Stop Chasing the Money

Sharifah Hardie Would you like a little free advice? You've probably heard it many times before, but it's the same advice I give all of my clients, friends and family members when they ask me how I've made so much money online. I tell them, stop chasing the money. Once you decide to stop chasing the money and actually do what you love, the money will follow!

I know you've heard all of the talk about turning your hobby into a business or how easy it is these days to quit your day job and work from home, but I'm talking about more than just that. I'm talking about simply allowing the enjoyment of doing what you love to be the reason you get up in the morning and not the paycheck at the end of the day.

For years I spent hundreds of dollars trying to figure out the latest and greatest online get rich quick schemes. Yes, I said it...schemes...get rich schemes. I have tried them all. I tried to figure out all of the ways to quickly make money online, how to become an overnight success, how to make my websites sale without spending a dime, how to get the biggest bang for my buck and so on and so forth. Believe me, if it was out there I've tried it.

Do you know what finally happened? I gave up because it wasn't fun any more. I gave up because I wasn't making any money online. I gave up because it was too time consuming to manage all of the different accounts here and there. Of course, I had made sales. At the point where I closed my doors I was still ahead of the game in online sales standards. Many online business owners make only occasional sales, while I had a constant revenue stream. I was earning hundreds of dollars from my online sales, but the money I was making was a far cry from the amount of money I was shelling out. I wasn't even breaking even. So I just closed the doors to all of my websites and gave up.

The funny thing is as soon as I decided to give up and close the doors; the money began rolling in. One of the things I hadn't expected to happen is that I had unknowingly built a considerable sized network around me. My network continued coming to me for assistance and guidance with their online marketing efforts.

It was the people in my network, people who later became my clients that emailed me, seeking my advice, asking search engine optimization questions, online marketing questions, website content questions, niche creation questions and pay per click advertising questions.

Soon I realized that I was giving away free advice. I also realized that for once in a very long time I was having fun again. I was having the time of my life. I was reviewing websites. I was coming up with exciting new ideas. I was thinking. I was brainstorming. I had absolutely no overhead and I was having a darn good time, so what did the money matter?

Eventually, I created another website to offer my services, but most of my new clients are still referred to me through my vast network of clients and friends. I also feel better about myself and my services now as I offer a free website review service on my website. The free service allows potential customers to discuss their business, receive vital feedback about their website, obtain and find out exactly what I can do for them before they even spend a dime.

If you are an online business owner I challenge you to take a very close look at your current business practices and to ask yourself this question, "Am I chasing the money?" Sometimes in the design of our websites we don't even realize that we create websites to "get the money" but our customers are turned off by the appearance and are not fooled by all of the advertising links and banner ads displayed all over the website.

Take a look at your website and determine if you were a customer if would you purchase or actually spend any time on your website. Most people will spend money where they are comfortable, can have fun and will return often. Most of them will even tell a friend. Keep your customers in mind and not the money.

Personally I've given up chasing the money. I've concentrated more on paying forward the assistance so many in my network have given me and not how I'm going to pay my light bill. Because of my vast expertise and the valid consultant services I provide the money has followed. So again, I will offer you my free advice. Stop chasing the money and do what you love.

About the author:
Sharifah Hardie is the owner of Marketing Online Crash Course. She has written several marketing articles now conveniently compiled in a free downloadable ebook on her website at http://www.marketingonlinecrashcourse.com

Sharifah provides marketing solutions and advertising management for businesses of all sizes. You may email Sharifah at shardie@marketingonlinecrashcourse.com