| Unsuccessful online marketers are notorious | | | | absences and slow responses, the commitment that |
| opportunity seekers - giving an opportunity only a | | | | I had shown my customers in previous years helped |
| couple of weeks to start showing results, before | | | | my business survive 2009 intact. |
| changing directions to chase the next flavor of the | | | | Now that I have returned to my business full-time, |
| week. It almost seems that the majority of online | | | | my revenue is starting to bounce back. |
| marketers are chasing get-rich-quick schemes, rather | | | | The past nine years has been a wild and exciting ride. |
| than trying to develop a legitimate business. | | | | The thrill of growing a business from nothing to |
| Sometimes it seems like the majority of online | | | | something worthwhile has been an awesome |
| marketers change the program that they are | | | | experience for me. |
| promoting, almost as often as they are putting | | | | But to the point of this article, this story would have |
| gasoline into their car. "Okay honey... I filled up the car | | | | been very different if I had not committed to a |
| today... it is time for us to find another business | | | | specific business model in 2001, and it would have |
| opportunity to promote..." | | | | been very different if I had not committed to a |
| There is also another group of online marketers, who | | | | specific marketing plan for the promotion of that |
| seem to make a real commitment to a specific | | | | business. |
| business opportunity, but success continues to elude | | | | If I had not made the commitment to develop a |
| this group is well. The second group fails to make a | | | | viable business model and commit to a specific |
| commitment to a particular marketing plan that is | | | | marketing plan, I would have probably still been |
| designed to help them to achieve success. Like the | | | | working 60 hours per week on a job when my dad |
| first group, they change directions, as often as they | | | | got sick. If I had still been working in the |
| put gasoline into the car. | | | | brick-and-mortar world of retail sales, I would not |
| Those who are successful online, are the kind of | | | | have had the opportunity to help my dad when he |
| people who make a solid commitment to a particular | | | | most needed my help. |
| business model and make a long-term commitment | | | | Then again, I would have had a different job than I |
| to a realistic marketing plan. | | | | had previously, because my last employer went out |
| I am not telling you these things because I think I'm | | | | of business in January 2009. |
| better than you... In fact, I am telling you these | | | | With all that has happened in the last 16 months, I |
| things because I am guilty of having done the exact | | | | count among my greatest blessings the care and |
| same things myself. | | | | concern that was shown to me by my clients. Sure, |
| Towards the end of 2001, I finally started making | | | | some of the new people had absolutely no patience |
| serious money online, after having spun my wheels | | | | for my absences... But, I received a large number of |
| online for more than four years, chasing one | | | | personal phone calls, snail-mail letters, e-mails, blog |
| opportunity after another, until I made a commitment | | | | comments, and tweets from my clients and people |
| to a particular business model. | | | | that I know from online, who wanted to offer their |
| I managed to increase my income year-over-year, | | | | support to me, during my emotional roller coaster |
| and in March of 2005, I quit my job and started | | | | ride. |
| working full-time online. I have continued to earn a | | | | My greatest blessings have been realized in 2009 and |
| nice living online, ever since. | | | | 2010. I am blessed by the wonderful people, whom I |
| My 2009 revenues were down, but primarily because | | | | have met online through my online business. And I |
| I was working less than normal... In November 2008, I | | | | am blessed to have a business that was strong |
| learned that my father was ill... I had my suspicions | | | | enough to survive my frequent absences, during the |
| right away, but we did not have verification of | | | | last 16 months. |
| cancer until February 2009. (Contrary to popular | | | | Those blessings were available to me, because I |
| belief, he was a non-smoker.) | | | | made a commitment in 2001 to stop chasing new |
| As 2008 wound down, I made a commitment to my | | | | opportunities every couple of weeks. I made the |
| father that if he needed any assistance whatsoever, | | | | commitment to a business model that I believed |
| that I would make myself available to help him. That | | | | could be successful, and I made the commitment to |
| meant, if he needed transportation to and from | | | | promote that business in a consistent and reliable |
| doctors' appointments, I would drive the one-hour to | | | | manner. |
| his house, and then take him wherever he needed to | | | | When I brought commitment to my online marketing |
| go. If he needed me to come to his house to help | | | | endeavors, I finally started to make money online. As |
| him with anything whatsoever, I would come to his | | | | I maintained that commitment over several years, I |
| house to help him. | | | | was able to grow my business to the point where I |
| I made the commitment to him, and I honored that | | | | would be able to consistently earn enough money |
| commitment to him. | | | | from my business, so that I would never have to |
| My online business suffered considerably, as a result | | | | have an outside job again. |
| of my making that decision. But, I have no regrets... | | | | To be honest, I believe that the reason my business |
| It was the right thing to do, and I am grateful that I | | | | continued to attract new customers through 2009 |
| did it. | | | | was because I had used article marketing to promote |
| My dad passed away in November of 2009. | | | | my businesses. The articles I write and distribute, for |
| I continued to miss work, through November and | | | | the promotion of my online businesses, seem to |
| December of 2009, while doing those things that | | | | have real staying power. |
| must be done in relation to matters of his funeral and | | | | The articles that I wrote and distributed, over the |
| his estate. | | | | last nine years, continue to influence readers to visit |
| Just a couple weeks ago, I sat down and calculated | | | | my websites and to learn more about my businesses |
| exactly how much time I actually spent outside the | | | | and what I can do for the reader. |
| office in 2009. | | | | Between September 2008 and January of 2010, I |
| Not all of my absenteeism, during 2009, could be | | | | only wrote and distributed four articles for the |
| attributed directly to the time I spent assisting my | | | | promotion of my websites. During those 16 months, I |
| father during his illness. In March of 2009, I had | | | | barely wrote and distributed one article every four |
| missed two weeks when we moved across town. | | | | months, yet the traffic to my website was only |
| My websites had also suffered a 16-day shut down in | | | | diminished during May of 2009, when my sites were |
| May, because I was unable to update the DNS | | | | off-line. |
| records for my domains, when my web hosting | | | | I honestly believe that the reason my websites |
| company migrated my account to a new server. | | | | continued to attract new visitors and new |
| When I went to do the DNS updates, I discovered | | | | customers, during this period of time, is because I |
| that ICAAN was in the process of shutting down my | | | | had more than 150 articles online, posted on |
| domain registrar and moving my domain registration | | | | thousands of websites, doing the hard work of |
| information to a new domain registrar. Unfortunately, | | | | convincing people that they needed to visit my |
| during a move of that type, updates cannot be | | | | websites to see how I could help them to accomplish |
| made to the DNS records. So, my websites were | | | | their goals. |
| offline until ICAAN finished its work. | | | | When your articles are as useful five years from |
| All told, I missed two weeks while moving, two | | | | now as they are today, your articles will have the |
| weeks while waiting for ICAAN to get everything | | | | same potential of continuing to send visitors to your |
| moved so that I could update my DNS records, and | | | | website for many more years to come. |
| another 12 to 14 weeks while assisting my father and | | | | If you are seeking true success online, and you are |
| taking care of the things that I needed to take care | | | | still chasing the flavor of the week in business |
| of after he passed away. | | | | opportunities, I strongly recommend that you pick |
| During the course of the last eight years, there has | | | | out something that seems to have real potential for |
| only been one year in which I was not fully | | | | you and to make a commitment to see it through to |
| committed to my business. That year was 2009. I did | | | | success. |
| not walk away from my business, but I had made | | | | If you would like to learn more about how to make |
| the decision that taking care of my family was more | | | | article marketing work for you in the same positive |
| important than my business. | | | | manner that it has worked for me, pick up one or |
| While my business, my reputation, and my income | | | | both of my article marketing ebooks shown below in |
| suffered tremendously in 2009, due to my frequent | | | | my author information. |