The 10 Commandments Of Online Blog-Based Business

I have a natural inclination toward simplicity. No matter what subject I tackle, my gut instinct is always to boil things down to the big ideas. And the subject of online business is no different.

Years ago, when my business was much more focused on blogging and content, I decided to create a set of simple rules for such a business.

While the various details of online business can find us deep in complexities if we want, I firmly believe that the basics are very simple.

So, here they are:

A blog doesn’t make any money. A business makes money.
Money is made by providing solutions to people’s problems.
A business makes money by selling products.
An online business doesn’t operate by a different set of rules. It is just a business which happens to operate primarily on the Internet.
Marketing is the act of getting others to see the world the same way that you do, and then take action.
Marketing isn’t a bad thing. Only dishonest, value-less marketing is bad.
The most effective marketing online is done using content designed to motivate and help others.
Attracting the right kinds of people to your site and business is far more important than attracting just anybody who breathes.
Money flows where the attention flows. Gather attention from the right people, funnel it to a valuable offer. Make money.
A business is a system. Certain things go in, and a final product comes out. The result is money. When money doesn’t result, the system is flawed and must be re-designed.

Ten rules. Nothing complicated about any of them. Clearly, any of them could get into much more detail. However, for the purposes of this post, we’ll leave it there for now. 😇