The Biggest Mistake I Made When Getting Started Online
Hello Everyone
Today I want to talk about some mistakes I have made over the years since I first started out trying to make money online. I have made a few mistakes which I will talk about briefly but there is one big mistake I made that I want cover in a bit more detail. So hopefully you will avoid these costly mistakes to.
Let's get into it
What Mistakes Have I Made?
I have been into making money online since late 2018 and at that time I had no idea what I was doing and I believed almost everything I heard which was my first mistake.
Luckily I never spent any money on anything and didn't get scammed because I kept trying to follow the free methods shown on YouTube to get rich quickly but I failed and never made any money.
I have made a few other mistakes over the years and they were ones that most people make in the beginning.
Here's a list of a few of them
- Listening to fake gurus
- Believing the fake gurus
- Watching hundreds of YouTube videos
- Trying to get rich quick and not taking the time to find out the truth
- Trying the same strategies over and over even though they weren't working
- Spamming links all over social media and trying to get people to buy the products I was trying to promote
As you can see I made quite a few mistakes and it wasn't until I came across a legit YouTuber that talked about paid survey websites and I gave it a try which was what made me my first few dollars online in 2019.
Later that year I came to Wealthy Affiliate for the first time ever after hearing about it on a make money online website. I joined, followed the training and got my first website set up but I still didn't want to see the truth and kept hoping I'd get rich quick.
Following this I quit WA in 2020 and then again 2021 before starting another online business in June 2022 outside of WA which is still my main business today. But the way I started it lead me to the biggest mistake I ever made online.
My Biggest Mistake Online
When I started my new online business in June 2022 I started on social media by creating short posts about affiliate products and posting them on my social media pages and in Facebook groups.
I did this for a few weeks and I even got a bit lucky as one of my affiliate links got 300 clicks in one day but no sales which is still my best day in terms of clicks in the history of my affiliate marketing journey.
This excited me so I kept doing it but I ended up failing and giving up for a couple of months. I later started up again and started trying countless free marketing strategies that I saw on YouTube to promote my business and affiliate products.
This ultimately lead to me getting some posts and comments removed on Facebook for spam and temporarily losing my business Pinterest account until I explained to Pinterest what happened and they gave me my account back.
By this point it was late 2022 and I had my new online business for around 5 months and I was getting really frustrated. I then started to realize that I was doing it all wrong. So I ended up getting a website in December 2022 for my business and also returned to Wealthy Affiliate.
I set up my website and start writing blog posts but I also was making another mistake since the beginning of starting this business which was having two completely different niches on one website and on my social media pages and no matter what anyone said I wouldn't listen.
I continued doing this for many more months until I finally realized after some advice from an experienced WA member I needed to get rid of one niche from my website so I did and kept my website about technology.
Since then things have improved but I haven't made much money from my website which is again mostly my fault due to lack of consistency and always letting something get in the way of me posting regularly on my website. Consistency is key to success in any online business and I will be making sure I stay consistent this year.
What You Should Do To Avoid My Biggest Mistake
So after all my failures which was mostly due to me being stubborn and thinking I knew best and could make things work I have learned how things really work online. That is the reason I'm so quick to help beginners on WA by answers the questions and creating blog posts on my WA blog.
If you are just starting out you should not do what I did. The best way to avoid my mistakes and save yourself from months of pain and frustration is to do things the right way to start with.
You need to follow the training on WA and get yourself a website. Your website is your foundation for your business and your key to success. This is very important because without a website you won't be very successful.
Once you get through the training don't stop there. Keep creating content and keep learning as well. Don't give up and keep at it to get yourself to where you want to be.
In case you are still confused here is what you should do in a nutshell
- Join Wealthy Affiliate and go through the training
- Set up your website and apply what you learn
- Monetize your website when you have a decent amount of content
- Consistently create new and quality content
- Be patient and never give up
- Keep learning and building your business
- Rinse and repeat
That's basically the steps to creating a successful business and that is what I should have done in the beginning. If I did this I could be much better off than where I am with my online business today.
It's also a good idea to have a business plan which is something I didn't do properly. I had a basic business plan but I never took the time to thoroughly plan things for my business and make a detailed business plan. This is something that can help you a lot and I recommend you do this when starting your online business.
If you do things correctly and the way it should be done you will avoid the mistakes I made and be off to a much better start than I was. process I listed above is what I will be doing with my next business.
I'm planning to start an online lawn care business later this year which some of you who regularly read my blog post would already know and I will be doing the things the right way with this business as well as continuing to work on my other websites and online business.
Online Business Tips To Get You Started The Right Way
Before I end this blog post I want to give a few tips to get you started the right. Most of this I have already covered in this blog post but I thought I would up the most important tips in a nice easy to read list.
Here's a list of tips to get you off to a good start
- Follow the training on WA
- Apply what you learn
- Consistency is key
- Don't spam affiliate links on social media or anywhere
- Get a website ASAP as it's the foundation for your business
- Never have two completely different niches on one website
- Keep learning and building your business
- Write a business plan
- Don't give up
- Be patient and don't expect to get rich quick
- If you really want to be successful then invest your time, effort and money into WA for your business
I hope these tips help you and get you off to a good start. One final piece of advice I can give is never be afraid to ask questions and don't rush into things. You need to take the time to learn how business works and how making money online works so you can get an understanding of it and decide if it is something you want to do or not.
You should also be aware that there are no get rich quick schemes online. Building an online business and becoming successful takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. So don't try to make money fast as you will only waste time and fail.
Most importantly stay away from anyone or anything that claims it will teach you how to get rich quick as it is a lie and a scam. You should always do thing the right way which is the way Wealthy Affiliate teaches you. If you be consistent and put in the work required you can and will build a successful online business.
Conclusion
In conclusion I made many mistakes since I got started trying to make money online. I watched countless YouTube videos and tried everything I saw hoping to get rich quick. But I only ended up wasting a lot of time and making no money.
I made my first money online in 2019 with paid survey and got my first website with WA later that year. But my lack of consistency and patience caused me to quit WA twice and fail again.
My biggest mistake was when I started another online business in 2022 on social media. I tried too much social media, spammed too many links and when I finally got a website I made the mistake of having two completely different niches on one website.
The best way to be successful online is by building your business the right way which is the way Wealthy Affiliate teaches you. Follow the training, get a website, apply what you learn, be consistent and never give up. Those are the keys to building a successful online business.
Remember there are no get rich quick schemes online and building a successful online business takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. Most importantly stay away from anyone or anything that claims it will teach you how to get rich quickly as it is a lie and a scam. But if you be consistent and put in the work required you can and will build a successful online business.
That concludes this blog post about the biggest mistake I made when getting started online. I hope this blog post helps people avoid the mistakes I did and gets you off to a better start especially all the beginners out there that are new to making money online and building an online business.
I'm interested to know what mistakes you made when getting started online so please let me know in the comments if you don't mind sharing your experience. Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.
Recent Comments
94
It all depends on the guru training and our perspective of the guru training. As of now, you can mention to others you make money online with affiliate marketing, but that term is very broad and can entail various strategies.
For some people affiliate marketing is blasting their affiliate link into oblivion. For others, its making silly videos on TikTok poking their finger into the air.
My point when we empy ourselves from all preconcieved ideas of what works and what does not, then we can see clearly to learn what others are doing in "their" affiliate markting journey, that works.
Fight On!
JR
Hello JR
Thank you for reading and for your comment. I like your thinking and I found your thoughts very interesting.
Yes a lot of people spam links and hope to make money fast but in reality that gets you nowhere but trouble. Thank you again for reading and for your comment. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
This post feels so familiar.
I think many of us have gone down these various paths and rabbit holes, only because we’re looking to learn, and the information online.
Personally, I have some core beliefs.
🔹 People (usually) buy from people.
🔹 People (usually) buy from someone that they know, like and trust. (So, I do videos)
🔹 Alignment of the product, and the prospect must be perfect. (It is very hard to sell hamburgers and hotdogs to vegans and vegetarians)
🔹 When communicating on the Internet, you are more than likely talking to ONE person. (And they are probably on their phone, jumping from one place to another.)
🔹 The best products to promote our subscription based, that have recurring commissions. (Because it is a lot of time, energy, and money to acquire a single sale.)
My two cents.
BRAD 😊
Minneapolis MN 🇺🇸
Hello Brad
Thank you for reading and for your comment. I like your thinking and I agree with you. Yes selling anything is not easy and subscription based products are certainly the way to go. Thank you again for reading and for your comment. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Hi Timothy! Our brains could be twins. That`s how I started, watching too many Idiots on YouTube and believing all of the bull s**t that they were telling you. There is no such thing as "get rich quick schemes" it's more "get rich quick scams". The only way to be successful is to work your ass off. Wealthy Affiliate is the way to go and watch your business grow. Have a great day.
Gracias que Dios te bendiga y gracias a Dios por wealthy Affiliate. Que lo pude encontrar.
Gracias de nuevo.
Hello Brian
Thank you for reading and for your comment. I agree with you and you have to work very hard to achieve success online. Thank you again for reading and for your comment as well as for sharing your experience. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Saludo ayer tarde llegue del viaje de la iglesia ahora estoy para wealthy affiliate
Cómo están mi conpañero de WA. Claro me imagino que bien gracias a Dios.
Estoy bien, gracias y me alegro de que haya disfrutado de su viaje. Mucha suerte en tu viaje hasta aquí, recuerda, la perseverancia es la clave del éxito. Toda la suerte.
See more comments
Good morning Timothy,
Thank you for your very straightforward and honest blog post, it's appreciated. Every new member needs to read your blog post before they get started here!
It's interesting what you said about social media. My Webmaster said to me years ago, before social media was that popular, "Make sure that your website is your priority; social media can shut you down at any time"! These words are so true!
I am not a fan of Facebook, but I created two accounts in the early days; one was for networking, and one was for friends and family. The only part of Facebook I really used was a couple of business pages. However, I went to my Facebook account a couple of months ago to find that it had been suspended or words to that effect. I have no idea why, I have tried to get the account back, but as usual, this just takes me around in circles! Hence, the importance of focusing on a website.
I started my online journey back in 2004. I could see the power and the potential of the Internet, but I just didn't know what to do. I started by researching "make money online" and similar search terms, to try and gain some knowledge. There was so much hype out there at that time; it may be the same now, but I am probably blind to it or wise to it!
The problem I had was that I didn't have anyone at all to ask any questions and to know if what I was doing or purchasing was correct. I ended up purchasing quite a few scam products, although a few of the products were genuine. It took a long time to sort through all the fluff and what was right and what was wrong. To cut a long story short, it took me three years to get my first moneymaking website up. I believe what took me three years could have been achieved in one month at Wealthy Affiliate or even less!
Although I was making money when I first came to Wealthy Affiliate, I really like the idea of being around like-minded people. It's also great to have up-to-date training and to be able to help others and ask questions.
It's so important that we learn from successful people, otherwise we can just waste a lot of time and money. I spent thousands trying to learn Internet marketing! All I really needed was a platform like Wealthy Affiliate to guide me through the process. Unfortunately, I hadn't heard of the platform when I first started out, I think Wealthy Affiliate started in 2005, although it was very different.
So, to conclude, I can relate to where you are coming from, Timothy! You're right; consistency is key and following the training works!
Have a great day.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
You're welcome and thank you so much for reading and for your comment. I really appreciate you sharing your experience. You are right about social media. It can be powerful but it can also shut you down in an instant as all it takes is a click of a button and everything is gone.
That's why having a website is so important because it's something you own and can't loose unlike our social media accounts which we don't own and can loose at any time. There is still a lot of hype about making money online and many scam products and courses to.
That's why I struggled so much when I first started back in 2018. Wealthy Affiliate is definitely the place to be to learn, build your business and help others all at the same time. Thank you so much again for reading and for your comment. I hope you have a great day to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
It's a pleasure, Timothy!
Sometimes I think that social media can be very much overrated. I heard of someone who is successful and was spending 25% of his time on Facebook. When he checked his Google analytics, he realised that Facebook was literally sending zero traffic to his website or almost zero! He then stopped using Facebook to respond to people; he still posted but didn't respond to all the comments. The effect was that he had more time to spend on his website!
Exactly, Timothy, our website is so important and we can do what we want with it, no rules and regulations! That's interesting about the hype and scams online, I probably don't see them as I don't need to look for them as I did in the early days, but I can generally recognise the hype, etc, now!
I guess it's human nature to try and take shortcuts, but the fact is we have to build our business gradually. If we take many of the successful people on the Wealthy Affiliate platform, many of them started with absolutely no knowledge, but they built their businesses and were consistent.
Have a great weekend.
Roy
Hello Roy
I like your thoughts and I agree with you. I hope you have a great weekend to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
Thank you, Timothy! I believe that we are both on the same wavelength!
A very happy Sunday to you.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
You're welcome and I also believe we are both on the same wavelength. I wish you a very happy Sunday to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
I may have mentioned it before, but I can't remember as I communicate with quite a few people on the platform. But I also have an interest in garden, horticultural, landscaping, forestry and agricultural machinery. Having worked in these types of industries all my life.
I know you mentioned about setting up a lawn care business.
Have a great day.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
Thank you for sharing. That's great you have an interest in gardening, landscaping and other similar areas.
I will keep that in mind and yes I will be setting up a lawn care business online sometime over the next couple of months or so when I have time.
I will post more about it when I start setting it up. Thank you again for sharing. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
It's a pleasure, Timothy! I'm here to help if you have any questions.
Will you be physically carrying out lawn care, or is it more a website about lawn care?
I hope that everything works out for you.
Have a great day.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
Thank you so much and I will definitely let you know if I have any questions. My lawn care business will consist of an online blog where I discuss all aspects of lawn care and also do product reviews.
I also have another idea to supplement it offline. I'm not able to carry out lawn care physically due to health and fitness reasons.
But I'm going to look into buying or finding things like old lawn mower blades and old lawn mower decks, restoring them and then selling them for a profit.
This is something I already know how to do and I can do it from garage to supplement my lawn care blog to get some extra income quicker. What do you think of this idea?
I will be posting about my progress on my WA blog when I get it set up in a couple of months time. Thank you so much again for your kind words and offer to help. I hope you have a great day to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
That sounds great, Timothy; good for you! I thought I was the only person interested in garden machinery and lawn care, etc!
It's actually quite difficult to make money here in the UK, Timothy, if you're talking about cutting lawns. I have been there! However, if you're thinking about lawn maintenance, as in weeding, feeding, moss removal, etc, that's probably a better way forward.
That would be an interesting project, Timothy, especially if you know about lawnmowers and garden machinery, etc.
I think I would be a good idea, but like everything, there is more than meets the eye in every subject. If you already have the tools to carry out maintenance, then it could be good, especially if you can work from home. That would help to keep costs down to a minimum.
It's always good to document our progress, even if you have a separate website to do this.
Have a great day.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
Thank you and I'm glad you liked my idea. Yes I sometimes feel the same way but it's great to know there is someone else here on WA that is interested in gardening and lawn care.
If my health was better I'd carry out lawn care physically but I can't so I want to restore things like lawn mower blades and decks from my garage to sell for profit like I mentioned before.
I already have the tools and skills to do it and I can work from home like I already am with my other online business. On top of that it will give a way to make some extra money while I'm working on my online businesses.
I look forward to setting up my lawn care business and the new website to go with it which I will monetize with ads and affiliate marketing once I have some content on.
Once I feel a bit better and get some other things taken care of I will get started. In the meantime I will work on my business plan as well as keep working on my other online businesses while also keeping everyone updated on my progress through my WA blog.
Thank you again and I hope you have a great day to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
It always fascinates me what people do and the various things they like. I mean that in a positive way.
It sounds like your lawnmower repair business could fit in well with your online business. You could also maybe make some how-to videos regarding the mower repairs, etc.
I think it's also good to remember that we can often have very good ideas, but we only have so much time each day to do everything. So it's good to not take on too much.
Enjoy your day.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
Thank you and I'm glad you like my ideas. Yes I think my lawn mower repair business will fit in well with my online business to.
I'm planning to make some how to videos at some point about the lawn mower repairs which is a good idea. I will be taking things slow and not rushing in to it.
I will be taking the time to plan my days and weeks so I'm not taking on too much at once which is important as you said. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy your day to. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
As much as I like working online, I think sometimes it's good to get away from the machine. This is where a lawnmower repair business could work well.
There are a few people I follow on YouTube who create videos about the subject of repairs and more! One step at a time I guess, Timothy!
All the best to you.
Roy
Good Evening Roy
I agree with you and I like to sometimes get away from the computer for a bit to.
I also follow a few people on YouTube that do lawn mower and other lawn equipment repair videos which I like watching to.
I will be taking things one step at a time and seeing where it leads me. All the best to your success to.
Regards
Timothy
Good morning Timothy,
The boffins always say its good to take a break and a step back, I believe that's true, Timothy.
That's good, Timothy, there are some really great and useful channels out there where we can learn so much.
That sounds like a good idea, just a small steps and moving forward, Timothy.
Have a great weekend.
Roy
Thank you Roy and I hope you have a great weekend to!