Staying Paid

Soul of a Marketer, A Post For Sideline Masters Everywhere

Posted on June 1st, 2008 in Breaking Fear, Business, Creation Station, Empowerment, General, Marketing Action, Blog Songs, Conflict Resolution, Focus, Mad Mad Marketing, Mindset, Sideline Masters, Solution Z, Soul, Standing Up, Strength, Truly Staying Paid, Will Issues

I don’t want to hit gurus. While I can’t say I know that many “gurus” up close and personal-like, I’m willing to bet that 99% of them are doing this for themselves, their families…you know, standard stuff just on a greater scale. So this “conversation” of ours isn’t about them. Please don’t bring them into the mix, because this isn’t about them. This is about you, the sideline master.

Why I’m Calling You a Sideline Master

Is this scene familiar? You’ve been online for 3-4-5-6-7 years, in all of the marketing forums. Maybe you’re on the Warrior Forum, maybe you’ve got every marketing whiz on your Twitter. Maybe you’ve even got a LinkedIn profile, trying to stay connected. You’ve got virtually every marketing / internet / tech book in existence - digital and otherwise. Your shelves are stuffed to the brim, your mp3 collection stacked up. You know, The 4 Hour Work Week rubbing elbows with the Rolling Stones. Thousands of dollars later, you’re still spinning your wheels, saying “this is gonna happen.”

It’s gotta happen, happen sometime, maybe this time I’ll win. Cheesy Cabaret references aside, my friend, you are a sideline master. And that’s OK - because we all started out as sideline masters. We were told this big story about Solution Z being out there, waiting for the person with enough want to reach out and grab it.

It’s a shame that nobody said anything about action. No, scratch that — massive action. Getting serious.

I used to be the Queen of the Sideline Masters. In fact, in a lot of ways, I still am. I struggled for years with this internet business game. I was in too many forums to count. On IRC all day. I was watching my friends get insanely successful fast, while I was still spinning my wheels.

I moved in with my then-fiance’s mother and bought book after book, program after program, audio interview after audio interview. If you think this is a rant about the information I received, wrong again — those people all contributed a little fuel to the fire that rages in my blood now, and I thank all of them utterly for their time to produce that content. Starting out, it was worth the price — consider that I went to a university that easily charged $300 a credit hour — yeah, I wasn’t upset about paying $47 for a marketing book.

Isa, you’ve got a sales pitch hiding somewhere, I just know it!

Yep, you got me. Damn dirty marketers always trying to sell you something. Heaven forbid we even slip an affiliate link in — not that you’re going to pay us, but shame on us for turning something that should be free into something commercial. Sorry to sound negative, but it cracks me up when people complain about affiliate links. If someone pointed me to something awesome and only wanted a % of the sale I’m going to do anyway, why not pass a little to them? Just saying.

So, here comes the sales pitch, the very core of what I’m trying to sell you here on Staying Paid. And for the record, it ain’t hope. Hope isn’t a word that’s welcome. It’s not enough to hope.

It’s faith. I’m trying to sell you faith, because mainstream society has sucked it out of you. Mention you’re starting a business, and everyone leaps up to tell you how stupid that sounds. After all, 9 out of 10 businesses fail, right? Everybody’s got a third cousin twice removed that went off to start a business and failed, so apparently, starting a business is just too risky. Better get back to clocking in and clocking out, because we all know that’s secure, right?

I’m trying to sell you faith because everyone has spent so much time and energy telling you to stay put, to stop dreaming and start being realistic, instead of testing, sending out feelers and going for the glory. We’ve really done a bad job on you, sideline master, and on behalf of everyone that’s even made the slightest twinge of doubt stick to you like tar, I apologize.

I know that I had to get your attention in order to sell you faith. That’s why I did what you’ve dreamed of doing and walked. I walked away from a job that I loved because my passion to live anywhere, work anytime, and play everywhere far exceeds anything that my employer could have given me.

My old boss had a fondness for saying that most things aren’t skill issues, but will issues. Two months later, I’m finally ready to believe her. Most of my day is spent trying to find the will to take action - it’s too easy to sit, immobile and unmoving.

Is it hard to give up the “security” you have? Yes. I was in tears when I walked, because it was me getting up from being an armchair warrior and jumping straight into the fire. Now, was I smart about it? Sure — I had savings, but nowhere near the 6 months to 1 year’s worth that most business books tell you about.

So I’m here, day in and day out, testing strategies for you, building systems, and having the time of my life because I want to be as visible as possible, for sideline masters everywhere. There’s a lot of fear and it’s time to break it up for good — there is money everywhere. Everywhere. Business is not zero sum game. Recessions come and go, don’t fear them. Smart businesspeople profit in any economic cycle. Any one.

Work hard, play hard, love easily.

Tonight’s blog song: Flobots - Handlebars

my reach is global, my tower secure, my cause is noble, my power is pure