“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – experience notwithstanding.
Such words have been presented to us by one of the founding fathers, and their validity is still remarkable, nowadays. Granted, experience is an extremely important asset, and it’ll take you far along the cyberspace snakes and ladders; however something else is required to ascribe the far shores of being a true master. You should always keep in mind that genuine mastery is a by-product of experience enhanced with strategy.
Experience is what you get through practice: doing something over and over again, thus improving your skill. Strategy, on the other hand, is a mindset which provides for optimization and expansion of the learning processes. You can think of experience and strategy as analogs to practice and theory; while the former is all about doing things, the latter is exclusively concerned with optimizing everything we do. When you learn how to balance theory and practice, strategy and experience, rest assured: you’ll be on the high road to mastery of your craft.
When it comes to the power of networking, one of the most striking examples that comes to mind is the popular author
Maki, of
DoshDosh fame. This young Canadian writer has become a leading authority in on line
entrepreneurship, and he’s quite a shining example of someone who effectively articulates experience with strategy. With his clear-cut dissections of the multi-layered mechanisms behind on line marketing, this author consistently bridges the gap between theory and practice:
“I’m using this blog as a journal to record down the experiences and observations which result from efforts on some of my other websites.”
Build Reputation Through a Strong Network
No man is an island, we’re all part of a vast continent. If this is true for the physical world, it’s arguably even more so within the realms of on line entrepreneurial. When it comes to building a reputation on the Internet, networking is instrumental. By getting to know people and exposing your content, your thoughts, and even your personality, you’ll be creating bonds that will strengthen your roots and help grow both your reputation and your business.
While building a strong network of friends, associates and followers, you’ll actually be creating a human structure that will allow you to gain exposure and influence, as your reputation builds up. Getting a unique voice is half way done towards success; once you’ve secured your identity and purpose, it will take people to listen and help spread your message. By combining effective networking with engaging content, your success will come naturally.
Delivering a consistent supply of high-quality articles thriving with meticulous yet engaging analyses, DoshDosh has grown notoriously more influent in the over-crowded niche of on line enterprising. As natural consequence, the author has been endowed with increasing editorial power, and a growing legion of followers and supporters. In just a few years, Maki has succeeded in captivating thousands of readers (his website currently boasts 16630 subscribers, from FeedBurner alone).
Be Seen Everywhere - Literally
Certain individuals are capable of amassing such a huge influence through their networking efforts, they can actually be compared to vast continents of the cyberspace, in their own right and merit. As we observe the examples from the great moguls, it becomes clear that who you are and what you can do is secondary to who you know. Not only that, it’s crucial to get around a lot, and participate in all available activities, events and meetings.
By taking active part in the on line communities, you’ll cement your commitment to your work, which in turn will strengthen your influence. As you get around and meet other people, you’ll also make sure people also get to know who you are, thus paving the way for a future thriving with influence and recognition. However, you should keep in mind there’s a fine line between promotion and spam. You should move yourself naturally around the social commitments, showing what you can do, but never pushing it around.
Within a recent article on
strategic collaborations, Maki has written that
“One of the best ways to promote your website or business is to work together with others to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.”
The author clearly demonstrates his understanding of the power of networking, and through his body of work, a central cornerstone translates the importance of getting familiar with the new Internet landscapes - including social media, social bookmarks, micro-blogging websites – all of which should be regarded as important business tools, and used responsibly.
Be Unique, Be “The One”
In order to be able to stand out from the crowd, you need to be able to offer some unique distinctiveness. No one will look up to you if you’re just like everyone else, since people keep looking for the next best thing available. This is what you should try to deliver – while avoiding to compromise who you are. If you want to be regarded as an authority, you must put your undivided efforts into acting like one; not just pretending, but actually being. Get ahead in your game, learn all there is to know about it, and keep expanding both your skills and networks.
Try to find your own unique voice, and work actively to make all the things everyone does, in ways no one else has thought of doing – yet. Quite often the most brilliant solutions are also the simplest, and yet people tend to get constrained with complicated lines of thought. By learning how to nurture your uniqueness and spontaneity, you’ll easily find yourself being looked up to.
It’s not by accident I’ve chosen to use this author as a case study to illustrate this specific article. For one, I’ve personally been led to several insights through his writing, and second the author really is a living example of the principles this articles intends to demonstrate. I once approached him via instant message asking for some advice for a new web host. Much to my surprise, he refused to make a simple suggestion (which could easily have turned out in $100 profit from affiliate sale). It was from then my suspicions were confirmed; there’s something to this author that truly sets him apart from the crowd.
Spread Out - Branch Your Service
When it comes to networking, it’s not just about people – it’s also about products, services and business. Just as you should work actively to expand your network of persons, you should keep trying to find new ways to expand your business networks. This is something you can do by finding new business, as well as just coming up with creative ways to make business; a good entrepreneur is always on the lookout for opportunity.
The modern technological days we live by are thriving with new opportunities which quite often go by unnoticed because people still think excessively inside the box. If you want to go a long way, make sure to take a step back from what you’re doing every once in a while, and figure out ways to make your service more competitive and exciting.
There’s an old saying around the realms of on line entrepreneurship that cautions us never to put our eggs in a single basket. On line marketing is not unlike a joint puzzle where all kinds of pieces are required; by developing new skills and delving into new opportunities, you’ll be actively increasing your odds of success. For a thorough demonstration of this principle, you should read this article about
niche blogging:
“I’m a big fan of diversity when it comes to making money on line and I seldom focus exclusively on one niche or target market.“
Confidence - Develop a Guru Attitude
If you think for a moment about the most common trait uniting all guru types, you’ll probably realize that it’s most likely a pervading sense of unabashed confidence. They are special individuals who remain invariably confident in what they are doing, even when faced with adversity. They are highly creative and self-assured, without much need for boasting: this is the balance you should strive towards.
Going around telling others you’re a guru of something or the other really won’t cut it – not by a long shot. You need to do just the opposite: mind your own business, and do your best efforts; work actively so people will notice just how different you are from the pack, and try to remain in perspective. Cherish your experience, and nourish your planning skills. The road to being a guru is doubtlessly the road less traveled, because it requires a special kind of effortless effort and undivided commitment that not everybody is capable of. How about you?
The term “guru” is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, to the point it’s almost pejorative. A guru is by definition a “Meditation master who has attained oneness with God and who initiates others into the spiritual path and guides them to liberation.” When dealing with Internet Entrepreneurship, one could adapt this definition as
“a master of strategy who has attained understanding of the Internet, who initiates others in the transcendent path, and guides them to self-sufficiency”.
Provided one would take such adaptation as accurate, then one should keep an eye out for the Canadian author who goes by the Internet handle “Maki”. To the best of my knowledge, he provides a good example worth learning from, and
DoshDosh stands proudly as a leading haven for up-and-coming Internet entrepreneurs.
Image by new-ars via Flickr 
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