I am asked on a regular basis whether or not it is too late to get started online to build a successful online business. This time the question was asked by Denise, one of my newer subscribers. She wanted to know if it is still possible to choose a niche, set up a WordPress blog, and build a profitable business now that so many people are getting involved with online marketing. She had heard that the days of getting started online as a pioneer in the world of Internet marketing were long gone, and that anyone just starting out now as an online entrepreneur would have great difficulty getting their foot in the door of this virtual world. Denise has been active in my 21 Day Challenge and I wanted to answer her questions here so that you would also benefit.

It is my belief that people always feel like the window of opportunity has passed when times are changing. In the 1970s I wanted to buy a house instead of continuing to rent. I went to see one of my friends, a business owner who owned several pieces of property, to find out what my next steps should be. He told me that it was much too late to get in on the benefits of home ownership because prices had gone up so much during the past few years, interest rates were too high, and the economy was uncertain. The Viet Nam war was still an issue at this time as well.

I was shocked by his attitude and decided not to be swayed by his analysis of the current situation in regards to buying my first house. Having just graduated from college I was anxious to get my life going in a direction that felt right to me. Three months later I was a homeowner, and within another two years I had purchased my second piece of property. I’m so glad I did not allow my friend’s feelings and experiences to sour me on my own dream. Looking back I know that he was just reacting to the changes that were occurring in the United States economy at that time, and to what he saw every day in his business.

During the 1980s I decided to return to school to earn my teaching credential. I had a neighbor who was teaching and I asked her about the possibilities of employment as a classroom teacher in the Los Angeles area. She told me that teaching had changed and that I would probably have to drive at least fifty miles each way to work at a school. She also said that salaries were not likely to increase and that I should think long and long before borrowing money from the government to work on my teaching credential. There were other issues of concern to her as well, and she went on and on about the unions and the administration at the school board and its negative effects on the state of education in California.

Even though it turned out that much of what she believed was also what I experienced over the next few years, I am so glad she did not dissuade me from doing something that meant so much to me at that time. Again, this was a good example of someone expressing their personal feelings and beliefs instead of the actual facts at that time. It was then that I decided not to ask anyone’s advice when I wanted to do something new.

The next time this happened was in the early 1990s when I wanted to become a residential real estate appraiser. I had heard that this was a difficult field to break in to, but I jumped in anyway. I was able to find an established appraiser to help me learn the ropes and get my hours in so I could sit for the state exam. This ended up becoming a field I enjoyed very much for many years, and the income was greater than what I had ever been able to earn in my adult life. Where many people did not succeed in breaking into this field, I believe I was able to do it relatively easily by finding out the facts, working hard to achieve my goal, and taking every opportunity to connect with the people who could help me.

So, back to the question of whether or not it is too late to get started with Internet marketing. Yes, things have changed significantly since I began in 2006. It is more competitive these days, the laws and regulations have changed, and many of the strategies that worked well just a year or two ago are no longer valid. But opportunities still exist in a big way, just as they will for everyone who makes the commitment to be an online entrepreneur. Make sure you know the facts, work hard to achieve your goals, and take every opportunity to connect with people, such as myself, who are able to help you build your online empire.

Learn from those who have come before you, but do not allow anyone to come between you and your dreams. Please let me know what you think about the information I have shared here.