mindsetI know, you want me to skip what I’m about to say and get to the money making part but where I’m going with this gets bizarre and if we don’t cover the boring stuff first, the bizarre stuff will seem even more, well, bizarre.

So first off, I’ve worked from home for 13 years now and the last three years of that I’ve spent making my living entirely online and via referrals.

I’m one of those rare breeds that started with a direct sales/network marketing company 13 years ago and stuck with that one company for 10 years. For full disclosure I’m still associated with them but I haven’t actively worked that business in going on 3 years.

There was a crossover period where I was doing both the network marketing business while moonlighting with this online business thing. I was buying business in a box kits and subscribing to everyones newsletters while opting into their squeeze pages to get their latest secrets on how to explode my online empire.

Eh, when I look back on a lot of the stuff which still sits on my broke down HP laptop, I realize how much of it was shit.

Nearly 97% of it was built on tactics and quick fixes, not sound business principles.

However there was one thing I discovered which was interesting. Something that was all too familiar to my network marketing past.

If you’ve never been in an MLM or network marketing company, they talk about mindset like it was going out of style. I think it would be safe to say they spend 90% of their time on indoctrinating you with personal development philosophies than they do on the actual business building principles.

There’s a reason, because 99% of the people who get started, have no concept of building a venture that’s profitable and they aren’t in a place where they can escape their own mental minutia from years of doing things one way. I also don’t believe the vast majority of people have the personality or are built for that type of business either, however this is my own opinion.

The same thing I saw with new people in my network marketing business, is the same thing I see in the online marketing world.

“Can we skip the mindset stuff and just get to the part where I start making money?” 

Yup, I always saw this as a huge mistake. But don’t worry, I’ll go weird on you in just a minute.

Now I’ll argue with you all day long, when you get started with an MLM  or direct sales company, your’e not really building a business. At least not yours anyway. It belongs to someone else who owns it, whether it’s share holders or a CEO. You’re not an entrepreneur. (oh the horror, I know this will stir up the hornets nest) The key is this though, if you want an independent operator position to work and generate you income, you have to use some pretty sound principles found in business to get profitable results. In 99% of the cases, it’s your mind that has to work properly and efficiently.

No I’m not hating on network marketing. I saw it change lots of peoples lives. In many cases I’ve seen people go through network marketing boot camp before going off into a true entrepreneurial direction or in a business where their natural mental talents can actually shine.

Back to the weirdness.

Now that I can look back after a few years and see who’s still standing in the teaching you how to make money online space (with integrity) all of their programs start off with getting your mindset right. Many of them actually continue to focus on this concept throughout their programs. The mindset stuff is actually embedded within the teaching. (Smart!)

Heck, I even picked up direct marketing guru mean ol Dan Kennedy’s No BS Price Strategy book and guess what the main theme is throughout the book? That’s right, your mindset. In this case it’s your mindset around money. If you don’t think your beliefs around money, such as your worthiness and the value you place around money, doesn’t affect your ability to charge solid prices and be profitable then you’re clearly misleading yourself.

I believe it’s safe to say all of us show up in business for different reasons and in a different mental and emotional place. However I’d say the vast majority of people put a huge emphasis on making money before deciding on the problem in the market place, the  level of value they are going to be providing and  how they will provide the solutions attached to that value.

It’s all perspective.

I know while I was in network marketing I learned while I earned. (yes we said that alot) In many cases I just learned and learned and learned before I earned anything. Back then and even today I notice most people are standing in their own way 99% of the time. They have their foot on the gas and the breaks at the same time. They see all the money others are perceived to be making and attempt to throw themselves at it too. However their past beliefs, which create fear and shame along with the lack of worthiness, sabotages their efforts nine times out of ten. Matter of fact too many people are trying to make money at things they aren’t built to do and don’t come naturally to them.

But everyone will sell you on how easy it is anyway.

Now this is where I get really bizarre on you. 

It’s Ok to be where ever you are right now. If you’re sitting on the breaks and the gas at the same time in your network marketing business or online business, it’s Ok. I just want you to take a moment and close your eyes, take a deep breath and simply let go. Let the tension you’ve created around it all.

“You may not have met them yet and it’s possible you never will, but someone needs you to make it through whatever you’re going through right now. Your contributions are like pebbles landing in water. You don’t know how far and wide they reach.”

If you want to make money, fine. Focus on the difference you’ll make first.

You can chain yourself to a tree or you can buy the forrest.

Both make a difference. One makes a small difference, one makes a big difference.

One requires small thinking, one requires bigger thinking.

Regardless, which one aligns with your values most? Do it.

Which one can you see yourself doing right  now? Do it.

Align yourself with it and just start doing it.

Who knows, maybe it takes you getting unchained from enough trees and watching them get cut down anyway to realize you need to do something different and go about doing it smarter. Who am I to judge you for the path you start? I saw the same thing in network marketing years ago and I see it in the online world today. Small thinking gets small results, but at least it’s a start.

At least you’re doing something. How many critics are doing anything but criticizing?

My only questions for you are these:

  • Is your mindset optimized for the biggest return on investment of time and capital possible?
  • Do you know the 4 critical factors around generating leads?
  • Is your mindset around how to work smarter instead of just harder?
  • Do you know the 3 most critical areas of how to grow your business exponentially as apposed to linearly?
  • Is your mindset focused on building a sustainable business or looking for quick internet tactics?

If you’re on he fence on any of these, I wouldn’t skip the mindset stuff but I would go ahead and get my hands dirty making something happen.