It’s not hard to make money online but still lots of us fail to do it. The ones who succeed aren’t superhero entrepreneurs; they’re just ordinary folks with the drive and energy to get it done. Most of all, they know how to avoid the pitfalls that can get you. Here are 7 reasons so many fail.

No Passion

You’ve got to be passionate about what you do online. This doesn’t apply only to marketers, but to anybody who works for themselves. It’s your passion that pushes you when things get tough. Make sure you love your niche and you’re driven to make it online.

No Commitment

It may not seem like this, but working online is all about routine. You’ve got to create goals and schedules, and stick with them. Whether you’re writing blog posts, following up with clients, or building backlinks, you need to get into a rhythm with it and do it consistently. Pretty much any marketing method will work as long as you keep at it.

No Focus

It’s not as easy as it may sound to stay focused. The problem with online entrepreneurs is that we’re bursting with so many money-making ideas. Add to that all of the distractions and shiny objects you encounter along the way, and it’s almost impossible to choose a course and stick to it. But that’s what you’ve got to do. To make it online, you’ve got to choose one method or business model and stick with it until you get results; then you can diversify and pursue all of your other ideas.

Fear of Failure

Ironically, fear of failure often leads to failure! This fear keeps us from trying and it also makes us say, ‘I knew it’ when things don’t go as planned. But that’s how it works – you get out there and try something, get your behind kicked, crawl back to the drawing board and try again. But when you try again, you’re much wiser than before.

This Isn’t Me’

Are you the type of person who says you don’t get along with technology? You’ve got to get over that if you’re going to succeed online. Or you might be a service provider who says ‘I hate marketing.’ There are lots of little bumps in the road that you’ll need to get past, and you’ve got to ditch the ‘this is just not me’ attitude that holds you back.

Refusal to Learn

We always talk about going to IMU (Internet Marketing University) and it’s not a joke. There’s a lot to learn and in order to learn, you need a humble attitude. Approach it with the idea that you really don’t know anything about it – yet. Stay open and approach everything that happens along the way as an important lesson.

The Basics of Marketing

Finally, it really helps if you have a grounding in the basics of marketing. Most Internet marketers don’t. It’s much easier to learn tech skills and SEO than to learn marketing as you go. The same concepts apply, so spend some time learning about the basics of offline marketing. It’ll help a lot.

Along the way, you’ve always got to take some time to reflect. Are you where you want to be? Are you headed in the right direction? Is what you’re doing working? Be willing to change your strategy when you need to, but keep your mindset humble, positive, and open.

Tony