building your team of criminal mastermindsThere are two types of people in any work industry, whether it be online or in a cubicle:  Those who work better alone, and those who work better as part of a team, and when it comes to blogging there’s really no choice for the earlier option – providing you want to be successful.  Building a team of collaborators and joint venture partners is vital to the systematic survival of your brand and motion within the blogosphere.  You need people to bounce ideas off of.  You need a people to fill your weak spots and promote growth.  You need to become part of something much bigger that your little blog.

Little blog?

Yes, little blog.  I don’t care if you’re John Chow or Shoe-frickin-money, on the greater scale of all things Internet, we’re the equivalent to a gnat on a donkey’s ass.  Pay very close attention to what I’m about to say:  You cannot be alone in this vast domain.

I’ve read countless ebooks, hard and soft covers, journals, reports and manifestos in my year or so pursuing business online, and teamwork is the one element that 99% of them forget to include in their “Top 37 ways to make money online” or “secret formulas” and frankly I think it’s all a load of bullshit.  If you remember my post on how the rich stay rich and why there will always be that divider between the top dogs and everyone else, it is their network that keeps them all on top.  Everyone has a role to play in order to keep that network tightly knit and circulating.  The bigger the network is, the stronger it becomes and the more influence it will have.

Let’s go back to the donkey’s ass for a second…

Imagine that across the donkey’s entire body there are one million gnats spread out individually, and in small groups.  You could stand two feet from that donkey and not see a single one of them.  You might even go right up to this ass with a magnifying glass and be lucky if you notice one or two of these little buggers minding their business.  Now let’s imagine that a movement was spawned, and the gnats realized that the only way for them to be noticed was if they huddled closely together in large groups while screaming as loud as possible.  What do you think would happen? I can imagine three possible reactions:

  • You would begin to think “what are those screaming dark spots on my donkey?”
  • Word would spread and the gnats would join forces to form even bigger groups.
  • Gnats on other donkey’s would notice as they pass, and incorporate this concept to continue the cycle.

I don’t know what just happened, but it made sense five minutes ago.

Even though Veronica doesn’t post on here, or isn’t as visible as I am online, she is part of my team.  Every post I publish and idea I stumble upon is filtered through her first.  I also have been building a team of other ninja marketers whom I communicate with on a daily basis.  We have a brainstorm forum that provides a common place for support, resources and creative development.  All of these factors will greatly affect my success as an online businessman, and in turn the people around me because this cycle is self sustaining.

Take a moment to think of the people around you whom you admire and the blogs you are inspired by, as these are usually the prime candidates for future joint ventures and diving partners off the coast of Costa Rica.  Find people who share a similar status and take that chance because you never know who else was thinking the same thing that you were.

The number one way to make money online is by building a team.  Period.

Cheers,

Elijah