I’ve always found it odd, sad, and frustrating that more people don’t have success with online marketing. After all, it seems easy peasy to myself. Why isn’t it that way for others?
I think quite often it boils down to shitty work ethic. Lets face it, many people are horrible employees in the real world. Instead of trying to help their company grow and profit, they are usually plotting ways they can avoid additional work at any cost.
How can I get off early? When’s the next break? Should I call in sick? I hate my fucking boss!
All of these phrases are far too common in the workplace. If you are failing in your online endeavors you may want to ask yourself… “have I been a shitty employee?” If so, I’d wager to say you’re probably destined to plummet online as well.
Of course some people get lucky. Others are smart enough or have a stack of cash to just hire others to do everything. But for the guy who has nothing, knows nothing, and is willing to devote only 40% of his abilities to his online business, he’s up shit creek without a paddle.
While I personally tend to believe this internet business is a breeze in comparison to building houses, I also recognize that I was a kick ass employee most of my life. (I say most, because even I have been a bad employee a few times) Even when I was washing dishes as a kid, I always wanted to do the best job possible.
When working on construction sites, I wanted the company to make a nice profit. I’d make sure we didn’t waste materials, the right guys were doing the right job, and I didn’t cheat the time-clock (except for that prevailing wage job in Idaho. The other guys would of kicked my ass if I busted up those 4 hours of non-work for big pay). Basically, I’m the kind of guy you want working for your company.
But in my experience in life I’ve found that many people are horrible employees. They don’t truly care about the business they work for. They are just skimming by, paycheck to paycheck, unhappy and unfulfilled in their jobs.
I don’t care if you are a postman, a pizza delivery boy, a garbage man, a senator or a cop. You better learn to like your damn job and feel lucky you even have one. And be proud of the way you perform it. I have little respect for someone who doesn’t pay attention to their job description and exercise it to their best ability. Cop-out wimps is what they are.
So I want you to ask yourself these questions…
“Have I been a good employee most of my life? Did I do the best job I could when working for XYZ? Did I really give a rats ass about the success of the companies I worked for?”
If you folks are honest with yourself, many of you will have no choice but to say no to those questions. And if that is so, you may have a tough time having success online either. Sure, you may get lucky. You may be able to scam or spam some people into some biz opp bullshit. But ultimately, if you want to have any longevity and peace of mind in this business you have to be good. Really good. And you must have a intense work ethic.
I know myself and many of my friends make this internet business stuff look easy. Some of that is hyperbole, and exaggerated writing. However, some of it is also the pure honest to god truth. In the end, I think the guys that are killing it online are the same guys that loved their paper route. They enjoyed mowing Mrs Anderson’s yard as a kid. And they didn’t bitch when their boss asked them if they could put in a little overtime.
Hard work pays off. Shitty work attracts more shit!
Great article Jason. I was taught very young you will ALWAYS get out what you put into something. Give a half ass effort and you’ll get half ass results or worse! Get up people, go to work! It doesn’t matter if it’s for yourself or someone else. Bust your ass and it will pay off! That’s my opinion (we all know what they are like) what’s yours?
Busting ass isn’t that sexy to most people. It sounds hard and laborious. Truth is, not busting ass is what makes life hard and closes doors of opportunity. Thanks for stopping by.
So true Jason, so very true.
Show me your work ethic – I’ll predict your results is the basic premise here.
What a lot of people online don’t realize it the residual side to internet marketing. There are so many ways to do hard work now that will continue to pay over and over again throughout the years – with very little extra effort.
But it all comes down to if you are willing to do the work now for the future benefit. No? You’re screwed.
Right back to: You show me your work ethic and I’ll predict your results.
Keep rockin’ it Jason!
The residual aspect of internet marketing is HUGE! It’s kind of odd that more people don’t understand that. Even if I didn’t do another shred of work for the rest of the year, I’d still be able to bring in a modest income to survive from the last 2 years of work I’ve done. And that’s without even turning on the computer.
I also believe it helps to work smart and not just hard. There are a lot of people out there that work way too hard and get way too little in return. I guess not everyone can be the CEO though.
I have been working since I was eight years old and I have always done a great job no matter what it was and a lot of the jobs were not what people ordinarily think of as good jobs.I learned something useful from every one of them.
Good stuff Ray. I started working when I was 12, and once I got a taste of having my own money I couldn’t help but want more. Strange, but one of my favorite jobs ever was being a dishwasher.
I just came to this conclusion a day or two ago – seems to be going around at the moment.
Lately my work ethic has been shocking – leaving early, arriving unprepared etc.
Even though I made a goal this year to give more energy to my job – I have been having trouble bringing myself to do it – and my online efforts have suffered as a result.
I contribute in other ways – all that extra mile stuff, but the standard of my basic work has been dropping a little.
Thanks for writing this article to really get the message out there – “If you were the boss in your online business, would you like how you work?”
Great article man, enjoy the road…
Hey Logan,
Good job making the recognition. I haven’t seen the show, but on CBS they have a new show called “Undercover Boss” where the boss works side by side with employees but the employees have no clue. I bet that would be very interesting.
Here’s a promo/teaser of the show on YouTube…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nct1OfdEw
Jason,
Great post. Probably one of the best I have seen on your blog!
I wrote about this same problem: http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/knowing-vs-doing-lets-compare-these-2-friends-who-try-to-earn-more/
BTW, you can see full episodes of “Undercover Boss” on cbs.com. Well worth it to watch that show.
-Erica
Just like life, the internet – and all business therein- get’s easier with time. Just like life, there will be obstacles to overcome online.
Sound Advice: Practice good habits, stick with it.
Yes I believe I have been a good employee most of my life.
You`ve earned the results you`ve achieved Jason and it was no accident. You put in the time, you learned from good role models and you invested in your education and I`d guess you`ll never stop wanting to learn more and get better.
You have also in the past presented the image of someone who does nothing or very little to make money. I averaged an hour a day work last year but that is only because I spent the last 20 years getting very, very good at selling. To an outsider it all looks easy and you can look lazy but people fail to see the price paid to get that good. And, of course, you have to keep learning, adapting and improving — that`s fun not work. But many see the 10 hour day hanging with other business friends as “work”. For me hanging and talking about what is working now is fun.
That`s the shame about so many people needing help in the make money niche. They feel like failures and they are misled by many teachers who give the impression that no work, no effort and no setbacks is the way it is – otherwise you`re doing something wrong.
The secret to success is easy – deal with rejection, failure and pressure and you`ll get what you want!
Enjoy your travels…
“Work” is a four letter word. But so is play…;-)
The really good question to ask, no matter whether you work/play for yourself or some other entity:
“If I were my boss, would I want me to work/play for me?”
Mtn Jim
are you asking if it is OK if you play with yourself?
(couldnt pass that one by)
Online marketing is like anything else in life, if you put in your best effort you will succeed.
I slack off too often and it shows. Back to work dammit!
P.S. Dude, I just read your bio – amazing path to success.
Terrible article is terrible.
“Hard work pays off. Shitty work attracts more shit!”
Well said man! It seems so basic yet most people don’t get it…
Can I put an AMEN in here? Like… a few 1,000 times???
best book out there was just released: DRIVE by DAn Pink
kills the “myth” of carrot & stick & that it’s NOT Money that’s the motivator for better performance,
in fact – money is often the KILLER of success & performance – as it leads to “entitlement”
whereas the 3 true Motivators of human behavior on the job are:
1) Autonomy
2) Mastery
3) Purpose
which leads us to the next great book out: Linchpin by Seth Godin
talking about the NEW future “employee” where employee IS the boss… and they are one…
@CoachDeb
TRibalSeduction.com
Ah crap Deb, you’re gonna make me have to read. Sounds interesting.
Most people just aren’t willing to put in enough time and effort. They lie to themselves and never get out of that comfort zone but when you do, and work through everything, and realize that you can only achieve real success through REAL hard work and not some laziness, you’ll start getting results. Don’t BS yourself because at the end of the day, you’re just hurting you.
Good stuff Jason!
I sit on both sides of the shitty work ethic fence (or should that be toilet?). The hard part for me is staying motivated in my day to day job. I get my work done, but I don’t really go above and beyond what I need to do very often.
However, when I get home and work on my Internet business, I have to force myself to go to sleep. When I receive emails from my readers thanking me for something I helped them with, it charges me up to work even harder. Those emails are all the motivation I need to avoid falling in to the “enough to get by mindset” and stay in the “above and beyond mindset” in my online business.
This article is refreshing. Thanks, Jason.
There’s such a heavy emphasis in IM on being able to quit your day job and work for yourself. I’ve sometimes wondered if that stems from laziness more than anything. The irony is that if they focused on having a better attitude about their job then being able to quit their day job might actually be possible someday.
I second Deb’s recommendation for Godin’s Linchpin book.
Jason,
A spot-on article, to be sure. I have always been an “overachiever” in every job I have had – even to the extent of winning awards for it. (Kind of ironic that we originally met at the “Underachievers Conference” in San Diego back in 2006) But, strong work ethic doesn’t automatically translate into online success.
There are three reasons for this (all of which I know you know, I just don’t think you had time to cram them into this post):
First, when it comes to online marketing, people tend to be looking for a way to “get rich quick,” looking for the “quick buck,” a way to get out of a job they hate. When vast fortunes aren’t created overnight – or even in the first few months – they give up defeated, regardless of what their work ethic is like. Building on online business is a marathon, not a sprint.
Second, you have to find a “hungry market” in which people are spending money. It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how dedicated you are. If you’re fishing in a pond with no fish, you’re not going to catch anything! All the hard work in the world can’t create a fortune where there is no money.
Finally, you have to be passionate about what you are doing. Only when you are passionate about something will you find the strength it to sustain the motivation to work hard even when things don’t seem to be going that well. Work doesn’t seem like work when you love what you are doing.
Keep rockin’
Brian
Awesome article! I totally agree with it. I guess the biggest thing that motivates my business is independence.
I mean society is taught to be worker bees which reminds me of the movie “The Matrix” of being coppertops or batteries. This all came into fruition for me several years back.
I feel that even though I had some awesome jobs, the lower paying ones like Pizza shops and retail were my favorite jobs and made a ton of cool friends. The corporate world kind of sucks the life out of you. Back stabbing people along with corporate waste kills productivity,moral and creativity.
Make more but sacrifice a lot.
I am tired of being the proverbial wage slave and that is why I finally used my tech talents and hone in becoming a better marketer and unplug from the human rat race that we are taught to run.
Awesome article sorry for the rant, but I am passionate about people being free and not limited to someone telling them what they are worth or how much they can make.
Jamo- just curious, how many products have you promoted at one time?
No idea. I guess I could be promoting 10 to 20 different products at any given time (scattered across a bunch of niches). That’s sort of a broad question.
This sums up the secret to success pretty darn well:
“In the end, I think the guys that are killing it online are the same guys that loved their paper route. They enjoyed mowing Mrs Anderson’s yard as a kid. And they didn’t bitch when their boss asked them if they could put in a little overtime.”
You have to enjoy working, getting results, the process, the game, the challenge, the journey. Love it all and play your heart out.
Great article!
Mark