F.O.C.U.S.

February 24, 2010 · 30 comments

in Build That List Using the Internet

FOCUS – Follow One Course Until Success

I was reading a book the other day that interviewed successful internet entrepreneurs told a little about their journey. I found it extremely interesting, but one single quote has stuck with me, and it is the quote above.

My journey as an internet marketer started just over 3 years ago when I happened to stumble upon a an internet marketing blog of a fellow Australian named Yaro Starak.

I’m pretty sure everybody now has heard about Yaro and the amazing inroads he has made into blogging and internet marketing (to a stage where he is doing $100,000+ product launches). But back when I first started reading his blog – he was just the average blogging only making about $1000 a month.

What’s The Difference?

But you look at us now. He is a 6 figure problogger and am I still only closing in on becoming a 4 figure blogger.

What did Yaro Do That I Didn’t?

I believe it is because he focused. I the last three years,

Yaro has:

  • Continued To Build On His Blog
  • Created Products Related To His Blog

I have:

  • Started Close To 15 Blogs (selling or abandoning most)
  • Floated In And Out Of Internet Marketing
  • Failed To Pursue My Promising Blogs

In other words, Yaro F.O.C.U.S.ed while I was like a leaf in the wind, following the latest trends.

What Have I Learn’t?

Now that I have realised that all I need to do is focus (and not get distracted and start creating new blogs), I believe that if it was possible for Yaro to go from being an average 4 figure blogger to a in demand 6 figure problogger in just 3 years – why can’t I do the same thing in the next 3 years?

It is all just a change in mindset, and something that I have seen in the last two months on my blog.

If you put in the effort, set some goals and don’t deviate from the path that you know will bring you success – then anyone can do it!

So if you have goals to become a full-time blogger/internet marketer, join me and let’s Follow One Course Until Success!

Let’s Focus!

If you are interested in learning more about Yaro’s products please click the banners below:



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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Jack@Online Marketing Blog February 24, 2010 at 6:00 pm

Great post Tom! Spreading yourself too thin will ultimately hurt your growth as a blogger. Focus one one blog and crush it!

2 Tom February 24, 2010 at 6:34 pm

That is what I am planning to do with this blog! It is gaining some fantastic momentum really fast and so I just need to focus and I know I can succeed.

3 Paul Roekle February 24, 2010 at 8:37 pm

Nice one Tom, I needed to read this! I’ve been thinking about narrowing the focus of my own blog. Instead of writing about copy, list building, keyword research, ect… I was thinking about narrowing it to one topic.

As far as you creating 15 blogs thats actually quite impressive. I’ve had 5 before this one – all in different niches (usually health and weight loss) and I did the same thing, I sold them or left them to rot.

If you focus on building up this blog I’m positive you can turn it into a 4 or even 5 figure monthly income!

Best of luck.

4 John R. Sedivy February 24, 2010 at 9:36 pm

I’m a firm believer that you can do anything with enough focus and persistence. Focus can be difficult as it can become very tempting to move on to something different or have projects (or blogs) running in parallel when the going gets tough. Having a partner or someone that you are accountable to may help – sometimes just knowing that someone will ask you about your progress is enough to ensure focus and persistence. Good luck!

5 Tom February 24, 2010 at 10:37 pm

Thanks Paul! Which of those topics do you think you can provide the most value in?

6 Kevin M. February 24, 2010 at 11:26 pm

Great thoughts here Tom! There are principles that I apply in my profession as well. Focus is always important or another way to look at is simplicity. As you said, rather than focus on 15 blogs, simplify it down to one and work hard at making that one successful. Focus or simplify your blog down to one subject and write passionately about it.

One thing that I have learned is that timing is huge in everything too. As the saying goes, “strike when the iron is hot.” We have to know when to take that calculated risk to go all in. This too is what separates the pros from the amateurs …
.-= Kevin M.´s last blog ..How do you use Twitter? =-.

7 Jack@Online Marketing Blog February 25, 2010 at 12:12 am

You’re doing a great job. How old is this blog?
.-= Jack@Online Marketing Blog´s last blog ..Get Tons of Retweets By Throwing A Twitter Party =-.

8 Tom February 25, 2010 at 12:28 am

Having a partner is great as you say! Even if it isn’t even someone with a vested interest in your blog but someone you can reply on to ask you the tought questions when you have a slack day! My wife is good at that!

9 Tom February 25, 2010 at 12:29 am

Your point on timing is fantastic! Sometimes we do not have the time to put in the required effort (which was definitely the case for certain parts of the last three years). Glad you could convert the principle to suit you!

10 Tom February 25, 2010 at 12:32 am

It’s just pushing 2 months. I started early January! And thanks :D

11 Alex Monroe February 25, 2010 at 1:56 am

Great post Tom. Focus is really hard. It’s so easy to lose focus being an entrepreneur and wanting to take on every opportunity. Keep up the great work my friend.
.-= Alex Monroe´s last blog ..“All You Need is Love”: The Entrepreneur’s Anthem =-.

12 Tom February 25, 2010 at 2:46 am

That is it, I think you need to look at each opportunity and ask yourself the following question, ‘Will this get me closer to my goal, or distract me?’

13 Tina February 25, 2010 at 3:02 am

Great post Tom. Focusing on one niche is sometimes hard to do. I have been writing for almost 6 months and it becomes difficult to know which direction to go. I occasionally get frustrated and want to stop, but I still continue because what I write about is what I truly enjoy. The problem is I am not sure how to receive feedback. My husband is wonderful in promoting and I get many visitors, but I only receive feedback here and there. This article helped me to remember to keep focused and I will do well in the end.
.-= Tina´s last blog ..Video Madlibs With Hitler (and the Right Software) =-.

14 Eleanor Edwards @ UK Charity GiveABrick February 25, 2010 at 4:23 am

Hi Tom,
Can I first off just congratulate you on the growth of this blog. I’ve seen your name all over the place but this is the first time I’ve finally got round to visiting. Your stats are impressive.

I love reading of success stories and it must be an awesome inspiration to you to see how far Yaro has come in such a relatively short space of time. I love that you’ve learned from it rather than get disheartened. Nice one ;)

Thank you for a great post. I will be back.
Eleanor
.-= Eleanor Edwards @ UK Charity GiveABrick´s last blog ..1 Minute Motivator: That little extra push =-.

15 Tom February 25, 2010 at 6:19 am

I know exactly what you mean! Especially when you have so many interests it is hard to stay focused. In regards to the feedbackall I can say is be persistent in commenting on other blogs and you will start to see a few of them start to reciprocate!

16 Paul February 25, 2010 at 9:29 am

Tom,

thanks for sharing experience in an honest and open way. Reading this post will make many new bloggers realise that making money online isn’t some easy quick fix scam.

I find your blog very interesting and a great read.

Regards

Paul
.-= Paul´s last blog ..Forgiveness =-.

17 mk akan February 25, 2010 at 11:55 am

Tom,
focus is very important….starting a blog and running it for years takes focus,picking a topic and running with it is also takes focus,having a goal and pushing every thing to achieve it also takes a lot of focus…
i have had a few blogs myself and have mostly abandoned them or given them out to people to handle…will be starting a new one and will be pick a topic,write my goals and focus on achieving them…
your blog will go a long way..i am very certain
.-= mk akan´s last blog ..Is Akismet Bullying Your Comments Too? =-.

18 Tom February 25, 2010 at 2:31 pm

Thankyou Eleanor! Everyone has been so encouraging to my efforts and that has continued to push me to work even harder.

I won’t deny that in the last 3 years I haven’t got disheartened by my lack of focus many times, but it is channeling the negative into a discontent and letting that discontent drive you to success!

Looking forward to having you as a regular commentator!

19 Tom February 25, 2010 at 2:33 pm

That is definitely something I learn’t from Yaro. He treats his blog like a business, and that is why he is making the income he does. Overnight success stories are usually only overnight because you don
t see the years of hard work while they were still growing!

20 Tom February 25, 2010 at 2:34 pm

Thanks mk akan. Have you decided to focus your efforts as well?

21 quadrillio February 26, 2010 at 8:12 am

its all about the passion and persistance in what you are doing. We can learn everything when we want a earn as much as we want. But only few can do it consistently for few years.

nice article

wish you good luck in your venture.

22 Jackie Lee @ Internet Marketing Strategy for Beginners February 27, 2010 at 9:06 am

You hit the nail on the HEAD in the “what’s the difference” area of this post. So many people are like leaves in the wind. I think it partially comes from not knowing all the options available to make money online. It’s really hard to decide on an internet marketing strategy in the beginning, and then being inundated with emails for a million ways to make money overnight.

It’s definitely true you have to focus on one strategy to really succeed in this business. I just finished Blog Mastermind with Yaro. It’s an excellent course and my blog has taken off since implementing some of his strategies. :)
.-= Jackie Lee @ Internet Marketing Strategy for Beginners´s last blog ..Web Traffic Tips: Niche Directories =-.

23 Tom February 28, 2010 at 5:36 am

I think what you have discussed is so true. It is all about finding yourself in a room full of opportunities. If that takes a while then just go with it, but once you have found your vehicle – run with it and don’t deviate your course.

24 infopediaonlinehere March 5, 2010 at 12:26 pm

what is your average traffic and monthly revenue tom? I got inspired by passionate bloogers like you and launched a blog last month
.-= infopediaonlinehere´s last blog ..Google App Engine technologies, Google App Engine SDK, Google cloud computing google app engine =-.

25 Tom March 5, 2010 at 6:05 pm

You can read my month traffic stats for this blog here: http://www.buildthatlist.com/monthly-reviews/february-blog-statistics-month-2/

In regards to monthly revenue, I don’t have enough to rate a mention for this blog yet (but it is something I am working on changing this month) , but on my network of sites I am slowly closing in on a full time income (hopefully by the end of the year).

26 Bass Drum Mallets May 15, 2010 at 2:07 pm

Hello what a brilliant post I came across and trust me possess already been searching out for this similar kind of publish for past weekly and barely discovered this. Many thanks very much and may look for much more postings associated with your.

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