A little Help Warriors: A $500 Question

48 replies
My fellow warriors,

I am a little perplexed, but luckily I have you guys watching my back.

Here is the situation:

I was about to pay $500 to have the site listed below reevaluated in terms of growth strategy, SEO, monetization (sales funnel) and design.

The site is geared towards Internet entrepreneurs(Internet marketers and startups). The objective of the site is to empower and provide inspiration for other Internet entrepreneurs through success stories, interviews, tips etc.

The objective is to become an authority site when it comes to profiling Internet success stories, successful internet/online entrepreneurs etc. I don't rank for any of those terms (yet). I rank high mostly on some of the names of the Internet Entrepreneurs I Profile...for ex. Alexander Levin

The site currently has 35 unique visitors a day and 1-2 newsletter signups a week. But currently makes $0. I have included a few affiliate links in some articles, but not too many.

There are 280 profiled Internet success stories (very basic biographic info) and 200 unique articles, with about 150 or those written by me since the 2nd of August. Plus, I look forward to profiling many of you six and seven- figure earners

So, I open the floor up for your expert analysis, unless you have a better deal and a better service to propose.....I remain open to your recommendations.

Here is the website:

www.inspireroad.com


Thanks in advance,

Richard


Ps: I am not a Wordpress or Webdev guy. I had the site built for me....
#$500 #question #warriors
  • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
    Do you not see the irony here?

    The site is geared towards Internet entrepreneurs(Internet marketers and startups). The objective of the site is to empower and provide inspiration for other Internet entrepreneurs through success stories, interviews, tips etc.
    You're having no success yourself but you're going to empower others
    with success stories.

    Contrary to what you've been lead to believe, you can't fake it until you
    make it in the "make money online" niche.

    You're either successful or you're not.

    You want my advice?

    Become successful. Then you won't have to spend the $500 to turn your
    site into a success.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brad Gosse
      Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post


      Contrary to what you've been lead to believe, you can't fake it until you
      make it in the "make money online" niche.
      Quote of the day my man!! Well said
      Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Hi Steven,

      Thank you for your response.

      I never intended to "fake" the success.

      I just chose a niche I was passionate about which is inspiration and success stories. I am just acting like a middle man.

      I love reading success stories, and when I did some keyword research, I realized that there was demand for that.

      In other words, I just wanted to create a virtual meeting place for the exchange of success stories.

      That is why I avoid the mention of my name in any way shape or form.

      Richard
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
        Originally Posted by Richard Essi View Post

        Hi Steven,

        Thank you for your response.

        I never intended to "fake" the success.

        I just chose a niche I was passionate about which is inspiration and success stories. I am just acting like a middle man.

        I love reading success stories, and when I did some keyword research, I realized that there was demand for that.

        In other words, I just wanted to create a virtual meeting place for the exchange of success stories.

        That is why I avoid the mention of my name in any way shape or form.

        Richard

        It doesn't matter. You have no authority in the niche. Why should
        anybody with any success share their stories with you?

        I wouldn't and I doubt any of the big names would.

        Who are you in the niche?

        Creating a site with no name behind it for people to share success stories?

        You've have more luck getting a date with Tyra Banks.

        Look, you wanna go for it...go for it. But $500, or for that matter $5,000
        isn't going to bring traffic to your site. Save your money because the
        idea, as well meaning as it may be, is terribly flawed.

        If people are going to go to a site to share success stories, they are going
        to want to go to one that can do something for them.

        What can YOUR site do for them?

        Why should they come to it?

        What's in it for THEM?

        Provide some damn good answers to those questions and then MAYBE
        you might have something.

        Right now, IMO, you're just spinning your wheels on something that isn't
        worth doing unless it's just for some fun.

        Don't expect to make any kind of income from it.

        Like I said, save your money.
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        • Profile picture of the author Manie Amari
          Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post


          Look, you wanna go for it...go for it. But $500, or for that matter $5,000
          isn't going to bring traffic to your site. Save your money because the
          idea, as well meaning as it may be, is terribly flawed.

          If people are going to go to a site to share success stories, they are going
          to want to go to one that can do something for them.

          What can YOUR site do for them?

          Why should they come to it?

          What's in it for THEM?

          .

          I have to agree with Steven Wagenheim.

          You need to make money online first in the "make money online niche" before you can get into this niche first.

          If I were you I would focus on three things:

          * Squeeze page
          * Auto Responder
          * Traffic (to the squeeze page)

          If you would save your $500 and concentrate on these three things for the next 4 months you will get $$$$money$$$$ which is a success story and then go ahead with your website in your niche because then you would have authority.


          Manie
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          This will NOT be up for long. Get it now whilst You still can. Btw it's FREE...
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          • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
            Originally Posted by Manie Amari View Post

            I have to agree with Steven Wagenheim.

            You need to make money online first in the "make money online niche" before you can get into this niche first.

            If I were you I would focus on three things:

            * Squeeze page
            * Auto Responder
            * Traffic (to the squeeze page)

            If you would save your $500 and concentrate on these three things for the next 4 months you will get $$$$$$$ which is a success story and then go ahead with your website in your niche because then you would have authority.


            Manie
            This I will also focus on. Thanks for the input
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        • Profile picture of the author GenerousBoy
          harsh words, but oh so true.
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    Interviewer: "Is it true he once nailed your wife's head to a coffee table?"
    Interviewee: "Yes, he was a cruel man... BUT fair!"
    ~Monty Python

    You have 2 successful internet marketers give you good answers to a question YOU asked, and you argue? Do yourself a favor, cut your losses. Just a suggestion.:rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      What can I say apart from that I am speechless...

      I can't really argue with the points you raised as they make perfect sense.

      I guess it is because I have put in more hours and a ton of money on this project.

      Nevertheless, you are spot on.

      I will put the project on hold for now.

      It pains me to say this, but you are right, and THANK YOU!

      I will put the $500 to better use.

      Richard
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      --Gillian Anderson
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      • Profile picture of the author deu12000
        Are you serious? How is he faking anything? He has a site sharing other peoples' success stories. He's basically an author, that's not faking anything. Some people have found that the way to success is emulating other people that have made it.

        Also how do you know how successful or unsuccessful he is? Just because one site doesn't take off doesn't mean he is unsuccessful. Also what is considered successful? Everyone has their own meaning for success.

        success
        noun
        the accomplishment of an aim or purpose
        the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status
        a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc...
        archaic: the good or bad outcome of an undertaking:the good or ill success of their maritime enterprises

        I think it's a very nice site. The benefits can be there for people that do interviews in the form of backlinks, getting their name out, and whatever else. There is no better way to say you're famous/successful than someone else saying it.

        The key for a site like this is good content and the search engines will pick up on what you have. Backlinks and getting the word out will also help. Maybe even some paid campaigns if you want to get the ball rolling faster. Another thing if you can get the people interviewed to link back to you or even add Wikipedia entries that link back to your site as the source. Wikipedia can be a huge source of traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        The project isn't completed - you have a forum with no posts - a Videos and Resources link that have no link and a directory with no content. Farther down on the page you have a link to a blog with no posts in it. You also have pages of reviews for products that have available for a long time - and "click here" links that don't click or lead anywhere.

        Spending money to try to SEO an incomplete site on a topic you don't truly understand is just throwing away money in my opinion. There's nothing wrong with the design of the site - but buying a site without learning how to add to it and edit it is not going to work very well.

        I'd advise you to back up a few steps and learn the basics of niche research, keyword research, blog or site development, etc. Otherwise you are going to spin your wheels for the long term.

        kay
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        • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          The project isn't completed - you have a forum with no posts - a Videos and Resources link that have no link and a directory with no content. Farther down on the page you have a link to a blog with no posts in it. You also have pages of reviews for products that have available for a long time - and "click here" links that don't click or lead anywhere.

          Spending money to try to SEO an incomplete site on a topic you don't truly understand is just throwing away money in my opinion. There's nothing wrong with the design of the site - but buying a site without learning how to add to it and edit it is not going to work very well.

          I'd advise you to back up a few steps and learn the basics of niche research, keyword research, blog or site development, etc. Otherwise you are going to spin your wheels for the long term.

          kay
          Well said Kay, I am still scrambling to activate every sector of the site, but I will get there. It is taking me quite a bit of time, but I will get it done...Thanks for issues you pointed out.


          Richard
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          • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
            I have to disagree with the idea that he shouldn't try to put up this kind of site because he isn't one of the success stories. So if I wanted to write a book and profile some big celebrities, I shouldn't do that unless I am a big celebrity? That's just silly.

            I do agree with Kay in that you should worry about getting the site completed before doing a whole lot of tweaking but I see nothing wrong with the premise of the site.

            Tina
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            • Profile picture of the author Kay King
              Tina -

              I disagree. The first thing so many new marketers decide to do is start a site about "how to make money online".

              The products reviewed on that site are the same products that have been reviewed on hundreds of site for several years.

              The site is well designed but it's going to be a tough slog because all a new marketer can do on a "money" site is parrot what he finds elsewhere. He can't explain the methods or lay out a blueprint because he hasn't done the work yet himself. At the same time he is competing with real experts in the field offering the same products.

              I think the site has potential in the future but it's going to take a lot of effort to make money with that site or to get it completed, for that matter. First order of business should be posting to that blog every day and eliminating the forum link until there's enough traffic to support a forum.

              That's not a cheap site - and the question here was about investing $500 more for SEO. That kind of money put toward a site in a niche the OP knows something about (an evergreen niche, for example) could create a product and an income with far less effort in my opinion.

              kay
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              Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
              ***
              My ducks are absolutely not in a row. I don't even know where some of them are...
              ...and I'm pretty sure one of them is a pigeon.
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              • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
                I purposely put myself out in the open to get the opinions of the experts, and I will take each comment into consideration.

                Thank you all for the comments so far!

                Richard
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                • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
                  I must come out in support of a fellow Swiss. Well, depends, Herr Essi are you in the German-speaking part? Preferably Graubuenden.

                  Anyway, I know a few marketers who have done quite well selling other people's stories and interviews with successful people. The definition of a publisher is not an expert in the field, but a person who disseminates information (provided by the experts).
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                  Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan

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                  • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
                    Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

                    I must come out in support of a fellow Swiss. Well, depends, Herr Essi are you in the German-speaking part? Preferably Graubuenden.

                    Anyway, I know a few marketers who have done quite well selling other people's stories and interviews with successful people. The definition of a publisher is not an expert in the field, but a person who disseminates information (provided by the experts).
                    Hi Kevin,

                    No Swiss Deutsch for me. I am in the french speaking part, in Geneva to be precise.

                    Thank you for your input

                    Richard
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                    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
                      Originally Posted by Richard Essi View Post

                      Hi Kevin,

                      No Swiss Deutsch for me. I am in the french speaking part, in Geneva to be precise.

                      Thank you for your input

                      Richard
                      Genf? Oh my. The opposite side. I'm from Klosters in the Praettigau. Actually, Rieko and I had planned to visit Geneva this September, but family matters are forcing us to spend the whole time in Klosters. Next time.
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                      Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan

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                      • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
                        Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

                        Genf? Oh my. The opposite side. I'm from Klosters in the Praettigau. Actually, Rieko and I had planned to visit Geneva this September, but family matters are forcing us to spend the whole time in Klosters. Next time.
                        Hey Kevin,

                        No worries. If you are ever around, let me know. I will make myself available for whatever you would need help with.

                        Richard
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              • Profile picture of the author deu12000
                Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                The products reviewed on that site are the same products that have been reviewed on hundreds of site for several years.
                There you go you just gave an idea to killing two birds with one stone. Find decent products that you know are making the product owner money, contact them for a short interview or to answer some questions and become their affiliate. Now you have the successful person's interview and you have a potential money making affiliate product.

                Not everyone will do it because it's a new site, but I'm sure if you emailed them a few questions and tell them you're going to be their affiliate you will get responses.

                Definitely make it a priority to finish up the content. I would hire someone to help out because you have one of those sites where it could be grueling just to get enough content up.

                Also when contacting affiliates let them know you're buying traffic, getting backlinks and working on setting yourself up to become an authority site. They snooze they lose. Five minutes of their time for even one potential sale is a good deal (for most).
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                • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
                  Originally Posted by deu12000 View Post

                  There you go you just gave an idea to killing two birds with one stone. Find decent products that you know are making the product owner money, contact them for a short interview or to answer some questions and become their affiliate. Now you have the successful person's interview and you have a potential money making affiliate product.

                  Not everyone will do it because it's a new site, but I'm sure if you emailed them a few questions and tell them you're going to be their affiliate you will get responses.

                  Definitely make it a priority to finish up the content. I would hire someone to help out because you have one of those sites where it could be grueling just to get enough content up.

                  Also when contacting affiliates let them know you're buying traffic, getting backlinks and working on setting yourself up to become an authority site. They snooze they lose. Five minutes of their time for even one potential sale is a good deal (for most).
                  Took notes on that. Thanks

                  Richard
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  • Profile picture of the author theemperor
    I like the idea but I think Steve is probably right. If you become successful (even moderately) and you have many friends who are, then setting up a forum or success story site will be a lot easier.

    However another way to do it is find 10 people in real life to share their IM success story - you may meet them at a conference or something. Charm them into helping you and you could have 10 good success stories to start your site with. They may be able to get more. In return for a success story you can offer a backlink to their site.

    But think in advance about monitisation... how much will you make. Be realistic, perhaps pessimistic in your estimates and see if you would be happy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by theemperor View Post

      I like the idea but I think Steve is probably right. If you become successful (even moderately) and you have many friends who are, then setting up a forum or success story site will be a lot easier.

      However another way to do it is find 10 people in real life to share their IM success story - you may meet them at a conference or something. Charm them into helping you and you could have 10 good success stories to start your site with. They may be able to get more. In return for a success story you can offer a backlink to their site.

      But think in advance about monitisation... how much will you make. Be realistic, perhaps pessimistic in your estimates and see if you would be happy.
      I had thought about that too, and it remains one of my mid term objectives while I continue to finalize the site.

      Thank you

      Richard
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  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Ignite
    Hi Richard,
    If you keep on adding other high profile success stories and continuously add content and optimize for it, you will gain traffic for sure...Ppl are interested in listening to other ppls success stories...as far as making money from it, you have to be patient...It takes time to build it up...Once you have a big audience you should consider selling memberships and grow it that way if you get my drift....

    All the best
    Johan
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    • Profile picture of the author dougp
      Wait, are people saying you have to be successful in order to interview successful people? That makes no sense to me. Anyhow, if you have a passion for something, then I would recommend going for it. Quality content online rules, but it's not easy coming up with quality and innovative content consistently.

      Doug
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
        Originally Posted by dougp View Post

        Wait, are people saying you have to be successful in order to interview successful people? That makes no sense to me. Anyhow, if you have a passion for something, then I would recommend going for it. Quality content online rules, but it's not easy coming up with quality and innovative content consistently.

        Doug
        I know I am definitely passionate about the subject. I could read success stories all day....but then again, it's about time I became one too!

        Thanks for your input
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          Richard -

          I was too harsh in my first comments - that was based on a quick look at the site where a lot of info seemed to be missing so far.

          I went back to the site again and dug deeper - and found a lot of pages that I didn't notice before when I was skimming it. The writing and design are excellent and I don't think you should abandon the site. I do think there is a limit to how much money you should put into a site before it's completed and getting regular traffic.

          Are the products in the review section linked to the success stories of the people who developed them? If so, that would explain the specific reviews offered. You might consider categorizing the reviews later with categories for different types of business methods, software products, etc.

          To grow visitors, start posting on the blog - short reviews of products that link to full reviews added to the site and other info about the stories, etc that will get attention. That will give you an additional avenue to add affiliate links and monetize, too.

          kay
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          Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
          ***
          My ducks are absolutely not in a row. I don't even know where some of them are...
          ...and I'm pretty sure one of them is a pigeon.
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          • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            Richard -

            I was too harsh in my first comments - that was based on a quick look at the site where a lot of info seemed to be missing so far.

            I went back to the site again and dug deeper - and found a lot of pages that I didn't notice before when I was skimming it. The writing and design are excellent and I don't think you should abandon the site. I do think there is a limit to how much money you should put into a site before it's completed and getting regular traffic.

            Are the products in the review section linked to the success stories of the people who developed them? If so, that would explain the specific reviews offered. You might consider categorizing the reviews later with categories for different types of business methods, software products, etc.

            To grow visitors, start posting on the blog - short reviews of products that link to full reviews added to the site and other info about the stories, etc that will get attention. That will give you an additional avenue to add affiliate links and monetize, too.

            kay
            Hi Kay, no harsh feelings at all. This is one of the reasons why I LOVE the warrior forum. We are all passionate about what we do, and we all have strong convictions, this is what gives this forum the strength, weight and authority that it has

            When you think about the sheer mass of concentrated Internet Marketing expertise that is found in this forum, it should make you tremble with excitement at the possibilities!

            When it comes to quality, expertise and community, I see no need to look elsewhere for advice.

            Thanks again!

            Richard
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            • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
              Hey Rich,

              Firstly, you are one gentleman. I agree you have taken this on the chin like a true gent. The site looks great but needs attention. Regarding the idea I think it's good: I agree there's no point trying to write and sell a book on "making money online" but a collection of success stories? Why not? If people want it and you researched it, do it! One thing I've noticed about successful people, they like to talk about it. You are a nice guy and it'd be easy to charm a few at a conference into chatting to you. One thing that sprang to my mind was "the secret". The lady that made that was a nobody and I never saw her talk during the film but one thing she did do was get a bunch of successful people not just to contribute to a book but make a movie. So she was a unsuccessful person teaching the secrets of a successful life....would you have thought that possible?
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              • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
                Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

                Hey Rich,

                Firstly, you are one gentleman. I agree you have taken this on the chin like a true gent. The site looks great but needs attention. Regarding the idea I think it's good: I agree there's no point trying to write and sell a book on "making money online" but a collection of success stories? Why not? If people want it and you researched it, do it! One thing I've noticed about successful people, they like to talk about it. You are a nice guy and it'd be easy to charm a few at a conference into chatting to you. One thing that sprang to my mind was "the secret". The lady that made that was a nobody and I never saw her talk during the film but one thing she did do was get a bunch of successful people not just to contribute to a book but make a movie. So she was a unsuccessful person teaching the secrets of a successful life....would you have thought that possible?
                Hi Rich,

                Many thanks for all the kind words.

                You really do make an awesome point. I had never really thought about the fact that successful people like to talk about their success. Good angle to explore.

                Thanks "namesake"

                Richard
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by Marketing Ignite View Post

      Hi Richard,
      If you keep on adding other high profile success stories and continuously add content and optimize for it, you will gain traffic for sure...Ppl are interested in listening to other ppls success stories...as far as making money from it, you have to be patient...It takes time to build it up...Once you have a big audience you should consider selling memberships and grow it that way if you get my drift....

      All the best
      Johan
      Hi Johan,

      I agree that this is going to take massive action to fill with content and optimize. I will probably outsource a good part of it.

      And yes, I get your drift...

      Thanks again,

      Richard
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      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Hi Richard,

    What comes to my mind for some reason, (I'll go back and analyze my mind later) is the fact that I know for sure there are several Warriors who are now well known and successful (at least in the context of the Warrior Forum) who had no success at all on their own.

    Their talent was that they could write. They wrote for "gurus." Gurus sold their writings for 1,000s of times more than what the gurus paid for the work.

    Why this seems to apply in your case is what I'm trying to figure out.

    Anyway, the fact is that one day the Warriors had an aha moment. "I'm writing this stuff for others and they are making all the money." So, these Warriors came out and said, "Buy my stuff from me instead of from the Gurus." And the rest is history.

    Dang, as I type this I'm not even getting the point of my story, it just seems germane here. But, this part of my discussion is over.

    I didn't look at your site, however, I see nothing wrong with you telling the story of others and building the site to something successful if you can.

    You will always find people who tell you you can't do this or that because......

    Just do what you want to do. Life is to short to let others kill your dreams. They are your dreams and you are entitled to them and entitled to live them. If you "fail" at your site you didn't really fail unless you didn't learn anything from your experience.

    How could you not learn if you are interviewing successful people. That in itself will be a great learning experience.

    By the way, you CAN fake it til you make it in the make money niche. It's just not a good idea to broadcast the fact that you are/were faking it until you get successful.

    And if anyone thinks by saying faking it, I mean lying, falsifying things, conning people etc. then they don't really know what "Fake it til you make it means."

    If you don't believe me just ask Mary Kay.

    George Wright
    Signature
    "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      Hi Richard,

      What comes to my mind for some reason, (I'll go back and analyze my mind later) is the fact that I know for sure there are several Warriors who are now well known and successful (at least in the context of the Warrior Forum) who had no success at all on their own.

      Their talent was that they could write. They wrote for "gurus." Gurus sold their writings for 1,000s of times more than what the gurus paid for the work.

      Why this seems to apply in your case is what I'm trying to figure out.

      Anyway, the fact is that one day the Warriors had an aha moment. "I'm writing this stuff for others and they are making all the money." So, these Warriors came out and said, "Buy my stuff from me instead of from the Gurus." And the rest is history.

      Dang, as I type this I'm not even getting the point of my story, it just seems germane here. But, this part of my discussion is over.

      I didn't look at your site, however, I see nothing wrong with you telling the story of others and building the site to something successful if you can.

      You will always find people who tell you you can't do this or that because......

      Just do what you want to do. Life is to short to let others kill your dreams. They are your dreams and you are entitled to them and entitled to live them. If you "fail" at your site you didn't really fail unless you didn't learn anything from your experience.

      How could you not learn if you are interviewing successful people. That in itself will be a great learning experience.

      By the way, you CAN fake it til you make it in the make money niche. It's just not a good idea to broadcast the fact that you are/were faking it until you get successful.

      And if anyone thinks by saying faking it, I mean lying, falsifying things, conning people etc. then they don't really know what "Fake it til you make it means."

      If you don't believe me just ask Mary Kay.

      George Wright

      George, I agree with you and I agree with Kevin. Yes, many folks have
      had success by selling books of compilations of successful people's
      methods.

      But $500 could be a very expensive lesson to give this a go.

      Certainly anybody should do what they want to do without anybody else
      telling them what to do.

      But how responsible would we be, those who have done it and know what's
      involved, if we didn't point out the pitfalls?

      With the state the site is in and the lack of notoriety on the part of the
      OP, what are the chances of success?

      Taking calculated risks is one thing, but throwing all caution to the wind,
      especially when spending money is involved, is, IMO, reckless.

      But it's just my opinion.

      I'd rather, if I were in the OPs shoes, tackle a non IM niche, build a list,
      maybe promote an affiliate product in that niche, use WordPress as a
      platform so there is very little cost and design expense involved, learn
      some basic marketing and work my way up from there, investing in my
      business AS I begin to see results.

      But that's just me.

      To the OP...Do what you want to do. As George said, life is short.

      But understand the risks your taking and the likelihood of success.

      For starters, who is going to share stories with an unknown?

      In addition to that, since the "share stories" idea has been done to death,
      how much of a market is out there that's even going to be interested in
      your site?

      Have you done the research? Do you even know or have an inkling of an
      idea?

      Unless you're incredibly passionate about this (I created and released a
      product a while ago outside of IM that I was very passionate about but
      was almost sure it would bomb, and did) then understand that your chance
      of a substantial return is minimal.

      I've been down the road you're in outside of IM and I know what's involved.

      I was competing with renowned psychics in a very competitive field, trying
      to sell a product that I literally made up...brand new...never before done
      by anyone.

      What were the chances of my succeeding with it?

      I knew going in...slim to none.

      Big risk...big reward if it paid off...but big chance of failure.

      I've had this discussion with Caliban Darklock. He talked about the bell
      curve that I use for my product creation. I do safe things that are pretty
      certain to sell but never become HUGE successes. He prefers to go for
      the big kill, even though he knows 9 out of 10 times, he'll probably fail.

      Again, like George said, you have to do what YOU want to do, so I am
      sorry if I discouraged you. But I felt I needed to point out what you were
      up against trying to do this.

      If you DO go for it, I will be pulling for you every step of the way.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2482669].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author George Wright
        Oh Steven the $500 part, NO, I didn't mean that at all. Sorry if it sounded like I was saying he should pay the $500. I think he got $5,000 worth of answers here.

        I just meant he should proceed with his site, the $500 would be better spent in other things.

        For instance he could go to Ether.com and interview experts, making sure they knew upfront that he was going to use the interview at his site.

        He could get a lot of great interviews for $500.

        Or Steven, he could check out our sig files and..... NO NO never mind that I don't want to get banned.

        OK I'm going to disable my sig file just in case a coffee deprived Mod doesn't get the humor here.

        George Wright

        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        George, I agree with you and I agree with Kevin. Yes, many folks have
        had success by selling books of compilations of successful people's
        methods.

        But $500 could be a very expensive lesson to give this a go.

        Certainly anybody should do what they want to do without anybody else
        telling them what to do.

        But how responsible would we be, those who have done it and know what's
        involved, if we didn't point out the pitfalls?

        With the state the site is in and the lack of notoriety on the part of the
        OP, what are the chances of success?

        Taking calculated risks is one thing, but throwing all caution to the wind,
        especially when spending money is involved, is, IMO, reckless.

        But it's just my opinion.

        I'd rather, if I were in the OPs shoes, tackle a non IM niche, build a list,
        maybe promote an affiliate product in that niche, use WordPress as a
        platform so there is very little cost and design expense involved, learn
        some basic marketing and work my way up from there, investing in my
        business AS I begin to see results.

        But that's just me.

        To the OP...Do what you want to do. As George said, life is short.

        But understand the risks your taking and the likelihood of success.

        For starters, who is going to share stories with an unknown?

        In addition to that, since the "share stories" idea has been done to death,
        how much of a market is out there that's even going to be interested in
        your site?

        Have you done the research? Do you even know or have an inkling of an
        idea?

        Unless you're incredibly passionate about this (I created and released a
        product a while ago outside of IM that I was very passionate about but
        was almost sure it would bomb, and did) then understand that your chance
        of a substantial return is minimal.

        I've been down the road you're in outside of IM and I know what's involved.

        I was competing with renowned psychics in a very competitive field, trying
        to sell a product that I literally made up...brand new...never before done
        by anyone.

        What were the chances of my succeeding with it?

        I knew going in...slim to none.

        Big risk...big reward if it paid off...but big chance of failure.

        I've had this discussion with Caliban Darklock. He talked about the bell
        curve that I use for my product creation. I do safe things that are pretty
        certain to sell but never become HUGE successes. He prefers to go for
        the big kill, even though he knows 9 out of 10 times, he'll probably fail.

        Again, like George said, you have to do what YOU want to do, so I am
        sorry if I discouraged you. But I felt I needed to point out what you were
        up against trying to do this.

        If you DO go for it, I will be pulling for you every step of the way.
        Signature
        "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        George, I agree with you and I agree with Kevin. Yes, many folks have
        had success by selling books of compilations of successful people's
        methods.

        But $500 could be a very expensive lesson to give this a go.

        Certainly anybody should do what they want to do without anybody else
        telling them what to do.

        But how responsible would we be, those who have done it and know what's
        involved, if we didn't point out the pitfalls?

        With the state the site is in and the lack of notoriety on the part of the
        OP, what are the chances of success?

        Taking calculated risks is one thing, but throwing all caution to the wind,
        especially when spending money is involved, is, IMO, reckless.

        But it's just my opinion.

        I'd rather, if I were in the OPs shoes, tackle a non IM niche, build a list,
        maybe promote an affiliate product in that niche, use WordPress as a
        platform so there is very little cost and design expense involved, learn
        some basic marketing and work my way up from there, investing in my
        business AS I begin to see results.

        But that's just me.

        To the OP...Do what you want to do. As George said, life is short.

        But understand the risks your taking and the likelihood of success.

        For starters, who is going to share stories with an unknown?

        In addition to that, since the "share stories" idea has been done to death,
        how much of a market is out there that's even going to be interested in
        your site?

        Have you done the research? Do you even know or have an inkling of an
        idea?

        Unless you're incredibly passionate about this (I created and released a
        product a while ago outside of IM that I was very passionate about but
        was almost sure it would bomb, and did) then understand that your chance
        of a substantial return is minimal.

        I've been down the road you're in outside of IM and I know what's involved.

        I was competing with renowned psychics in a very competitive field, trying
        to sell a product that I literally made up...brand new...never before done
        by anyone.

        What were the chances of my succeeding with it?

        I knew going in...slim to none.

        Big risk...big reward if it paid off...but big chance of failure.

        I've had this discussion with Caliban Darklock. He talked about the bell
        curve that I use for my product creation. I do safe things that are pretty
        certain to sell but never become HUGE successes. He prefers to go for
        the big kill, even though he knows 9 out of 10 times, he'll probably fail.

        Again, like George said, you have to do what YOU want to do, so I am
        sorry if I discouraged you. But I felt I needed to point out what you were
        up against trying to do this.

        If you DO go for it, I will be pulling for you every step of the way.
        Hi Steven,

        Thank you for your continued input. I guess different opinions bring objective analysis, and I have taken everything you said into consideration too.

        If anything, all the various inputs have given me excellent ideas and food for thought.

        Richard
        Signature
        Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
        How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

        Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

        --Gillian Anderson
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      Hi Richard,

      What comes to my mind for some reason, (I'll go back and analyze my mind later) is the fact that I know for sure there are several Warriors who are now well known and successful (at least in the context of the Warrior Forum) who had no success at all on their own.

      Their talent was that they could write. They wrote for "gurus." Gurus sold their writings for 1,000s of times more than what the gurus paid for the work.

      Why this seems to apply in your case is what I'm trying to figure out.

      Anyway, the fact is that one day the Warriors had an aha moment. "I'm writing this stuff for others and they are making all the money." So, these Warriors came out and said, "Buy my stuff from me instead of from the Gurus." And the rest is history.

      Dang, as I type this I'm not even getting the point of my story, it just seems germane here. But, this part of my discussion is over.

      I didn't look at your site, however, I see nothing wrong with you telling the story of others and building the site to something successful if you can.

      You will always find people who tell you you can't do this or that because......

      Just do what you want to do. Life is to short to let others kill your dreams. They are your dreams and you are entitled to them and entitled to live them. If you "fail" at your site you didn't really fail unless you didn't learn anything from your experience.

      How could you not learn if you are interviewing successful people. That in itself will be a great learning experience.

      By the way, you CAN fake it til you make it in the make money niche. It's just not a good idea to broadcast the fact that you are/were faking it until you get successful.

      And if anyone thinks by saying faking it, I mean lying, falsifying things, conning people etc. then they don't really know what "Fake it til you make it means."

      If you don't believe me just ask Mary Kay.

      George Wright

      Thanks George for your input. I have already learned quite a bit from the few that I have interviewed but, there is plenty more to learn, and you can be sure that I am taking it all in.

      Richard
      Signature
      Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author Alfred Shelver
    Richard I love the site.

    Now I wish I could give you words of encouragement that can heal all the dissapointment that the first few posts must have given you.

    But wow you have put alot of time and money and you have a great site that you own that i think can be an authority site...Why must you be the authority

    Don't give up I really like it
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by Cathy Shelver View Post

      Richard I love the site.

      Now I wish I could give you words of encouragement that can heal all the dissapointment that the first few posts must have given you.

      But wow you have put alot of time and money and you have a great site that you own that i think can be an authority site...Why must you be the authority

      Don't give up I really like it
      I'm glad you like the site Cathy! Your input is precious.

      Richard
      Signature
      Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
    I'm probably going to get some flak for bringing up this name
    but those who think it's not possible to have success compiling
    the success stories of others haven't been around this forum
    long enough to know the name Joe Kumar. (ducking)

    That particular story ended badly because young Mr. Kumar was
    an idiot but he had great success doing nothing more than telling
    the success stories of others.

    For the OP... what Kumar did was contact several well known
    marketers and persuaded them to contribute to an ebook by
    outlining what they'd do to achieve success on the internet in
    30 days.

    You can read about it here...

    Joe Kumar - 30 Days To Internet Marketing Success

    I took a chapter on forum marketing by Yanik Silver (I tihnk it was
    Yanik... my memory isn't what it used to be... lol) and used the
    info to launch my first product... that brought me 6 figures in sales
    with no affiliates.

    While you aren't publishing an ebook I believe your site has the potential
    to be the same type of thing.... a compilation of success stories by people
    who have done it a variety of ways. Monetization should be easy enough by
    simply becoming an affiliate for their current products.

    I'd lose the forum, though. I don't really see this kind of thing becoming
    a community type site.

    Tsnyder
    Signature
    If you knew what I know you'd be doing what I do...
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by Tsnyder View Post

      I'm probably going to get some flak for bringing up this name
      but those who think it's not possible to have success compiling
      the success stories of others haven't been around this forum
      long enough to know the name Joe Kumar. (ducking)

      That particular story ended badly because young Mr. Kumar was
      an idiot but he had great success doing nothing more than telling
      the success stories of others.

      For the OP... what Kumar did was contact several well known
      marketers and persuaded them to contribute to an ebook by
      outlining what they'd do to achieve success on the internet in
      30 days.

      You can read about it here...

      Joe Kumar - 30 Days To Internet Marketing Success

      I took a chapter on forum marketing by Yanik Silver (I tihnk it was
      Yanik... my memory isn't what it used to be... lol) and used the
      info to launch my first product... that brought me 6 figures in sales
      with no affiliates.

      While you aren't publishing an ebook I believe your site has the potential
      to be the same type of thing.... a compilation of success stories by people
      who have done it a variety of ways. Monetization should be easy enough by
      simply becoming an affiliate for their current products.

      I'd lose the forum, though. I don't really see this kind of thing becoming
      a community type site.

      Tsnyder
      Hi Tsnyder,

      Excellent tips you gave. 6-figures from one Yanik's tips in this book? WOW! Now, that's really something. Very inspiring indeed!

      Whatever happened to Joe Kumar? Is there some kind of taboo on the matter?

      Anyway, great points! have added all these notes to my scrap book.

      Richard
      Signature
      Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author John Pawlett
    It's a good job Napolean Hill didn't ask for advice here before he wrote 'Think and Grow Rich'.

    I would help you Richard but Geneva! Just move man.

    Kind regards

    John
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by John Pawlett View Post

      It's a good job Napolean Hill didn't ask for advice here before he wrote 'Think and Grow Rich'.

      I would help you Richard but Geneva! Just move man.

      Kind regards

      John
      Hey John,

      Thanks for your input. You are in the UK right? No problem.

      If you have room in your very busy schedule, give me a date and a location, and I will book a flight to come see you....no kidding! I will even buy you lunch.....and dinner.


      Thanks again,

      Richard
      Signature
      Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author Janice Sperry
    Richard, first let me commend you for taking all the input well. It takes some courage to put your baby in front of everyone. It is great that you are trying to listen to ALL the input.

    My first reaction is the design, look and feel is awesome. It is a great looking site.

    It does seem you are trying to do too much though. Part of the site is inviting the visitor to be encouraged by inspiring stories but then most of the site is about MMO. You have links for reviews, a forum, resources, tools, and so on. That is probably too much even for an experienced IMer for a new site. I only have one simple MMO site left that I will be selling in a few months. There are thousands of sites like this with more starting every day. Very, very few of them add much value or accurate info at all.

    If it was me (I am just sick of the MMO niche so take this with a grain of salt) I would drop the forum, reviews, tools, getting started advice, etc and concentrate just on the inspiring stories. You could start getting lots of traffic and repeat visitors as they look forward to upcoming interviews, stories, etc. After the traffic starts building you could decide how best to monetize the site. With more traffic you could decide about whether to add a forum or not. A forum focused on motivating instead of the "how to" may or may not work. I would completely drop the idea of a forum for MMO.

    Whatever you decide it is nice to see you taking action.
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Essi
      Originally Posted by Janice Sperry View Post

      Richard, first let me commend you for taking all the input well. It takes some courage to put your baby in front of everyone. It is great that you are trying to listen to ALL the input.

      My first reaction is the design, look and feel is awesome. It is a great looking site.

      It does seem you are trying to do too much though. Part of the site is inviting the visitor to be encouraged by inspiring stories but then most of the site is about MMO. You have links for reviews, a forum, resources, tools, and so on. That is probably too much even for an experienced IMer for a new site. I only have one simple MMO site left that I will be selling in a few months. There are thousands of sites like this with more starting every day. Very, very few of them add much value or accurate info at all.

      If it was me (I am just sick of the MMO niche so take this with a grain of salt) I would drop the forum, reviews, tools, getting started advice, etc and concentrate just on the inspiring stories. You could start getting lots of traffic and repeat visitors as they look forward to upcoming interviews, stories, etc. After the traffic starts building you could decide how best to monetize the site. With more traffic you could decide about whether to add a forum or not. A forum focused on motivating instead of the "how to" may or may not work. I would completely drop the idea of a forum for MMO.

      Whatever you decide it is nice to see you taking action.
      Hi Janice,

      Thank you for the kind words on the site.

      You raise some very pertinent points about the state of the Making money online industry, and I can understand your saturation.

      My goal for now is to take the number of success stories to 2500. I am sure by then the bulk of the content will mainly be success stories.

      Thanks again for your input.

      Richard
      Signature
      Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? And Tired? Let's Talk...
      How To Think And Become A Successful Webpreneur"By Richard Essi

      Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.

      --Gillian Anderson
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