I rarely create posts solely on my personal thoughts, or use this blog as a place to vent.

Well today, my friends, is different.

I have to be careful with my words because I certainly don’t want to come across as condescending or arrogant — that is NOT my intention, so I apologize in advance if you get that vibe.

However, I really need to get something off my chest regarding the emails I receive from lazy people. This topic has caused me to do a lot of thinking lately. (Yes, the picture above is me… thinking).

First of all, let me just state that I absolutely LOVE helping people.  In fact, it’s a big reason why I’m able to make a comfortable living online to this day.

I enjoy giving advice to people who are making a valiant effort at affiliate marketing and creating a website or blog.  I can relate to what you’re going through because I have been there before.

I am a firm believer in paying it forward, and I know for certain if you go out of your way to help others, it will come back to you tenfold.  My income is a great example of that.

Here Comes “The But”

What I don’t like or respect is people who expect to get something out here for nothing.  And when I say nothing, I’m not necessarily talking about money.  I’m talking about hard work, dedication, and taking the time to L-E-A-R-N.

So what sparked this blog post, you ask?

I received an email from a gentleman who claimed he wanted to make a full-time living online with a website, but wanted me to suggest the fastest method that would allow him to do as little work as possible (especially when it comes to creating his website.) According to him, he just didn’t have time to sit and learn how to build a website.

Yes.  Those were his exact words.  I am not paraphrasing.

Do you see anything wrong with that question? Since when does making a full-time living online and doing as little work as possible go together? 

As if to suggest there is a way to make a lot of money online without doing much. It’s that ridiculous get-rich-quick mentality that plagues the Web.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  Of course there are ways to make money online without building your own website.  There’s PPC marketing with affiliate programs, MLM companies that provide you with a website, and the list continues.

Although I should add that even if you do take those routes, you STILL have to work hard at promoting your business.

However, I didn’t get the feeling that this guy was asking about such methods.  I hate to say it, but he just seemed flat out lazy to me.

And I probably wouldn’t have blogged about this email if this was the first or second one I’ve received.  I receive multiple emails like this on a consistent basis.

It truly baffles me.

The Facts

Let me make one thing very clear.  When I started this 10 years ago, I never had one single web design or programming class.  I had never created a website before, had no mentor/consultant, and no formal training in marketing or writing.

The only Internet skills I had were browsing and sending email.

And because of my novice status,  I made a lot of mistakes.  Tons of them.  Several of my sites failed.  My income went up and down like a yo-yo the first few years, and sometimes I even doubted that I was ever going to earn enough to comfortably quit my 9 to 5.

I was no coding/programming genius (nor did I have a real interest in becoming one) and would often get frustrated when I couldn’t figure out something.

There were weeks where I would spend 20 to 30 hours on my websites in addition to the 40 hours a week I put in at my full-time job.  That meant a lot of weekend work and late, late nights… even during the weekdays.

But I knew, if I wanted to be my own boss and have a successful business, I was going to have to get out of my comfort zone, work hard and continue to learn new things.

To this day, I STILL don’t care much for coding, but took the time to learn enough to develop a presentable website.  So for those of you assuming you cannot succeed because you have no background in computers or web design, let me be your example and say…

You CAN do this, but you have to sacrifice SOMEthing.  And if you aren’t willing to put in hard work, learn something new, get out of your comfort zone and invest the time, then this might not be for you.

And let me say that I truly understand the not-enough-time issue.  Many people simply don’t have the time they’d like to devote to this.  But I will say, if you are committed to making this work and really enjoy the ride, you always find the time.

Lisa’s disclaimer: I’m not by any means suggesting people who don’t have time are lazy.  This is a separate point. I brought it up because I know the time involvement is a big issue for a lot of you.

To Sum it Up…

I’ll say it again…

I LOVE helping people, especially when I see they are trying very hard to learn.  But I have no respect or tolerance for people looking to get something for nothing.  It’s not the way the business world works whether you’re online or off.

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Thanks for letting me vent.