I’m writing this at my kitchen table, with a brew that’s already gone cold because I keep getting distracted. Which is fitting, really, because distraction is one of the lessons.
If I could sit down with the version of me who was just starting out, these are the seven things I’d tell her.
1. Start small, No much Smaller than that.
I used to think I needed a website, a YouTube channel, a Facebook group and a podcast before I’d “properly” started. Nope. You need one small thing working. Then another. My first real progress came from one simple funnel and some honest posts, not an empire.
2. Pick one thing and stick with it
This is the big one. Jumping from method to method was what kept me stuck for so long. When I joined CBPC, the relief was having one clear path to follow. Whatever you choose, give it a proper go before deciding it doesn’t work. This is where most people leave, as when they haven’t become a millionaire overnight they think it doesn’t work so they go out to find the next thing, then the next…..
3. Slow is fine
Everyone online seems to be moving at a hundred miles an hour. You don’t have to. I work in 20-minute pockets around family life. Some weeks I barely do anything. It’s still moving forward. Slow and steady has got me further than any burst of hustle ever did. I used to feel guilty when I didn’t do anything, but then I realised that I already planted the seed, that takes time to grow, and also did you know that when someone first sees your post it takes another 7 times for that same person to see information that they first saw before they would even check it out, that was crazy to me, but some people take longer than others.
4. Test it yourself before you recommend it
I only share things I’ve tried. It’s slower, but it means I can talk about them honestly, including the catches. People can tell when you’re just reading from someone else’s script. And your reputation is the one thing you can’t buy back. Have I tried things that didn’t work? Absolutely I have, have I mentioned it. no. because why would I let someone else waste their time, energy and money on something that doesn’t work? There are people out there that would share it just to get you on their list, or to even get you to sign up and earn a one time commission, but thats not me, I say it how it is, and I only every share what I have tried and is working for me.
5. Be honest, even when it’s less exciting
“This takes time and there are no guarantees” is not a sexy sentence. But it’s true, and the people who stick around because of it are the people you actually want to help. I’d rather have ten readers who trust me than a thousand who feel misled. If I can help just one person out of a list of 1000, then that one person is the one who is genuinely interested and want to know how it works, those others just wanted a quick fix hooping it was going to get them rich overnight, those are the ones that never stick around.
6. Rest counts
I used to feel guilty on days I didn’t do anything. Now I schedule posts ahead so I can take proper breaks. A tired, frazzled version of me writes worse posts and makes worse decisions. Rest isn’t the opposite of progress. It’s part of it. It gives me time for the brain fog to clear, and my posts to make better sense that they would if I did things tired and burnout.
7. Just begin
I spent a long time “getting ready to start”. Reading, watching, planning. None of it moved me forward like actually doing one small thing. You’ll learn more from one wonky, finished step than from a month of research.
for me number 2 was the biggest lesson I have learned the hard way, you see so many people offering courses, that cost a fortune, let me tell you I have a hard drive full of those courses, yeah I read through them, they didn’t really make any sense, they just wanted my money. then I would look around for the next thing, another system, another email list builder, so when I say I only share what works then trust me, I say this out of honesty and my own mistakes that I don’t want others to go through.
A bonus one from the kitchen
When I was training as a chef, one of the first things I learned was to clean as you go. Don’t let the mess pile up until the end of the shift. It turns out that works online too. A little bit of tidying each session (sorting links, clearing notes, answering messages) stops it all becoming a mountain. As once you start to gain traction after you start being consistent its surprising how quickly answering message can replying to emails can become overwhelming, this is why I do this daily, plus on the flip side of this those asking the questions and sending the emails get their answers more quickly rather then leaving them till sometime next week, so by the time you do get back to them they have already moved on to the next thing.
Where I’d start if I were you
If I were starting again today, I’d want something that ticks off a few of these for me: one clear path, step by step, that I could fit into small pockets of time. That’s what CBPC has been for me. It’s free to join, the login arrives by email the same day, and then you add your ClickBank details inside and start at step one the first Orientation video, its about 4 mins long….
No pressure. Have a look, and see if it fits around you and your day!
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