The Story Behind My 6 Figure Income [Video]

Jun 03 2008

Posted in Making Money, Success Stories

The stories of Webmasters earning six and seven-figure incomes continue to flood the Internet.

Everything always looks so polished and put together once success has arrived.

In fact, you may have even caught yourself thinking, “They make it look so easy!” or “Why can’t I do that?”

While these stories inspire, they often leave a trail of misconception behind.

They also cause some people to compare their own journey to the Webmasters they admire, which can be a very destructive mental pattern.

I didn’t create this video to discourage you, but to help you put things into perspective. No matter how great the money may seem, understand everyone has their story behind the success.

Here’s mine, along with some raw facts many people don’t want to acknowledge…

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31 Responses

Erika

June 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am
1

So you’re saying if I put in 10 hours a day I can make $5,000 a month? What about $2,000?

Just kidding:) great video. I love how you’re using it and trying to come up with ways to do it for my site.

Erika
Rishi

June 4th, 2008 at 11:31 am
2

What kind of video camera do you use to create your videos?
Epiphany

June 4th, 2008 at 11:44 am
3

Fantastic video, Lisa! I think you’re absolutely right. I also believe that what you articulated so beautifully is probably the #1 reason why many new Internet marketers fail. I’m hearing people in forums saying things like they’ve been working on their site or marketing a product or program for 3 LONG weeks and now they’re giving up because they’re not making any money yet. It’s takes time and commitment people! And, as you said, there’s usually some failure involved too (that’s definitely been true for me). Personally, my advice goes hand in had with yours - choose something you love and then focus on it, make a commitment, and then take consistent action. It’s the best path to success.
lisa

June 4th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
4

Thanks Epiphany and Erika!

Rishi, I use a Sony HD Handycam
Dee

June 4th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
5

I enjoyed this video. Your website is wonderful. Watching the video is like talking with your best friend. Keep up the good work!
Bruce

June 4th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
6

Terrific Video! - you make a very articulate case for sticking with the process - even when the results aren’t always showing up….. Your site is sharp, too. Thanks.
R.J.

June 4th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
7

Thanks for the wonderful advise. Great encouragement…We don’t have to have skills but we at least need to somewhat grasp marketing. For some it takes longer. For others shorter. But for all it was passion-driven hard work! Great advise.:)

I have plenty of ideas down the road…

BTW, you look great.
Takeoffzone

June 8th, 2008 at 10:36 am
8

Since the dawn of network marketing, the so called ‘gurus’ of the field are ready to showing you a big commission check implying that all happened overnight. What they don’t disclose is the amount of money they’ve spent on setting up their site, advertising, and the time, money and effort involved on building their long list of leads. If the ‘Gurus’ were honest disclosing what’s behind their ’secrets’, it will be very hard for them to sell anything.

‘Gurus’ have misled people with their long one page sales site offering you their “big secret manual to success”, usually for $37, $67, $147… into thinking that the earnings they’ve achieved (many instances fabricated) are the result of an almost effortless activity. What they do not disclose is that the origin of their revenue, and the amount shown as prove, comes from selling those silly, crappy and useless e-pamphlets to inexperienced beginners, desperately looking for a way to earn some bucks online. - Javier.
lisa

June 8th, 2008 at 10:46 am
9

Well said, Takeoffzone!
R.J.

June 8th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
10

Amen to that…lol:)
Avipar

June 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
11

well I totally agree with the point made by Takeoffzone and the points raised by Lisa in the video (great video I must appreciate).
well, the ‘mantra’ of all success is not quick and easy. I too come across a number of these sites which claim of turning amatuers into pro by midnight by offering their ‘Success manual’s .I too couldn’t make out the tricks played by them but now I realize how fake these claims are.

Well I am also a person in early stages of the website building process and understand the importance of patience, but sometimes it demoralizes me on not getting enough response for my job.

Well Lisa ,I would also like to know from you the different stages that a website or a blog undergoes (phases, periods) before becoming successful or somewhat recognized it its niche, something inspiring to keep me going.
lisa

June 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
12

Avipar, good question. Just like any other business I experienced my ups and downs in the beginning. But you have to understand I started 10 years ago so many of the things I experienced were due to tactics that can no longer apply to today. So much of that would be irrelevant for today’s Webmaster or blogger.

But what I do want to say is that as a new blogger or webmaster you have to expect low or no traffic for the first few months. That’s perfectly normal…. especially now that things are so competitive out here. Assuming you continue building and getting inbound links the search engines will start to pick you up. You may get excited and suddenly traffic will drop again.

This is normal because rankings do fluctuate when your site is new. The engines are “feeling you out” so to speak. But it’s important to keep building and growing no matter what the search engines do. Slowly but surely traffic will become more stabilized. And while this is all happening you should also be looking for ways to diversify your traffic and not solely rely on the search engines.

One key thing for me was developing my own voice in my niche. When I first started out I was a bit frustrated because I couldn’t get the traffic. But as I continued to learn and write more content, I began to develop my own voice (the “keep it real” mentality). That’s when I realized that’s what people want to know… the real deal, the honest truth. So I started writing more articles with that kind of spin. Some people are fortunate and figure this out right away but it took me some time, and I think that’s normal.

The key is that you don’t give up and keep trying to find ways to reinvent yourself in your niche, no matter what it is.
Avipar

June 9th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
13

Thanks for the reply, Lisa.

I would also like to know that how important is it for a upcoming website to build a web content which keeps up with its competitors in its niche as compared to building quite exclusive contents which others dont have to offer , like a ‘brand of its own’?

Hey how important is the inbound link for a new site?
lisa

June 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
14

If you’re new, having a fresh approach to a topic is soooo important. And I think that’s why so many sites never get off the ground. They end up re-wording what’s already out there so they can’t compete because people have read it all before.

That doesn’t mean you can’t choose topics that have already been done but you should definitely put another spin on it. For example, there are numerous iPod sites out there with basic info on the product and accessories you can buy. Boooring.

A better idea would be to create a site that reviewed all the latest mp3 players across all brands. It would target all the people who like to keep up on all the latest players.

Of course this is a lot of work but that’s the whole point. Making money is a lot of work and when you choose a subject you’re interested in, you don’t mind doing the research and keeping your site up to date.

Sites that do well offer fresh, up-to-date information in an organized fashion. It’s obvious through their writing that they’ve done their research and they are passionate about what they write about. They obviously know who their primary audience is and they write content that appeals to them.

When you’re new, standing out and being different is super important and often underrated. The net is super saturated so to make money you have to do more than just re-phrase what’s already out here.
Carla

June 9th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
15

Thank you so much for making this video. This is exactly what I need to hear while I’m in the process of launching my business.
R.J.

June 9th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
16

go to niches that arn’t saturated at all
Linnet Woods

June 10th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
17

I’ve been working on the Internet since 1998 too, not all the time or continuously because I live on a boat and don’t always have access to it. I’ve built lots of sites just for fun and a few for other people (in the days when it was not all so complicated) and lately I have been working as a freelance writer, creating content for other people’s sites which is also a lot of fun. I have always enjoyed myself so much online and I still find new and great things every time I switch on the computer. This video definitely ranks as great advice! More power to ya, Lisa!
Melanie

June 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
18

I love your video!
It says everything that I have always believed about building businesses and making money. It doesn’t matter if your business if offline or online it still takes working smart (and hard), time and energy to build a business. I talk with people all the time that are looking for the quick buck - not getting that it doesn’t happen overnight and the web isn’t a place to make a quick buck!
Thanx for this!
Melanie
Mark McKnight

June 11th, 2008 at 5:20 am
19

Thanks for the video Lisa. It has inspired me to go out an d build my own website world. I have going to try and break into the online business empire!
Mikael

June 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am
20

Great stuff!

I am starting to use these principles on my blog that covers shocking and disturbing news items:

http://shatteredparadigm.blogspot.com/
Marks

June 20th, 2008 at 2:43 am
21

A great video. A lot of people need to really understand that you dont just become rich doing this overnight. (or even over a thousand nights). Time and dedication are the keys.

I especially agree with what you say about failing. You really do learn a lot from realising your mistakes and approaching the same scenario in a different perspective there after.
Anonymous

June 25th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
22

2000 hours+designing the website………200,000+ ads by Google….starter edition, Yahoo site builder
Only 243 cliks…….whats wrong?
Shaun

June 27th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
23

Hehe. Dead on. I failed 9 websites before I finally did it right.
lisa

June 30th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
24

Anonymous, what are your top traffic sources? It’s hard for me to answer without knowing what your site looks like or what you’re trying to do with it. Could be anything from not getting enough relevant traffic or not enough traffic to your site period. Search engine traffic is often the best targeted traffic and it’s free so if you haven’t mastered SEO you may want to read up on how to get your site ranked in Google.
Diane Scott

July 1st, 2008 at 12:24 am
25

This is amazing.

Your video is the story I tell others every day - it’s actually really eerie

Your time frame is also strikingly eerie!

Rome was NOT built in a day, a week, a month, or even a year. Rome takes time! That favorite “guru” also was years in the making not an overnight success. Work is required, and I agree it’s “work” that is fun! But do not fool yourself, it’s work. 100% all the time.

You’ve done an incredible job with this video, and a huge service to others by making it.

Another great job! I’m so glad I found your blog!
Jacqueline

July 2nd, 2008 at 3:08 am
26

Lisa, your blog is becoming one of my favorites. I haven’t found my own voice yet, but I’m having a blast doing so.
lisa

July 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am
27

Thanks Jacqueline! Don’t worry, finding your voice takes time and probably took me a few years to develop. The important part is that you are having fun and even though it took me a few years to get going, I always had fun and that’s what counts.
Susan

July 4th, 2008 at 2:54 am
28

Lisa, wow, you are just such an amazing breath of fresh air. Each article and everything (article, link, everything!) - just makes me want to devour all your info. I have been attempting this business for almost 2 years now - and I have read everything (ok, not everything of course) - but have spent full days and evenings on IM info.
This site is fantastic, organized, helpful and wow… just wanted to say thank you. What a great job - and you have such integrity.
So very much appreciation!!!
Susan
Andy

July 9th, 2008 at 7:11 am
29

Passion coupled with common sense, the ability to learn from mistakes and fine tune your path to success. I have the passion, now mostly working on the other things.

One useful quote I heard somewhere was that to make an income online you just need to know a bit more than the average person about something that they are likely to pay for to save time getting what they want.
lisa

July 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am
30

Excellent point, Andy!
Brad

July 17th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
31

Hey Lisa!

Really enjoyed this video discussion. Very REAL.

I’ll be back.