“Can Regular People Make Money Online?” he asked…

A dialog with a person struggling with the BIG online business questions we all have in the beginning…

I got a really good question from Pete, one our long-time blog readers last week.

It was long! He warned me first thing that this was going to be a long question. And it started like this:

“My name is Pete, and I’ve been receiving your emails for a little while now. But I’ve never purchased anything, largely because I’m VERY inexperienced with all this online earning stuff and so a little unclear about how to proceed.”

Ugh, these are the kinds of questions we get and I think, “Oh, boy… here we go?”

Sometimes, these can border something similar to a $1000 coaching call, and a lot of trainers would respond with a buy button to a coaching program, but Pete’s questions were so good and so organized, I thought it might be helpful to tackle it publicly to help a lot of folks at once.

And Peter agreed to let me respond to him here so I could share it with you too.

The main question that jumped out at me was this:

“Can regular people like me make money online? Or is some super-human skill required?” 

Interesting question, I thought. Of course, the answer is “YES” – almost anyone can do this. But, coming from me – the guy who obviously benefits from the affirmative answer,  I decided to post the question in our Insiders Club and see what they thought about it  from their experience.

Their unedited Facebook comments are included where appropriate.

A few of our community members responded like this:

You’ll find that everyone who is successful online is a “regular” person with a very unique focus and drive.

Let’s dig in…

Here’s a first response from Stephanie:

Stephanie makes a really good point. The business world is changing at light speed due to technology and new ways of making money. We have to adapt to remain viable every day.

What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow, so it’s really important to be part of a community that works together. Two (or even a 1000) heads are better than one.

But, make no mistake, even a “granny” can do this Stephanie says.

What about Pete? Can he make money online?

Let’s find out. Luckily, I have his story in his own words.

“I’m wrestling with whether or not to take the plunge, not only with MyNAMS Insiders Club but also with ‘digital marketing’ itself…I have no experience or real knowledge about online businesses. My background is actually in Christian education and various ministry-related fields…But about three years ago, I became the primary caregiver for a homebound, dementia-afflicted friend, making it impossible for me to maintain anything resembling a ‘day job.’

I’ve spent the last three years looking for ways to do (something else). And all roads seem to lead back to online stuff in one form or another…I just don’t know how to earn a living like this. And, to be honest, I’m not even sure it’s really possible… though I’ve heard a lot of fascinating rumors!”

Ah, the fascinating rumors!

That’s what intrigues us all, right? We hear about the success that everyone else is having, and it looks so easy according to them.

Pete’s doing the right thing – asking questions. I love this guy. He’s laying it all out there for everyone to see. But he’s got more…

“What’s more, of all the candidates for this kind of thing, I’m probably the worst. I’m a middle-aged geezer with no ‘list’ (or knowledge of how to get one), no ‘product’ (or savvy about how to create one), no ‘niche’ (or sense of how to find one) and, frankly, no real clue about any of this stuff.

But I desperately need a way to make a modest home-based income… And I’m willing — even eager — to work at this with the same kind of ethic I’d apply to any other business pursuit. But I don’t even know where to begin.”

Pete’s given us some great clues about himself.

First, he’s got enough gumption to reach out and ask questions. That makes him a very good candidate for creating a business online if what he says is true.

• He’s motivated to the point of desperation: “I desperately need a way to make a modest home-based income…”
• He’s willing to work: “I’m willing — even eager — to work at this with the same kind of ethic I’d apply to any other business pursuit.”
• But he has no confidence in his ability to translate his past experience into an online business: “…no real clue about any of this stuff”
• And he has a bit of a concern the world has passed him by, even though he doesn’t tell us how old he is: “I’m a middle-aged geezer with no ‘list’”

We want to help Pete get clear on two things:

1. Is he a candidate for doing business online?
2. Let’s set the right expectations for what is required to succeed.

That’s our main goal. But we also want to eliminate his excuses from the get-go. To do that, we’ve enlisted our Insiders to recount their stories.

The first one we tackle is age…

Age is not an issue. Willingness to learn and stay healthy are the key elements.

This is Ute, a grandmother first, German immigrant (many years ago) who had to learn English, and then became a writer too. Now, she’s writing books.

Age doesn’t seem to have anything to do with it. I said “Happy Birthday” to one of our folks a few weeks ago who turned 90.

Ninety! And she has a thriving online business.

As Ute says, “…it is totally possible to succeed if you clear what you want…if willing to learn, trial & error (never give up)…”

Willingness and desperation may work against each other…

I’ve found a very interesting connection between willingness and hope.

It’s almost circular. The more hope you have, the more willingness you acquire. The more willingness you get, the more hope you have.

But desperation is a double-edged sword. Desperation causes stress. If you can control the stress, a desperate longing (or what Napoleon Hill called a ‘burning desire’ in Think and Grow Rich) can be just the motivator to achieve what you want quickly.

But if you’re desperate to pay the rent, that stress can quickly eat into every thought and action you take, sucking the life right out of you. That’s why it’s so important to have a future vision.

Keeping your job, but creating the right plan to achieve what you want, can be exactly the answer for some.

Paul Taubman, one of our Insiders and a NAMS Instructor, made the switch from full-time, demanding job to full-time (and still demanding) online business person probably better than anyone I’ve known personally.

Paul came up with a plan to turn his hobby into a business. And he stuck to the plan.

Confidence comes with experience

Kevin Riley, one of our early NAMS Instructors and a MyNAMS Insider as well, told the story of how he tackled his online business after faltering the first time.

Ten years after his first, ill-timed attempt, Kevin discovered the secret to building a successful business online: Filling a gap after seeing a clear market need.

He found success quickly. After 10 years.

The key is to have the tenacity to persist and persevere. If you’re the kind of person who gets discouraged easily, you’re probably not going to be successful online.

Some days you’re going to feel beat up.

You have to be able to survive those days cheerfully to tackle the next day. That takes a special type of person.

And if you don’t have confidence in your ability, you’ll quickly be discouraged. But truthfully, overcoming the failures are what builds your confidence. So, you must embrace the challenges, and failure, to learn the lessons quickly.

No one likes failure, but if you see it for what it is – opportunity, you will progress fast.

It requires mastery. Building your confidence requires you to win occasionally. Remember Thomas Edison’s quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Sue Painter, one of the NAMS instructors and a long-time Insiders Club member, said she wasn’t sure a “regular person” could become an entrepreneur.

And she has a really good point. Anyone who is focused on the “safety of a 9 to 5 gig” as she puts it will never make it with any business, online or offline.

Back to Pete: He has a list of questions…

1. Can a guy like me REALLY go from zero to a modest but consistent monthly income doing this?

2. Which of your many products would you recommend for a guy like me?

3. What’s the difference between your approach and that of others?

4. Do you primarily train folks to be affiliates?

5. How long before I’m making money?

6. What should I expect to spend on things like start-up costs and monthly memberships?

7. Do you teach business administration, as well as marketing and tech stuff?

8. Are there legal issues?

9. What if I’m not a big social media guy?

10. Do I have to work in the make-money-online space to make money online?

11. What’s the bottom line?

Since this is getting a little long, we answer all of these questions clearly and briefly in a special free report…

If you’re the kind of person who wants to know what it REALLY takes to build your business online, or improve the one you already have, then grab the report where we answer all these questions. In detail.

And we include links to a few resources like a free software (worth $288) to help you be legally compliant with all the government requirements to do business safely.

Grab the report below.

Before you go, let’s talk about one more thing. That’s the process that we’ve developed for doing business successfully. We call it the 1-2-3 method.

1. The first step is getting absolutely clear on what makes you tick, and why you want to create an online business.
2. Next, you go for the money. Business is about solutions to problems and helping people solve those problems as much as possible. But business without cash is a nightmare waiting to happen.
3. And finally, ongoing team, training and tools help students stay on track with a vibrant support community, more fundamental business training and the right tools to do the job as efficiently as possible.

You can get access to the entire 1-2-3 method in our MyNAMS Insiders Club. I encourage you to check it out ASAP and get seriously focused on building your business.