Do you have what it takes?
 

I've been hangin' out here for a while now... and I'm still no less amazed at some of the questions I see come up. I don't mean the basic or even technical stuff... like how to code up an exit console or something... that's just the result of lack of information... they make for fun threads while releasing alot of tension, but not really important in the grand scheme of things...

What I do mean, is the simple business principle type questions that never fail to astound me. And every time I see one, I can't help but wonder... is our industry really just a bunch of teenage kids wingin' it out there, hoping to get lucky and make a buck?

Some of you are no doubt, business wizards.... but by the same token, ALOT of you are truly floundering in the *mystery* of it all, completely clueless as to such elementary concepts like supply & demand, or even basic work ethics.

Do you honestly expect to jump into an industry, ANY industry, and be able to only put in an hour or two a day and be at the peak of success in the field? If so, I want some of that glue you're eating.

WORK. Lot's of it. 24/7 if you plan on operating your own business. Being a successful entrepreneur is NOT, contrary to popular belief, as easy as it looks in the "Work At Home & Make A Million" books.

SACRIFICE. Plenty of that too.... better be prepared to give up some things to make your business dreams a reality. Like all-nighters at the club drooling on the hookers. Sure, you might APPEAR like a smokin' pimp daddy.... but you'll be back in the morning wondering why you aren't making any money.

DRIVE. You'd better have this, and it'd better be close to a fanatical level... or you can get back in line.

PERSISTENCE. Without it, you're nothing more than a wannabe. And no one will give you the time of day once you've earned the title of "quitter".

TALENT. An equally important ingredient. Not many successful people can claim a complete lack of talent in some area.

And I'm sure there are many more... I could go on forever... maybe someday I'll write a book. But you get the idea. Yet some of the things I see, while I have no doubt they are genuine questions, are screaming "Clueless!" from every word.

I'm not intending to make this a put down, but rather, an observation.... one that has been eating away at my spine for quite some time now....

Do you have what it takes to BE in business? If you do, this thread makes perfect sense to you. If you don't.... I might as well go back to beating my head against the desk. You may get lucky and discover simple business principles on your own, by way of ALREADY possessing the qualities above, over time.... that's where the drive & persistence come in.... but I can't help but feel that many of you should really go and do some serious reading and re-evaluation.

My 1 cent worth. :smokin



Yet another original rant by the Amputator.

AMP FOR PRESIDENT!

I'd definitely add a penny to that post! The best two cents I've seen in a while.

:thumbsup

So where does that leave Spacedog ?

My intent was to phrase accordingly so that one may derive an irrevocable self-analysis from the text.... where that leaves spacedog, only spacedog knows.

Amp, Nice post. But here's my thoughts...

While it's nice to tow the Puritan work ethic line of hard work, diligence, piety, and thrift as a personal highway to the middle/high income bracket, what's wrong with finding short cuts?

I'm not talking about short cuts as in avoidance of work or thinking, but working hard at being efficient, at maximizing profit? Indeed, while the US was partly built on the much talked about "Hard work" I'd say more than 90% of it is built on the idea of "Short Cuts"--faster, leaner, cheaper, you name it.

So cut us slackers some slack. I'd rather dream up and work on pneumatic drills while everyone else pounds concrete with their bare knuckles. Call me weird, but less work and higher efficiency = more time dreaming up newer stuff.

As for the other observations re personal traits. Sure, they're nice to have but lionizing these traits often distracts people from the real lesson--seek personal balance and things will come easier than if you hung on too tight.


I guess all those Vipassana classes are finally paying off :)

Spacedogs got energy

what he said

I've been working for myself for 7 years. It's hard work! I spend 16-18hrs a day doing what I do for a living. Sometimes I just wanna get in my car a leave and never come back, but most of the time I really enjoy it.

Most people do not have the self-motivation to work for them selves - this is not a bad thing , just the way is

I think you are already well aware that we are on the exact same wavelength.... :thumbsup

Nothing wrong with streamlining or shortcuts.... provided those words are used in CONTEXT. Most people see those words as, "hey... I can take a shortcut and get rich!" And it just doesn't work that way.... a shortcut to you and me means efficiency, more productivity thru less output, and maximizing profits.... shortcuts to the clueless means time to fuck off and get rich off someone elses work.

And you know that's where my mind is at.... the shit up there is low-level Business 101. :smokin

I agree wholeheartedly. I get very annoyed at all the people who think along the lines of "put up a quick and dirty copy of someone else's site on a free server and they will come." What a joke!

Here's my story: Five or six years ago when I jumped into this business, my income was $12K (that's annual, folks). I won't reveal last year's gross income (I'm working on taxes now, so I'm quite aware of it), and believe me I've come a long way.

I work seven days a week every day of the year. Even when I'm out of town visiting my daughter, I spend at least two or three hours answering e-mail, ICQ'ing, and making sure updates happen (usually a matter of simply renaming a file I FTP'ed before leaving). A more typical day will see me getting up around 9, having breakfast and tidying up until 10 when my helper arrives. We work until 4 p.m., stopping only for lunch (and I mean only to make lunch, for we go back and eat at our desks while we work).

At 4 p.m., I head into town to take care of shipping and banking and whatever shopping may be required (office supplies, groceries, etc.). My helper has left by 5 p.m., which is when I return. But my day is not over yet. I work pretty much continuously until something like 1 or 3 a.m.

A day in which I have to do a shoot is even more hectic.

Sacrifices? Because a growing business needs a constant influx of cash, I have learned to live without a car. I do this partly by living in a very convenient place, at a bus terminal that has buses going into town constantly, so I don't even really need to check a schedule. I just go and wait and rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus into town to go by. I also get around by bicycle quite a bit, which is good for my health, so I have no complaints. When I REALLY need a car, I rent one. However, that is a rare occasion, because generally that kind of money is a needless expense.

Persistence. Most of the lasting advances a business makes are incremental and evolutionary, not sudden and revolutionary.

AMP, I think you're right: Most of the "webmasters" here are very young and naive and not really very business oriented. They are oriented toward quick and easy results, and since that rarely happens (or lasts, when it does happen), they will be gone in short order. Unless they grow, of course.

I want to be rich, could someone please tell me how to format c:?

Nz

$5 bucks & the info is yours.

Ever hear of the saying:
You get out of it what you put in it ?
Go figure.........


Ever hear of the saying:
There is no such thing as a dumb question ?
Go figure again.........

Ever hear of the saying:
Don't send a boy to do a mans job ?
You know the routine.

And remember!: the strong will survive!

Big Big Pimpin
BV
:smokin

I wish I had seen this thread when it first popped up. My opinions have already been posted by a few others.

I will add this about the shortcuts: If you find a way to do something faster, that does not mean you do the minimum and stop. I may find shortcuts from time to time but the way I see it, it just gives me more time to do more work. I put in 16 to 18 hours EVERY day. Right now, my grandmother is on life support in the hospital and we are taking her off of it tomorrow. I have been at my parents house for about 4 days now and I am sitting by the phone to answer questions from friends and family. Guess what? I had a cable modem installed here 3 days ago and I brought the laptop. That's right folks, I am editing porn videos at my parents house. BTW, they are very aware of what I do.

Tell me I am not dedicated.

my only problem is since I found this board I can't get shit done:pimp

I agree totally Amp, dedication is key. With a lil bit of luck thrown in too.

"I spend 16-18hrs a day doing what I do for a living."

Tis the life of a webmaster... Sleep for 4 hours...Work...Eat... and sleep again. If your lucky enough you might actualy go outside on the weekends.


"And remember!: the strong will survive!"

What your talking about is almost a form of natural selection.... If everyone that came into this biz made mucho dollars, there wouldn't be enough dollars to go around...

I GOT WHAT IT TAKES...

But i look at it this way..... I keep to my fields and when i go to expand i try new shit and most of the time going in to new terroirty is hard at times sure it may seem so simples to other but we all have to lear some were some how....

I think it depends on the person and the how the person handles their bussiness....

IE SPACEDOG > Seems as if he/she is trying to learn but wants every one to they every thing for he/she, Its called try shit on your own... like shit i just attempted to start up my first TGP but it crashed and bruned but nothing gained nothing lost execpt that i know what i can do diffrent the second time around..

So i think in my opinion in this bussiness you got to do shit your self and look to your CLOSE friends with shit and stop looking to EVERYONE for answers cause you make an ass out of your self and get no respect.

^^ I HOPE WHAT I WROTE MAKES SENCE :) ^^

DEDICATION: You will know when you have achieved this when you are suddenly struck by the realization that, you work on porn for 18 hours plus a day, yet your girlfriend is constantly fucking pissed off because she doesn't get enough sex.

You've completely missed the point. Not by a little.... by a mile.

Granted, we all tend to stick to the things we know... and most of us will delve into other things, either as genuine interest in expansion, or merely experiment. But someone with the FOUNDATIONS of business under their belt, can pretty much be successful in anything they apply themselves to.

It's not about technical questions, making an ass out of your self, good 'ol boy clubs, or the buddy system. It's about a little bit of street smarts combined with a good business sense, and a whole lotta will to be number one.

I make an ass out of myself on a daily basis. But don't mistake that for ignorance or shyness. :smokin

I can help ya with that problem:)

AMEN!!! Add that to the list of traits a full time webmaster posess!

Amp, this is a very good topic:) Between what you have said and what many others said there isn't much I can add. I agree with basically all of it. I would like to add that the Young Punks, and those that do think they can just jump into the biz and make some quick easy money, are what is making tougher and tougher on those that work at it for a true living. Also these are the ones that realize it's not so easy, and turn to the cheating methods which in turn make it once again more difficult for the rest of us.

Unseeworld my friend, your day's sound very similiar to mine, excluding the no car part..hehhhe I have a few, not that I have much time to enjoy them...LOL... But I think many of us live by that daily schedule you have..

ok 2 cents for now..most likely will add some more later:thumbsup To Amp's thread here.

Here's a short, but true story:

When I turned 18, I was ejected from the house. On the way out the door, my mother handed me a 3 page letter. The bottom line of that letter was "You can do & be ANYTHING you want. Never forget that, and you will succeed in anything you do."

Well, naturally, I thought it was all bullshit, and I was just pissed cuz I was facing the fact that I had to figure out WHAT the fuck I was gonna do. The actual message of it didn't sink into my head for several years. But when it did.....

I've had more different professions than most people will ever know. And I have been successful at most of them. Not all... but most. I attribute this to a combination of the truthfulness of those words and a prolonged study of various philosophy, and of course, wide practical experience in numerous industries.

I am STILL on the road to finding out if what she said was true. While I know it in my head and in my heart, I still want a hardcopy. Life, for me, gets sweeter and sweeter each & every waking day. And it is NOT based on money. Not many people find that place in life.... I consider myself extremely fortunate. I have chosen wise paths.

You truly can, DO... and BE... anything you want...
if you really want it bad enough. :smokin

WOw.. not much to add there Amp. Excellent post.

Unfortunately, I'm at the end of one of my 16 hour days so I'm pretty well burned out. I think you all said it as well as it could be said.

One thing I did notice reading thru this thread.... most of the people you're "eluding" to in your original post Amp, haven't graced the thread with any of their pearls of wisdom.

:thumbsup

Amputate Your Head,

In a macro sense though don't you think that those who have less drive, talent, persistence, sacrifice, work ethic, etc. than others are none the less important to the industry.

Take the food chain for example (i think the tooth and nail struggle for survival closely mirrors that of this industry) those at the top would not be able to survive (or at least not eat/earn) as well without those at the bottom. For they provide those on top of them with food/income as well as feed off those below them.

And evolution is part of it too...think of where you were many years ago when you first started, and your place in that chain...your evolution brings you ever closer to the top as well as making you better equipped to retain such a position.

It also follows suite that the preditor/prey relationship fits this industry...You either evolve or get eaten...and there is always a fresh input of those unwilling (or too dumb) to evolve...cuz its the easy route...this in turn makes for a renewable food/income source.

I don't see a good or bad, right or wrong position here. It all depends on what level on the food chain you desire to, or are satisfied to, reside at...lose one link...and the chain is broken.


And I believe its "Alluding to" not "Eluding to"...

To "allude" is to make refrence to such as "allusion"

To "elude" is to escape from...such as "elusion"

Not really.... I understand where you're going, but it doesn't really apply to the original post... I'm not talking about competition, which is a good thing.... but a completely different topic. I'm speaking from a purely business sense.

In general, I'm talking about EVERYONE, and their brains. Not skill level. Skill levels are ever-changing. Today's TennisAce may be tomorrows Amputate Your Head. (hehe... little plug there....)

But regardless of your skill level in a particular area of an industry, one should, prior to stepping into the entrepreneur arena, already possess the basic knowledge and skills of proper business management, marketing, and some form of talent in a relevant area. Otherwise you're just wasting your own time.

So, no..... the food chain scenario doesn't apply here, because this is about all skill levels. Anyone that is launching or currently operating or attempting to operate their OWN business.

And those that THINK they are.

This can't be GFY I'm reading.

Real live honest to god philosophy and character analysis?

AMP, nice post. As someone else mentioned, the guys that need to read and understand this are not commenting. Maybe they think you're talking about someone else. In any case, truer words have never been spoken. Ain't no get rich quick in this business or any other one for that matter. It constantly amazes me at the people that think it's a one hour a day bullshit deal and want to watch the money rolling in. Not going to happen, folks...that's not the way of the world.

but this amp by its very nature is the definition of competition...those with inferior skill levels amplify the skills, or maybe the impression one gets of someone's skills, of those with higher skills.

you see what I'm saying? There must be a light in order for there to be a dark.

And maybe I'm persuing a different topic or perspective.


And though this is a bit of a contradiction on your part... though I still think my theory applies...Because in my opinion the Tennis Ace of today makes the Amp of today look better by nature of comparison.

LudeDude,

I agree this is a refreshing thread...

awsome, true, motivating

good job amp ;)

No to all of it....

Again... it's not about competition or skill level.

It doesn;t matter what your skill level is. It's about whether or not you are able to conduct business effectively and improve your skill level and / or resources of skills & talents... not "who's better".

If you don;t have the basics of business in your back pocket, it doesn;t matter if you fucking ROCK at marketing.... your business will still fail.

Very nice thread Amp. :)

I would add a person needs to have the ability to accept failures. I have watch many people get depressed over something not working. They end up quitting, complaining that they just can't do it, etc. If a person can't look at their failures and learn from them, they don't have a chance.

A person can have the attitude that they will succeed, but they have to also have the attitude that they will have failures to learn from in order to succeed.

"A path with no obstacles often leads to nowhere"

gg

So true gg.... I hadn;t really covered "Facing Failure in the Face" yet.... but you're absolutely right. Failure should drive you, not stop you. Not even for a minute. :thumbsup

AMEN, Ok now buy a fucking giant lure to shove up the newbie's ass!

Tommorow wish me luck, meeting with budweiser tommorow on there own custom lures!

d00d... if you put out a Bud Lure... I wanna be on the list to get one. :thumbsup

Good point, Good Girl.

Since people are posting traits that they think help one to success, I'd like to post the 4 traits that I focus on when i do my work.

Practice Kindness -- compassion means seeing one's struggle as universal and treating people accordingly. Real compassion does not ask for anything back. Help a newbie today cuz we're all perpetual newbies at some level or other.

Share other People's joy -- in this business, there are a lot of Player Haters. You know, people who are envious of the RESULTS of the labors of "more successful' webmasters but are ignorant of the work, creativity, sacrifice, etc it took to generate those abundant results. Player haters thrive by putting others down to make themselves feel good as well as thinking that some other person's gain is necessarily their loss. Unfortunately, the Player Hater is ingrained in ALL of us. Some more than others, but all of us have it...suppressed or not. The way to deal with this urge is to SHARE other people's joy. When someone posts that their page converted 1:5 today, TRULY feel that person's joy. Not envy. Not lip service. But genuine joy you project to that person since you yourself have felt the joy of your efforts being rewarded. When one has learned the skill to share in other people's joy, then there is no depression, no disappointment because somewhere somehow every second, despite all the misery we'd like to focus on, someone out there is experiencing happiness. The way out often means reaching out to others outside ourselves.

Compassion -- Real compassion is not feeling sorry FOR someone. Real compassion is feeling bad WITH someone. Everybody has been disappointed at certain points in their lives. Everybody has learned certain lessons in their lives. The ability to bridge one's lessons with the current suffering of another person going through that experience allows one to move past the confines of "ME ME ME" and see the world for what it is.... a collection of other people's [as well as your own] perception.

Even Mindedness -- The Rat Race is real. We often think our happiness is always in the future. "If I make 100K a year I'll be happy..." Then when you reach that goal you say "Well if I got to 100K then I can make it to 200K" Having goals is one thing, but destroying your appreciation for the present moment by focusing too intently on the future makes one lose appreciation for life. Life is lived one moment at a time, each moment being lost forever after you've lived it. Why live with your head in the future when life is happenning HERE and NOW. I used to think that success is a destination.... I later came to realize, after much pain and confusion, that success and happiness is a process... a journey, a daily realization.


Like the prior posts, I work 16 hours a day but I try to make each moment a moment of wonder, of HUMOR, of creativity, of realization, well.... of joy.

We may be peddlers of smut... but no one can take the joy and bliss we derive from our work.


I wish you peace and success!

LinkyD

fucking super post!

:warning The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind,
The answer is blowin in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky? :warning