Probably one of the biggest challenges in running your own internet business (or nearly anything requiring self discipline for that matter) is fending off the distractions. None of us are immune to it. I've let myself take my eye off the ball more than once as I fell prey to distractions.
Back in 2005, I decided that I wanted to get into the world of online business. I started out the way most probably do. I would spend hours surfing the net for information. Hang out in the forums and buy all the latest products that offered the magic button that would do it all for me. You know, the marketing equivalent of the "easy button". Other products would include the "how to" stuff. Surprisingly, many of the info products did have some valuable information within them. The key was applying that info. Only 2% ever really apply what they learn anyway.
Well, now I was armed with lots of knowledge, it was time to turn it into experience. Let's see… hmmmm, I like playing guitar & I kick butt on Van Halen's Eruption, why not make a video tutorial? Yeah, my first product! I sat down to map out my strategy with the TV playing in the background. Eventually, the program playing in the background was so "interesting" that I watched the rest of it. Ok, the first night is shot. The next night I left the TV off. Now to get down to business, but first, I better check my email. Hmmm, an interesting new post in the forums. Better go check it out. Before I knew it, I blew another couple hours. Other distractions seemed to come at me everyday. The phone, email, friends dropping in. It was a continuous cycle.
After about 5 weeks, I was still no closer to starting my tutorial. I looked back and began to ponder my situation. I realized that I had just wasted over 5 weeks of my life that I could have dedicated to my new pursuit. That 5 weeks was gone forever, never to be recovered. I began to realize that I was actually welcoming these distractions! I was programmed for failure. I was one of the typical 98% who get involved with internet business. I knew that if I were to have any chance of success, then a radical alteration of my thought patterns was in order.
I knew that I had to develop a procedure for eliminating distractions and begin focusing on the task at hand. I set aside 3 to 4 hours a day to dedicate solely to my business, starting with my guitar tutorial. Since my J.O.B. already consumed 8 + hours of my day, I was only left with about 4 good hours. The first thing to eliminate was the TV. TV is the single most destructive device that you can have in your house. By eliminating the TV factor, I easily had freed up a couple hours. I was never much of a TV watcher, beyond the Discovery & History Channel, but distraction is distraction. I had also unplugged the phone & let friends & family know that I would not be available during these hours. Email was not to be viewed until my work was completed for the day. At some point, I had also deleted the forums from my bookmarks. I had read a post by James Brausch on the evils of the forums and how one's income was inversely proportional to the number of posts they had under their belt. This made perfect sense to me, once it was pointed out.
It was amazing how quickly I had my first product ready after following these simple steps! Now it was getting exciting! I started out on eBay while I was getting my website together. I already had a Paypal account that I opened around 1999 or 2000. I soon opened a Clickbank account upon completion of playkillerguitar.com.
The transformation was staggering! I was getting things done and making money at the same time. I was learning that the best way to learn was not from the forums, it was by DOING!!! Once I realized this everything changed. The 2% crowd are doers. The 2%ers don't think about taking action, they just take it. If you find yourself caught up in this distraction cycle and actually enjoying it, then you must make a decision. Are you going to waste another day? Another week, or even another year? Where do you want to be in January 2009? Give it some serious thought and decide whether you really want to break off your romance with that deceptively pleasurable thing called distraction. If you do, you won't regret it. Your biggest barrier to success will finally be yesterday's history lesson!
Many people in my experience who bring up the subject of Internet Business, or "Internet Marketing" as commonly referred to by the forum junkies, seem to always have a reason that they are in the same boat now as they were a year ago. A common response is "I've been trying to do internet marketing for the past year, but I just haven't gotten anywhere yet." Oh? Trying? Why are you trying? Trying is not going to make you successful! DOING is the only way. I can sit in front of my computer and TRY to turn it on, or I can actually DO IT by reaching over, pushing the power button and turning on the computer. The first is Non-Action (trying), The second is ACTION (doing). 
Everyone who has created or sold a product has to to deal with refunds. No matter how great your products are, you’re gonna get them, it’s just another fact of life. When I first started making digital products, I used to take it personally to a small degree. I say a small degree because logic has always dictated that this is a normal variable in doing business. Yet, human nature may dictate otherwise, at least in the beginning anyway. You can’t help but to wonder in the back of your mind what was wrong. Did my product suck? Was it over priced? Maybe I’m too much of an amateur and it’s showing through. Maybe they’re just gaming me to get a free product. All kinds of things will go through your mind if you dwell on it.
Last week I published a blog post called "Alexa And Its Alternatives". This post was inspired by an 
One thing that I have in common with a vast majority of those who have entered the internet business arena is coming across a super hyped up sales letter with great sales copy leaving you convinced that this system or product is the long lost missing link to instant success. I think we've all fallen for it at one time or another. The massive pre-launch campaigns stirring up waves of excitement across the "internet marketing" universe. Counting down the days to the initial release so that you can be first to get in on the new revolutionary technique guaranteed to take the internet by storm!
Many times I have been asked by people "which is better, affiliate marketing or creating your own product and marketing it yourself?" I suppose that a lot of that depends on what type of goals you have and the business model that appeals most to you. Some people are drawn to affiliate marketing because of the "set it and forget it" mentality. 
As I promised a couple days ago, I now have a review ready of Richard Lee's 
I never really took Alexa very seriously because of how easily alexa ratings are skewed depending on the type of website you have. It can be an indicator of what type of traffic you attract, but not necessarily an indicator that you attract a lot of traffic.