Working online- it’s all supposed to be great, right? Okay, I won’t lie, for the most part it is great. However, there are some truths about making money online that I want to share today.
With an online business, you can:
- Work from home
- Work while you travel
- Make a great income
- Help tons of people, and more.
Many people like to think that owning your own business, making lots of money, and/or working online in a certain way means that you have expensive cars, only travel first class (or even have your own plane), and so on.
Due to this, I have had people tell me that there’s no way that my business is doing as well as it is, or that I’m making as much money as I am.
Well, let me tell you, that’s because running your own business and making money online isn’t always the way people make it seem.
Really, though, it’s not that glamorous.
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I’m actually typing this blog post while sitting in front of a campfire at a free camp site. And, there’s a portable toilet right next to me.
Sure, there are all sorts of people out there living in many different ways, but here are my truths about making money online.
Also, I didn’t write today’s post to scare you. Instead, I want to motivate you to work harder so that you can become successful. I also want you to know that a lot of the things and feelings that have made you possibly want to quit your business are actually quite normal. You just have to keep pushing yourself!
Get rich quick schemes aren’t real.
Every month I show you my monthly blogging income reports. I don’t do this to make it seem easy. Instead, I want to show you how I make my business work for me, to show you tips for succeeding with your own business, and to show you the amount of work that goes into it.
Get rich quick schemes aren’t real, and there’s no real way to get rich quick without a ton of work.
I spent nearly a whole year on my blog and made just cents per hour if you added up all the time I put into it. Yes, it paid off in the end, but there were lots of very stressful moments and sleepless nights.
Blogging is a great way to make a living, but you definitely need to put the work into it. If you think you can put the work into it, then I definitely recommend you give it a try!
If you are thinking about starting a blog, I suggest starting with my free How To Start and Launch a Successful Blog course.
Making money online means that you can work 24/7.
The good thing about my business is that I absolutely love everything about it.
The bad thing about my business is that I absolutely love everything about it.
You’re probably wondering “How could that be a bad thing?”
It’s bad because it’s all online, which means that I can work ALL THE TIME. If I can work all the time and I love everything about it, it means that it’s often hard to break myself away from work.
While the work is great, it’s never healthy to work all the time. You need to enjoy other aspects of life as well, and take a mental break from work.
This is much easier said than done when you work online.
Since I can work wherever and whenever, I often forget to eat meals, to sleep enough hours, to spend time socializing with others, and more.
You’ll wear a lot of pajamas and workout clothes.
My most common outfit is a pair of workout shorts and a tank top. I hardly ever get dressed up. If I have to dress up for a video chat, I’m usually just wearing a nice top and still the workout shorts (since you can’t see those in a video).
Due to my usual outfits, people don’t tend to think I work online. I find that funny because everyone I know who works online has this same wardrobe!
This is probably the most unglamorous part of working online- you’ll forget how to dress properly and you won’t ever do your hair or makeup.
There’s no one way to earn money online.
With an online business, there’s a lot of trial and error. Online businesses are very new, and there’s no one calling the shots.
Because there’s no step-by-step guide that is telling you exactly what to do and how exactly to earn money online, everything is up to you. Things may happen faster or more slowly for you than for someone else who is running a company similar to yours.
Due to this, there’s no guarantee that you’ll make money, which is why I always recommend that you save a good percentage of your earnings even if you are making a great living. This is why we are saving around 80% to 90% of the income that we earn.
Some days you’ll feel on top of the world.
And other days you’ll feel down in the dumps.
Online businesses are funny like that. One day you may earn a lot of money, and the next week or two you may not even earn a penny.
Or, you may have a great idea, and then the very next day you may feel like you have absolutely no good ideas at all.
I want you to know that all business owners feel like this. Certain days you may feel helpless and hopeless, but you just have to push past this part and move on.
Everyone has bad days, but you can’t let that destroy you and your dream.
You don’t need technical experience to make money online.
I’m not a very technical person. I don’t test anything, I’m actually quite horrible with computers, and I don’t analyze statistics related to my business and how it’s doing.
This surprises many people, but it’s the truth. You don’t need to be a computer genius in order to work online.
Instead, you can learn what you need to know for your business, and hire out what you can’t seem to figure out. That’s exactly what I do. And no, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to outsource the technical tasks.
You’ll need another motivator.
Working online is great and it earns me a great deal of money each month. But, I recommend that you find more than just that to motivate you.
Sure, there are many people who are running businesses and their only motivator is money.
However, any business is difficult to run, and having another motivator will help you become more passionate about what you are doing. In turn, you are more likely to be successful!
I recommend having some other motivator, such as the desire to travel, stay at home with your children, help others, writing about your passion, and so on.
You may be lonely at times.
Working online is great, but it can be lonely at times. This is because you are often separated from the rest of the world.
The “average” person works with others. However, when working online it is usually just you.
That being said, I’ve never felt lonely. My last job as a financial analyst was much lonelier than my current business setup, as I had absolutely no one to talk to at that day job.
Now, I can talk to plenty of people online – other online business owners as well as my readers.
But, if you are feeling lonely, there are ways to get around this. I highly recommend going to conferences, paying for a co-working space, going to meetups with others in your industry, and so on.
You may be able to live your dream life.
Five years ago, I started my blog Making Sense of Cents. In that time, it has grown to receive hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors as well as a $100,000 monthly income.
Making Sense of Cents has allowed me and my little family to live our dream life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I didn’t write today’s post to scare you, instead I wrote it to motivate you to work harder so that you can become successful.
Working online is not a get rich quick scheme, and there are no guarantees that you’ll make it full-time.
However, with your online business, you may be able to live your dream life. I’m not going to say “You WILL live your dream life” because you may realize that running an online business is not right for you.
But, you may realize that it is perfect for you. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you reach your dreams!
What truth about making money online do you relate to? What don’t you believe?
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I like thi spost because offer a Real point of view
Thanks 🙂
Blogging is definitely something that you have to be in the long run for! You have to really enjoy parts of it (like the writing and designing parts,etc) to help get you through the tedious tasks.
Your savings rate is freaking awesome!! I’m working towards being able to save 40-50% of my income.
Yes, definitely!
Great post!! Sharing now! For me, the ups and downs are definitely hard to deal with. Like you said, some days you’ll feel on top of the world and the next day you’ll feel like quitting haha! My husband always reminds me to look at the big picture, which helps a lot. Instead of looking at daily progress, look at monthly or yearly progress!
Hope you have a great day, Michelle!!
Haha yes! Looking at the big picture definitely helps.
It’s always encouraging to hear your story Michelle. I’m over here, another morning, working in sweatpants again trying to figure out this whole blogging thing and it’s good to be reminded that rewards come with persistence. Thank you!
Haha, I love being able to work in sweatpants!
Thanks so much for your honesty. I’ve thought working for yourself and working online are often over-glamorized. I think the illusion that you can work just a small number of hours and make lots of passive income often skips over all the 80-hour weeks and the risk and failures it took to get to success.
I definitely love working for myself and I could never go back to being an employee, but yes, there’s definitely risk that goes with it!
Thank you so much for this post. I have literally felt those emotions and it’s great to know they are normal.
I started blogging July 13, 2016. My blog isn’t monetized but my concept is working and I just crossed the $5,000 mark. These are real dollars sitting in a real bank account.
I do get ideas and most of them have worked (and then just like you said – you have those days ….) It was so validating to read what you wrote and I found myself nodding my head at each new point.
The thing I love about this lifestyle is that the hunt itself – figuring out ways to make money and writing about it – is enjoyable. The money we’ve earned has been the icing. We came up with a few more ideas on the way home from camping on the beach Thanksgiving week and I can’t wait to get to work!
What’s your concept? 🙂
Starting with a small sum of money (we chose $5) and growing it 5% at a time. I’m journaling each step on my blog to hold myself accountable and to make a way for my kids to see how I fleshed it out.
Awesome!
I definitely suffer from the all yoga pants all the time affliction. I think it really upsets my bf sometimes, because the only time I really wind up getting dressed is to leave and spend time with other people, instead of looking nice for him :/
Hahaha, same here. I feel bad too occasionally.
It’s definitely not easy! I admit, blogging takes more time and hard work than I ever imagined, but it’s also more rewarding than I ever expected too. I also think you have to be pretty self-motivated to make it work – there are no hours or expectations set for you.
Yes, definitely!
Love this post, Michelle! All your points are spot on. On those bad days, I wonder if I’m even cut out for blogging, and then other days, it’s literally the best job in the world. Here’s to more best days!!
Yes, exactly!
Hi Michelle I found you via my friend Simple Made pretty I am very new to this and I was working full time . I have been layoff 5 times now I am looking for job , I am thinking start my blog your post make scene. Could you please help me how to start.
Razia
I recommend taking my free blogging course 🙂 http://fund-rise.live/freecourse%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Love this post, Michelle. It is amazing to me that we get to live in a time in history when you can have such freedom and the opportunity to work completely for yourself, making great money, all online. It can’t be beat! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
This is beautiful. Most other bloggers I’ve read encourage you to jump in-it’s easy! But it’s not easy. Thank you for that reminder. I’m a brand new blogger and in those sleepless nights phase, just trying to get this thing to work and accomplish financial freedom. I know that if I put the time into it, I can really make this work and be able to help others do the same. Thank you for this raw reminder that nobody waved a wand and “made it.” Love you and your work!
Thanks! Yes, I’m always very open about the work that has to go into it. If you do the work though, it can pay off well 🙂
Thank you Michelle. All your blogs are very motivating and validating for me. You work hard and it shows.
Thanks!
This is really good to know. I’m trying to develop my blog into an income stream and I totally feel you on the 24/7 commitment! I absolutely love working on it, but it consumes my brain/energy/time so much. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Thanks!
I don’t find myself feeling lonely at all after starting my blog. I’ve actually gained quite a community which is great. On the other hand, I still go into the office each day and physically have people surrounding me. It’s a good balance sometimes.
Yes, same here!