Deb Gallardo responded to my recent entry titled A Newbies Perspective in a post on her own blog. Deb is a published author that specializes in helping fiction writers find story ideas, and has been trying to make money online for over 2 years now. You can read her response to the IM Newbie discussion at: Confessions of an Internet Marketing Wannabe
Deb's cry for help really resonated deeply with me. I've heard similar stories and situations time and again over the years, and I could even relate with some of her conflicts personally...
She started out 2 1/2 years ago, and attended two high-ticket Internet Marketing events within the first 6 months, then spent hundreds on Internet Marketing courses and ebooks. Deb said:
I have all these great products, only SOME of which I’ve been able to work my way through. Obviously it’s not the products. It’s ME!
You're not alone, Deb. Follow-through is tough for a lot of people. Even me from time to time. That's where the value of these Challenges and other types of accountability groups comes in. Having a deadline, or journaling your progress publicly, can really make a big difference.
Otherwise its very easy to feel alone out there with all that "overwhelm".
I found your comments about ADD interesting, particularly that a fairly high percentage of entrepreneurs have that condition (diagnosed or not). That makes sense, although I really dont like the idea of "labels". I think they can be very self-defeating.
That's not to underestimate the legitimate need for help and/or medication in diagnosed cases, but to encourage you to look at the positive you mentioned it could be - and not let the negative enable you to accept failure.
Obviously we havent had the opportunity to meet in person. If we did, you might find me to be even more "ADD" than you. I'm not sure. I happen to think my quirks are perks though 
With those products I started to use, I would get to a certain point and something — a detail, a problem with a step I didn’t know what to do about, a concept I didn’t understand, or another product or service I needed to buy — something always sent me back to square one. (Or so it seemed.)
When you get to a roadblock or a hurdle like that, how do you usually handle it? Do you stop in your tracks - or do you persistently look for a way over and around it? I would suggest the latter.
Not to be trite, because I've certainly been in that situation myself and it can be quite frustrating. But I have learned from personal experience that the breakthrough is usually just after the quitting point. 😉
Keep in mind that ANY issue you experience has probably been experienced by dozens or even hundreds of others - and is most likely being discussed somewhere. Step one is to do a search on Google, with what would seem like the most logical keyword phrase to find such discussions.
For example, noting one of the issues you mentioned in your post, you could search "how to set up paypal button download page" (without quotes).
In the first few results I found "PayPal Made Simple" a FREE 19-page guide that walks you through the process with screen shots and detailed instructions.
That tip alone (using Google search to find tutorials, help files, and support discussions) may save you hours of frustration. It has me!
The second thing I'll recommend is that you find a community of like-minded people where you feel comfortable getting involved and asking questions. There are a lot of forums out there, and some of them can make you feel "small" or even flame you for asking "newbie" questions.
I'd like to invite you to check out my own forum. Its a very friendly community and the members are incredibly resourceful and helpful. I even created a "Getting Started" section specifically for those newbie questions 😉 .
Whatever you decide, dont go it alone. There is entirely too much support out there for anyone to struggle on their own with all of this "IM stuff".
I don’t care what anyone says. I just can’t work up enthusiasm for building Adsense sites about subjects I’m not interested in, and even with my ADD brain which is curious about a LOT of subjects, I’ve not found any subject that I can throw myself into, which is the only way I operate. No half-*ssed, half-hearted, just-do-it-for-the-money thing is going to work for me. I absolutely can’t stay with it.
We're not so different, Deb - I feel exactly the same way. In fact, I've started many a project that was later abandoned for that very reason.
I wrote an ebook on a subject I know a LOT about, which is how to find story ideas for creative writers. I finished it in a few days and tinkered with it and expanded it and polished it over the next few months.
NOW we're talkin'! You are definitely on the right track. You mentioned that you also revamped your blog to focus on this same topic, so now you have both a blog and a product in a specific niche that you are passionate about.
Do you realize that you are already way ahead of the pack? That you are in a prime position and that you are only a few steps away from really hitting your stride? I DO! Its plain as day from where I'm sitting, and I have to congratulate you - because for all your current frustration, you have obviously taken action on the things that you've learned along the way and made some very solid choices regarding your online business venture.
One last tip: The courses and guides that teach Internet Marketing, or specific marketing strategies or buisness models, are meant to be guides. While much of the information is tested and proven, they are not meant as set-in-stone "rules". Your websites and offers should be a direct reflection of you, and you can pick and choose what you want to apply to your business model.
Worry less about the pressure to have the perfect Internet Marketing model, and put your focus instead on establishing yourself as an expert in your niche - and offering genuine solutions to your target market.
You can always modify as you go 😉 (I still am!)
I’m so discouraged right now, even without the well-meaning friends who keep saying, “So when is this website thing going to start making you money? You’ve been at it for what? Two and a half years? How long does it take?â€
I have well-meaning friends like that too... 😆
What I really need most is hands-on help. I also need my hand held, my fears calmed, my confidence built, and my next step laid out for me. Unfortunately, those things don’t come free, and free is all I can afford right now or in the foreseeable future.
Sometimes they do come free. Join me here. I'll help you - one question at a time 😉
Best,
About Lynn Terry
As someone who is a definite newbie and dreamer (too much for my own good sometimes), I can understand what she's going through. I've yet to physically do anything, but the ideas I have keep flowing out of my brain.
I will say that coming here and to Self Starters has given me more motivation and inspiration in probably the past six months than most "experts" out there in the past 2-3 years.
Lynn,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You will NEVER know how much encouragement you've given me. As I said in my post, I felt like I was close to making it, but I just couldn't tell since it seems so often that I'm operating in the dark.
And your forum sounds just like what I need. In fact, with my late-in-the-year income tax refund which should be arriving soon (I filed for an extension in April... umm, did I mention procrastination was also a problem?) I have earmarked a portion to pay for a year's elite membership. It was business deductions that provided the refund, so it's only fitting to reinvest some of it.
Your suggestion to Google my stumbling blocks is so practical and SIMPLE, that I'm thwacking myself in the forehead, saying, "Duh, why didn't I think of that?!"
I don't, unfortunately, plow on through when I hit a wall. I've hit so many, you see, and maybe I've got brain damage from banging my head against brick so often. LOL
I'm actually quite proud of the work I've done this year, albeit too slow for my liking. But I have made huge strides in reaching needed business milestones. Getting the ebook done was amazing. I'm still not sure how it came about.
One day I was thinking about what I'm good at and could write about (singing and acting and teaching are pretty tricky to do without "nicheing" them down and I haven't been able to figure that out yet). Then in one of those moments of clarity that come all too seldom, I thought, "I could write about how to find story ideas." I'd bought a little product online called "Open Your Daily Newspaper and Make Money."
This reminded me that I'd gotten the idea for a published short story from the classified section of the paper, and from there, the ideas flowed so fast that sometimes I couldn't type fast enough. It was as though my fingers and the keyboard were just channels for what was pouring out of me with a life of its own.
As for refocusing my blog, that was almost the same situation. I've been blocked from writing for a number of years. Not writer's block per se. Long, boring story. Suffice it to say that this year I broke through whatever psychological or emotional barriers I'd erected or allowed to spring up, and this summer I redid my blog. I just started writing one day and the words were there. Finally.
I also search writing blogs for appropriate content to excerpt and I peruse ezinearticles.com and goarticles.com for free content to publish as well. Otherwise I'd just be on a permanent guilt trip about not writing enough. But I'm finding that it's getting easier by the day to write articles. Personally, I think it's because I actually have something to say. (I feel another "Duh..." coming on.)
Thanks again, Lynn! I think I've got enough steam now to get me through the next roadblocks. Look out, folks! Deb's on a roll now!
Thats great, Deb - and its awesome to hear so much motivation in your tone! Do go ahead and join the main forum, as you'll get TONS of help there also. And check your email - I have something for you 😉
This cross conversation blog hit me to the core of my soul. I’m also a newbie to internet marketing. I’ve made an investment (about 3k worth) in material and courses. I can understand Deb’s frustration about the overwhelming material and pressure of wanting to make internet marketing work.
(A little background on me) I have a day job which I make a pretty decent living. It’s very flexible as far as time. I would venture to say that lots of folk would consider me really lucky. I do consider myself very blessed. . However I’m in no way compliance with just having a job. I started a company out of college in a totally unrelated field. Though the compensation was not major, the thrill I received from owning my company has stayed with me since.
I’ve made attempts to start other companies, but like Deb did not have enough passion to follow through with them. I’m finally found something that I really want to start. Funny, I can’t recall how I found out about internet marketing, however glad I did. I guess my greatest fear is will I keep the passion to make it work. Time will tell I guess.
Reading this series of post has given me new found hope. I’ve realize that the issues were not the material purchase but myself. I’m realizing that there’s not a magic bullets to success other then a good mindset, having the willingness to work, and an undeniable will to persist onward. Lynn’s point “But I have learned from personal experience that the breakthrough is usually just after the quitting point. †Really hit the core of my being. So often we stop at the point where we are just one step away from breaking stride. I appreciate this reminder. I’m also reminded of an analogy I heard somewhere that starting anything is like a rocket ship taking off. It takes tremendous power to lift off and get into orbit. However once in orbit you become weightless and everything is practically effortless.
So to all the newbies , myself included, get your rocket ship engines ready to launch. Don’t forget to fuel your engine with plenty of “Newbie fuel†which is a mixture of knowledge, work, and persistence.
“POWER TO THE NEWBIESâ€, I’m glad we have a veteran like Lynn that is truly willing to help. I have joined her forum as an elite member and already have found it to be very helpful.
Wes,
Yeah! Power to the Newbies! I'm also glad to have Lynn on our side.
I'm just blown away by all the EXCELLENT free content available on her sites. If only I'd found her 2 1/2 years ago, who knows where I'd be today? But "if only" doesn't put bread on the table, so I'm just grateful I found the teacher when I was ready for her.
I've started another cross-blog conversation, which you can see at http://debgallardo.com/virtuoso/120, plus it should show up on another post in this blog of Lynn's.
Great webinar yesterday, right?
Thanks for the link, Deb - you'll see my reply here: http://www.clicknewz.com/1255/you-are-exactly-where-you-want-to-be/ 🙂
Time and space don't seem to matter too much for this topic. It hit home for me today, particularly your statement about 'stopping in your tracks or..."
Thanks for the encouragement and putting this content out there. Sometimes it's just being in the right place at the right time with the right mindset that makes all the difference.
Looking forward to persisitently going over, through, around, and blasting obstacles that are in my way internally and externally, because of you, Lynn, Deb, and other 'dreamers and doers' who adjust as we learn together.
Best,
Mary
I'm glad you enjoyed it Mary - and very glad you are part of the group at SSWT too. I look forward to getting to know you even more, and to us all continuing to work together on our goals.