How to Make Money Online

Common myths on How to Make Money Online

1. It is easy - anyone can do it.
   This is a myth. It is absolutely true that it is easier, cheaper, and quicker than any time in history, to start a company from scratch, and become profitable. Unquestionable.
   
   However, NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT!
   
   Think of it this way.
   
   There are instructions on the Internet on how to do just about anything. Like how to replace your car engine, or fix your garage door, or fly a plane.
   
   

   And the tools, in most cases, can be obtained.
   
   

   But it doesn't mean everyone is equipped to do it.
   
   

   A lot of this is mental. One's psychology. One's willingness to gain knowledge, gain experience, learn from failures, and persist. If you are willing to do all these things, then yes. It will be easy (compared to other ways of making money).
   
   

   But the problem is that the people who are most attracted by this promise of making money quickly are usually individuals who are either desperate (desperation leads to short-term thinking, and reduces your chances of success), or to be frank, lazy (laziness leads to short-cut seeking, and reduces your chances of success.
   
   

2. Regular business rules don't apply.
   This is a myth. Traditional business rules for the most part, still apply. But it is a lot cheaper to reach your customer, to advertise, and to distribute your goods.
   
   

3. It is all a scam.
   This is a myth. There are unscrupulous snake oil salesmen on the Internet, as there are in most other industries. So while you should ensure that you trust the information source before handing over your credit card information... don't close yourself to the possibility of a different (maybe better) way of earning a living.
   
   

4. You can make "good money" quickly.
   This is largely a myth. If you're starting from square one, results won't appear overnight. If you already have a following, however, you can introduce a brand new product to them, and make money quickly. For newbies, be ready for a lot of learning, a lot of time spent building a foundation of content and contacts... but also expect eventual success.

   So it' s not easy.

   But it's worth it.

   Working hard at making money online for 2 years, could change the subsequent 50 years of your life. Instead of trading time for dollars, you'll get to a point where the dollars are flowing in with minimal care-and-feeding from you. And you can pursue your true calling at that point.
   
   

5. The product launch: You must get in on this NOW, or miss out forever.
   This is a myth. Internet Marketing gurus have been studying human psychology, and realize that scarcity increases demand. Don't be swayed by the hype. Weigh every decision carefully. Then, take action one way or another.
   
   

6. If I build it, success will come.
   Having a nice web site is not enough. You must generate traffic. You must build a relationship with your visitors, and build trust. Only then will they buy from you.
   
   

7. I don't have the time to build an online business.
   If you've ever held down two jobs, this is the same thing. Work at night. Work on weekends. But ensure you have a guide or mentor, so that your work during these stolen moments is not wasted.
   
   

8. It costs too much to start an online business.
   This is a myth. It's more affordable than ever. You can start a free web site (blog), sell other people's products and maintain no inventory (affiliate marketing), and even advertise for free (social marketing). BUT, it will take time. And it will take quality content and relationship-building.
   
   

9. I don't have a product to sell.
   You don't need one, starting out. In fact, you shouldn't start with your own product. Learn the basics on someone else's product. Once you have your skills, system, and experience in place, then develop your own product.
   
   

10. Getting visibility on Google's front page will be next to impossible, unless I spend a ton.
    This is a myth. There are tools to help you gain top rankings in Google. That won't break the bank.
    
    

11. There's too much competition.
    This is a myth. You can beat the competition as long as you have tools that let you laser-focus on profitable keywords.

Stop seeking the easy way to wealth.

It often signals desperation (short-term thinking),
or sloth (short-cut seeking).

- Anon

How to Make Money Online - The Basic Formula

The formula for how to make money online is actually straightforward:

1. Identify your niche.
   That is - your target topic, and target audience. You could do it based on your existing interests, or based on profitable niches to go into. Ideally, you would find the intersection of the two. The secret on how to make money online is to do something you love (to help you persevere through the hard times) that is in high demand. (Videos on underwater cave basket-weaving may not exactly be the key to your riches.)
   
   

2. Determine what products of value you can provide to that niche.
   Do some research. Find out what that audience thinks about, worries about, has pains about. Then, look for affiliate products that match those needs. (A google search on "pain + affiliate program" should do the trick.)
   
   

3. Establish a presence online.
   It doesn't have to be a web site. It can be a blog, a Squidoo page, a series of eZine articles, Oprius landing pages, etc. This is how you start to make money online. Make it easy for people to find you. Once they do find you, we'll have to address the next step. Providing value, and building relationships.
   
   

4. Build your target audience, via a mailing list.
   A mailing list is the key weapon to have in your arsenal. Oprius and Aweber are great tools to use here. You'll want this to enable dialog with your audience.
   
   
5. Create value for that niche.
   Now that you have a web presence, and a mailing list tool, with useful, differentiated information
   
   

6. Create lead capture pages.
   You'll need to give a lot of value away, for free, on your web presence. This builds trust, and lets your audience know you're a fly-by-night individual, who's just out for self. Sincerely help your audience. Since you're passionate about the niche you've chosen, you should have the drive and interest to help these folks.

   The lead capture pages will come into play when you're ready to offer free eBooks, a newsletter subscription, or something else of value to the audience. At no cost to the audience.

   Those who have enough of a need to submit their email address, for that free content, are your leads.
   
   

7. Monetize your presence online by linking to affiliate products.
   Sites like ClickBank.com, CommissionJunction.com list thousands of affiliate products. As you learn how to make money online, you'll want to learn how to pick the best affiliate programs.
   
   

8. Build relationships with those people, provide more value, and sell more affiliate products over time.
   Tools like Oprius will allow you to automate a lot of your email conversations. And automate your product recommendations to subscribers of your mailing list.

   With a small mailing list, you won't get much (if any) revenue flowing in. But keep at it. See how the system you are building today, will be much more leveraged than exchanging an hour of work for an hour of pay - as you do with your 9-to-5 job now.
   
   

9. Create your own information product, and sell to your list.
   After you have steady lead flow, and steady revenue, from affiliate products, you should then look into creating your own information product. Thus, instead of getting 5-50% of the profits, in commissions, you get 100%. And, you further build your influence and leverage, as other people sell your product for you (to get commissions).

How to Make Money Online - 12 Skills Required

Best Way to Build the Skills to Make Money Online

After spending countless days, weeks, months, and years, developing my skills for making money online, I was fascinated to find newbies to the Internet performing better than I was.

I learned a hard lesson - it is much better to be EFFECTIVE than it is to be EFFICIENT.

Think of a cross-country race. One person is Lance Armstrong. The other is a couch potato who never exercises.

Lance has the latest technology in racing bikes. He has the experience. He's in the best shape of his life.

The couch potato has a plane ticket.

Who do you think would win?

It's much better, in other words, to find an effective system, and use that... than to work yourself to the bone, trying to squeeze water out of a rock.

Many of the newbies who I've found doing well have been students of Renegade University.

I joined about a month ago, at the Professional level, and I've been very pleasantly surprised. The click-by-click videos cover all the categories, all the skills, listed above.

Check out Renegade University - you can sign up for free, and get access right away. It could be your plane ticket for how to make money online.

Remember - there are no short cuts. Especially on the Internet, those turn out to be Get Rich Quick schemes that take your money, and sell you false hope.

But there are best practices.

Success leaves clues. Follow those clues, work hard, persevere, and you will succeed, too.

Which myths did you find most familiar? What about the skills?

Based on the list of myths and skills above, what was familiar, and what was totally new to you?

I think folks will be surprised by what readers have to say!