“Making money online is a pyramid scheme.”
“Those stupid bros selling courses are idiots.”
“Crypto is for morons and the FTX and Binance collapses will teach ‘em.”
These are all things people have written in the comments sections of my posts in the last year. At the start of this year, I invested $20,000 into one asset and today it’s worth over $100K.
It sounds like clickbait, magic, get-rich-quick…but it’s not. It happens, not because of intelligence, but because of the willingness to have an open mind and do deep research.
Making money on the internet is possible and too many people apologize for having this desire when they should embrace it.
If you think making money online is a scam or evil, then ask someone who’s done it and donated 6-figures to their favorite charity. The thrill you get is one of the best feelings in the world.
Now, tell me how giving 6 figures to charity is a scam? I’ll wait.
Why shouldn’t you earn a living online?
Why do you need to work a job forever? Why can’t you slowly transition from full-time work to a one-person business?
You can.
There’s no need to apologize for wanting more freedom. A job is level one in life. Making money online is level three. There’s no need to stay on beginner level forever.
No way of earning an income is worse than the other. They’re just different. Making money online allows you to create the rules and work to a schedule you create.
It’s not evil to have desires and work hard to get what you want. And working hard isn’t hustle culture — it’s a rule of the universe.
You only get out what you put in.
Sure, there are people in third-world countries who don’t have the same access to opportunities as you — like access to PayPal and Stripe. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t chase your goal.
If you earn a living online it doesn’t deprive someone in Africa from doing the same. In fact, in my case, making money online has allowed me to help more people in third-world countries & even work with them for free.
Money can allow you to do a lot of good in the world.
People throw mud at making money online because they can’t do it.
They try, fail, then downgrade to becoming a critic/hater. That’s because they lack the proper mindset in the first place.
They want it too fast. They don’t understand value exchange. And they use business models that don’t work, like “buy me a coffee if you enjoyed reading my essay.”
Just because someone can’t make money online doesn’t mean you can’t.
The most important belief to adopt is money can be made online ethically. You don’t need to be an internet marketer, guru, course creator, Amazon FBA marketplace business, or affiliate guy.
Simple business models — like selling a book or building a community — are more than enough.
A big mistake people make is they try and get fancy. They think making money online is more complicated than it is — like you have to build the next Facebook or you ain’t gonna make it.
Yet they overlook writing on LinkedIn to get more career opportunities or starting a paid newsletter based on everything you learn at a 9–5 job.
They expect it to be harder than it is so they talk themselves out of their online dreams, then do the same to others.
Internet money is more nuanced than the critics realize.
There’s no one path or platform. Even the oldest online opportunities in history — such as a WordPress blog or eBay store — still work.
Where people get stuck is they never go beyond a surface-level understanding of how money is made online. They get that you post photos on Instagram and can get followers.
But they have no clue how that makes money.
The life-changing magic of making money online hides quietly in the detail. It requires research, experiments, and a group of people to do it with. Otherwise, all you have are a bunch of assumptions and no data.
As you collect data from selling stuff and building an audience on social media the nuance is revealed.
It starts to make sense. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle begin to fit together and you get a streak of aha-moments (each one can lead to 6 and 7 figures).
The real problem is there is too much money online.
None of us can take advantage of every opportunity. There aren’t enough hours in the day. And none of us can build a team fast enough.
So being able to focus, curate, and do research are the skills you must develop. They help you find the right money for you.
Yep, not all money on the internet is worth making. You have to find the flavor of money-making you like. For example, I don’t do anything related to influencing or brand deals because it feels disgusting to me.
It’s better to earn a living online in a way that’s comfortable for you and you’re proud to do.
When you choose the right income source, it won’t feel scammy or get-rich-quick — therefore, you won’t feel the need to apologize for making money online. It’s one reason I chose teaching. You do you.
Align your income streams with your beliefs.
Then make as much money as you can and help others along the way. That’s a message I see no one talking about.
