Memberships, Monetization and Motivation equals Mania

Every now and then the STARS will align just right. Only a few will get what I'm referring to, but I truly believe it's happening again!

OK, here we go...

Nearly fifteen years ago, I discovered what I consider to be two of the best-kept secrets since the digital age. If you are an entrepreneur, one of these secrets you'd almost want to keep to yourself. Let's just say you wouldn't want your competition knowing about it. Sadly, both secrets have eluded most working-class families for two decades. And since the pandemic, they need to be revealed even more.  

I won't share the full details about one of the secrets as I'm obligated to save that information for my Membership clients. However, I'm going to take you on a compelling journey of sharing my remarkable story. I'm also going to educate you on jewels that took me many years to learn. You'll get a sneak-peek at both secrets and much more.  

Critical Thinking session: What doesn’t discriminate against age, race, background, appearance, or credit score? {Answer}: The Internet.

So, let's talk about one of the secrets I was referring to. It's simply (Online Business). COVID-19 was a huge wake-up call and families from all social groups have been affected financially. Surprisingly, having an online business is a precious gem that still remains hidden from most people.

You may be thinking, "what is this guy talking about", online business is no secret at all. But I can assure you that most people will soon have a different perspective on that notion. After reading what I have to share, you'll be left wondering why you have been kept in the dark for so long.   

When bringing up this topic, did you notice I didn't say blogging, affiliate marketing or even building a website? Oftentimes, certain "Buzzwords" are used simply to create hype. Unfortunately, this can diminish or limit the reader's understanding of how true online business works. Some buzzword terms can be elements of an online business, but in my opinion, building one is a different ball game entirely. The mentality, mindset, and methodology of building an authentic business online are in a league of their own. Honestly, I'm still in shock concerning the lack of education surrounding it.  

I always like to say that "Everyone knows something about something." You'd be amazed at what some Solopreneurs are doing online. Individuals in my circles have created very successful online businesses on all sorts of topics. Niches like cooking, sports, organizing, gardening, hiking, antiques, and even "raising happy chickens." Yes, you heard that correctly. I said raising happy chickens. Don't believe me? After reading my story, check out the raising-happy-chickens site. You may be thinking, how does a person make money from a site about chickens? But I can assure you, the creator of this website, who I know personally, built an extremely profitable niche site.       

So why aren't more people monetizing their passion, knowledge, or expertise from the comforts of home? I'll explain that shortly. I truly feel saddened that well-deserving people have been misinformed for so long concerning this topic. I know this to be true, because I talk to leads almost daily, who have no clue of the things they can do to monetize a passion or idea. 

They feel as if they need to be an expert at something, but that is not necessarily true. Another reason more people aren't monetizing their passion is the fear of potential get-rich-quick schemes. I've heard countless stories from clients who felt they had been taken advantage of in the past. Sadly, these reasons along with the absence of true online business training are really a shame!

Before I share my story, here's an example of a common mistake, due to lack of education in this space. When a small business owner or entrepreneur starts a website, what's the first thing they typically do? They register a domain name, right? I mean that's the first thing that should be done, right? Well, the answer is NO! 

Although securing a domain seems like the logical first thing to do, it's actually not. Before a name is created, thorough niche and keyword research should be conducted first. Unless you are a well-known branded company, your domain name can play a major role in the success of your online business site.  

Let's be real. A billion-dollar company doesn't need SEO, because millions of people already know their name. For most of us, this is not the case. If I wanted to start a website called "Doug's Daycare", no one would know who I am. In this scenario, I'd need to know every trick in the book, so my site would be found at Google and the other search engines.  

Quick Free Nugget: You should strongly consider adding the main keyword or secondary word of your niche in your domain name. Oftentimes, entrepreneurs use their company name as the domain, but it doesn't describe what their business is about. Let's say my company name is Doug Enterprises, LLC. If I registered my business name as my domain, it wouldn't tell Google's algorithm anything about my niche. 

So, if my site is for Doug's Daycare service, and if I want to be found at the search engines, either the terms Daycare or Childcare should be in my domain. If this suggestion is utilized correctly, along with other E-Biz strategies, your site could receive a huge boost from the search engines. Here's a painful truth regarding the difference between a website and an online business. Websites sit lonely on the internet all by themselves. They receive little to no traffic and very few people know they exist. 

But an online business is much different. It receives lots of free targeted traffic, and monetizes well. It's a shining well oiled machine that attracts goo-gobs of attention. Ultimately, it Thrives! 

Unfortunately, this is the type of information not primarily taught in the website, blogging or affiliate marketing space. But hey, that's what I'm here for.

(My Personal Journey) 

{Here's my story of what I've learned over the years. My goal is to help you avoid gaping pitfalls and Score Big.} 

In 1997, I began dabbling with the “web” as it was called in those days. At that time, all we had was dial-up internet through the phone line. It was very interesting because the dial-up service had a weird screeching sound when connecting. It sounded like you were sending a fax, and it took at least 30 seconds to connect online. If you're under 40 years old, you may not remember that type of pain.  

I was so intrigued I could meet people on the internet, so in 1999, I started a dating website. Shockingly, I eventually met my wife online in the year 2000. Keep in mind; this was at a time when people thought meeting someone on the internet was a crazy thing to do. However, I’m a chance taker, and I knew with caution, it was no different than meeting someone in a traditional setting. I must admit that I grew frustrated, because I had already met two other ladies online, but nothing came of it. I had three profiles on three different dating sites and deleted two of them.

Before I could take the third profile down, I received a wonderful email from the lady who would become my wife. One of the things she said in her message was “I know you live an hour away, so if you’d like to call me, you can call collect.” Wow, this must be a wonderful person to make such an offer, I thought to myself. Long story short, I did call my wife to be, but (not collect). We met and the rest is history!

Back then, most dating sites were free to join. With my own dating site, I chose a different route. The type of service I provided was very niche-oriented, so I sold Membership packages.

I didn’t know anything about website design or SEO in those early years. Thankfully, I had a childhood friend who had an incredible talent for creating dynamic-looking sites. He designed a beautiful site for my dating venture and I sold some Memberships. I would get very excited when a sale would come, but sadly, it was always short-lived.

I mention this because when the site sold a Membership package, it could be several months before the next sale would come through. I would check my email several times a day hoping for a sale because I really needed the cash.

What I didn’t know back then was that a website needed to have lots of "targeted" traffic to ultimately become a success. Yes, the site looked fantastic back then, but looks don’t equal sales.

Unfortunately, I ended up traveling down the road of low traffic and I struggled for eight years, before the tide would turn.

Special Note: Although my dating website didn’t succeed, I hit the jackpot when I met my wife online!

(The Turning Point) 

In 2007, after many years of failing with the dating site, I wanted to give the whole online business idea another try. However, this time, I opted to receive professional advice before getting started.

I found a wonderful organization that offered free consulting services to small-business owners and entrepreneurs. They also offered a variety of seminars, webinars, and training workshops.

My wife and I wanted to ensure we were going in the right direction this time, so we sat down with a business mentor in our local area. During our session, I inquired about getting a business loan to have a website designed.

My mentor gave me a piece of advice that would change my life forever!

She said "before you pay thousands of dollars for a website, I want to give you a recommendation for an educational online business-building program." She mentioned that their flagship product, an all-in-one suite of tools, and training, would teach me how to build a successful business online.

As I recall, our mentor had previously worked with another client who had a great experience using the same program. My only regret was waiting three weeks before watching the recommended tutorial. When I finally viewed the video, I was blown away and couldn’t wait to get started.

Helpful Note: The organization that provided our business mentorship is called SCORE. They offer free in-person and online services to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

(Our Successful Online Business Sites)

My wife and I started two websites in 2007 and 2008, using the program recommended by our SCORE business mentor. I don’t recommend working on two sites at the same time as we did. I mention this because building an online business requires hard work.

Having said that, my wife and I were a great tag-team duo and we made it work. Our son was two years old at the time. We would drop him off at preschool and hurry home to work on our sites. The preschool day was less than three hours, so we only had a limited amount of time to work kid-free.

My wife created a toddler niche site for mothers with small children. My site was for parents having child support and visitation issues. Both sites generated a decent monthly income that greatly helped our family. At one point, the income from Google Adsense alone had gotten up to almost $800 per month. In addition, we sold an e-book and made money through affiliate marketing and joint offline ventures.

Side Note: Affiliate marketing is simply one way to monetize a website. Be mindful of systems that solely promote affiliate marketing, because there are many forms of monetization to take advantage of. Affiliate marketing is only one piece of a very large pie.

Both our child-related niches lent themselves well to visitor questions. I know of a fantastic tool to manage and respond to visitor input. With this tool, each question and its answer generate a new content page, where you can add images or embed videos. Visitors can comment on the page, so it becomes interactive, all while helping your site to grow.

Between our two sites, we received hundreds, if not thousands of visitor submissions over time. About six years after creating our sites, we felt it was time to sell them and let them go. Our son had grown out of the toddler stage and we had developed other business interests. So we sold both online businesses to very excited buyers, happy to take them on. 

Educational Note: Your website is a business, and if it's getting lots of targeted traffic, it can be sold!

Having said that, letting our "babies" go was bittersweet. Creating those websites was exciting and I cherish the years we spent working on them. We sold our online businesses nearly 10 years ago, and they're still currently online.

I will admit that I do take a peek at them every now and then for old-time’s sake. It makes me smile and I'm very happy that our hard work and memories live on. 

Happy Note regarding our old sites :-) Recently, my wife checked our state's unclaimed funds missing money portal. And to her astonishment, she had unclaimed money from her old toddler site. The money was from the Google Adsense program. We're not sure how the funds went missing all this time, but it surely was a nice surprise. We had received unclaimed funds this way several years ago from our state's government site. It's very legit indeed! 

(Another Milestone In My Solopreneur Career)

By this time, I started selling the subscription-based program we used to create our sites. Their affiliate program was and still is a great opportunity and I immediately saw the income potential. As my wife and I worked on our online businesses, I would share the program with family and friends and over time, the sales started to trickle in.

I had learned so much from the training, I was able to launch a consulting venture helping small business owners and entrepreneurs. I started off by charging a small fee, educating business owners on how to expand their local reach online.

So, in addition to getting paid a consulting fee, I would also earn an affiliate commission when I sold a subscription. It was a great way to fill two needs with one deed.

Allow me to share a powerful true story that happened during a session. At that time, I was only charging $20 per consultation, until one day a patent attorney utilized my services. At the end of the session, he told me he was skeptical to meet with me because my fee was so inexpensive.

He said: “Doug, for the information you just presented, I would’ve happily paid at least $150 for your services." I quickly learned that lowering your value can hurt your reputation. So, can you guess what happened after this session? My prices went up, and I never looked back!

By 2010, I was selling lots of subscriptions, due to being hired to conduct workshops in my local area. I was selling so many memberships; I was contacted by the program's Affiliate Manager.

She informed me of their Offline Affiliate Marketing Contest that had just begun. I thought there was no way I could win. Nevertheless, I poured on the sales, and to my surprise, I won the first place prize.

Winning the Offline Affiliate Contest was a huge milestone for me. I was overjoyed, sent my wife on vacation and even made a copy of the check.

So, here are my top tips for affiliate marketing:

(1.) Pick great products and services to market and sell.

(2.) If you’re in the business of helping others succeed online, I recommend exploring the E-Business program I've been using for 15 years. In my opinion, they are the best in the business and the commission payouts are extremely high. (This info is for my Membership clients)

(3.) My last tip for affiliate marketing is to not be too pushy in your selling approach. Salespeople “expect” you to buy, but good affiliate marketers have a different approach. They present excellent information in a manner so the potential consumer will ultimately “want” to buy.

(My Biggest Passion Is Helping Others Like You Succeed)

After winning the Offline Affiliate Contest, I eventually started working for the company independently as a sales associate. It’s been a tremendous experience working with the team. I’m extremely passionate about helping new people create a successful business online. Maybe it’s because so many of them remind me of myself. They are “everyday people” like me who have a dream. Most of them want to generate a solid income and they truly have a desire to succeed.

These Solopreneurs come from different ages, backgrounds, and ethnic groups. Remember, the internet doesn't discriminate. When leads call, they tell me how much they appreciate the time I spend talking about their individual needs. It’s always gratifying sharing the truth about online business as a whole.

A lot of the people I talk to have tried and failed at succeeding online. I’ve been told many stories about how they never got their ventures off the ground. Life just got in the way. Sometimes it was health issues, a divorce, or other challenges we all deal with.

The good news is, they reach out again at a better time in their lives, ready to move forward. I love to witness how these everyday people keep fighting for a better life. They inspire me to press through when I need a little motivation myself.  

Motivational Note: Even my journey of becoming part of the sales team wasn’t straightforward. After I won the Offline Affiliate Contest, I thought getting hired would be a sure thing. However, it took two years of knocking at the door, before I was finally brought onboard. 

I've never shared this publicly, but sometimes I feel like I'm the least knowledgeable person within the company. They've been in business since the 90's, so I'm sure you can envision all the knowledge and expertise floating around.

But the one thing that sets me apart is my determination to succeed. I truly believe my "stick-to-itiveness" and "persistence" are unmatched. The truth is, it doesn't matter if you're a (First Round Draft Pick) or a (Walk-On) player. The KEY is that you made it on the team!

(Top Three Concerns I Get About Online Business)

From the many concerns I’ve heard over the years, these are the top 3:

Concern #1: How long does it really take to build my online business website?

What people really want to know when they ask this question is how long it takes to start making money. I always explain there are many factors that influence how long it takes. Among others, it depends on how much time you can devote to your site and what niche you choose. I also remind them that they’re building a true online business and not just a website. The differences between the two are vast and creating any type of business takes time.

I’m very honest in my consultations, which people seem to appreciate. Before being promoted to my current position, I was told I had the lowest cancelation rate on the sales team. I attribute this to my candid honesty about how this industry works.

I'd rather have a client stick around, versus telling them what they want to hear just to make a sale. Yes, it takes time and effort to build a long-term business online, but if leads follow my advice, they have the best chances of creating something that succeeds!

Concern #2: What if I don’t have a niche or topic I’m passionate about?

I never allow anyone to (get off the hook) with this concern. Instead, I let them know that “Everyone knows something about something.” This statement works like a charm and gets them thinking. By the end of our conversation, every single person comes up with at least one or two things they are really passionate about. We both leave the conversation happy and the lead is on their way to following their dreams online.

Concern #3: What if I don’t have any products to sell?

It’s a common misconception that you can only have an online business if you sell your own products. I always explain that there are many other ways to monetize a site. A few examples are services, advertising, referrals and of course selling Memberships!

In fact, most people create online businesses without having their own physical products and still generate income. I can show you a great resource of nearly 500 successful sites, in a wide variety of niches. Most of these site owners don't sell their own products, and still generate a good income.

(What I Can Do For You)  

Since 2011, I've been a Certified Online Business Instructor. Now my mission is to help more working-class citizens to create true legitimate businesses online. As my Membership client, I'm going to show you how to access a powerful suite of E-Business tools worth over $4000. These tools cost less than $1 a day and have been used in major Colleges and Universities Worldwide.

Ultimately, as a Member of my site, I'm going to lead you to the (10 Action Steps) needed to become a success. Here's a quick peek...

STEP 1: You'll learn the art of "PREselling", which is a precursor to getting the actual sale. You must know how to warm up your leads before they'll buy.

STEP 2: You'll learn how to develop your best niche concept idea. You're going to be amazed at what you can do online. Remember "raising happy chickens", right? So, what's your passion or hobby? 

STEP 3: I'll show you how to Brainstorm profitable keywords for content writing. If you didn't know, using a good brainstorming tool to determine supply and demand is a critical step!

(Another Free Nugget) Selecting the right keywords for your site can determine if your site succeeds or fails. If you select keywords that are too competitive, it'll be nearly impossible to rank for those search terms. Here's an example: The terms "Cars, Vehicles and Automobiles" are similarly the same thing. However, the supply, demand, and numerical data on each term are different. If you are creating an online business in this niche, you'll need to know which term has less competition. It can be the life or death of your site.

STEP 4: Investigate and Strategize your Monetization options. This is a critical step because there are plentiful ways to monetize your idea. I brought up affiliate marketing earlier, but remember, this is simply one way to monetize. Other options include selling hard goods, e-goods, and other digital products by becoming an affiliate with reputable companies. You can also create offline ventures with brick-and-mortar businesses, once your site is receiving lots of targeted traffic. You'll also have the option to sell e-courses and Membership services based on your knowledge and expertise.

STEP 5: Create Your Best Domain Name. I spoke about this previously and creating a great name is my favorite part of the process. 

Funny Note: Throughout the years, my wife has been fed up to her eyeballs, with me purchasing domains. She used to say, she'd scream if I bought another name! 

STEP 6: Creating A Site That Gets The Click. This is where you'll start the process of building your niche site. You'll put your hard hat on and get to work. Technically, there's a lot of work before this step, but this is when it will start to show.

STEP 7: Building free targeted traffic from the search engines and beyond. This is another crucial step because without lots of traffic you don't have a business. It's gut-wrenching to see so many people who are unknowingly putting the cart before the horse. I've spoken with leads who have spent thousands of dollars on the design of their site, with NO traffic to show for it. A great design means almost nothing if there's no one coming to the site.

STEP 8: Building Relationships. This is when you'll learn the art of building a newsletter mailing list, and adding social media options to your site. 

STEP 9: Understanding Your Website Visitor Base. During this step, you'll learn how to check your website's metrics. This includes finding out where your traffic is coming from and monitoring response rates. 

STEP 10: Drum roll, please... This is the moment you've all been waiting for. During Step 4, you investigated and explored monetization options. But now it's time to start monetizing your online business idea. You'll start with one option and then grow from there. Always remember to "diversify your money-making options." Don't focus on one source!

(My Final Piece Of Advice)

My best piece of advice for anyone desiring to start a Solopreneur career would be to DO IT! Don’t allow fear or other negative thoughts to get in the way.

It’s been a wonderful journey for me and my family. I started in the late 90's, but in 2007, things took a positive turn. It started with a simple, but impactful recommendation from my business mentor. I’ve never looked back.

"My first dating site didn’t work out as planned, but I kept going. I was determined to succeed."

My passion should be supported, because I can help aspiring entrepreneurs follow their dreams. I work for a company who helped pave the way in the Internet Business space. They started with an eye-opening E-book in 1997. And that digital guide turned into (what I believe) is the best suite of E-Biz tools online.

Now is a great time to start a rewarding online business career. Be sure to Pandemic-Proof your financial future starting today. I look forward to setting up my Memberful account. As a new subscriber to my E-Class training, you'll learn all I've shared and more. If a guy like me can Score Big, you can too!

Thanks for reading. I'm a regular guy, so feel-free to contact me anytime.