Can you even make it as a total newbie?

[Icelsi]

Hi,

I'm totally new to this internet marketing thing and I have NO SKILLS at all. I mean, I'm willing to grind and all, but I just don't know how I am supposed to beat competitors who are way more experienced and know their niches inside and out. If I think about it, there isn't a niche I know in which I can provide a lot of value (what to do then?). Is the digital crash course really all that is needed for someone like me to succeed? I don't care about failing, I'm willing to do so time and time again, but fuck, I don't want to miss the boat by the time my skills get up to par.

I really need to make this internet marketing thing succeed, I'm so done with being broke and everyone around me thinking I'll be a loser. I'm not that smart or creative, but I'm desperate. I can't give up or else that means going back to my shit life. I don't wanna die a loser.

 

[Potatoe]

One way to find out...

 

[DIZ]

Hello and welcome!
Just go for it, if you discover a good niche you won't even need that much skill(at least at the beginning until it gets saturated). I have friends that were staying beside me when doing on-page SEO and they found niches where they didn't even need backlinks to rank on the first page.
Joining this forum was a very good starting move. Keep reading around since the information you can gain from this place is the key to your future success in this niche.
Wish you the best of luck! Stop overthinking and start acting.

 

[Sutra]

Yes. I was a total newbie when I started. Worked my ass off and committed myself 100%.

Commit yourself absolutely, and you will get there. But when I say commit yourself, I mean it.

 

[Poplanu]

I'm totally new to this internet marketing thing and I have NO SKILLS at all. I mean, I'm willing to grind and all, but I just don't know how I am supposed to beat competitors who are way more experienced and know their niches inside and out.

Why don't you start with the ones who don't know their niche inside and out? There are many.

If I think about it, there isn't a niche I know in which I can provide a lot of value (what to do then?).

Everyone's got something where they know more than the "average joe". Even if you're an ex-crack addict, you've got your experience with rehab. A smoker can write about quitting smoking. If you play videogames 12h per day, you've got that. It's only one piece of the puzzle when choosing a niche, though.

Is the digital crash course really all that is needed for someone like me to succeed?

Nope. You gotta start somewhere and then keep learning, both from BUSO and from other sources.

I don't care about failing

Is the same as saying "I don't care about succeeding". Failure will happen, you should expect it, you should learn from it, and you most certainly should care about it.

I don't want to miss the boat by the time my skills get up to par.

What skills, what boat? Internet marketing ain't going nowhere.

I really need to make this internet marketing thing succeed, I'm so done with being broke and everyone around me thinking I'll be a loser. I'm not that smart or creative, but I'm desperate. I can't give up or else that means going back to my shit life. I don't wanna die a loser.

Fix your life first. If you're broke, get a job. Save up money. You don't need to be smart or creative, but desperation will get you nowhere.

Are you doing this for other people, or what? To not "look like a loser"? In that case, getting a job and working your way up may be a more efficient way of solving your issue.

 

[Olov]

I've been doing this for 2-3 years now. And it's this year that I've started earning more than my dayjob. A couple of months I have doubled my dayjobs salary.

In the beginning I knew some basic HTML, but that's about it. I had no idea what Wordpress was, I didn't know how to buy a domain and I didn't know anything about affiliate marketing.

But a colleague gave me some basic guidance and then I spent hours and days of researching and reading. The amount of guides, forum threads, articles, journeys and case studied I've read is crazy.

Learning all this stuff has been like a real education in terms of amount of time I've put in and the knowledge I've acquired. I've studied Internet marketing and SEO during breaks at work, late evenings, chirstmas eve, weekends, summer holidays and when I'm on the toilet. Day in and day out.

Doing this stuff has been like a real job for me. I've treated it like a business and been serious with every move that I've made.

You gotta study and you gotta work.

We all start from somewhere. Just don't think that anything will come to you without time, energy and frustration.

 

[ToffeeLa]

If you don't start, it will always be intimidating.

Once you do start, with whatever topic at whatever level, you begin to notice stuff (at least if you are observant).

'Hold on a sec, I hardly have any links, but that topic got a lot of interest.'
'People really do like images about...'
'Didn't think that subject would stir up so much controversy.'
'Why is everyone asking about...?'

And after a while of noticing and reacting to what you notice you start to not be a beginner any more.

 

[Icelsi]

Thanks a lot guys. I guess I should simply get to work and realize it will take time.

 

[Ryuzaki]

The first question I'd ask is what your method of attack will be. Are you talking about SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, what?

I just don't know how I am supposed to beat competitors who are way more experienced and know their niches inside and out.

Not all competitors know what they're doing. Most outsource the work. They also don't cover every base, so there's always somewhere to slip in and start gaining ground. And when they meet success they usually rest on their laurels and never see you coming.

The problem with the quote above is you're worried about beating competitors but you don't know the playing field, the tools, the techniques. Of course you don't know how you're going to beat your competitors yet. You need experience.

If I think about it, there isn't a niche I know in which I can provide a lot of value (what to do then?).

Choose one and start learning. Education is a continuing process and if you're not down with that then this is definitely not the industry for you, which changes daily and changes drastically annually. And that's just the platform on which you'll be building your project, which will be about a topic you'll have to learn about.

Is the digital crash course really all that is needed for someone like me to succeed?

No. It is for some people. But it's not some in-depth super course. It's a bird's eye view showing you the lay of the land so that by the time you're done with the course, you know where you're standing and where to go, are familiar with the concepts, understand the jargon. Your education will continue on. Day 30 is actually called Continuing Your Education. But even reading the course, let alone doing the exercises, requires effort. There's no spoon feeding here.

I don't want to miss the boat by the time my skills get up to par.

Internet Marketing has been around since 1991. You've missed some boats, but the ship sails on. The industry is a lot more mature than it was even in 2010. You're better off for it. There's actually LESS competition than there has ever been thanks to the Google Penguin filter, in terms of SEO. PPC got expensive on some platforms and others popped up that are still cheap and have even better targeting methods. New social media sites pop off all the time that you can get traffic from. There's no boat that's sailed nor is it going to sail. The internet is here to stay and it is expanding exponentially. There's room for everyone to play ball.

My fear for you isn't that the boat has sailed, it's your attitude of hopelessness and self-defeat before starting:

• "But there's competition"
• "I don't know anything"
• "I'm not smart or creative"

This kind of talk is addressed in Day 1 of the Crash Course. If you can't get some mental fortitude, you need to address that first.

I also suggest that if you're dead broke and dependent on other people or whatever the case is, but your life simply isn't in order, you should be looking for a day job. Having money will accelerate your success not only in internet marketing but all aspects of your life. Entrepreneurship isn't some "thing" you do. It's a lifestyle and it has to have a firm foundation of a healthy, harmonized life underneath it. Notice I didn't say "balanced" because your life won't be balanced if you walk this path. You can find harmony, though, but not with that kind of self-talk, and especially not if you're a self-sabotager, which we see often in this game.

 

[bernard]

About 7 years ago, when I first began doing this stuff, I hired a fresh faced 18 year old high school student to write articles for me. He had no previous training and went on to study law. Today he runs a digital agency with a couple million in revenue. Before that he sold a site in the law niche for several hundred thousand USD. Went from Adsense blogs to selling that biz in like 3-4 years.
These stories are not common, but they're not rare either. If you're really good at something, things can happen real fast. The important thing is figuring out what you're good at, fast. You do this by trying different stuff, talking to people, working for people. If you're a noob, don't be afraid to work for others to learn.

 

[Icelsi]

The first question I'd ask is what your method of attack will be. Are you talking about SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, what?



Not all competitors know what they're doing. Most outsource the work. They also don't cover every base, so there's always somewhere to slip in and start gaining ground. And when they meet success they usually rest on their laurels and never see you coming.

The problem with the quote above is you're worried about beating competitors but you don't know the playing field, the tools, the techniques. Of course you don't know how you're going to beat your competitors yet. You need experience.



Choose one and start learning. Education is a continuing process and if you're not down with that then this is definitely not the industry for you, which changes daily and changes drastically annually. And that's just the platform on which you'll be building your project, which will be about a topic you'll have to learn about.



No. It is for some people. But it's not some in-depth super course. It's a bird's eye view showing you the lay of the land so that by the time you're done with the course, you know where you're standing and where to go, are familiar with the concepts, understand the jargon. Your education will continue on. Day 30 is actually called Continuing Your Education. But even reading the course, let alone doing the exercises, requires effort. There's no spoon feeding here.



Internet Marketing has been around since 1991. You've missed some boats, but the ship sails on. The industry is a lot more mature than it was even in 2010. You're better off for it. There's actually LESS competition than there has ever been thanks to the Google Penguin filter, in terms of SEO. PPC got expensive on some platforms and others popped up that are still cheap and have even better targeting methods. New social media sites pop off all the time that you can get traffic from. There's no boat that's sailed nor is it going to sail. The internet is here to stay and it is expanding exponentially. There's room for everyone to play ball.

My fear for you isn't that the boat has sailed, it's your attitude of hopelessness and self-defeat before starting:

• "But there's competition"
• "I don't know anything"
• "I'm not smart or creative"

This kind of talk is addressed in Day 1 of the Crash Course. If you can't get some mental fortitude, you need to address that first.

I also suggest that if you're dead broke and dependent on other people or whatever the case is, but your life simply isn't in order, you should be looking for a day job. Having money will accelerate your success not only in internet marketing but all aspects of your life. Entrepreneurship isn't some "thing" you do. It's a lifestyle and it has to have a firm foundation of a healthy, harmonized life underneath it. Notice I didn't say "balanced" because your life won't be balanced if you walk this path. You can find harmony, though, but not with that kind of self-talk, and especially not if you're a self-sabotager, which we see often in this game.

Thanks. I''ll focus on fixing my life first before going into this. Do you have any good tips, ressources for improving one's mental state? I don't really have depression, but rather regrets of the time I have wasted. I need a change in perspective.

 

[Erayz]

There's no boat to miss.
Action is the cure.
What have you done?
Have you chosen a niche?
Registered a domain?
Written some content?

You see most people spend most talking and typing about something instead of doing something about it

 

[CCarter]

Do you have any good tips, ressources for improving one's mental state? I don't really have depression, but rather regrets of the time I have wasted. I need a change in perspective.

Just do one thing - listen to this every day. Once you start understanding the message you'll start creating goals, then start taking action. At the moment I'm listening to this rotation about 2-3 times A DAY in rotation with Dan Pena and Thick Black Theory in the mix:

Earl Nightingale:

Dan Peña:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Thick Black Theory:

Spoiler

Sorry... the audio translations are lost in time... I mean I got them, but you probably can't get them.

--

By constantly repeating those audios over and over daily you are slowly reprogramming yourself consciously and subconsciously. To get your act together. There is only so many times you can listen to Dan Peña screaming about taking action until you yourself start taking steps to get what you want out of this life.

The thing that keeps me going daily is I've got a image on my phone that simply states "You are going to die... Might as well try!"

Guys there is no fucking do-overs. We don't get to get a second at bat. And if you fail, so fucking what?! You'll move on to the next thing. But sitting around and doing nothing, well you might as well be in a coffin.

Also turn off the T.V., news, and other nonsense that's trying to take your attention away from your goals. Life becomes real simple when you realize that 99% of the stuff on the TV will never impact your day or life.

Time to get to work.

 

[BCN]

You need an edge to succeed in online marketing.

1) Tech skills (most markets aren't tech-savvy or can't program even simple stuff)
2) Good connections for better payouts, better offers or a traffic source that can let your stuff slide. (most marketers are stuck in front of their computers and don't have real people skills)
3) Bankroll (most marketers are poor)
4) Creativity (many aren't creative - rip and run).

One or more. If you have neither, cultivate one of them.

Some markets can run tech-heavy stuff, cloaking, auto bidding, MVT, auto-optimization.

Some have industry experience and can run aggressive offers/flows or have access to offers directly with better merchant/billing.

Some have enough money to do a shotgun approach and test a lot.

Others are just damn creative and good salespeople and can sell VR porn goggles to a blind person.

There's no reason why online work should be easier than running an offline business. For many of us, it is. I.e. if you can make websites, the barrier to making websites that you own and monetize is lower. Markets are efficient, and what's easy is easy for a reason. If you make the best pizza, you don't have to worry about the number of pizza places in the neighborhood - but if your pizza, prices, service, and atmosphere are average, it won't work unless you're the only one (creativity: you invented pizza or something).

But the only way of learning is by doing. I'm not trying to discourage you, just that results won't be immediate like a scroll-scroll-scroll sales letter will tell you. I'm sure none of us have a degree in making money online, it's all experience in the end.

We started with mainly #1 above, but now have #2, #3 and to some degree #4 (working a lot on copywriting, angles, unique stuff). We'll see where we are in a year, but looking good.

Thanks. I''ll focus on fixing my life first before going into this. Do you have any good tips, ressources for improving one's mental state? I don't really have depression, but rather regrets of the time I have wasted. I need a change in perspective.

- Don't worry about what people think of you. People never accept others that don't follow the norm. No reason wasting time convincing people to change.
- Don't be scared of losing money, you won't die. At least not from losing money. But one day you will ... Anyways.
- Don't listen to what people tell you to do. Take it into account, but literally, we still do a few hundred per day on popups, and that has been dead since 2016 people say. Google killed it or something. Who knows. Same with SEO. Facebook is too expensive, hasn't worked since 2015 ... it's our main traffic source.
- Remove noise, news, social media, TV and other stuff designed to steal your attention. Life isn't that hard if you ignore stuff that isn't important.
- Get up early
- Take notes and document everything


¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Yvv]

We all start as newbies
Find a mentor, join marketing meetups, enterpenuer meetups, workshops etc..
As an entrepreneur your endurance will be tested.

 

[Icelsi]

I

Just do one thing - listen to this every day. Once you start understanding the message you'll start creating goals, then start taking action. At the moment I'm listening to this rotation about 2-3 times A DAY in rotation with Dan Pena and Thick Black Theory in the mix:

Earl Nightingale:

Dan Peña:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Thick Black Theory:

Spoiler

Sorry... the audio translations are lost in time... I mean I got them, but you probably can't get them.

--

By constantly repeating those audios over and over daily you are slowly reprogramming yourself consciously and subconsciously. To get your act together. There is only so many times you can listen to Dan Peña screaming about taking action until you yourself start taking steps to get what you want out of this life.

The thing that keeps me going daily is I've got a image on my phone that simply states "You are going to die... Might as well try!"

Guys there is no fucking do-overs. We don't get to get a second at bat. And if you fail, so fucking what?! You'll move on to the next thing. But sitting around and doing nothing, well you might as well be in a coffin.

Also turn off the T.V., news, and other nonsense that's trying to take your attention away from your goals. Life becomes real simple when you realize that 99% of the stuff on the TV will never impact your day or life.

Time to get to work.

I've been listening to Dan Pena and Earl Nightingale 3-4x times a day for the last month (during commute times mainly). This shit changed my life in less than three weeks. Got a job, started a freelancing service to learn copy (I'm good with people), went back to the gym after a hiatus of 2 years and I wake up with a purpose. Thank you.

Also, is there a way to get the Thick Black Theory's audio at all? How did you get it? Would help me a lot in my daily positive brainwashing.

 

[eliquid]

Thick Black Theory:

Spoiler

Sorry... the audio translations are lost in time... I mean I got them, but you probably can't get them.

--

I can't believe I fell for that fucking spoiler.

 

[CCarter]

Also, is there a way to get the Thick Black Theory's audio at all?

I made the audio of what I have in a downloadable zip (mp3): https://www.moneyoverethics.com/buso/thick-black/Thick-Black-Theory.zip

I'm warning you folks, a lot of you sensitive people will not be able to handle it.

In history, Xiang Yu asked Han emperor (Liu Bang), "The world has been a mess with wars and fighting for years - except us. I'd like to challenge and have a fight with you."

Han emperor smiled, "I'd rather fight with intelligence than fight with strength."

[..]

Even his (Liu Bang) own children - Xiaohui and Luyuan, when the army of Chu almost caught them - he pushed them off the carriage and then he killed Han Xin, and Peng Yue.

"Put up the gun after all the birds are killed. Eat the hound after all the rabbits are killed" (Kill the helpers after you succeed).

[..]

Zongwu said, "Thick and black are not given by the surroundings. Everyone has it.

The normal people are all thick or black. It's just people's nature."

This can be tested. Find a random mother with a baby in her arms who is eating something in a bowl. The baby will grab that bowl. If the mother has a pie in her hand, the baby is going to grab that pie and even grab the part which is already in her mouth and eat it. Or the baby is in the mother's arms drinking milk when his brother came to him. He would push him away.

These are all "ability without learning, without thinking". When you try to do this no matter where or when, you would make a difference.

[..]

The theory of thick and black is so clearly shown in everyone's face but many people are scared or persuaded by the "good people".

So Zongwu said, "The mountain which is used to farm the cows was cut by axes. It's not unharmed. The cows and sheep depend on the plants, so both the animals and the plants are killed."

There are always some people in the world who are thick and black. You try to stop it. It's just like when people cut the plants - thick and black will be gone.

So it will be extremely hard to have a hero! People know there is no hero, but they don't know it's because there is no thick and black anymore.

[..]

All the theories in the world can mislead people, but thick and black theory never misleads you.

Even when you don't have anything as a beggar, you can still get more food than others. So Zongwu said, "From a president to a beggar, Thick Black Theory can help you.

[..]

Zongwu said, "The thick and black people can have an empire with thousands of chariots. The others can't even get a bowl of rice."

[..]

Evil: Do whatever you can to reach your purpose. Kill him, sell his kids. Don't worry about anything, but there is something you have to be careful about: You should do every evil thing with a cover of morality. ​

--

Here is a good archive: https://archive.org/stream/thickblacktheory_201604/thickblack2_djvu.txt

--

I actually have the book:

But they stopped printing the English translation of the book. Looks like there isn't a big market for Total Depravity.

But you guy should check out "Thick Face, Black Heart" by Chin Ning Chu, she interpreted "Thick Black Theory" and expanded upon it for the business world.

Again some of you sensitive snowflakes aren't going to like it. Just Carry on...

 

[Ryuzaki]

But you guy should check out "Thick Face, Black Heart" by Chin Ning Chu, she interpreted "Thick Black Theory" and expanded upon it for the business world.

​

I see you know your judo well...

 

[CCarter]

I see you know your judo, well...

If these kids knew how much society’s bullshit has held them back from winning and fulfilling their true potential... you live and you learn.

"I'd rather betray everyone in the world, than have others betray me." - Cao Cao

 

[built]

But you guy should check out "Thick Face, Black Heart" by Chin Ning Chu, she interpreted "Thick Black Theory" and expanded upon it for the business world.

Is this one alright? https://www.amazon.com/Thick-Face-Black-Heart-Philosophy/dp/0446670200/
Theres also @Ryuzaki's one here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/092963828X/

So which one do we pick?

edit:

Found the one you have https://www.amazon.com/Thick-Black-Theory-Forbidden-Strategies/dp/1448672570

 

[Icelsi]

If these kids knew how much society’s bullshit has held them back from winning and fulfilling their true potential... you live and you learn.

"I'd rather betray everyone in the world, than have others betray me." - Cao Cao

I actually read Chin Ning Chu's book 2 weeks ago. Her emphasis on doing what it takes no matter what is your state of mind/emotions and to refuse limitations imposed on me OR BY ME changed my whole game.

"A rich harvest is dependent on the farmer's timely dedication to his work. He does not have to read motivational books to overcome his inertia"

"What makes one truly great is knowing to suffer the insufferable and endure the unendurable"

"Whatever state of mind you are in, ignore it. Think only of cutting" - Miyamoto Musashi

"There is no one out there you have to conquer. When you have successfully conquered yourself, the world will be at your feet"

These quotes made me realise that my fears, doubts and negative emotions are just manifestations of my inferior self and need to be treated as enemies that are to be fought on a daily basis. That in order to become the best that I can be, I'll need to tap into my killer instinct and do whatever it takes. External motivation, is useless while intrinsic motivation is key.

This book + Earl Nightingale + Dan Pena changed my life so quickly.

Thank you.

 

[Icelsi]

Can't believe how much I changed since I discovered this website hahahaha. I just hit 11k/month and holy shit, with this Corona thing, I've been able to spot so many more opportunities. Have been grinding my ass off, so I didn't have time to be on this website a whole lot.

I just wanted to make a short post for people who might be in my previous situation and help them get out of a rut. I'm still a newbie, but I believe I can be a little of help. Here's a list of what I've learned:

1) Most people in these type of forums are too *smart* for their own good. Your journey to 10k/month is simple, there's no need to overthink stuff. Met a lot of dumb people who were a LOT more successful than smart people. Stop thinking and go. Stop reading and being a nerd, just execute. Be smart after you do shit.

2) Mindset + Skills + Execution = Success.

3) Environment > Willpower > Motivation. You want to optimize your environment in a way to limits all your bad habits. I literally moved out of my parents house even though I was broke as fuck. Love the family, but holy shit, their bad habits rubbed off me. As soon as I moved in a small ass apartment with no television and any distractions, I was able to make $$$.

You want to maximize your environment in a way that limits your need to use willpower.

4) There's plenty of money to make as a beginner, but the 2 best ways I've *seen* for ppl with no tech skills is: 1) Arbitrage (ebay, etsy, that type of stuff. Got friends making CASHHHH) 2) Freelancing/Agency (which is what I've been doing with copywriting as a skill).

5) Surround yourself with winners and learn from people ahead of you in order to DRASTICALLY cut the learning curve. Believe or not, there's actually plenty of people out there who really want to help. There's no point to learning this stuff all by yourself. You just need to avoid and recognize the snakes/scammers.

6) Mindset wise, biggest stuff I've seen destroy people is limiting beliefs (ie. "I'm not a entrepreneur", "I don't have what it takes", etc). Really recommend y'all read stuff about Eastern Spirituality, shit is a total game changer. @CCarter introduced me to "Black Heart Thick Face" (must read imo) few months ago. Recommend reading "Atmamun" by Kapil Gupta also. Wouldn't be where I am without eastern spirituality.

7) Lemme hate on reading again. The moment I stopped reading information online and actually started executing, I made money. A lot of people just use information to mentally jack off. What I suggest doing is *earning* your reading time. Don't read until you complete all your high ROI tasks for the day OR if you are *truly* stuck.

8) There's no secret. Just eliminate the distractions and grind your ass off.

9) This ties with with #5, but when you start seeing all these big players making 100k/month and even 50k/day, you realize how high the ceiling is in this IM stuff. Never limit yourself. The Internet has given you an opportunity to live better than kings used to in the past. I truly believe we live in the greatest time of human history.

10) Offer + Traffic = $$$.

11) If you believe you have no talent, that you're not smart enough or whatever, you can still make a lot money. A lot of people who had no particular talent went all in with : Sales and Direct Response Copywriting. Anybody can learn these two skills, even if you're introverted (suprisingly being one can actually help). Just a matter of effort. If you can combine those skills with stuff like SEO and/or programming, you become a money printing machine.

12) Daily journaling is an amazing habit. Really suggest it.

13) STOP WITH THE SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME BS. Never understood why ppl do this shit. Stick to ONE project for 6 MONTHS minimum (other ppl recommended 1 year).

Anyways, thanks for everything. This is really where (A mere 7 months ago lol) I started. Good luck on your journey.