I love the lifestyle that comes from running an online business. I get to work from home each day, set my own hours, choose my own projects, and enjoy abundant income. It’s hard for me to imagine how I’d feed myself without the Internet. When I think about income generation, I immediately think of the web.
I was talking to a successful entrepreneur recently who pointed out that building an online business is an exercise in personal development. He’s absolutely right. I’ve probably learned more valuable life lessons from my entrepreneurial pursuits than from any other areas of my life. Running a business tests you in so many ways — your self-discipline, your intelligence, your communication skills, your focus, etc. If you’re lacking in any of these areas, your business results will reflect it.
The real world of business can be unforgiving. Success is rewarded. Mistakes are punished. The benefit is that it keeps you honest. You can’t settle for weakness, laziness, and bad ideas, or your business will fail. There’s a huge chasm between an idea that sounds good and an idea that actually gets implemented and succeeds under real-world conditions. Anyone can come up with good ideas, but most people can’t successfully implement them.
Some people can’t handle the pressure of running their own business. They worry about the risk of failure. They’re looking at it from the wrong angle though. That risk is precisely the point. Risk is what helps you grow. It makes you stronger. An entrepreneur who fears risk is like a bodybuilder who’s afraid of barbells.
There have been times when I had to deal with tough problems, like having bills due but no money to pay them. These problems made me dig deep inside myself. My business compelled me to grow into the kind of person who could handle these sorts of things. I learned to trust myself to work hard, to stay focused under pressure, and to even enjoy the process.
We all have different levels of risk tolerance. You don’t need to stress yourself out to grow. You just need to challenge yourself in a way that stimulates you. Lift weights that are heavy and which tax your muscles… but which you can still successfully lift. Afterwards you may feel spent, but you’ll also grow from the experience. If you only do what comes easy for you, you’ll suffer from atrophy, and life will become rather boring and pointless.
Why an online business?
In the age of the Internet, I think almost everyone should have an online business… if only for the growth experience. It doesn’t cost much to start one, but it will teach you so much. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that you’ll learn you do have something of value to share with the world, something that can generate income for you for the rest of your life.
In a way I’m jealous of the teenagers and 20-somethings who are growing up so Internet savvy. Any of them could start their own online businesses and get ahead financially at a young age. I would have loved to have been doing this in high school or college. It’s terrific that some people are becoming millionaires at such a young age, but I think the real success stories come from those who find a way to generate just a few thousand dollars per month, enough to cover their expenses.
My kids are only 4 and 7 years old, but I’m already thinking about how I might help them start their own websites soon. My daughter is very artistic, so who knows? Imagine if by the time she becomes an adult, she already has a steady stream of cashflow from websites she created during her teen years.
Building traffic
Running an online business is deceptively simple. Look at my web site, for example. The structure isn’t very complicated. It’s mostly just a lot of content and a lot of ads. But it consistently generates a nice five-figure monthly income. Anyone can do it, right?
Unfortunately, not everyone can do this. People try and fail all the time. The success stories get a lot of attention, but there are orders of magnitude more failures.
The key factor in building a successful online business is traffic. If you can’t build sufficient traffic, you won’t be able to generate much, if any, income. And unfortunately most people are really bad at building traffic. They apply completely inept strategies that don’t work, and they usually give up within a few months after starting.
Building traffic is not remotely easy for most people. This problem isn’t unique to the web though. You see it in every field. Some authors sell millions of books, while the average book doesn’t even sell 5,000 copies. Lots of people can write a book, but relatively few know how to sell a book. Lots of people can create a web site or blog these days, but few know how to attract large amounts of traffic.
If you can successfully build lots of traffic, it’s fairly easy to generate income from it. You also have time to figure it out. If you can grow your traffic, you can maintain your traffic, and that gives you time to figure out how to monetize the traffic.
In the past I’ve written articles trying to teach people how to build successful online businesses, including How to Make Money From Your Blog and How to Build a High-Traffic Website. Those were long, detailed articles, and both have become extremely popular in the blogosphere. I didn’t charge any money for this content — it’s all free. Those articles inspired a lot of people (hundreds that I know of) to enthusiastically start their own websites. Some of those people are doing quite well now, but most that I’ve been aware of have failed miserably.
Why most people fail
Why did most people fail? I think the reason was that the whole process of running an online business is just too complicated for most people. There are lots of ways to screw it up. It pained me to visit some of those sites and notice a dozen glaring mistakes within the first few seconds — blogs that didn’t enable permalinks, cutesy headlines with no keywords in them, bad choice of topics, page titles that still used the WordPress default format, hideously suboptimal ad layouts, hidden or missing contact info, etc. Any one of those mistakes could cripple a site’s results. More than one is a practically a death sentence. Such mistakes cause problems both for human visitors and search engines.
But at the same time, there were teenagers humming along just fine, generating four figures in monthly income after working on their sites for 6-12 months. They didn’t necessarily get everything right, but they were Internet savvy enough to fix the big problems early.
What bothered me most about this was that people were too often failing because of the technology. Many of them had great ideas and very good content. It was a shame to read some of their articles and think to myself, This is great stuff… too bad no one will ever see it.
The cruel and unfair part of online business is that if you aren’t very Internet savvy, you’ll make mistakes on the technical side that you’re totally oblivious to. You may get the content side right, but the technology will bite you and cripple your results.
In my “How to Make Money From Your Blog” Article, I did correctly identify this problem and suggested that 99 out of 100 people would fail because of it. But it’s still a pretty unfair situation. There are people who can write great content who really deserve to be getting a lot of readers, but because they don’t understand permalinks, RSS feeds, pinging, or other technologies, they’re doomed before they start.
Once I saw this happening, I basically decided I’d better shut up about encouraging people to run an online business. People kept asking me for new articles on the subject, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. I was concerned I’d be doing more harm than good.
A new solution
Recently I came across a vastly superior solution to this problem — a way for people to build a successful online business that doesn’t require them to become technology gurus.
What I recommend is a service called Site Build It! – it’s an all-in-one solution for creating and building an online business. You pay an annual fee for the service, and they provide you with all the tools you need to build an income-generating web site. They host the site for you, they help you register your domain name, and they provide integrated tools like point-and-click page generators, built-in blogging, form builders, RSS feeds, and lots more. Many of these details will be handled for you, so you don’t have to worry about them.
You still create your own content, and you use their tools (or your own familiar tools) to create a site based on your unique ideas. You focus on the content side. They help you with the technical implementation side.
I don’t recommend this solution for everyone. If you’ve already built a successful website that generates thousands of dollars a month for you, you won’t need this. I don’t need it myself. But if you’re one of those people that have been held back by the technical complexity, then this is definitely something you should look at. This is the kind of solution I’d recommend in a heartbeat for my non-programmer friends who want to get something going online but quickly become lost in a sea of jargon.
Extra benefits for StevePavlina.com visitors
I was able to work out a special arrangement with Site Build It! for StevePavlina.com visitors. From now until Feb 22nd, you can get 3 months free if you sign up for their service. That’s 15 months for the price of 12.
There’s a lot to explain about this service and why I think it’s a great idea for most people interested in building a successful online business. So I wrote a whole separate article about that here:
Build Your Own Successful Online Business
That article is my personal impression of the Site Build It! service, and it contains many links to their site for more info. The most important link is their 30-minute video tour. If you have even a slight interest in running an online business, it will be worth your time to watch it. It starts out mostly motivational, but it becomes more educational as it goes along. Even if you’re not interested in their service, I think you’ll get something out of it. I especially liked the segment on monetization strategies.
If you’re interested, just be aware that it will take some time for you to look into this service and decide if it’s right for you. The Site Build It! site has a lot of detailed information on it. In my article I’ll provide you with some ideas for where to get started to find the most critical pages. If you really like to do your homework before making a decision like this, you’ll find no shortage of detail.
An extra benefit for those who already have successful web sites
Site Build It! also has one of the most generous affiliate programs on the Internet. Some of their affiliates earn more than $10,000 per month. I recently became an affiliate myself after seeing what a great service this will be for people. If you’re looking for new income sources for your web site, just read the last section of Build Your Own Successful Online Business, which will explain why this affiliate program is so strong.
Running an online business can be a wonderful growth experience, and the income and freedom it can provide is certainly nice too. People really shouldn’t be deprived of this opportunity for technical reasons. The self-publishing power of blogging technology has gotten us partway there, but it’s only one piece to the puzzle. I encourage you to take a good look at Site Build It!, since I think you’ll find that their system fills in the remaining gaps, putting online business success within reach of most people.
This is by no means a get-rich-quick program. You’ll still need to put in the time and energy to create quality content for your web site, but at least you won’t have to worry as much about the technical side.
Discuss this post in the forums.
© 2008 by Steve Pavlina. If you find these ideas helpful, please leave a donation for Steve so you can enjoy the spirit of giving too.
译文:
如何建立成功的在线商务
我喜欢经营在线商务这样的生活格调,每天从家出去工作,设定自己的时间,选择自己的项目,享受丰厚的收入.很难想象没有因特网我怎么养活自己.当问及创收渠道,我立即想到了网络.
最近,我和一个成功的企业家谈生意,这位企业家指出建立在线商务是个人发展的一个练习.他完全正确.在对企业的追求中,我学到更有价值的生活教训,远剩于生活其他方面的所得.经商测试你在许多方面的表现:你的自律性,你的智力,你的交际能力.你的焦聚力等等.若你在任何方面有所短缺,会从你的商业成果中反映出来.
真正的商业世界对所有人一视同仁.成功得到奖励.失误得到惩罚.利益让你保有诚实.你不能屈服于软弱,懒惰,和劣策,否则你的生意会失败.听起来不错的计策和在实际情况下真的能成功实施的计策之间存在着巨大鸿沟.任何人都可以提出计策,但大多数人无法成功实施它们.
有些人不能处理经商的压力.他们从错误的角度看待失败的风险,为之忧心崇崇.风险是相当重要的.风险助你成长,变的强大.一个害怕风险的企业家就好比一个害怕杠铃的健身者.
我们不得不应对棘手问题,这样的时刻总会来临,比如无法如期支付帐单.这些问题让我更了解自己.我的生意鞭策我成为能应对各种问题的人.我学着相信自己努力工作,在压力中保持定力,我享受这过程．
我们的能忍受风险的程度各不相同.你不需要强迫自己成长,只需要用一种能激励自己的方式来挑战自己.举重很吃力,你的肌肉受到重压,但你仍能顺利的举起.接着你感觉筋疲力尽，可这份经验仍能助你成长．如果你只做那些轻而易举的练习,你的肌肉会萎缩,你的生活将更加的无聊且漫无目的．
为什么从事在线商务?
在因特网时代，要是你寻求成长经验，我认为几乎每个人都应该尝试在线商务.开始经商并不需要太多的花费,但它会教会你很多东西.或许最大的好处是你将学会与世界分享些有价值的事物,这些事物为你的余生创造收入．
从某一方面，我很妒忌那些有因特网伴着长大的青少年和二十岁左右的年轻人,他们对因特网非常熟悉.他们任何人都可以开始从事他们的在线商务,在年少时就走在金融的前端.我多想在高中或大学时就能从事这份事业.年纪轻轻的成为百万富翁是妙不可言的,但我认为那些找对门路,月挣到几千,足够盖过开销的人才是真正的成功故事.
我的孩子一个才四岁,一个七岁,可我已经开始考虑怎么帮他们尽快开始建立他们的网站.我的女儿很富有艺术感,所以谁知道呢?想象着在成人之即,她已有了一份来自网站的稳定收入,而她从少年时代就开始这个网站了.
建立业务
经营在线商务的简单,浮而不实.举个例子,请看我的网站,结构并不十分复杂.几乎就是一大堆内容和许多广告.但它始终为我带来每月五位数的可观收入.任何人都能做到,不是么?
不幸的是,不是每个人都能做到.人们总是不断尝试,不断失败.成功的故事很吸引人,但它标的了更大的失败尺度.
建立成功在线商务的关键在于业务.如果你不能建立足量的业务,若有收入的话,你挣不了那么多.不幸的是,大多数人不擅长建立业务.他们采用极愚蠢的不起效用的策略,往往在开始后的一个月内就放弃了.
建立业务对于大部分人都很遥远,并非易事,尽管这问题不单在网络行业,你在每个行业都能耳闻.某些作家售书百万,可平均每本书却甚至卖不出5000份.很多人会写书,但相对的,懂得如何销书的人少之又少.现在很多人能建个网站或博客,但很少有人知道如何吸引大量的业务.
如果你能成功的建立大量业务,从中获利相当简单.你还有时间算计.如果你能扩展并维持你的业务运转,从而,你就有时间策划如何在业务上赚钱.
过去,我写文章试图教人们如何建立成功的在线商务,包括如何从你的博客赚钱和如何建立高业务往来的网站W.这两篇在博客大巴都很受欢迎,是详尽的长篇文章.我没从这些内容赚钱,它们是免费的.这些文章激励了很多人(我所知的有上百人)兴致勃勃得开始经营他们的网站.有些人现在做的相当好，可惜我所知的大部分人都失败了．
为什么大部分人失败
为什么大部分人失败？我觉得理由是经营在线商务的整个过程对大多数人来说太复杂了.搞砸是有很多成因的.在我访问一些网站时,几秒钟内就发现了一大堆明显的错误－不允许永久连接的博客,矫柔造作的标题并且不带关键词,糟糕的选题,仍然使用WordPress错误版本的扉页,非常不对路的广告传单,隐藏或没有联络信息等等,这让我痛心.任何一个错误都会削弱网站的成果.多于一个的话,那简直是死刑了.这样的错误对访客和搜索引擎都会造成问题.
但与此同时,一些青少年把玩的很好,在网站运行了6-12个月后,创造了四位数的月收入.他们没有把每件东西都弄对位,但他们足够了解因特网,能及时修改大问题.
最困扰我的是那些因为技术问题而经常失败的人.他们大部分人都有很好的想法和绝佳的内容.阅读这些文章时我反省自己,感到惭愧.这些是很好的东西,真糟糕.再没人能看到它们了.
在线商务残酷且不公平面是,假如你不太懂因特网,你会在技术上犯错而又全然不自觉.你的内容是正确的,可技术会咬你一口,削弱你的成果.
在我"如何从你的博客赚钱"一文中,我确切的鉴别了这个问题,并指出每一百人中有九十九个人由它而败.这仍是一个很不公平的状况.有些人写得一手好文章,真正值得众多读者的拥护,但因为他们不懂得永久连接,RSS阅读器,命令详解或其他技术.他们在开始之前就注定劫数.
基于我曾经目睹此类事情的发生,决定闭嘴,不再鼓励他人经营在线商务.人们不断的向我索要关于这个问题的新文章,但我不觉得这是个好主意.我的关心只会将事情弄的更糟而不是转好.
新的解决措施
最近我无意间发现解决此类问题的高断－一个让人们建立成功在线商务而不需要他们成为技术专家的方法．
我推荐一个叫做Site build it!的服务网站,--它包含所有创造和建立在线商务对策.你支付该服务的年费,他们为你提供建立一个高收入网站所需的工具,主持这个网站,帮你注册域名,为你提供集成工具比如.即点即到的页码生成器,博客内置命令,表格窗,RSS阅读器和其他很多东西.为你处理细节,所以你不必为此担心.
你仍旧创造你自己的内容,使用他们的工具(或你熟悉的工具),以创立一个基于你独特想法的网站.你专心致志于内容,他们帮你解决技术实施问题.
我不向每个人都推荐这个解决方式.如果你已经建立了每月能挣得千万的成功网站,你不需要这个建议.我自己不需要它.如果你是由于技术复杂状况而受到阻碍的一员,这的确是你应该注视的.这种解决措施,我诚心推荐给不会程序设计,想在网上驰骋,但很快被一大堆术语弄蒙了的朋友们.
Steve Pavlina.com访客的其他好处
我和Site Build it!网站为StevePavlina.com的访客达成一个特殊的协议.从现在开始到2月22日,你可以免费三个月.如果你在该项服务注册.15个月的价格为12.
这项服务还有许多地方需要解释,因此我觉得这对于大部分有兴趣建立成功在线商务的人,不失为一个好计策.所以,我在此另写了一篇关于这项服务的文章:
建立你自己的成功在线商务
这篇文章是我对Site Build It!网站服务的个人印象，包括很多通向他们站点获取信息的连接.最重要的连接是他们的30分钟视频之旅,如果你对建立在线商务有小小的兴趣,这值得一看.开头基本上充斥着目的性,随之变的越来越有教育性.就算你对这项服务没什么兴趣,我想你也能从中学到点东西.我特别喜欢关于赚钱策略的部分.
如果你有兴趣,注意浏览这项服务需要时间,再决定对你是否合适.Site Build it!这个网站有很多关于该项服务的详细信息.在我的文章中,将对从哪里开始寻找最重要的网页起指点一二.如果你在做家庭作业前做这样一个决定,你会发现这是万无一失的.
给那些已准备建立成功网站朋友们的其他好处
Site Build it!网站在互联网上有大量的附属程序.部分附属程序每月赚一万多美元.在明白这个绝妙的服务对人们有帮助之后,我自己也成了一个附属物了.如果你在为你网站寻找新的收入来源,那么就阅读建立你自己的成功在线商务的最后一节,它会向你解释这个附属程序很管用.
经营在线商务会是一段很精彩的发展经验,所得的收入和自由也同样不言而喻.人们真的不该因为技术原因而失去机会.自己发布博客的技术能力就在眼前,这个迷题一点即通.我鼓励你看看Site Build it!这个网站,因为我觉得你会找到填补剩余隙缝的系统,使成功的在线商务对于大部分人都触手可及.
这决不是一夕致富的方案.你仍需要花费时间和经历为你的网站创作高质量的内容,但至少你不必担心技术方面的问题.
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2008版权归Steve Pavlina所有.如果你发现这些计策有帮助,为Steve 投票,发扬奉献精神.
