I understand your question and comment. If I were making money at this and was asked the question, "how much?", I can only imagine that my response would be "it's irrelevant" without context. As a complete noob (been here 3 days), I can understand why other noobs might sort of knee jerk that kind of question. What I wish there was an answer for was "average hours to get up and running, typical up and running costs (or examples of costs using common tools out there today for things like advertising cost, automailers, etc., average time to realize first sale, number of hours spent per week (for someone who wants to earn revenue). I get that there is no cookie cutter answer, but if people who are successful (regardless of one's own definition of that) shared their journey, it might encourage some (and discourage others I suppose). As a 9 to 5ver who would love to someday transition to an alternate lifestyle , my early exploration is not really (not yet anyway) uncovering what sort of ROI/hr is a reasonable expectation.

LOL! It happens to us all, I suppose. I know that's what my family say to me....."how much money are you making?"

I just try to stay positive and I don't discuss my online business much, I do send them links to my site, but I don't think they take the time to read it.

Oh, well.... I think they will in a few years when the money starts coming in.

Have a blessed day!

Cora

That is annoying when people ask how much money do you make. People don't get it.

The lot of us are brain wired for regular 9-5 jobs where you get a pay check every month. Since I started my venture here, I really had to get rid of the addiction of working in paid employment and receiving my salary every month. I managed to overcome that by setting daily and weekly goals for myself. We are just so used to working in paid employment.

Paul

This is an excellent question.

As probably most other people, I got into learning and operating my own business for the main reason of increasing my income. What the business was about and how it related to the rest of the world has always been secondary to the desire or need for money. In other words, in my desperation I always tried to rip off as much cash from wherever I could as often as I could.
Today, I understand that the quickest way to become a millionaire is to solve a million problems. In other words the amount of money I will have is proportional to how I interact with and help others.

I call this my personal development and I have to accept that not everyone will develop or change the same way and at the same rate. Therefore there will always be those who think that the amount of money in your pocket is all there is.

It would also appear that after many years of working your butt off, failing, getting up again and not making enough for you basic expenses before becoming financially self sufficient, these people will say “you just got lucky”.

Today, the only time I discuss my business is either when I am selling/solving a problem for someone (when I’m working) or when I am talking with another entrepreneur or someone of a higher “caliber” than me. And reactions are VERY different.

When people ridicule or belittle what they perceive as lack of your success has nothing to do with reality whatsoever. It’s like judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree...

Hi I like your take on this but as my experience to press has only been to pay out for various programs that don't seem to return anything, everyone just thinks I am some sort of sucker but they are kind enough to nod and smile, I am almost 3 months into WA and now I feel I have found a real home.

I talk about my niche blog (about small dog stuff) as a hobby. I joke that it's Bella's blog and social media. My friends and family find my talk about it a little amusing but they think it's fun so they're encouraging. No one asks about the money aspect because they don't expect there to be money. Which is a fair assumption because right now, it's a hobby that isn't earning significantly yet. I just got my first amazon affiliate sale last week.

I talk about WA in terms of classes and projects and support. You pay for classes. I haven't talked about earning from WA because I'm not doing that yet, so again, no one expects me to be earning and they don't ask. I'm always taking classes in something so why not internet marketing?

When I talk about earning online, I talk about freelance writing and remote bookkeeping and they ALWAYS ask how much I make doing it. I try to remember that it isn't malicious. I think most people have dreams of working from home and they have a number in their head of how much is enough to quit their job. I explain that I've been making a gradual shift to doing more of this; that's why I can work at an in-person job as little as I do. I tell them about the successes and frustrations.

Some people ask me that too. I think it's because
they are not comfortable with the idea of making
money on the internet. Maybe the day they will hear that
I make so much money I don't
need to go work if I want, they may be reassured.
But even if we were already making a good living with
internet, they would have also trouble understanding it.
I think we are not all done for this kind of activity.

thanks
Ingrid

It's always about money, it would be strange if the would not ask.
Having that said, I say mostly that I have paid hobbies and that WA is another hobby that gonna bring in money.

Have a great day
Tommy

Take heart, money is a universal motivator. Whoever asks you how much money you are making from anything probably wants to assess the feasibility of trying it out....the woes of a marketer's life hey : ) Use the curiosity to your advantage...it can be a conversation starter...like how much money are they making themselves...are they looking for legit ways to earn money on the side...are they looking to escape the 9 to 5...