8 Lessons For Making Your First Money Online
I made my first money online back in 2015. It was a $40 commission from a product I affiliated for.
At the time I only made around $10 an hour at my job. For me to make $40 I would have to work for 4 hours. So for me to post an article online and make that much from it, I almost could not believe it. It felt like a whole new world had opened up.
Since then I have tried tons of ways to make money online. Most of them failed. A few have paid off very well. As of writing this I have built a full-time income 100% from the internet. Some of it comes from this blog and much of it comes from the clients I work with through my agency.
Looking back it is painfully obvious what I should and should not have done over the last 7 years. I can not turn back the time, but I can share with you 8 lessons that will help you get started the right way. And more importantly, set you up so you do not burn out once you actually start making money online.
As with every Calm and Collected article, I recommend you take notes as you read through everything. If you are on your phone open up the notes app to copy and paste text. If you are on your computer do the same. That way you can go over everything later.
1. Information Overload Will Kill Your Progress
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We see all these gurus giving advice, but they often contradict each other and cram too much into your brain. Trying to follow all of their advice slows you down when working or stops you completely.
Choose one or two experts and stick to their advice. Otherwise you will become overwhelmed very quickly. When you are just getting started making your first money online, focus beats volume every single time.
2. Shiny Object Syndrome Will Keep You Broke
E-commerce is exciting. So is crypto (crypto won’t save you, cash flow will), YouTube, AI Automation, freelancing, and marketing agencies. Do not keep jumping between business models because they look good. Stick to one. Never fall for the “hot new business model.”
I spent most of my online career bouncing between dropshipping (terrible profit margins), affiliate marketing, blogging, web design, and every other option. Once I decided to focus on offering simple writing services to people, that is when I started getting paid.
You do not need to know everything about everything. You only need to have something people want, whether that is a service or a product, and sell it to them. That is it.
3. It Will Take Longer Than You Think
Money comes fast, but only once it starts coming. You have to provide a lot to the world before you see it return.
Making money online comes down to input and output. You will have to give a lot to get a lot and you will always be compensated. But accept that it may take you years before it happens. It is this waiting period that separates the haves from the have nots.
Prepare for a dry patch in the beginning. It is inevitable. You will figure things out if you keep going. Have faith that if you do something daily, you will one day wake up to the reality you are imagining right now.
4. The Game is Relationships
Early on I made it a point to network with everybody. From Victor Pride to Mike Cernovich to Chris from Good Looking Loser. From there I have met many other people and built friendships, partnerships, and more.
Good connections in any industry will make you money. Especially a connection with a huge network. One person can introduce you to another person who changes everything for you.
That is why I never approach anyone trying to just make money from them. I always approach people trying to first offer them value and am genuinely looking to build a friendship. If money comes as a result, great. If not, I have a new friend and that will lead to other great things.
When you are working toward making your first money online, the people you meet along the way will matter more than any tactic or strategy.
5. Your Health Is Your Business
I can not tell you the number of days I would go on 1 hour of sleep just so I could cram more effort into a project. Averaging 4 hours a night over the course of 5 years took its toll on my mind.
In the moment it felt like I was a high performer getting more done. In the long run it wasted more time than it saved. Too many people sacrifice their health for business only to crash and burn because of it.
Get good sleep. Eat good food. Work out. Good health does not just give you more time on Earth. It gives you tremendous focus and creativity, which makes your ability to turn ideas into money much easier.
6. The “Let’s Do It” Attitude Wins Every Time
Imperfect action beats waiting for the perfect time. Always. You will never catch me strategizing for more than a few days on anything.
If a team member tells me about an idea, I say let’s do it. If a client reaches out and the energy is good, I say let’s do it. No matter where you are at, this should be your mindset. Action is always king in the land of professionals.
Why? Because action is where the money is and it is also where the greatest lessons are learned. You can sit there for months overthinking posting a blog article, testing a new product, or launching a freelancing service. Only to finally try it and watch it fail.
Waiting for the perfect idea does not guarantee success. You are better off putting it out there and figuring it out along the way. Do not let yourself sit on anything for more than 3 days. Think about it, plan for the possible failures, see the outcome you want, and then execute.
7. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Once you have built the necessary skills and have money coming in, assemble a team. Whether you join one or build one.
No matter who you are, you will limit yourself if you run everything as a one man show. Be the driving force, but you will reach a point where you can level up much faster by bringing other people into the mix.
As of writing this I have a writer for other projects, a graphics designer, and one of my business partners is a web designer. I am also part of a team that together brings in millions in sales.
You are limited in what you can do each day. Having a team gives you access to more time within every 24 hour period. That frees you up to get more business and do the things you enjoy.
8. Do Not Chase Passion. Chase What You Are Good At.
People chase their passions hoping to get paid. Most do not have the skill to pull it off. Not everyone has the star power to draw attention to their writing, singing, or YouTube videos.
That is why I always recommend finding something you are naturally good at and building around that. If you are a good writer, offer your services to others. If you are a good photographer, take pictures for others.
Find what you can do and then build your skillset around it. Chase your passion once you have your money handled.
Start Making Your First Money Online Today
Those are the 8 lessons for making your first money online. Get them covered now and everything else will fall into place.
Every week I share insights like these along with strategies I do not post anywhere else in my newsletter. You will also get a free book when you join. If this article helped you, the newsletter will take it further.
Until next time.
Your friend,
Dylan Madden
