8 Cold, Hard Facts About The Successful Online Entrepreneur
There is something bad going on. In fact, it is rather disheartening sometimes. It really is a cold, hard fact of life that we’re up against here. And nobody is exempt. Today, I’m going to be blunt as a spoon. Because it needs to be said.
April 19, 2011
There is something bad going on.
In fact, it is rather disheartening sometimes. It really is a cold, hard fact of life that we’re up against here. And nobody is exempt.
Today, I’m going to be blunt as a spoon. Because it needs to be said.
Simply put, the biggest barriers to online success aren’t tactical, or a lack of knowledge. The barriers are emotional.
The barriers are things like overwhelm, inability to make a decision and move forward, constant over-analysis, fear of failure, fear of making people angry, fear of making a bad decision, fear of… well, fill in the blank.
These feelings create a great, big hole and you simply can’t fill that hole with more knowledge, more posts, or more reading.
People make excuses for it. They say they’ll launch their site in a few months (even though, these days, you can build a quality blog in an hour). They’re waiting for the right time. They’re trying to figure everything out before making a move.
All of that is… usually… bullshit. They are delaying tactics. You don’t want to make a move because of fear of stepping out of your comfort zone.
The truth of the matter is that I can teach and guide people all day long, but people who come to me with those feelings are very difficult to help because they are their own worse enemy. I could point them to a pile of gold, and they’d stop and worry that the boogie man will get them as they walk over to it.
You just scan the scene of people who are successful in internet business. Spot the traits. They try things. They take action. They don’t over-analyze. They don’t delay forever. They do things ASAP. They don’t f**k around.
They’re launching things. They’re producing new stuff. They’re doing, and others are just spectating.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Some of those successful people have other problems. Their life isn’t all roses in many cases – trust me. But, those traits that are ideal for being an entrepreneur are, usually, in good shape.
I’ve observed and put together what I think adds up to a good mindset for success as an entrepreneur. Honestly, some of this is a little hard to put my finger on, but I’m trying. 🙂 If anything, being aware of it can make a difference because you can then consciously make an effort to improve in those areas. Know what I mean?
So, here they are:
- You need to be able to make a decision and move forward. Dragging to a halt and getting stuck in a big “maybe” is NOT good. It actually holds mental energy hostage and it drags on you. It is like a little building pressure that needs to be relieved (kinda like a fart, as weird an analogy as that might be 😉 ). Always lean toward a YES or a NO. A wrong decision is MUCH better than no decision at all. And, in this business, you can usually switch gears later. Just make a move.
- You need to be all in. In other words, you have to take it seriously. You’re not going to build up a full-time income by dealing with this stuff as an amusing side project you spend a few minutes on when you feel like it. If your life is so jam-packed that you have no time to dedicate to this endeavor, well, that’s tough. You need to re-align your life. Because, building a business isn’t done on minutes per day. It isn’t done by dabbling. It is done by routine, effective action. It is done by the need to succeed.
- You need to be willing to fail. People put such an artificial emotional charge on the subject of failure, when in reality, it is usually not a big deal. It is nothing more than a learning experience, in most cases. So, you make an offer and hardly anybody buys? Life isn’t over. Just figure out why that happened and do it differently next time. It is better to fail faster… because then success will come sooner.
- You need to be willing to march to your own drummer. If you need social approval for every move you make, you’re in for a rough ride. If you need to ask everybody if what you’re doing is right before you do it, you’re in for a rough ride. The social template of our society is to go to school, get a job, retire, then die. If you’re not willing to disagree with that status quo and do your own damn thing, this isn’t the endeavor for you.
- You need be OK with not everybody liking you. I don’t care how super-awesome you are, eventually, you’ll piss somebody off. There are a certain percentage of people out there who have it as their life mission to drag others down. You need to realize that and learn to recognize it. I see too many newbies get paralyzed into inaction for fear of upsetting their readers. Fear of selling things because you’re afraid of being perceived as a sell-out. Fear of promoting to your list for fear of being called a spammer. Nah, screw all that. Not everybody is going to like you… but you know what? People respect confidence. Do what you do. Do what you think is right. And let the chips fall where they may.
- You need to be willing to work your ass off. If you’re looking for easy money where you don’t have to work much for  it, you’ve already failed. You can keep paying out money to sheisters with their “get rich quick” schemes, but in the end, you’re the one with the short end of that stick. You know I’m right.
- You need to be willing to not have a safety net. If your entire life revolves around things like insurance plans, 401Ks and all those other traps of the socially accepted life, then go get a job and call it a day. Just like in #4, you need to be willing to march to your own drummer. You need to be willing to be top dog in your own world, make the decisions, and be responsible for those decisions.
- You need to be ethical, and guided by the best survival for all. Cheaters and liars might find short-term successes, but rarely do they last without a hard fall. The only sure way to rise to the top of your game is to do right by yourself and your fellow human beings, treat people well, and build goodwill.
Just remember, mindset comes first. You come into this with the right mindset, the right sets of decisions…. and nothing will stop you.
Nothing.
And only then can one escape the never-ending rate race of reading blogs, reading about others’ successes, and merely dreaming of your own.
Shameless Plug:
Ready to leave the feelings of inadequacy to the side, and get where you want to be with your blog or online business? I’d like to personally help you. Click here to learn what the heck I’m talking about. 🙂
Got A Question?
Have a question about this article? Need some help with this topic (or anything else)? Send it in and I’ll get back to you personally. I think that’s better than a blog comment. 😇