Some people just start out with the right attitude.

When it comes to making money online, they don’t complain about how difficult the journey is.  They just go for it.

They are resourceful people who take the information you give them and run with it.

They have this adventurous, go-getter mentality and aren’t afraid of failure.

They also understand the importance of enjoying the ride from the very beginning.

These people understand this is a process and find joy in more than getting that first AdSense check.

Know of anyone like this?  I do.  I got an e-mail from her a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Rachel and her site is GreenLeafeSimon.com.

I have her permission to post her e-mail on my blog, so I want to share it with you. Pay attention to the bold text. I did that for emphasis.

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Hello Lisa,

No need to answer this email; this is just to say thank you.

Awhile ago, my sister lost her job and I got the bright idea to help her learn how to make money online. She wasn’t interested and eventually got another job, but I got hooked!

I tried a few things and quickly learned most things on the net are scams. In the course of things however, I came across your website, 2Create A Website and I fell in love with the idea of having my own website. But about what? I love to write and all my life have wanted to be an author, so I got the idea to write serial stories and started a blog.

Then the idea grew and mushroomed as I found that although blogging was a lot of fun, the scope is limited. I took your sage advice and learned html and then css – and am I ever glad I did! I’ve never had so much fun in my life.

Designing, writing and marketing a website is better than any video game I’ve ever played (and I’ve played a lot of ‘em) and Lisa, I want to thank you for all the help, tips and advice you’ve provided for people like me.

From Colour Hex-code Generators to Server Side Includes (I actually cried when I finally made this work) and all the Tutorials and Videos in between, Thank you! I don’t think I could have done it without you. Many, many thanks!

Rachel
GreenLeafeSimon.com

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As a person who receives hundreds of e-mails per week with complaints and problems about either building a website or making money online, I really treasure e-mails like this.

Notice the bold phrases in the e-mail above.  See a pattern?  They all involve some kind of enjoyment or excitement.

Rachel reminds me of myself when I started 12 years ago.  I wasn’t making much money then, but there was something about the feeling of accomplishment and learning new things that was very exciting!  I always had that within me no matter how much I was earning.

I get asked about my “secret to success” all the time.  Some people think it’s my writing style.  Others believe it’s my videos.  I’ve also heard things like, She just chose the right niche, She had great timing, and my favorite…

She’s just lucky.

I actually think it’s a combination of several reasons, but one thing people neglect to mention is my sheer desire and passion for what I do.  In fact, I believe that is the #1 reason I have done so well.

This “Internet Marketing stuff” isn’t for everyone and you can’t make yourself love it just because you want to make money.   If you can’t find the joy, you may not be able to find the money.

So thank you, Rachel.  Your enthusiasm is refreshing and I have a feeling you will go far out here.

Remember folks, success starts with passion and the right attitude — not just the desire to make money.

Blog posts and videos about my failures and successes tend to go over very well on this blog.  They make great lessons and inspire.

But enough about me and my stories for the moment.  I’d like to feature someone else for a change.

I want to give you the opportunity to become a case study and I will feature your story here on this blog.  I will create a screen recording video that shows your site while I narrate your story.

The video will also be uploaded to my YouTube channel that has over 13,000 subscribers.

Of course, I cannot feature everyone who submits an entry, and I will be pretty selective about which sites I chose.  The point is to teach others so I’m looking for people who are having measurable success and don’t mind pointing out specific techniques that don’t work and ones that are currently working now.

Requirements and Questions

The only requirement is that your Alexa rank has to be at least 600,000 or less.  I realize Alexa is not the best tool for measuring a site’s traffic or success, but it still gives you a general idea about a site’s popularity.

If you are interested in being featured here, all you have to do is email me answers to the following questions.  Please use Case Study as the subject.

1)  What is your site/domain?

2)  How many page views does your site receive per month?

3)  How long did it take you to reach that traffic level?

4)  List and explain at least three techniques you used when you first launched your site that you no longer use because you found them to be ineffective.

5)  List and explain at least three of your most effective traffic building techniques.

6)  How did you come up with the topic of your website?

7)  What specific advice would you give someone who is struggling to build traffic and make money?

It’s All in the Details!

If you’d like to provide more information such as your income and more specifics about your successes and failures, that will increase your chances of getting featured.

The more detailed you are, the better.  For example, if one of your answers to question #5 is “I use video”, please explain your answer thoroughly by detailing how you use video on your site and the results achieved.

I’m looking for fresh, unique answers.  Everyone knows basic marketing techniques like SEO and social networking help bring traffic.  But if you ran a contest that helped boost site activity, or you’ve created a game or applet that has lowered your bounce rate, these are the kinds of examples I’m looking for.

Please provide specific examples and illustrate what is working for you.

Remember, I will be checking the Alexa rank of every site submitted and if your site doesn’t meet the requirement, it will not be considered.  You also must answer all the above questions.

I realize some of you may not want to give away such information because of competition, and that’s understandable. However, I know some will feel it’s worth it for the added exposure on this blog and YouTube.  So I look forward to seeing the entries!

While people are encouraged by my online success, some often frown when I tell them it took me six years to make enough online to at least match my 9 to 5 salary. Even though I made a profit every year, there were a lot of ups and downs in the beginning as I learned from my mistakes.

My success didn’t happen overnight and if I could do one thing over again I would have learned how to write for my audience instead of myself.

What I mean is that so many people build sites without regarding who their target audience is and what they want to learn about. For example, if you are going to build a fitness site, don’t write 10 pages about you and your weight struggle. Write to help your readers.

To put it bluntly, people don’t really care about your story until you show them how your site can help them first.

Check out your competition and add information that they are missing. Instead of talking about all the things people should do in regards to the subject, switch it up and focus on what they shouldn’t do.

Be different.

Stand out from the crowd.

And once you really know who you want to target and focus on their needs AND offer information that cannot be found anywhere else, then you will have success much faster than I did.

In the beginning, I kept copying other people’s concepts and would only have minimal success because my site was not unique enough and got lost in the crowd.

But once I realized the secret was to take a topic and offer information that my competitors were not, add my own voice/personality, really learn how to communicate with my audience, that’s when my traffic and sites started to take off.

It’s THE age-old question heard around the Net…

“How long does it take before I start making money with my website?”

It’s a question that’s very difficult to answer and one I’m usually very careful about addressing.

The Internet is flooded with products and websites that make ridiculous claims about getting rich quickly, and if you’re not cautious… you could get sucked in. I know many people who have.

I cannot emphasize enough that making money no matter whether you’re online or offline is work.

The Internet is glamorous. There are countless stories of people like myself who are earning a living online. And to some, this “Web thing” appears to be a quick and easy way to escape a humdrum or stressful 9 to 5 job.

You read the stories all the time, but you rarely hear about the work that actually went into making these successful sites.

While I’ve had a ball out here the last 9 years, I’ve definitely done my time and worked very hard. Anyone who is making good money out here will tell you the same.

Now, back to the “How long before I succeed?” question. There is not one answer to this question. It depends on your dedication, work ethic, and enjoyment.

Yes, I said enjoyment.

That’s another factor that’s often left out of these success stories. If it’s not fun for you, it will feel like a job.

Then you’re in trouble.

One thing I can say is that I have enjoyed every step of this journey. I continue to learn new things almost everyday and I truly love helping people. So the enjoyment didn’t come because of the money. The money came because I enjoy what I’m doing.

People who attach a timer to their success often begin this journey with the wrong focus. After all, there is no right answer to the “how long” question.

Some people take a few months, others take years. But when you are doing what you love… that success clock stops ticking, and the money will naturally come over time. I promise.

Here’s a great thread from my forum that does a great job of addressing the age-old question.