Keep It Simple, Or Else
Why “Complicated” Is a Recipe for Business Failure and Other Lessons I’ve Learned in a Decade Online
I’ve been building my business online for a long time. I’ve invested close to $100,000 in training from some big names, from not-so-big names, and some people who have no business teaching how to tie their shoes, let alone how to make money.
I’ve done a lot of stuff right.
I’ve done a lot of stuff wrong.
And here are some discoveries I’ve made along the way:
First: Creating an online business doesn’t have to be complicated but a lot of businesspeople make it complicated, and a lot of online gurus want it to SEEM complicated, because then they can justify 5-figure price tags for their courses and coaching programs.
In fact, it shouldn’t be complicated.
“Complicated” means you haven’t done your homework.
“Complicated” means you’re trying to hack things together to fit when there’s a more elegant solution that you’re avoiding investing in because you don’t want to let go of your previous conceptions and just bite the bullet, already.
“Complicated” means you’re not focusing but instead trying to go after too many different customers, with too many different problems, with too many possible solutions (and that’s a recipe for failure.)
Next: By the time something has become a “system,” it’s too late. Systems for SEO. Systems for FBA. Systems for making a mint from Kindle. Systems for “gaming” Google. No one can sell you a step-by-step program that will GUARANTEE you’ll have the same results they’ve had.
Why? Because they created their “thing” in a different time, under a different set of circumstances, with different skills. The internet is like a river — you can’t step into the same one twice. If someone is selling you based solely on their promise that you can replicate their results, run away. You can’t do it. (Think of one of the biggest online success stories, Amazon. Could someone, with Jeff Bezos’s help, recreate Amazon’s success exactly? Nope. They might be able to do something similar in another field, but they couldn’t do the same thing.)
Instead, look for guides, ones who can show you what they did, but who encourage you to find your own path through the wilderness. They can teach you skills and approaches, but it’s never as simple as walking in their footsteps and doing exactly what they did. Look for someone who says, “This is what I did. Try it, and if it doesn’t work, we can figure out something else.” THAT is someone you can trust.
Third: Online business doesn’t have to involve dishonest marketing or sales tactics.
“Internet marketer” has somehow become synonymous with “used car salesman.” I do believe there’s an element of our community that has no scruples and will do whatever works to get the sale.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
If you think of business as an exchange of value, you can be successful by providing value in the form of services and products in exchange for value in the form of cash. The more value you provide, the more value you’ll receive.
In fact, there’s a new face of online marketing, as presented by people like Pat Flynn, Jaime Masters, and Chandler Bolt — people who believe in laying it all out there, giving tons away for free, and then transparently asking for payment in exchange for even MORE value.
If you’ve thought that internet marketing was just smoke and mirrors, check out one of these marketers. They are the real thing.
If you’ve been online for a while and you’re disillusioned, take heart. There are real people with real success, and you can be one of them, too. It’s not easy, but it is possible. You’ll need to keep searching and learning and applying what you learn. Soon, you’ll have a good BS detector and know when something is too good to be true.
Finally, the learning never stops.
Even though I’ve created almost a million dollars in value from my classes, programs, and products, I STILL spend a good portion of my time reading, learning, and testing. I’ve found that I can’t “set it and forget it.” Even my “passive” streams of income need to be tweaked in light of new competition, new technologies, and new trends.
The good news is, the more you learn, the faster you’re able to implement. And the changes you make will be more effective when you already have a business that’s working fairly well.
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Note: I recently came across one of the most powerful programs I’ve ever seen. It puts forth the process of creating an online business in a logical, simple format — without any fluff. It has helped me take a look at my own businesses and figure out what I can do to streamline, maximize my return, and KEEP IT SIMPLE. It’s called “QuitN6.”
The creator (Matt Stone, AKA Buck Flogging) is the genius behind Buck Books, Paleo Dork, Goodriter, and a bunch of other sites. He’s got some turn-the-model-on-its-head principles that are so simple and so straightforward, that I’ve not only taken tons of notes as I’ve gone through the process, but I’ve also TAKEN ACTION and seen immediate improvement, even in some of my business elements that have been around for five years or more.
If you have ever considered creating an online business but it seemed too overwhelming, or you weren’t sure where to start, start here. Check out the free video, and then sign up for more info. No matter what your knowledge level, no matter what your current income level, Buck meets you where you are and walks you through the process, step by step.
