I‘ve talked about what I do to make money, I even shared how much money I make online. But what about the road I have taken to get there? Did I just wake up one day and decide to make a full-time income online? Did I magically learn some technique that took me from $0.00 to a full-time income online? The above answer to all of that is no. My journey to making a descent income online was not easy, but with work, countless attempts of trial & error I was able to accomplish it.
Now it’s time I share with you the road I was on before I started living the Internet lifestyle.
A Hard Road To Make An Easy Living Online
The lessons learned….
When I first started online, I stumbled across Google AD sense. When I heard bloggers were making full-time income from Google AD sense I told myself… I’ve hit gold! Signing up for Google AD sense and plastering ads all over my site, I was convinced I was going to be making thousands immediately. Couple weeks passed… Still under the $100 mark for Google AD sense. I slowly started realizing that I was not making the income I wanted from Google AD sense. Not to long after, I got banned from AD sense. At that moment, I felt as if my online career was in hell. No AD sense = no income. At least, that’s what I thought.
What I came to realize from this mistake was… Making money from AD sense is not a walk in the park, it takes a lot of traffic and audience in order to do well with AD sense.
After AD sense, I was still feeble minded. I believed that I could make money overnight, and that I was going to do it. Stumbling across a ton of these “Get rich quick” Internet marketing sales pages… Knowing me at the time, I certainly did join. One by one, they all misleaded me. But did that paint a picture in my head? Nope. I continued joining and buying the books, and courses until I drove myself into debt. Being only 14 at the time, I wasn’t in the worse condition considering I did not have many bills to pay.
For the readers that do follow me, they will know I only promote products I’ve used, and firmly believe in. And my journey that drove me debt is why. Because I refuse to watch another person go through what I went through. Now, reality is I cannot prevent everybody from making the mistakes I did. But believe me, I will do all I can too prevent the people who visit my site, and talk to me, from this happening to them. A perfect example of why you should be honest with your readers and promote products you believe in is, they will trust you. When I was reading a comment on my blog from one of my readers, it really showed me the power of keeping it real.
Tycoon cashflow – Man i wish marketers would stop the hype filled looking titles, not to mention the oh so pretty landing pages; oy. Honestly? I’ve clicked off that page more then a dozen times; now I may take a serious look since you do it and recommend it.
After failing with AD sense, going into debt with misleading courses, I was still determined to make a living online. (Feel free to call me crazy by now) I found other services such as AD sense, and started victimizing my community with banner ADS. Something I’m highly against now. Everywhere you looked, you would see an AD on my site. If you look left, right, up or down… trust me, you would’ve seen an ad. After months of victimizing my community… I did not earn much of an income, and I lost a lot of my readers.
How my failures led me to live the Internet lifestyle
After countless attempts of my mistakes, the picture started painting in my head. Making money online wasn’t easy. I have built a income for myself online, by keeping it real. I don’t deceive my readers, and I don’t promote every product I see. Only products I’ve used and liked. Which were not many… On top of keeping it real, I never gave up. Yes, I drove myself into debt, yes I failed many times. But I never gave up.
Most of the stuff I’ve learned… Was through trial and error. I also owe a huge thanks to all my readers, and friends who have helped me travel the hard road to living the Internet lifestyle. The two eCourses and books I’ve used though, that have contributed a great deal of help to my income and knowledge are… Tycoon Cashflow which has taught me some killer steps to achieving my goal of six-figures online through affiliate marketing, and Darren Rowse’s 31 days to become a better blogger.
Group Discussion
In my eyes… The road to success is never straight. But what about you? I’ve encountered numerous of readers and seen thousands of bloggers who have given up because of one mistake. But are you going to let a couple mistakes keep you away from living your dream?
An obligation I try to commit to all my readers here at Robswebtips is to help them in every way possible. So if you have questions, need help or anything. Let me know, I’m here to help.
Ready to make money online?
William Veasley (4)
Colleen (3)
Devesh (3)
evan schulte (2)
Kharim (2)
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this! Integrity is so important especially with so many shady internet marketers or even uninformed internet marketers who just promote products that will make them money. I’ve heard great things about Tycoon Cashflow and I am glad it is working for you!
Tom | Build That List´s last blog . . .The 4 Reasons People Unsubscribe Mailing Lists
Thanks a lot Tom, I’m glad you enjoyed the post
Rearrange the words a little and you stumble on the biggest problem….the uninformed learn lots from the shady ones; aka guru’s.
Dennis Edell´s last blog . . .DEDC Updates – What the (Near) Future Holds for You and I!
I love this post Rob.
Its good to see posts like this that demonstrate the real experience on the road to success. Many persons who are new to blogging and the internet, see the hype and are misled to think that its an easy overnight thing, which is the wrong concept. Your post reassures a more realistic ideal that with persistence and going that extra mile to continuously blog about something you’re passionate, it will eventually work and bring sustainable success.
Sam’s Web Guide´s last blog . . .Alexa Traffic Rankings Inaccurate – Room for Improvement
Thanks Sam, my intention was this post was not to shed the light on me, but to show people that the road is not a straight shot, and you need to learn from your actions. So instead of me ranting at people about it… I decided to share my own personal story to assure people, I know where you are coming from.
Thanks for the post Rob.
I have been trying everything on the internet for almost a year and nothing has happened. I’m very excited to be following you. Like I said yesterday I appreciate all your honesty and motivation. I will be trying tycoon cash flow this coming up week, and will also be launching my own blog in the near future. I hope I can give to others as you are to me very soon. Keep up the great work pal. Much love, a toast to your success hommie.
Soon to be successful! =0)
Amanda Nye
Thanks Amanda, I’m more than sure you will like Tycooncashflow if you want to learn some good affiliate marketing tips.
I’m more than sure you will achieve your goals, just remember to continue putting your mind to it, and learning from your mistakes.
Cheers!
When I first got into blogging I was just as you sound here. I thought Google AdSense was the end all answer to my problems and I’d be rich within hours possibly. Boy was I wrong!
I didn’t make a dime. Still haven’t. That’s because I didn’t understand a darn thing about how this stuff works. I still want to read Darren’s book you mentioned here and have no problem buying it was it sounds like a very good read.
This post kind of reminds me of David’s blogging isn’t a business post. You’ve got to be selling something behind the doors of your site if you want to make any good money I believe. Hence the reason I’ve yet to make a penny but am determined to some day.
Eric´s last blog . . .Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
Google AD sense is a big bugger… Especially since I started out with a website, and not a blog. Boy oh boy did Google AD sense give me a hell of a time. Haha.
Darren book is a great buy, not to learn how to make money (that’s tycoon), but to learn how to become a much more serious blogger and step up your game. That’s why I tell people do something you are passionate about, because a lot of people give-up because they are only in it for the money.
Yeah I tried Google’s AdSense and wasn’t impressed so I turned my site into a blog and haven’t looked back since. There are reasons for both, I guess, but a blog works for me.
They say you might want to just do something that there’s money in but I don’t agree. At the very least find something you’re at all passionate about and that has potential for making some money. If it’s just for the money then that’s exactly what you’re never going to see.
Eric´s last blog . . .Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
All your failures didn’t really go to waste Rob because you learn from your mistakes. You were already WAY ahead of others because you started at such an early age! Thanks for sharing.
Jack – Online Marketing Blog´s last blog . . .The REAL Secret Of Growing Your Own Blog
Thanks Jack
Yes, I think that is an amazement to say that I learned from my mistakes, when many people STILL haven’t even though they made them a million and one times.
I am always surprised that everyone starts out using Adsense. Yes it’s easy to install and easy to use but you actually get nowhere with it.
In one year I have made under $1 through Adsense. It only took me a day to earn that with other methods of advertising.
I think it’s great that you shared what your way to making money was. So now your only income is through affiliate marketing? Actually my goal is not to make money right away. I first want to have a number of loyal followers for my blog.
Julius Kuhn-Regnier´s last blog . . .How to Make a Great First Impression Through Guest Posts
AD sense is good for websites that have thousands of visitors monthly, then it might go well for them. I have some friends making $6,000+ a month from AD sense. But for new starters, and even intermediate bloggers, AD sense won’t do well.
My main source of income is from affiliate marketing, but I also do private-coaching (which I will be opening to the public soon), and that’s another income source of mine.
I’m very proud to hear that your goal is not to jump and make money, your readers will see that and you will build a lot of credibility
I was actually just thinking yesterday: “I wonder what this guy’s success story is…”, so thanks (I guess) for reading my mind via the internet
It’s always inspirational to hear stories of how people have overcome all their setbacks and actually become really successful! Encourages me to get to work…
Hmm… I think I need to be a mind reader; ay?
Glad you enjoyed the article Rob, I hope to hear your success story soon as well.
It was really interesting to hear what you went through as you were getting started. I’m feeling lucky to have come upon your site and know that your only sharing what you really like and support. I’m glad I didn’t press the GO button for Adsense.
I wholly agree with what Jack said, we learn a lot from our mistakes, may not like them at the time, but will definitely learn form them.
Debra´s last blog . . .To the French Quarters
Thanks Debra, glad you enjoyed this one.
I’m with you.. It’s all about learning from your mistakes. But some people just don’t learn. It’s like a guy who goes to jail for murder, gets out, and 2 days later he is back for murder. Not everyone learns.
I really appreciate your transparency. You’re not the first person who has started like this. I had no clue when I first started either. I bought one program, and when that didn’t work the way I wanted it to, I decided to do my own extensive research before ever buying anything again. The experience was useful in teaching me how to recognize scams and I slowly learned that if I thought ads were annoying, why was I bombarding my readers with them? I don’t know, it takes awhile to learn and grow. This blogging thing isn’t for everyone I’ve come to know. But if you’re like me and you’re persistent enough, eventually something will come through.
Thanks again Rob, for a great post!
Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog . . .Blogger must reads – Weekly Link List (20 links)
Glad you enjoyed the post Kiesha, and I’m totally with you. I think the bullshit scams I was fed really are benefiting me in the long run… I mean yea, I suffered back-then, but look at now?
I love your persistent attitude, we’re just alike
with that kinda attitude, anything is achievable.
Making a living online doing what everyone else is doing is a tough route to an income. In my opinion, the folks who do well online are those who put their effort into local search and sell to the community they live in.
Colleen´s last blog . . .Kennewick Real Estate
Right Colleen, and that’s one of the reasons I usually leave out what products I promote because people might try and follow those products even though they may not be the best for them.
It’s pretty cool you went through all of the crappy sales page scams at an early age, and your earning enough money to call your internet adventures a full time job at just age 15 haha.
Right on
It’s a pretty good feeling if you ask me.
I have preached this over and over, you have to work hard to make money online, too many people jump in head first like you did. The difference is that most of them give up after realizing you need 30k search visitors a month to make it on adsense!
Glad you never gave up, and continue to earn while you learn!
Keith´s last blog . . .Bloggers That Influence Me
Man Keith… Where the hell were you when I was doing AD sense? Haha.
I agree. No matter how hard the times are, you should never give up – it could be the difference between 6 figures and 0 figures. I’m a 12 year old blogger. I have all of the obstacles in the world – money, time, experience, and respect from others. Over time, I am slowly building up all four of those factors, making my life easier for the future.
Why give up? It’s like saying “Oh, I want to work for a couple of months, spend some money, and trash it! Sounds like fun!” Well, I can tell you one thing – it’s not fun. I’ve been there, and although I didn’t spend money on previous sites, I still lost time and credibility. So why push all the chips into the center of the table if you’re not willing to work?
You’re right Joe.. And one thing is, why come all this way just to give up? It’s like the saying goes…
I forever will follow that quote.
This a great post. I failed with my first site. I will not even go into all the money I have wasted over the years. I try to learn as much as I can, and I will admit that with each product I have purchased I have learned a lot. There is always a little bit of truth to most Internet stories, but they are usually mixed in with a lot of bullsh..t. Thank you for telling your story. The goal of my website is to help people find a way to make money on their own, with out depending on an employer. I advocate looking online and offline for opportunities. Success is spelled W-O-R-K!
Melva´s last blog . . .Small Town Business Ideas for Big Time Income
Right on Melva, keep working hard and continuing to strive for your goals. and you WILL be that success story that everyone looks up too
Ah the power of comments, I tell ya it never fails.
Thanks for the link buddy; greatly appreciated. Although it’s Edell.
Dennis Edell´s last blog . . .DEDC Updates – What the (Near) Future Holds for You and I!
No problem Dennis, that comment backed up my whole post haha
You are absolutely right. If you do what you love then it will not feel like work and this enables you to continue through the trial and era periods. If you are only trying to make money with no real passion about what you are doing then the trial and error period will lead to a fast burn out with the result of quitting and a lot of time and money wasted. You are fortunate in that you are young enough to have the time to put into figuring things out. Too many people think they can jump into get rich quick ideas without realizing that if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is!! Having knowledge and passion about what you are doing is truly the key to any success. It has been rewarding to watch you grow and develop right along with your business! Staying true to your passion and your clients will ensure a continued success. Greed and deceitfulness lead to failure but God truly blesses those who are true to themselves and others.
That’s why you will always here from successful bloggers “do something your passionate about” because in situations like these, you will be able to push through and accomplish your goals.
Hi Rob, This is a great post I have really learned a lot. I wish I had found your blog about a year ago before I started my online business. Thanks for giving us your experience.
No worries Tee, you found it now
and if you need any help let me know.
I think that it is so important for you to only promote things that you truly believe in. How many people do you see that will promote anything and everything. You also talked about one key element that separates you from the rest. You keep going.
Right, if you don’t know about the product. Don’t promote it. It’s simply stupid. Your readers can tell if you know what your promoting compared to things you just want to make money from.
This is where so many fail, thinking newbie means stupid…it don’t
Dennis Edell´s last blog . . .48hr Downtime – Lots Done-LOTS More To-Do!
Hi Rob it would very interesting to here you
Same story is with me also
I joined Google Adsense First I earned $150 I got piad
later I clicked on ads and got banned but till now I am getting any way to earn online many options are there but they sucks me a lot
Plz can you suggest me
And Plz give me your id or mail me through my id
BI friend
Regards
Hey, if you need to reach me simply use my contact page and send me a email
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