Hola!  Que pasa?

As I’m writing this I’m sitting at the dining room table of a hostel in Medellin, Colombia. I’ve been here for a few days and am already dreading having to leave.  The hostel I’m staying in, if you’re ever in Medellin, is the Yellow House Hostel (no affiliate link).  It’s run by Vince,  a French-Colombian.  He has schooled me on a few things since I’ve been here in Medellin.  If you want to avoid the party atmosphere of the 20-somethings (nothing wrong with that.  I was that age once! ), this will be the place for you.

Now, back to Medellin.

In a word- Amazing.  No hyperbole.

Simply awesome.

I chose Medellin after reading the Medellin Living blog by David Lee and was immediately intrigued and infatuated with Colombia.  I haven’t really partied like I thought I would, but that’s perfectly fine.  Just walking around and exploring this magnificent city has been well worth it.  Even though my Spanish is not very good (Mi espanol es una mierda!). Translation: My Spanish is shit!

The coffee is like no other I’ve tasted.  Colombian coffee is definitely the best I’ve ever tasted.  And, I’ve practically lived on empanadas!

Everything you’ve heard about the beauty of the women of Medellin is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!  Any man will need a neck brace from all the head turning he will do for the bonitas.

The cost of living makes this a wonderland.  The money exchange to the American dollar is very favorable. And if your currency is the Euro or the Austrailian dollar, it’s even better.  Most meals in restaurants and street vendors are well under $3 -5US.  And these are small meals, either.

Medellin is in a state of rebuilding and it’s becoming ripe with opportunities.  The tourist industry will heat up within the next 3-5 years and Medellin won’t be a secret anymore.  The stigma of it being one of the most dangerous cities in the world will wear off and prices will skyrocket to those of other vacation spots.

Teaching English is a really great option to make an income.   From the research I’ve done, you can make about $4-6 mil COL per month.  That’s, depending on where you live,  a very comfortable income.

The only bad thing I can say about Medellin is that I have to leave.  It’s hard to believe that Medellin was once considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.  I actually feel safer here than in many parts of the US.  For those of you under the age of 35, know espanol and like your money to go a little further than it does where you currently live,definitely check out Medellin.  If I could stay and work from here, I definitely would do it; in a heartbeat.  Now that I’ve experienced this wonderful city and people, I have something to work towards.  I definitely need to improve my Spanish before I come back.

And yes.  I will be back.

If you want to see more of my photos from my trip to Medellin, click here to visit my Google+ page.

The way people think about those who work online for a living is a little, shall we say, cloudy. When people hear about online entrepreneurs “working on their business” or “getting work done”, they have a puzzled look on their face.

“Working on your business?” they may think to themselves. “That’s not REAL work.”

Contrary to what this segment of the population may believe, working on an online business IS working. I know of a few people like my online buddies James Hussey and Robert Dempsey who work on their businesses full-time. And when I say full-time, I’m not talking about doing 8 hours, with an hour for lunch, full-time. I’m talking about REAL full-time, when they wake up at 9 or 10am and don’t stop working until 3-4am the next day.

Talk about a grind….!

Making money online has developed such a stigma in people’s minds from websites filled with images of Lamborghinis and piles of money. Each boasting that they have the SECRET to making money online and they want to teach you how to do it, too.

I’ve always asked myself when I heard these types of claims, “Why does this person want to help me make money?” Is it the glass half empty way of thinking?- probably.

So for those who have been prophesying the “Death of Internet Business”, we’re still a way off.

A long way off, in my opinion.

But, if we are referring to “internet businesses” as those that still have the websites with Lamborghinis and insane claims of making millions, then yes.

If you’re one of the chosen few who make a living online full-time, how do you combat the negativity that others have regarding your vocation?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Image credit: Master isolated images

Earning income online is what many of us do and aspire to do, right?  But, how?

You’re an expert at something.

(Yeah, I’m talking to YOU!)

At the very least, you’re very proficient at something.  Are there elements that you do in your current job everyday that would be valuable to someone else? I’m sure there are quite a few things.  But, you’re probably overlooking them.

Or, you deem them as unimportant.

For example, here are a few services that I’m thinking about providing here on the Smart Income Blog  to earn income online:

• WordPress blog set-up
• Blog upgrade
• Social media account set-up (2 tiers- multiple accounts or one account)
• custom Twitter background setup

I could also offer services from my day job, such as:

• consulting on how to handle yourself on a job interview
• resume writing techniques
• write an ebook on both of the above

Now, I do none of these things relating to blogging for my day job, but these are things I’ve learned how to do outside of it.  I figure these could be the gateway to earning income online.  So don’t be surprised if you check out my Services page and see these available in the next couple of weeks.  In fact, as I’m writing this, I can almost guarantee you will.

I’ve written about the importance of having clients and that’s because it should be the centerpiece of your earning money online. It shouldn’t be the only income stream, but it should be the core that most of the other income streams should flow.  It may also not be residual or passive, but it can lead to those types of income later on down the line. From an aspiring  internet entrepreneur point of view, you need to determine your worth!

You really need to sit down and figure out what you’re good at and then figure out a way to monetize those goods.  It’s a dilemma that all people looking to profit from the web face. After all that self-analysis and you still come up empty- what next? All is still not lost. Figure out what you’re passionate about and love learning about and become proficient in it.  Your mission is to become as much of an expert on said subject (s) ASAP so you can start earning income from it.

Everybody who is blogging about making money online is not an expert. Some are just really passionate about learning as much as they can about MMO and share what they learn. A combination of sharing what you learn and already know makes, or can make, you into an expert.

If you haven’t yet started a making money from what you already know, what are you passionate about that you could start making money now? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

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