What Really Works Online? Who You Can Trust?



The information is out there - clearly some people are making a healthy living from the Internet - but the choice is frightening. We fear making the wrong decision; losing what we have; failing; looking stupid; being conned; or just missing out altogether. Perhaps it would be better to simply do nothing!

This article is about this fear and how to overcome it. It offers insights from my personal journey through the maze and encourages you to take similar action and get started. This is how I approached the challenge of finding something that would work for me. I hope it might contribute to your search too.

Step 1: Take Responsibility For Your Own Financial Destiny

I have run my own businesses for most of my working life so you would think that taking responsibility for my own financial destiny would be nothing new! I had a real wake up call recently when I realised that the current world economic climate was putting a severe dent in my offline businesses, squeezing cash flow, and eating our "rainy day" savings at an alarming rate!

I found myself blaming pretty well everyone that I could think of. Governments for creating the mess, banks for suddenly changing their lending criteria, people who I had taken "bad" advice from, my son for wanting a new games console when we didn't have the money - the list went on and on!

Here was a person who had effectively been self-reliant for the best part of thirty years, raging at the world and about to throw in the towel, roll over, and die! I had forgotten that ultimately we are each responsible for our own destiny. The world situation might have a background role to play but each of us decides how we are going to face that.

My first tip: Stop whining and take personal responsibility for your situation.

Step 2: Decide What Your Business Is Going To Stand For.

I knew I wanted to work on a business that would fit around my existing work and family commitments and I had a sneaking suspicion that it was possible to do something with the Internet. My inbox was constantly full with promises of generating "Instant Online Wealth" but which of these could I trust or believe?

I needed something to anchor myself to, some base line to start from on my search. One of my business mentors taught me that ALL businesses were based on building relationships with people: "People don't buy from companies they buy from people, and generally people they like!" I wondered if it was quite so true online. The process of buying something on the web is quite remote, a few clicks of a button and the product is winging it's way to you or available for instant download. All without any personal involvement at all!

When I looked at my own online buying history I realised that, for me at least, this business truth still held true. I was actually buying from the online persona developed by the seller - I would never actually meet them in person but their story was important to me. If I didn't like the way this was portrayed I left it alone, but if I felt a resonance I would probably buy! It seemed to me that those businesses who were prepared to build a long term relationship with their customers were more likely to succeed. This was the path I decided to follow.

This decision to follow this online business model immediately acted as a filter. I rejected any that were more about the seller getting rich than about helping me to develop both personally and financially! Did I miss out on many good opportunities in doing so? Undoubtedly! Could other people make these systems work? Almost certainly. I am not saying one approach is right and another wrong but that each individual should align themselves with an approach that resonates with them.

So, my second tip is: Decide what you want your online business to stand for.

Step 3: Model Yourself On The Best People You Can Find

If this is a new business for you then you need to find someone who has already achieved the results you seek and copy exactly what they do. This is called "modeling" and is a great starting point for any new venture. It stops you trying to reinvent the wheel and prevents you wasting valuable resources such as money and time!

I received an e-mail from an internet marketer I respected who was involved with The Wealthy Affiliate University. I had a look at their resources and knew immediately that I found exactly what I was looking for. The business model was there, the resources were there, and, most importantly to me, the business relationship was there.

My third tip: Model the success of someone who has already achieved what you want.

Remember the 1,2,3:

Take Responsibility For Your Destiny; Decide What Your Business Will Stand For; Model Someone Who Has Succeeded.

Copyright (c) 2008 Steve Cowley