A couple weeks ago, I had mentioned this website to my subscribers on PCMech. Admittedly, that isn’t really a targeted audience because most of those people aren’t into blogging and likely never will be. However, it prompted a subscriber (first name Jim) to send me this message…

You keep pushing this blogging thing as if it’s the greatest invention since the wheel.
Given the plethora of blogs inundating cyberspace what in the world could one blog about that wouldn’t fall under the Dept of Redundancy Department?
I find this rather suspect.
Forgive my suspicion.

I sent him the following reply via email:

Listen, I do this stuff for a living and PCMech itself is one out of many millions of blogs out there. You’re still reading it and you’ve taken the time to email me because of it. While there are a lot of blogs out there, only a small percentage actually know what they’re doing and are able to stand out from the crowd. There is nothing suspect about it. It is a HUGE opportunity for those who are willing to give it a serious go and stop throwing up barriers before they even give this internet business thing the time of day. It is those people who will never make it – said bluntly.

Jim then sent another reply to me:

On the contrary, David.  I would love to blog for a living.  My only concern is that I don’t fall into the "Ho-hum, another (insert blog topic here) blog".  I do have a passion for writing, have a very satirical style ala Anne Coulter, and can write interesting and entertaining stuff.  I just can’t imagine myself making a living off of it.  BTW, I’m not asking or expecting any guarantee of success, but it would be cool to be one of your success stories, for whatever that’s worth to you.

And, again, I sent him this as a reply:

Starting out, I wouldn’t worry about making a living off it. I would just find your voice, start writing content regularly, and build an audience. And if you want to eventually make money with it, you’ll have to put some thought into what your audience would need & want.

Obviously, there is no guarantee of success. That’s life.

I pass on this conversation because it goes right to the heart of what I think is the biggest limitation for people looking to make money on the Internet:

1. They think that just because somebody else has already done something, there is no room for them.
2. They put effort into justifying why they don’t DO anything before they ever do anything, and it causes them to never start.

I am a successful blogger even though I talk about subjects which are covered by a LOT of other people on the Internet. In fact, this blog as well as PCMech are in some of the most competitive spaces there are online. Yet, I do OK. So, the fact that somebody else is already doing something online doesn’t mean you can’t. In fact, if you see other people doing it, that should be a sign to you that it is probably a good idea. Competition is good!

As for justifications, the top of this blog says I am an internet business evangelist. I mean that fully. There is no other medium of business which is as equal opportunity as this one. But, too many people have this inkling that it could lead to great things for them, yet due to lack of understanding, they remain paralyzed. Perhaps they insist on a “get rich quick” thing, not realizing that this is REAL work just like any other business. For whatever the reason, they remain in a state of mental paralysis and continue to provide reasons why they cannot make any money online.

Is this you?

The answer is this: Stop creating your own excuses and get busy. In this business, what separates the successful from the failures often comes down to one thing: ACTION. Trust me, the people who make good money online have had their share of failures, too.

This has been a Risley public service message, brought to you by Dave, and readers like you.