3 Mental Shifts I Had After Making $1,000 on the Internet
A beginner’s guide to making online dollars
It was 2017. I was a fresh college grad without a plan.
I didn’t have a job, but I had a skill — photography. I thought I was the digital age, Ansel Adams. And one day, a brilliant idea came to mind:
“I’ll buy snacks at the grocery store, take photos of them, and send the companies the photos free of charge.”
So that’s what I did. I spent my own money and shot for days. I was sure one of these mega snack companies would hire me, but none did.
Then, I had another idea.
Because I liked the photos so much, I saved the edit settings as “presets” and repackaged them for sale on Esty.
I made $500 bucks doing this. I solved a problem for myself by making presets that would save time editing. Then I sold my solution to other photographers.
I followed the basic principles of making money without realizing it.
Solve your own problems, then sell your unique solution.
After designing websites, ghostwriting, and blogging, making Internet money became very, very real.
Here are the three realizations I made.
1. You can do anything for money
Everybody’s got problems.
If you have the solution to a widely known problem, you can sell it for mu-lah. And with more of that sweet green, you can work toward a financially free life.
After I realized this, I learned that psychology is just as relevant online as it is in the real world.
Even online, real people have real needs.
And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows this. It’s used to study how humans partake in behavioral motivation based on intrinsic desires.
In other words, everyone has basic needs like food, safety, and rest. But as you move up the pyramid, fewer folks care about self-actualization.
That’s because most people are too busy worrying about meeting basic needs. They don’t have time for self-fulfillment.
How does this relate to making money online?
Understand where people are in the hierarchy, and you’ll see their problems.
For example, I made a website for a rapper. He wanted prestige. From a psychological view, he wanted a way to sell his merchandise and feel accomplished.
I understood where he was on the hierarchy and charged him accordingly.
People will pay you more depending on where they are on the pyramid, and they’ll pay you for whatever solution exists.
2. An Internet portfolio is worth more than a resume
I asked my parents if they knew what I did for work and they couldn’t answer.
They know it has something to do with video, but I’m also:
Manager
Digital marketer
Ghostwriter
Podcast producer
Head editor
I didn’t learn any of this at my previous jobs. I was a teacher, and none were part of the job. But, I learned the skills needed on my own.
Internet skills are more valuable than entry-level experience
The college system has been exposed.
In 2023, I wouldn’t recommend anyone go to college unless they want to be a doctor or a lawyer. Instead, young people should leverage what’s at their fingertips.
Buy courses you want to make yourself
Read books about business
Find clients on Twitter
Start a newsletter
Then, if you want a 9–5, use what you’ve learned to get raises faster.
How you spend your time on the Internet is the difference between you and your peers.
3. Internet money is a video game you’re not supposed to play
My friends think I work too much.
After I log off work, I go to the gym, shower, then sit at my computer for a 1-hour writing session. Then I make dinner, clean up, and allow myself a moment to rest.
It’s a busy life. It takes a ton of energy.
Most folks don’t operate that way, but a regular life scares the crap out of me. You’re supposed to run on the hamster wheel.
I took the red pill when I made my first $1,000 online. Some people realize this after making $1: there is no end — one goal, then the next.
The usual path isn’t a path at all but a trap designed to tap your dopamine receptors constantly.
The internet is the great equalizer
Social media (and web3) level the playing field.
By studying people and where they stand in the hierarchy, you can easily reach them and sell them your solutions. Big businesses used to be the only ones who could do this, but not anymore.
The next big question we have to solve is “How to optimize our time.”
Because life is busy, saving people time is more valuable than teaching them how to make money.
To have a balanced life where you’re working toward a goal, you need a few things:
Iron-clad time management (skill)
A way to fill your cup (mind)
Problem-solving (business)
The ability to balance (Rest)
Learn to do more in less time. That’s the goal. When you crack your unique code, you can make internet money, work a 9–5, raise a family, stay in great shape, and keep your sanity.
Writing is the foundation of ALL content — blogs, Youtube videos, TikToks, etc.
🚨 Join 500+ other creators and get the Effortless Blogger Blueprint for FREE. Learn how to write 3+ articles weekly, even with a demanding 9–5.