The lessons that 11 years of working online taught me
 

Trite bullshit below. Feel free to ignore it.

1. Everything is possible if you want it.

Before I got into this industry, it had seemed impossible to me that someone could make a living pretty much watching porn all day. A few years later, I was making a living doing just that.

Whatever it is you enjoy doing, you can probably make a good living doing just that. Just be careful, because...


2. The things you want rarely turn out to be what you imagine them to be.

Before I entered this industry, spending hours a day watching porn seemed awesome to me. A few years in, it got boring. A few years after that, awful. Now, I've mostly moved out of it, and I'm planning to be completely out of this industry in a year or two.

The best way to ruin something that you occasionally enjoy is to make it your job.


3. In business, focus matters more than anything.

Over the years, I've made thousands of sites. Some hugely successful, quite a few reasonably successful, and the vast majority complete failures. Virtually everything that failed, failed because of a lack of focus. On the other hand, the things that succeeded were all things that succeeded because I went after them with drive and energy - even if the idea behind them was mediocre.

Success is built, not born.


4. The most profitable ideas are often the most boring ones.

There's more money in low-level marketing for big pharma than there is in the entire porn industry. A content-driven blog that reaches 200 industrial decision-makers a day is more valuable than a tube that reaches 200k porn surfers a day.


5. Connections matter.

A single dinner with a friend in a position to make decisions in a large company is more valuable than a thousand cold calls. A single recommendation from someone who is trusted and well-respected in a specific industry will get you more job opportunities than a decade of experience.


6. Panta rhei.

Everything changes constantly. Ignore that fact and you'll end up trying to sell typewriters to IBM.


7. 1% of people make 99% of all things happen.

You don't have to be among that 1% to be successful, but knowing them certainly helps. Leading is best, but if you can't, following the right people will still get you to the right place. Following the wrong ones will get you nowhere.


And finally...

Imagine winning $100 million. What would you do with your life? Once you were done buying toys, sitting on the beach and drinking cocktails, what are the challenges you would want to take up in life? Are they the same things you're doing now? If not - why?


Like I said, trite bullshit. It's worked for me, though :2 cents:

There's some good advice in here :thumbsup

Some wise words in there Libertine :)

Excellent :2 cents:

Thanks for this post. Lot of wise thoughts :pimp

So true man... I've had the similar experience in my adult biz and it definitely works like that. :thumbsup

I actually agreed on every single point, feels weird o_0

Business post of the week (no, actually it's the best i've seen here all year).

Cheers!

good post.

thanks :thumbsup

That wasn't a waste of time at all. Good post and very true.

Wow ... I wish we could have one thread like this everyday.

Thanks for posting. I didn't like what #5 and #6 had to say even though they were true. #5 meant that you need some luck ... #6 meant that once you are successful and comfortable, you can't sit back, you have to do more work, learn more and many times feel like you are starting over again which is always the hardest part.

Good stuff. - Can I take you to dinner? LOL

good stuff.

Interesting to say the least. Thanks Libertine.

#5 has absolutely nothing to do with luck. Networking is a skill.

Take, for example, a close friend of mine, whom I've known for about 15 years.

She's always been intelligent and a decent student, but nothing exceptional. However, in her first year at a local college, despite her mediocre results her networking skills got her the references to get into one of the top 3 universities in the world.

She finished that, though with less-than-stellar grades. Nevertheless, she got several prestigious fellowships, including a recent one at the US Congress. Recently, she got invited to apply for a great political job which she's absolutely unqualified for.

Her entire career is based on exactly three things: she has superior networking skills, she's a good talker, and she goes after what she wants. More intelligent and knowledgeable people with better qualifications don't get the positions she does, simply because they're not as good at building the right connections.

And that's the way it works everywhere: by making sure you get to know the right people you make sure you get the right opportunities. No matter how intelligent and skilled you might be, if you don't get noticed, you don't get asked. Business, dating, politics - whatever you do, making contacts is essential.

I would say that lack of focus is the most common problem

Schools in session:thumbsup

god, everyone is doing these posts now... hmm, mayble i'll do one.

We're older, the easy money is gone, many of us don't really need the money anymore, and the future of the industry looks neither particularly exciting nor bright. I suspect many of the people who've been in the industry for a decent amount of time have gotten out recently, are going to get out soon, or are considering getting out.

I think it's only natural to look back on the past decade with a bit of nostalgia, and think of the things learned in that time.

I'm curious to read your version, though :thumbsup

:2 cents:

I couldn't agree more... great read, Libertine :)!

I like that...

Especially number 5. My income in the last few years has been solely based on 2 contacts I made about 12 years ago.

good read :thumbsup

here's mine:

never believe to what people post on a message board. most online personalities are full of lies, misinformation and bs.

Yep, that's one of the first things I learned when I started working online. People are full of shit.

people are pretty much the opposite of what they appear/claim to be.

if they say they are a baller -they are most likely homeless.

if they say they are an expert on whatever - they most likely know nothing about what they talk about.

and most board personalities turn out to be thieves and losers.

All very good points in that post, Libertine.

That is amazing as I have done tons of business on this board and almost never had an issue. My experience is totally opposite of yours.

all very true.

your friend sounds like she'd make a good politician. :1orglaugh

i've learned that nothing is for certain and how you make money could change very much very fast. hell i've switched up the way i've done things at least 4-5 times in the 10 years i've been doing this. now porn is just more or less extra money and mainstream is where i make my real income. it could all change tomorrow though.

Great thread Libertine

Imagine winning $100 million. What would you do with your life? Once you were done buying toys, sitting on the beach and drinking cocktails, what are the challenges you would want to take up in life? Are they the same things you're doing now? If not - why?

Start from start

Simple and brilliant if a person is wise enough to put their own bullshit down and just follow the proven roads.

Well done.

I agree with everything but one. I look at porn for 8 years and still love it. I was never bored of it, not for one second. :)

And I would add one thing: Simple and good targetted marketing is the only real marketing.

This thread should be required reading, it is actually rather insightful. Thank you for your perspective.

Nice! :thumbsup

That's a no-brainer...

I like this thread Libertine, good food for thought in your points :thumbsup

Here's mine.

Wear Sunscreen