For newbie lurkers like me.

Jigsaw puzzle: noun.

1. Also called picture puzzle. A set*of irregularly cut pieces of pasteboard, wood, or the like that form a picture or design when fitted together.

2. Any complex, confusing situation, condition, or item, as one composed of seemingly diverse or unrelated elements. Definition from dictionary.com


This is going to be a long first post so I hope you’re sitting comfortably. Hi I’m Paul and I’m the world’s greatest procrastinator. I can’t prove this with a photo of gold medals or screenshots showing my certificates of merit, as procrastination isn’t a recognised Olympic sport.

SHAME, I could’ve been THE Michael Phelps of procrastination, blowing everybody out of the water.

There’s been a long running debate about what people need to make it online. Many people have mentioned:

• Belief
• Joy
• Persistence
• Goals
• Visualization
• Law of Attraction
• Obligation
• Motivation
• Desperation
• Just do it
• Testing
• Passion

Plus a whole lot more.

They’re all right. When they look at success from where they’re standing.

However,

Online success is like a huge jigsaw puzzle, with tons of pieces in different shapes and sizes.

And like assembling a puzzle, it doesn’t really matter where you start. Some people begin with the edge pieces; others pile pieces together by color or shape, a few individuals just pick one piece, and look for another that fits.

Each method works, but you need every piece to complete the puzzle.

For many people (including me) the hardest part to solving a jigsaw puzzle is opening the box.

Many people don’t get past –

“Oh my God, that looks complicated, I’ll never finish, it’s just too hard”,

That’s why there are so many info product hoarders, who buy the latest shiny new ebook, hoping to find the one that says “put this piece here, insert the blue one there, et voila! I know because that used to be me.

Side note: they’ll never find it because it doesn’t exist. One size doesn’t fit all.

The only way to start a small online business, website or blog, is look at it like a jigsaw puzzle. Open the box, pick up a piece and go from there.

It doesn’t matter how many times you pick up a piece that doesn’t fit, take your time and you’ll find the piece that works.

You’re in test mode, looking for pieces that fit, and putting the puzzle together, who cares which method you use? Just pick any one and see what happens.

Side note: Richard Dennis talks about testing like this in a recent post.

Start, don’t worry if the method you’ve chosen fails, because you’re testing and you’ve just figured out something that doesn’t work for you. No one cares if you mess up, it’s called experience. We all need experience; it’s what takes us to the next level.

Here at Sowpub there’s a wide range of ideas on view that you can test, just pick one, see what happens. I have and I’ve accomplished more in a week than over the past few years. Yep, I said years…

No sales yet, but I’ve got posts on my blog and products to offer visitors. I’m in full test mode, looking for what works, I’m patient, there’s no rush because the world isn’t going to end anytime soon ;-)

I can hear it now, can you, someone whispering “but what niche do I choose, how do I decide?”

IT DOESN’T MATTER.

Just choose one and start. Remember we’re in test mode so we don’t care what subject we pick. If you have no idea, There are lists you can find online that have hundreds of workable niches, grab a list, look for something you find interesting, then begin.

If you don’t see anything you like, close you eyes and point to one on the page. Wherever your finger lands is your starting niche. You might not stay long but that’s not the point. Later as you gain experience you’ll know from your testing whether it’s a good niche for you or not.

“But the guru’s say I have to have a passion, feel joyful about the niche I choose”.

Bull, when you’re just starting out it doesn’t matter. Remember we’re testing, we want to fail fast so we ca find out what works for us.

Not being passionate about something was my main excuse for inactivity for a long time. I’m almost 52 years young and still don’t know what I’m passionate about, that I could turn into a business.

Side note:There is one thing, making love, which I enjoy immensely. However, I haven’t figured out how to make money from that particularly activity and I’m not gigolo material. Even if I was, I’d only get paid on performance. That’s not what I’d call passive income and I don’t think you can do it online, yet…

The point I’m making is:

If you want / need / must have a successful online business, then start. Today!

Forget about being perfect, forget about hitting a home run on your first day, forget about the fear of this or that, and forget about making a million dollars in 2 hours. Just start something, anything. Put yourself in test mode.

Remember:

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
“The more I practise (think test) the luckier I get”

Thanks to all the regular contributors on this forum, for your thoughtful, sometimes provocative and always insightful posts.

Gordon, thanks for the introduction to Sowpub.com.

Paul Wilson
Taking the first step.