In the last week or so, I was at an informal gathering in which I had a conversation with a woman that greatly impacted how I think about my business. We were four women business owners talking about internet marketing systems… and one of them said she had a friend that had spent over $50,000 dollars on such programs. I was astonished. $50K on internet marketing programs?
But then one of the women in our very group bravely admitted that she could put that other woman to shame with how much money she has spent on internet marketing programs, systems and training. But hang on to your chair, because she followed that up with the following statement that had me practically falling on the floor:
“…And I have never made a dollar online.”
Now I don’t say this to make her feel bad, and she just might be reading this post. I say this because I wanted to thank her.
The Home Business Industry Needs to Clean Up Their Act
You see, every single home business website that is out there is promoting these very programs. Some of them are good. Most of them are crap. And because of this conversation, I have decided that I REFUSE to promote an industry that can collectively take that much money from individuals without empowering them to take action.
For a long time, many of you know that I have been particularly religious about keeping scams and sleazy internet opportunities off of eMoms at Home. I have decided that effective immediately, I will no longer accept advertising for any of the following (legitimate or not):
- Internet marketing products or systems
- Work at Home gigs (unless they clearly offer legit compensation)
- Home Business programs (same as above)
- MLM opportunities
- Business “Opportunities”
Will I turn away good potential partners? Probably. And I will continue to promote the handful of programs that I have first-hand experience with, because I am willing to put my name and my site on the line to vouch for their legitimacy.
But thanks to that conversation with my friend, I will NOT contribute to an industry that preys on people. I will be working with her informally for free for the next few months to help her turn all of that knowledge into income. And even though she has lost tens of thousands of dollars, she can also go to bed tonight knowing that she has certainly saved some other people from the same fate.
And I call on all of the sites dedicated to the home business or internet marketing industry to do the same.
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Way to go, Wendy! I’m sure that woman will greatly appreciate the help you’re giving her.
WOW! 50K! I couldn’t even imagine!
May I please speak to the MLM commentary if only to ask a personal question ? Is that what has folks hesitate to do business with me ? I am asking because I am not the typical prey monster person selling opportunity. Many in my field and industry are and I detest how uncomfortable that makes one feel.
I sell me, products related to wellness and my 13 yrs experience in helping people become well. If I find someone along the way who I’d adore working with do and who is like minded I might say hey you’d be awesome at this work? Who wouldn’t? Do I close every sale of Vitamin C with there is a business opportunity ? Never.
How do I seperate me from the other guy or the bad taste in some folks mouth left from the wake of business opportunity monsters.
How does someone like me who hasn’t a dime to invest in learning how to market on the internet but has a knack for building relationships with people get to the point where blogging is a tool useful to her work?
Further I have no idea how to have ads on my blog that might earn me income, I am completely intriqued that you do that yet I am curious how does one do it very selectively and or organically which right now is how my blog is succeeding - merely by organic traffic and volume.
Trying to plan for a successful bloggy year ahead, your post could not be more timely
Do I leave a sour taste in someone’s mouth because of how I earn my living??
Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan
www.bestwellnessconsultant.com
When we started our blog, the question of advertising came up. It was a simple answer, for us: No ads. We won’t promote anything or anyone’s goods or services - UNLESS WE HAVE TRIED IT AND BELIEVE IT TO BE OF VALUE.
There are far, far too many people out there hurting for money. The Internet rakes back thousands of dollars from people who don’t know any better, who are just trying to make a change, who want to learn or be something different. I find far too many ads taking advantage of people, and I think it’s wrong to make money off someone’s back that way.
So good for you guys. I support your decision.
Great policy! It amazes me how much people can waste trying to learn, rather than finding ways to just start.
It’s a shame, but there are always going to be those who fall prey to the preditors out there.
The saying ‘a fool and his money are easily parted’ comes to mind, but I think that is harsh, in this day and age of technology changing faster than ever before I now feel it’s ‘the new entrants into a market and their money are easily parted’.
It really is no surprise that this lady has spent that kind of money with some ’shark’, many of us are learning about doing business on the web, and most of us are lucky, we do it at our own cost and not by paying others, but for those who have no choice but to ‘buy in’ those skills it really does highlight the dangers for the novice.
All I can say, treat each ‘gift horse’ skeptically!
I am sure many more will be taken in by ’slick’ advertising and ’smooth’ talk, but hopefully over the years the web will also mature and these cases will become less comon.
This is one such reason that I am out here on the web, I am learning all I can, that way I just may be able to help my clients avoid the conman/woman that purports to have all the answers to doing business and marketing on the web!
Wendy,
I think I heard trumpets blaring and watched as confetti rained down and balloons floated up to the ceiling of my living room when I read your post. I get so upset with those huksters out there that are preying on people who want to find a better way to make a living. I don’t have a ton of sympathy for folks who think they can just throw up a website and make a zillion dollars, but for those who are willing to work, it’s unforgivable when companies just take their money and leave them high and dry. As you may remember, I had a problem with an advertiser because I felt that they engaged in some of these practices. I definitely support your decision.
I totally agree with you, but there is one thing that may be missing from those two women’s stories… did they get off there butts and actually try any of those things they learned? And how long did they try them?
When I meet people who have spent ridiculous amounts on training courses, personal development courses, health consultations etc. They are usually looking for the “magic pill”, and there is none. Only consistency and smart work can make you successful.
I think it is great that you are keeping integrity on the web, but there is not much we can do about other people’s laziness.
Love the post! I completely agree…and am reminded of the self improvement seminar an ex dragged me to back in the day that promised to give you a more wonderful life if you bought the $400 product and followed the instructions.
It both made me want to be a motivational speaker, and detested me because how many of those people will buy the product and NOT follow the instructions inside and just come to another (rather expensive) seminar only to repeat the cycle.
The worst part? The keynote speaker for this self-help, in-person, non-Internet pitchfest was Colin Powell - which totally legitimized it for so many people.
I mean, if you can pay off Colin Powell to make your sea of $400 audio products with workbooks (sound familiar?? Like an Internet marketing program almost…) seem legit…it only makes sense for people to see it, realize it works and replicate the idea online.
Any business, even one you start yourself takes creativity and passion and hard work and luck. The people that make money at MLMs (not me, I’m not part of one) are people who would make money anywhere.
Bottom line, life is marketing and if you know how to sell yourself you can sell whatever product comes with it. If you can’t…you’ll fail and end up bitter and with a big ol’ credit card bill.
People buy products they’re not ready to use, and with all the forums and blogs online I don’t think there’s an excuse for not knowing enough about the changing landscape. If you’re not advanced enough to “google it” - you shouldn’t be trying to make money online.
I applaud what you’re doing the same as I applaud anyone that takes a stand…but the only fault is in making it seem easy to make money at all. It’s not…it takes a lot of hard work, and most people just aren’t willing to put that forth.
As for empowerment, you could have an army of cheerleaders and coaches, but if you don’t do anything make it happen…it’s on you, not anyone else.
I also want to chime in against the broad swipe against MLMs. Some are very reputable, and are specifically geared towards Moms who want to work from home.
Like anything else, however, your criteria must be correct in order for you to make an informed judgement:
1) are the products of high quality, and something that I can use (or at least represent well)?
2) is there an educational system in place to help me learn what I need to know?
3) is there a mentorship / accountability program in place (and I don’t mean just required minimum purchases every month) that will guide me to the level of success I want?
Love your blog here. I’ve subscribed.
I also agree that there are many reputable MLM companies out there - Pampered Chef is less than 10 miles away from my house and I own some of their excellent products.
My point is that I cannot investigate any and all of these companies that target work at home moms. And unless I have first-hand experience with them, I won’t be taking advertising dollars from them.
I’ve simply decided that on this site, we will be focusing on a more entrepreneurial approach to business instead of promoting packages and programs, many of which are NOT reputable.
There’s no shortage of information on these programs on other sites - I am happy to differentiate our site from the others in this manner.
And I’m also happy to support any and all parents involved with MLM companies to continue to help them market, promote, and balance their businesses from home, too! We just will do it after they have found the company of their choice.
I think the “swipe” isn’t really a swipe. I think Wendy’s saying that they’re just going to cut back on promoting “buy me now to be successful” goods and services. It’s a redirection of the focus of what they’re doing with this blog and a good choice. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t good opportunities out there for people - just that eMoms isn’t going to push them. After all, some people get into deals (of all sorts, good and bad) just because they think, “HEY! eMoms promotes it! It’s gotta work!”
But like someone else said here, what works is hard work, effort, focus and determination. There really isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme that works unless you’re one of the blessed or the extremely lucky.
Anyways, just wanted to say that I don’t think eMoms is bashing anything. They’re just being cautious with their advertising.
God bless you, Wendy! Others should set this same policy for their website or blog too, but we know not everyone will. It is nice to know that there are people like you who care enough about their readers to do so, though.
Very interesting stand. I will have to think about this some. While I do consider some of the programs out there way too pricey for what they deliver, I don’t think that makes them a scam. Some are scams, some aren’t.
I kind of side with Hethir on this one. Did your friend take action on any of the information she bought or was it all too complicated?
Not taking action is one of the biggest reasons people fail to make money online.
That said, I do hope you help friend make her first dollar online.
All the best,
George
Wow! This is off topic, but I just saw that the conference you are speaking at in Houston is about a 5 minute drive from my house. Very cool!
The only problem is that my wife’s due date is a few weeks later… I will have to talk to her about it. At the very least, we can let you know where some good restaurants are.
George - that is too cool! We’ll definitely have to find a way to hook up even just for coffee while I am there.
RE: the previous comment. I started touching on the whole responsibility issue when I was writing this, then realized it was getting too long and I needed to dedicate a whole post to that side of things.
But I’ll reiterate that I am only refusing advertising from programs that I haven’t personally had experience with, and will no longer take the time to research them if they are potential advertisers. I will continue to promote the small handful of programs I am willing to put my name on the line for, such as Rosalind Gardner’s Super Affiliate Handbook, Aaron Wall’s SEO Book, Brian Clark’s & Tony Clark’s Teaching Sells, Yaro’s Blog Mastermind and Jeremy Palmer’s Affiliate Classroom.
But the other door I need to close on that loop is getting AdSense off of the site, because all of those scams can still get at our audience that way. I’m just waiting until I make the minimum payout again before I take it off the site completely. Never made more than $114 in a month off of it anyway.
Ok, I see. I can understand that. It’s good to only promote things you personally feel good about recommending. I get tired of filtering ads on Google and in some niches it’s almost impossible to filter all the sites you don’t want coming up.
And yes, we should hook up when you are here. There is a starbucks on every corner, so it won’t be hard to hook up for coffee if that’s the route we take
I understand your decision completely. At the same time, spending a ton of money and not taking action is STUPID.
So many people are just plain lazy. They want to buy a product that tells them how to do it, but then when they have the info, they don’t DO anything.
That’s not the fault of the person who put the info together. Is John Reese at fault because people buy is Traffic Secrets yet don’t take action? Empowerment comes from within. It’s not the job of the author of the product to motivate anyone.
I’ve worked hard for 4 years to earn what I earn with my online business. I have spent less than $1,000 on infoproducts during that time. I tried things that didn’t work for me - including direct sales. (Although a good friend of mine who is also a mom of 7 earns more than I do with direct sales.)
I kept at it and took action. That’s the bottom line.
Good for you, Wendy. I made a similar decision when I started my blog for work at home moms, that´s why you won´t find much in the way of advertising there. I don´t have Adsense on my pages anymore, either because the keyword phrase “work at home mom” turned up too many scammy ads.
I´m launching a new wahm business directory next week and though that will have some ads, I will be checking very carefully that only legit products are represented.
Great article Wendy…I wholeheartedly agree!
I work for a search engine where small business owners can find wholesale suppliers, and one of the main issues many have with finding suppliers (if not THE main issue) is whether they’re “true” wholesalers and not just out to scam folks. We’ve taken the approach of educating our site visitors about always researching suppliers (we even published an article about avoiding work at home scams).
It amazes me to no end how much financial trouble many people end up getting themselves in, when they had so much information right at their fingertips to help them avoid the scams out there. Research is key - it takes a lot of time, but your business (and your whole life) is worth it.
Kari Rippetoe
Marketing Manager
goWholesale.com
Actually Wendy one of these type scams gave birth to my blog albeit I didn’t invest 50K only about 500.00 if I remember right , I call it tuition, and yes I would love to advertise on your site. I get my jabs in just about every time I post
Totally agree. . . reading your post prompted me to come up with a 2008 continuing education buyer’s guide: http://tinyurl.com/27×6ca
Wendy, please feel free to have your friend email and I can tell her how I was able to build just under 10,000 links and not pay one dollar. I spend hours on the web, commenting and asking people to read my site on stumble upon. I’m very new, and still don’t know much about the web however, although I don’t have a lot of traffic yet, between 1500 and 3000 unique visitors per month. I’m going to work on that now.
It does take hard work and long hours. I’m learning how to improve my writing, via spell check and research. However, I am improving and our site is growing and we’re less then one year old. It’s been my dream and after finding a partner who believed in me, we’re here and loving every moment. I’d be happy to share what I know.
I respect and admire your integrity. I’m from a corporate world, where it’s not as common as one would hope I look forward to the day when I can do this full time and write, and write, and write. I’m once again, so glad I found your site.
My best,
Dorothy from grammology
remember to call your gram
http://grammology.com
Good on you for taking this stand Wendy! I wholeheartedly agree with your commitment to promoting business from an entrepreneurial standpoint, and this is certainly the ethos behind my site for UK based Internet WAHM’s.
Whilst there are great internet marketing products out there that can help you build you business, there are way too many unscrupulous marketers ready to pounce on a VERY information hungry market. I’ve only bought a few products in my time; some great, some not. One of the questions I ask before buying is: “Will this product help me build my current business as it stands now?”. If the answer’s “No”, then it’s no good for me. By this I mean, can I take the principles and apply it to my non internet marketing business to increase sales. Or is it just going to tell me some nonsense about how I can get rich quick throwing up ton of adsense sites… IYSWIM!
We need sites like yours Wendy, with recommendations we can actually trust. I’ve been considering Aaron’s SEO book and now that I have a recommendation I can trust I think I will go for it. Please fee free to send me your affiliate link Wendy, it’s only fair. Perhaps you could send it via the contact form on my site?
Lovin’ yer work!
Amazing! I try to find every single way I can develop my business without spending money. Networking, creating other blogs, diversifying my business all work. I wonder why some people dish out their money like candy? They certainly aren’t getting a good ROI.
With so many so called “internet marketing gurus” out there it is truly refreshing to find that there still is people looking at this blogging thing from the educational aspect. -Good Job!
Tom Lindstrom
The Home Business Archive
This is one of those topics that gets my blood boiling. I’ve worked online for nearly 10 years and have found everything I’ve learned for free! It just takes the time and the effort to uncover what everyone else has on learning.
I can see trying to cut corners and invest in a complete packet of what others have learned under one roof, but to believe there are actually get rich quick schemes that work is just fooling yourself.
It’s taken me almost that full 10 years to get to where I am - only 1 year ago to where i can support my entire family and now I’m supporting my family AND saving some too.
It’s there to be had, but the ones who are selling the evangelical packets of work at home wealth are making it more difficult to uncover the truth.
Kudos to you! It’s nice to see someone really take a stand on this.
I also have to agree with a previous commenter who said “most everything you need to work an internet business is available somewhere online for free”.
However, it does take a lot of effort to dig it out. I’ve spent a fair amount on courses and such in hopes of short-cutting that process, and for the most part I got decent value for the money.
But I’ve got to admit, I learned the most by the “digging it out for myself” process, which I highly recommend for anyone serious about learning this business.
I fully agree with Gayla! It takes time and a lot of research and work to find out what works.Read marketingforums, ask questions to other marketers and so on.
Hi, Wendy:
Great info! I’ve worked in the IM field for several years now, and yes, there is a lot of crap, a lot of hype … and a lot of dreamers. I’ve met many people who have spent thousands of dollars without seeing results.
But from what I’ve seen — talking with other entrepreneurs, working with my clients and even watching what’s happened with my own investments into opportunities-in-a-box and how-to courses — is that the amount of work you do plays a tremendous role in the payoff you get. A big pitfall is thinking that you can’t get started until you’ve attended these 3 seminars and purchased those 5 courses … when in fact, you need to start ASAP and learn as you go.