Do you often ask yourself why it is taking so long to move forward with your online business. You have studied hard, learned a great deal, developed new skills, built your website with targeted keywords, yet nothing is happening - no buyers, no profits. What is going on?

A website is not a business - until you make it one! In the beginning, it is like a house with rooms. Each room has a different purpose. You have filled it with nice furniture, and your lawn and gardens look beautiful, and people come around to visit for a while; then they leave.

Let's examine your daily activities according to the table below.

If you recognize yourself as doing more of the activities listed in column A, then you are operating with a consumer mindset.

If you recognize yourself as doing more of the activities listed in column B, then you are operating with a business mindset. Congratulations, you are investing your time wisely, performing activities that will add to your bottom line. Because...

Reality Check: Are you a consumer or a producer?

• People who teach you - make money.
• People who write and publish what you read - make money.
• People who record videos that you listen to - make money.
• People who produce info products that you consume - make money.
• People who give free gifts that you download - make money.
• People who are building the list that you subscribe to - make money.
• People who outsource time consuming admin tasks - make money.
• People who sell things make money from those who buy things.

The activities in column A - learning, reading, research, planning, preparing, helping - are all necessary.

We do a lot of that at the Wealthy Affiliate online business community. Learning is a lifelong journey and should never end, no matter what our age or circumstances in life.

The hurdle is that many of us bring a job mentality with us when we arrive online seeking income. That is understandable because most of us have been an employee in the workforce for a long time. We are used to getting paid as an employee and spending money on consumer products that sustain our daily lives.

All of us, including business owners, are consumers. But when we operate a business, we must think, act, and talk business. Doing business is not the same as preparing to do business.

The time will come when you will need to allocate 10% of your time on actions similar to those in column A, and 90% of your time on actions in column B. It is the difference between knowledge and profit. Knowledge is not power; real power comes from applying your knowledge effectively to produce results.

Hope this makes sense. If it does, the little green "like" button always loves it when readers give it a bit of love. Thanks!