Since revealing our Amazon income to both our family and friends (and to the world), we have noticed a change in the attitude of those around us. And although the change is a positive one it revealed to both Wanda and I just what our family and friends thought about our online business. We have since found that at least some of them didn’t believe we would achieve what we set out to do and others were even rather cynical about the whole thing.
Don’t get me wrong, they were supportive but in the back of their minds they really thought that we were just playing around and that we would never make a full-time income from it.
This is a common problem for people who work online. It’s understandable really as the majority of the population use their computer for communicating with friends and family on Facebook, playing games, watching videos on Youtube, doing a bit of research every now and then, and maybe buying a few things on eBay or Amazon, whereas for serious bloggers the world of the Internet is a whole different story. For us, the Internet is our life and we have no problem with sitting in front of that computer from dawn till dusk if we must to achieve our goals, and get our blogs generating the income we want.
And this is where the problems can start. Your family and friends may not see your time online as being part of what you need to do to build up your business. It can be difficult making them see that although you work from home the same criteria applies as if you were going to the office. They may constantly interrupt you during the day and your friends may pop in unannounced and expect you to give them your full attention or ring you and talk for hours. You really have to be strong and keep the visits and calls short. Make it a policy that you will set aside time during the week when you will go to lunch, or have people around for coffee and a chat. That way you will establish a work schedule that gives you free time to spend with your loved ones that keeps interruptions to a minimum. And as much as we all love to spend time with family and friends you need to set guidelines for your working hours. If this sounds harsh remember what your goal is.
The fact is, until people see the results of your online business they really aren’t going to take it seriously. And it’s not their fault really – there are thousands of scams on the net and it seems as though the most common thinking is that you really can’t make money online.
So don’t be discouraged if you find that your family and friends do not support you in the way you would like. Remember it may just be a case of ‘show me the money’ before you are taken seriously.
Let’s face it, regardless of what some of the so-called guru’s like to tell us, it’s hard work building up an online business and there are times when it seems it would be just easier to give up, especially when you don’t see the monetary results. So having the support of family and friends makes a huge difference to keeping you on track. Mind you, not having support can also be beneficial. After all, if you are constantly being told that you won’t ever be able to make a living online you may just find the drive to succeed to ultimately prove to everyone that it can be done.
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My family have been so supportive! Especially my wife who has to put up with it the most. Only one or two of my friends know all the rest just know I work from home :D
.-= Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..Squeeze Page Tips For Better Conversion =-.
That’s great Tom. If you have your family backing you up then you can’t go wrong.
Great tips. My husband has been my number one fan since I started working online (July 2008). The amount of income I make is not the issue, because between the two of us we’re still able to pay the bills. The issue is the time I spend with him. I’ve had to learn to notch out time during the day on the days he’s home, and the evenings are generally left to spend with him.
Having said that, the amount of income I make is very important to me because I have a goal to reach – generate a revenue stream steady enough and large enough to tell hubby that he no longer has to work outside in construction, but can move with me to Florida and fish to his heart’s content :)
.-= Charlene´s last blog ..Writing for Web 2.0 and Beyond =-.
Now that is a great goal Charlene. I’m sure your husband will want you to suceed with that goal in mind.
Paula,
I remember telling some of my closest friends what my plans were 3 years ago. To leave the 9-5 and start making my income via the internet.
They thought I was crazy and it would never work.
As I say that was 3 years ago. It took me 2 years to leave the 9-5 and start working on my on-line business full-time – made loads of mistakes!
Now guess what my friends say?
“Show me how to do the same!”
My wife has given me 110% support throughout my whole career.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ WeBuildYourBlog.com´s last blog ..Free Premium Theme =-.
That’s pretty much was has happened to us. Now everyone wants to learn how we did it.
Hi Paula,
This is so true. Fortunately, both my daughter and I are working on our websites. We are both relatively new to it(9 months) so lots to learn. If you are serious it certainly does take a lot of focus and time.
When I go to visit my daughter I usually stay over night so I always take my computer with me. We will work on our sites together for a 3-4 hours and then take a break by going out for coffee or lunch but get back to work when we get back home again. We get to mix our business with pleasure
It does help when you have someone that gets it. You can talk about ideas, frustrations, and how good it feels when you finally figure a problem out. Thanks for all your tips!
It definitely does help when you have someone who ‘gets it’. Oftentimes people who start this type of business don’t get the support of family and friends so talking about it becomes difficult.
You’re extremely lucky to have your daughter working on the websites with you. It lets you talk things out but also shares the workload.
Wanda and I have been working on this business for a few years now and it makes things so much easier when you have someone who is on the same wavelength.
No, in fact my family think I spend all day playing games on the computer.
That can be a common way of thinking. Most people spend their time playing on their computers so their assumption is that you are doing the same thing.
Most of the population have never heard of internet marketing or even blogging. They don’t realize the potential for making money on the internet or just see it as all a scam. But then I see that as a positive since if everyone knew about it there would be even more competition on the net.
I stopped even trying long ago, I’m sure like most it will be different once the money is steadier, but by then I may not care. ;)
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..I’m Unsubscribing From Your Blog…..Again =-.
That’s right Dennis. At some point you have to stop worrying about whether your family and friends are behind you or not and just do it. Some people use this lack of support as an excuse for not even trying.
True indeed. I’d be far ahead of where I am now if I realized that many years ago…like 20.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..I’m Unsubscribing From Your Blog…..Again =-.
Paula,
Thanks for sharing this. Having those close to you to support your dreams is such a blessing, but it seems like there will always be those who don’t believe. That’s okay though because it isn’t there dream. You have to keep pushing on with your dreams, and as they come to pass they will come alongside you too.
Brad
.-= Brad Harmon´s last blog ..How SMART are Your New Year’s Resolutions? =-.
Very true Brad. I really think a lot of people need to see results before they can truly believe.
My wife is very supportive, though I’m sure she will surprised if my web career truly takes off! Other members of my family seem to think that only the small handful of top bloggers can possibly make money, and don’t really understand how affiliate marketing works at all.
Hopefully I can prove them wrong!
.-= Des´s last blog ..A Look Back Over my Shoulder =-.
I hope you can prove them wrong as well Des. It will be worth the hard work and effort.
Congratulations Gals!!
This is quite an accomplishment.
I am curious as to whether you used any AdWords or did you rely solely upon organic search? Can you give us some tips as to how to get back-links, etc that will push you to the top of the search engines for specific keywords?
No, we don’t use Adwords. We have tried it in the past but just couldn’t get it working for us. It is all organic search.
Tips for backlinking?…write articles and submit to websites. Article directories are okay but you will do a lot better by approaching regular websites to see if they would like a free article.
They don’t know what i’ve been doing online. I don’t intend to tell them because they will only spoil my venture.
.-= Rian´s last blog ..Shabu Shabu Eat All You Can at Tong Yang =-.
Sometimes that can be the best way to suceed. Some people can be highly negative and negativity is catching. That’s something you don’t need when you are trying to build up an online business so keeping things to yourself can be beneficial.
Congratulations to you both for your informative blog.
I have been working online for over 4 years and have been developing several websites that are now making a small regular income.
A short time after I started I made the mistake of showing my wife what I was doing on the internet. Since that day I had to put up with nothing but constant negative remarks and jibes from both her and our friends!
Their attitude was, that although I made some money out of it, it just wasn’t a “proper job” and I should stop wasting my time dreaming.
Ironically three of her friends have since lost their “safe jobs” at a local factory, and because of their age, they sadly have very little chance of getting another. Guess what! Now they all want to learn how to work online. (Do you think that I should “waste my time” teaching them?)
As has been said above, negativity breeds negativity and in my opinion there are two types of people. Radiators and Sponges.
Radiators give confidence and encouragement to their friends and colleagues. They are enthusiastic about others creativity and ideas and give people the encouragement to achieve their goals. These people have vision, and are often successful in their own right.
Sponges on the otherhand suck people dry with their negative attitudes. They never have anything good to say and have no vision. They can´t see beyond the end of their noses. They feed and thrive on negativity and get pleasure from seeing people fail. These are the people that will say “I told you so,” when something doesn’t quite work out. Listen to them and you will never succeed.
Anyway, I´ll get down of my soapbox now, but my very best advice to anyone starting an online business is: Keep what you are doing to yourself. Don´t tell anyone. Not even your spouse. At least until you are up and running and making a profit.
I wish you all success.
Keith
Everything you have said Keith is so true. Mixing with people who have a positive attitude and are free with their praise is so much nicer that dealing with the nay sayers.
We just have a chuckle now when our friends and family talk about our internet business as if it is something we play at to get some pin money. We are now making way more than most of them could ever imagine.
Some are finally realizing that what we do is solid and valid and we are not treated as a joke quite so often. But hey, do we care, NO we don’t. We are the ones living an extraordinary life.
Working from home can be very convenient and it’s perfect if you don’t want someone (boss) to please and obey. But as you say, along with this benefit is the fact that many people, even friends, cannot actually understand your work and may disturb you in the middle of your work. I agree that strict schedule for work and for friends must be carefully made so that you may also have a balance between work and socialization. Friends are also very important to keep so better make them understand the nature of an online job.