Dream Crashers--Why only the strong survive...

The other day, I consulted with a doctor who, with sparkles in his eye, wanted to have a website empire so he could conduct business on his laptop while basking on a beach. He had no experience with website building, no marketing or sales experience,no internet marketing, no research skills for any type of product. He had a dream (of wealth!) but no plan. In fact, he had no job, no home, no income. But he had a dozen nondescript domain names for totally unrelated products he had no knowledge of and a drop shipper or two.

Now here is where you expect the giant leap to success that so many "make money online" sales pitches seem to always lead to. Down and out but now on top of the world? Not this time--or in fact, so many times. Are we being sold a false hope by so many "gurus"? Or are we just hearing from their minions who sell their product. 95% of those who try to start a business online fail, quit or never get off the ground. That's a higher rate than any other small business startup---creepy! So wouldn't it be a blessing to have your dream crushed right from the "get go" (sorry, my grandmother's voice rules my thoughts), than to waste so much time and income you would have had from a day job, screwing around where you don't have the guts to implement a plan towards a goal.

Harsh words--and the unemployed doctor was crushed. But he left my office with the revelation that he was not ready for the beach just yet. He left knowing he was a very long way from building a website. This business of making money on the internet is not for the feight of heart. It can be grueling to one who has no skills and no passion for it. At one time, his passion for medicine took him through the learning process to become a professional. I could see he was looking for a replacement passion but it was obvious he was looking for a shortcut. I recommended he keep his day job (looking for doctor work) and truly consider, on his own personal time, whether he was up to the task of learning a whole new profession.

Ecommerce and internet marketing is every bit as professional as any other business. Unfortunately, it is not in the mainstream educational institutions as a respectful degree. You can learn to build websites, you can learn to program, but I have yet to see a degree in ecommerce offered at the universities. Which means, yes, we have to learn everything we can from the "gurus"--even if it means we learn we just don't have what it takes to persevere. Only the survivors of the risks taken in the learning process will be sitting on that beach with their laptop.