Can You Really Make Money Online, In The Comfort Of Your Own Home?

By: Alice Coaxum

If you asked me that question in 2005 I would have probably looked at you like were crazy. I didn’t know anyone who earned money at home except for the occasional babysitter or hairstylist that might have been between salons or not licensed yet. I had no idea that it was actually possible to turn on your laptop and work at creating an income from home.

I thought the internet was for emailing friends or listening to music for the most part. When I first began hearing in early 2007, well really seeing, bits and pieces about how you can make money online, I was determined to do just that. I wasn’t in the best of health and I had 4 children that I’d stayed home with their whole life and I sure didn’t plan on changing that. I thought it would be great if I could contribute something to our families income.

I saw the flashy ads, the droves of people that promoting the kinds of programs that were in the flashy ads. I just knew the money would be pouring in soon. But of course it didn’t. In fact it didn’t even trickle in. I started feeling like, the internet was just for dreamers, liars or the lucky few who could make it. I wasn’t sure about anything anymore or who to trust.

I got frustrated over the simplest things. I thought I would never learn how to make a picture clickable or how to add a banner to my page on a social network that used to be around called Yuwie, you may have heard of it. I would ask people for help with things like copying and pasting, adding images and other simple things, but it seemed like everyone that I had contact with were either too busy or didn’t want to share anything.

They only tried to sell me on the various programs that they were promoting. Everything I tried was so incredibly hard to earn at that I would give up in frustration or get a headache. I felt really bad that people wouldn’t help me.

But then I took the time to start learning on my own. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? Some of the things that seem impossible for me to do were becoming possible. How did I actually think that I could do technical things or even create an income out of nothing? I knew nothing about working from home. No one owed me, to share with me how to do this or that. If I wanted to do something I had to find a way to do it. I learned that no one is responsible for making a success of me except for me, with God’s help.

Success means many things for many people. Success doesn’t have to be making millions though I would mind if I were. It might mean being able to gas up the card or take the family out to dinner for some and for others it might mean the difference between daycare and staying home and raising their own children. My ideas of success change as I change and grow. My goals for myself and my business increase.

Once I started learning I realized that many of those who snubbed me when I needed help in the past or who were too busy weren’t the serious marketers I thought they were. I was looking to the wrong crowd and while they might be able to tell how to make a picture clickable if they wanted, they couldn’t help me to do the things that I really wanted to do.

Once I started learning I saw that the social network I once thought  was the place to be wasn’t even the right environment for the types of things that I wanted to do. I was no longer impressed by flashy ads that tell you that you can be a millionaire in a month or spend a dollar and it will multiply every time you bring a friend in. It was time to expand my horizons and move on.

I began to make even more use of the search engines and look things up, cross examine things that were told to me by other marketers wanting me to join their opportunity or purchase their products like ebooks, audios and training ecourses. I also started learning about compensation plans, policies and procedures, online etiquette, how to find out the reputation of a marketer and things like that. I learned some technical things too.

I remember that once I started learning it was like my eyes were being opened and things that I never could understand were revealed  to and now seemed simple. I remember  in particular, being in one horrible MLM home based business and upon realizing that while the company wasn’t an out and out scam it was created in such a way that it was almost impossible to earn and was a total waste of money, I just couldn’t keep recruiting people into that company after knowing what I knew.

Even though I had made some money with this company I didn’t want to be apart of it. I quit and notified my downline so they could do the same, some of them thanked me for telling them. I notified my upline who informed me that they were well aware and intended to stay. I was hurt and angry that someone would actually bring me into something knowing that it was bad. In reality it was my own fault for not doing due diligence. I learned that I have no one to blame but myself if I get into something that I shouldn’t because it is me that makes my choices, not someone else. Fortunately that company is no longer in business, taking advantage of people.

In no way shape or form is this a knock against all MLM businesses because some people are creating good incomes from home with them and I’m actually involved with a very low cost Jerky MLM business, and a health and wellness business, but the one I’m referring to was absolutely horrible, I just didn’t know it at the time. It all sounded so good. I later realized that all the company did was tickle my ears. They told me what I wanted to hear, that I could make money. It takes more than that to earn online.

I continued learning and the more I learned the more I grew.  I began following people that I felt were good upstanding people and had good reputations in the internet marketing world. This was the type of person that I wanted to be. I signed up for their mailing lists, I read their blogs and eventually I whipped the bank card out. Yes, I paid money. This was something that was a huge no no to me in the past. I felt like it was a scam if people wanted to charge for things.

How dare they want to charge me for things that could make my life easier or possibly help me to earn money? I’m so glad I got out of that mindset. It was through learning that I was able to take my love of writing and turn it into a PLR business. I had no idea, that people would pay for content for their websites and how important having content was. I had no clue that mailing lists were important.

I learned why knowledge is worth money. It can be the thing that helps you soar or the lack of it can hold you back. I love to learn and while their are so many things I’d like to know there just isn’t enough hours in the day, so I pick and choose the things that are relevant to the types of things that I’m trying to achieve. This is a process that is still going on. I devote some of my time to learning. It keeps me sharp and it helps when I don’t know something. I use what I know to help grow my business or to help me grow in another area where I am creating income.

My kids laugh when I tell them that in the beginning I couldn’t sell something that only costed a dollar, it was some kind of program, I don’t even remember the name, but it’s true. They think it’s funny because I can now buy them things with money that I make from selling thing. Now it may seem funny because I sell things for more than that but back then it felt so bad. I didn’t understand that it was because I didn’t know what I was doing or that I was getting involved in the wrong things. That’s not what the flashy ads with hot models, fancy cars and money pouring down like rain told me.

If you haven’t made one dollar yet online, you might feel like I once felt, like it is impossible to earn online but in reality there are many ways. You have to find the right way for you. You have to plan and work your plan consistently. There is money to be made on the internet in the comfort of your own home. You have to make the money come to you because it’s never going to just come to you. People who are successful have worked hard and continue to work hard. There isn’t a get rich quick button to push or we’d all be rich as soon as we hit the internet.

How bad do you want create an income from home? What are you willing to do to achieve your  goals? If you don’t know something are you just going to give up? What if you found out that something you are doing is wrong, would you make changes? Those are very important questions that only you can answer and your answers can mean the difference between your success and never seeing any type of success. Seek knowledge and apply what you learn because learning without application is just a waste of time.

To your success,

Alice Coaxum