I am asked on a regular basis whether or not it is too late to get started online to build a successful online business. This time the question was asked by Denise, one of my newer subscribers. She wanted to know if it is still possible to choose a niche, set up a WordPress blog, and build a profitable business now that so many people are getting involved with online marketing. She had heard that the days of getting started online as a pioneer in the world of Internet marketing were long gone, and that anyone just starting out now as an online entrepreneur would have great difficulty getting their foot in the door of this virtual world. Denise has been active in my 21 Day Challenge and I wanted to answer her questions here so that you would also benefit.
It is my belief that people always feel like the window of opportunity has passed when times are changing. In the 1970s I wanted to buy a house instead of continuing to rent. I went to see one of my friends, a business owner who owned several pieces of property, to find out what my next steps should be. He told me that it was much too late to get in on the benefits of home ownership because prices had gone up so much during the past few years, interest rates were too high, and the economy was uncertain. The Viet Nam war was still an issue at this time as well.
I was shocked by his attitude and decided not to be swayed by his analysis of the current situation in regards to buying my first house. Having just graduated from college I was anxious to get my life going in a direction that felt right to me. Three months later I was a homeowner, and within another two years I had purchased my second piece of property. I’m so glad I did not allow my friend’s feelings and experiences to sour me on my own dream. Looking back I know that he was just reacting to the changes that were occurring in the United States economy at that time, and to what he saw every day in his business.
During the 1980s I decided to return to school to earn my teaching credential. I had a neighbor who was teaching and I asked her about the possibilities of employment as a classroom teacher in the Los Angeles area. She told me that teaching had changed and that I would probably have to drive at least fifty miles each way to work at a school. She also said that salaries were not likely to increase and that I should think long and long before borrowing money from the government to work on my teaching credential. There were other issues of concern to her as well, and she went on and on about the unions and the administration at the school board and its negative effects on the state of education in California.
Even though it turned out that much of what she believed was also what I experienced over the next few years, I am so glad she did not dissuade me from doing something that meant so much to me at that time. Again, this was a good example of someone expressing their personal feelings and beliefs instead of the actual facts at that time. It was then that I decided not to ask anyone’s advice when I wanted to do something new.
The next time this happened was in the early 1990s when I wanted to become a residential real estate appraiser. I had heard that this was a difficult field to break in to, but I jumped in anyway. I was able to find an established appraiser to help me learn the ropes and get my hours in so I could sit for the state exam. This ended up becoming a field I enjoyed very much for many years, and the income was greater than what I had ever been able to earn in my adult life. Where many people did not succeed in breaking into this field, I believe I was able to do it relatively easily by finding out the facts, working hard to achieve my goal, and taking every opportunity to connect with the people who could help me.
So, back to the question of whether or not it is too late to get started with Internet marketing. Yes, things have changed significantly since I began in 2006. It is more competitive these days, the laws and regulations have changed, and many of the strategies that worked well just a year or two ago are no longer valid. But opportunities still exist in a big way, just as they will for everyone who makes the commitment to be an online entrepreneur. Make sure you know the facts, work hard to achieve your goals, and take every opportunity to connect with people, such as myself, who are able to help you build your online empire.
Learn from those who have come before you, but do not allow anyone to come between you and your dreams. Please let me know what you think about the information I have shared here.
Very inspirational blog post Connie. Sometimes the really easy thing to do is to take the easy way which is to not take action on things that are very challenging – like internet marketing. Having your own belief that you can do it no matter how many times you don’t succeed is more than half the battle! I am living proof of that. Sometimes you just have to put your blinders on and hit the ground running and never stop!
Deborah Drum
Deborah,
Thanks for your comment. Having met you in person I know that you are capable of achieving great things in your life and your business. Keep up the great work!.
Connie
Connie, the examples you gave clearly highlight the tendency we have as humans to give our opinion on a matter rather than just stick to the facts. And, of course, our opinions are generally biased and influenced by our own experiences.
You gave great examples of your own experiences where you were willing to press forward despite negative responses, and I believe that’s the same with earning from an online business.
As you’ve indicated a lot of things have changed, and to be successful, we have to be willing to find out what is working now. It may take more work to find exactly what will work for each of us, but it can be done. It takes real work, passion, and being willing to stick with it.
Thanks for sharing your answer to Denise with the rest of us.
Yvonne,
You are so right; we always seem to write our own story instead of looking at the facts at hand. I also agree with you that we must have passion for what we are doing.
Connie
Hi Connie,
Great post! There are always people with negative attitudes who will tell that things will never work. I agree with you. Follow your heart, do your research, and put in the work. I think its the last part that trips people up. Nothing happens over night.
As always, thanks for your insight and inspiration.
Laurie
Laurie,
That’s so right. Doing the work is what separates those who succeed from those who continue to want to find a better way.
Connie
Excellent examples, Connie. I’m glad Denise asked the question so you could shine the light on how there will always be naysayers.
To me, there is no better time than NOW to create an online business because there are so many possibilities. When we came online in 2006, there were only 2-4 (maybe?) business models (remember the good ole days? :). Now there are dozens of possibilities. What that means is everyone now has the opportunity to create from the heart, and do something they feel passionate about.
I love your positive approach to this, Debra. That’s right, we only had a few proven business models to follow back in 2006, and now there are so many to choose from. I earn money from eight different types of online businesses right now.
You also bring up passion, as did Yvonne in her earlier comment. I love getting up each day and spending time doing what I love.
Connie
Connie,
Your success is living proof of the advice I encounter a lot: be of service, offer something of value (for FREE!) and the rest will come. Or to put it another way, people buy from people they know, like, and trust. I think that people who connect with you, in doing so, whether they know it or not, start out with an advantage because you embody that “pay it forward” attitude – because you so vividly remember that absence of a helpful mentor when you started out, you always strive to be that for those of us coming along after you. Thus, you help close an enormous informational gap right away.
Thanks for such an honest assessment of current conditions!
Tom W.
Portland, OR
I read the other day that the internet is like our brains: we’re using less than 10% of capacity, or some such number. Oddly enough, I remember the beginning of color TV better than I remember the early days of the internet, and yet back when I first started marketing my business online, all we were doing was planting backlinks. There wasn’t even Facebook, let alone the rest of the social media miasma!! Search was a nightmare and… oh dear, I’m turning into one of the oldies who claims “they had to walk to school”!! LOL
[Cue Music: We’ve Only Just Begun] Early days yet; plenty of time for new ideas, big, small and plenty of room in between!
Juliet,
Yes, we are still in the early days of doing business online, but that does not mean we can lollygag the days away. We must take action and move forward to enjoy the benefits and lifestyle of an online entrepreneur.
Connie
Hi Connie,
I thank God for you.
Just this morning, after having bought another shiny object from the warrior forum’s WSO on internet Marketing, I started thinking to myself, Willie when are you going to just do it, you already know enough to get started, you just need to start.
Then I began to have these negative thoughts, with so much seeming competition, I wonder if there is still any opportunity in internet marketing? And I immediately thought about you.
I thought man I wish Connie was having one of her ask Connie anything calls so I could get her take on the subject.
Well thanks be to God, you must have read my mind and wrote this article.
Thanks you!
Willie,
You can do this! I have faith in you!
Connie
Hi Connie,
How fitting that today l read this post! Talk about timing and the “laws” at work.
I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and 2 son’s aged 5 and 2.5 that keep me quite busy…as all mum’s would know. I have chosen to be a stay at home mum + CHOSEN to also spend that time educating myself about IM over the last 12 months.
Things here in Australia are not what they used to be, as like there in the States. Yes, there are struggles… but there are also rewards and lots of then if ONE chooses. There is so much doom and gloom + negativity which l get, but don’t agree with and play to either. My mindset one of abundance and prosperity (despite the current conditions in the economy)
So here l was thinking “HOW” can l get a list of dentists, a web site, a membership site off the ground (despite all the negativity and “sound advise” from colleges). What are my next steps? Wala! Your post reminded me of: 1- Plan , 2- Just Do It , 3 – Maintain my absolute resolve to do this, 4 – Ask for help.
So, I’m asking for help if l may be brash (but done with love and integrity:) Any advise would be heartfelt and appreciated. Where do l start?
Tania
xo
Tania,
Thanks so much for stopping by. I recommend that you start with my complimentary training at the 21 Day Productivity Challenge (at http://21dayproductivitychallenge.com/) that I mention in my post. That will get you up and running in no time at all. Best of success with your endeavors.
Connie