In my opinion, rule number one is to have a strategy... and stick to it. I also happen to trade stocks on my days off, and I can tell you for certain that only fools approach the stock market without a strategy in mind. When people aren't earning any, or enough, money online (or in the stock market), they want to know, "What am I doing wrong?" And they want someone to tell them what they're doing wrong.
I know. I've BEEN there.
The very first thing to remember is what you're doing right. Just the mere act of getting into Internet marketing is a smart move. Online business has only been around for about 15 years, and so we're really only at the beginning. The fact that you've taken some action is something to be proud of and build upon! It means you're in the game. Still... you must have a strategy (i.e. a grand plan) and commit to it. When I first started out online (and it wasn't that long ago!), I didn't know what I was doing. And it didn't take long to become overwhelmed and frustrated by all of the things that I felt like I 'had to be doing' every day. Though I thought I did, I didn't really have an online business. All I had was a mountain of busy work that I thought that somehow, some way, would eventually start earning me money. Down here in Texas, we say, "You're doin' a lot of choppin', but no chips are flyin'."
This is where most people will burn out, throw up their hands and quit - especially if there's been a lot of money spent in the process. What I realized is that I needed some kind of organized plan or system for recruiting and retention (rentention actually being more important). That's when I created a team-build promotion system for the TrafficWave affiliate plan. It's still working today and has spun off numerous 'sub-teams' that are creating their own plans and systems. The organized plan of Team OceanSwell is what finally created success for me online. Suddenly, all of the things that I had been trying so hard to do - i.e. list-building, branding, advertising in TE's, etc. - suddently started working. It was like night and day!
My point is simply this: You'll never earn any kind of significant full or part-time income online unless you have a unique strategy and stay with it. If you are a Team OceanSwell member for the purpose of promoting affiliate links for TrafficWave (and now Global NPN), that's excellent. It's the strategy that I developed and many are using. But guess what? You need your own. I have found that real success online comes from new ideas. In fact, all you really need is ONE fresh idea, and an organized plan that's based upon it. That requires creative thinking. If you need help with creative thinking, then seek it out and make a study of it.
The book below is one that I've read recently, and recommend as a means to stir the creative juices (but there are many others like it). If you've read this far, please think carefully about what I've said. Because I've just given you the key to the success that I've had online...
