Moller Marketing

Starting an Online Business vs Working for Someone Else

Posted on 17. Mar, 2009 by Nate Moller.

I’ve got to quit my job and focus on my business full time…

I’ll be so much happier when I can just work from home and not have a JOB…

Are you saying these things?

Is working for someone else a means to an end?

Would you rather be “Free” to do what you want when you want?

First off, welcome to reality!  Running a business, both on or off-line, is HARD WORK!  The best most profitable businesses took time, dedication, and WORK, WORK, WORK before they ever made money.

Granted, some ideas can get your there quicker than others, but the bottom line is, you have to pay your dues to succeed in anything.

I met Gary Vaynerchuk at Blog World Expo 2008 and he’s confirmed what I believed all along:

Success comes to those who are ready for it.

I’ve worked with hundreds of clients for the last 3 years.  Many of them want to walk away from their jobs and run a successful online business.  Some of them have.  Others have simply given up or quit when they realized that running their own business was actually, at times, more difficult than working for someone else.

The truth is, you can do both: run a small business and work for someone else.  In fact, especially at first, I think it’s important you don’t completely drop your day job.  The more pressure you put on yourself to provide for your family with just your “Dream Job”, the less likely you’re mind will be clear and the less likely you’ll achieve your overall objectives.

Here’s what Gary has to say about working for someone else and running their own business:

Comments welcome. How does this idea effect your mindset for starting an online business?

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Why Passion is the Key to Success with an Online Business

Posted on 20. Feb, 2009 by Nate Moller.

Have you ever started a business before?

Why did you choose the industry you’re in?

Are you passionate about that industry or bored with it?

Gary Vaynerchuk shares why passion is the key to success with an online business!

He sums up why chasing your passion is so much more effective than chasing the money.

Here are some other articles about why passion is so important when starting an online business:

• 7 Must Ask Questions When Starting an Online Business
• Doing What You Love Part 1
• Doing What You Love Part 2
• Interview with ShoeMoney at Blog World Expo 2008
• How to Choose a Product or Service for Your New Online Business
• Starting an Online Business – Why Passion is Key
• 3 Reasons Why New Internet Business Owners are Successful

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Why Never Taking No For an Answer & Positive Mindset Equal Success

Posted on 17. Jan, 2009 by Nate Moller.

Do you take no for an answer?

Where has taking no for an answer ever gotten you?

What do never taking no for an answer and having a positive mindset have in common?

How does having a positive mindset have a direct result on your success or failure in business and life?

Check out this 1st class example of not taking no for an answer and having a positive mind set:

(See the Kurt Warner Update below for the REAL Kurt Warner Story but this one is a fun read.)

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4.  Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful.  She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled  softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left.  He looked at her card, BRENDA.  He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.  Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted.  When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work.  She simply said it wasn’t possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn’t afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter.  Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.  That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, “Well, let’s take the kids with us.”

She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.  Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children.  She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair.  He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.

Kurtis asked Brenda, “I still don’t understand why the kids can’t come with us?”  Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities – just like her first husband and father of her children had done.  Kurtis was not ordinary – - – he had a different mindset.

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him.  When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back.  The kids loved Kurtis.  At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children.   Since then they have added two more kids.

So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?  Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super Bowl.  Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NLF’s Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player.

What more can I say?  Not taking no for an answer gave Kurt Warner the chance to show his true colors to his future wife.  If “no” was enough to frustrate him off, this great story wouldn’t even exist.

I had a client once tell me:

No is the first two letters of “Not yet!”

Starting an online business can be hard! You’ll probably hear no quite a bit before you get that first Yes.  But you have to persist, you have to consider no as a “not yet” and stay positive if you want to succeed.

The Kurt Warner story goes further than not taking no for an answer though: Kurt’s positive mindset is the biggest key to his success, both in the NFL and most importantly, with his family.  That mindset is what all internet business owners have to have if they ever want to achieve their full potential and see the best results with their new internet business.

Best of luck to Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals on their persuit of the 2009 Super Bowl and thanks for his example of true success!

UPDATE: I actually called Kurt Warner’s office today to see if I could get this article published on his site and had a great conversation with one of the secretaries.  I directed her to MollerMarketing.com to verify that everything I posted was “accurate and publishable”.  She recommended going to Snopes.com and searching “Kurt Warner”  to find the real story about Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Warner.  Here it is:

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/warner.asp

What can we learn from this?

Viral marketing emails, which is how I got this story in the first place, can be full of fluff.  If they are interesting, touching, inspiring or funny, though, they’ll be passed around all over the internet and could really help promote what you’re doing. 

This story made me actually want the Cardinals to beat the Eagles .

What viral marketing campaign are YOU working on?

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3 Reasons Why New Internet Business Owners are Successful

Posted on 15. Jan, 2009 by Nate Moller.

I’ve mentored hundreds of clients.

I’ve seen some of them achieve things beyond what I ever expected; I’ve seen others fail miserably and never even get things off the ground.

But I’ve come to one overall conclusion: Online Business Success is for those who are ready for it.

3 Reasons Why New Internet Business Owners are Successful:

1. They are opened minded and teachable:  to be an new internet entrepreneur, you have to be open minded and teachable mainly because you don’t know any better.   I know I was in that very place about 5 years ago as a new internet business owner.  Luckily I had a great mentor who showed me the ropes, answered all my dumb questions, and believed I could succeed (even though honestly he probably thought I was crazy for starting a clogging website).  Newbies have to be willing to test things without really knowing if it will work; they must be willing to take a step in the dark.  Thanks, clients, for being open minded and teachable!
2. They have strong motivation: if you don’t have a stronger “WHY” than “I want to make a lot of money” you’ll probably chase every fly-by-night that comes along.  Making money online has to be one of the reasons you look to start a business, that’s obvious, but it must go deeper than that.  I’ve been on my soap box for quite some time now about doing what you love to do.  Besides that, you must ask yourself, “What am I going to do when I do make the money?”  “Who will it help?”  “What good cause will it go to?”  If you’re just in this business to get filthy rich and sit on a beach drinking tequilas, the motivation isn’t probably strong enough yet.  One of the top success stories I’ve associated with started her business for one main purpose – to put her two daughters through college, and she did just that.  She then went on to sell the 3 year old online business for over $125,000.  Her motivation was key to her success (and she was doing what she loved too – ballroom dance!)
3. They don’t give up or quit: all successful business owners know that failure is a “no-brainer” step to success.  You have to fail before you ever really know what true success is.  Giving up and quitting is pathetic.  Like the quote I shared in my last post stated, “People always say “never give up.” But how do you not give up when things are working right? Simple, you readjust your plan.”  I worked with a client once who was attempting to sell clocks (hope he’s reading this).  He did most of the work I suggested, made some effort, but when the money didn’t come flying in he just stopped.  He didn’t keep asking questions, he didn’t test the recommendations I gave, he didn’t seem to think outside the box, he didn’t implement the strategies I shared, he just QUIT!  I admit, I’ve never sold clocks before so I didn’t have the “turn-key” answers to selling clocks.  But I would think there is a lot more demand for clocks than clogging shoes for pete sake, and I have figured out how to sell those pretty consistently.  Anyway, quitting is a LOSE/LOSE.  I felt bad for the client, and he obviously wasn’t happy that he couldn’t be sitting on the beach drinking those coveted tequilas.  So please, don’t quit! Thanks, clients, for not giving up or quitting!

I am preparing a couple case studies that will be coming up in the next week or so about two specific clients that have implemented these strategies with perfection.  Stay Tune…

How have these tips helped you as an online business owner?

photo courtesy of abundancehighway.com

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Happy Holidays from MollerMarketing.com

Posted on 24. Dec, 2008 by Nate Moller.

Don’t let the “Dips” take the “Fun” out of what we do at Prosper!

Here’s to being “Sharpe” in 2009 – Happy Holidays!

Corny? Possibly!  This is the “Tag Line” I gave to all my colleagues with their Holiday Gifts and feel it’s appropriate for anyone who’s starting an online business.  There will be “Dips”, ebbs and flows, with any business endeavor; but if we’re having fun, we’ll stay “Sharpe” and keep pushing forward.

I’ve been doing lots of research lately on focus, self-motivation, doing what you love to do, and success with an online business.  If we’re not doing something we’re interested in and excited about, the self-motivation will not be sufficient to push us through the speed bumps that come.  Keep this in mind and you work to see results with your online business.

Moller Marketing has enjoyed a great and eventful ride in 2008 and wants to thank all of the readers who have made comments and contributed to the growth process.

Here are some of the highlights for 2008:

• Interview with ShoeMoney
• Blog World Expo 2008
• Guest Posting on TwiTip with Darren Rowse
• Orem Utah Tweetup Panel
• @The_Real_Shaq is Following Me on Twitter
• Interview with Muhammad Saleem
• Interview with Mat Siltala
• Interview with Newspapergrl – Janet Meiners
• Visit to Yankee Stadium

Let’s make 2009 a “Break Through” year by doing things we never thought we could!

Happy Holidays!

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Uggla, or is it “Ugly!”

Posted on 15. Jul, 2008 by Nate Moller.

E4, and then another E4! Hooray for the American League! The game isn’t quite over but it might as well be. Poor Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins made two huge errors and it looks like the AL will win the All Star game and have home field advantage in the World Series.

I know, this has nothing to do with online marketing or building an online business, but it’s one thing I have a passion for so I’d thought I’d share my feelings.

The drama, however, there are now two outs and the bases are still loaded; we’ll see what happens.

UPDATE: the game continues – somehow the NL got out of a bases loaded no out jam to get to the 11th inning.

Another UPDATE: Yes, Uggla had one more error before the night was over, although the ball took a bad hop. Yes, I did stay up until the bottom of the 15th inning to watch one of the longest All Star Games in Major League Baseball history, and YES, the American League did finally win (although I thought they got some bad calls on the play at home and on the steal of 2nd earlier in the extra-inning episode.) What this all means is that my Yankees will now get home field advantage in the World Series!

Staring an Online Business Tip:

How can this whole article tie in with what you are doing with your new online business? Always remember, writing about things your passionate about is always going to be a lot easier than trying to re-invent the wheel and learn a completely new industry. As an online business owner, you either need to like writing or hire someone who can write for you: your main way to communicate with visitors is via “sales copy”.

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Building an Online Business is Rule-Free!

Posted on 21. May, 2008 by Nate Moller.

I found this really cool picture while doing my daily Stumbling. If you haven’t already, I recommend you set up a StumbleUpon account and use it to build your online reputation. One thing I’m attempting to do more of is find cool stuff like this that can help my clients realize that building a business is fun, it’s exciting, and there are NO RULES on how it has to be done. Just because your friend, family member, or whoever says it can’t be done doesn’t mean they’re right.

As I think back to the first few days, weeks, and months of my dance bags and clogging shoes website, I remember some of the initial reactions I received about my ideas: “A clogging and dance website – how you going to make money with that?” or “No one’s going to buy shoes online without trying them on first.” or “What’s clogging?” This could have really had an effect on my decision but thank goodness it didn’t or I wouldn’t be sitting here at 11:50 p.m.

The best part about getting negative feedback like that to me is thinking: “I’ll prove you ALL wrong – watch me succeed!” I know certain people who doubted my ideas initially are now full of questions every time I see them – “When can you help me build my site? How’s ClogOn? What else do you have going on these days?” I just chuckle and remember how doubtful they were before. EXPECT SUCCESS!

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