Matt Levenhagen Blog Post (Reprinted with Permission):

There are a lot of factors involved in succeeding online.  It all depends on your chosen path.  It all depends on your unique skills, experience, knowledge and talents.

There are some things you can do that will increase your chances in any give opportunity.

Continuing Education:  If you decide to pursue a business online, you must understand the consequences.  The only way you are going to make it long term, is to build a habit that will serve as a guarantee against “being left behind or missing the boat”.  You must continuously learn.

Always be reading e-Books, articles and news related to your efforts.  Hang out in forums, ask questions, and stay tuned to what’s happening in the online community.  This is so important.  Understand, you could have received a Masters in some tech area 10 years ago and much of that knowledge is useless today.

If you decide to pursue an opportunity online, you must except that you are in a technological environment.  Just like anyone in an electronic, computer, or programming field you must always stay on top of the technology (or more specifically, information).

Marketing alone, changes all the time.  New ways of doing things are born and old ways die daily.

It is also important to stay educated to avoid doing the wrong things.  If you don’t have your smarts, someone will lead you in the wrong direction and it will ultimately destroy or cripple your business.

Spread the risk:  You can choose one opportunity, but build a structure around that opportunity that will support the change of seasons.

Market your product, service or website using several different methods to secure your long term objectives.  For instance, don’t only focus on Search Engines Optimization (SEO) or Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising.

Search Engines change their methods continuously.  You could be ranked on the first page of the search results one day and be out of sight the next.  It’s a guessing game.

Pay Per Click is similar.  PPC is well-established now, but something could come along to replace it.  It doesn’t take long for the flock to change directions; only a few sheep need to start…

You can also pursue more than one opportunity.  You can sell digital products and physical products.  At the same time intertwine affiliate programs.

Do not take this as me saying not to focus your efforts into a niche.  You don’t want to be to spread out.  I’m just saying not to put “all those eggs in one basket”.  Of course you don’t want to have too many baskets; don’t neglect the good eggs by having too many to keep track of.

Stay Organized:  Organize your time and activities.  Focus on the things that are going to make you money.

Too many people get caught up in the details.  Instead of goofing around and fine tuning your site endlessly, do the things that will ultimately generate income.  You want to be spending a good amount of time marketing your product or services.

Spend your time creating content for your websites, writing articles, and propagating Inbound Links (IBLs).  Create alliances and join ventures with others.

Organize your week.  For an example:  You’re going to spend Monday going over numbers, stats, and planning.  Tuesday is for writing articles.  Wednesday you work on your website (SEO).  Etc., Etc., You can break each day, or each month down.

Build a system and stick to it.  Don’t get caught in the trap of hanging out in some forum.  It may be a way to generate some income, but you can get so rapped up you stop doing other things that will make you more money in the long run.

Also organize your life, your office, your paper, your computer…. Pick up a copy of “Getting Things Done” by David Allen.  You’ll learn a lot about how to get your life organized.

Expect to Slip and Fall:   Its part of your plan.  When something goes wrong, embrace it!

This is how we learn.  Everyone goes through this learning curve.  There are a lot of things that are going to happen before you are going to succeed.

In sales there is a certain thing understood:  It will take “X” amount of “No’s” to get to a “Yes”.  You expect and welcome the “No’s”, because you know it brings you closer to the “Yes”.  It’s a numbers game.

Many people get frustrated when their first website fails.  They a read a book and it doesn’t change their lives like it was supposed to.

Understand that the opportunities are the same for everyone, but they don’t work for everyone.  You have to find YOUR opportunity.  It will, however, take some time to get your arms around it.  You will, most likely, slip sometimes.  You may fall and have to start over.  But now you have that experience so build on it!  BUILD ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE.

Become a business person:  You don’t need a college degree.  You can educate yourself.  There are thousands upon thousands of books you can read.  Go to your local library and read them for FREE.

A well rounded person online must have some business skill or knowledge.  You must understand how business works.  This is a business.  You must understand how it operates, the risk factor, and have a business plan.

Again, you don’t need a college degree.  But make it a habit to read books related to your field and business.  It will sink in over time.  Combined with the experience you are getting you will grow into an online expert.

You don’t need to have a business background to succeed online, but make it a part of your future focus.  Set time aside.  It won’t hurt.

In Conclusion:  Many people on the internet will give you the illusion that their opportunity is all you need.  It’s not to say their opportunity is bad, they just are selling it.  You need to come in knowing how to use it and integrate it into your business.

There is more to it, but these things I highlighted are often overlooked.  As more and more people come online each day looking for opportunities, it is necessary for them to be lead in a direction that will benefit them not bring them down.

One failed opportunity can discourage anyone.  But if you are prepared for that result and expect it… embrace it even.  Your chances of success dramatically increase!

Good Luck in All Your Endeavors,

Matt Levenhagen

Note from WorkAtHomeTruth:

You can read more about Matt Levenhagen and his Campaign Blasts Method here.