Internet marketing sounds fun, right?  You get to use technology and the internet, learn about “secret tricks,” and work 4 hours per day from home while earning money in your sleep, right?

It almost seems as cool as hacking did back in the mid-eighties, except this time money is involved.  And there are all these “gurus” going around saying that it’s really easy and if you give them $2997 they’ll send you their 38 DVD course that’s basically a “done for you blueprint for $20k per day” (essentially a business in a box). 

It seems like a game, right?  Especially when you’re brainstorming lots of ideas and writing them all down and having great insights left and right.

The problem is that internet marketing is a game a lot of people lose.  The vast majority of websites created to earn money never ever ever do.  (The failure rate is so high because the barrier to entry for an internet business is so low).

Anyway, most people lose the internet marketing game because it never ceases to be a game in their mind.  They never put their foot down, declare “this is MY business,” and work like a madman to make it work.  They never tell their family about their business (but they might tell amused friends at a cocktail party), they never pursue it full-time, they never stop entertaining other business ideas (or business models), and they never stop building new websites.

They also never liberate themselves from their day jobs.

There comes a point in every successful entrepreneur’s life when they stop considering every business idea that floats through their head and say to themselves “this is my business,” “this is how I will feed my family,” “this will be the main focus of my career,” and “this is something I will pursue for the next 2+ years.”

I call this point “game over.” Because, at this point, their business had ceased to become a game.  It stops becoming a game because they don’t just do it when they want to.  And when it’s fun.

They do it when it makes them sick to their stomach with anxiety.  They do on days when they don’t want to get out of bed and face the world.  They do it because it’s the fucking 20th and if they don’t hustle their ass off, they won’t make their mortgage payment on the 30th.

They do it because the game is over.  They do it because it’s their business, their livelihood and their identity.

Their is no blueprint for “getting to game over.”

But if you never get there, your business has a snowflake’s chance in hell.

At one point I was running 10 businesses.  At the same time.  Because I’m a madman.

Now I just run three.  And at some point soon, I’m looking to own only two.  (Although I’ll still keep a number of my laboratory businesses for experimental purposes . . . because I just LOVE dealing with the malpractice attorneys I sell leads to in Ohio. NOT).

In addition to that, I write a blog under a pseudonym.

The too-many-businesses I used to run, and the too-many domain names I own (it’s well over 400 now), are symptoms of past entrepreneurial ADD (that many people get when they first start doing business online . . . the barrier to entry for starting a new venture is just so low).

Anyway, I’m in this game for the long haul.  So over the next 30+ years that I’m doing this online nonsense there will be mergers, there will be acquisitions, there will be name changes, etc.

So, starting next week, I’ll be permanently tying my identity and my personal brand to a new domain name: one that bears my name (which is the only name I’m permanently attached to).

It’s funny how much my identity is tied up with the domain names I own.  And frankly, every time I start a new site, sell a site, or change the domain name of a site, my self-conception changes a bit. (Sometimes these shifts are huge and internally challenging, and sometimes they aren’t).

Anyway, I’ll still blog at a number of places (including here) . . . but I’ll have one online home.  Which will be nice.

–Clay

I work non-stop now.  And you know what? I’m loving every second of it.

I’m a high-school dropout.  A two-time grad school drop out.  A cubicle drop out. And the list goes on.

I thought I was lazy until I learned how to build my own life.

I thought I was lazy until I created my own job.

I thought I was a late-riser until I got two employees who start every morning at 8:00AM.

But now I’m 28, and I’m working on issues that existed long before I was ever born, and that will exist long after I’ve left this earth.

There’s so much talk these days about low-hour work weeks, lifestyle design, escaping from your cubicle, etc. etc. etc.  And some times all this away-motivated psychology really gets me down.

Sometimes it seems like the only things people have to say about work is that they don’t want to do it. But sometimes freedom is being given the opportunity to work your ass off trying to make a difference.

But the truth is that nothing truly remarkable is easily done (if it could be done easily, it probably wouldn’t be that remarkable).

There are at least two type of business people: (1) opportunists who want to capitalize on the latest “tricks,” and (2) innovators focused on creating multiple billion dollars worth of value in the hopes of receiving a couple million in return.

Which one are you?

–Clay

[Heads up: At some point soon, this blog will be moving to a different location. I may move it tomorrow. I may move it in town weeks. Be prepared ].

I’m really excited about something, so before I get to the “meat” of this post, I wanted to mention that . . .

Project Mojave is On the Way

Project Mojave will be opening to its 150 founding members on April 15^th. So far it’s rocking my world (i.e. I’ve really enjoyed creating it). Save the date. (If you’ve never heard of Project Mojave, then you’re probably not on the “Free Shit and Discountz List”).

I can’t wait. Really.

Anyway, with that out of the way, I should probably give you a heads on . . .

Where the Hell I’ve Been (And What’s Been Keeping Me Up at Night)

A while ago, I promised an (almost-)daily video blog on market selection & business idea testing (see here and here for the first two episodes).

It’s coming (in a huge way). I promise.

In the mean time, however, it’s worth mentioning that creating a daily video blog takes a LOT of time . . .

. . . JUST the video rendering & editing & uploading of vlog episodes takes longer than it takes to write a usual blog post. Add to that the time it takes to have my transcriptionist transcribe the video, and you’ve got a hell of a process.

So, I’ve done some things to free up time . . .

I tend to come up with really crazy ideas when I’m up late at night (i.e. nearly every night).  Anyway, I just sent this email (see below) to a group of colleagues and friends.

Implement at your own risk . . .

Dear Friends,

You guys are all people I respect, trust, and admire (and you’re all entrepreneurs who work full-time from home).  So I want to invite you to join a private accountability group that I’m starting.

Before I get into "the rules," I want to let you know that I won’t be hurt, offended, etc. if you decide not to participate.  What I’m about to propose is a little radical, and I don’t expect everyone to want to participate.

The Back Story:

In the next 1.5 years I want to achieve a very specific goal.   So I decided to create an accountability group (kind of like a mastermind group) to help me accomplish this goal, and to help us accomplish our respective business goals.

Here’s how the accountability group would work:

• We would meet once per week, via a skype conference call at a mutually agreed-upon time that stays consistent from week to week
• During each phone call, you must commit to completing at least one high-leverage task that will put you closer to your business goal.
• We’re all encouraged to consult the group for advise on what the highest-leverage task might be for our given goal (there are some VERY talented and successful people who’ve been emailed about this)
• The completion of the task(s) you commit to must be provable (i.e. the nature of the task must be such that you can "prove" you finished it during our next meeting).
• In order to participate, you must put $1k into the group’s paypal account.  If you do not complete the task(s) (that you agreed to) from the previous week, your $1k is donated to a charity of your choice.  If you lose your $1k and wish to stay in the group, you must replace your original $1k.
• The PayPal account will be controlled by a treasurer who we will jointly appoint.  I will not be the treasurer.
• If you decide to participate, you must participate for at least 3 months, after which time you can chose to remove your $1k and leave the group at any time.
• Participants must be "on time" for at least 3 out of every 4 phone calls.  If you’re not on time for at least 3 out of every 4 calls, you forfeit your spot in the group and your $1k.
• You must be on time for the group’s first 3 calls.
• You are allowed to be "absent" for the phone call for which you’re late
• All of these rules, of course apply to me

I honestly don’t know how many people will be game for this, but I know that this kind of group would really help me.  The stakes are high, but that’s a good thing in my opinion.

–Clay Collins

I’ll let you know if this group parts me with my $1k.