I daily see too many people struggling online as they spend the hard-earned money which they can’t, invest precious time which sadly gets them nowhere and uselessly work hard spinning wheels.

In the end, they make nada … nothing or next to nothing, but it doesn’t need to be this way!

I am about to share a set of concepts with you which will most likely not be new, revolutionary or life changing at the moment you read this article. However, I think I can safely guarantee that if you adopt these concepts and put them to work for you as you focus your time and efforts around them; you will achieve far more than you would have ever believed possible.

Nothing satisfies me more than seeing others succeed online and you can be counted among them by simply starting with a solid plan of action.

Before I provide you with more details, I would like to confess that I am someone who loves to learn, to explore and to continually try new things but I actually believe that most successful Internet marketers share that kind of passion. In the past ten years I have leveraged a wide range of “make money” models online with most of them producing very good money while some not so much and others not at all. Failing is something that successful people have done often, however they continue to try, where as others usually give up.

Brian G. Johnson’s, Money Formula:

1. Proper Planning & Goals

Serious about making money online?

Ready to take your financial life to the next level by finally fulfilling your dreams and conquering your goals? If so, then it is imperative that you put together some well thought out plans — action plans which will lead you on the straight path toward your objectives.

I know that it sounds too simple and much too elementary but the fact remains that an overwhelming number of would-be super affiliates and six-figure product vendors never stop to create plans of action which are appropriate for their individual skill sets and available time.

If you fail to create a plan of action for yourself, I promise you that someone else will. Their plan will come in the form of an email, a YouTube video or a Facebook page that promises easy riches.

And without YOUR OWN plan to fortify your resolve, it will be far too easy to get sucked into yet one more scheme (system, software app or guru trap) that in the end will gets you nowhere.

Want to Stop the Madness? Do This …
You first need to believe that making incredibly good money online can become a reality for nearly anyone and I truly mean that. You also need to trust that you do not need to have earned an academic PhD, to have movie star good looks or possess amazing writing skills. In fact, I am personally known for making more typos than you can image but I have earned nearly half a million dollars in a single year.

Having said that, you need to know that making great money online takes a bit of an effort. If your goal is to make six figures, I would estimate that you will need to work a minimum of ten hours a week on your plan of action.

Your Action Plan

Before you do or buy anything, spend some time researching various ways to earn online. Visit Facebook, YouTube and read some blogs. Start listing out various ways in which you could make money online and note which appeal to you most.

Important: Only add methods to your list which have been PROVEN to be EFFECTIVE. Case in point; affiliate marketing has made very many online marketers extraordinarily wealthy. If you cannot find several people who are already successful with the method you’re considering, skip it and don’t bother including it to your list.

Doing this will remove the temptation to “test out” new software or get rich programs that have little to no proof behind them. Once your list is complete, sit down and think through how you would prefer spending your time online and what you would most want to do.

If you listed video marketing or video blogging as a viable method but the thought of starring in dozens of videos scares you, then remove methods which require videos off your list. If you realize that you’re not into writing and sending out emails, then remove methods that may call for extensive writing.

Looking through your list objectively will help you decide which “action plans” to take, which will make most sense and which will provide the best results and highest success rates.

Important: As mentioned, Internet marketing is based on publishing content yet too many don’t want to do that. Always remember that each and every time you refuse to publish some form of content, you are making it a bit harder to earn the kind of money you want and deserve.

I constantly spend time doing stuff I would rather not be doing. Although I usually I get to do what I want in my online business, developing a six figure-figure enterprise requires doing some undesirable tasks every once in a while.

So, once you have decided to focus on a method such as affiliate marketing, AdSense, blogging, product creation or CPA; then move on to establishing goals.

Having Goals – Short Term and Long Term

Congratulations for making up your mind about which method to use for generating online money. Now comes the time for to create a set of goals which are based on your action plan. Be sensible; understand that you will be learning a new skill set (potentially several) in order to cash in. Unfortunately, I see too many newbies setting unrealistic goals and end up being gravely disappointed.

In the last six or seven years I have worked the Halloween niche and earned more than $20,000 over the course of six weeks. For instance, when I launched my Halloween Super Affiliate coaching program in 2010, some of my customers who had never earned more than $500 in one month had high hopes and set their goals for earning more than $10,000 in a matter of weeks.

Hundreds of my HSA students made excellent money that year. In fact, many made over four figures and my star student, Aidan Booth, even made five figures. However, I do believe that setting up goals for earning $10,000 during one short Halloween season for those who had never made more than $500 in an entire month is like reaching for that evasive pie in the sky.

Short and Long Term Goals

Be sure that the goals you set up for your online business are S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

So, let us take some time to define what S.M.A.R.T. business goals really are:

Specific:

To maximize your chances of reaching the goals you have set up, be sure that they are precise, explicit and very focused and specific rather than merely general.

For instance, a general goal would be “Going shopping.” On the other hand, a specific goal would be “Going food shopping at Trader Joe’s for produce in order to prepare a fresh salad for tonight’s dinner.”

For goals to be specific, they should address the following points:

• Who is or will be concerned

• What needs to be achieve or carried out

• Where does it all need to take place

• When does it all need to happen

• Which are the actions that need to be taken

• Why is it necessary to achieve these goals

Measurable:

It is essential that you set up a means by which to measure and gage the progress you have made toward reaching your goals because that will help you to stay focused and on the right path. Measuring progress will also help motivate you to continue to march along.

For goals to be measurable, they should address the following points:

• How much has already been done

• How many tasks have been completed

• How will it be determined that all is finished and the goals has been met

Attainable:

You must be sure that the goals you have set up are within reach and so they must match your particular circumstances or capabilities. Attainable goals must be reasonable and they need to take into account your experience, your skills, your financial situation, your time constraints, etc.

Realistic:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming and hoping and wishing but goals must be grounded in levelheaded realism. Goals need to symbolize the purposes for which you are ready, willing and able to work.

Timely:

For goals to be a effective as possible, they need to be established within a framework of time constraints. You must pre-determine by when your goals need to be met otherwise there is a danger of the process being dragged out indefinitely without ever reaching the target.

For instance, if your goal is “to write a letter to grandma,” you must include a timeframe so that the goal will actually be “to write a letter to grandma this evening.”

So, to succeed as an Internet marketer who actually makes the kind of money you want to be making, your goals must be S.M.A.R.T. Furthermore, your goals should also incorporate tangibility as it should be solid, concrete and substantial which will then make is specific, measurable and attainable.

2. Find a Mentor & Copy What Works

The easiest way to move forward with online goals and dreams is to find someone else who has already successfully done that which you are setting out to do.

I recommend you seek out several IM experts who are using the methods you choose for yourself and sign up for their emailing lists, Facebook pages, YouTube channel, etc. However, limit yourself to just one or two gurus or you will get overwhelmed with too much content and confused with too many opinions.

By following and duplicating what has already accomplished by others, you creating a success model that will provide you with the type of marketing insight that makes sense for you. Avoid falling into the bigheaded trap of thinking that you know better than seasoned marketers who’ve attained an impressive track record because you most likely don’t.

3. Prioritize Your Time (What are You After?)

If you are seeking money, then figure out which actionable things you can do in order to get it. For instance, if your focus is to make money with AdSense, then driving search engine traffic will be the single most important element in your online business. Thus, you should spend the majority of your time (especially when first starting out) by publishing unique content in the form of articles, videos or podcasts.

Yes! Generate as much traffic to your website as you can because it’s paramount to reaching your goals of online success and making money.

4. Be Realistic – Start Up capital, Earning Potential, Timetable, Etc.

In the early stages of the process, think about the products and/or services which you need for your business to get off the ground and prioritize them in order of importance. When I just started out, for instance, I spent zero money on site themes because I found plenty of great looking themes which were free.

As long as you are not yet making good money, practice frugality. When considering a purchase, ask yourself if the item(s) in question will provide results that cannot be obtained with that which you already have or whether you can get similar results with other free or less expensive item(s).

As far as timetables are concerned, it is commonly understood that people operate on different schedules and at different speeds. While some people have unlimited time for spending on their new online ventures, others may only have 10 or 15 hours a week. Whether you are on a loose or a tight schedule, be sure to effectively prioritize your work within the time allotted and be realistic about setting up your short and long term goals.

5. See a Project Through Far Enough to See Some Results

Lastly, do not give up unless you are 100% certain that your chosen method or tactic simply cannot work for you. The fact of the matter is that most individuals who fail online never focus enough of their time or efforts to see any real results.

Do not fall into this trap yourself and understand that anything worthwhile usually takes some effort and time to build.