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THE SWEET SPOT
This article started with several options for a title - Entrepreneurs Epiphany,
Netrepreneurs Nirvana, When It All 'Clicks', Reaching the Pinnacle, Voila,
Success! - but I settled on the quasi-cliché The Sweet Spot. I am prone to deep
reflection this time of year and the process actually began about two months ago.
Due to the wonderfully wide exposure I had received as a business author, I was
encouraged to start writing a column and decided to pen my random personal
views on the state of Internet marketing in a column called "Of Mouse &
Man".
My debut column set the tone for what will be the conclusion to this article. So
please bear with me as I ask you to read " Just Another Day in Cyberspace".
"I have often wondered why so many of us choose to plant our unexercised
bodies in front of a computer monitor for hours on end in what at times seems
like a futile attempt to tame the monster we call the World Wide Web.
Could it be that the radiation we soak up day in and night out is addictive? I
know I drink much more coffee and usually convince myself that I don't have
the time to take my daily walk. Too many emails to answer, too many projects
behind schedule. Internet marketing can definitely be harmful to one's health.
Is being at the forefront of global e-commerce the ultimate 21st Century escape
from the main street business world? A "now I don't have to press the flesh with
live human beings", safer, faceless place to do business? I wonder about this
sometimes.
Or, could the reason be that this pre-occupation represents the ultimate III
Millennium challenge to those of us who possess a pioneering spirit and are
willing to accept any and all consequences that come with being among the first
Internet Explorers? I have realized that I will not be able to rest until I have
staked my claim and found a niche on the Net that I can call home.
Call it the thrill of the chase, my inbred stubbornness or my astrological tendencies
but there's something that keeps me here doing what most of my family and friends
just cannot understand.
What I do I know for a fact is that the coffee will keep flowing and the radiation
will keep poisoning me and when I discover the reason I do this, I will let them
know.
I have a feeling it may come to me during my daily walk.
So there it is, on this, just another day in cyberspace."
OK, back to present-day cyber-land. It wasn't during my stroll that the answer
came to me. The epiphany came while in front of my monitor the day after New
Year's watching the email flow into my inbox. Sale after sale after sign-up after
sale was pouring in and it suddenly occurred to me that all the blood, sweat, tears
and aggravation I had extended during the past year was for this very reason. Not
just the money streaming in mind you (yes, it's a nice feeling), but all the people
who were seeing what I have built and now trust me enough to partner with me
and who will ultimately benefit from what I have offered them. People with whom
I now have a relationship. People I would never have known, and money I would
never have earned had it not been for this phenomena known as the Internet.
And it totally blew me away to think that I've "pressed the flesh" or spoke on
the
Tele with only a minority of these new partners. I simply sat in front of a computer
screen and applied what knowledge I had accumulated over the years from my
"Real World" business experience and in essence "typed and clicked" my
vision
into the homes and businesses of so many people.
To experience the feeling of having the planning, the work, the setbacks, the
adjustments, the frustrations, the time and expense manifest itself into this single
result was a very powerful experience for me. THIS is the reason I have been
doing this. I have built my own little corner in cyber-space and it's now a place
where many people come to improve and embellish their lives.
And you know what's just as "sweet"? I have only just begun! I can't wait to
unleash what I have planned for 1999.
I want to begin my conclusion by stating that I couldn't have done this alone.
All the "I's" in this article should have been "We've's" (but that
makes for a pretty
lame article). You see, I have a partner who I shared all this with. Her name is
Kathie Verrette and she worked beside me (digitally, that is) every step of the
way. We dreamt and we planned together. We executed together and wrongly
so, so many times. We rose and we fell and got back up as one. Her successes
and failures were mine and mine hers. We discussed, debated, even argued at
times, but always with a common goal at the forefront. To conquer the Wild Wild
Web.
Specifically, we began 1998 by building a motivational website called The
Hallway ( http://www.thehallway.com ). We went on
to start one of the first
2-Tier Affiliate Programs, The I.D.IT! Plates Partner Program
( http://www.iditplates.com )and have over 2,600
resellers in just over 3 months.
We were instrumental in the design of the Affiliate Software we use for our
program because nothing available measured up to our specifications. At the
beginning of this year we decided to market what is now called REPLICATOR
2000 ( http://www.netprofit2020.com/rep2000/id/CK1057
) to people who
wanted to build their own affiliate programs, so we started our own software
business. In December we revamped our main company website to reflect this
new focus ( http://www.netprofit2020.com/rep2000/id/CK1057
) and our new
NetSuccess Software Store is just weeks away from opening.
Best of all though, we learned so much during this past year that we decided to
share that knowledge and write our own book in 1999. We truly believe that this
will be one of the best Internet business tutorials available. If you are interested in
the release date and price information, please send your email address to
book@thehallway.com and we'll send you updated information.
If you get nothing else from this article than the feeling that "I can do it!",
then I've
done my job as a writer. Because you CAN achieve financial independence from
your Internet business. There are everyday people out there earning a great living
off the Web by applying common sense blended with old-fashioned ingenuity.
It's all a matter of deciding you can do it and sticking to that very belief until you
find The Sweet Spot.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Rick is a partner in NetProfit 2020 Inc. Specialists in Internet
Promotion, you can find the Web's Best Promotional Tools and
Dealer Programs at http://www.netprofit2020.com
including the World debut of REPLICATOR 2000 - AFFILIATE POWER SOFTWARE. ENTER
& WIN 2 FREE I.D. IT! Plates and The Millennium Clock at http://www.netprofit2020.com/contests/index.htm
EZINE OWNERS: check out Rick's popular column at http://www.netprofit2020.com/TrademarkeT/rickbfreelance.htm
Contact Rick at rickbeneteau@netprofit2020.com
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