Making Money Online As A Teenager – My Ramblings

“You can’t do that… you’re just a teenager!”

Or better yet, “I can’t do that… I am just a young kid.”

There’s nothing I despise more than someone giving up before they have even begun their journey.

This topic tends to pop up a lot in the internet marketing niche for a few reasons:

1. Teens want more money – Its inevitable, this is the point in life when the ‘kids’ start having adult-level expenses, and when their parents don’t or can’t provide for them, (the smart ones) take the matters into their own hands.
2. Internet marketing for teens is simple - Another reason why teenagers transition into internet marketing very quickly is due to their experience with services like social media, social networking, and even selling things on eBay or Craigslist.
3. It doesn’t require (much) initial investment - If you don’t have any money to start out, how are you supposed to start a business that requires any investment, even something as simple as mowing lawns requires a lawn mower and gasoline. (Bas example, but you get my point.)

For me, internet marketing was a way to get away from everyday life when people told me that various aspects of my future were impossible, because I’m young/a teenager/too good looking.

Okay, maybe that last one was an exaggeration.

Here’s What You Need To Know As A New Online Marketing Teenager

When I started working online I was after one thing: money. Now, that’s not bad per se, but it can hinder your growth if you don’t align your desires correctly.

Here’s what I mean: In the beginning of my internet marketing career as a young teenager, I was willing to do anything for money. I was blinded by tiny payouts and promises of get rich quick schemes, and this really hurt me the first few months.

I actually ended up getting scammed for $1,500 when I was just 16 years old, but that story is for another time.

I ended up going into Fiverr sales and article writing at some ridiculously low rate, like $5 for a high-quality 500 word article written by a native english speaking honors students. Mhm.. I know, it was stupid.

My problem stemmed from the fact that I would do anything for a few bucks, since at the time I was starting from zero.

Here’s the deal: Once I started creating profitable and passive income streams online, the money just started rolling in.

Keep these values in your mind as you progress into digital marketing as a teen:

• Long-term versus short-term payouts - In other words, figure out if you are smart enough to go after (more lucrative) delayed gratification rather than going after each opportunity for immediate gratification, like me when I was starting out.
• Get rich quick schemes are exactly as shady as they sound - No, you can’t make $300,000 in one week after paying for this program, just so you can recruit your friends and get a commission  Stay away from MLM’s (multi-level marketing, also known as pyramid schemes) at all costs. I lost a small amount of money in these, before I really understood the business strategy behind them.
• The oldest and most effective strategies still work today - Nothing will build your residual income more than building an email list of targeted subscribers that actually want to hear your reviews, advice, and insight. In a similar vein, building organic traffic to a website through SEO will always be an effective method for traffic generation and lead generation.
• No one dictates what you can accomplish - This especially goes for friends and family. They don’t know internet marketing, and if the concept is foreign to them, it will be that much harder for them to grasp the idea that legitimate online businesses are around on the internet. Demonstrate your passion and drive for making money online as a teen by taking action today.

In the end, nothing I say or can change the people around you. The same goes for you – you can’t change the perceptions and underlying notions of your friends/families/anyone telling you that you won’t succeed, without getting out there and doing it.

In fact, your biggest success will only come after you have failed a bunch of times. Honestly, you might not believe me now, but the act of persevering through all of your barriers right now will help you more than anything else.

Take my word for it: It might take you an entire year before you see your first dollar of profit, but that moment, that one special moment where you finally believe and can see what is possible with online marketing, makes it all worth it.