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Where It Started
Where It StartedJust like many people I had always dreamed of owning my own business. I wanted control of my life and my future; I wanted the time and financial freedom that comes with being your own boss. Year after year went by and I found myself building someone else’s dream while mine languished. After spending years looking and hoping for something to come along, I had all but given up on finding a business or an opportunity that would allow me to fulfill my dreams and give me the lifestyle that I wanted. I resigned myself to working at a job until…
Fortunately for me, I met a gentleman that offered to show me how I could change the situation I was in at the time. Being the skeptic that I was then, I declined. In time, as I became more dissatisfied with my future’s outlook, I decided to take him up on his offer and at least take a look. I reasoned that I had considered everything else and it would not hurt to at least get some information. So I took a look and I was blown away!
My Introduction To Network Marketing
What I discovered filled me with excitement! I found hope and opportunity once I saw the true income potential this industry offers. I met person after person who lives their lives on their own terms. I had discovered a way to achieve the freedom I craved, the lifestyle I wanted. Each and every day I still felt that initial excitement. Seeing people in the industry enjoying life and freedom, and helping others to achieve it as well, was so rewarding. I have found what I felt was the very best opportunity and I started sharing the life-changing information with others that were shared with me.
And Then Came Online Marketing
As they say, the rest is history. My dreams began coming true, and I owed all my success and good fortune to my home-based business. Since my first love was working with computers, I eventually gravitated back to a computer-centric desire and decided to leave network marketing to pursue building an online business.
It’s been about 4 years since the online bug bit me. I’m sure you know that itch where you think it will be so cool to make money online and work from home. Over time that itch intensifies and you decide you’ve got to scratch it. I started following people like Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, Liz Tomey, and countless others. I’m thinking, if they can do it, I can do it.
Really, How Hard Can This Be?
I started researching ways to make money online. I learned you could write articles, use Web 2.0 sites, CPA offers, Adsense, Adwords, and on and on. Most of this I didn’t fully understand (or more accurately didn’t want to understand because it didn’t appeal to me). But more importantly, I thought I had time to figure it out.
The Fateful Day
But then it happened. I was called into my boss’s office and was told that my full-time job was now going to be part-time after 15 years. Talking about a shock. It wasn’t totally unexpected given the state of the economy.
When I assessed what laid ahead I decided to go for it. I was going to make a full-time living working online and offline. Although I knew it would not be easy I was determined to not work for someone else. I had seen several friends and family members spend months looking for jobs and not been able to find one. Instead of facing that kind of rejection day in and day out, I decided I would create my own job and build my own dream.
So now it was crunch time. I had to make this work. I HAVE TO! But as just about every online marketer will tell you, that’s not always enough. Yes, I picked up valuable skills. And yes I picked up clients here and there. But my online efforts were failing miserably. Maybe I don’t have the ‘right’ tools. Maybe I need to buy product XYZ. That’s where success lies.
So then started the shiny object syndrome/info overload (sos/io) period.
I started ‘investing’ in different tools (WSOs were my sos/io of choice) ‘just in case’ I need them; besides, the price is right I told myself. Before you know it, you’re on so many email lists that sos/io becomes a vicious cycle (Warrior Forum WSO section should have a warning label).
And then…
One day it hits you. You haven’t built your online business, you’ve built someone else dream. True, you pick up several skills along the way and you may even have a business in theory, but who is it generating income for? While I’m struggling online to pay my basic necessities, they’re having successful product launch after product launch.
While I’m making choices between eating a particular day or paying my autoresponder bill or something like that, they’re spending $1000 or $5000 to go to a weekend event. Well, NO MORE!
U-turn Time
For me, that changes today, right now. Just in time, not just in case. I learned this from a very smart young man named Alex Jeffreys recently and that really resonated with me. This is one of the many connectors that he gave me for putting this hodge-podge of pieces together to really be successful online.
Let’s Do This Together
If any of these things resonate with you or you’ve found yourself floundering and not enjoying the fruits of your labor then take heart, you’re not alone. I’m right there too. But know this, I’m not going to stay there.
Follow my trek as I build this business up. I will do what my blog tagline says: I will have ‘success online, on purpose’. Want to come along and find out how?
Let’s do this.
Leave me your comments below and let me know where you’re at.
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Reg Ervin
