The call came on a hot July day in 2001 - the company is closing its doors for good. The internet boom is over. I had joined this company a couple of years earlier with very high hopes and excitement that the boom was on and I was a part of it. Here I was in downtown Manhattan working on a major retailer's new website feeling like this was a new beginning. Leaving behind a standard, large corporation at that time didn't seem like much of a risk at all considering they were countering with bonuses and stock options.
I knew I had to find a job fast and called my friends at my old company - very fortunately landing a position in late August 2001. Just 2 months later, post 9/11, and the hiring freeze was on. In the meantime, with the economy down and my web interests still bubbling I stumbled into the weird and somewhat chaotic world of internet marketing.
Neil Shearing's site ScamFreeZone.com and ebook, Internet Marketing Blueprint, was my first exposure to the possibility that someone is actually using the internet to make a living online. I loved the book and I was immediately hooked! Being a web programmer / technical manager this seemed to be something I could easily do (little did I know - this opinion probably cost me 2 years of real learning experience). I decided to become an affiliate (not really knowing much about affiliates) and had stars in my eyes (actually $ signs). I threw out a non targeted ad with my direct affiliate link and, guess what, lost my $99 immediately within a week. Oops, lesson 1 - learn something about advertising and maybe a bit about marketing.
So in my next search for help on actual marketing techniques I came across my 2nd guru out there - Jackie Ulmer. She is a master multi-level marketer and seemed to understand how to market an online business. Her products and services have changed over time but her marketing passion and message have not. Just by reading her web material on StreetSmartWealth.com and her other articles I was able to start to pick up on what you need at a higher level to start down a path to success. So, again, I paid a $25 membership fee to a MLM company and starting looking at how to sell something like this online. Bad idea - after thinking about it and tempted as I was I felt that my personality was not a good match with MLM. (Don't rule Jackie out, however. She is a great marketing resource).
So, my first mistakes were now etched in my mind (now being $150 in the hole) and I knew there had to be a better way for me. More to my story in my next entry.
I knew I had to find a job fast and called my friends at my old company - very fortunately landing a position in late August 2001. Just 2 months later, post 9/11, and the hiring freeze was on. In the meantime, with the economy down and my web interests still bubbling I stumbled into the weird and somewhat chaotic world of internet marketing.
Neil Shearing's site ScamFreeZone.com and ebook, Internet Marketing Blueprint, was my first exposure to the possibility that someone is actually using the internet to make a living online. I loved the book and I was immediately hooked! Being a web programmer / technical manager this seemed to be something I could easily do (little did I know - this opinion probably cost me 2 years of real learning experience). I decided to become an affiliate (not really knowing much about affiliates) and had stars in my eyes (actually $ signs). I threw out a non targeted ad with my direct affiliate link and, guess what, lost my $99 immediately within a week. Oops, lesson 1 - learn something about advertising and maybe a bit about marketing.
So in my next search for help on actual marketing techniques I came across my 2nd guru out there - Jackie Ulmer. She is a master multi-level marketer and seemed to understand how to market an online business. Her products and services have changed over time but her marketing passion and message have not. Just by reading her web material on StreetSmartWealth.com and her other articles I was able to start to pick up on what you need at a higher level to start down a path to success. So, again, I paid a $25 membership fee to a MLM company and starting looking at how to sell something like this online. Bad idea - after thinking about it and tempted as I was I felt that my personality was not a good match with MLM. (Don't rule Jackie out, however. She is a great marketing resource).
So, my first mistakes were now etched in my mind (now being $150 in the hole) and I knew there had to be a better way for me. More to my story in my next entry.
{0 comments}:
Post a Comment