One of the great selling points of many online programs – I use this myself as part of the marketing approach for Blog Mastermind – is the appeal of following the steps of someone else who has done what you want to do. A system that has worked for someone else should work for you if you do exactly the same as them, right?
Well not exactly…
Let’s state the obvious. We are all different. It’s not possible to do something in EXACTLY the same manner as someone else, but you can certainly come close, yet that doesn’t mean the end result will be close to the person you attempt to replicate. If only it was as simple as that!
There are so many variables at play, for example – the external environment, luck, timing, skill, talent, resources – that it is almost ridiculous that anyone can claim if you follow their system you should expect the same results.
Let’s take my blog and my blog training program for example.
I grew a blog over several years and now make six figures a year from it. In 2007 I sat down and over six months documented, in a teaching format, the steps to replicate what I did to build my blog.
I couldn’t completely cover everything I did, but I’m confident I comprehensively covered the key points. It’s probably better for someone to go through the lessons in Blog Mastermind as a study resource rather than follow exactly in my footsteps since I made so many mistakes. You get the benefit of my hindsight to help you avoid my mistakes, you get the benefit of my insight so you don’t have to work it out for yourself and it’s all nicely packaged in an easy to consume program (and all of that’s part of the marketing spiel too!).
Yet, even with the road map laid out, no one will reach the same destination.
How many students who take Blog Mastermind will build a profitable blog? Not many. Of course I’ll do my best to highlight the success stories to lend credibility (and hope) that it’s possible, but I think it’s important to be realistic too. I’d love it if every student who studied my program experienced big time success and met all the objectives I state are possible. Most won’t even come close, a few will make it and maybe one or two will excel beyond my achievements (the grasshopper surpasses the master 
).
I’m comfortable posting this to my blog because I know it’s not a reflection of my training that people don’t succeed. I know what I teach works, given the right conditions, which sadly are rarely met. I don’t publish this to discourage people from aspiring to become a professional blogger or take any online program – that’s definitely not my intention – but I do want you to understand why it is that so few people make it in the end so you can avoid the same fate.
Why Do People Fail?
Let’s put aside the usual explanation that people simply don’t take enough action after buying an information product to earn results. We all know that’s true and have all probably been proof of that statement at some point – I know I have. It is the nature of the learning curve, we have to learn how to fail before we can learn what success is.
We can assume that every person who does nothing or almost nothing earns the same in return. That pretty much sums up the majority, but let’s go a little deeper so we can fully appreciate why it’s hard to succeed purely through replication.
Let’s assume you are capable of taking action and you have the motivation to carry through what you learn into tangible outcomes. It’s not a common trait, but it is one that is present in every successful person. That’s step one, the first criteria that must be met to achieve results and the point where about 80% of people are left behind.
The Special Ingredients
Here are three things about me that were (and still are) significantly responsible for my success as a professional blogger. These are variables that I can’t transfer to other people through a training program, yet, without them I would not be what I am today. They are -
- I had and still have ample time to invest into my blog. During the first six months of blogging I worked part time at a computer helpdesk, which was not busy so I had no trouble putting out an article and marketing my blog every day and survive financially. I was motivated enough to devote the time to that objective, but the fact that I had the freedom to make that decision is critical.
- I had experience in my field. I had already spent the previous five years learning about Internet business before I even launched a blog so I had real results and education to draw upon for content. This meant coming up with compelling stories and ideas was easy, I could write straight off the top of my head with minimal external input.
- I’m a good writer. There’s many layers to that statement – and it’s subjective too, but for the sake of practical outcomes, we can say that my ability to write in an interesting style and do so quickly with minimal effort, made the production of a popular blog easier for me.
It’s not realistic for people to replicate every condition above and if I was to state that you had to have ample time, experience in your field and a talent for writing to succeed as a professional blogger, I wouldn’t have nearly as many students take my program.
Am I misleading people by not stating this somewhere in the marketing materials in Blog Mastermind? No, I don’t think I am, because you don’t have to have the above three traits to succeed as a professional blogger or to get results with any educational program or system you follow to make money online.
I do believe it’s possible to succeed by following a system, but to truly deliver the potential results, you need to add something a little extra and find something special about you or your situation.
The Magic Ingredient
There’s a myth that circulates among people who underachieve that the people who do enjoy success have a magic ingredient – a talent that explains their above average results. A typical response to this statement is that it’s not magic, it’s simply taking action that is responsible.
It’s not as black and white as that.
Yes, taking action is the first step, and yes some “magic” is required, but magic is actually a lot easier to come by than most people think.
In order to realize results from a system or a technique, not only do you have to replicate and follow through with the steps presented, you have to find a unique way to leverage the process based on your situation and characteristics (it also helps if a little luck is thrown in to make the conditions conducive to achieving your outcome, not the reverse).
You have to find something that is special, unique or above average about you (or your life situation) and use that when applying any system that you learn from someone else. When it comes to professional blogging, a talent for writing is one such resource, as is having ample time to spend researching your topic or years worth of experience that you can draw upon for content. These are just three leverage points that I happened to possess when I began blogging.
In your case, you have to find a way to reinvent the wheel, but still build a car according to set specifications. Here’s some more possible ideas to help you do this -
- Begin an experiment that is a little crazy or strange enough to make it unique. I’ve just finished reading The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs, a book that chronicles AJ’s attempt to live the bible way of life literally for an entire year. That’s a pretty crazy thing to do and thus a compelling story. Closer to the blogosphere, Steve Pavlina’s experiment in Polyphasic Sleep was a huge springboard for his blog becoming massively popular.
- Leverage whatever unique talent you have and apply it to a system. If you can draw or are great with graphics, make use of that ability. If you are a great with programming languages, leverage that to stand out from the crowd (give away free scripts for example). If you are good at research, then use that skill to produce content that goes beyond the norm. Everyone has a talent and while they are not all applicable to a given situation, a lot are – so think about yours and how you can apply them.
- Do you have a spare 4 hours per day? Well stop wasting that time with television or sleeping and put it to use to become productive. Write two blog articles every day for a month or use that time to become the best twitter user ever so you can write about twitter marketing with authority. Time is a very valuable resource, yet most people spend it doing low-to-no-return activities.
- Do you travel a lot for your job? Start snapping photos and writing guides to the cities you visit. Sometimes life forces you in directions that might at first seem like a hindrance to achieving what you want, but if you re-frame the situation you could just find an opportunity that turns into a big advantage.
The key here is that you need something unique to make your story special. If you can’t inject an advantage, you will struggle to reap rewards by following someone else’s system since you can’t replicate what is unique about them. The system isn’t broken, but it needs a few tweaks coming from your creativity to make it work for you.
This is such a valid point for any person who has thought about jumping into writing about making money online. It’s so alluring to watch others make big profits by teaching Internet marketing that you determine if you just do what they do, mention a few affiliate products here and there and take on sponsors that you will make it big. You won’t because you don’t have the magic ingredients that they do – the experience, or positioning, or leverage points that may or may not be visible to you.
You Are In Control
The thing that most people don’t realize it that a few changes to how they think and how they see the world, is all that is required to stand out from the crowd and create your magic ingredient.
Most people fail before trying because they look at their situation in a view that prevents them from succeeding. Another person might be in the same situation or worse, yet achieve an amazing result, and there’s an explanation for this, if you are prepared to open your mind to it.
Reinventing the wheel is easy with space and time to do so.
We all have the same amount of space and time, yet a small select few of us seem to do so much more with it. You can’t blame talent as the justification for this result. There are enough talented people in the world who are not successful to put away that argument.
For most people reading this, if you are not succeeding at your goals at this time it’s probably because you don’t put enough concentrated energy into it. That’s not due to you being lazy or apathetic (though it’s worth considering these things too), it’s much more likely that you are not inspired to do it.
Above average output comes from people working with purpose. Purpose creates drive to go beyond the norm and to find purpose is not easy. You need the mindset, plus the tools and the vision. If any one of these ingredients are missing, it’s difficult to realize a result simply because you will face significant blockages.
Buying a system and following in someone else’s footsteps is a smart thing to do. Committing to action the system is the next necessary ingredient and finding a way to add a little spark, something unique and special about how you do it, will result in the big dream achievements.
No one else can teach you the magic, it has to come from within. You can certainly find help and gain stimulus from guides (this article is one example), but no one else has the answer you need, only you can provide that. You probably already have it, you just haven’t invoked it yet as it applies to the system you are following.
Yaro Starak
Reinventing the wheel
I like this post, it’s an honest assessment of what it takes to make your blog (or any endeavor) succeed. I just have to ask this question: how much of a role do you think luck plays in all of this? Is it possible for someone to follow the path to success, following each step accurately and appropriately (even to the spirit of the system) and then still fail simply because of poor luck? Or do you feel that even with poor luck, if you keep on keeping on you’ll eventually get there?
A great reminder on how to build a successful business. The need to take action – and lots of it – is often forgotten, but without action success will always be just a dream. And making your offering personal and unique is so true – there are already far too many look alikes out there!
Chris – I think if you keep at it you can minimize the impact of luck – you do it enough that you “get lucky” eventually.
If we are talking about pure luck, the kind you can’t anticipate or predict, it’s stupid to even think about it. Focus on being dynamic and you can react to changes no matter whether they are good or bad.
This post helps me to remember my unique circumstances that will help me on the path to success. The one that came to mind that as a parent of three, I have learned leaps and bounds about patience. That over time all the little diligent steps really do add up to some incredible blessings. I don’t have hours of time during the day, every day to devote to my blog, but I carry a strong long-term perspective.
You listed yours, and we all have them. We just need to identify them. I don’t know why we as human beings are so tempted to clamor for the right formula instead of trusting our own unique dynamic journey.
Having said that, Blog Mastermind helped me tremendously to build a decent blog! I appreciated the step-by-step approach.
This is a brave post to write because I imagine that if you were to put this kind of copy into your sales letter for BM and tell people that they’re going to need to find a little magic to succeed, I fear that would put a lot of people off.
You do need something above and beyond the norm though I’m not sure exactly what I’d call it. With enough determination I’m sure anybody could find it but I suspect that most people simply don’t have that much determination – especially if your statistic that 80% of people don’t even take the basic action, is true.
Well anyway, as a BMM student who is finally getting caught up with the lessons and implementing them I can say it’s working for me and I’m enjoying great success from my blog. I’m hoping I’ll be that grasshopper one day Yaro :p
I think I can write pretty well.
My own difference I think is getting to the guts of something – person, issue, idea, discipline, whatever.
Not sure how this helps with my blog or any system for that matter. I think being stubborn does – putting in the time doing posts and making worthwhile comments and persisting as I see my Technorati rank increase (much too slowly!)
A word on purpose. We don’t make it. I think it calls to us. Determination is different to purpose – although some of us (such as me) are stubborn in the pursuit of our purpose.
Hi Yaro,
Having completed the blog mastermind program and not actually started a blog yet I would like to point out another group of people to you. I took the information and applied it to another business model. I started my own personal computer repair company (you can click the homepage link) but used some of the concepts and ideas to encourage people in the real world to start using my services. Such as creating pillar content (which I carry around with me to hand out at networking events.)
The tools your program equipped me with have been a huge help in application to the real world. Lets face it, running a business IRL is not all that different from running a business online. Just your potential customer base is a bit smaller…..just a bit, though ~_^.
~~~~
This was a very interesting post, however. I think you are right. One of my mentors uses the phrase “Make commitments, keep commitments” as the definition of success. Why? Because that builds trust in people, and people will rely on people they trust. That concept is woven into BM. I know I have seen it there. But it seems to really be a “magic bullet” in becoming a successful entrepreneur. You can’t have a successful business if people don’t know you, like you, or trust you.
Just some additional thoughts
.
God Bless,
-Dan
Yaro, thanks for the answer. That was the answer I was hoping to get, that this is a situation where enough determination and persistence will create that luck. And yes, hoping for pure dumb luck is not worth the bother!
Thanks… and thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and experience with us.
Good Post. I think being able to write well is key. I think that everyone has useful ideas in their head that need an avenue to make them come alive. The key to me is to use “out of the box” thinking. Challenge your thoughts. Prove to yourself that your ideas have merit and then do something fresh, unique. Difficult but, not impossible.
That’s a well written post that hits home some good points. I think what it comes down to is what do you spend your time doing? Do you sleep alot, sit around and watch tv, talk on the phone a ton. I think once you honestly look at those points then determine how you can change them to better maximize your time and create success. Well said.
Yaro -
Spot on – success doesn’t come from hard work alone but with leveraging something unique that makes you stand out. Alan Johnson at theratingsblog wrote on this just the other day.
I do feel the magic ingredient is not something people can have. It is just an attitude. Failure tends to bring us down and affect us subconciously causing more failure. Concerted effort can help you break free. With success comes confidence which can in turn attract further success.
That concerted effort is the key. Like you said, if you keep trying you will overcome obstacles and eventually make it. Failure is character building, and although many people do succeed first time, the vast majority do not. We just dont hear about the people who never got anywhere.
I feel I have been working a lot smarter and been more focussed recently. At the same time I have noticed many positive trends develop.
Hi Yaro
As usual another great post.Your reflections are all true and it doesn’t matter if you are blogging or working traditionally off line.
Concentrate your efforts think bigger, and look at your own beliefs.
It always helps if you enjoy what you do and pick something you excel at as your first starting point. Personally I have had quite a journey over the past year or so ( one day leaving a very successful corporate role after 27 years because it had lost all meaning for me) and now realise that my best place to start is serving the needs of an industry and profession I know really well.
The difference this time is I am going in with the knowledge that I have a different message that can help people. If you do this the chances of changing the 80/20 rule will always move more in your favor.
Naploean Hills classic Think and Grow Rich is a must read for anyone that wants to do more with their life( there are plenty of sites on the net you can get a free copy as well) In the book he talks about the fact It’s ok to have a great desire to do something e.g. blogging and serve people in some way. If you are adding value you will always receive a corresponding reward from the “universe”. Quite a wacky way of thinking for most peole over here in the uk.I digress.For everyone there comes a time to move into action as that is how we actually receive. Your mastermind site is great by the way.
Keep up the comments and the great work.
Best Wishes
Denise
Aloha Yaro,
I just recently told a new Hawaii blog owner when she asked me about the benefits of your
‘teachings’ – obviously she had found my blog somewhere in your forum – that following your blogging advice was so far the best decision I made for writing a successful blog.
This is another great post to get me going again!
Blog success does not happen over night, at least not any more NOW. With thousands of more blogs showing up in the blogosphere daily, competition for the top ranking becomes the same hard as for our regular websites.
I will try your crash approach: write for 6 mos. 2 daily posts (at least 1x a day) covering Hawaii from left to right and upside down and inside out. If that won’t get me where I want to be, maybe then it’s time to stop blogging and do something more useful.
If it worked, I will let you know right here. First, I’ll refuel and go a vacation for April. May 1st, the big experiment on Best Hawaii Vacation blog will start!
Anybody out there who wants to contribute and write a guest post about Hawaii??????! Happy to hear from you. Mahalo and aloha, Pua
Best Hawaii Vacation
Well articulated. I have known many people over the years that have bought the “right books” from the “right successful entrepreneurs”…followed them to a “t” and not replicated any degree of that same success. Learning is critical in the development of an entrepreneur but so is an entrepreneur. In the end, there are a lot of ways to succeed as an entrepreneur – that’s the beauty in it – so it’s imperative that you remain authentic along the journey.
Cheers,
Ryan
I think it is almost impossible to try and replicate someone else’s success. However, I think in courses or ebooks there is usually just a nugget or two of information that you can then use in your own website or business. Too many people are looking for a blueprint for success. You need to come up with your own ideas and then perhaps you can apply some ideas that have worked for others to your own business.
The main reason I think people fail is that they give up too quickly. No matter how great the materials you are studying from you still need to put in a lot of work.
Yaro,
I think this is the best post have read all year. I totally agree with you. I think it is hard for a lot of us to find that unique thing about ourselves that we can use to REALLY make money online.
I do think that in the past it was possible to follow a system, not be too unique and make a good living online. However, it’s getting harder to do that these days.
Thanks, Yaro, for telling it like it is. You’re right on track here; a good idea + time + energy = success.
Good form!
I think starting with something you are passionate about is the key to any risk involved venture. With passion, spending that extra 4 hours a day becomes much easier! Thanks for the post
It’s challenging to replicate someone else’s efforts because, as you’ve mentioned, they drove their success based on their unique strengths/talents/skills that they’ve developed over their lives.
I think succeeding takes leveraging what you’ve learned and developed over the years, so you don’t start from total scratch. That gives you a much better head start to succeed in whatever you’re doing — and anyone looking to replicate your efforts will have to take years to learn what you know.
One overlooked reason in this post about why people fail is their inability to generate traffic. Sure, it’s important to be a great writer, and to devote time to creating compelling content, but it is equally important to devote time to promoting your blog.
Many bloggers want to write but don’t want to promote… and the only reason they eventually stop wanting to write is because they think that there’s nobody reading what they produce.
Plenty of mediocre to bad writers have achieved success by being great marketers – very few great writers who can’t market will make it (or if they do, it will take forever).
“Begin an experiment that is a little crazy or strange enough to make it unique.”
This is great advice, but it’s something that’s going to be very tough for most people. It seems like most people fall into the category that’s laughing at the “weirdos” instead of doing something different and risking total mockery or complete failure.
Yaro this post is simply inspiring.
I need to express that i have learnt much from this post and guided me to turn right out of me. While I leave my message I am just thinking how I’m going to make myself different from others, unique and reinventing the wheel.
Yes , Everybody have different style to do their own work and the most important thing which a person needs to achieve some thing is time and hard work . I mean even if a person reads all the tips and tricks of a successful blogger then also he will take time to achieve the results
Your Message
As usual, a very insightful blog. I hardly ever miss your newsletters. Though I’ve been bombarded by many requests to join various systems that promise “instant riches.” It’s difficult not to read them based on their compelling headlines. But your blogs have a sobering effect. You promise that with hard work, diligence, persistence in dutifully writing relevant blogs and working at it at least for a year, writing 2 blogs a day, some measure of success can be achieved. That’s what has appealed to me. So I’m pressing on. I know it will take some time, along with serious marketing efforts to achieve my goals. The Get-Rich Schemes don’t work, do they? Man, I’m so tempted to try one. Up to a million bucks some claim. Maybe I’ll have to try something crazy. Something really unique. Thanks for a thoughtful blog Yaro. Errol.