Helping People to Make Money with What They Already Know

How Can I Help People?

I like to help others when I can.  It makes me feel good.  I love random acts of kindness and giving to others.  The problem I run into sometimes is knowing how to go about the actual act of helping others without convincing them that I’m crazy.

Today I was talking to a very nice woman with a talent for cutting hair.  She cuts what is left of mine, as a matter of fact.  As we spoke, she mentioned that she loves cutting hair, but she is looking at other career options simply because of finances.

Because I’m sort of hooked on this whole making money online “thing”, I mentioned that there are opportunities and ways to make money online, that people don’t ever think about.

I gave her a very basic description of how people make money online, but didn’t go into too much detail.

I touched on affiliate marketing and Adsense, but I’ve learned from experience that letting myself run at the mouth about these topics just results in glazed over expressions in most people.

As I drove home, it occurred to me that she is probably the PERFECT example of someone who could make money with what they already know.

A World of Website Ideas

Think about it.  The best websites out there are put together by people with a passion for their topic.  Here is a woman with a deep and thorough knowledge of the hair care and beauty business.

Do you think there is any money spent on that?  The knowledge she has is money, pure and simple.  Visions of affiliate commissions dance through my head just thinking about what she could do with her expertise.

The only problem is, she doesn’t know (or at least she didn’t) that the opportunity is there.  How many other people with a professional skill set, or a passion for something, never even consider putting up a website?

This is where I personally run into my problems and frustration.  I have tried to tell people I care about, all about online opportunities, and they often give me a look like I’m crazy.

A lot of people see the internet as a big, intimidating “thing” that is far too technical for them. The simple truth is, it isn’t.  Setting up a website is not all that complicated.  Here is the quick and dirty description of the actual process.

1.  You pay a company like Hostgator about 5-10 bucks a month to host your site (that means it is available on the internet).
2.  You buy a domain name from a site like GoDaddy or Namecheap for 10 bucks per year.
3.  You use WordPress to put your content online.  For those who are not familiar with it, WordPress is a free content management system that makes posting things on your blog/website about as easy as using a word processor, really.  You honestly could have your first domain up and running in less than half an hour.  With some experience, you can set one up in about 5 minutes or less.

Learning How to Make Money

I’ve been a member at The SEMRush since early in 2010.  In that time, I’ve seen several people arrive and build their incomes into the thousands of dollars per month.

I’m not quite at my personal goals yet, but I’m getting there.  These people took that big step into the unknown and actually developed some property on the internet.  I doubt that any of them regret it.

I’m actually saddened a bit as I talk to people at my “regular” job sometimes.  Some of them put in their full time hours, and then leave to go work at another job.  That stinks.

It especially stinks because they are just trading hours for dollars, straight up.  If they don’t go to that other job, they don’t make a single dime.  When you build websites, they are constantly working for you as people find them in the search engine listings.

What makes me sad is not just the fact that my friends are running themselves into the ground, but that they completely dismiss me when I tell them that there is a better way.

Why Won’t They Listen To Me???

I think a big part of the problem is that most folks have no idea that the internet is already a very commercial place.

Sure, there are bloggers who just love to write about their latest trip to Aunt Suzie’s house, but almost any website you happen to visit will have some commercial interest, whether you realize it, or not.

Affiliate links are everywhere.  These are special links that give the website owner a commission when you follow them to some product or service and then make a purchase.  Another thing… did you know that Google actually makes money?

Yes, it is true, believe it or not.  Google does not provide search engine listings out of the goodness of their heart.  How do you think they pay for all of those top graduates coming out of college?

People and Companies DO Make Money Online…and that’s OK!

Making Money

Advertisers pay Google money to make sure that their ads show up high in the paid listing area when you do a search.  There is nothing dirty or wrong about it.

It is just how things work, and I only mention it to open the eyes of people who think that making money online is some dark secret.  It is not only legal, it has become a driving force in what you find online.

Try this Google search on the term “Makeup” and then look at the listings that show up on the top of the page and on the right hand side.  Do you see the tiny print that says “Ads”?

Did you ever notice that before?  Mmmm, Hmmm.  If you see ads, that means that there is money being spent and earned by someone.  Think that Makeup is just a very commercial term?  OK, try doing a search on something a little bit less commercial.

Check out this search for “algebra“.  Yep, still ads.  My point is, many different things are already being monetized online.  You just don’t realize it.

If you have a hobby, or you love to collect something, BINGO!  Perfect.  Anything you have a passion or knowledge about can make you money.  You just have to learn the best way to go about it.  Visit SEMRush & other make money blog like MoneyConnexion and read everything they have there.  You will never look at the internet or your own potential for making money the same way again.