I help clients start online businesses via wholesale solutions, dropshippers, affiliates and blogging.  I then help them market these projects online with search engine optimization and social media strategies.

I’ve worked with clients who are very internet saavy.

I’ve worked with clients who are in the “older years” and need a bit more hand holding.

What I’ve found through these experiences can be summed up by a famous American:

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. – Abraham Lincoln

So what does this really mean?

While doing my daily routine today of reading and commenting on blog posts, working on Twitter, etc. I found this cool video courtesy of @chrisbennett.

You don’t have to watch the whole thing (up to 3:11 is enough) to get the gist:

You can do WHATEVER you set your mind to!

Now watch this video!

6 Year Old Proves You Can Do Whatever You Want

Questions to Consider

Do you think this little guy was initially scared to hit those jumps?

Do you think he wiped out a few times?

Do you think this skill was developed overnight?

Do you think he had to practice a lot?

Running a successful online business is so much like this snowboarding video.

How to Make Money Online

You have to break fears.

It takes failure over and over again + learning to deal with it and move forward.

It takes time.

It takes practice.

And eventually, with persistence, you can succeed.

Notice I DIDN’T say you WOULD succeed. I said you CAN succeed.

Your initial idea my not be the “Million Dollar Maker”. In fact, it may completely flop.

Johnny B. Truant shared his philosophy on the ultimate formula for success as an new online business owner:

For many (maybe most) beginners, the surest way to begin building a good income online is to focus on networking and business principles, not push-button systems and arbitrage.

• How do you network?
• What are business principles?

If you have these questions, your first assignment is to find the answers, probably BEFORE you even start your first business!

My biggest recommendation for success with an online business boils down to this simple statement:

But be persistent and BELIEVE YOU WILL SUCCEED!

I believe Johnny’s formula backs up my words of wisdom:

The one and only one true formula for success

1. Try.
2. Repeat step 1 until the desired result is achieved.

How does this cool video help you believe in your abilities to be an online entrepreneur?

I initially posted this article as a guest post on one of my favorite Twitter tips blogs.

The images I posted had some malfunctions. Here’s the update with a few edits to avoid duplicate content issues too.

You ever thought or heard these statements?

Twitter just takes too much time…

I don’t ever really see much come from my Twitter efforts…

Twitter does take time.

It can be hard to see immediate results from Twitter efforts.

Here’s a real-life success story on how I got lots of buzz and viral marketing – which means links, traffic, and brand building – via Twitter.

5 Simple Steps to Twitter Viral Marketing

Step 1: Guest Post on a Credible Blogs

• 5 Blogging Basics You Can’t Live Without

Step 2: Send a Few DMs to Twitter Friends

Be careful. I read an interesting article about “how to piss off your Twitter followers“:

Unless you’re trying to get more exposure for some noble charity or cause, asking people to RT your tweets just makes you look pathetic. Enough said on that front.

Step 3: Ask Credible Twitter Users What They Think

• Obviously the post has to be something half way decent if you expect any response.
• Obviously the post has to be something related to what the Twitter user Tweets about.
• Obviously, if you do this too often, you’ll be annoying and get un-followed!

Step 4: @CopyBlogger Re-Tweeted the Article

Thanks to @copyblogger (Brian Clark) for his willingness to pass on the article and link to his Twitter followers.

Step 5: The Viral Explosion Began!

Notice the effects @copyblogger’s RT had on the article distribution… Now the take-aways:

The 5 Keys to Twitter Viral Success

1. Don’t Spam all Your Twitter Friends asking for a RT. Imagine going to a party and having one of your “friends” stand on the table the whole time jumping up and down yelling, Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! – Get the picture? Don’t do this!
2. Reference other valuable articles within your blog post. Everyone likes a good mention, even big name bloggers. Referencing other credible blogs within your industry can help with search engine optimization efforts too.
3. Beware of OVER self-promotion. Dan Hollings (Why Follow @dhollings) explained Twitter in one easy statement -“Twitter is like a “cocktail party” – you can’t just talk about yourself over and over again – you’ll lose people.” Similar to the friend jumping up and down on the table analogy – Just. Don’t. Do. This!
4. Find Twitter users who have good listeners and become friends with them. The easiest way to monitor “listenership” is found in the proof above. If one friend RTs your stuff and then hundreds of their friends RT it, you know the friend has good “listeners”. Once you’ve found a friend with good Twitter listeners, don’t abuse the relationship.
5. Be grateful! Even the big names in your industry appreciate a “Thanks.”

How have you implemented these Twitter Tips to see results?

Update:

Choosing which products to sell online can be one of the most challenging aspects of setting up your online business.

While you can always switch products, it will save you time and money to pick a winner upfront, especially if you are designing an entire website around a specific product theme.

5 tips to choose the best dropship products

Tip #1: Start Small

People are often tempted to start dropshipping plasma screen TV’s and diamond jewelry because they think they’ll make the most money this way. It’s hard enough to get people to give you their credit card number for a small purchase, never mind something that costs $3000.

Until you’ve built a positive reputation and rating on eBay, with the BBB, and online in general, it’s better to be a little more conservative in your product choices.

The best dropship products may be ones in the $30-120 range, which tend to sell well online.

Remember, it’s not always the most expensive items that have the largest profit margin: you’ll make more money dropshipping $80 purses if you’re getting them for $20 than you would selling $400 laptops if they cost you $350.

Tip #2: Consider Shipping

Whenever you sell a product online, you need to consider how shipping will inflate the price.

The cost of the item plus shipping should equal what a person could get the same item for at a brick-and-mortar store. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule: if a product is extremely rare or is not sold in any great variety at your local mall, than it will have a greater demand online.

In general, dropshipping items like stainless steel refrigerators and swimming pools doesn’t work due to the cost of shipping such bulky products.

Tip #3: Don’t Be Afraid To Specialize

Choose a niche, not a general store.

You’re not going to be able to compete with the variety and price of products available online from Target or Wal-Mart. However, you can compete in a specialized niche market.

Focusing on a niche also allows you to write blogs, articles, and tips closely related to your product, which will improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), drive traffic to your website, and help build a relationship with your customers.

The best dropship products are often those related to a specific hobby or theme.

Tip #4: Find Your Point Of Difference

When people pitch their online business to me, I hear a lot of ideas like “My website will be just like Monster.com” or “It’s going to be just like Office Max”.

Your website shouldn’t be “just like” anything.

If your site is exactly like a bigger, more established website, how are you going to compete?

You need a “point of difference “, a product or service you offer that sets your online business apart. It should fulfill a need in your specific market that is not already being filled. You can get ideas for your point of difference by scoping out your niche community online (joining discussions on message boards, reading blog posts, etc.). You may discover that there are plenty of jewelry-making sites, but none that cater specifically to period-era jewelry, or maybe there are plenty of fishing websites, but a dearth of quality spear-fishing products.

Tip #5: Remember Your Own Purchases

If you’re having a horrible time brainstorming, and you just can’t think of anything you want to sell online, think back to the products you’ve bought online over the last month or year. What did you buy? What made you go online instead of to a local store? Why did you choose the specific website you purchased from? How did you find the products you were looking for? Examining your own purchases can give you more than dropship product ideas: it can also help you formulate a web design and marketing strategy.

If you need additional help choosing dropship products, check out the following blog article:

Products to Sell Online for a Profit

This article contains a long list of products you can sell online for a profit. You can also find suppliers for virtually any product on this site.

Leah Darrow is a blogger for a wholesale dropshipping company. She also writes educational material, all geared toward helping people start online businesses. She and her husband Ryan were married in December 2008, and they live in Provo, UT.