Make Money Online

Why is this my final make money online blog post for now?

Well…

I have really enjoyed writing on this blog over the years. More than that, I have enjoyed all the friends and relationships I have built up over that time as a result of this blog.

However, it’s time for me to take a break from this blog. I considered many options that would keep this blog running smoothly without my interaction, but after a lot of thought and prayer I decided it was time for the blog to go on hiatus. If I decide to start it back up again, it will be a VERY different blog and by different I mean unique. But before I get to that I want to let you know some of the reasoning that went behind this decision…

Focus

My business success really turned around when my friend Austin Davis (of My Honest Mechanic) told me “You have to focus!” Austin is an extremely successful affiliate marketer who focuses on one niche and dominates it. He told me the secret to his success is focusing on that one niche and being the best in that niche.

Lately, I have been mostly focused on building our web design and web marketing business. We have had a lot of success due in large part to our focus on Mantyweb Designs and nothing else. However, with most of my focus on the web design business I just can’t put in enough effort to make this blog what I ultimately want it to be.

I strongly believe that focusing 100% of my efforts on Mantyweb Designs will pay off in a big way. While I did consider having someone else take over the day to day tasks of running this blog, it would still require some of my attention, which would have taken focus off my new business.

The Two Tribes

If you haven’t read Brian Clark’s post about the two tribes you should go do that now by clicking here and then come back to finish this post. The two tribes post on CopyBlogger is one of the best blog posts (if not the best blog post) that I read last year.

In the post, Brian talks about the two tribes in Internet marketing. I have struggled trying to placate members of the “cool kids” tribe, while knowing that the only way to make real money online was to do more of what the “internet marketing” tribe says to do. The truth of the matter is that I am not comfortable with EITHER tribe. I have tried finding a balance between the two, and it’s not easy. Some of my friends fall into one tribe or the other. There are some Internet marketers like Brian Clark and Michel Fortin who have managed to walk the tight rope that is the middle tribe (something Brian is now calling the “Third Tribe”), but it’s a very tricky path. You have to be careful not to swing too far in either direction. To quote Brian:

I wonder, though, if there’s any possible way a tribe could come together that was about building real businesses online without being cheesy, sleazy, or tacky? Could a tribe form around ethical business practices, effective persuasive communication that actually sells something, respectful relationships with customers, and a commitment to keeping the White Hat on at all times?

That’s what I have been trying to do and if I ever take this blog off of a hiatus, being part of the third tribe will be one of it’s primary goals. (Note, a few days after I wrote my initial draft of this message, I got a message about joining the “Third Tribe” membership site and have done so, although I have not had the time to see whether it is worthwhile or not).

Providing Value

I can’t provide you enough value right now, because I am focusing every spare minute on providing our clients value above and beyond their expectations. Which is one of the reasons I have to focus on our new business.

Where can you find me now?

Our blog:

http://mantywebdesigns.com/blog/

My wife Jill and I write about many of the same topics that would come up on this blog on our new blog. The focus is more on small business owners, but in my opinion if you are trying to make money online, you need to consider yourself a small business owner. In other words, our new blog is perfect for you. Click here to check it out.

My Newsletter

I will continue to give occasional tips on my newsletter and let you know when any good, ethical products come along. I won’t be promoting anything that I believe will be a waste of your money (in other words, I won’t be promoting a lot of stuff).

What would I do if I reopened the blog?

6-12 months down the road I may revisit the situation. If I do ever open this blog up again it will be for the right reasons. If I do re-open the blog it’s focus will be on making money online without compromising your values. It will also likely have an interesting twist and it is likely that I won’t be the main writer for the blog. The main thing is that I won’t re-open this blog unless I believe that I can bring a unique perspective to the make money online world. I do have a plan that I feel would do that, but it’s not the right time for me to be doing anything else other than growing my internet marketing and web design company.

Blessings to all of you,
George Manty

Just wanted to quickly mention that the 2010 Winter Olympics are about a week away from starting and my wife Jill and her friend from college, Sherry, are covering the Olympics on our blog:

http://winterolympicsnews.com/

They are both excellent writers, so if you are interested in a unique take on this year’s Olympic Games then click here to check them out.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of important announcements to make in the next week or two. One of which is about the future of this blog… so stay tuned!