I Make Real Money with These Three Online Businesses
A couple of days ago I finished an article on why I started a business. To be transparent, I’m long past the starting line and hitting stride. Am I making seven figures? Not yet. I’m currently revising my systems and establishing success habits that help me accomplish the tasks I need to in less time every week. That is, after all, the goal: to keep my businesses well-oiled and making money so I can focus on what is genuinely meaningful in life.
Today, I wanted to take a moment and discuss three Make Money Online (MMO) opportunities that I am currently using to rocket me forward on my entrepreneurial journey. Remember, owning your own business requires courage, and it requires you to spend money. Come again, Rider?
You heard me. Contrary to what the good-ole Internet says, you can’t make 100,000 dollars by spending none. That ridiculous notion is tantamount to assuming Colonel Nathan Jessep likes you because he’s smiling at you.
It takes money to start a business, and you’ll need training… the legitimately valuable version of which also costs money. Still listening? Good. Most people don’t understand why, with the world at their fingertips, they should pay anyone for information. My response to that kind of thinking is this:
Would you watch a YouTube video on flying a plane and then simply jump in one and try to fly? Or, would you pay someone to actually instruct you?
I could unwind this analogy for hours, but the bottom line is this: whether business or plane, you’re doing something that could potentially, if done wrong, destroy your life. Conversely, if done correctly, it will permanently alter your perception and your very being in its entirety, forever.
Running a business “wrong” and losing everything won’t kill you, but the financial pain would be substantial, and oh… you can’t get back the time you wasted either. Why would you even chance a failure with all the commodities you have on the line? Contrary to the cliche, failure is not an option. Find training that is done by pioneers… the guys and gals with arrows in their backs and full of stories of the good-ole-days when they scarcely made it out alive, usually because of something dumb they did. Find training run by people that will kick you in the pasta-rooka (a phrase coined by my wife’s grandmother for arse) every time you deign to start thinking, “Poor me.” Find training that offers communities of like-minded folks, resources, and real technical support. Then, pay for it, whatever the sum. Leverage their successes and failures to your advantage. Don’t doom yourself to a hamster wheel of costly mistakes.
Alright, so I’ve wasted enough time making it readily apparent why having mentors is a good thing. At this point, you’re either on board or you’re not. If you’re not, I wish you the best as you slave away for the system (see my article linked in multiple places if you have no clue what I mean). Here are the three online businesses — in order of expense, least to greatest — that I make money with. Please note: the links to the courses are my resale links and I would receive a commission on them should you choose to purchase the course.
Perhaps the simplest and most cost-effective way to break into e-commerce, this business utilizes Amazon’s oldest, best-selling, longest-running products: books. Amazon began as a bookseller and that means they have book sales data from the beginning of time until now (OK, slight exaggeration). This means you have hard data to base purchasing and resale decisions on and don’t need to know how to do rocket surgery on the market to figure out if a book will sell. Another major plus is that you don’t need to know how to do marketing or worry about shipping logistics. Instead, you’re going to use Amazon’s massive ecosystem which includes a world-class fulfillment system. Everything you do — except for purchasing from other sources — is done directly on Amazon’s platform.
This is a very simple system. It is so simple in fact, several of the coaches in their program are fond of saying, “It’s the only business you can actually screw up in and still make money.” No exaggeration or white-lie, I can personally vouch for this. The worst thing that happens is you sell the book for cost and get your capital back. And used books, don’t cost much, usually (we’re talking 1 to 10 dollars). Obviously, it depends on the book, but the point is: buy low, sell high. No, I’m not talking about gouging the consumer. Remember all the data Amazon has on the books? That data establishes what you can and can’t sell (or rather shouldn’t sell) a book for. Don’t worry, they teach you everything you need to know. They also have a massive community filled with people who love to help each other, along with reasonably available support.
One other side note, just because I find it humorous. I would normally steer people away from presenters sitting in a room with a Lamborghini behind them, but the author of the BookTrades program, Luke Sample (also dubbed, “Lambo Luke”), is one of those people. However, he’s not like the other guys. He and his business partner Jon Shugart (a former math teacher) are as serious as a rip in a spacesuit when it comes to providing you with training, tools, resources, and support to help you make real money.
If there are short and long-games for e-commerce, Marketplace Superheroes is the long-game. Founded and run by Robert Rickey, an Irishman (and personal mentor) who has my absolute admiration and trust, Marketplace Superheroes (MPSH) teaches you to build a private label business on Amazon. No, Amazon isn’t saturated. No, all the best products aren’t taken. And, no, everyone isn’t doing it (stay tuned… I have an article coming soon on this very series of excuses). Excuses aside, MPSH teaches you how to build a literal empire around products that most “gurus” wouldn’t even glance twice at.
As with the previous offering, you’ll be leveraging Amazon’s own world-class (and world-wide) fulfillment network. The difference is — and this is why this particular opportunity is more expensive than the other — you’ll be importing products from China (most often). Do not let that scare you, and do not assume you’ll be selling sub-par goods. Just the opposite, in fact. You’ll get extensive training on logistics and markets, and you’ll be looking for suppliers that produce quality goods that meet or exceed deficiencies in the current offerings on Amazon. Yes, I know relations between China and the US are currently stressed, but it doesn’t matter. What are you smoking, Rider? Nothing. What you need to remember is that at the end of the day, the people you are dealing with on the other end, are essentially no different than you. I have suppliers who I text daily that routinely wish me and my family well, and ask us to stay safe as we all deal with COVID-19. They routinely ask how things are going business-wise, and what, if anything, they can do to help. These people aren’t different from you. They have jobs that help fulfill their family’s needs. At the end of the day, they want to make money too, and you, are their avenue to do so.
I won’t lie, this system is more complicated than BookTrades and more expensive. Remember, you can’t expect to spend zippo and get thousands in return. But, they offer comprehensive end-to-end importing and world-class training you simply cannot get anywhere else. Couple that with equally world-class support and an incredible community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and you have a recipe for success. I got my start in business here, with them, and I can tell you the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do with the knowledge they impart to you. Also, they made their wealth through the very system they are selling to you and they continue to use it today.
One more thing. Robert, and his business partner Stephen Somers (another mentor who I have the utmost respect for), will provide kicks to your arse all day long should you decide to start thinking, as Robert puts it, “Poor me.” They want you to succeed.
3. John Crestani’s Super Affiliate System
Oh boy… 75% of you just had a core meltdown. John Crestani is a man who needs no introduction, nor is want for rumors and lies when it comes to his person or his programs. Practically Public Enemy Number One on the Internet, and yes, I just recommended his program. So what could possibly cause such a blatant lapse in judgment? Simple. None of it is true.
For those who may not know, affiliate marketing is exploding. Driven by an ever-quickening rate of growth in the e-commerce market, more and more companies — startup or existing — are turning to affiliate marketing. Why? In short, it saves them stupid amounts of money. Instead of blowing 30–50% of their monthly budgets on marketing, they can spend far less, reach more people, and have a bigger impact.
Now, affiliate marketing, due to its nature, also has a lot of bad apples. You know, the marketers publishing ads telling you all you need to do is take their medication and you’ll make 10,000 dollars per month. Remember, these people are not the reason the industry exists nor do they represent the bulk of those who have businesses in affiliate marketing. I will only market a course, product, or service if I use it personally or if I heavily vet it. For instance, I market a keto cookbook, and you’re darn tootin’ I use it to cook from… weekly. But you won’t catch me hocking wares like programs (at the risk of naming them by name) that tell you to think your way to whatever you want (and I don’t mean make-a-plan type thinking). Point is, as, with everything else, you can choose how to use your “powers,” so just remember to separate John and his course from all the evildoers.
I don’t recommend starting with John’s course unless you already have a business and are making money with it. His course is expensive, but it offers a massive ROI (return on investment) in terms of what you can do with the knowledge. You won’t be utilizing Amazon for this. Instead, you’ll be harnessing the power of the planetary tech giants: Google and Facebook. You’ll get world-class training on copywriting, marketing, and data analysis, and you have technical support “whose legend was legendary” (I’m a major user and proponent of their tech support). Additionally, you get access to a massive community of like-minded entrepreneurs who have all been-there and done-that when it comes to making mistakes and having problems.
So there you have it. I hope you found this article encouraging if for no other reason than knowing there are real MMO opportunities out there.
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Until next time. Be careful out there.
