What are the top 5 elements to becoming a successful webmaster?
 

If you had to pick 5 elements that you think make webmasters successful, what would they be?

If I had to pick 5, these would be it for me:
1. Hard work
2. Creative Ideas
3. Connections
4. Financial Backing
5. Successful PR

What is your list? :thumbsup

Very well said.

hard work
working smart
thinking outside the square
having a unique competitive advantage
discipline/focus

missing one key element...

fake it till you make it

Sig Whoring

Making money
Making more money
Not losing money
Getting rich
Getting powerful

1. computer
2. electricity
3. isp connection
4. web hosting
5. cold beer

That's where the PR comes in. Successful PR will make the most skeptical believe.

Add "patience" to the list

Excellent! I totally forgot about that, but without patience, you'll get aggrivated in the first month. :Graucho

blunts
pot
lighter
ashtray
sleep.
:)

That will do,

Forgot one.


Step on everyone on your climb to the top. Helps.

What makes that any different than becoming a high school dropout working at Taco Bell? :Graucho

I would have put Business Ethics insted of Financial Backing. With a fresh idea and hard work you don't have to have backing to be successful. I know many people who started in this business with little to no money and have made a go of it.

1. Desire
2. Intelligence (this includes not only the ability to learn but the ability to innovate)
3. Honesty
4. Hard work
5. Creativity

That's very true. Business ethics are key, and I can verify the fact that you don't need much capital to make a profit back in a short amount of time. However, if money was in place from day 1, becoming a success would be a lot easier.

See I've got a different view on that since I started working in this biz. Hanco being a great example of the money being there but being a flop anyway. If the money had been in place in day 1 I don't think I would have done as well. I wouldn't have gained the skills that I have from being on the bottom. Throwing cash around doesn't do anything in this business except make you a target for scam artists and punks. By having to do all the work yourself at the begining helps you to understand not just that something works but WHY it works. Once you know that then it's easy to see changes/improvements. Also for myself personally out of every 10 ideas that I come up with and try only 3-4 make any money worth caring about. And out of every 10 that make money only 1 will be steller. Now if I had the money to start with when I didn't know shit I would have blown it all on bad ideas. For me it's only 1 idea in 30-40 that I build that makes the $$$$$. So based on that the odds are if I had funding when I started there is only a 3% chance that I would have made it past that first product (which failed btw :)). When you start broke you can take all kinds of risks and try new things. Worst thing that is gonna happen is you go bankrupt and waste some time.

Persistence
Drive
Knowledge
Creativity

and a 'Never Give Up' attitude

dont jerk off to your own supply:thumbsup

Sadly for many on GFY its:

1) Lie
2) Cheat
3) Steal
4) Scam
5) and SPAM!

you'll waste alot of time, heh

1. Look around
2. follow the rules
3. put more eggs in different baskets
4. be creative/innovative but follow #2
5. don't quit your day job

and it never hurts to apply #3 and follow the pack in conjuntion with #2

peace
:2 cents:

GREAT response! I have to totally agree with you. All I am saying is that If you start off with money and the other elements are in place, you have more freedom to experiment and carve that niche in the market that you can call your own. If I'd have started off with at least 10 grand, I'd have been able to experiment with targeted campaigns. Instead, I started with next to nothing, and it a building process to this day.

Yes it is more rewarding and yes it is exciting to take bare bones risks. I wouldn't change a thing about my BG if I could. :thumbsup

1. sale short icq
2. download content from newsgroups
3. spends all day posting smilies on GFY
4. dont let anyone know you dont know HTML
5. sign up to sponsers under your own refcode

getting started:

1) kiss everyones ass - they have traffic, you don't

2) learn useful phrases like: "i can't believe my designer ripped off your designs for my new sites. I was as shocked as you are.. I fired him immediately" and "i tried to send the wire but the bank made some error, it should go out next Monday" - most likely, you will need these and more.

3) embellish. embellish everything about yourself. ok.. fuck it! LIE. post pics of cars that aren't yours and pics of hot girls you never met. never forget that for most, the perception is the reality.

4) If you're a girl, flirt. you can be fat, ugly and toothless (i am not going to name names) and people here will treat you like a princess and kiss your ass like they just got released from doing 30 years in prison.

5) don't ask for advice on GFY.

1.) Know how to make your own banners
2.) Know HTML
3.) Have a back up income plan for the first 6-12 months
4.) Join GFY for help and tips
5.) Stock up on booze

:thumbsup

1) Hard Work
2) Patience

Thats all you need.

I salute you guys!

True for any business...

1. Look for an angle so that you aren't meeting the main competition head on (often referred to as 'by the time you can see a bandwagon it's already too late').

2. Build your customer expectations to a level slightly less than you can consistently achieve. Then they will be impressed more often than disappointed.

3. Learn how to delegate and how to hire the right people, people who - among other things - will tell you that you are wrong but also understand that ultimately only one decision counts.

4. Don't spend long trying to correct mistakes. Move on to something new.

5. Be passionate about what you do and enjoy doing it. When you get bored or complacent, it's time to find something new.


This also seems like the right thread to recommend people read "In Search of Excellence" by Thomas Peters. It will be worth it, even if all you learn from it is how to recognize the difference between slogans that decorate walls and those on which you build your business.

Follow these rules and you will have an advantage over everyone, except me that is. :thumbsup

1.Believe while others are doubting

2.Plan while others are playing

3.Study while others are sleeping

4.Decide while others are delaying

5.Prepare while others are daydreaming

6.Begin while others are procrastinating

7.Work while others are wishing

8.Save while others are wasting

9.Listen while others are talking

10.Smile while others are frowning

11.Commend while others are criticizing

12.Persist while others are quiting.

i would say persistence

creativity and adaptability

discipline

1. honest
2. trustworthy
3. extremely original
4. sense of humor
5. reliable
6. motivated
7. easy on the eyes
8. independent
9. street smart
10. experienced

1. Post
2. Count
3. See
4. Sig
5. Read again

You might want to add the "fake it till you make it" to that list. Unfortantly alot of people believe that is actually true to make it. Alot of people think they got to act like a big company to become a big company. That does work for getting some customers. But most real business people don't care if it's a large or small company. As long as the job gets done and done right. I actually prefer small companies over large, because I can talk to the owner and get more one-on-one service with the company rather than going through people that don't know what is going on. iBill is a good example of a large company and even Yahoo that don't have good service and have people that doen't know what is going on.

:thumbsup

1: good idea
2: good contacts...
3: good contacts...
4: good contacts...
5: good contacts...
6: good contacts...
7: good contacts...
8: good contacts...
9: good contacts...
10: good contacts...

Oh, and be willing to help others lower down than you... often they rise above you and will help you further down the path....

Never think you are "the best" - as there is always someone better...

Treat everyone well... and they will be friends and supporters for life....

What he said.

:1orglaugh Yup these come first :thumbsup

I love that one in particular - it's so much easier when no one has seen your broke ass :)

1. Money to invest
2. Cash to invest
3. Dollars to invest
4. Bucks to invest
5. little knowledge

This is good shit!

1. focus
2. working smart
3. working hard
4. networking / connections
5. avoiding the timewaster people / activities / programs
as much as possible...

perserverance....

. . . and having a good inner bullshit detector
so many people say they have done - will do - or can do
this or that - - - and the reality of it often times is - - -
BULLSHIT !!!


~Bell

Excellet topic. Here are my five, all of which support my fundamental principle: long term success is preferable to a quick buck. Of course, these are aimed at paysite folk, but most probably apply in any business.

1) Competitive differentiation
2) Quality product
3) Great customer service
4) Honesty / Integrity
5) Hard work / dilligence

Cheers
-b