Written on May 15th, 2010 at 01:05 am by Darren Rowse
9 Unsexy Truths about Making Money Online
Fast Luxury Cars, Parties with Sexy People, Dream Homes, Lavish Meals, World Travel, Book Deals and Pictures of massive Checks…. making money online is sexy!
Isn’t it?
As I sit here in my PJs alone in the front room of my house this morning – I wonder if perhaps the ’sexy’ bit of what I do somehow bypassed me.
I was at a conference last year listening to one ‘make money online’ guru talking about the possibilities of making money on the internet. The picture he painted was certainly sexy.
He showed some of the things he’d bought with the money he’d made online, shared some of the opportunities that his business had opened up for him and told some of the story of how he achieved it. The first line of this post pretty much summed up a lot of his presentation – it was sexy.
As he shared two things happened inside of me:
- I got inspired (and a little jealous) – ‘wow, I gotta have some of what this guy’s got’. I think that was a pretty common reaction in the room (based upon the type of comments I heard after the presentation). I guess that was partly the purpose of the presentation – showing the possibilities of what could be achieved can certainly be inspirational on some levels (and can motivate people to buy all kinds of products and systems – as they did that day).
- I realised I was only hearing part of the story – as I sat listening to the story the reaction that grew bigger and bigger (and ended up being the main feeling that I had) was that the guy was only sharing part of the story. At least he was sharing a quite different story to the one I’d had and the one I’d heard in the quiet conversations I’d had with many successful online entrepreneurs.
While I have no doubt that the riches and success that this man shared about were true and I know for a fact that the life that some internet entrepreneurs lead can at times be very ’sexy’ – the reality is that for the vast majority of those who set out to make money online that the story is anything but sexy.
In fact even for me – as someone who has had a moderate level of success in this game – this guy’s story had only fleeting moments where it seemed even vaguely familiar to me.
Perhaps that’s partly to do with my own personality, style, values and taste (I’d rather put my kids through a good education than buy a Ferrari and would prefer to help set up a feeding program for starving kids than rent a yacht and cruse the Caribbean for 3 months a year) – but I also think that quite often in our game the ‘unsexy’ part of what we do is not talked about enough.
Perhaps common sense to many – here are some of the ‘unsexy’ truths about making money online (with a few tweet reflections form my Twitter followers):
1. It Takes ALOT of WORK
When I mentioned the topic of unsexy truths on Twitter earlier in the week and asked for people’s feedback the overwhelming response was about the amount of work that it takes to build a successful online business. Here’s just a few of the response on this front:
“I would say the #1 “unsexy” truth is that it takes W-O-R-K despite what almost every sales page will lead you to believe!” – @ElysiaBrooker
“Well there’s the whole “work” thing that no one bothers to mention.” – @CindyBidar
“some days I’m too busy to even think about showering. MMO is more work than people realize, esp when starting out.” – @Allison_Boyer
“It still takes a lot of really hard work…and pajamas don’t go over well on skype calls you want people to pay for.” – @JonathanFields
The reality is that there is no escaping having to put in a solid amount of work if you want to make a living online (or offline for that matter).
The amount of times that I’ve seen people start blogs with the expectation of striking it rich and generating a passive income amazes me. I guess people want to believe that there’s a short cut and want to jump straight to the end (and sexy) results before working for it.
2. It Takes Time and Starts Slow
I love what @SamMartino (smart guy) responded to me on Twitter with:
“I’ve discovered it takes longer to get momentum… much longer lead times… but higher margins.”
This type of comment was echoed by quite a few including:
“only the get rich slowly by putting in a lot of effort schemes work” – @KarenMarree
“it takes almost 6-8 months before you see any respectable money” – @SkoolofLife
6-8 months might seem like a long time – but in my experience even that could be an under estimation. There are certainly examples of people who do it quicker – however the reality is that it usually takes longer – and even after a long lead time there are no guarantees.
While there are certainly some upsides (like Sam says there is often some nice margins to be made if you’re selling something online) my own experience was that I was putting in a lot of hours for a couple of years before I made a full time income. That meant working other part time jobs during the day and blogging at night for well over a year – while wondering all along that time whether it was going to amount to anything.
3. The Sexy Moments Happen – but are Often Few and Far Between
I’m a very very fortunate person. I feel incredibly lucky to have had some success in this field and to have some amazing opportunities open up. While some of those things I mentioned in the first sentence of this post have not been my reality – I’ve certainly had a few ’sexy’ moments.
A book deal, being flown around the world to speak at conferences, some fun parties at these conferences, the opportunity to meet and interact with some amazing people, the chance to buy a nice house and give my family a comfortable life, appearing in mainstream media…. all of these things are beyond what my wildest dreams of blogging ever were.
However the day to day of my life isn’t sexy. The above things are special (and I’m grateful for them) but they’re not what my life is all about. Rather they punctuate the sometimes mundane daily routine of sitting alone in an office, writing content, answering emails, making videos, responding to customer queries….. etc
I enjoy what I do – but I think it’s important to keep some perspective – most of the successful web entrepreneurs spend most of their lives doing normal and ordinary things – just like everyone else.
4. There are No Guarantees
If there’s one thing that disturbs me most about many sales pages for ‘make money online’ systems it is the guarantee element of them. ‘You WILL make money’ – ‘Make $10,000 in 30 days’…. the list of claims that are made at times goes on and on.
- A + B doesn’t always = C
- Processes and systems don’t always work.
- What works for one doesn’t always work for others.
No two blogs that I’ve been involved with are the same in terms of building traffic or monetization. They have all been so unique and so to claim that you can apply a ’system’ or ‘process’ that is guaranteed to work in every instance is just not realistic.
There is a lot that can be learned from some of the make money online systems and teachers on the web but don’t allow yourself to be sucked into any product that claims that it works for everybody – there are too many other elements at play (including your own dedication, natural ability, niche, levels of competition etc).
“What works for one blog, won’t work for another.” – @JewelrySecrets
5. You’ll Fail More than You Succeed
The other factor that comes into the ‘no guarantees’ point above is that in every successful entrepreneur’s journey there is a string of failures left in their wake.
I’ve started 30+ blogs over the last 8 years – 3 of them remain. I’ve started a long list of ventures, products, companies etc – only a few of them were profitable.
In time I’ve been able to increase the rate of success that I’ve been having and have learned to tell if an idea is failing and whether I should kill it early on – but in order to succeed you may very well need to fail a few times first.
6. Some People Just Won’t Make It
I hate to include this one as part of me does think it’s possible for almost anyone to have at least some amount of success in making money online…. however I have to take note of the stats that I’ve seen every time I survey my readers about this – some people just won’t make money online.
“Some people just aren’t going to make it. They’ll put in a lot of time and spend more than they earn.” – @SHerdegen
For some the reasons for not ‘making it’ are to do with elements I’ve mentioned above (not willing to take a long term approach, work hard etc) – however I guess there are other reasons. Some people just have a certain ‘mojo’, talent, skill level, set of experiences or circumstances that propel them forward faster than others. Conversely – some don’t.
Much of this can be overcome in time however I guess the reality is that for some people they find themselves in circumstances where it’s just too hard.
7. It can be Lonely
It’s funny how lonely ’social’ media can be sometimes.
I was chatting with one blogger recently who quit what was a growing online business to get a ‘real job’ partly because she needed more face to face interaction. She put it down to her personality type and living in a reasonably remote location where she couldn’t meet those she worked with face to face – but in the end it just got too lonely for her.
For introverts like myself this might not be a massive problem (although I try to do some face to face stuff with a few others most weeks) but I know for quite a few people working alone in the front room of their house all day is enough to make them start to lose it.
8. Increased Success Can Bring Increased Critique
In Australia we’re known for suffering from Tall Poppy Syndrome. Something wikipedia defines as:
“a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers.”
By no means is this just an Aussie thing, other cultures around the world share it. One of those ‘cultures’ I suspect is the web. I’ve seen it numerous times – as blogger begins to grow in their influence and reach only to find that closely trailing the rise in their own success comes a rise in ‘critique’.
Critique can be a helpful thing at times – however it can also move into a my sinister and destructive place where those that it is directed at often feel quite damaged.
In time I’ve had my share of negative attention. While I have learned to deal with it a little better than I once did – I do look back on periods in the last 8 years and see times where I think it led me to become quite depressed, stressed and once even to the brink of giving up on blogging.
I guess in time one gets thicker skin – however it’s a constant issue many bloggers have to work with.
9. Scaling it Sucks
If you do stick with things for the long haul, work hard and push through the tough times there is certainly potential for success in the online space. In fact some times get easier the bigger and more successful you become. Momentum grows and you can get to a point where the opportunities that keep coming your way are quite amazing.
However along with the opportunity and success comes the challenge of scaling up what you’re doing.
This can be particularly tricky when you’re basing your business around social media where there is a certain expectation that you be personal and interactive.
Tough choices need to be made around whether to stay smaller and keep being personal, whether to outsource some of what you do and how to manage the growing demands that you face.
These are the issues I’m seeing quite a few people dealing with right now – if you know the answer to it, please let me know. In the mean time, I’ll tell you it can be very unsexy :-)
Your Unsexy Truths
Earlier in the week when I tweeted on this topic quite a few other unsexy truths were suggested. You can read them here and here. Before inviting you to share yours… I’ll finish with this one from @BeyondBeeton:
” the “internet” doesn’t just spew out money. you need a good idea, a plan and an ability to deliver what people want to pay for.”
What would you add to this list of UnSexy Truths of making money online?
I think most people who’ve been at the business of making money online for even a few months know that the ’sexy’ image of making money online is not a reality for most who attempt it.
123 Responses to “9 Unsexy Truths about Making Money Online” - Add Yours
Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur
May 15th, 2010 1:52 am
It can be lonely at the top…more of us need to join you up there…LOL :)
Josh Garcia
May 15th, 2010 2:00 am
Hey Darren,
This is something that most have to swallow, You’ll Fail More than You Succeed. I haven’t met anyone yet that succeeded without failure. For some reason most individuals are afraid of failure. Once you embrace that you must fail before you can succeed. You lose that fear and go add it.
Have a great weekend…
Josh
jody
May 15th, 2010 2:00 am
Most people seem to hate spelling and grammar correction, but I have to do this anyway:
> It Takes ALOT of WORK
It should be A LOT – two words. Like ”a lot of carrots”… “a bunch of carrots”, etc.
OK, back to being a silent reader. I enjoy your articles!
Squawkfox
May 15th, 2010 2:01 am
Time is the biggest factor — at least for me. It takes considerable time to build, write, and continually learn about one’s own blog and niche. It takes time to build a blog worthy of a readership. It takes time to hone skills, earn PR, write exceptional guest posts worthy of the bigger blogs, and find a space for your voice online. Spending the time is key. Loving what you do — and not making a dime for months or years — is what it can take to build a blog worthy of success.
tara - scoutie girl
May 15th, 2010 2:07 am
How about: you have to deal with a lot of personal demons!!
When you work for someone else, when you can position yourself behind a brand or a physical product or another company, you can let that do a lot of the talking for you. It’s there when you need something to lean on or something to make excuses about.
When it’s just you and your dot com, you really need to face the ideas that “not being good enough” is bound to raise. You have to embrace those shortcomings & fears and use them to your advantage. Not sexy!!
Great post!
Angela
May 15th, 2010 2:16 am
Oh Darren, despite your unshaven face and puffy eyes I could hug you for writing this post. I do, on occassion bask in the admiration of wide eyed strangers who say “Wow, you work from home?” or “You make money blogging?” as if “blogging” is the modern day equivalent of turning coal into gold. I need these moments, however brief and false, because the reality is exactly as you describe. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and with every extra scrap of work I put in I get to see the rewards grow…there’s not a lot can beat that.
Oliver Tausend
May 15th, 2010 2:18 am
Hi Darren,
cool post, and you speak the truth(s). On the other hand, what is the alternative ? A day-time job with a tight schedule ? Not really either, at least for me. So I do my best not to get trapped by the unsexy truths about my business.
Take care
Oliver
Mark
May 15th, 2010 2:18 am
Rule number 1 is the most important. It takes a lot of work. I am a problogger, even though I live in a low cost country so it makes it easier to hit that critical level. But the bottom line is it is hard work. I think the other rules are less important.
Hard work + creativity (which is a gift we all have) will result in success. What depends on luck is if it is 1 year or 7 years.
Raam Dev
May 15th, 2010 2:24 am
One thing I would add is that you always have to be ready to adapt in an instant. In a normal “real world” job, adapting to new situations generally happens slowly — days or weeks — but on the web, things can change overnight. Learning to never settle into a rut and always be on your toes is a requirement for success online, and that can be quite tiresome and frustrating at times.
Thanks for this write up, Darren. It’s always helpful to see things from a perspective of someone who’s gone through so much — it allows us to see the truth behind the curtain and gives us a sense of “knowing” what’s ahead and what to expect.
J. D. Bentley
May 15th, 2010 2:25 am
This post is dead on. I’ve been working online exclusively for three years without much success until recently. My ideas about working online were founded predominantly on Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week. If you’re coming from a regular job that you hate, 4 Hour Work Week is at least inspiring, but I’ve found it to be missing the most important parts of the story. It was too easy to get caught up in the “sexy” and ignore all the work.
Only in the last year have I started to realize that if you want to be successful online, it takes all the work of a regular job. And I’m sure this is true of everything, not just working online. So in the last year I’ve really started treating what I do as a business and since then things have started to build momentum. I’m not at all in a stable place, but I’ve come a very long way and I’m starting to see some results with automated income and building a web design business.
I wish everyone who hopes to make money online could read this and get a headstart on doing it the right way. But if someone is caught up in all the “sexy” they probably won’t read this.
Anyway, another great post!
Jeffrey Tang
May 15th, 2010 2:33 am
If blogging is your job … then it’s a job. It takes work, and commitment, and more than a little bit of uncertainty. Do I think blogging and writing and sharing things online is a wonderful job to have? Absolutely. But it’s still a job. It’s still work. Great work, but work.
Cindy Bidar
May 15th, 2010 2:36 am
It’s funny that you mention introverts as possibly having an easier time of working online. I’m a serious introvert, and to me the best days are those when I don’t have to leave the house. I’m wondering though, when I get to the point that I can quit my day job, if I will feel differently. I may just discover that I do need some human contact.
David Edwards
May 15th, 2010 2:38 am
So true!…
I have been looking at “Alexa Rank” lately, this is my view on becoming a “dotcom” millionaire :
“Lowering Your Odds”
Starting a blog – 1 in 100 million
Blogging every day – 1 in 1 million
Posting videos on “YouTube” to accompany blog – 1 in 100,000
Guest posting on a popular blog – 1 in 50,000
Established in a topic for 5 years – 1 in 10,000
TV appearance – 1 in 5,000
Successful Membership course which is sold easily from high traffic and recognised brand – 1 in 1,000
As time goes by, the odds get better. But if you haven’t got the personality to work on your own for hours a day, try mixing it up by working in your local library or starting a blog class ;]
Thanks Darren :]
Amy
May 15th, 2010 2:38 am
Darren! Truth is most ’sexy’ businesses are not as ’sexy’ as they seem. I am both a reporter AND a blogger. And, while people seem much more impressed with my being a reporter, I can assure you that there’s nothing sexy about working around the clock, standing out in the pouring rain or – here in the states – measuring snowfall with a ruler!!! Prior to my journalism career I was in the fashion business – selling a line of clothing that got huge media coverage but — we may as well have been selling eggs. In the end, it was all about did it go out on time and have we gotten paid! UN-SEXY. Anyway, as the Wizard of Blog, I appreciate you pulling back your own curtain!
Thx as always,
Amy
ps. can you tell me the best way to contact you about a guest post? Thx in advance.
The Adventurous Writer
May 15th, 2010 2:40 am
It’s like any other small business venture or successful career — it takes hard work, dedication, perseverence, and a certain amount of talent to make it. Some people make it big, others don’t make it at all, and most of us are stuck somewhere in the middle of the big bell curve….
I don’t think making money online is any different than succeeding in other careers….except there isn’t any formal training for blogging! Yet.
Laurie
(who does make money online :-) )
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer
May 15th, 2010 2:49 am
These are dead on. I’ve been blogging seriously for about 15 months, and the money has been minimal.
There are occassional spikes that make me think it might turn the corner any day, and the last few months have had significantly more traffic than previous months – but still not a massive amount.
Luckily for me, it’s fun. If it wasn’t, I could make more money collecting aluminum cans on the side of the road.
Jarrod @ Optimistic Journey
May 15th, 2010 2:57 am
I totally agree! The sad fact is that making money online does have it’s unsexy moments. And what’s even worse, people are being made to believe that they can make money online easy. And that’s not the truth. It’s easy if you’re willing to work hard, but most people aren’t willing to put the long term, work hard approach. They want the overnight results.
thanks for clarifying this for those people, Darrin. I’m on my grind and I’m willing to put the long term work into what I do.
Thanks for sharing!!
AnkushWood.blogspot.com
May 15th, 2010 3:23 am
Darren you are awsm! Thanks for this great great and great post! Ya i agree to all of your points. Funny pic! Thanks! I wil use on my blog. Ankush, http://ankushwood.blogspot.com
Kimberly Sellnow
May 15th, 2010 3:24 am
As I sit in my PJ’s on a Friday morning with messy hair, no time for a shower in the near future, aching back, leg cramps from holding the computer and burning eyes…I breathe a sigh of relief while reading your blog, Darren. When in public, everyone wants to hear about the people I’m talking to in Italy, UK, New Zealand and Australia – they hang on every word…They don’t see the hard work, lonely times, or my dismal 4 hours of sleep at night. They don’t see the tenacious, consistent and persistent effort put out, while I continue to hit it and hit it and hit it once more, wondering which blow will crack the wall so success can be seen.
The one thing that could be added to this list is remembering there are outside forces that can make or break you. These unsexy things include a spouse who doesn’t understand what you are chasing, kids that need help with homework and life situations, housework, laundry, car repairs, personal health challenges, your mental capacity/self image etc. All those things don’t go away just because we are working to cash in on our passion – they can help you or hurt you.
Thanks for sharing this excellent blog, Darren. It’s motivating to know that there are the people who understand the unsexy things we have to do so we can enjoy the times when we get to live our life out loud!
All the Best.
Angie
May 15th, 2010 3:50 am
My biggest issues ATM: Not having the drive and self discipline to get my work done some days, which leads to guilt and the beating-up of oneself. I have fleeting moments where I want to go back and work for someone else, just so I can get mad at my boss for being a slave-driver, instead of being mad at myself for being lazy.
Sandy
May 15th, 2010 4:08 am
Hey there,
Agree with all the above, including personal demons. Maybe an extension of that is dealing with offline friends and family who don’t understand or appreciate what you’re doing and how much work it really is.
But like you said, we get thick skinned after a while and we need to be in order to survive.
Jay
May 15th, 2010 4:38 am
Another truth that I still struggle with is that financially successful blogging is only partly about the writing. It’s not enough just to produce good content and write well. There’s so much more to the job. Enjoying the total package, all of the hats that must be worn, is a big part of sticking with it and being successful.
Ed Fry
May 15th, 2010 4:48 am
Perhaps one of the ironic, perhaps slightly alarming things about MMO – particularly the MMO sales pitches – is that people aren’t making that much money.
I’ve had a handful of people talking about XYZ’s traffic formula and how it helped them make $8,461 promoting some other MMO product. For some, that might seem like a lot of money, but…
… after acquiring all those leads, building your websites and blogs, buying up all those programs to show you how to do this, investing time and money diligently learning the processes in the internet marketing industry…
… is $8k or so from promoting a launch that much? How often are you going to promote a big launch? Every other week?
I’d say, if you want to be “rich” get into the corporate or banking world.
Jeremiah
May 15th, 2010 4:49 am
Very true. I’ve been riding in your wake (not so literally) for the past few years. I have a small blog network myself and while I am making a living from it, and having a great life in Bali, you’re right that it’s not always so “sexy”. I still spend sleepless nights working on my blogs (like right now, it’s almost 2am), and I do lose that face-to-face interactivity with people compared to normal day jobs. For me personally though, this is something that I’m ok with because the rewards are worth it. But I do have friends, many of them, trying to do what I do and gave up within the first few months. I guess you’re either made for this or you’re not.
Siddhartha
May 15th, 2010 4:55 am
Thanks for including my Tweet in this post (@SHerdegen). I’m flattered.
But I wanted to clarify I was NOT saying there are some people who CAN’T make it even if they do everything necessary for success.
I was pointing out there will be people who start with unrealistic expectations and never quite get over the hump in terms of effort or knowledge.
These people are sincere and, at least superficially, committed to the endeavor. These people go 90% of the way, putting in tons of time and energy (though often misdirected) but stop short of success.
This is a fact of life.
I would encourage everyone who has the desire to start a blog, but know what your aim is and budget your time and money accordingly.
B. Durant - Snake Control
May 15th, 2010 4:55 am
If you do manage to make money online 3/4 of the world will call you as liar and a shill. That takes its toll even on me and I make very little compared to many others.
Nibras Bawa
May 15th, 2010 5:01 am
Truth, Well told :)
I’ve always wondered why these so called “Gurus” had to stoop to such low levels with their long sales letters. I mean an odd looking dude relaxing on a beach wearing sunglasses and looking pretty pleased with himself… ha ha he’s an online moghul :) and the audacity they have to claim they make a 6 figure income (whatever that means) in one month, that too working only 2 hours a day while holidaying in the Caribeans… Wow..
Of course, it is absolutely possible to make a very good income with your blog, but these assclown scammers make it look so easy. This really bugs me Darren, and I am glad you posted this. Should be an eye opener to those who think they can make it big by not putting in enough work.
Glad you posted. Respect :)
Jozef Nagy
May 15th, 2010 5:33 am
Some of the people who don’t make it are the ones who start with unrealistic expectations. That’s especially true of the folks who don’t understand the Internet, or technology in general. They underestimate how difficult something is, and inevitably fail at their goals. There’s nothing more annoying to an IT guy like myself to hear some schmuck talking down the requirements for a project and just waving his hand saying “How hard can it be?”. Yes, how hard indeed.
To see what I mean, just go on rentacoder.com and look through the projects people are asking coders for. They want someone to build them a Digg/Flickr/Wikipedia clone; and in 3 weeks, and for $500. These morons are nothing but noise in the MMO world.
Craig/FFB
May 15th, 2010 5:35 am
Isn’t it the case where anyone tells you its easy to make money somehow? We’ve heard how easy it is to make money in real estate, or working from home, or buying and selling gold, whatever…
If it were really easy then everyone would be doing it and no one would make money.
With a blog, if you are looking to monetize you are creating a business and businesses need work to build.
If I could add something along the lines of scaling up – the bigger you get it possible that you actually have less time to write. You end up doing so much behind the scenes work that it gets hard to produce the content you started out with.
Karl Craig-West
May 15th, 2010 6:19 am
Couldn’t agree more.
Read the first edition of ProBlogger 3 times a year ago. All the way through the book the recurring message is that it takes time and a shed-load of effort to make this work, if it’s going to work at all.
Since then my website has paid for itself and is showing signs of growth but I’ve lost count of the number of hours I’ve invested and it still doesn’t seem like enough.
Nick
May 15th, 2010 6:22 am
Blogging has brought the un-sexiest part of my life so far! I used to own an art gallery, wear suits, talk the talk, have a local rep….not anymore! Now I quite often look down at 4 in the afternoon and I’ve not even got dressed! I got really motivated at first by all these stories of online riches, I knew that most were just babble, but the dream was there! So I decides that what I would do is write a blog not about ‘how to make money online’ but about my journey of ‘finding out how to make money online’! This led to another blog, and Im sure will lead to many other online ventures, I have been blogging now for about 5 months, ive made .61 pence! but Im still smiling and working at it, as everyone says, its a business and you godda work it!
mario_monk
May 15th, 2010 6:30 am
Many people do believe that making money online is clicking ads and getting a dollar for each click. I did register on some of those websites as well some long time ago when thought that online business is sexy.
The truth is – it is just like any other business. A lot of work and no success guaranteed.
Dan @ Instant Money Making Websites
May 15th, 2010 7:49 am
To achieve success in blogging, you need to treat it as business. That’s how successful bloggers, including Darren take it. You will need to be committed to it the way you will be committed to a physical business, doing what need to be done at the right time.
You will need to give your business time to take root, and grow gradually. Blogging, like any business, is a long term thing. If you are getting into it to make quick money, you’ll probably get frustrated soon because the money will not fly out of your computer onto your laps.
Ishan
May 15th, 2010 7:50 am
Agree fully with all the points!
Especially, “what works for one blog doesn’t necessarily work for others”. I have experienced this many times. I applied same strategies on my blogs as many big marketers but failed. Finally, I found one and have been doing it since then. It takes lot of hard work to find and apply something that works, however results are pretty good.
Emelie
May 15th, 2010 8:24 am
A really got post. It really take time and effort to make money online
Karri Flatla
May 15th, 2010 8:43 am
Sigh. Thank you for publishing this.
I’ve always said that people need to, um, get past the sex and look at what it takes to build a relationship. One night stands won’t get you that far (in life or in business).
And I’m not just talking about relationships with your audience either, though that is heeyuge!
I’m also talking about the relationship we each have with ourselves. You need to be downright unflinching in facing your fears and insecurities in order to “make it.”
Cheers,
Karri
Topps
May 15th, 2010 9:42 am
Anyone thinking that they can suddenly become a millionaire overnight by blogging is just deluded. Ok, maybe I am a bit too harsh, but that’s the harsh reality.
There are so many “guru’s” out there who claims they can teach you how to make money online but never actually tell you the amount of effort and work that is required.
I currently work full time and also do other part-time jobs in order to supplement my online income. The key to being successful online is to diversify. It doesn’t just have to be blogging.
Even though I work in the Interior design, I figured out I have a natural flare and passion for web design and until recently added blogging to my portfolio. I also manage my own reseller website (websoftnet.co.uk) which I started mainly because it allows me to develop and manage a range of websites which includes an online shopping site, various blogs and a DIY site. While the income from these projects are not YET great, I believe with persistence and hard work it will yield benefits in the long term.
One of my favourite quote is “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”.
Mario
May 15th, 2010 10:01 am
As some of your readers already underlined the work thing isn’t mentioned enough.
In my opinion the biggest misunderstanding about the difference between making money on-line and off-line is that there in fact isn’t a difference when it comes to effort.
You have to put some effort in it if you have a day job. You have to put even more effort in it if you try MMO.
My advice to everybody who is considering following one of these guru’s is this:
Make sure it’s a person who had success with an on-line business model that wasn’t in any way related to MMO.
Nick
May 15th, 2010 10:07 am
Thanks for the post Darren! I managed to gain $2000+ per month from my 6 sites and I believe that the rule 1 and 2 are the most important. It takes a lot of effort and time. I took 4 years before to reach this nice income but it was worth it.
Taylor
May 15th, 2010 12:14 pm
Great Post Darren! I am on the beginning of the long path and I am no stranger to hard work. If this MMO allows me to provide for my family and allows me to work independently…then I have fulfilled my goal.
Anything that is to succeed takes focused long term commitment. Thanks for your great objectivity and perspective, of the other side of the hill.
Debbie Lattuga
May 15th, 2010 12:54 pm
My unsexy truth is that I often get up at 3am. And realize I forgot to eat when I drop into bed a 11pm. And my mind is racing with all the things I still need to do.
I love it!
jason
May 15th, 2010 12:56 pm
I agree – I have sites that are a couple years old that I expected them to be performing far better than they are today. Everything takes 2 to 3 times longer than your initial conservative estimate
Robby G
May 15th, 2010 1:06 pm
Hard work is all great if you’re enjoying what you’re doing, it’s the fact that the work doesn’t get the recognition you strive for that is truly unsexy.
Jay
May 15th, 2010 1:13 pm
If you wanted to add a 10th unsexy truth, I would guestimate that for 99% of bloggers, they’re lucky to get the minimum Adsense payout let alone make a living at blogging.
I had three blogs that I maintained in 2007 and it took me nearly a year to get the minimum Adsense payout, lol.
To date, one of my blogs peaked at 35k unique visitors (with the help of Google News). Between the cpm ads and Adsense, I barely made $100.
Unless a blog manages to generate 10k visitors per day, it’s probably very far from making any money.
I still blog for a hobby and I’ve removed ads from my blogs for now since they’re just not revenue generating.
Joshua Noerr
May 15th, 2010 1:33 pm
I really needed to read this today. I like the part about failing more than succeeding. I read a quote by the founder of IBM who said, “You want to succeed more? Double your rate of failure.” Or something to that effect.
Thanks for an encouraging read today.
Chris Brogan...
May 15th, 2010 2:14 pm
Scaling was the hardest of these truths to me. It was my own fault, but what I learned was that I kept putting myself at the center of all my businesses. So, the more things I did, the more revenue I made, but the more revenue I made, the more places I had to be.
Ow.
So, I love this post. Can’t wait to highlight it even more.
Kevin (strongandfit.net)
May 15th, 2010 2:35 pm
Unsexy Truth–honesty isn’t always profitable.
Paramendra Bhagat
May 15th, 2010 2:45 pm
Darren. This is one of your best posts ever. You are popular because you are real. You try to be truthful in what you share, primarily your blogging success, and the techniques that got you there. But I think it is important to also face the numbers and see not every music band hits the charts, the vast majority don’t. Most people should blog not because it makes them money, but because it is a fun thing to do, a great way to share, and a tremendous way to grow as a person.
Wendy Maynard
May 15th, 2010 2:59 pm
I think one of the things that people don’t realize is how much faith it takes to succeed. A person has to remind him or herself over and over and over that all of the work they are putting in will (eventually) have a payoff.
Jillian
May 15th, 2010 2:59 pm
I love that you said this.
People fail because they get sucked into the perceived idea of the “Dot-com lifestyle” or whatever you want to call it – working whenever you want, which is never because you’re making soooo much money on autopilot.
I’m new to making money online, but I consider myself blessed to realize the hard work involved early. Now I really know what I’m working toward, instead of setting myself up for disappointment later. Thanks for another great post, Darren.
Amber Baldwin
May 15th, 2010 3:05 pm
Darren, I wish I could say that there was some unsexy moments of blogging for a living, because that would mean that maybe I’m doing really well. However, I just started, so it all still sounds sexy to me.
Bring on the PJ’s, morning tea, working from home, and long hours. I would rather be working for myself than anybody else even if it meant being unsexy. :)
I do understand your point though and you’re right; it is hard work and you put in more hours than you would for any employer. I find it rewarding though.
Thanks for all your unsexy days so we can learn to be better bloggers!
Amber
Sonia Simone
May 15th, 2010 3:35 pm
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. This doesn’t get said nearly often enough.
3rd design
May 15th, 2010 4:38 pm
my one of the unsexy truths on making money online is time. if you don’t have time, you cannot make ideas about making money. if you already have time then ideas will come out. after ideas, then you need to do a lot of work.
Josh
May 15th, 2010 7:09 pm
Darren,
Thank you for this post. I am a recently turned pro blogger, having been an amateur, casual blogger for a long while. I’ve started businesses before, but everything you have said in this post has hit on things I have started to feel recently with the efforts I’ve been putting in to make this transition a success. Thankfully, I have several people working with me on a team this time around. Just wanted you to know that I’ve made your blog required reading.
Talk to you soon.
Josh
Kelly
May 15th, 2010 9:09 pm
Point 6 is a tough one to swallow….no one wants to think they won’t make it. I mean you put in the hours, work, effort. It’s as if your assured of a win.
Web Marketing Tips
May 15th, 2010 9:30 pm
Quite agree with you specially this phase I must say –
The Sexy Moments Happen – but are Often Few and Far Between
And when you realised that this one is sexy moment that disappear isn’t ?
NextBlogger
May 15th, 2010 10:11 pm
Hi Darren, I love your 4th point. Everybody must say, “There are No Guarantees” for anything … I have many experience with this case :)
Adam
May 15th, 2010 11:09 pm
Being a blogger is far from sexy I agree, there is so much to deal with in the birth of your blog, promotion, networking, getting links, design and branding all need to be put in practice very early on. And that is how any business starts off.
As I approach my first year as a blogger, I have had to overcome many obstacles, not least the technical but most importantly the emotions and phsycological impact it has had onmmy life, I have had to overcome –
1 Fear of failing
2 Stress
3 Worrying how it effects my personal life
4 thinking my content is not good enough
5 The strain of working into the dead of night and having to work the following day
6 Tiredness
I agree that not everyone can make it online, because you have to first have the mental capacity to deal with all these feelings, and take failure in your stride and learn from it, plus all the technical difficulties you will need to cope with.
If you can deal with these emotional hurdles, then you have a chance.
Jean Gogolin
May 15th, 2010 11:41 pm
Loved this one. And the corollary to “it’s hard work” is that if you want to be successful you have to do it even when you really, really don’t feel like it.
Impulse Magazine
May 16th, 2010 12:37 am
I think the most important point is that it takes time. most people think that they can get rich over night by starting a business online. It is just not that easy and it takes lots of time and dedication to succeed
Greg Nemer
May 16th, 2010 12:46 am
Your post is actually “sexy”.
People need to know the truth and stay away from hype.
Thanks for balancing things out.
Marc Black
May 16th, 2010 12:59 am
At some point you need to listen to yourself and follow your gut instinct instead of listening to those joboni “gurus”, after all the online world works just as similar to the outside world. Your doing everything right and seeing poor results, welcome to the real world of making money online…
Hard work and determination always pays off in the end even if at times it seems the internet is playing God with certain websites and blogs launching them into super stardom when your doing the same exact thing (and have better content) and just not “gettin er done”.
Dorothy Ray
May 16th, 2010 2:04 am
Thanks so much, Darren. Your honest unveiling of the unsexy side of internet blogging and marketing were a breath of fresh air to this introvert and newbie to the game.
Who can believe the sexy hoopla we’re constantly served about how anyone can make money overnight… If you just buy their course?
Carlos Villa
May 16th, 2010 2:18 am
You need focus. That has been said many times but few of us think of what it takes.
Wanting to make money online may need to get away from other purposes in life.
For example; it seems that a hidden rule fo MMOL is sharing limited information. Where is that limit? -Well, the line is drawn exactly where you want your readers to pay for more.
That is OK, but then aproaching the perils of overpitching, half truths and pink-colored easy systems is always there… as the sudden “amazing success” is also more likely to happen.
And it does happen, and two creatures emerge: the great online millionaire (one), and the frustrated, poorer wannabe (thousands).
Lito|TheFilipinoEntrepreneur.Com
May 16th, 2010 2:20 am
I thought only Filipinos have the most notable syndrome you called “Tall Poppy Syndrome”. We call it here “Crab Mentality” where your own country men will pull you down with their pincers. The reason why they are compared to a crab is because when you put a bunch of crabs in a container, none will get out because other crabs will pull them down.
the crazy suburban mom
May 16th, 2010 2:31 am
I worked on my blog every single day for 11 months, 5 plus hours a day before I made a dime.
ami | 40daystochange
May 16th, 2010 3:10 am
As someone with a love/hate relationship with the internet, I think an ugly truth is that sometimes, as you spend more and more time online and increase your focus and intensity – you get drawn into substituting the online world and online relationships for your face-to-face world and relationships. While I think that online relationships and friendships can be genuine and significant – I don’t think they should substitute for or infringe on your relationships with your flesh and blood spouse/partner or children or friends. I think it’s a difficult balance to strike b/c, when starting a business, you necessarily invest a lot of time and focus to make it successful. (as with a brick and mortar business) it’s important to remember to take breaks and re-engage with the physical world. :)
Val
May 16th, 2010 3:28 am
You are so right! I haven’t made it to the top yet, but have had some small successes that inspire me to keep plugging along. Not sure I’ve even hit the “break even point”. And that doesn’t count the untold hours and hours. Thankfully, I have my site more for “love” than money so it works for now.
Thanks for keeping it real.
Robin Sue
May 16th, 2010 4:04 am
This is all so true. There I days I could just hit delete and walk away, but then I think about why I blog, my family loves it, I have made some really great friends, and it is a great creative outlet.
Glenn A
May 16th, 2010 8:10 am
This post reminds me why Darren’s writings are so essential for people starting out.
I do believe most people go into the online business with faulty math. For example, what seems like realistic projections of traffic and conversation rates usually aren’t even close.
AdSense is AdCents. Affiliate programs rarely deliver. Amazon affil links usually aren’t worth the bother. Conversion rates suck, at best.
If you build it, they probably won’t come.
The failure rate is super high, if financial stability is the goal.
What I’ve learned is connected to what you said about starting 30 blogs and having 3 succeed.
Failures are learning opportunities if you can remove the ego. (Hate that part.) Cull the losers, continue to fine-tune the products that have some success and most importantly understand why they’re getting results.
Now if I can just take my own advice …
Boomer54 Mark
May 16th, 2010 10:09 am
Hey Darren,
You are in two 1% groups, first group, are the bloggers that make an incredible living from the internet and the second group is the one reveal that there is no get rich quick on the internet.
Everything and I mean everything takes hard work. You, Chris Brogan and Brian Clark are testaments.
So anybody reading this blog does not unsubscribe from the “internet gurus” and all their hype get what they deserve.
Thanks for telling the truth! Did anybody else catch that you have doing this for 8 Years!
Mark
Matthew Loop
May 16th, 2010 11:29 am
Hey Darren… Yes, it takes a lot of work, HOWEVER that doesn’t mean you have to do the work. This is a major pitfall newbies fall-into getting started. They try to “learn” and “do” everything themselves. I know… that’s initially what I did. Looking back, that was not the smartest thing to do because I didn’t value my time like I should’ve.
I made pretty good money but I just couldn’t keep up, as there was always something that needed to get done. Then, I began to leverage others resources / specialties and put a system in place that could work daily without me in the equation.
It takes time and many start slow because they are unaware that the fastest way to be successful and make the kind of money you want online, is to find someone that’s doing it and clone what they do or hire them to teach you.
You’re right… there are no guarantees. Most people just aren’t going to do what it takes because they’re not committed. Now, there are junk products out there as well and I’ve purchased my fair share. But, I find most just won’t do what it takes.
You do have to have a thick skin once you hit a certain success point online. I welcome constructive criticism but you have some people that just say unqualified things and attack you because their subconsciously jealous. I learned to get over it fast.
As long as you’re the “fail forward” type, have passion, and take massive consistent action, you’re going to move in the right direction and you will be successful online. Good post :)
Tyler "Cell" Davis
May 16th, 2010 11:30 am
No matter how un-sexy making money blogging is. Making money in a real job is still worse. Having to fill out tons of each sites own personal info with no guarantee of even a call back.
Matt
May 16th, 2010 12:48 pm
Here’s my unsexy truth…
I was recently talking to my Uncle who is a Potter. While admiring a coffee cup he made, I asked him how long it took to make. He said, “40 years and 15 minutes.”
What he meant was that it took 40 years to gain the needed experience and 15 minutes to actually make the cup I was holding. I think Blogging is very similar.
When A Listers talk about making thousands of dollars per month while only working a few hours per day, what they aren’t telling you is how long it took them to get to that point.
Richard Scott
May 16th, 2010 2:47 pm
Thank you for including my tweet in your post. That was very unexpected, but very cool.
There is not much that is sexy about what bloggers do. It takes unbelievable amounts of non-stop work and it pulls us into a monitor screen and away from our family and friends, the real world.
This post hits home with me. I feel better knowing these issues are common with everyone. It’s good to know that we are on this voyage together. Thanks again Darren!
Rob L
May 16th, 2010 2:55 pm
Very interesting post but some very good points are made and covered. Sometimes people get lured into a false sense of hope when it comes to making money on-line. While somethings are sexy and appealing about making money on-line, you steal have to work at it.
Josh
May 16th, 2010 3:02 pm
“Here’s my unsexy truth…
I was recently talking to my Uncle who is a Potter. While admiring a coffee cup he made, I asked him how long it took to make. He said, “40 years and 15 minutes.”
What he meant was that it took 40 years to gain the needed experience and 15 minutes to actually make the cup I was holding. I think Blogging is very similar.
When A Listers talk about making thousands of dollars per month while only working a few hours per day, what they aren’t telling you is how long it took them to get to that point.” Originally quoted by Matt
I think you’re right. I’ve been reflecting on this type of principle with regard to the music industry, as that is another part of the world I am involved in, and I’ve realized that this is especially true. Most of the bands that have a solid following worked probably for 10 years solid before they “got big”. Even still, they probably worked 10 years on learning their instruments through grade school and college before they even joined/formed the band they’re currently in that people recognize them for. Very few are as lucky to be the “superstars” most people know these days that get signed and have huge record deals after being discovered on Youtube.
Here’s to the long-haul.
Alex Dropshipping
May 16th, 2010 5:38 pm
Sometimes a little bit of sexiness would help you earn online. It is true that it may sound non-sense but if you would look deeper into what “Sexiness” can do you will realize that it is worth it being sexy at all. It is not only being sexy physically will help but you should be really sexy in everything you do. There are times that a simple thing such as forgetting to brush your teeth will affect your earning online. That could be true to some but it would be non-sense for others.
Anyway, Great article! Nice way to wake up people and realize the truth!
Thanks!
Alex
Teena
May 16th, 2010 7:10 pm
For me is one of the unsexy things on making money online well as you’ve already mentioned but in a different light, dare to fail…good observation I have to admit I enjoyed reading it.
Sanjay
May 16th, 2010 7:32 pm
This post is really good and informative for the beginners as well as to those who are on this path of making money online. Most of all I liked the two points that some people just wont make it and the one that works may not work on other blog. I have seen most of the people near me that they want to make money online but are not willing to take a long term approach.
Rakesh Narang
May 16th, 2010 8:23 pm
I totally like the idea but i think writing the content and then promoting it is the biggest issue.
I can write well and also know SEO but sometimes i can’t find readers.
My personal blog will be playing in riches and i have no doubt about it. I am ready to pay the price.
Stephen
May 16th, 2010 11:04 pm
Working from home and making a living from blogging/websites can sometimes be as dull as dishwater, unless you are one of the elite who can travel the world to speak at conferences etc.
That said, I prefer it to the daily commute.
We recently had a son, and my routine currently involves getting up at 4am so I can get a bit of work done while he is still asleep.
The one thing I do miss about not going out to work, and you made the point in number 7 (It can be lonley), is the interaction with work colleagues.
Sue Atkins
May 17th, 2010 12:23 am
I really enjoy reading your blogs and your advice as it’s just not that “easy” as the hype suggests and I particularly thought the comments about social media being a bit lonely for some personalities as really good point to ponder !
As an expert in my field as well as being a well recognised parenting author, it has still taken me a couple of years to turn what I write about into money – times are changing as Seth Godin points out in his great books and information is free and easy to access so to monetise a blog really does take a committment beyond the passion to communicate.
There are many fine writers blogging, some to inform and some to just purge their need to express themselves and it really is a wonderful way to connect with the global airways but to make a full time living at it really does take a strategy, committment and a written down goal.
However as a way to raise your profile, meet extraordinary people and to get invited into extraordinary places it has been a wonderful adventure and a way to pass on my passion for my subject.
It’s just not that easy – but then is anything easy that’s worthwhile in life?
jennydecki
May 17th, 2010 12:58 am
*wild applause* This may be my favorite post yet! I still have friends who see me in person and ask why I look so tired when I “only work on the internet when I want to” LOL
Mindi Lyons
May 17th, 2010 1:40 am
I’m fairly new to blogging and found this post very helpful, as the glorious pictures many paint about making money blogging can be both inspiring and discouraging at the same time. I think many bloggers give up because they had their head in the clouds from all those “blogging is sexy” speeches and when the reality of all the hard work and persistance that it takes to get there comes into play, many blogs fade away. Thanks for preparing us for the realities ahead. My family of six won’t fit in a Ferrari anyway. :-)
Pauline
May 17th, 2010 3:09 am
What a coincidence that I, too, happen to be in my PJs as I read this blog post :) (Fuzzy pink robe, to be exact). Thank you for publishing this Darren! As I’m starting out with my food & travel blog thetravelingspoon.tumblr.com, I’m also trying to figure out ways to make this a sustainable living while also meeting some challenges.
One “unglamorous” coin to the ideal “Work for Yourself” dream is that it really is dependent on just YOURSELF. Your business and its performance is 100% reliant on you – no back-up staff or team to pitch in the effort. It’s a blessing because you get to make the decisions, but it’s also a huge sense of pressure! If I’m having an off day and don’t feel like posting for the week, my blog suffers. And vice versa when there is high activity on my blog, it goes up the other way.
With glory comes the guts, right?
Syscl
May 17th, 2010 3:39 am
Thanks for sharing your thought and experience, for a newbie in the blogging world like me, I do agree with you, your post remind me a lot of things to be prepared.. nice post ;)
caleb aka weez
May 17th, 2010 7:50 am
One factor often overlooked is that you have to constantly play catch up with all the latest innovations in internet marketing in order to stay up to date…I talked about this in more detail on my blog in direct reference to this post.
Tresna
May 17th, 2010 1:42 pm
First of all I was expecting to build an income stream, you know the pipe and the bucket carrier story where building a pipe can give you passive income where even sleeping, the bucks pour in.
That’s what many are telling, like you said Darren even with a guarantee. But what they are selling to you actually is only a dream (selling dreams is a good business in my country, Indonesia)
But after I tried them and went through blogging and results as your point mentioned. Like any other work, It really takes a lot of effort. To add this it’s like digging but you’re far from knowing the location of the gold. It also requires skills and a change of mindset. It’s a like a chosen way of life, that’s why I like the evangelist approach to get new followers. I call it ‘infecting passion of blogging’ to newbie-s.
I also agree that some just don’t have it. Not that this field is exclusive to enter, but it is just because they have different mindset which comes to the basic question: why blog?.
Steve
May 18th, 2010 1:10 am
I’m still in the work and lot and make nothing mode. Still, I enjoy doing it. My “Day Job” seems to be running out and I have great hopes of online filling in the gap, but who knows if it will happen at the right time.
I like this article! It doesn’t pull punches and it doesn’t offer stupid dreams, “Go put a down payment on a Mercedes today!”
Edward
May 18th, 2010 3:19 am
Blogging is an online business – like any kind of business it can be different and it can bring different results. I completely agree that it is hard and pretty often it is hard as hell!
But you can make it sexy (though I guess it would not be that kind of sexy that the guy in the presentation was promising).
Aury (Thunderdrake)
May 18th, 2010 5:39 am
It’s ironic how being indulgent in social media like this can bring about feelings of loneliness. I can certainly see how that happens. Especially when one has to devote themselves to their profiles and the community’s etiquette in order to get that solid traffic.
I wouldn’t consider failure an unsexy truth though. Namely because people are so afraid of making mistakes, that they forget that it’s those very same mistakes that bring about huge change and success in life. I’ve made a TON of mistakes before I started the blog here, and I’m still jam packed full of mistakes on them today.
But blogging is still an awesome gig to follow, because of that sheer lenience on making mistakes alone. ^_^
Steve
May 18th, 2010 7:53 am
Hey Darren,
First off, thanks for posting this – it really shows your honesty. It does take work and it’s more of a slow going process.
I laughed when I saw your “messy hair” comment, but what really caught my attention was when you said,
“…but I know for quite a few people working alone in the front room of their house all day is enough to make them start to lose it.”
And I totally agree. It’s human nature to want to connect with other human beings – and doing it over the internet is just not enough.
My UnSexy Truth about making money online is that my computer has had more intimate time with me than my wife has ;)
Nic Penrake
May 18th, 2010 9:10 am
Hey, funny article, and refreshing to read such an honest account. I do get so tired of all the hype. Yes, we need to keep positive, but admitting that it’s a damn long slog is no bad thing.
Nic Penrake
Britt Michaelian
May 18th, 2010 10:04 am
Sexy is subjective when it comes to success. The reality is that even the “sexiest” of industries (Hollywood, fashion, cars, etc) aren’t all that sexy behind the scenes. For the most part, the people who rise to the top are the ones who play the game with enough intelligence to develop a winning strategy and overcome the odds (persistence). On top of that, success depends largely on mindset as much as it is a reflection of your work ethic and your bank account.
The reality is that whether you are in your PJs or a suit- if you want to be successful, you need to work at it and you have to play the game to win. Just as you said, I always tell my clients that failure is part of success, so embrace it as part of the process!
As much as I hate to admit it… looks, charisma, talent and luck will always win in any industry (online or off) because people want to be entertained and these are simply the characteristics that most people enjoy.
Thanks for sharing an awesome post that is full of the truth about what it takes to be successful- really in any industry but specifically online. It is a refreshing perspective that demonstrates your strength of character and lack of ego that more successful people would benefit from engaging in!
Personal Trainer in Scottsdale
May 18th, 2010 12:02 pm
People always just think that you lucked into it. Most people don’t understand the hours of sitting in front of a computer working your butt off.
Shaun
May 19th, 2010 6:21 am
10. The Internet is Always Changing
The internet is constantly changing and no matter how great your content is and how popular it may be you can always be faced with new challenges such as more competition emerging in a niche or be devalued by Search Engines.
The only thing you can do is to create value and hope that over the long term your site/blog will be rewarded.
Neal
May 19th, 2010 7:02 pm
Hi Darren,
Good piece, I get daily emails saying how “so and so” makes six figure sums and buy this and be milllionaire by lunchtime. Sitting in my pj’s with my coffee, deciding whether to shave is the harsh reality. It doesn’t land on your plate and you end up putting in more hours than you ever did in a regular job. But hell it’s still more fun than proper work.
Robbi
May 19th, 2010 7:02 pm
Dear Darren,
I 100% agree with your article above, online earning is sexy or maybe too sexy if you can find the right way there. i hope i can find it and thank you for sharing.
Jeff Sararas
May 19th, 2010 7:41 pm
I dunno Darren, I think alot of women would find putting your “kids through a good education” and helping “set up a feeding program for starving kids” to be pretty damn sexy. In fact, some of those very women are my friends!
Anyway, a brilliant and humble post (and brilliant in it’s humility), but I took issue with one commenter chiding you about the word ‘alot’. Probably by mistake, I know, but I’m starting a movement and blogged about it!
http://www.jeffsararas.com/2010/05/17/a-lot-vs-alot-get-over-it/
Youlanda Burnett
May 20th, 2010 5:57 am
For me, being in music and an Indie Label. I find that it is a CONSTANT search for opportunities. The more I am out there “online” the more people are commenting and people are just not very nice. Tyra called them online haters. Maybe it’s because you are doing what they wish they could. I don’t know, but I tell you, it is not sexy!
-
Ellie Yamane
May 20th, 2010 7:26 am
Even the sexy show business is not so in the back stage.
Clip
May 20th, 2010 4:49 pm
As you said, this is about time and scaling, there is no sudden results as most people will be investing a lot of time creating online presence and after that will need to escalate researching how to grow what has been achieved.
M. LaNard Payne
May 21st, 2010 2:44 am
I like to think that I put out quality content so the actual writing and editing take the longest for me…. I don’t focus on over posting (spamming) for SEO purposes… I know in the long run if you have a valuable product then it will sell itself..
Getting Rich Slowly,
LaNard
http://www.EverydayUplift.com
Sachin
May 21st, 2010 5:26 pm
I agree with all these…these are really scary but true …thanks for exposing these in this post…
Tom
May 23rd, 2010 10:31 pm
Spot on. I wrote my very first blog post on this topic:
http://blog.clientbag.com/2010/05/04/dont-be-naive/
|t’s nothing special, but I had to start somewhere :)
farouk
May 24th, 2010 11:02 pm
this post is so amazing to be true
every word is perfectly right and i strongly agree with everything you said!!
Gis Center
May 25th, 2010 6:07 pm
These are great contents. Surely you can use some or all of them whether you are new to blogging or not.
Keep it coming man. Problogger has become a guide book for me as I build my own platform.
road2technology
May 26th, 2010 12:18 pm
Time is the most important factor. It takes ages to write quality post and publish it. Its hard to get PR in the beginning. The only thing bloggers can do is keep posting and keep waiting
Arsene Hodali
May 26th, 2010 12:28 pm
Great post!
I’m especially glad you talked about “how much work it is” and “how lonely it is”. These two things combined surely suck. But it’s a long road that few can handle.
I think it was Hugh MacLeod who said (in one fo his drawings):
“You’re either the social sheep, or the lonely wolf.”
Mario
May 27th, 2010 3:30 am
I want to add this advice even though it seems to be the opposite what many guru:
First make sure you get a day job if you haven’t one already!
Reasons:
Worrying about your income and struggling making ends meet will destroy the strongest weapon you might have for your on-line adventure: your creativity.
A day job forces you to use your valuable time better when you are on-line. No unnecessary stumbling etc.
Jeff Sararas
May 27th, 2010 6:53 am
@Arsene – Great point, and isn’t funny how so many of us in the ’social web’ are lone wolves!
@Mario – I agree in the sense that you have to get your needs met, but sometimes ‘going for it’, Ie quitting the job, is what makes *room* for creativity to breathe and grow. I absolutely had to quit my day job in order to take the internet business seriously..
Adam
May 27th, 2010 12:18 pm
I’ve read every blog I thought I could read to learn and get a leg up when I launched mine. While the reading was great and I think gave me a good base to start at. However, I’ve learned that there is nothing like getting in and learning the ropes.
Net Success
May 27th, 2010 3:33 pm
I just agree that it takes a long time to build up momentum and over a year to see profitable gains. Once you have that momentum thought it becomes more of a habit and is hard to quit and you seem to just keep going. Blogging is my life!
Bobby Casey
May 28th, 2010 3:24 am
Great article. Most people seem to think it is easy money, but fail to understand that online or off, it requires a lot of hard work.
Spyros
May 28th, 2010 6:20 pm
I don’t think that there is much to add here. This is pretty concrete already. I would go for the “hell lot of work” element. This is severely important and can help a person reach success.
Streaming TV Shows
May 31st, 2010 7:28 am
I laughed a lot on that picture :)))
Good luck :)
mk akan
June 1st, 2010 11:04 pm
these are all true..unfortunately marketers don’t always say this when they are peddling their products…many are caught in the riptides of lies and are suckered into buying products because it seems to be so easy …making money offline or online takes work..but you will have more leverage online ..but it is not that sexy…
thelamest(dot)com
June 3rd, 2010 3:26 pm
I would say this was a great read if it wasn’t so deflating :(
I hope I have a different idea of what other people consider an online success.
For me I want to earn a bit more money then I currently do in my day job, meaning I can work full time on my own projects.
I’ll happy if blogging gives me even a glimmer of a chance of becoming a super rich web rock star and in the meantime do enough for me to provide for my young family etc.
I know it’ll take hard work which I’m willing to put in but I don’t see myself leaving my day job anytime soon.
Lou
June 4th, 2010 12:25 pm
Great post. We all need a bit of a reality check sometimes. And carpal tunnel is not very sexy.
Soledad Goodrow
June 7th, 2010 3:11 pm
Regardless if it’s political or religious views, race, size, or orientation- everyone deserves to be and become who they are. Let’s not make anyone feel bad they’re something else.
jackson rodgers
June 25th, 2010 7:35 am
Making money blogging is a lot of work but it should be a lot of work. Anyways, I would rather make money blogging than by working 9-5 but am not ready to quit my day job just yet.
Shauna@BreathingProsperity
July 18th, 2010 9:12 am
Oh, thank God! You’ve provided me with the explanation I’ve been attempting to give my significant other about what’s really involved in working (and playing) online…the learning curves, the trial and error, and the reasons it’s just not the same for everyone – it’s utterly different, for each person, each niche, each blog, each website, etc..
Appreciate your honesty, Darren, and hopefully it will help encourage some people to keep going, and others to quit by realizing they are not willing to do what it takes – hey, if that’s the truth best to face it! :)
I wish you continued outrageous success with ocassional sexy moments,
Shauna
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