Some called it a fad, but the internet is here to stay. It has revolutionized the way we do everything and most can’t live without it. The first gold rush of the web has passed us by but there are still vast opportunities for people to achieve an amazing amount of success.
To give you an example of what can be achieved, here are ten amazing internet success stories.
1. YouTube
YouTube was started by Jawed Karim, Steve Chen, and Chad Hurley in February 2005. They found an opportunity when they realized uploading and sharing videos online was not easy. When the first video was uploaded a few months later in April 2005, YouTube was not an immediate success. They had to go back to the drawing board and came up with various ways to make the videos more viral. It worked. By summer 2006, videos were being watched hundreds of millions of times. Then in October 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock.
2. Plentyoffish.com
Plentyoffish is one of the top dating sites on the internet and of those; it is one of the only free ones. It was launched in 2003 by Markus Frind as a project for him to learn how program with ASP.NET. Markus grew Plentyoffish from humble beginnings to a site that today makes around $10,000 a day or more. However, the greatest aspect of this success story is that Markus was the sole owner and employee just until recently.
3. Bebo
Bebo is a social network that was launched in January 2005 by Michael and Xochi Birch. The two attempted many times to achieve success online but “failed” until they created Bebo. Bebo has grow to 40 million members and has a strong presence in the United Kingdom. In March 2008, AOL agreed to acquire Bebo for $850 million, making Michael and Xochi two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the “new” wave of the internet.
4. Zenhabits.net
Zenhabits is one of the top personal development blogs on the internet. Leo Babauta launched it in January 2007 and with lots of hard work it has grown to over 50,000 subscribers in about a year. Today it reaches hundreds of thousands of other internet surfers each month. Leo has also been able to turn Zenhabits into a full time job and has recently announced he is writing a book.
5. BlueLithium
BlueLithium is an advertising network that was launched in 2004 and lead by serial entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal. It grew into one of the largest networks by offering different solutions to internet advertising. Gurbaksh is 25 years old and has had previous success with another ad network called ClickAgents which he sold for $40 million at age 18. BlueLithium was acquired by Yahoo for $300 million in October 2007. Gurbaksh is continuing to develop new projects including a book.
6. JohnChow.com
JohnChow.com is a blog covering the miscellaneous ramblings of a dotcom mogul. John Chow launched the blog in 2005 as a way to express his opinions on really anything. It wasn’t until later that he began to experiment with monetizing the site. As John learned about blogging and monetizing he shared the information with his readers. Unlike most bloggers, he also posted how much his site was earning each month. These updates became more popular and popular as his blog’s revenue grew and grew. Some months he earns as much as $30,000.
7. Last.fm
Last.fm was launched in 2002 as an internet radio station and music community. It was started in the United Kingdom but now reaches over 200 countries and has over 20 million active users. Last.fm offers surfers an interesting way to listen to their favorite music acts and a new way to find new groups and musicians. It also created a new avenue for music artists to sell their songs. Last.fm was acquired in May 2007 by CBS Interactive for $280 million.
8. Flickr
Flickr is the top photo sharing site that was launched in February 2004 by Ludicorp as a side project. Today it hosts over 2 billion pictures and is now moving into hosting videos. In March 2005 Flickr and its parent company were acquired by Yahoo for a rumored $40 million. Today it is still one of Yahoo’s top properties.
9. Weblogs, Inc.
Weblogs, Inc. may not be a familiar name but many of their blogs are. Weblogs, Inc. was launched in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey. It encompassed over 90 blogs covering a multitude of topics. Blogs were young when this network was established. It quickly grew and in October 2005 it was acquired by AOL for $25 million dollars.
10. Zappos.com
Despite lots of competition, Zappos.com was launched in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn as a place to buy shoes online. Nick was walking through the mall but couldn’t find a place that had the right shoe for him. So Nick decided to create Zappos. Nick got the help of another dotcom entrepreneur, Tony Hsieh who invested in the company. Since then Zappos has moved into other merchandise and has grown its revenues from “almost nothing” in 1999 to over $800 million in 2007. This year it is projected to generate sales of over $1 billion.
If you ever wanted to start an internet venture, NOW is the best time. With open source and less expensive technologies, it has become easier to launch a business on a shoestring budget but reach millions of people within just a few months.
Here are some lessons to be learned from these internet properties:
Find what you and other people need.
Create something simple.
Start small, but aim big.
Know when to return to the drawing board for plan b.
Be different.
Don’t let competition stop you, let it motivate you.
Also don’t forget to have fun with your project. You’re not going to be successful if your web venture is boring.
We’ve all had those situations in which we wanted to hear someone say “yes” but we got a “no” instead. Most leave it at that but you shouldn’t, it’s not the end.
Here is what you can do to change a “no” into a “maybe,” “okay,” or a “yes.”
Prepare for a “no”
You should definitely be optimistic and expect a “yes” but also have a plan B ready if you do get a “no.” Sometimes there are small windows of opportunity seconds or minutes after a no is said that you don’t want to miss. Without a plan B, you most certainly will.
Keep the conversation alive
This also has to do with having a backup plan. You don’t want the conversation to go “cold,” and the person to quickly lose interest. It is best to respond to a “no” within anywhere from 30 seconds to a week. A longer than that and most people have already moved on.
Compromise
Find out why the person said “no” and see what they wanted you to say, do, or offer instead. Don’t give up what you want, but find a middle ground so that both of your needs are met.
Get the door slightly opened
With a compromise you’ll most likely turn a “no” into a “maybe” or an “I’ll think about it.” Once the door is slightly opened get your foot in there to keep it from closing. This is also a good time to keep the conversation alive. Ask a few more questions and some feedback from the person.
Indicate the pros for saying “yes”
Tell the no-sayer about all the positive things they will get from saying “yes” to you. In some instances there are selling points that people can’t see and you need to make them aware of those points.
Persist
Even if you’re trying to keep the conversation alive and the person isn’t responding to you, keep going. Write letters, send emails, or call her/him as often as you can without annoying or stalking them. Just like the rest of your journey to success you can’t give up. If you keep messaging them long enough, they are eventually going to respond to you. It may not be a positive response but at least you can know what you next step should be.
Once you get a “maybe,” “okay,” or a “yes” it still isn’t a done deal. You need to keep that “yes” from turning back into a “no.”
Reiterate the positives
Remind the person of all the great reasons why they said “yes” to you or your project.
Stay excited and enthusiastic
You can’t lose enthusiasm in yourself, the project, or whatever was given the yes. You will always be the one who is behind the project the most, so if you lose the excitement everyone else will follow.
Deliver
You must deliver on all the positives and promises you mentioned when it was still a no. If you can’t then that no could turn into something much angrier or it could turn into complete silence.
Be thankful
Be very thankful that the person gave you a “yes.” If this is a big deal, it could be the one chance that changes your life forever.
The School of Hard Knocks has no physical location but it has millions of students and just as many teachers, but most aren’t even humans. There are no books and there are countless tests. It’s the toughest and best education you can get. Sometimes it costs you money, but other times it’s free.
People often find it difficult to graduate with a good grade, let alone a 4.0. However, in this article I will help you gain the best education and graduate the School of Hard Knocks with flying colors.
Recognize your teachers
First, you need to figure out who or what your teachers are. It can be a person, object, or event. They all can teach you valuable lessons that cannot be acquired anywhere else. Recognizing your teachers will help you stop and think so that you can get the most out of each lesson. Even the littlest of events can teach you the biggest lessons. The same goes for negative events. They may seem difficult to endure but there’s so much to be learned. Practice pausing and assessing a situation when it arises, then ask yourself these two questions: What is the reason for this? And what can I learn from it?
Study & do your homework
You also have to be your own teacher as well. Not all the information you need is going to present itself. You are going to have to seek it out, wherever it may lie. Sometimes it’s book, on the internet, or even within yourself. Do some extra studying and homework to get one step ahead of the rest.
Fail
In the school of hard knocks, it is good to fail. It is encouraged and necessary to achieve success. More often than not, failure provides you with new knowledge that success wouldn’t have provided. In the school of hard knocks you have to take chances, make mistakes, and fail, if you don’t you’ll be left behind.
Skip the parties and other time wasters
Don’t get caught up in negative things like drugs and alcohol. They don’t do anything for you but waste your time, energy, and money. There’s millions of other positive ways to have good time. Also don’t get caught up in “drama” that won’t even matter in 20 years, 2 years, or even in 2 weeks. Your time is precious.
Get a tutor
You are going to need help to graduate from the school of hard knocks. Create some contacts online with successful people, ask them questions and get advice. Even if you can’t actually contact the successful person you want, read as much about them as you can. Study their style and road to success, and replicate parts of it.
Keep notes
This is something you should literally do. Get a notebook to write down all your successes and failures so that you can better learn from them. In this notebook you can also jot down ideas and dreams. Getting things on paper is one step closer to manifesting them.
Make friends
Again, you’re going to need help to achieve success. Make some contacts with positive and successful people. It is quite easy to do so online. And also don’t be afraid to use your contacts to benefit you.
Always be ready for a pop quiz
Life is a tough teacher, it can give you a pop quiz when you least expect it. A lot of the times you’ll be tested before you have even learned anything. Always try to be ready for it. Stay sharp and don’t get complacent.
Work hard
You need to work hard to get yourself to a better place. The harder you work, the more satisfying the reward will be.
If you follow these rules, you’ll be graduating from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of your class.
Peggy McColl is an expert in goal achieving. She gives seminars and speaking engagements to thousands of people each year and has been helping athletes and professionals for the last 25 years.
On top of this, she is a New York Times bestselling author and is the founder and President of Dynamic Destinies, Inc. Through Dynamic Destinies and through her seminars, Peggy assists individuals in setting and achieving their goals.
She has written a total of five books, with her most popular being Your Destiny Switch. Your Destiny Switch demonstrates to readers how they can shift their emotions to control their destiny.
Peggy’s writing and seminars have garnered endorsements from other bestselling authors and very successful people including: Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, and Mark Victor Hansen.
Tomorrow, May 1st, marks the launch of her new book entitled 21 Distinctions of Wealth: Attract the Abundance You Deserve. In this book 
Peggy discusses how inside each of us lies the ability to achieve everything we desire.
The first distinction sets the tone for the rest of the book and should set the tone for your life. Distinction number one says, “You Are Already Rich – You Were Born That Way!” Everyone needs to understand that we all have access to wealth and abundance. As much as people want to say it, wealth does NOT discriminate. You can come from anywhere and any background and still achieve it.
I recommend you learn more about Peggy McColl on her website here and consider purchasing 21 Distinctions of Wealth on Amazon.
Rags to riches stories always motivate and inspire people. Even if you don’t want immense wealth, these stories will demonstrate to you, that with action and perseverance, you too can have what you desire.
Some of these stories you may have heard of, but it’s good to be reminded.
1. Chris Gardner
Like most rags to riches stories, Chris Gardner’s consists of many ups and downs. When he was a child, his father left him. His mother remarried, to a man who was anything but a father figure. He made Chris’ life and his mother’s life a living hell. Chris was chased out of the house and really had nowhere to go. He eventually found a place in the Navy.
After the Navy, he became a medical supplies salesman. He then had a child with his wife, Sherry. His career in the medical industry was doing well for him then, but the future was uncertain. The industry was changing, so Chris had to look to somewhere else for employment.
One day Chris saw a man parking a red Ferrari. He went up to him to ask what he did for a living. The man told Chris he was a stock broker. That’s all Chris needed to hear. Now he wanted to pursue a career as a stock broker.
Chris left his job as a supplies salesman. He had little money and his wife left him. Chris had no job, no money, no wife, and no home. But he did have his son. His son gave him immense motivation to do what he had to secure a better life.
The two of them were homeless and slept wherever they could, including a bathroom at the subway station. While they were homeless, Chris studied for the licensing exam, which he passed.
They were still struggling, but they had more hope than ever before. Chris got a job at Bear Sterns in San Francisco. He made cold calls to get new clients and worked as many hours as he possibly could.
As Chris worked harder, their situation began to get better. They were able to find a place to live and Chris was starting to earn more money. In 1987, Chris was able to start his own brokerage firm called Gardner Rich & Co. in Chicago.
There is much more to Chris’ story, enough to fill a book and make a movie out of. I recommend you research more about him.
2. Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey was born in Ontario, Canada. He grew up with his mother and father and with an older brother and two older sisters. In the beginning things for the Carrey were doing okay. Jim’s father, Percy was supporting his family as an accountant. But when Jim was a young teenager, the family’s situation began to deteriorate.
They all had to relocate to Scarborough, another town in Ontario. To help make ends meet all of them took up jobs at the Titan Wheels Factory, including Jim. They worked in the janitorial and security departments. While working an eight hour shift Jim was still attending school.
They eventually moved on from the factory but things still didn’t get any better. The family was living out of a camper van. Jim decided enough is enough and took a shot at comedy, his main passion.
Jim did a few stand-up routines at local comedy clubs and was instantly hooked. At sixteen he dropped out of high school and performed celebrity impressions. Then he made a major choice to move to Los Angeles.
In LA he performed a regular gig at The Comedy Store. His talent impressed many people including Rodney Dangerfield.
Jim didn’t stop at stand-up. He began to look around for work in other areas of entertainment. He landed a part on a short-lived sitcom called The Duck Factory. After that, Jim played a few more parts in some movies.
Jim also did a film entitled, Earth Girls Are Easy. One of his costars, Damon Wayans called his brother Keenen. Keenen was creating a show called In Living Color. Jim joined the cast of In Living Color. This became Jim’s breakout role because of his many memorable characters.
After this show, Jim moved into bigger film roles. His hits included Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. Jim became one of the highest paid comedians and actors in Hollywood history.
3. H. Wayne Huizenga
Wayne was born in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois to Harry and Jean Huizenga. When Wayne was in his early teens, he along with his father, mother, and younger sister moved to Florida.
His father, Harry, wasn’t an ideal male figure. He was abusive to his wife Jean. They were close to a divorce until they moved to Florida. The move was Harry’s plan to save the marriage and start over.
But Harry didn’t really want to change. He still was abusive to both Jean and their children. It was tough for all of them but Wayne didn’t let this stop him. He used it as motivation to get a better life.
After high school, Wayne moved back to Chicago and tried attending college but dropped out after about a year and a half. Wayne then enlisted in the Army reserves. He trained with them for about a year.
After Army training, Wayne moved back to Florida, where he moved towards the waste management industry. He bought a truck and began to take out the garbage in Broward county. Broward was seeing a huge population boom at this time.
In less than ten years, Wayne grew that one garbage truck into a fleet and a successful business. The business stretched across much of the southern part of Florida and eventually grew into Waste Management Inc.
WMI became one of the largest waste management firms in the United States. Wayne wasn’t settling down though, he wanted more.
Wayne set his sights on a new industry. One of his friends mentioned a small company called Blockbuster, which at the time only had a few stores. Wayne was intrigued when he visited one of the stores and decided to buy the company.
Wayne again turned another company into a huge success. Blockbuster grew and grew and eventually merged with Viacom for $8 billion. Wayne moved on to pursue more ventures, many which also have become very successful.
Through his career, Wayne has founded three Fortune 500 companies and has owned three professional sports teams.
4. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey’s rags to riches story is probably one of the most well-known. Oprah was born to unwed, teenage parents in Mississippi. After Oprah was born, the two teenagers broke up.
For the first six years of Oprah’s life, she was raised by her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee. Her grandmother was poor and couldn’t provide much, but did provide Oprah with a great ability, the ability to read before the age of three.
When Oprah was six, she moved to the inner city of Milwaukee to live with her mother, Vernita Lee.
Oprah still didn’t have much except her academics. She excelled in school and was even awarded a scholarship to attend Nicolet High School.
As Oprah grew older, she became a rebellious teenager, running away from home. Her mother decided to send Oprah to live with her father, Vernon in Tennessee.
Oprah continued to do well in school and other areas of life. Her success impressed WVOL, a local black radio station. She got a job with them to do the news part-time. This was Oprah’s first taste of the media world. She liked it very much and chose that as the industry where she wanted to pursue a career.
After the radio, Oprah moved to television. She worked as a news anchor for WLAC-TV in Nashville. There she was the first black female anchor and the youngest ever. Oprah then moved to Baltimore, Maryland where she became an anchor of the six o’clock news. Then she co-hosted a local talk show called People Are Talking.
Oprah then moved on to Chicago where she hosted a show called AM Chicago. At the time, the show was very low rated. Ms. Winfrey however took it to a whole new level. It became the highest rated talk show in Chicago.
After the success, the show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and became nationally broadcasted. I guess you could say the rest is history.
Oprah has been nominated for an Academy Award, runs a successful magazine, TV show, website, and will launch her own cable network in 2009.
5. Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was one of the titans of the industrial age. But before this time he was a poor boy from Scotland.
His father, William, was a hand loom weaver. When the industrialization of society began to spread across the world, William’s job became obsolete. The family had difficulties making ends meet. Then like most people of their time, they decided to start a new life in America.
In 1848 when Andrew was thirteen, they arrived in the US. Andrew quickly got to work at a cotton mill. He worked six days a week and twelve hours each day. Three years later Andrew got another job as a telegraph messenger for the Ohio Telegraph Company.
Andrew quickly excelled at the job and showed a great work ethic. A man from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company offered him a job as his secretary and telegraph operator. With each new job, Andrew worked harder and harder and earned more money.
Andrew quickly became the superintendent of the Pittsburgh division of the railroad company. Thomas Scott, the man who offered Andrew the job became his mentor. Thomas helped him with investing. Andrew early investments were very successful. With each profitable investment, Andrew put the money into another company.
These investments gave him enough capital to continue investing in other businesses and industries. Andrew remained with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and continued to advance his career there.
Andrew eventually started investing in the steel industry. Andrew moved away from the railroad industry but kept his contacts with those he met in the industry. His investments grew into a steel company that became one of the largest in America.
Andrew’s company was eventually bought out for the equivalent of 120 billion in 2007 dollars.
After this, Andrew became a philanthropist and donated a large amount of his fortune. His donations went to build schools and libraries across the country and the world.
Their stories may be different but they all demonstrate that your current circumstances cannot prevent you from where you want to be in the future.
