You can spend hours spinning your wheels following every new idea that comes along, but usually what happens is you dip your toes in swish them around awhile, get unfocused and go onto the next “new” thing looking for the quick and easy way to make money online. Well, there really isn’t a “quick” way to do it, but when you follow a step-by-step system, it certainly isn’t hard. But most people who try to make money online — roughly 95 percent of them — quit because of just this reason. And the funny thing is, they usually stop right about the time that they could be “making it big.”

To that end in March of 2011, I quit my full-time decent paying job to work online from home. After 40 years working for everyone else, this was a HUGE deal for me. It scared the “hell” out of me because I was used to that every two-week paycheck. I quit just before I turned 58, and I took a lot of fear with me. We had a “huge monthly nut” to make each month, but my husband and I both agreed that we would do it, whatever the result. I couldn’t take the weekly grind and commute any longer. For twenty years of my working adult life, I commuted two hours to and from work each day. I was driving a bazilliion miles a week and my butt couldn’t take it any longer.

I started out with a bang, because I was mostly just doing freelance writing — and though my affiliate sales still trickled in, in total about $100/a month, I ignored that and went to work just on my freelance writing. The first mistake I made is that I did not diversify my clients and the HUGE client I worked for started to dive — especially after all the Google changes — and I went right down with them. Unfortunately, this caused a big fracas in our home, and we are being forced to reinvent ourselves at a time in life when most people retire.

And with Google’s Panda Penalties and its other search engine reinventions, I’ve learned that I need to put my eggs into many baskets, not just ONE and incubate them so they multiply.  I’ve got to develop my income across several streams. Along with my freelance writing, which is paying the basic living expenses  thank God — I’m going back to developing the affiliate end of my business.

So my husband and I are starting over again — reinventing our lives and changing the way we live. What was important yesterday is no longer important today. We’re downsizing, but in a good way, even though from all outward appearances, it doesn’t quick look that way.

Right now I’m working with Sara Young to get me back in the “swing” of things and to help me develop a system for my affiliate marketing. Yes, I’ve used many systems and had success with them, but I petered out because I got bored — and I had all the steady income from the day job and then the freelance work that I let the affiliate marketing stuff fall to the wayside.  So, I’m reading through the Easy Paycheck Formula right now and I have to admit I’m pretty excited. I was pleased to find she has updated it because of all the changes made by Google — exactly what I needed because I’ve sorta been out of the loop on that stuff. What I like even more: she’s understands writing. And she’s a mom. Of 6!

A mom of 6, working from home, writing for the Internet and making a 6-figure salary. Hmmm. Do I have to do the math here? I think this is someone I need to spend some time with. For someone starting all over (though not entirely starting from scratch), this is good for me. The writing part I “got,” but I’ve never really been able to take my affiliate sales beyond the $100/a month mark. Mostly because I basically abandoned it to freelance write and create content for others. Being an Aries, keeping my focus on one thing can be difficult, even though I have written two books and have plenty of ideas for more. But in order to write them, I need to be able to get some income coming in to support my writing. While freelance writing is good, if I “overdo” it there, it takes away from my desire to write fiction. It’s a whole mental “track” switch that I haven’t quite nailed down.

So I picked up her product and I’m just now getting into it and so far, so good. I think it’s because she’s a “mom” that she speaks my language. She makes it simple.  While I am refreshing myself with the basics of what I’ve learned, I know I am going to gain some keen insight because I plan to follow her “affiliate marketing” track and get it right. Many people start out trying to make money online and they give it up because they get distracted. The Internet is a HUGE distraction — so the first thing is FOCUS.

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.

Second is commitment. That part’s easy for me. Being the Aries that I am, and someone who lived in a trailer atop a hill just outside of Yosemite (without running water and electricity I might add for longer than most), I can tell you that I am one stubborn person who does not give in. I WILL not give in. I will, however, admit when I’m wrong — and the thing I did wrong — but didn’t see coming was to rely on one MAIN source of Internet income. I knew better too, but I was basking in the joy of working from home and didn’t see what was coming. Plus working through all my internal money issues (which is often harder the older  you are because you’re more stuck in your ways), has been at the heart of all that. That all comes from the spiritual side of things and I’ve been hunkering down there as well. So it’s no wonder I created this whole scenario for me to start “over.”

You can bet I was surprised to see that Sara offers “Money Magnet” created by Dr. Anthony as a bonus download when you sign up for Easy Paycheck Formula. While I have a PLETHORA of  how-to’s on my computer from many an Internet marketer, and only a handful of them really work, you can bet I’m happy to be signed up for her program. You see, she also includes some great information for moms and dads living on a budget. This woman has it nailed — and she tells you the main points right off.

Her program costs $47 to sign up. You’re offered a chance to extend it to her “Easy Paycheck Formula on Steroids” and continue to get updates on a month-to-month basis — but that’s your choice. In any case, I’m in and I *know* that this program will take me where I want and plan to go in the next few years.

Everything that I’ve seen is very organized in a step-by-step manner. For the person who doesn’t know anything about the Internet or needs a refresher to REFOCUS like I do, this is where you need to be if you want the freedom of working for yourself.

If you think internet marketing is shady and sleazy, why are you trying to find ways to make money online? Inevitably any internet business involves internet marketing, period.

How To Know If You Are Not Cut Out For Internet Marketing:

• You like working on a set schedule
• You like the security of working for someone else
• You prefer being “told” what to do
• You like putting in your eight hours a day
• You like having a set income
• You enjoy your cubicle — you even decorated it like it’s your room
• You enjoy other people demeaning you
• You prefer only having two weeks a year vacation
• You prefer security
• You prefer someone doing your thinking for you
• You prefer living within set boundaries
• You’re afraid to be creative
• You like the sound of your baaaa

Seriously, Just Because You’ve Found Shady Internet Marketers Doesn’t Mean You Have to Be One
Besides with the recent FTC rulings, shady internet marketers will have to come out of the shadows and into the light. While you may not see a huge change immediately, gradually things will change, especially for those people who are more than shady who prefer the cover of darkness.

Legitimate Businesses Need Not Fear The Light
If you want to create your own online “legitimate” business, you can do so easily. Just don’t make your business about trying to convince anyone to “buy” something. I don’t like that approach either. Rather, try to share your expertise and knowledge of something, teach about things you know and let people make their own decisions about what they do and do not want. If you’re forcing folks, you’ll end up with customers that are not very happy.

As an internet marketer, an article marketer, an affiliate marketer, and an author — of course I want people to purchase things through my recommendations, but I don’t want them to purchase something they don’t think will work for them. What is the sense of that?

The idea with internet, affiliate, and article marketing is that you are trying to “brand” yourself — allow people to see you as an expert in your field. To do that, you need to stay honest, open, and transparent in all your dealings with folks. It’s the only thing that will work for creating a sustainable online business.

If you remember to be authentically “you” in all your dealings with folks, truth and honesty always stand the test of time. Always.

Anyone can become an honest internet marketer, if they are an honest person to begin with. It’s really that simple.

Living outside the box

Living outside the box and making money online is easier than it ever has been before. Back when I first investigated writing for the internet in 1997, before we began the adventure of designing AND building our own California Country home, it cost quite a bit of money to get a website up and going. Nowadays you can do it for nothing if you use all the free Web 2.0 interactive websites like Hubpages, Weebly, or Squidoo.

These free websites are a great place to test out your infant affiliate-marketing program. Or maybe you have a product you want to sell. Create a web page on any of those free sites and you can do just that. Read up on article marketing right here on this website. There are more than enough articles to fill a book on the topic. Using articles you’ve written with targeted keywords doesn’t cost you anything either.

Don’t Be A Shyster
Working online is not about being a shyster; it’s not about ripping people off. Quite frankly, it’s the opposite. It’s about giving more value than people pay for. Sure, there are scummy internet marketers out there, but unless you’re living in the shadows anyway, why would you want to create that kind of karma for yourself?

Besides, with the recent FCC regulations with respect to the internet, you have to be completely up front and honest with folks about your affiliate marketing anyway: it’s now law. The FCC will be cracking down on those Black Hat Marketers sooner or later, and I don’t want to be affiliated with those kinds of marketing tactics anyway.

How Frank Kern Deals with the FTC
I especially enjoy Internet Marketing Genius Frank Kern’s tactics with respect to the new FTC ruling about being a “transparent” affiliate marketer. In his emails, he makes sure that you know up front that “If you buy something as a result of watching this (a video), I’ll get paid money and I will almost certainly squander it on shiny things (or candy, or something equally stupid).”

I for one, feel that there’s nothing wrong with making money from a recommendation, especially if you are sure of the product. The product doesn’t cost the person buying it any more just because you’re getting a commission from it and most money made from the internet just gets squandered on mortgages and more internet products and shiny things anyway. Besides, its the boon the economy so desperately needs. People with money buying things.

Give Valuable Content
Be sure that you provide folks with valuable content. Don’t just pitch them. That won’t work anyway. People are looking for real information, not fluff. And they’re going to go to the person they can trust. They’re going to go where they have established a relationship. If you provide free content that has substance and value, you’ll win over a customer, one that will not only sign up for your newsletter but follow your recommendations as well.

Be Yourself, Be Authentic
It’s important that you be transparent, that you be authentically “you.” Find your own voice, talk to people in your writing as if they were standing in front of you. Help people find what they want, give more value than what they pay for and you will always come out on top.

You can learn everything you need to know hunting through all of these articles, and then piece it together. Or you can take the shortcut and buy a program that will teach what you need to know. It’s all a matter of choice. The faster you want to live outside the box will be the motivating factor.

Me, I hunted around for two years and still couldn’t get it all together, but then I didn’t keep copious notes of those successes I had like one frustrated Georgia mom who managed to pull in over $150K within a year. That’s why I purchased her program so that I can repeat what she did.

To find out more: http://BestRealWorkAtHomeJobs.com