We All Make Mistakes, Here Are Mine!
Mistakes happen to everyone, and I like to point them out on my blog for you to learn from. I try not to bash the person who made the mistake, as I think that takes away the focus. Anyways, Jens Berget is working on an e-book titled “why we suck at Internet marketing“. He asked me what mistakes I’ve made. Here ya go:
- I didn’t make backups of my database often enough – It’s one thing to backup your site and have all your files, but those really change what once a week or month? But the database changes every second of the day. At one point I lost the StartXchange database, and had to start all over. That wasted so much of my time and money. Now I backup the database daily to Amazon S3.
- I didn’t build my own list – Look at how many people joined StartXchange.. 30,000! Look at how many people subscribe to my blog.. 1,000! I only recently started to take this whole list thing seriously, and I wish I started a long time ago. That would mean every post I make now would be 30x as effective.
- I didn’t track my advertisements – I can only imagine how much time and money was wasted advertising at places that weren’t giving me results.
- I put my own business last – My business skyrocketed when I stopped programming for others, and only programmed for myself. If your business is programming, then program. But if it’s not, focus on your own products and services. Yes I made money doing things for others, but the end result was carpel tunnel, tendinitis, and a dieing business. I stopped client work and my hands feel better and my business is running like clockwork!
- I did it all myself – My biggest pitfall is support. Yet I kept doing it myself! Not too long ago I hired Richard to do support for StartXchange. He is way better at it than I am, and as a result my members are happier. I still do some support, but since it’s no longer all support all the time I actually like to interact with and help my members.
- I didn’t outsource services – As a programmer, just about anything I use I could make. And that’s what I did. If I needed a support system, I made it. Tracking? I made it! But I only made it as good as necessary. Then I started to use other products – Aweber for Mass Mail, Google for email, Kayako for support, vBulletin for the forum, Wordpress for the newsletter, etc. With less time programming things that already exist, I can focus on areas that aren’t developed by someone else.
- I didn’t have my own office – This I couldn’t really help for some time, but it makes a world of difference to have your own office where you can close the door, lock it, and be in your zone.
So there you have it, those are my mistakes. Now it’s your turn, what are yours?
Your honesty here will help so many people, we all learn from the mistakes either we make, or a friend makes. I also made some of the ones you listed above, but I try to look at “mistakes” as personal learning curves on the road to your successful future. Thanks for the impact you make Tim and thanks for sharing your learning curves :)
Thanks Tim. I will be adding some of them to the book.
… and I can assure you, I have made all the same mistakes :)
we all make mistakes ,,the thing is to not keep making the same mistakes over and over again
There is a quote you see in Fast Easy Traffic that says something like:
Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from lots of bad judgment!!!
If you aren’t willing to try things you will never know if they are right or wrong. So rather than these are mistakes I equate that will learning. just part of the process of improving you online business. Took me about a year to get onto list building. Started on Jan 19th I have just passed the 400 member mark.
I know for me it is very easy to focus on what you could of had and where you could have been if you just did this or that differently, but ultimately it is not good to say if only I had done this or that differently I could have been so much better off. Because odds are you also could have just as easily been so much worst off. It is kind of like playing that game in the cash cab (TV game show that takes place in a New York Taxi Cab) and regretting not going for the video bonus question; sure you could have doubled your money if only you went for it, but you also could have just as easily of gotten no money.
Philippians 3
…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
My biggest mistakes seem to be misplacing my trust. I don’t always want to see the “signs” and I stay with it longer than I should. It causes me many DISASTERS online and off.
Isn’t StartXchange your list?? In a way?
Thanks for your list. Great advice to ponder.
AHHH TIM !
No MISTAKES ??? SO …No work !
All OK .
As long as you learn from your mistakes and don’t do them again, then that’s all that matters.
Rajaie AlKorani
P.S. Your blogs theme is amazing!
Rajaie AlKoranis lastest blog post..Internet Ideas That Won
Hooray for Tim getting on the list building Bandwagon.
But again it isn’t the size always…
Quality targeted Like-minded prospects are best.
One reason to advertise capture pages on Startxchange is the quality
of the members.
I have a new VERY targeted splash page that is bringing Opt-ins, but not from most TE’s
forgot the page
http://www.beginnersmarketingclass.com/rincon.html.
The newsletter will deliver very rich content and always be pointing to our products, beneficial insects
[...] We All Make Mistakes, Here Are Mine! – I try not to bash the person who made the mistake, as I think that takes away the focus. Anyways, Jens Berget is working on an e-book titled