You’re not a mechanic if you’re not getting your hands dirty
Get your hands dirty, now.
I see so many newbie marketers who haven’t made a dime online in the three (or five, or more…) years they’ve been claiming to be in business, yet they’ve invested thousands of dollars in every ebook, course, software package or script that’s been marketed to them. Well, I guess in a case like that, they’ve ‘spent’ thousands, since the word ‘invested’ should indicate some sort of return…
It’s sad when you think about it. You don’t really ‘need’ to buy any tools other than what you already have on your computer. Other than that, you need at least one domain name ($10 a year), a hosting account (under $20 a month), and the rest can be done with free software, like WordPress.
Yes, once you get moving and growing your online business it’s a good idea to invest in tools that will make your job easier, but you have to get moving first. That’s the key. And the best way to get moving after you’ve chosen something to sell is to write something and put it online, then write something else and put that online too, then keep writing. Do it consistently.
Remember, you can have as many domain names, hosting accounts, blogs, ebooks, software packages, scripts, tools… as you like, but if you’re not using all those tools to put content online, all you’ve done is waste your money. You have nothing.
A person who wants to be a mechanic can buy stacks of repair manuals and $25,000 worth of tools, but if he’s not using the knowledge or tools and getting his hands dirty every day, he’s not really a mechanic. All he’s done is read stuff and spend $25,000.
Don’t spend too much time or money up front unless you need it to propel your business to the next level.
If you already spent a small fortune yet have nothing to show for it, don’t buy that next big thing the marketers are promising will bring boatloads of cash and traffic. You probably won’t use it anyway. Instead, take that money and pay down your credit cards, mortgage or car payments. Or better yet, put it in your kids college fund.
Get real. Start creating content and putting it online. Otherwise, you have nothing.
This is the first real post here on the ViiPR.com blog. As I write this, the template still needs work, there are no about, contact pages or terms of service. There are no plugins installed. But there’s one real post now.
Put your fingers on the keyboard and start writing, then click the publish button. Do it now.
By Paul on December 4th, 2009
Hey Paul!
I found your blog through a comment you made on the guest post on problogger RE: fighting procrastination.
I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to research. If there was a picture to accompany the phrase ‘paralysis by analysis’, it would be me. I spent months before I even had a wordpress theme picked out exploring and investigating ‘how to make money online’ – even though I know from experience – a 20 year career in Information Technology – that the majority of these things are no more than hype and no more than the old how to make a jillion dollars” schemes you used to see advertised in the classified section of your newspaper!
Well, I bit the bullet and just recently launched http://www.donpower.ME – I have no idea really where it’s going yet but I finally knew that I just had to publish it already!! I was tired of waiting to have all the answers before I went live.
And what a relief!
Now, I already have an idea for a 2nd blog where I can actually define a niche audience and perhaps have something I can make a go of. But I know that I need to fight, once again, my propensity to research the good out of everything – rather than just pushing forward and taking action!
In any event, in my quest for how to be successful in this new frontier, I”m glad to run across people like yourself who are going through similar experiences as me (and who do NOT come across as hypesters of the next best thing!).
Thanks for the commiseration
@donpower
Hi Don. The best way to get started with anything, is to get started, and getting started doesn’t include the research.
Today I sat down in front of the computer and researched and wrote 10 articles. While some people can just sit there and pound out that much content before their morning coffee finishes brewing, I’ve let myself slip into a rut this past few months.
I literally had to fight with myself to get them finished to the point where they’re ready for a quick proofread tomorrow.
But when I saved the last file, I had the satisfaction of a feeling of accomplishment. Not only that, but I also know tomorrow will be a lot easier. My goal is five articles a day in addition to my other projects, like this blog, Twitter, getting my name back out there via comments on blogs and forums, etc.
Funny how quickly procrastination can take over too. Just a few months ago I was pumping out content like mad, but I’m getting back into the trenches and it feels great.