Open Source SOCIAL Entrepreneurship and a Guest Post

First, apologies for the lax posting schedule and server issues recently!

Last week I had the chance to take a mini-surf trip down to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands for a few days and with the end of the north swell season upon us I could not refuse.

As far as my self-imposed AnyWired-Middlebrook Make Money Online Challenge goes, I think I am about to shift gears. During the past year I have been given a LOT! I quit my job, purchased a small business, etc… As such, I began to feel a little greedy when reading the category “Make Money.”

So my plan as it stands now will be to investigate some online [SOCIAL] entrepreneurial ideas that I have. In that way I can pay forward some of the good karma that I have received and learn about the ins and outs of making money online while generating funds for some humanitarian agencies that I would like to support. I have NO idea where this will go, or if anything will get off the ground but will certainly keep everyone posted!

Now on to the guest post

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from Andrew Wilkie. Actually, it is two emails that Andrew sent to me but I felt that his kind notes contained so much good information that I asked him if I could combine them as a guest post. I have edited them only to assist in adding context. THANKS Andrew!!

I’ve been following with great interest the Make Money Challenge Series. I don’t use WordPress. I don’t know much about Google Adsense et al. Yet, I’ve done my first website (or actually my designer has).

Currently I work in an office, which I hate. I’ve now got to the point where I must decide and create my financial future now. I’m often to be sat in my office cubicle doing the bare minimum and asking myself what am I doing here, there must be more to life than this.

I’ve written several e-books on making your own hypnosis cds/mp3s and produced video instruction and you can view my site here:

hypnosis-cds-madebyyou

What I find really interesting is your language and thoughts behind it all and money. The process for me has been long, arduous, sometimes boring and time consuming. I’ve not always known what to do.

Yet, ever since I read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, I’ve been finding website that have been able to help me towards my goals. Financially – I would like to:

• Earn at least £30,000 per month passive income.
• Work from anywhere in the world.
• Create a rinse and repeat process. Website 1 is up…now on to website 2…3….4.

Things I loved so far during the process.

I’ve loved the product creation and ideas stage and creating Google Adword campaigns

Things I did not enjoy.

Writing the text for the website. It needs much improvement…yet it is up.

Thinking about the design of the website.

Things that didn’t go according to plan.

I got turned down my original payment solution, Clickbank. I think I might be the only person ever to be turned down and I have no idea as to why. Additionally, I wasted hours and hours on the smaller details i.e. how would somebody contact me? email…form….database script. I spent ages and ages on that. Yet I charged through the bigger stuff.

I was very much of the thinking…it needs to be perfect…you know what. It doesn’t! What needs to happen is that the project needs to get finished and on-line.

My market size is perhaps a little too small. Then again, this is the first website I’ve done completely. I outsourced my website design because I don’t know how to do it and it teaches me and I learn how to delegate and ask/write a brief for exactly what I want. Now I’ve done it once, I’ve such a better idea next time around.

Things That I’ve Learned

1. Sometimes you think things aren’t going your way and you struggle to do anything. In fact you can waste a lot of time doing everything and yet nothing gets accomplished.
2. Document as you go along. Minor things… and Major Things.
3. When you think of quitting…stop and think why you are doing this…
4. You’re adding value to other peoples lives.
5. You are on the road to your own goals.
6. What will your ultimate outcome look, sound and feel like. I spent time just talking to myself and saying. I’m doing this because and then just talk about my goals.
7. Very quickly I was jazzed up again and came back to the ‘work’.
8. Celebrate every step that you remember to…
   • Opening up web hosting account
   • Finishing 1st Video
   • Finished 1st book
   • Website going live

I constantly asked myself…how can I add more value? It is OK to not be perfect.

I spent too much time trying to get it perfect at not out there!! I sweated over the minor stuff…Support Email system…script…ref number…email address. If you think of something…ACT ON IT, then and there. Otherwise you forget about it, or move onto something else. People will tell you things that just don’t fit with what you are doing…They’ll try and stop you…Revisit why you’re doing this and carry on!

Market size matters, yet so does getting your first website on-line. I think if it is your 1st one…market size doesn’t matter. What matters more is completing the project. What you learn is far more valuable.

To succeed I think you must

• Work, when everybody else is resting, wasting time watching television.
• Have more than financial reasons for doing this.My other goals include so I can go and live with my girlfriend in Japan for 3 moths. Go to Berlin again and learn German for 3 months. Teach my children (which I don’t yet have).
• Money is a good thing and you really can do, be, and have anything you want.

My list goes on and on. It really gets me excited just thinking about all the reasons why.

The hardest part - getting started, overcoming the doubts, continuing the work, and finishing

My advice to others would be:

1. Look at/watch/listen to mentors. People you want to emulate. People who already have what you want.
2. Get it all finished. Then improve what is on-line.
3. Work when others are not. i.e. after work hours. The television isn’t that important.
4. Ask for advice.
5. When it is given act on it quickly.
6. Keep learning; yet apply what you are learning too. Read, hear an idea and implement it then and there.

Happy Travels - Andrew

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Endnote - Brian Clark over at Copyblogger wrote a terrific post yesterday, The Secret of Life about how brain surgery made him change his life and his priorities and I thought that you might find it interesting.