It Doesn’t Have To Take Five Years (Part 2)
How cool would it be to be fully supported by your dream in one year? Sounds too good to be true, right? Right now I’m enjoying a cool Wisconsin afternoon and enjoying some sweet tea, got a cool drink handy?
My goal moving forward is to give you practical, actionable advice. I know there are many who read this blog that would LOVE to be fully supported by their dream in one year, my goal is to help you get there.
Three years ago I didn’t believe it was possible, today I can tell you it’s absolutely possible. So, let’s get into this:
Understand this
When I work with people, the first thing I make sure they understand is that this isn’t easy, it will require work and hustle. It will require ignoring those doubts, fears and negative voices.
This isn’t a get-rich-quick type of situation, I don’t believe in hype. This is about sitting down, putting a solid game plan together and executing that plan, tweaking it along the way.
Put that plan together
Putting your plan together starts with getting some clarity. Since what I talk about on this blog involves some kind of online component, getting clarity means figuring out who you’re talking to.
For a long time I felt too general, many online are too general, with over 200 million websites, there has to be something that sets you apart.
Knowing who you’re talking to is about figuring out who you most want to work with. Jeff Goins speaks to writers, Dan Black speaks about leadership, Ngina speaks to young couples, I speak to family men who want freedom without hurting their family.
Who are you talking to?
The more specific you get, the better. Some elements in getting clarity include: age, gender, location, pain points. There are many elements to think about but this should get you started.
Take small steps
Once you’re clear about who you’re talking to, find out where they’re at online. What social media sites? What websites do they read everyday? How can you get involved in those communities: guest posts, interviews, joint projects?
Start reaching out, start connecting and start building. If you’re clear about who you’re talking to and reach out to that audience, why wouldn’t they respond? Make real connections, make those connections one at a time.
Treat every new relationship like gold because when you’re building, they are. Taking small steps means figuring out where to spend your time (with things like guest posting, interviews), a real focused effort on building.
It means cutting out the wasted time on the things that easily distract us. I’ve been guilty of wasting too much time, since getting focused, the results have been amazing.
Keep pushing forward
One key to pushing forward is to continue to add value, what does that mean? Since you’re doing something online, it means constantly creating useful content.
My personal philosophy is less is more. You can generate a lot of good content each week but the problem is people won’t have time to digest that good content because when they do, something new is already there.
Find out what works best for the audience you’re talking to, see if they respond to less or more and make it happen. Once you find the sweet spot, get to work. When you do create content, make it over the top valuable.
Come back on Tuesday
I thought two posts would do it but looks like I’ll need a part three. On Tuesday I’ll get into the monetization behind all of this and how your thing can start supporting you and your family.
I’ll make it worth your while 
Who are you talking to and what is your vision for what you do online?
P.S. If you’ve enjoyed the content, and gotten value, you should definitely sign up for my newsletter. In the last month and going forward I offer exclusive advice and tips that will help you do this online thing better and get there faster. This Sunday (that’s when the newsletter comes out) I’ll be talking about how I lost subscribers but gained $3000 a month in income, don’t miss out:
