I Want To Make Money NOW (or I Quit!)
Last Update: Mar 27, 2020
I hear this a lot.
Many people I speak with, even within WA, want to make money online QUICKLY.
I get it.
I mean, who wants to wait to start making money?
I certainly didn't when I first started!
The reality is though- it does take time (and a solid amount of effort) to get results.
And if you're not willing to put that time and effort into your business, chances are you'll make very little (if any) money at all.
In fact, I would attribute the mindset of 'making money quickly' as one of the single biggest reasons people fail online.
As long as you are chasing this you will always be looking for the next 'shiny object'. You will always be looking for a shortcut. A 'system'. A 'loophole' that doesn't exist.
Which keeps you from taking real action on building a REAL business.
Anyways, that's enough of my rant lol. I just really wanted to be upfront with you about this. Because it matters. Your mindset has a HUGE impact on whether or not you will succeed at this. Specifically, how disciplined you are within your online business.
My true intention with this post is to give you some perspective...
What may feel like a long time to be working before you start cashing in the big bucks, is really a drop in the bucket. It's nothing in the grand scheme of things.
So I really want to give you some perspective today. This way, you will see that by a simple change in the way you look at your business, you can create a drastic change in the results you see. Both now and in the longterm.
Let me start by breifly outlining how long it took me to make money...
How Long It Took ME To Start Making Money
I was searching the internet on and off for years trying to make money. All I ever did was lose it to one program or another.
Once I found WA in October of 2015 however, I knew I'd found something real. So I went to work and after 3 FULL months of working my butt off- I made a grand total of $1.17 from Amazon!
I've told this to some of my freinds when they ask me what I do for a living.
They rarely 'get it' at first, but they think it's cool to be making money on the internet. And without fail they ask me "what's the catch?".
Like it sounds cool but there must be something I'm not telling them.
So I tell them the above story which immediately takes them from sceptical to "wow that's a lot of work to make next to no money- stuff that!".
Who wants to work for 3 months and make a dollar LOL.
Fair enough.
But (for me) the day I made that dollar, was one of the most exciting days of my life. For real.
Why? Because I knew that if I could make a dollar, I could make ten, a hundred, a thousand... and so on. I knew it was real so I knew I could do it.
And that's exactly what happened. By the 6 month mark I was making small, but regular commissions. Again, lots of time and effort, not a huge payout.
But I was practically doing backflips with excitement. Because I was BUILDING a business. Finally.
Fast forward a bit over a year and a half, and I began making a full-time income. Just from what I learned right here within WA.
So my point is....
As much as people WANT to be earning a full-time income online. As much as they want the freedom only this kind of business can bring---- few people can fathem working hard for 3-6 months before making much money.
And I think this is CRAZY.
A year and a half, heck even two years, even three years... is nothing.
I mean, I used to go to work and grind from 7am to 7pm most days, often 6 days a week. I strongly disliked what I did. It was boring, soul sucking, and left me extremely tired. I mean I was thankful for what I had. But I wasn't living. I was 'existing'.
So (for me) a couple years to completely turn this around was nothing.
Anyways, enough about me.
I just wanted to give you some insight into my story is all. So you know I am speaking from experience when I say it's worth putting the effort in.
As I said earlier, the real purpose of this post is to give you some perspective. So I thought the best way to do this is with a 'real world' comparison.
University vs Wealthy Affiliate (what would you prefer?)
Most people go to university in the hopes of getting a secure job with benefits. This is something we are raised to do. So it's very much the 'norm'.
Which is why I figured this was the perfect comparison to make here.
Before we proceed: I want to be clear that I am not against universty education. Not at all. It's a wonderful place to learn and qualify yourself for a given profession. Absolutely. And it goes without saying that some professions absolutely require this. My wife is a registered nurse for example, so she had to go to university or she simply wouldn't get a job. Now she's doing her Masters degree because this is seen as 'essential' in this day and age to get a good job. So I get why people within certain indstries further their education in college.
With that said, I am using this as an example because it helps put things into perspective. Especially for entrepreneurs who (in my opinion) do not need to go to traditional university.
University Degree
Obviously the ins and outs of this vary from college to college. It depends on what you study and what level you go to, among other things. So I'll base my comparison on some very general figures for example purposes.
What traditional university costs you:
- Around 3-4 years to obtain an undergraduate degree
- About $25-$50k on average, depending on what/ where you study
What universty gives you at the end of 3-4 years:
- Good education and qualifications
- Lots of debt
- Hopefully, a 9-5 entry-level job (that you'll probably end up resenting)
In summary... you spend years of your time and a considerable amount of money, to 'maybe' get a job.
In many cases, the job you get is not one you enjoy either. You're stuck in a cubicle, being told what to do, by a boss who underappreciates you. And you're commuting long hours each and every day.
Of course many people enjoy what they do too. Cool. But there's just as many, if not more, people who can't stand their job in one way or another. I'm guessing since you're here, you are more likely in the latter.
Either way, you're stuck with debt for years to come. Whether you get a job or not, and whether you love or hate what you do. Chances are you've made little to no money at all during that time too. So you've also foregone the opportunity to earn money during this 3-4 year period of time. This is also worth considering.
Building an Online Business With WA
What people achieve this route varies greatly. So I'm just going to use my example and what I know others have been able to achieve here.
So let's round it up and assume it takes you full 3 years to get to the point of a full-time income. I personally think that (if you're putting in a solid effort for 3 years) this is VERY achievable.
What Wealthy Affiliate costs you:
- 3 years full-time learning and building your business
- $1,200 if you buy 3 years of WA yearly, some domains and rounding it up for good measure (yes, Premium gives you ALL you need to build a full-time income online)
What you can achieve within 3 years:
- Very possible to be earning some money within 3-6 months
- You can realistically be making a full-time income (or very close to it) within 3 years
- You will have ZERO debt from your expenses
- You've got a thriving online business that generates passive income, allows you to travel and spend more time doing what you love. With the people you love.
- You OWN an asset (website/s) that you can potentially sell (for more than you might think)
In summary.... you spend a few years learning the ropes, earning small amounts in your first 3-6 months. Heck, even in your first year. Let's be super modest. After 3 years, you can realistically be earning a full-time passive income online.
Even better, you now have more freedom, zero debt and you ove what you do.
The rewards of this approach FAR outweigh what any job can give you. In my humble opinion.
Conclusion
The main take home here is this--- creating a profitable online business does take time and effort, yes. And it will not happen within a few weeks or months.
However, when you look at things in the right context, the opportunity you have here within WA to build your business is WELL worth it.
So consider what I've shared with you here and use it to help put things into perspective.
Stop thinking about how quickly you can make money. Start thinking about what you can build within a *relatively* short period of time.
In the grand scheme of things, the time you put into your business before getting into profit is NOTHING. Especially when you consider that your time is going into building your future.
Hopefully, you can see the power of what we have here. What you can achieve by putting the work in and taking this seriously Treating it like a business. Which it is.
Now with that being said, I'm keen to hear your thoughts about this. Let me know how you feel about all of this in the comments below! Cheers
Recent Comments
187
Loved this post Tim! Your perspective is spot on, and the words of encouragement are always much appreciated.
You have also made some excellent points about university! Teacher here, so it was necessary for me...but here I am at WA working my butt off :)
Thanks for the great read!
Cool glad you enjoyed the post Brittaney :)
Yeah university certainly has it's place and can be very beneficial. I just think it's cool to know there's some great alternatives like affiliate marketing.
All the best here and thanks for chiming in!
I don't mind that it's taking a while to make the first dollar. My only concern is that Amazon is going to boot me out for not making a sale in 6 months. I'm getting close to that mark now. I have one post on page 1 of google now so maybe it won't be much longer. I'm still writing and I'm not giving up.
I've been booted out a few times. You just reapply all over again. One of the obstacles of starting out :)
Nice work getting your post on page 1 Michael. If you can do that, you can get many more so I wouldn't worry about the Amazon thing at all. Worst case just reapply. They are not going to shy away from having a great affiliate on board. Not in a million years.
Great post I enjoyed reading this, I am currently in my 6th month now I haven't made any money at all as yet, I am putting in a lot of effort and building out my website, I really hope though to start generating some income even as you mentioned a single $1 to start with, then the over flow.
Yeah once you earn that first dollar man you will see the power of this and how simple it is to scale up your results.
Great post Tim. You've touch upon anyone that has been successful in this business has struggled with and conquered.
I can totally relate to your first dollar. I remember I earned a few cents online and I was so excited. My friends laughed and said why are you excited? And its like you said, it confirmed I could make money online. Now it was time to scale up which obviously I did.
And I'm glad you touched upon the time frame aspect. People are so quick to give up on their own dreams to make others dreams come true (i.e working for an employer). And I'm not talking about people that have immediate bills to pay so they need to get a job right away. I'm talking about the people that are being impatient and aren't willing to put in the same effort and time for themselves because they don't see results right away.
In any event, great job with this post! Hopefully it resonates with everyone.
Thanks Eddy. Yeah it's a priceless feeling hey. I also remember getting my first WA referral lol. I was telling Nardia all about it and could hardly contain myself. So exciting.
Yeah it's an interesting dynamic that's for sure. I remember I felt discouraged myself when I didn't make money in my first couple months lol! I can laugh about it now but at the time I still had doubts. I think the first few months are the most challenging for this reason. This is when you're really buckling down and putting solid effort in, with no idea if it's "really" going to pay off. But once you get past that and see the traffic and commissions starting to come in, the excitement level goes through the roof.
Anyways thanks for commenting Eddy, appreciate it :) Cheers
You're welcome Tim. I agree the delayed gratification aspect is very difficult. People don't realize the work you put in now will start pay off months down the line. And some people don't have the luxury to wait that long. So I get that. But for everyone else it's just reminding yourself that patience can lead to life changing events.
We're both examples of that. So it can be done.
Completely agree with all your points Tim. I guess I've been working on my main site for 2+ a bit years and I'm a part time income now... I can see things picking up, so I am positive I will be full time before too long. So, I would agree with the 3+ year projection as well!
It is amazing how little effort people are prepared to put in. I think a lot of it also comes down to self-motivation too... a majority of people will really struggle with that and probably a minority can overcome it day after day.
Awesome work Natalie, congrats! Absolutely, if you can make a part-time income then full-time is just a matter of doing more of what works. So you can do it.
Yeah totally. One of the things I've come to realise is how important mindset is with this stuff. I once dismissed it as 'somewhat relevant' but the truth is your mindset is everything. The skills are here to be learned, and there's a wealth of opportunity online once you equip yourself with these skills. So I think it really boils down to believing in the process and being disciplined enough to take massive action. Consistently. Easier said than done (especially when no one's telling you what to do) but it's worth it.
Thanks for commenting :) Cheers
Thank you for the encouragement Tim :).
I have to say, I completely agree about the mindset thing. I would say, it's essential.
When I have gone off track, it's always down to my mindset ultimately!
Onward and upward! :) Cheers, Nat
Good points, Tim. I have two bachelors degrees, Aerospace Engineering and Business Management, and some work on an MBA (about half). I'm not using any of it. I quit going to college because I finally saw more debt than benefit.
I'm retired now, but I have wondered what my life would be like now If I'd found WA 10 years ago instead of last year.
Grant
Wow that's impressive and would've taken some serious dedication. I guess the good news is you're here now, and you could potentially even use some of that knowledge in creating a profitable niche site. Just a thought.
Thank you Tim for your insights...so true what you said...still in the beginning myself...important is that you find the right niche in which you feel comfortable and in which you feel it has potential to create some income with time.
Main thing first is really to built up the website with a lot of useful and relevant content...to grow your reputation...and that takes time...I know it from myself, when I am researching products, I wont trust blogs with just 10 posts...needs to be something more....and creating good content takes time....the rest will hopefully happens then automatically....someday :-)
Spot on Volker, useful and relevant content is by far the most valuable thing you could be focussing on. That's not to say you need to be some fancy writer though. I'm not. But just trying to give people the most value you can is always a winning strategy.
This is totally true. Scams or companies of disrepute try to cash in on this to make money, but there are no shortcuts if you want to build a sustainable online business.
Do I wish I had found WA sooner? Absolutely!
It's okay though. I'm willing to put in the work and spend the next 45, at least, years doing something I love with the freedom to do it wherever I want.
For sure, longterm thinking is the key. And I could totally say the same thing lol. Just glad I decided to give WA a go and stick at it when I did.
Thank you for inspiring words. Just the right medicine for my self right now!
I do have a regular job that I actually like (believe or not) but if I had to choose between working full time as an affiliate or as an employee I would choose affiliate marketing.
Right now, my focus is to earn some extra money and I'm sure "they are waiting just around the corner" :-).
//Patrik
You're very welcome Patrik, and that's a great point. WA can benefit you even if you're not looking to go 'full-time'. Many people leverage the training here to build an extra income too, so this is an excellent goal and a very achievable one. Cheers
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Wow, Tim! This post really does puts everything in perspective!
The power of perseverance to turn a whole life around is worth more than just money. It has brought you freedom, which is what most people want, money being just a tool to get that freedom!!!
I for one, am really sick and tired of the rat race. I still have a full-time job because I need it to support my family. But every spare minute I have are spent here, building my online business.
The little money I make right now is definitely not enough, but like you, it has proven me that it is POSSIBLE. So I can't and won't quit until I achieve my goal of quitting my job for good and live the laptop life! :D
The main reason for my being here at WA is exactly what you describe in your post. I want to stop existing and start living my life on MY OWN terms.
This post is an inspiration for all of us, and I will definitely share it and read it again and again.
Thank you for sharing this with all of us!!
Hi Denis,
Very true, it is about the freedom it brings more so than the income itself.
Awesome to hear you are making money with your site and I know that in time you will reach your goals!
Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for commenting :) Cheers