Echos From The Hallway In My Mind

January 15, 2008 · Filed Under ·  

Hallway Loud, crowded hallways. Smell of antibacterial cleaner. Rattle of locker doors. Craving for tater tots. Squeak of tennis shoes on those ugly tile floors. Oh how the memories flooded back this morning as I walked the hallway of a local high school in my area. I was invited to speak to an E-Commerce class about my online business and background. It was a cool experience as I tried to pass my entrepreneurial spirit to these kids who have their entire future in front of them. Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now. But then again, that would have made this ride we call life pretty boring. But nonetheless, here are some things that I tried to pass along to the students that I spoke with.

  • Just Start. I told the students that if they really had an interest in E-Commerce they should at the very least start a free Wordpress blog and start blogging. Wordpress is not only free, but it is quite powerful software that organizes, categorizes, and makes it very easy for search engines to index your blog.
  • Find Your Passion. Whatever it may be, fashion, golf, books, computer games, if you have a passion for your topic you will not burn out and the writing will be so much easier and more enjoyable. Do product reviews, have a stance on controversial topics, be original, be passionate. Your passion for the topic will come through in your writing. I also explained that content is king and if you can create a website that people not only read, but tell their friends about, then you really have something special!
  • Learn How To Make Money Off Your Blog. While making money is not the purpose of many who blog, since these were E-Commerce students I explained to them options like Google Adsense and Affiliate Marketing and how it was possible to monetize your blog.
  • Don’t Give Up. One student asked me, “What was the biggest challenge in starting your online business?” I thought for a moment and quickly remembered how I felt when I worked my tail off to create a high quality website and only 5 people a day would find it. I can remember wanting to throw in the towel and say “forget it.” Staying patient, not going to spam tactics, focusing on content, staying patient. Did I mention staying patient. Yeah I guess I did. Sustainable results don’t happen overnight, but if you work hard they will happen.
  • What I Wished I Had Said! As I walked out of the high school I wish I would have said the following: Don’t just dream, instead, dig for what you want to achieve. Stop thinking about what you want and put your plan into motion. Act now. Be courageous, don’t accept mediocrity. It is going to be easy? Probably not. But then again what worth achieving is. Will it be worth the hard work, the risk, the frustration? Absolutely. “Kyle, you can’t really make any money promoting online coupons.” I heard that more than once in the past 6 years. If I had listened I would have quit a long time ago. I knew I could do it and ignored all nay-sayers. Instead, I set obtainable goals that were stepping stones to my dream of a profitable business that would allow me to spend more time with my family, be my own boss, and give me a creative outlet.

What advice would you have given the students that I may have missed?

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Comments

2 Responses to “Echos From The Hallway In My Mind”

  1. Aaron Stroud on January 17th, 2008 5:12 pm

    Kyle, this is good advice. I’ve been telling my son many of the same things.

    “only 5 people a day would find it”

    Boy, those days can be frustrating, but they do pass when we persevere.

  2. Kyle on January 18th, 2008 7:52 am

    Hey Aaron, thanks for stopping by! Glad you liked the post and yes, frustrating, is not a strong enough word!

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