With that caveat, I’m still happy to consider myself a success and be counted among that elusive ~1% of people who somehow manage to make the transition from learning about online business to actually making a pretty good living online.

Let’s Define Our Terms

Of course, ye olde Internet is a great place to anonymously claim just about anything you want. Just visit any popular forum, and you’ll meet plenty of poseurs who will jump at the chance to give you unsolicited advice, yet have very little to show for their hot air. You probably want to see something more tangible before you’ll trust me.

That’s cool. Let’s talk metrics for a minute or two.

Online Activity / Posting Frequency

With regard to the my dig on keyboard cowboys above, I’ll first mention that my forum usage, blog posting, and YouTube commenting over the past three months or so have been scant at best. These are activities in which most online type people engage regularly, and they can all be used for business development in one form or another.

I like connecting with people on YouTube (I’ve gotten to help several people fulfill their dreams of living and working in Japan there) and on forums. If I spent more time updating this site and posting about web development and small business instead of beer, I could probably have a thriving WordPress tweaking enterprise going. I love building websites, but I love beer more. Besides that, I get more referrals for WordPress work than I can handle anyway.

No, social networking isn’t a strategy for me. It’s just something I do to kill time, and I kill much less of it now than I used to.

So that’s metric number one: I haven’t been visibly active in many of the places I normally would have been. Not convincing? Let’s look at metric number two.

Prasara Primer

My first major project release, the Prasara Yoga Primer, grossed $25k in sales in its first week on the market. Did I get to keep all of that? Hell no. I have two partners, and we had a lot of help from some awesome affiliates. But I did deposit a very large (by my standards) check into my account last week, and we’re still selling more every day.

Of course, of course, of course, that week of awesome sales required about six weeks of hard work to set up and pull off effectively. Still, it was probably the most profitable six weeks of work I’ve ever done, and the lessons it taught me are going to be priceless as I correct many of the simple mistakes I made next time.

I can’t prove to you that I made this money, but if you’re so inclined, you can check the Primer’s stats out on ClickBank, where we became the best-selling yoga product in our debut month. While you’re at it, tell your fitness-obsessed friends about it and make a nice commission in the process.

A Small Empire

Metric number three is that I took my friend’s business from a solitary yoga studio that was barely breaking even to a successful online venture with products and courses at a variety of price points in just a little over six months. Our list grew by over 1000%, and our income has exceeded all expectation.

We have a “staff” of people with varying levels of involvement making varying levels of income from our combined efforts. It’s like a cottage industry we’ve build together, and I really love being part of a creative family working as a team.

“Overnight Success”

We’ve all heard before that it takes years of planning and practice to become an overnight success. In my case, it was just a little over a year.

It was April of 2009 when I found out the hard way that I was no longer employed. No notice. No job. No anything really.

I did some random part time gigs to pay the bills, but I also found this great course by Clay Collins called Project Mojave that promised to teach me how to create a “freedom business” in a few months. I lucked out and snagged a lifetime membership to Mojave for about $100 before most people really found out about it. What can I say? It felt right. And it was. It was one of the best investments I’ve ever made, and I wouldn’t be here without it.

Project Mojave might not open again, but Clay’s just about to release his new course, called the Interactive Offer, and I’m going to be taking advantage of all he has to teach. If you click that link, you’ll get to see Clay explain how he structures his launches to make a respectable profit before he even creates his product.  You’ll also be giving me an affiliate credit so that, should you decide to buy the course when it goes live, I’ll get a nice chunk change. If that happens, thanks in advance.

My First Business Venture

Back to Project Mojave (which was, by the way, an example of the Interactive Offer in action)… I watched the videos, took notes, did the homework, and even talked to Clay on the phone a couple of times. I chose a niche and got to work.

Then a few little things came up. I got married. I had to help plan the Taido World Championships. I got sidetracked and took forever to finish my first product.

That product, an ebook on finding work and moving to Japan, was not successful. Not because Clay’s advice was bad, but because I was way too scattered about my implementation. More recently, I seriously considered reviving the How to Get a Job in Japan project. I know it could bring me at least a few hundred dollars a month in totally passive income if I put in a few days of solid work up front. But instead, I decided to let it die because I’m having too much fun with my other projects right now and don’t need the distraction.

So I let the website expire and made the information available in hard copy at Amazon. If you’re interested, you can check it out here.

My Second Business Venture

Did I leave the ebook world and jump immediately into my current jet-setting lifestyle? Nope. Even that took some time and work.

CST101 began as an experiment. I was working out at my friend’s studio, and we were talking about wanting more out of our lives. Typical conversation for married guys in their 30s to have. His second child had just been born not long before, and he wanted to try reaching a broader audience online. It just so happened that he’s an incredibly gifted teacher and trainer.

So we created a distance fitness course together and promoted it pretty quietly through our existing networks. We had a not-bad turnout - enough to make it worth the effort for us. I taught myself how to make membership sites. He practiced making videos. We screwed up. We got better. We connected with our people and started building a posse.

When it came time to do it all again, we rebuilt the thing from the ground up with a sturdier system and a more efficient program. We got referrals. We added a Level Two course. We kicked ass as sold out our second course with 25 members.

We continue offering these courses and love interacting with our students. Sometimes, the enrollment is higher than others, but honestly there’s no way we can lose with this set-up. The courses are made. The lessons are set. The videos are shot. The forums are active, and we have a team of people that helps us manage them. People pay us, work hard, and come away feeling stronger and freer in their bodies. Wins all around.

The Tipping Point, or “Authenticity”

These online training courses are something I’m very proud of. If we hadn’t taken that leap and tried to put the first incarnation together from scratch, we would never have learned what we did, and we would never have had the success we currently enjoy. The mistakes turned out to be priceless, but even more valuable, as it turned out, was our total willingness to screw up in front of others and be genuine and real about that.

“Authenticity” is a huge buzzword in internet marketing circles. The premise is that, if you can make people believe that you are genuinely interested in them, they are more likely to give you money.

I don’t really like discussing authenticity as a marketing tactic because it can quickly cross over into con territory: creating the appearance of reality in order to sell an empty promise. That’s just plain dirty. Yet, I can’t ignore the topic because I’ve always been pretty much who I am (my mother always told me I needed to filter myself for public consumption) - to hell with anyone who doesn’t like it. In fact, I used to be a bit of an asshole about my personal right to do and think whatever the fucking hell I happened to please at any given moment.

Don’t like it? Fuck off.

Though I’m a little nicer now (is it my age showing?), I’m still just me, which means that I’m authentic. And if that makes people want to buy from me, I’m not complaining.

Back to the point though, Ryan and I made a lot of mistakes on our first course. The second one too. But for every mistake we made, we admitted it and fixed it. We told our clients things like “Yeah, sorry about that. We don’t know how that happened either - it’s the first time for everyone here, so let’s talk about how to make it better now.”

In 99% of cases that we approached our mistakes that way, our clients were totally cool and actually helped us find viable solutions. How can you beat that?

Doing What You Love

It sounds so trite to tell people to follow their passions. It’s cheesy. The thing is: cheese is delicious.

After we started making headway with our courses, we started thinking about other products. Ryan had co-produced an ebook on Prasara Yoga a few years prior with another coach named Jarlo. It was called the Prasara Primer, and I actually bought it for about $25 when it first came out.

It was fantastic, and it totally changed the way I thought about yoga and training.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t marketed with nearly the passion that went into it’s creation. So I tossed the idea out to Ryan about re-releasing it. He thought it couldn’t hurt and we began hammering out a marketing plan.

Along the way, we decided to change the layout a bit and modernize the ebook. While we were at it, we made some changes to the way the information was presented. Then we decided to include videos of the yoga flows to make it easier for people for follow along. We made sixty videos. Next came the training guide that showed people how to integrate yoga into their existing routines.

By the time we were done, we realized that we had created a whole new product using the same basic information. The Prasara Primer 2.0 was born.

Then what? Well, we did the things you usually do to sell a digital product. None of it was original or new. We created a sales page. Built a list using a sample from the actual product. We got the word out to our lists and got some help from friends with lists. We answered questions and made a launch offer.

• The cool part: we still made mistakes.
• The really cool part: we still made money.

Now That I’m a Successful Online Entrepreneur…

…I sit on the beach and drink margaritas while my third world VA haggles on my behalf for extra frequent flier miles.

Yeah, so that’s total bullshit.

As much as I love beaches and margaritas, I love getting my hands dirty building new things even more. I’ve discovered that the real reason my ebook on working in Japan wasn’t a big hit had nothing to do with the market or the information (which is still golden). It was all about my level of enthusiasm for various tasks associated with selling a product. I can’t stand doing a lot of the stuff you have to do to have an ebook consistently bring in more than a trickle. I hate article marketing and PPC campaigning. Even worse, I can’t stand outsourcing those things to people I have to manage.

That’s OK though, because I’ve discovered that I absolutely love the process of creating a product, figuring out how to get it in people’s hands, and building the systems around making it sustain itself.

So I’m doing that. Ryan and Jarlo and I are working on a new strength training product using gymnastic rings that we hope to release in early July. We’re also continuing to run courses on CST101, and I’ve got some ideas for new classes in the near future. The Prasara Primer has created a demand for us to give seminars in various countries. We’ll probably shoot a seminar DVD.

I’m also branching out in other directions. I’m talking with a few other people now about helping them create digital products and courses in their own niches. I’m collaborating with Carl Nelson, Jonathan Mead, and a few others on a new magazine site called MovementGeeks, which we’ll be launching this summer.

I’m also getting ready to move to Hawaii, where I plan to drink a few margaritas. There’s so much excitement, I can hardly stand it.

How You Can Join the Cool Winners’ Club

Not that you’re asking, but if I were to give advice on the whole online business thing, I would say it’s really just a four-step process:

1. Find a mentor and study what they do - modeling success is a terrific shortcut
2. Adapt those principles to what you’re personally great at - because, if you hate what you’re doing, you’ll stop
3. Make something and get it in people’s hands - free or paid doesn’t really even matter at first
4. When you make mistakes, be cool about it - they’re awesome opportunities to learn

And that’s it. It’s what I did, and what others I know have done.

Yes, it’s easier said than done, and no, there are no guarantees. There again, what was the last easy, guaranteed thing you did that you actually thought was worth a shit when it was over?

That’s what I thought.

P.S. - It’s a rule that, when you’re trying to show internet marketing people how cool you are, you have to include an ironic PS. This let’s the audience know that you know that they’re in on the joke, while still getting one last chance to slide in that all-important call to action.

P.P.S. - Another ironic device is the anti-call-to-action, and it looks something like this: “Whatever you do, don’t click on my services link to see how I can help you quickly find efficient, high-leverage solutions to your online business issues for as little as $20.”

this year's card

While politicians both in the States and here in Japan spent a lot of time talking about “change,” I’ve been making some huge ones over the past several months. And they’ve mostly been for the better. Here’s a brief rundown of cool shit that went down in 2009:

• Since April, I’ve been essentially self-employed. That’s meant taking some part time gigs to pay bills while I tried to figure out what I was doing. The good news: I now know what I’m doing, and 2010 is going to be all about taking these various projects to the next level and building them into a business.
• There were also some kick ass events and visits from friends abroad. Japan hosted the 5th World Taido Championships in August. Thanks to everyone who traveled to Japan to build a better Taido. Thanks especially to those who bought me beer. We had a hell of a good time, and a not-bad competition. See you all again in Finland 2013.
• I took 5dan in Taido and certified as a Circular Strength Training instructor, both of which challenge me to learn much more all the time.
• Most importantly of all, in June, Noriko and I got married, and I’m ridiculously grateful for having her.

So that’s where things stand here on the cusp of the new year. It’s pretty exciting really. We’re planning some big stuff for the next twelve months, and I can’t wait to get started. Actually, I can wait. I can wait until we get back from the next few days of eating and sleeping and relaxing. But after that, I’ll be getting right back to work.

I love ice cream. This probably seems like a trifling detail, but it’s number one on this list because it’s possibly the single-most important defining factor in my personality and overall character. If you can’t understand why strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles is the king of foods in my universe, you will probably be unable to make much sense of many of the things I do and say.

2

If I define myself with a word (a practice I try to avoid), that word has to be “musician.” I play the hell out of the bass guitar. I play a few other things too, but the bass and I understand each other at a molecular level. When Prince Adam picks up the Power Sword, he becomes He-Man. When I pick up a bass, I become the master of my universe.

3

As a lifelong logophile with a habit of curling up with a good dictionary on cold nights, I have a stunningly large vocabulary. Ironically, this can make it difficult to communicate with others.

4

I value health above anything else. Physical health is a priority, but mental and spiritual well-being are just as important to me. I lived alone in the mountains of Japan for three years, and though I had a job and friends and such, I also had a LOT of time for quiet introspection. If I learned anything during that time, it’s that protecting my own health has to be my first duty in life. I can’t contribute to society if I’m sick, depressed, or otherwise pulling a negative current. My effectiveness in the world is proportional to my personal level of health, so I take it very seriously.

5

Integrity is my second value. I agree with Bucky Fuller’s idea that integrity is all we have, ultimately. We can’t lie to ourselves (or others) without consequences. We all have distorted views of reality, but we have to strive to live true to what knowledge we can acquire. Integrity doesn’t stop with doing what you say you’ll do; it also means being true to your values. You can’t decry inhumane working conditions in Asia and then shop at the GAP. That’s disingenuous. I used to lie for the hell of it about unimportant things. Now, I don’t believe in important or unimportant things - things either are or are not, so I no longer lie about them.

6

I don’t eat sweets. Besides ice cream, that is. I don’t enjoy sweet foods. Save the occasional strawberry, I don’t even like fruit. I also don’t eat chips or crackers very often. I’ll chow on chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant, but I don’t dig potato chips much at all. In general, I prefer food - you know, meat and vegetables - to all the processed, refined, reconstituted, engineered, altered, and otherwise fucked-with grocery items most people tend to eat. I’m not saying this makes me a better person or anything; I just really like “eating real” whenever possible.

7

I’m not a great listener. I’m working on it, but lifelong bad habits are hard to improve. As a child, I was a know-it-all. This had a lot to do with self-esteem and inadequacy issues that I buried but never really got over until adulthood. I’m an introvert by nature, so I tend to listen more intently to my own inner dialogue than to what’s going on around me. This is something I really want to change, but it’s certainly not easy.

8

I don’t believe everything I read. Unless it’s fiction.

9

My favorite work of fiction is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Wallace killed himself last year, and it hurt me deeply. I’ve never found more truth in life than I have in his novels and stories.

10

I’ve only been to seven different countries, and I find this embarrassing. In this age, intelligent people cannot afford the ignorance of only experiencing life in a single country. Some people want to visit every country in the world. That’s cool. I have no desire to get my passport stamped in Swaziland. But I do plan to live in at least three more countries before choosing a place to settle.

11

I despise poor grammar, but I’m convinced that the form of grammar should change with its function in communication. Formal rules are useful, but obstinately clinging to outmoded norms causes a lot of unnecessary stress and conflict. And it can be fun to break the rules sometimes.

12

I believe that beer and coffee are the two most veracious proofs for the existence of a benevolent universal intelligence. Sex is a close third, but the awkwardness most people feel regarding sex holds it out of the top spot. Beer and coffee comprise the majority of my daily intake of fluids. It can’t be good for the liver, but it’s tonic for the soul.

13

For the first thirty years of my life, my blood type was O+. Sometime during 2008, I became A+. I don’t know how this happened; I had previously believed that it was impossible and even told the nurse at the Red Cross that she had made a mistake. There was no mistake. In early 2008, I was O. By Christmas, my body somehow converted to A. And I’m not even sick.

14

I spend a very large portion of my time doing things related to the martial art of Taido. In addition to teaching and practicing two or three times a week, I read, write, think, stretch, work out, do yoga, study videos, and engage in other activities daily that contribute to my training. Taido is awesome because it uses the entire body in creative ways. Sometimes, my friends will tell me that I talk about Taido too much, but that’s just because it’s the thing most often on my mind.

15

I’m a compulsive note-taker an almost always have a notebook with me wherever I go. I ALWAYS have a pen and often carry back-up pens. My pens are uni-ball vision with black ink. I buy them by the box. I have blue and red pens too (also uni-ball), but I only use them for specific situations that require high contrast. I’m pretty anal about my pens and equally anal about my notebooks. Notebooks are A5 size, and no more than 100 pages. The notebook has to fit conveniently in a bag or folder I can carry. I sometimes carry a smaller notepad in my jacket pocket when a notebook would be cumbersome. If I find myself without a notebook, I’ll write on my hands.

16

My eyes are very strangely colored. I usually say they are blue, but that’s only half true. Around the pupil, they are actually yellow. Only the outer half of the iris is blue. From close up, my eyes look like sunflowers against a blue sky. At least that’s what a few people have told me. I’m sure it’s not totally unique, but I’ve never seen anyone else with eyes like mine.

17

Everything I’ve ever truly wanted has come to me. I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do. I’ve become the people I wanted to be. I’ve created myself and my life over and over again. I think we’re all essentially responsible for our own happiness. Nobody else can make us healthy or successful in life. We’re always making decisions, even without realizing it. Everything we do is practice - we are constantly becoming what we will be. I try to make this a conscious process as much as possible, but I recognize that I act like a robot sometimes, running on autopilot, working programs that don’t necessarily suit the reality of my surroundings. Everyday, I tune out a little less and experience a little more. But I’m still prone to fuck up just like everybody else.