Today is going to be a bit of a rant for me, so don’t read this if you take offense easily.  I just have to say it!

If you’re new to internet marketing, then the first niche that pops into your head is – guess what – internet marketing to newbies!  It happens over and over.  Now if you’re brand shiny new at IM, why do you think that you’re going to make a lot of money marketing to other newbies?  News flash – you won’t.  The competition is fierce, and it’s very difficult.

So make it easy on yourself – choose a “real” niche.  What do I mean by real?  Anything – what are your hobbies?  Do you like making baskets out of pine needles?  Well, there you go – that’s a niche!  Do you like raising fruit trees so that by summer’s end you can bite into a fresh apple from your backyard?  How about fruit tree propagation – that’s a niche!

And here’s another tip.  If you’re going to sell products on Amazon or eBay from your niche site, do yourself a favor and sell products that are worthwhile.  Don’t build a niche site around $2 items that are readily available at your corner drugstore, no matter where you live.  Are you going to sit down at your computer and look for the absolute best price for nail clippers, then order them online and pay shipping and handling?  I doubt it, and your readers won’t either.  Think about what you really order online, search for trends, think of what you can’t find locally – that’s what you should be building your sites around.

Now I’m not trying to tell you that you’ll never make any money in the “make money online” niche – but if you’re just starting out, it’s not the easiest niche to market yourself in.  I want to encourage you to think outside the box, think real world, and find a good niche!!

Terri

I don’t usually post about my personal life, but I’ve been relatively absent for the past couple of weeks, and thought I’d share with you.

I had an “opportunity” to do a bit of international traveling for a short term contract for a large company. It sounded like fun, and the money offered was a definite plus. So I grabbed a suitcase and my passport, and off I went on a whirlwind trip to the Caribbean.

It wasn’t nearly as much fun as I had anticipated, but it was an eye opener. I ended up in places I didn’t expect to ever visit, and seeing how some people truly live in emerging nations is heartbreaking, and gave me a new found appreciation for what I have right here in the US. I know that these people need help, and at least I can say that I did spend some money in their countries, and every little bit helps them. But most of all, I expanded my own mind.

Now I’m not about to abandon everything and rush right back to become a bleeding heart, but I do see their world, and mine, just a bit differently now. It’s amazing how we take certain things for granted, such as electricity. Not everyone does! It was very odd to be in a store picking up some basics, and have the power go out, and all the locals just went about their business – because this was normal to them. They told me it happens all the time – so what? We live very comfortably here in the United States, and we need to appreciate it.

As more of us approach retirement age and consider moving out of this country because we won’t be able to afford to live here, let’s focus instead on thinking outside of the box, and finding ways to support ourselves. I do not want to be 80 years old and living on Social Security, or working at a toll booth, or as a greeter in a store. I want to be enjoying my life, living from my passive income that I’ve built using my skills online.

That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? If you’ve joined my membership, you’re learning how to build blogs, market them, flip them, or hold them and build them up so that you can earn constant monthly income. This isn’t overnight income, although flipping can yield quick cash. But for steady, passive income, you need a little army of blogs earning you money every single day.

Yes, it generally takes about 3-6 months for a blog to become a steady income producer. It might yield $10 a month, or it might yield $300 a month – it all depends on the niche, the marketing that you do, your income streams, etc. Be patient, and the income will come. Patience is not something that we’re good at here in the US, we expect instant gratification. It’s not that way everywhere, so once again, I learned to just slow down a little bit.

It’s good to be home!