You know, when last November I told my husband "I am
going to write a book", he laughed. What kind of a book
could a former music teacher possibly write? Especially
the one he is married to :-) Who cares if she has a
computer degree!
I got all my smarts together and in 3 months completed my
first book on how to make a web site for newbies. My
husband was still laughing. He kept saying, "just show me
the money!" A week after I released my new book, I was
able to show him the money.
When my first order came in, I was jumping up and down
(after all, I was too a bit skeptical about making money
with this book). My first customer was very excited to be
the first one. "What do ya know! I am the first at
something!", he said.
After that many more sales came in, but that first one was
absolutely unforgettable.The feeling of making something
on your own and having people like it and pay for it, is
absolutely incredible (sometimes I think it's better than
sex! :-)
It is August now. I have finished my 3rd book for
webmasters. I am still enjoying my sales (slow but steady)
and so far have made over $10,000 selling my books. I
know it is not a 6-figure income. It is not even enough to
quit my full-time job. But hey, it has only been 7 months
since I started my business and this figure is realistic. And
as they say in Russia, "the slower you go, the further you'll
get!"
The scariest part is behind. What was the scariest part?
Making the first sale. The rest was easy! I have learned a
lot more about having a successful web site since I started
my business. It doesn't take much. Only one thing:
consistence. Sounds simple? Yes, but not everyone has
the patience to keep going.
Personally, I don't think I stopped even for a day to take
a break. Every day I do something to promote it -
exchange links with other webmasters, submit my site to
Search Engines, write an article, improve my web site,
place a classified ad... The list can go on and on. The point
is, if I can make money on the Web, anyone can. I know it
sounds like a cliche, but believe me: work DOES bring
money. Smart work brings a LOT of money. I'll just have to
get a little smarter yet :-)
I hope this letter inspired you as much as someone's
newsletter inspired me once. Before I wrote my book, I
received a newsletter from someone. It started like this:
"Tomorrow my wife and I are moving into a new house. I
have finally been able to quit my job and devote all of my
time to my business... My wife is staying with our newborn
at home. Life is grand!"
Milana Nastetskaya is a full-time web developer and the
author of 3 books: "Create Your First Business Web Site
in 10 days!", "65 Instant Web Answers!" and "How To Install
and Troubleshoot CGI scripts".
http://www.firstbusinesswebsite.com
http://www.instantwebanswers.com
http://www.installcgi.com
