5 Reasons You’re Not Making Money Online (Yet)
And five solutions to help you.
Do you read make-money-online stories and get inspired? Have you tried a few things that didn’t work out? Have you concluded that making money on the internet isn’t possible for you?
I know how you feel because that's how I felt when I binged on such stories and earned $8 per month.
But today, I’m earning much more than I did at my 9–5 in a multinational. I quit my job to sustain myself from ‘the internet’.
I remember my mum’s reaction when I told her about quitting my corporate job. She was confused about how will I earn money from ‘sitting on my laptop all day’. Now, she tells her friends that I do something on my laptop and I’m pretty decent at it. :)
Trust me, it’s not too late to start.
If you’ve tried and you aren’t earning yet, here’s what you’re probably doing wrong. If you haven’t started, you can now avoid these mistakes.
You Haven’t Earned Credibility
You want to earn $250 for an article, but you can’t explain the reasoning behind it to a potential client. And sadly, he won’t pay you that much only because you say you’re a talented writer. You have to show it.
If you want to sell an ebook, why should people buy from you? If you want to be a freelance writer, why should people pay you?
Whatever field you choose, build a catalogue first and establish yourself. Building a catalogue will help you:
- build credibility
- give samples in your proposal so you don’t have to work extra for clients’ samples
- improve your skill.
Plus, it’ll get easier to negotiate rates.
You’re a Part of the Whiner’s Club
There is always a group of people who sit and complain about what's not working out and share their miseries. It’s feels supportive, except that the only thing it’s doing is seeping negative energy into you.
You can sit and whine about it. Or you can keep trying and improving till it works out.
You can shit on others who make money. Or you can just steal their blueprint to success and follow their path. It’ll also help you avoid the mistakes they made.
Choose where you want to be instead, because complaining gets you nowhere.
You’re Selling Mindlessly
When I joined Twitter, an account with over 10,000 followers asked me what I’m doing on Twitter. I told them I’m figuring out the platform. The next thing they said was:
“I can totally imagine the issues you must be facing as I experienced them too. Why don’t you buy my guide that’ll help you with it?”
I mean, seriously?
Treat people online like you would in real life. Would you ever start selling in your first conversation with somebody?
Ancient Thoughts Win You
Money is the root cause of evil.
Earning money is difficult.
Foul deeds always earn fast money.
Think about that, and that’s what you’ll get. Sadly, many of us are conditioned that way since childhood and what we believe in subconsciously governs our behaviour.
Reframe your thought process.
For me, that was an entire set of books that helped me along with daily affirmations. It’s difficult to diss the things you’ve believed in all your life, but it isn’t impossible.
The world has abundant opportunities, but you have to believe in receiving them.
You’re Selling to Make Money
Hell, there’s no way in the world I wanted to make a course. It’s too much effort, requires heavy marketing, makes you go through insane anxiety, and is super hard.
For some reason, many people want to launch a course and start making ‘passive income’ via video-only courses, but that stuff doesn’t sell. You don't get people to pay you because you want to make money.
Solve problems instead.
Observe what issues people around you are facing. Solve for it, and people will pay. Uber started as a taxi marketplace to make commuting easier. Zomato bridged the gap between restaurants and users and started food delivery in India.
I started a course because the only strength I have is a weakness for many — consistency.
Focus on solving instead of selling. Money will flow in when value is pumped out.
Lastly
It’s the best time to be alive because with your laptop and wifi, you can improve your bank balance. It helped me diversify my sources of income and be the only financially independent woman in my family, which feels powerful, you know?
It’s been less about the money and more about the freedom it gives me to make my own decisions. And I was in a boring 9–5 seven months ago not earning closely as much I do today, so I know how it feels to be there.
If you:
- Earn your stripes
- Work > whining
- Stop being spammy with selling
- Develop an abundance mindset
- Charge for solutions
There’s nothing that can stop you from moving ahead.
This route may take longer and won’t fit what that Youtuber tells you about becoming a millionaire or becoming rich overnight, but it will make you the money you have earned on your own doing things you enjoy.
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