Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
It was my first trip across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge in Louisiana. It was the longest bridge I’d ever seen – and it made a big impression.
One of the things I couldn’t get out of my mind was how they built it. First by laying down the pilings, then connecting those pillars with the road on top.
It was that image that I carried with me into my Internet business.
My plan was to create a series of products that supported one another and could be sequenced in different ways. Then start to connect them, much as the bridge had been connected.
So I started on the plan. I created and created and created. But it wasn’t time to sell yet. I still had just a “few more” pillars to put in.
It took not months, but years to put all of the pieces in place. Then of course, I had to start revising the older products… and well, as you can imagine, there still wasn’t any revenue coming in!
I *don’t* recommend the Bridge model!
Compare that to the smoke stack model. In this model you build the first smoke stack. You promote that first product and start building your list while you continue to drive traffic to the site. You’re actually making money right from the start!
Once you have one smoke stack working, you build the second one. You get that up and running, making money and well, you see the pattern.
I *do* recommend the smoke stack model!
So what is your first smoke stack? If you’ve been working on multiple projects, stop! Choose one – the one that is the easiest to complete, the fastest to complete, and the one most likely to be immediately profitable.
Then turn your full attention to that project. Do everything you can to get that ONE project to market and making money.
Need help choosing your Online Business model? Watch the free video at Online Success Explained.
This is an excellent analogy/metaphor/whatever they are called. And it makes so much sense. Thanks for “dumbing it down” for us!
You are the best Jeanette!
Terrie
Thanks. The Lake Pontchartrain bridge was exactly the image I held for several years, so it made it easy. Then I saw a presentation at a conference that gave me the idea for the smokestack – and ta da! The image was born!
I just want to encourage other people not to wait so long to succeed as I did! All because I wanted to have it all perfect and in place before I started promoting.
Jeanette, that is SO encouraging…thanks for all your support and info you give us, your readers!
My biggest mistake was to jump right in with 3 new websites all at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking. Now I am looking to sell 2 of those sites, just too many things to do to make them all super successful while trying to have a real life!
Pat, if you will, share how and where you are selling your sites. I suspect others will be interested in how to sell what they’ve worked so hard to build.
And I agree – building more than one site at a time is a mistake I’ve repeated – more than once!
Jeanette