Like many people I was always keen to leave school and get out to work. This I did in December 1960 when I started a 4 year seagoing deck apprenticeship with Shell Tankers. The culmination of the hopes of the previous 6 years as I worked my way through high school.
The 6 high school years was at the behest of my rather determined father. He wouldn’t let me leave until I had reached a reasonable level of education.
Completing my apprenticeship in 1964 I spent the next several years serving as a deck officer on the Australian coast transporting iron ore and steel products with BHP Transport.
Interesting and enjoyable for someone in their early 20’s. However it was becoming increasingly apparent that spending the next 40 years at sea definitely had it’s downside. Longer serving colleagues were often disenchanted with their seagoing lot. They were absent from home for long periods. And many had family they would prefer to see on a daily basis.
Find out more about this period in my Kindle book “Who Stopped the Ship.”
In the late 1960’s I decided to return to the UK to further my education. The aim being to make a permanent transistion to a shore based occupation. During this time in the UK I was introduced to large IBM computers. No such thing as the personal computer or the internet in those days.
Returning to Australia 6 years later shore based employment with a shipping company was achieved. The next 17 years passed quickly with computers playing their part. Until I was told “Your function has been absorbed”
A rude awakening at just under 50. This made me realise how tenuous being an employee can be. Years of service and loyalty count for little in the end. Fortunately, by moving 1300km, to a new location, I was re-employed with a mining company.
Move on 18 years to 2009, when I turned 65, I began looking for an alternative source of income. I had worked and studied for over 49 years but realised I might have another 30 to go!
Why? Because longevity runs in my father’s side of the family. And the GFC had significantly impacted the retirement funds.
My interest in building an internet business was sparked mid-2009 when I saw a brief television interview with an ‘entrepreneur.’ He claimed that anyone could make money online.
Really?
Someone claiming that your could make a worthwhile living with an internet based business. That sounded interesting. It probably sounds interesting to you as well.
Several things about making an income on line appealed:
It did not need much capital
The major ‘investment’ is your time
It could be done from home
The were no set hours
There appeared to be a variety of ways to do it
So I set myself the task of finding out how. My interest might have been sparked but my internet knowledge was as good as zero. An email account and a bit of Google searching.
I had worked with large commercial computer systems. However, when it came to building a website or making money online I was a complete novice. It was all new, foreign territory to me.
So, I made the obvious Google searches. Only to discover that there were ‘millions’ of things on offer – both ‘courses’ and ‘dollars.’ Many offers suggested you just had to invest in their course. You would make a million dollars in no time at all!
Like so many people I did just that – ‘invested.’ Money and a lot of time. Maybe you have done that too – only to find that the ones making the ‘millions’ are those selling the courses.
There were ebooks, training courses, building websites, affiliate marketing, programs and downloads, and finally selling products on Amazon. All probably worked in some way or another but nothing produced a sustainable income stream.
Honesty and integrity often seemed to be in short supply.
Over time some names kept turning up and were refered to in a positive light. It soon became apparent that the online world was no different to the real world – there were good, bad and indifferent characters. You just had to hope you picked a good one. And that was not always straight forward. It’s easy to masquerade as something else online.
Finding where and how to start was a really big hurdle. Initially you are on your own. Some may have a friend to help. That’s great if it is your situation.
When I started out there was no one to refer to. If you are reading this maybe you are alone and isolated too. And the cold hard truth is that, without knowledge and support when you start out, you’re really in foreign territory.
Initially I was very cautious. Cautious spending money and cautious regarding my identity online. Gradually I gained confidence and am now more relaxed about it. Just remember to be sensible.
The first significant purchase I made was a 10 week course to learn about building a website. This proved to be a good choice. The training was good, it was quite comprehensive and was supported by excellent documents and some community help.
I learnt the basics about keyword research, how to build a WordPress website and then how to get it up and running. It took a long time and a lot of effort.
Finally there was the excitment of seeing my efforts alive on the internet. I now owned a domain and website! No profit though – the money didn’t roll!! More importantly, though, I had learnt a lot and just knew it could work.
Being of a technical bent the technology and simplicity of creating WordPress sites enthralled me. All I can say is don’t get too distracted by ‘Shiny Objects.’ They are everywhere out there.
Important things I learnt:
You need to have technical assistance and support
You need to have a website of your own
You need to be prepared to learn new things and accept guidance
You need to stay focussed on what you want to achieve
You really need a mentor
A mentor is someone to refer to, to bounce ideas off and someone who has the ability to steer you in the right direction.
For me (affiliate link)John Thornhill has proved to be this sort of person. He has helped thousands on their way to success. Either as individuals with personal training in his Partnership to Success program or by providing a solid JV affiliate opportunity with an excellent return . He could well do the same for you.
Wishing you success
Ian Whyte
PS
If a 78 year old like me can do it so can you. Age doesn’t matter, just apply yourself and listen to your mentor.
What matters is to get the right information with support and mentoring.