Have you ever felt that your life was a conveyor belt of ….
Go to school, graduate, get an excellent job with a good company, accumulate retirement savings, and use these to do everything you’d ever wanted to during your retirement?
If that’s what you’ve grown up expecting, you may be in for a big surprise. Only five people in 100 who follow this route can look forward to a comfortable retirement. Are you shocked?
That means a whopping 95 out of 100 hardworking people who try to follow this route are going to have to rely on inadequate pensions, social security, and family assistance to live out their golden years. Not a happy picture.
Just take a look in your community to see how few retirees are financially independent. If you know any that are truly financially independent, then you’ll probably find they did it on their own.
So, if you want to want financial independence, what are your options?
You could pray that you’ll be one of the 1 in 180 million people who hits the lottery or could inherit a fortune when your aged maiden aunt checks out. Another way could be a life of crime, but I warn you that your chances of reaching retirement age, let alone enjoying it, are really slim.
Starting Business?
In reality, there’s just one way you can ever be financially independent..
You have to do it on your own.
I’ve just read some fascinating statistics about age and self-employment:
“According to recent studies, 22 percent of men and 14 percent of women over 65 are self-employed. That’s compared to just 7 percent for other age groups. According to a Vanderbilt University study, the number of entrepreneurs in the USA age 45 to 64 will grow by 15 million by 2026. That’s compared to a 4 million decline for entrepreneurs age 25 to 44.”
And: “Self-employment among American workers increases with age, with the most dramatic jump occurring at age 65.”
Don’t worry, and help is at hand. With the advent of the Internet, there’s a whole new world out there, and, most importantly, it’s a level playing field. (Finally, I can say it…Size doesn’t count). There are more than 500 million consumers out there, and with a good plan, you can learn to build your financial independence with your own online business.
Before you say “I can’t do it,” let’s chuck out some of the most common reasons people do not want to start an online business:
Objection #1: I’m not smart enough to have my own business.
This is unlikely to be true. People with vastly different capabilities run successful businesses. Running your own business is about solving people’s problems and not about how smart you are.
Objection #2: I don’t have the time it takes to start or grow an income source online.
Unless you’re already working 80 hours a week, you can probably find time to build an online business. You’ll probably need to find 2 hours a day (14 hours a week) to build your business successfully. (Not too much is it?). It’s really all about organizing your time. How about using your commuting time to record ideas for a business?
Objection #3: I don’t have the money it takes for a new business.
The cost of starting your online business needn’t be expensive – certainly less than creating a real-world location. I’ve managed to get going for about $500, but I believe I have wasted some of that.
Objection #4: I’m not an expert at anything.
No matter what your background, there’s probably something you know that somebody else doesn’t. That makes you an expert to the other person. Just do some research, and before long, you’ll find that there’s something that you can teach others.
Objection #5: I have nothing to sell.
There are two parts to an online business a product and people wanting that product. You can sell other people’s products (just like the real world) if you know what people want.
Objection #6: Someone is already doing what I want to do, so it is useless trying to compete.
Of course, other people are already doing the same thing, but that’s true in the real world too. Just do it better. If there aren’t others doing the same thing, you probably can’t make money out of it. Competition shows that there is a market for your product/idea.
Objection #7: The only people making money are people telling others how to make money.
When you start on the Internet Marketing route, you’re desperate for information. In finding it, you sign up with everyone offering to help you – these are the guys (and girls) offering their services as business advisers. They are not the only businesses on the ‘Net, but they are the ones you’ll contact first
Objection #8: I’ve tried plenty of business opportunities with no success — it’s just not for me.
Maybe it’s not, but chances are, your failure is from chasing different business opportunities, instead of building your own business from the ground up.
Objection #9: I’d need a top search engine ranking to get anywhere, and that’s almost impossible.
Search engine positioning is not the be-all and end-all. There are other ways to find traffic and customers.
Objection #10: I’d need a big advertising budget to get any results.
That’s simply not true, and the ‘Net is the perfect place to do business with a small budget.
The greatest lie out there today is that, if you get a good job and slave away for 40 something years, your retirement years will be golden.
I’m Mark W. Lamplugh Jr., a visionary Chief Executive Officer, Board Member, and best-selling Author with over 25 years of experience driving significant revenue growth and optimizing ROI across the healthcare, wellness, and media industries. Throughout my career, I’ve consistently transformed underperforming operations into thriving ventures by building top-tier marketing organizations, implementing data-driven strategies, and leading transformational change. My empathetic, collaborative, and adaptable leadership style has allowed me to cultivate inclusive cultures of innovation, develop and retain top talent, and forge strong partnerships that fuel organizational success.
Adept in executive leadership, strategic business planning, and brand and marketing strategy, I have a proven track record of boosting annual revenues—achieving up to $1.3B in oncology over three years and generating $360M in mental health initiatives. My approach combines strategic vision with hands-on execution, as evidenced by my success in launching innovative facilities, expanding services for addiction and mental health care, and enhancing organizational brand visibility. As author of “The AI Marketing Playbook,” I contribute thought leadership on the integration of artificial intelligence in marketing, a role that showcases my commitment to staying at the forefront of industry innovation.
I also bring my insights and expertise to a broad audience as the host of cable tv & global streaming of “Street Level Marketing Show,” while my writing has been featured in major publications such as Entrepreneur, Business.com, The Startup, and Kivo Daily. Whether I’m implementing targeted digital marketing campaigns that engage over a million individuals monthly or overseeing multi-million dollar budgets to maximize return on investment, I approach every challenge with a combination of strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and unwavering dedication. Above all, I am passionate about expanding access to high-quality addiction and mental health care through innovative solutions that drive both patient outcomes and organizational growth.
Mark serves on the board of One World for Life, National Fire Heritage Center, and the Institute for Responder Wellness.
Mark (https://marklamplugh.com) is one of the top marketing executives in the United States and has revolutionized how companies reach potential clients thru influence, SEO, social, PR, and traditional marketing. His expertise in Marketing, Social Media, Digital Marketing, and Public Relations has generated millions of dollars in revenue for several national companies. Mark documents many of his techniques in his book “Beginners Guide to Social & Digital Media.” and “Marketing Playbook for Social Media,” which was named the top 100 social media marketing books of all time by Book Authority. He’s also a professional advocate for the behavioral and mental health of firefighters and other first responders. Marks articles have been published in Better Marketing, Startup Magazine, Social Media Today, Kivo Daily, Biz Catalyst 360, Fire Engineering, Firehouse Magazine, and several others.
One of his companies, niches, are marketing products and services to the public safety industry and their employees, specifically mental & behavioral health services. He can be reached for comment at ceo@influencemediasolutions.com
23,000 #1 Connections, 40,000,000 US B2B Contacts and 300,000,000 B2b/B2C email contacts as well as 1,000,000+ monthly social media reach. https://marklamplugh.com
