Starting an online business or expanding it beyond what you imagined it could be is the dream for those looking to make money online.
Since I began blogging, I have been inspired by many people in the blogging world who have found a way to achieve their goals of freedom through online business.
Here are just a few of those inspirational stories to help you get motivated to chasing your dreams!
How to Leverage LinkedIn to Create a 7-Figure Business
Imagine having a career one day, and then it being over the next. That’s what happened to Lewis Howes. A career-ending injury in 2007 took him from the Arena Football League to his sister’s couch with what seemed to be no other options.
What Lewis did have was time. After a suggestion that he try LinkedIn from a friend and mentor, he took the time to build up his knowledge of the online networking and social world. He made lots of connections, created the largest sports industry networking group on LinkedIn, and wrote a book on how to be successful on LinkedIn.
He then went on to create courses on LinkedIn, Webinars, Video Marketing, Facebook, and more online marketing topics leading to a 7-figure business. You can read his inspirational story in this post on Forbes.
How to Quit a 6-Figure Job at a Fortune 100 Company to Become an Entrepreneur
Imagine being successful – making 6 figures at a Fortune 100 company with nowhere to go but up, then realizing that the corporate world is destroying your spirit and your passion. That’s what happened to Farnoosh Brock. She wanted more out of life and business, and knew she would never find it in the corporate world. After some preparation, she quit her career and started on the entrepreneurial path. Now, she is fulfilling her dream by building her own profitable business. You can read her inspirational story in this post on Prolific Living.
She has even created a course for others looking to take her lead called the Smart Exit Blueprint where she shows you why and how she resigned from her career to build a profitable brand in less than 2 years. It include interviews with yours truly, Pam Slim, Dan Miller, Marlee Ward, and other inspirational experts.
How to Leave Your Solo Gig and Become Part of a Larger Brand
Imagine having your own business, but wanting to take it to higher levels. That’s what happened to Brian Gardner of StudioPress. He had created an amazing WordPress framework, Genesis, but he was done with dealing with aspects of the business beyond creating the product including marketing, handling his hosting, and single-handedly supporting a 75,000 strong customer base.
So when he got the call to join Copyblogger Media, it was a no brainer. He was definitely interested in joining their team. Now he enjoys his part in the business, which he alludes to as being in the band playing music he loves while only having to be in charge of his own instrument.
You can read his inspirational story in this post on his blog.
How to Be Successful Despite the Odds
Imagine having a disease that changes your life in your mid-twenties. That’s what happened to John Paul Aguiar. He lost a kidney to kidney disease and had to wait for a donor on dialysis.
Since he was no longer able to hold a 9 to 5 job because of his treatments, John spent the time finding ways to work independently and make a paycheck. Within 11 months, he was able to stop receiving disability checks because he was making enough money online to support himself.
You can read his inspirational story in this post on the National Kidney Foundation website.
How to Build Your Business Through Blogging
Imagine having your own product and using one online marketing strategy to take it from 0 to 100,000 customers in nine months. That’s what happened to Leo Widrich, co-founder of BufferApp.
He started an intense guest blogging campaign and was published on tons of blogs in the social media niche including Mashable, ProBlogger, Social Media Today, Social Media Examiner, and Danny Brown.
Many of his guest posts were about Twitter, making them the perfect posts to drive a Twitter-loving audience to his product leading to many, many new customers.
You can read his inspirational story in this interview on Search Engine Watch.
How These Stories Helped Me
You hear about people being inspired, but you might wonder what that inspiration led to. In my case, it led to the realization that you don’t have to have a traditional job to make a living. I’ve never been fully attached to my jobs – I never cared about making employee of the month, socializing with the boss to get ahead, or any of the other politics of the work environment. All I’ve ever wanted is to do something I love and make enough to live on from it.
After following those that have set a goal in the online business world and succeeded, I decided I could do the same. So I made the transition from a secure full-time job to more risky world of freelance writing. I only say risky because it is the first time in my life I have not had a consistent, guaranteed salary or hourly income. Instead of just doing my primary job while others handle all of the other aspects of the business, I am doing my writing work along with marketing, sales, accounting, and collections.
Now that I have been a freelance writer for almost a year, I can say it was well worth the plunge.
What bloggers, online business owners, and online entrepreneurs have inspired you the most? Please share their story in the comments!
Image © Sergej Khackimullin – Fotolia.com