How many tabs did you open just to find out about what you’re reading right now?
The one with the best blog post introduction is the one keeping your attention.
Good thing you’re still here with me.
Thanks for your precious time!
The Big-two entrepreneurial mindset
Building an online business is easier than building any other kind of business, no matter the niche you’re getting into.
But easier doesn’t mean easy.
Without the proper mindset, people tend to fail even before having the chance to prove themselves.
Let me show you a quick version of what I like to call: My Big-two entrepreneurial mindset.
Mindset #1: Be able to work hard
As an entrepreneur, you won’t have money in your bank account just because you gave your time away.
Time is no longer exchange for money.
To have an income, you must produce.
So now you’re exchanging knowledge for money. A product that comes out of it.
And this knowledge must be valuable.
The good news is, if you know something, it’s most likely you find someone that doesn’t know it and is willing to learn as you did.
That’s your market.
So your first mindset is to be able to look to the horizon and visualize your fulfillment.
You might have a long way between where you are right now and that horizon.
Keep in mind the reasons that led you to make this decision in the first place and write down a motto for it.
I did this when I was starting and I still keep it with me all the time:
My motivation motto is:
- Work with what I love;
- Freedom from financial strain;
- Freedom to spend time with my family;
- To be recognized as an expert;
- The harder you work, the luckier you become.
I have this framed on my home office wall.
Believe me, repeating this every day and looking at it when I was in moments of doubts, made the whole difference to me.
Mindset #2: Be able to be productive
Not having a boss is the first thought when people think about becoming an entrepreneur – but it shouldn’t be.
Being your own boss is the proper mindset.
This means that you have to beat yourself on the face when you’re not doing what you said you would.
So you WILL have a boss and s/he better be a tough one.
This is a way to say you must take productivity seriously.
Let me help you with that in a practical way:
PRODUCTIVITY LESSON #1: Reframe your time.
“I don’t have time” is a lie you must stop telling yourself.
We live in a world of distraction.
The company that has designed the cellphone you have with you right now, invested millions of dollars to make it irresistible to you.
With all the chimes, dings, and buzzes, it can take you hours a day. Am I right?
Your computer is no different. Email, social media, and YouTube notifications are there, aren’t they?
To focus, you need a riot.
This is how you can do it:
Start by changing your time frame from hours to minutes.
Now, your days don’t have 24 hours, anymore. They have 1,440 minutes.
Maybe you wouldn’t have time to write a blog post in 1 hour, but what about writing it in 60 minutes?
You don’t have time to read books, right? With just 1 hour after kids go to bed to tidy things up before crashing.
What if you could:
- Wash the dishes in 5 minutes;
- Tidy the living room in other 5 minutes;
- Deal with the laundry in 5 more minutes;
- Take a shower in a delightful 5 minutes;
- Have a nice supper in delicious 10 minutes with all the social media distraction prize?
Now you’d have 30 minutes free to read and learn more about how to build your online business.
Let’s make the math:
- 30 min of intended reading – 10 min of procrastination discount = 20 min of actual daily reading;
- 20 min * 300 days a year (-65 days of procrastination discount) = 6,000 min a year;
- 6,000 min a year * 200 words read per minute (super slow) = 1,200,000 words read;
- 1,200,000 words / 500 words per page (average) = 2,400 pages;2,400 pages / 200-page books (average) = 12 books.
12 books a year with all the procrastination discounts taken.
What was the last time you achieved that mark?
PRODUCTIVITY LESSON #2: Monetize as soon as possible
Win fast or die.
What would be your chances of survival if you’d receive your whole year’s salary at the end of 12 months?
If you came up with any number greater than zero, you’re wrong, deadly wrong.
The same happens with your online business.
It doesn’t start generating income as soon as possible, the chances of survival are zero.
You have 2 ways to monetize your online business:
- Creating your own products;
- Selling someone else’s products.
Affiliate Marketing is what we call the second option.
It works by offering other companies products to an audience in return for a commission from that company.
It’s the quickest way to produce a stream of income in your business build it up.
It’s a small win that will allow you to pursue bigger goals.
Income is the fuel of any business.
PRODUCTIVITY LESSON #3: Create small wins
A rule of thumb is breaking down big goals into small actionable steps with clear and timely achievements.
How to do that?
Write down your SMART goals.
SMART stands for:
- Specific;
- Measurable;
- Attainable;
- Relevant;
- Timely.
This will give you the feeling that you’re getting it done.
To break your milestones into small pieces and track them up, you will need a Task Manager Tool.
I used to use Trello but I quit it and started to use Meister Task.
You can use one of these or even others. Just make sure you use one.
PRODUCTIVITY LESSON #4: Learn to say no!
Aim at something is the only way to become proficient.
The price you pay is letting go of everything else.
Along the way, you will question yourself about this decision of being an entrepreneur.
This is just a little devil whispering in your ear:
- There’s a new NetFlix series;
- You deserve to rest after your job;
- Look at the competition, they achieve so much more.
The little devil feeds himself from your laziness and fear.
It’s a mind game.
Aim at something and strive for that for at least 5 years. Don’t tell yourself you’ve failed before that or you’ll never know what you’re capable of.
Other things that are going to happen is that many other opportunities will knock at your door.
They are traps that the universe is throwing at you to see if you are committed enough.
It’s a trap!
Just say NO!
I’m telling you right now that these things are going to happen so when they do, you know what’s going on and make the right decision.
- Say no to distractions;
- Say no to fake opportunities;
- Say no to getting back to where you started.
Keep focused!
Aim at something and strive for that for at least 5 years. Don't tell yourself you've failed before that or you'll never know what you're capable of. Share on XTRUTH #2: You become a slave to technology and its consequences.
To someone that is just starting out on online marketing, technology can be overwhelming.
There are so many things you need at hand.
It can also be frightening when you realize that it’s not only needed to deal with that…
…but you also will depend on it, after all, we’re talking about a fully online source of income.
What does it actually mean?
Well, for a start you have to deal with:
Hosting your website on a very good and trustworthy server (affiliate link);
Learning to create a high converting website (affiliate link);
Building an audience using a powerful email marketing engine (affiliate link).
And a lot more.
If you’re thinking that this is hard enough, just hold your breath.
Acquiring all this information solves the productivity problem of your business but only for a period of time.
The thing is, technology is not a tree, it’s a jaguar.
It moves so fast that you should probably start running while you’re still reading this post.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
What I’m trying to say is that you can’t beat the changing speed of technology if you’re starting from scratch with no help at all.
It will take too long to get along.
How to take a head start dealing with the technology you need on your online business.
You need a daddy.
You heard me. Your pops, teachers, mentors, idols have one thing in common:
They passed through what’s ahead of you and they can provide precise and reliable clues of what your next step should be.
This way, you can avoid, at least, 3 harmful decisions:
Wasting time and money on the wrong business moves;
Wasting resources on not necessarily long journeys;
Wasting opportunities to strive forward because you’re dealing with predictable failures.
Taking mentorship seriously to boost your curve of learning and create rapid implementation solutions to your business can make you faster than the competition.
And you need to be fast to grow among the ones that are already there.
[ eBook ] 14 Web Usability Solutions to get done before your audience leaves you for good
95% of all the traffic going to your website will bounce in less than 5 seconds if your website is not designed properly.
Design is not how things look, it’s how they work.
Perfecting the design of your website (how it works) can increase your traffic, conversion, and sales without changing one line of content.
What you’re going to find inside:
- Usability: Concepts and requirements.
- Usability: Web Accessibility
- Solution #1: Monitor the speed of your website.
- Solution #2: Resize your site’s image size.
- Hire a reliable (and fast) server.
- Identity
- Solution #4: Create your brand’s standard color palette.
- Solution #5: Get your color palette ready to go.
- Solution #6: Build your typography settings.
- Solution #7: Get rid of all the ads on your website.
- Solution #8: Prevent pop-ups from popping your traffic away.
- Navigability
- Solution #9: Build your website with Silo Content Design.
- Solution #10: Create a post summary using anchor links.
- Content
- Solution #11: Create a unique emphasis text style.
- Solution #12: Reduce your paragraphs the best readable length.
- Solution #13: Break your text with content related images.
- Solution #14: Measure the readability of your written content.
Download your free copy now and don’t spook your costumers.
TRUTH #3: Some(most)times you have to work 10 hours a day, every day
Headlines of achievements have been the fundamental process of content creation for ads, press, documentaries, and the news for ages.
What does it mean?
It means that the media advertises content in a way that the process is not relevant, the final outcome is.
Imagine you’re watching the news right now and the headline says:
“John Doe was found studying in the local library this morning”.
You and I would probably flip channels after that, to say the least.
Now compare it to this:
“Dr. Doe, the world’s most influential professor released his new book last night and this morning they were all sold out in 1000 different countries.”
You don’t need to know who Dr. Doe is;
You don’t need to know what his book is about;
You don’t even need to know if there are so many countries on the planet.
The jaw-drop symptoms will follow.
Now, let me ask you something: What is the difference between these 2 headlines?
Time.
From this, we can take an important lesson:
There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Every accomplishment needs underground development.
What we see as a public successful figure is the outcome of a much larger picture.
Hours of training;
Years of perfection;
Decades of practice.
To win you must learn about winning, first.
That’s why the whole hanging-in-a-hammock-under-a-coconut-tree kind of entrepreneurship bothers me so much. It’s a false promise.
It’s a lie to sell books.
If you’re really trying to find ways to make money online, you have to face the inevitable truth that you will have to fold your sleeves and work hard.
Is that bad?
Not a tiny bit! It’s quite the opposite.
The power of imperfection
If you’re not embarrassed by your product or service at the moment you launch it, it’s because you’re launching it too late.
Working several hours to build your online presence is a requirement, I think I have made myself clear about that.
But doing so doesn’t mean you’re being productive, it’s possible you’re just occupied, which is the opposite.
When you set small-short-term-achievable goals, you create a sense of accomplishment around your business development.
This will give you 3 motivational boosts:
The realization that you are capable;
The realization that your dream is possible;
The realization that you’re moving forward.
These are powerful mindsets that can work not only as a motivation to strive forward but to change your inner beliefs and emotional status.
Being imperfect means you have a road ahead of you but it also means that you have left miles behind.
Imperfection is a process, not a standing point, meaning that some part of it is done, the other isn’t.
Why is this an important statement?
Because perfection is an unreachable horizon. The sooner you get it, the sooner you get things done.
Occupation versus Productivity
The higher is your level of occupation, the lesser is your level of productivity.
Occupation is not about tasks at hand;
Productivity is about accomplishment;
One thing kills the other.
Most people get it wrong, though.
Productivity versus tasks
Common sense tells us that if you have so many tasks at hand, it’s because things are doing great.
Do you feel productive when overwhelmed by tasks?
Me neither.
It’s more like:
Where do I start?
Where am I right now?
Where should I go next?
This is a practical way to look at it:
A pile of bricks can be just a pile or it can be a house, the difference is in the result.
Productivity versus time
The longer is the time of your occupation, the shorter is your productivity.
Time moves forward regardless of your efforts.
So you can’t measure productivity by time spent, but by time saved.
Which looks more productive to you:
Accomplishing a task in 2 hours;
Accomplishing the same task in 1 hour;
Accomplishing the same task in 30 minutes.
The occupation of your time itself doesn’t mean you’re producing something.
If you set the deadline to 30 minutes away, you have to make the task fits there.
So having deadlines is one major productivity asset.
Deadlines push time against the wall.
A pile of bricks can be just a pile or it can be a house. So productivity is measured by accomplishment, not time invested. Share on XTRUTH #4: Working from home has its own drawbacks
These are things that happen when you have a home office, the true story:
People usually don’t accept you’re working. You’re just at the computer;
People usually think you can stop being at the computer at any time;
People usually assume that being at the computer is boring and they will try to save you.
Not only people. Your cellphone thinks that, too. That’s why it will remind you to:
Check your email;
Check your social media feed;
Check your apps.
While you’re trying to find ways to make money online, you should also try to find ways to create a productive space for you to work.
The “work from home” movement, which I totally support, doesn’t necessarily mean you need to work at your house.
The main concept of it is not being part of the 9 to 5 hustle and have the freedom to work from anywhere, even living anywhere.
The first thought is home but it can be a lot more than that.
To write articles, for instance, I like to be in libraries. I’ve always loved libraries and maybe for me, the idea of being surrounded by books it’s an inspiration to write.
To deal with technical or financial aspects of my online business, I will rather be in shared office space or a food court at the mall.
I record videos and audios at home due to the background noise of public places and they take more gear to accomplish tasks.
This is not meant to be a rule, it’s not a rule to myself.
I’m just trying to open your mind that if it’s not possible to be productive in the environment you’re working on, you have to make a change.
Sometimes it might be necessary to set all your devices to don’t disturb mode and away from you;
Sometimes it might be necessary to make arrangements with your family about your timetable;
Sometimes it might be necessary to go to places.
[ Infographic ] 7 powerful productivity steps to really get things done.
To help you get things done in terms of productivity working from home, I’ve prepared a checklist so you can have it at hand.
This checklist comes with actionable steps and links to apps and tools to help you make more with less.
Download this infographic for free.
TRUTH #5: Maybe you’ll never become the next millionaire
If you’re not passionate about what you do, you’ll never succeed. If you are, success means a lot more than simply money.
Are you part of the new rich?
This is what real wealth looks like to me:
Freedom from financial strains;
No bosses harassing me for deadlines;
Working on my own terms and hours;
Having time for my family;
The freedom to live anywhere in the world.
Wealth is a concept bigger than digits in your bank account, wider than social status and thicker than personal possessions.
What does “have money” really mean?
It’s not about how much you can earn, but how much you need to spend with those earnings.
Let’s say you’re going to take a 9 to 5 job to earn 40k/year spending almost half of it in costs of living that life.
On the other hand, if you could have an online job that grants you $20k/year (half of it!) without those costs (and much more quality of life).
Only that would be enough to make a move towards your digital career.
Building an online business can grant you a better quality of life with 1/3 of the costs and 3x more well-being.
It’s a win-win situation where you can have better results with more free time.
If you’re not passionate about what you do, you’ll never succeed. If you are, success means a lot more than simply money. Share on XPS: The road to success is not a straight line, which is great!
Grab your gear and set sale knowing that you will only find legit ways to make money online through real hard work, research, and development over time.
Know that you’re not late in the game.
Know that an online business is the cheapest and the quickest way to build your own brand.
Know that there’s is plenty of space for you to grow your presence and profit from that if you face the true facts behind it.
At the moment you realize these fundamental truths, you’re ready for everything along the way.
May you realize that there’s no such thing as overnight success;
May you realize that wealth is a bigger concept than digits in your bank account;
May you realize that you must take risks and live with the consequences;
Remember: life doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger.
See you online.
