What's This Blog About?

It’s about learning how to make a living on the internet and using those experiences to help others do the same. It’s also realising that one of the most important ingredients required is focus.

It’s also about the challenges of starting again at 61, with zero capital, after being made bankrupt by the Inland Revenue!

Anybody else in that position?
Now, before I get accused of feeling sorry for myself. I don’t…the bankruptcy happened and I’m getting on with life!

Telling you about it is just setting the scene in case you thought I’ve thrown a load of money into building websites…far from it.

In the past 12 months I’ve had times when I’ve had about £5 for fuel for the car. But no matter what happens you NEVER give up!

I have the dreams and I’m working towards the reality. I’ve also had a lot of support from friends.

Going back to the comment about focus. The lack of it was my biggest problem when I started using the internet.

Information overload and many instances of “link wandering” (an internet version of a conversation going off at a tangent…followed by another tangent etc etc) and suddenly you realise that the website you should be looking at was about 30 links and 3 hours ago and you’ve done no work!

How many youtube videos have you watched in one sitting not realising how much time has passed?
So why do I want an online income? Simply to leave the UK!...or, at least, be able to bugger off for the winter and work where the pc is!

Living in Thailand or the Philippines, working from home, wearing shorts, enjoying 30 degrees and eating out for about USD6 per person is, for some reason, very appealing…lol

I’ve been self-employed since I was 28 and for 3 years, up until about 4 years ago, I was a mortgage broker…really good at getting other people out of tight financial corners but slipped up with my own affairs!

I decided to stop relying on a one to one business (mortgage broking) and find something with leverage and preferably on the internet. My reason for that was to have a business that wouldn’t be country specific.

The problem with the internet is too many opportunities. And waaay too much to read!

What have I learnt? Find what feels right and stick with it.

Don’t have the attitude “it’s working for him/her so I’ll try it.”

That’ll lead to the 10 week syndrome! After 10 weeks you’ve not made any money so you look around for the next “opportunity.”

And on the internet there are plenty of those waiting to haul you in.

The net has its bad side if you get caught up in the information whirlpool…and your head ends up spinning just as fast.

Focus, Focus, Focus…those are the three major requirements for any business, especially on the net.

It’s amazing how many people age 50 plus who are trying to re-build their lives and create an income or a second income to improve a dwindling pension. They’ve built a website and are using the internet because of the ability to sell to a worldwide market.

But…can you imagine opening a single shop in a huge housing estate, let’s say, the size of Europe. Unless people just happen to walk by and see the shop exactly how do you tell them you exist?

Yes… I know…you advertise…you market your business but on the internet how?...where?

At the time of writing this, October 2009, I decided to start a blog partly as a record of progress with our sites and also, I hope, to help others who get a bit lost on the net.

And by writing this and helping others do the same is a constant reminder for me.

FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Best wishes

Phil