A Very Important Message For ALL Beginners!
People ask me all the time...
Jerry, how long does it take to make money?💰
Why am I not getting any traffic & sales?😫
Or even worse, I've seen many people saying things like...
- I'm all in. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen. BUT I really need to see some sales coming in by the end of the first month.
- I'll put in more time and effort until I see some results and sales.
- Can I start making money in the first month? Because I need to pay my bills...
If you're asking any of those questions and having similar mindsets, this post is not just FOR YOU. But you HAVE TO & MUST read this post in FULL.
I'm dead serious.
Because I can guarantee you that you'll definitely fail & quit if you're hanging on to those mindsets and asking the wrong questions!
By the way, there's nothing wrong with you having those mindsets now because that's where we all started.
But in order to start making consistent income from your online business and succeed, the first thing we need to work on is having the right mentality🧠
Please DO NOT feel offended or have any negative feelings when you're reading this post.
The purpose of this post is to help you see the REALITY and understand what you should EXPECT!
The Reality That You MUST Understand
I'm sure most of you know that Wealthy Affiliate is NOT a 'get rich quick scheme'. But do you really understand what does it mean by "Get Rich Quick"?
Despite we all know this isn't a get rich quick scheme, there are still many people "hoping" to start seeing results and making money within a month or two.
Why?
- They think get rich quick means something like winning a lottery. That's why if they're willing to put in the work for a month or two, they think they should get paid and it's not considered as get rich quick. They simply want to see some results to prove that this works.
- MONEY. DEBT. BILLS. Many people need to constantly worry about how to pay their next bill or even pay their next month's WA Premium Membership. I understand. If you're one of them, please continue reading and keep my advice for you in mind.
So, what's the reality I need to know?
Understand this...
👉It's IMPOSSIBLE for you to build up an online business that provides you a stable income source within a few months time if you're new to this.👈
Let me ask you, what's one of the talents you have right now? Anything that you're good at.
And then reflect...how long did it take for you to be good at it? 1 year? 2 years? 5 years?
Making money online is no different.
Many people think that "online business" or the "Internet" has some sort of magic power or some secrets. And peolpe who are successful definitely know certain "secrets" that they don't know about yet. As long as you can get the "secrets", you'll be able to make money and succeed.
That's why there are so many people looking for what we called the "shiny objects", constantly searching for other people's "secret" that they "think" others possess.
Let me tell you...
There are NO SECRETS🙅🏻♂️
No matter which business you're building and which platform you're using (be it affiliate marketing, dropshipping, Amazon FBA, YouTube, network marketing, etc.), you just have to:
- Follow a proven system
- Keep learning
- And most importantly, TAKE CONSISTENT ACTION for a LONG PERIOD OF TIME!
It applies to almost ALL businesses, platforms and systems out there, not just Wealthy Affiliate.
How did Michael Jordan succeed? Practice, fail, practice, fail, practice, fail...
For any successful people that you can think of, they succeed because they focus on ONE THING and keep doing it every single day no matter what happened.
And the good news for you is that I AM A LIVING PROOF that Wealthy Affiliate works!
Just take a look at my income growth since Jan 2018:
Can you see how CONSISTENCY & PATIENCE don't just pay off but they pay off huge?
But this graph is just a tip of an iceberg.
What all of you don't see is the amount of time every single day I put into learning, writing, doubting, hesitating, failing, growing, improving...
And by the way, you can see that I started making some money since January, February and March 2018, despite it's very little.
But prior to this, I spent 2 YEARS learning as much as I could from the community, all the training and the successful members here while I was serving full time national service.
That's how I can enjoy the fruit right now and share the results with you guys.
So, I know many of you will start to think...
"Maybe Wealthy Affiliate is not for me because what I need right now is money. I need to survive, support my family, to pay my bills, etc. Maybe WA is not for me at this moment. I'll come back next time."
Some of you may say, "I simply don't have the patience to wait that long..."
I totally understand.
I can tell you what you need to do right now. But quitting Wealthy Affiliate is NOT the solution to your problem.
Many beginners have problems paying your Wealthy Affiliate Premium Membership I know.
Here's What You Should Do Right Now!
If you're having problem paying your WA Membership, you MUST either have a full-time or a part-time job that you can earn a stable active income.
You need to support yourself and your family while building your passive income online.
Treat Wealthy Affiliate as a side hustle for now but never lose hope on it and never give up.
If you give up on this, for most people, they're forced to keep working on an active income job to put food on the table.
👉Without passive income, you'll never stop trading time for money.👈
Warren Buffett put it best...
So the lesson to takeaway is...
👉You need to have an active income job to support you while you hustle on your passive income until the day when your side hustle can become a full-time commitment.👈
And that's when you can go tell your boss that...
By the way, if unfortunately for some reason you're someone who's not able to get a proper job or work outside from your home, I'm sure there are tons of ways to make active income online by doing freelance jobs or helping clients based on your expertise.
And for those of you who already have a full-time job, the amount of time you can put into your side hustle is limited. That's why you need even more patience to make this work.
But as long as you can consistently put in let say 3 hours per day for the next 1 year, 2 years, 3 years...I can guarantee you that you'll see results and you can definitely quit your job sometime along that journey.
Another quote I must share with you is this...
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” - Steve Jobs
Poor people think for days and months. Rich peolpe think for years, decades and even generations.
The time and effort you put into your online business right now may seem nothing or even wasted for many people when they can't see results at the moment.
But you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future and you can only realize that when you're looking backward at your own journey, just like what Steve Jobs has said.
Wise words, aren't they?
One Thing I've Never Shared With Anybody is this...
If you take a look at the income growth chart I provided you earlier on, you'll see that before May 2018, I was earning less than $1000/month from my online business here.
Just like what I explained earlier on, during that time, I was working on a local part-time job at a hotel buffet...
Yea, that was me, just a couple of months ago.
I even brought my laptop to work so that I can fully utilize the resting time I had to work on my business👨🏻💻
Can you see how much effort I have been putting in to achieve the results I'm getting?
If you are struggling for time, it's all about time management and prioritization⏱
If you're struggling for money, get a stable job, either part-time or full-time based on your need and plan your schedule to work on your side hustle.
Everything I've written in this post are my honest opinion and advice from the bottom of my heart❤️
I really want to help you. But please remember that your results depend on YOU. No one else.
How eager & desired are you to achieve the goals you have?
If your desire and your WHY is huge enough, you'll squeeze out that extra time, put in that extra effort no matter what's the circumstance, just like what I did when I was working at the buffet restaurant.
Final Reminder
There will definitely be times when you encounter failures & struggles along the way😣
- You may be struggling to build your first website because you're new to WordPress.
- You may struggle to decide on your niche.
- You may struggle to get traffic to your site.
- You may struggle to make your first sale.
- Your first site may even be a total failure.
So what?!
These are all part of the learning curve and the journey. Remember that we can only connect the dots looking backward?
The good thing is that you're in Wealthy Affiliate, a very established, active and helpful community👥
Everything you need to get started is provided here. All the training, tools, resources, support, etc...
So, it's really up to you. You are responsible for your own results.
Remember!
You'll never fail until you give up👊
Your time is never wasted because what you gained are the valuable experience.
To end off this post, I just want to provide you with some of the most useful resources for you at this stage:
- How Long Does it take to Make Money at Wealthy Affiliate?
- Are You Willing to Work for FREE? (The Secret to Success in Anything!)
- A Niche is A Group of People Looking for Stuff
- Google Page 1 Ranking Tips: Position 4 in 3 Minutes!
Lastly, I believe this post is helpful for A LOT OF the members here. So, whenever you come across someone who's struggling or being pessimistic, remember to share this post with them to help them🗣
If you're promoting Wealthy Affiliate, this is a great post that's worth sharing with your referrals to encourage them so that they can stay longer in the community. This means more recurring income for you as well!💰💰
But I recommend you to share this with your referrals only after around 2 weeks to a month after they join. Because the best strategy is to get them pumped up about this online business in the beginning. And then along the way, we help them get the right mindset to succeed.
If you share this with your referrals too early, some will just quit after seeing the amount of time and effort needed. So it's best to get them pumped up first in the beginning.
You can add this to one of your auto-messages that's being sent to your referrals:
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/share/messages
"Premium for 15 or 30 days" is what I recommend. That's the best time to teach them about the mindset stuff.
So, don't forget to drop a LIKE and COMMENT below👇
Let's pay-it-forward and help one another to succeed💪
Recent Comments
696
Wise head on young shoulders Mr Jerry Huang.
What a brilliant post and one that will be helpful for all.
Thanks for this, things I already know but a huge reminder.
Prioritization and orgainization are things I need to remedy.
I do know I work hard so I have that under my belt, but then
there is consistency too - when I think things aren't doing so well.
Awesome "secrets" you share today.
And funny thing is, we all know what these secrets are.
Well done on all your successes Jerry.
Yea, these "secrets" aren't really secrets because many of us know it. But we just need constant reminder on this along the journey until these things stuck in our head all the time and then it becomes a part of us.
All the best!
You hit the nail right on the head Jerry.
This post is applicable to everyone here.
Very inspiring!
I'm still working full-time, and (like you used to do), I use my breaks to work on my business.
I actually purchased a Chromebook sometime ago just so I can work on the go - not quite there yet with a Mac Pro but will get there soon! 😉
So, full-time workers, just to re-iterate what Jerry has said, bring your laptops to work - (or buy a cheap Chromebook) you'd be surprised how much you can do in the space of an hour (if you prepare things in advanced).
Once again Jerry, thanks for the inspiration!👍👍
Haha thanks for sharing that Jackie! As you know, I only upgraded to MacBook Pro when I made it to Vegas. But the tools are not the most important thing. The most important thing is your mindset, attitude and your effort.
So yea, buy something cheap as long as it works :)
Thank you for sharing your insights, Jerry. I heard something said by Anthony Robbins once that I think relates to what you've just shared. I don't recall the exact quote, but paraphrasing, he said,
'Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year.'
It resonated with me and has stuck with me ever since. Whenever I feel like I'm not making enough progress in some area, I look back to a year ago, and I see the amount of progress I've actually made, which is always substantial if I've put in any amount of consistent effort - even if it's only 20 minutes/day. It may take me longer than someone putting in 3 hours/day, but I'm still moving forward. That's encouraging, and it helps me focus on one step at a time and on what I have and CAN do, not on what I don't have and CAN'T do.
While seeing highly successful results of others can show potential and possibility, it really doesn't have any direct bearing on the reality of my own progress and results. There are never guarantees for success, even if you do everything "right." What is certain is if you don't put in the effort, if you don't keep working on moving forward, you definitely won't get anywhere. Anything else is just wishful thinking.
You're very right Sylvia! And I love that quote you brought up. That's very true.
Thank you for sharing. This is something very powerful. Keep it up!
Hey Jerry,
This is really helpful! Yesterday, I was actually down about not making any sales since I first started. That doesn't stop me from trusting in the process. Hard work = money earned! Plus, you got to earn your customer's trust, which is what the main focus is at the beginning.
Thanks again for your post!
Mandy
That's right Mandy! The more value you can provide to your prospects & customers, the more money you can make :)
All the best!
Wow Jerry !!
Fantastic post .
I don't often give praise, but you sure have pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat .
Written with such elegance and prose. You managed to say it how it is, without offence, (which is quite the feat)
And as an old Indian once said, "it's never hard to succeed ", one only has to "turn up" every single day !
Okay it wasn't an old Indian,. but you get the point.
Cordially
Dedo
Thank you so much Dedo! Appreciate that!
You're right. Showing up every single day is the most important!
Great advice Jerry, I actually retired 12 years ago at age 46 from a career in law enforcement. I still work a full time, thankfully, that job allows me to work from home 3 days a week which gives me some extra time to work on WA. My first set of dots are connected. I think it will be some time before I connect any WA dots and I understand that. It's gonna be fun getting enough dots to connect here at WA.
Hey hey Jerry. I wish I could copy and paste your blog post and share it with the world. I am just starting out myself. I feel very strongly about my new endeavor to create a new life and business for myself and fully expect there to be a very steep learning curve. But, I will take your words to heart and keep them in the forefront of my mind and keep pushing forward. You are an inspiration to me and it is my goal and desire to do as you have done. Congratulations on your progress and thank you for your insight and straightforward account of what it takes to make it in affiliate marketing. You are a marketing hero in my opinion. Here's to your continued success.
Thank you for those kind words Ryan! I'm really glad to be able to help and inspire.
Anyway, when you're sharing this post with people outside of Wealthy Affiliate, you can grab your affiliate link to share. See the screenshot below.
Hi Jerry,
Wow and thank you. I am at the very first stage. Getting traffic and a sale. But I have been sloppy. I'll dive in and then life takes over and then come back and dive in and yes again life takes over. But now I have decided to work on my business 2 hours everyday before work, and then life wont hit me so hard and I'll still be productive.
Thank you again one very wise soul. :)
Debbie
That's a great strategy Debbie! This resonates with my point on prioritization. Since you're now more serious about this business, you'll definitely plan your time well for this.
There will always be time for anything as long as you're willing to do it :)
Absolutely a fantastic post, one that we are all aware of but tend to fall into the notion of quick fast money. As you said it really doesn't exist. Time and patience with not just hard work but more importantly smart work. Results will vary on different individuals, Yes some ppl can see fast results and that is no different than with any other trade. So thank you for this post, finally a great one !!!
Cheers!!!
That's right Tony! Everyone definitely has a different path and different learning curve. The results will be different as well. What remains the same is the mindset and attitude to all of these.
See more comments
Jerry, thank you for this great post.
You are so right in reminding us all to be patient, work hard, learn our craft and then expect results.
In fact, I was saying the similar only the other day to a friend (who is very impatient on my behalf) to start making (lots) of money.
But, what people don't realize that this is a profession just like any other and needs time to be understood and mastered. Eight months ago I had no idea affiliate marketing existed. It's crazy to expect to be making huge amounts of money immediately.
I am an opera singer and have been learning singing for twenty-five years now. I still learn something new every single day and don't think this will ever stop.
Same with internet marketing (or any other profession).
Learning something new every day, working diligently every day will get results. Taking massive action, and then some!
Wishing you all the best with your projects and the new course!
Alenka
You brought up a good point Alenka! Learning is a continuous process and it never stop. It will only stop if you choose to.
Everything in life is the same. Life itself is a continuous learning process. It will never stop!
Very good point. Thank you Alenka! Wish you all the best :)