Originally posted by Professor
When you first tell them what you do, even in a simplified form, they dont grasp or believe it. They are sure we are wasting our time and nothing will come of it. Even if they dont say it to you they talk amongst themselves about how crazy we are and how in a month or two we will go “back to work” (Like them)
I have always been an Entrepreneur…even in the days when I had a regular job, I always had something additional I was working on. (I’m not one who can spend my spare time watching the boob tube.)
My best friend was always like…”why do you get involved with all this shit?”
I never bothered to tell her how much additional money the “shit” was bringing in!
Now that I have been working for myself exclusively…in the comfort of my own home for the past couple of years…and it has become quite obvious that I am very successful…my friend seems to have taken on a whole different attitude.
YES…now she wants me to teach her everything I know (in 15 minutes or less, as the Professor said). Nevermind the fact that I have spent thousands of dollars on books, tapes, CD’s, seminars, etc., or that I have spent thousands of hours reading, scouring the Internet, studying and so forth to learn all that I have learned to become successful.
I went over to her house with a stack of all the materials I have accumulated and plopped it on her dining room table. I told her here is everything I have studied to get to where I am today. THIS is how you learn to do what I do! It is not something I can teach you in a day or a week or even a month!
Within 2 weeks she returned all the materials to me. The harsh reality is…most people are nothing more than dreamers! They actually think there is some kind of “easy money gravy train” as the Professor so aptly called it.
They have NO idea in the world how much work is required in working for yourself. Most people are not willing to put forth the kind of effort that is required to succeed.
Although your case is certainly not unique Stephen, it is unbelievable that so called “friends” and your own family would be so unethical as to openly and brazenly steal your work. My advice to you would be:
1) I don’t care if these idiots are your relatives…you need to make them aware that what they are doing is WRONG! Tell these people they cannot steal someone else’s website and call it their own work anymore than they can steal War and Peace and call it their own work.
Make it clear to them that if earning a living on the Internet is something they wish to pursue you will do whatever you can to assist…in the way of lending them whatever materials you may have collected and read or whatever…but that merely stealing someone else’s work and trying to capitalize on it is not the way to start a business…whether it may be online or off!
2) In the future…DO NOT tell them your business! If you get a new site, don’t tell them about it. Just let them think the money you are making is still from the original site you started. If you have 20 more sites it’s none of their business.
I know this is sometimes difficult to do as you tend to want to share your discoveries, your successes and your excitement…but to do so only insures your own ruination…just ask Steve Jobs !