Since revealing our Amazon income to both our family and friends (and to the world), we have noticed a change in the attitude of those around us.  And although the change is a positive one it revealed to both Wanda and I just what our family and friends thought about our online business.  We have since found that at least some of them didn’t believe we would achieve what we set out to do and others were even rather cynical about the whole thing.

Don’t get me wrong, they were supportive but in the back of their minds they really thought that we were just playing around and that we would never make a full-time income from it.

This is a common problem for people who work online. It’s understandable really as the majority of the population use their computer for communicating with friends and family on Facebook, playing games, watching videos on Youtube, doing a bit of research every now and then, and maybe buying a few things on eBay or Amazon, whereas for serious bloggers the world of the Internet is a whole different story. For us, the Internet is our life and we have no problem with sitting in front of that computer from dawn till dusk if we must to achieve our goals, and get our blogs generating the income we want.

And this is where the problems can start. Your family and friends may not see your time online as being part of what you need to do to build up your business.  It can be difficult making them see that although you work from home the same criteria applies as if you were going to the office. They may constantly interrupt you during the day and your friends may pop in unannounced and expect you to give them your full attention or  ring you and talk for hours. You really have to be strong and keep the visits and calls short.  Make it a policy that you will set aside time during the week when you will go to lunch, or have people around for coffee and a chat. That way you will establish a work schedule that gives you free time to spend with your loved ones that keeps interruptions to a minimum. And as much as we all love to spend time with family and friends you need to set guidelines for your working hours. If this sounds harsh remember what your goal is.

The fact is, until people see the results of your online business they really aren’t going to take it seriously. And it’s not their fault really – there are thousands of scams on the net and it seems as though the most common thinking is that you really can’t make money online.

So  don’t be discouraged if you find that your family and friends do not support you in the way you would like. Remember it may just be  a case of ‘show me the money’ before you are taken seriously.

Let’s face it, regardless of what some of the so-called guru’s like to tell us, it’s hard work building up an online business and there are times when it seems it would be just easier to give up, especially  when you don’t see the monetary results. So having the support of family and friends  makes a huge difference to keeping you on track.  Mind you, not having support can also be beneficial. After all, if you are constantly being told that you won’t ever be able to make a living online you may just find the drive to succeed to ultimately prove to everyone that it can be done.

FINALLY RELEASED - Our complete guide to making money online by promoting Amazon products. Head over to the AMAZONIAN PROFIT PLAN website for all the latest info.

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!