Are you making at least $1 k per month? That's a question that a member of Adland Pro forums wanted to know. (in the Internet forums) Many people replied to say "not yet, but they're persisting." The member then posted to ask; "If no one is making at least $1,000 per Month, why are they spending all this time on promoting them?" I would like to answer that here, since this is the "new to profit" forum. Usually, people spend a lot of time on techniques that don't make them any money because they are doing what everyone does. Everyone can't be wrong, can they? So, they follow the lead of other people that aren't making any money. A classic case of the blind leading the blind. And don't take that as an insult. You have no way to know who is really making a profit, do you? And yes, I do know that some people, in any given program, are making money. Less than 5%, usually. The other 95% are busy encouraging each other to keep using techniques that don't work. The good news is that it doesn't have to be that way. As Jim Rohn said; "Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day." He's right. Change what you do, and you change what you get. Keep doing what you're doing, and you'll keep getting what you've been getting. Positive thinking isn't the answer Many people believe they just need to "think positive" and keep trying. Not true. Encouragement and positive thinking can help when there is a psychological barrier in place. For example; prior to 1954, doctors said that the human body could not run a mile in less than 4 minutes. When Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile in 1954, he broke a psychological barrier. In the next 3 years, 16 more runners broke the 4 minute mile. There is no such psychological barrier about making money online. We've all heard the stories of people like Rosalind Gardner earning $400,000 per year, or Cherie Hammer, who just wanted to stay home with her baby, and earns about $100,000 per year. If we haven't heard those, we've heard others. We already know it's possible. So why aren't more people doing it? The true barrier to success If you were in an unfamiliar city and had to get to a specific destination, having a map would help, wouldn't it? It would allow you to plot your journey from where you are to where you want to go. If you turned onto a dead end street, all the positive thinking won't help. You would need to get off the wrong path and on the right path. It's the same way with making a profit online. Maybe you have the wrong map. Or no map at all. Or a map drawn by someone that doesn't know how to get there any more than you do. Maybe you're on a dead end street, but you don't even know it. Lack of a plan to guide you is the true barrier to success. If you are like most people, you lack a plan because you lack the know-how to create one. 74% of all wealth in America today is made by people who started their own business. They are not geniuses. They are ordinary people like you and me. Many of them have only a high school education. What they have, that you do not, is a step by step plan to achieve their goals. And then they follow it. Before you pump yourself up with positive thinking and give yourself a pep talk about working harder and promoting more, perhaps you need to ask yourself a question. Do you have the know-how to create a step by step success map? If not, please do make use of the help and tools that Bogdan provides his members. Join us in the What's Your Dream? thread. We'll be teaching members how to create a plan, step by step. All you need to join in is a piece of paper, a pencil and a dream. It's here; P.S. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to post them here. : ) Linda

Thanks for invite and some really important info Linda. Things like this should all networkers know about. Take care now..

This is a really good post Linda. You know, I have taught small business planning at a Tertiary level and yet when I got in front of my computer all that "theory" went out the window. The sheer size and mass of the Internet market can actually trick you in to thinking that surfing a few traffic exchanges and placing a few ads, buying a few leads and presto you'll be rich. It's only in the last 12 months that I've started to apply the same principles that I teach that I've started to do OK and I use the word OK advisedly.

Linda, Hello again. This is a very interesting post. We are all here with a Dream to be successful with our Online Businesses or our Home Based Businesses. The 80/20% rule does come into play here. A few will make it and many will not. Some are just plain talented, some are gifted, some are just not willing to do what it takes, and many just give up and quit way too quickly. I know we hear the stories of the overnight wonders and we hope. I love your quote by Jim Rohn. He is one of my favorites. I also like the quote for the definition of insanity: "To keep on doing something you know doesn't work and expecting different results." Sometimes it is hard to tell what doesn't work and when is the time to quit and go a different direction. We certainly don't want to waste our precious time, but we also don't want to give up too soon. What we need is a crystal ball. :) I am on a journey, learning from different mentors, reading, testing, researching, and doing. The journey has been very interesting so far and I have met some great people along the way. It is also fun to share my discoveries with others and to help smooth the path for other seekers. Thanks for your generosity in sharing with us here in your Forums. You are appreciated.

Hi Mark This is a really good post Linda. Thank you, Mark! :) You know, I have taught small business planning at a Tertiary level and yet when I got in front of my computer all that "theory" went out the window. The sheer size and mass of the Internet market can actually trick you in to thinking that surfing a few traffic exchanges and placing a few ads, buying a few leads and presto you'll be rich. It's only in the last 12 months that I've started to apply the same principles that I teach that I've started to do OK and I use the word OK advisedly. You're absolutely right, and that same thing happens to a lot of people. I remember the first time I worked with an actress and was introduced to the IMDB. (Internet Movie Database) She was filming a movie and preparing for the Golden Globes, so I went to update her profile for her. Right there on the site was a message. It was written to aspiring actors and actresses - and said "preying on the newbie is a cottage industry in every trade. There are lots of people that want to sell you their "secrets" to making it in film. Keep in mind that if their secrets worked, why wouldn't they be USING them instead of hawking them online?" That's what happens in marketing and sales, too. So many people want everyone to believe there are secrets to it. There are no secrets. It's as simple as creating a plan, knowing your product, and then learning what type of networking and promotion is effective. Basic business concepts, that's all. Just applied in a different medium is all. Okay, getting off the soapbox for a while! I'm looking forward to watching you grow, though... I can see by your comments and posts that you're someone to watch. : ) Linda