The Beginning
My internet marketing venture dated back in December 2010, where I learnt from a high school friend that there is opportunity to generate passive income online and offline.
He recommended me to read the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napolean Hill and ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki, listen to Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins and to attend a local wealth creation seminar to broaden my knowledge of such opportunities instead of confining myself to traditional mind-think of getting a good job and working hard to climb the corporate ladder.
I attended a wealth creation seminar where they had guest speakers talking about the money mindset, property renovations, stock market and affiliate marketing.
The Challenge
As a computer and tech nerd, the affiliate marketing business model highly appealed to me, so a Google search led to ‘The Challenge’ led by Ed Dale and Dan Raine – it was a 30 day course teaching newbies how to make their first dollar online and here is my first step into the internet marketing world…
We were taught how to build a website around a topic you are passionate about and monetising it with Google Adsense. In case you haven’t heard of Google Adsense before – it is a Google program for website owners to earn money by displaying targeted Google ads on their websites.
So how did I go? Did I succeed? No and yes… I did make $1 but only after three long months of hard work…. learning about SEO, brainstorming niche ideas, keyword research, writing articles, backlinking and checking my Adsense account religiously every single day! I guess you can say… I’m quite OCD.
My First Adsense Click
My first ever money earned online was an Adsense click for a whopping $0.27 which occurred on Sun 13th February 2011. I still remember this day vividly… Oh happy days! Let me tell you something… that $1 is one of the most sweetest money I’ve ever made because it surmounted the belief that I can do and achieve whatever I set my mind to.
Below is the screenshot of my Adsense account for that particular day:
Hitting the $1 Dollar Milestone
Within two weeks, I made my first $1 dollar online and what I found as my confidence grew, the easier it became and results came more consistently.
Within a few short months, I scaled up to $90/day earnings in Adsense revenue until the furry animals of Google (AKA Google Panda and Google Penguin algorithm updates) came to party and killed my portfolio of niche websites.
Learning Outcomes
- Getting started is the hardest step.
- Be faithful with small, the results will come.
- Celebrate all wins regardless of how insignificant it may seem.
- Every little success feeds into each other and builds momentum for bigger success (Feed the hot hand).
- Failure is part of success.
- Never ever give up.
The internet marketing landscape is a rapidly evolving industry…. 10 years ago, internet millionaire were made from gaming Google search engines and monetising hundreds of auto-blogs with Adsense. What used to work back then, no longer do now and it holds even more weight today. Change is the only constant and we must continue tap into our creativity and continue to innovate.
The Challenge 2.0
Now, my question to you is would you like to learn how to make your first dollar online that is guaranteed to work in today’s environment?
If there are enough interest, I may start a 100% free e-course where I will teach you step by step to successfully make your first dollar online.