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The Blogging Entrepreneur

This post was most recently updated on June 2nd, 2019

The Blogging Entrepreneur OK, my blogging entrepreneur friends… this is going to be a treat for you.

You know I rarely bring guest bloggers to my site, yet this is my second one in a row!

I didn’t really expect this, but when I ran into James McAllister recently, I knew I had to get him in front of my readers.

Turns out, this is the week that worked out best for us both, so as I said, you are in for a treat today.

James writes a lot about being an entrepreneur.

You might think that’s a bit strange, since he’s only 18 years old.

Believe it not, though, he started his first website at the age of eleven!

He’s had some failures along with success, but hey, that’s what we entrepreneurs do.

Today, he operates over 10 different websites, all which, James tells me “are generating a nice amount of revenue.”

I really encourage you to visit James on his blog, to learn more about him, and a whole bunch from him.

His story really resonates with me.

I remember my days of working for somebody else.

It wasn’t a good feeling.  It seemed like somebody else was living my life for me.

I dropped out of that scene pretty early on, though, and have been an entrepreneur ever since.

I’ve had many failures, of course, but they’ve all led to my successes.

I really wanted to bring James to my blog today, because I just finished reading his book and it blew me away.

It shows you how a real entrepreneur thinks, and describes how James has claimed his freedom by stepping up and taking responsibility for his own success.

He shows you how he’s leveraged the art of blogging, and the awesome power of the internet to achieve his dreams.

Now, I’ll let James take over.

Meet James McAllister

Why do you blog? The truth is, we all start for different reasons.

Some of us want an outlet to share our personal opinions or ideas.

Some of us blog as a hobby.

Some of us don’t really know why we’re blogging.

If that sounds like you, than that’s fine. I was in the same boat for many years.

You’re here on Donna’s website right now, so I’m willing to bet that you want to be more than just an average blogger.

You want to improve your blog, improve your marketing, and improve your business.

If you’re like most people though, you don’t become great at something for no reason.

Blogging is challenging, and we naturally want some sort of reward for our hard work.

We strive to improve as bloggers because we want that reward.

Strangely enough, many of us do not realize what it is that we are actually chasing.

We think we are in business to make money, but most of us are really after what money represents – freedom.

Only You Can Set Yourself Free

We like to think that we live in a free world, but is that really true? If we are forced to wake up early every morning and work at a job we hate just to make enough money to survive, are we really free?

Think about it.

This sort of lifestyle isn’t necessary, but we are led to believe that it’s our only option. From the moment we are born, we are taught to go to a great university so we can get a good job.

In other words, we are all conditioned to be employees instead of employers.

Unfortunately, the careers people are promised as they go through college are disappearing. There is no longer a light at the end of the tunnel.

Everyone is going to college, and degrees are so abundant that many of them lose their value.

There is a huge problem. College is extremely expensive, and the majority of students will have to take out loans in order to finance their education.

Regardless of whether or not they get a job after they graduate, they are still forced to pay back the money they owe.

They have become a slave to money just as their life has begun, and dug themselves a huge hole that’s extremely hard to get out of. They are stuck working a minimum wage job because the degree they received grants them no additional employability.

There Are Multiple Paths To Freedom

The easiest way to get ahead in your journey to financial freedom is to never get behind in the first place. If you can avoid debt completely, you are already closer to financial freedom than 50% of Americans.

I was very fortunate to discover blogging at such a young age. I started blogging at the age of 11 and began blogging for profit at the age of 14. By the time I graduated high school four years later, I was making enough money to avoid getting a traditional job.

Despite having early success as an entrepreneur, I was still hammered to follow the traditional path. I started college unsure of what I wanted to major in. I lasted two quarters before I made the decision to drop out and focus more time on building up my business. I carried no debt when I had left.

Unfortunately, very few people can go straight from working a traditional job to running a successful business. It took me two years of testing and tweaking things until I finally started making money online. It took another two years before I was making enough to replace a regular job.

An experience like mine is typical. Businesses do not start up one day and become successful the next. They take time to get off the ground. Many aspiring entrepreneurs start one business, fail, and give up forever.

The entrepreneurs who become successful fail, recover, and try again.

Fortunately, you only need one business to succeed to make it as an entrepreneur.

Dropping out of college was very eye-opening to me because it proved that there really are alternative options available. It proved that one does not have to graduate from college to be successful. If you have the work ethic and determination to succeed, you have the ability to go against the cultural norm and walk down your own path.

I wrote The Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business, Finance, and Life for those people. This book acts a guide for people who have chosen entrepreneurship over a traditional job. For those who want to live life on their own terms. For those who wish to take the path less traveled.

But most importantly, for those who wish to be free.

While this book is ideal for teenagers and young adults, the truth is that only one section of this book is solely dedicated towards young entrepreneurs. I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the book discussing the reality of college and why it is no longer a sensible choice for many people. I also take time to talk about moving into the real world as a young adult.

The rest of the book however is beneficial to any aspiring entrepreneur because it goes into great detail about a large number of important topics, including:

•    Avoiding common financial mistakes.
•    Creating a budget.
•    Choosing your ideal business model and niche.
•    Making the most out every visitor.
•    Building a sales funnel.
•    Segmenting and up-selling.
•    Gaining influence and making friends in high places.
•    Creating, pricing, and marketing your very own product.
•    Outsourcing work that doesn’t require your presence.
•    Making your money work for you via investing.
•    And a heck of a lot more!

When you think about it, each of these are extremely important for success.

If you have bad spending habits, it doesn’t matter how much money you’ll make. You’ll never end up financially free.

If you aren’t able to run a business and create something that makes money on its own, then you’ll always be a slave to your employer.

If you need to spend 18 hours a day of your own time to run your business, then you’ve become a slave to it instead. The successful entrepreneur does not spend their entire life running their business, they build it up, delegate tasks out to a team of employees, and start another one.

Finally, if you’re not putting your extra money to work, than you’re missing out on one of the easiest ways to grow your income completely passively.

Let’s Be Realistic

The problem with many entrepreneurship books on the market is that they build the reader up on hype, showing them all of the possibilities and benefits of becoming successful without actually focusing on the hard work required to get to that point.

I’m sure you know very well that entrepreneurship isn’t easy. In fact, it’s probably the hardest profession out there, because you have to put the responsibility of creating a living wage into your own hands. You don’t have an employer to fall back on. Worst of all, you aren’t even guaranteed a reward for all of your hard work.

Although The Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business, Finance, and Life has tons of actionable advice, the book on its own is not going to make you a success. It will guide you along the path, but in the end it is just a book. Only you can put in all of the hard work necessary to succeed.

If you’re satisfied with being average, that’s fine. This book was not meant for you.

If, on the other hand, you share my burning desire to grow an online business through blogging and internet marketing, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of my book right now.

If you have any questions or there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know.

Meanwhile, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

What motivates you to blog and run an online business?

Do you share my burning desire to stake out freedom by being an online entrepreneur?

Do you have your own success stories to share?

How about your success story “dreams?”

Again, I’d love to read your comments below, and I know Donna will be jumping into the conversation too.

Your Blog Is A Sales Funnel

Donna Merrill
Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.

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106 Responses to The Blogging Entrepreneur

  1. Donna Merrill April 24, 2015 at 1:23 pm #

    Hi Monna,

    Glad you enjoyed this post. Yes, James is a special kinda guy. His blog is always full of great things to learn from and I’m happy to know that you put his book on your “to read” list.

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..Growing Your Online BusinessMy Profile

  2. Monna Ellithorpe
    Twitter:
    April 24, 2015 at 11:27 am #

    Hi Donna and James,

    What a great post and I enjoyed reading about how you started out so young and even went to college, only to find online entrepreneurship is your calling.

    I’m putting your book on my “To Read” list and looking forward to following your blog.

    Have a great day.
    Monna Ellithorpe recently posted..What’s In It For Me?My Profile

  3. Donna Merrill April 9, 2015 at 10:18 pm #

    Hi Glenn,

    As for being an entrepreneur, I lived it most of my life…around 30 years or so offline and online. Thick skinned? Not really. One has to know boundary setting. Keep the negative out and the positive in.

    That’s a good book you suggested and I’ll have to take a look at it myself.

    I like James’ response when he talks about negativity and he doesn’t have time to argue or try to justify his position. That’s all it takes!

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Write Blog Posts Like CrazyMy Profile

  4. Glenn Shepherd
    Twitter:
    April 1, 2015 at 8:52 pm #

    Hi James,

    I’ve already met you somewhere, although I can’t for the life of me recall where! I saw a comment of yours on the Warrior Forum the other day and knew that I recognised you but again, couldn’t recall from where. I think it may have been from another guest post somewhere. Oh well, it’s great to see you here on Donna’s blog and to read through your post.

    For me, my motivation is definitely freedom. Sure, money is all well and good but it’s what money can bring that is the key. It has to go deeper than the money.

    I think that one needs to be quite thick-skinned to be an entrepreneur. There is so much social conditioning in effect that people will view you almost as though you have two heads if you so much as hint that you’re daring to go against ‘the way things are done’. I found that I had to be quite ruthless at the beginning and say to people that I wasn’t going to tell them anything about what I was doing, because I know from past experience that people can be hugely negative and discouraging, even with the best of intentions. You certainly don’t need negativity dragging you down, so it can require being quite strict with yourself and with other people at times.

    A book I really love and got huge value from is “You Can Change Your Life” by Duncan Bannatyne. He certainly doesn’t hype things up in that and he makes no bones about the fact that running your own business takes hard work. But he gives some excellent advice and the book is filled with ‘gold nuggets’ that I have found enormously helpful in my online journey.

    I’ll definitely keep your book in mind for future reference, James, it sounds like it’s a good read. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing your great post with us, James, and thanks for inviting James along to your blog, Donna. 🙂

    »Glenn«
    Glenn Shepherd recently posted..How to Auto Duck in AudacityMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2015 at 4:53 am #

      Hi Glenn! Sorry for the slow response, I’ve been really busy getting ready to launch a new product.

      Ah, the Warrior Forum. I used to love it there. I don’t visit the site as much as I used to but there are still some great tidbits of information that pop up every now and again.

      You’re definitely right that it requires thick skin. I found things got a lot easier for me personally when I stopped caring what other people thought. We’re going to do what we want to do and we don’t need anybody else telling us how to live our lives. If something goes wrong, great. We’ll fix it on our own, we don’t need any negative input.

      In a way I just choose to remove that sort of negativity from my life completely because quite frankly I don’t have the time to argue or try to justify my position. The results speak for themselves, and I wouldn’t take life advice from somebody who I wouldn’t want to trade positions with.

      I will definitely have to add that book to my reading list. I have quite a few I still need to get through so it may be a while, but I’ll eventually get around to it.

      Good talking with you Glenn!
      James McAllister recently posted..Why Building A Business Around AdSense May Be A Bad IdeaMy Profile

  5. Andrew M. Warner
    Twitter:
    March 31, 2015 at 9:04 am #

    Hey James,

    Great post here on Donna’s blog.

    I’ve seen you around the blogosphere before, but didn’t really know much about your storyand all. And I jumped on to your blog last week and was pretty impressed. You’re well on your way, my friend.

    “We are all conditioned to be employees instead of employers.”

    So true. I remember a conversation I was having with my mom a long while back about this. She’s always been conditioned to be an employee. Yet her mom and her dad were both entrepreneurs … and my sister is as well. So not sure why that entreprenurial gene skipped my mom, but I think it just depends on the person as well.

    And college is … don’t get me started on it. I basically wasted money with college, but I’m better for it now I guess. Great post and great to learn more about you. I look forward to connecting with you more.

    – Andrew
    Andrew M. Warner recently posted..3 Optimization Experiments To Growth Hack My Blog (and Why You Should Do Them Too)My Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 31, 2015 at 12:37 pm #

      Hi Andrew,

      I am glad that you are now connected with James. I know the two of you will enjoy each others blogs and so much more.

      Interesting share how your family reacted. Mom was conditioned to be of the employee mindset but her parents were both entrepreneurs and your sister too. Could be that they wanted their son to be “safe” That false sense of security of having a college education!

      But the good thing is that you are here now and doing a fine job!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      April 1, 2015 at 7:07 am #

      Hey Andrew!

      That is pretty interesting, but I suppose entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone right? The important thing is that people are given the choice. Some people want to become entrepreneurs but are pressured to follow the traditional path by their friends and family. For some people it’s the other way around, and they are just comfortable with what they believe to be the safer and steadier choice. In the end some people are born to be entrepreneurs and others employees, and they will end up finding that out eventually.

      I am the first entrepreneur in my family and I sometimes wonder if any future children of mine will also turn out to be entrepreneurs. If that’s the path they wish to take, so be it. Again, I think the most important thing is that the choice is there. Otherwise we just end up wasting time and money before doing what we were meant to do.

      It’s been great connecting with you recently Andrew and I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me here on Donna’s blog!

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..What Does The Future Of Internet Marketing Look Like?My Profile

  6. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    March 30, 2015 at 7:14 pm #

    Hi Atish!

    Wow, 20 blogs? And I thought the 3 authority sites I run is a huge task hahaha.
    It definitely is a lot of fun. I have no idea how I’d be able to handle so much work if I didn’t love what I was doing. I suppose as entrepreneurs we have a bit more freedom in that respect because we can choose what business models appeal to us.

    I used to run an eBay business and it did do quite well but I hated the process so I shut it down and focused more on digital products. If I were working for somebody else’s eBay company, I probably wouldn’t have had that option without scrambling to find a new job.

    All I can say is that it’s nice to have choices! And hey, even if you’re working a regular job now, you’re doing the entrepreneur stuff on top of it and as that continues to grow, you’ll be closer and closer to having that choice to leave your job. And you won’t have to wait until you’re 65 to retire like most other people will!

    – James
    James McAllister recently posted..What Does The Future Of Internet Marketing Look Like?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 31, 2015 at 12:34 pm #

      Atish,

      I can’t believe you are running 20 sites. You are amazing! I’m sure that your plan of doing a job for one more year will work out fine.

      You do such an awesome job with the blog I always go to. I don’t know where you find the time. I just learned so much more about you here.

      Thanks for sharing,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

  7. Atish Ranjan
    Twitter:
    March 30, 2015 at 1:58 am #

    This is surely a great post James. The post shows how enthusiastic you are for entrepreneurship.

    I am glad to know that you have build it up at this tender age. I have been blogging for more than 4 years along with a day job.

    I am handling more than 20 blogs along with my partner. Most of them are for money making purpose but few are for real blogging.

    I really enjoy doing it.

    I hate to work for others but as per situations, it seems I have to do job for one more year.

    waiting to be a full time blogging entrepreneur. 🙂

    Glad to see you at Donna’s blog James.

    Donna – Thanks for publishing Jame’s post over here. I really enjoyed reading.
    Atish Ranjan recently posted..5 Coolest Gadgets for GirlsMy Profile

  8. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    March 29, 2015 at 9:36 pm #

    Hi Siphosith!

    You’re right, there must be a huge switch in mindset if you’re going from employee to entrepreneur. Admittedly I never really got into the full employee mindset, although it was shoved down my throat all throughout high school.

    I have read books and have heard experiences from people who have made the switch though and it’s clear that the experience is a lot different. When you have a job, there is security. If you go to work, you can rely on that paycheck being there. That isn’t true at all with entrepreneurship. It can take a while to begin making any money and even then the paycheck isn’t always reliable or consistent.

    You’ve definitely got to be willing to take risks and look at both the details and the big picture if you want to find success as an entrepreneur. Some people can’t handle such a drastic switch, but others thrive under that sort of pressure!

    Nice meeting you Siphosith!
    – James
    James McAllister recently posted..How To Turn Your Blog Posts Into A Kindle eBookMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 30, 2015 at 10:12 am #

      Hi Siphosith,

      I do like that quote you mentioned of James. Having a job these days isn’t quite secure. With the current trends, many companies either fold or are letting to of people. That job mentality to me is a false sense of security.

      I don’t mean to bash, but if one wants a job that’s fine. But always have a “Plan B” just in case that job folds.

      People need to switch their mindset and be open to this, because at the end of the day, it is up to us to step up and take responsibility.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

      • James McAllister
        Twitter:
        April 1, 2015 at 6:08 am #

        Good points Donna, in my eyes there really isn’t any such thing as a ‘career’ anymore. Only jobs. How things have changed…

        And it’s only going to get worse in the future. Technological advancements and automation will render a lot of jobs useless. Isn’t the most common job in like 30 states truck driving? Well, we already have cars that can drive themselves so it won’t be long before that job is wiped out. And that’s only scratching the surface.

        Scary to think how fast times are changing. Maybe entrepreneurship will be safer route after all? I always say the only person we can truly rely on is ourselves…
        James McAllister recently posted..What Does The Future Of Internet Marketing Look Like?My Profile

  9. Siphosith
    Twitter:
    March 29, 2015 at 7:21 pm #

    Thanks James and Donna. James You are such an inspiring young man, you shared great wisdom for entrepreneurs not just young ones but everyone .I like what you said here “If you aren’t able to run a business and create something that makes money on its own, then you’ll always be a slave to your employer.”For many new entrepreneurs there need a complete shift of mindset to get to this stage of running a business.
    Siphosith recently posted..Building Your Own Mailing ListMy Profile

  10. Andrea Ansari
    Twitter:
    March 29, 2015 at 11:28 am #

    Hey James, thanks for sharing your story!!

    I wish I had discovered internet marketing in my teens, before I went through education, job and started climbing the career ladded… But then again, probably I wouldn’t have appreciated success as much as I do now.

    Love your quote:

    The entrepreneurs who become successful fail, recover, and try again.

    Great post!!!
    Andrea Ansari recently posted..CASE STUDY: Want To Become Sought After Overnight? Try THIS!My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 9:29 pm #

      Hey Andrea!

      You’ve discovered it now, which means you’re already doing a lot better than most people!
      I’ve only worked a few jobs in my life, but those were enough to show me that it was not something I would enjoy. Knowing what most other people have to go through makes me a lot more thankful for my success as an entrepreneur. Of course, nothing is guaranteed so we’ve got to keep up the hard work!

      Great to meet you Andrea!
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 30, 2015 at 10:09 am #

        Hi Andrea,

        At least you discovered it now and you are doing such a great job at it. I love the videos you make and tutorials you do. You are “approachable” and have a way to make everything seem like fun.

        It is your enthusiasm that shines through….keep on going!

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

  11. Dr. Erica Goodstone
    Twitter:
    March 29, 2015 at 12:25 am #

    Donna,

    What a wise choice to invite James to write a guest post. I can’t imagine starting to blog at 11 and having a viable business 2 years later, and so successful that it replaces a regular job. The virtual world still fascinates me with the unlimited possibilities available to all of us.

    Blogging has been fun for me and a way to make some really deep and lasting connections. As we post our unique content for the world to see, we attract readers who become interested and follow us, or become clients or become sponsors of events that we get invited to present at. And as we build our ranking, advertisers reach out to pay for space. The growth can become exponential – or – it can just be a place to make lots of connections and share your insights.

    Kudos to you James for your success in creating a business out of blogging.

    Warmly,

    Dr. Erica
    Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..Your Marketing Style – Could It Use A Tweak?My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 9:25 pm #

      Hello Dr. Erica!

      Although I grew up with the internet the possibilities still amaze me as well, and I’m even more excited to witness how things will play out in the future
      .
      Blogging is my platform of choice for the same reasons you’ve mentioned. I’ve worked in a few different spaces but I love blogging because it’s so much more social. You get to meet all sorts of people and hear their stories and connect with them, and it really makes you realize that there are actually people out there reading what you’ve written. It’s something special. Donna’s community here is proof of that.

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 01: Introduction To The Podcast + My StoryMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 30, 2015 at 10:07 am #

        Hi Erica and James,

        Absolutely! The best thing I love about blogging is meeting so many wonderful people on a global scale.

        Sometimes the connections we make are so strong, that we do consider each other friends. We will help one another, and that’s the best part for me!

        Talk about advertisers? I get emails all the time, but have not accepted any. I want my blog to band me and not another company.

        When I’m creating products and putting them on the market, most people don’t know who I am and do come to my blog to check me out. No, they won’t comment, but later on, they will tell me they learned a lot about me from my blog and my wonderful commenters.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

  12. Maxwell Ivey
    Twitter:
    March 28, 2015 at 10:17 pm #

    hi donna; and james; thanks for this post. yes being an entrepreneur is hard often lonely work and too many people are lead into failure by pie in the sky books and audio or videos. i am impressed by you james. i find it difficult to keep my two sites running where you are handling over 10 of them. this may be because i tend to avoid delegating or hiring work out. my income is not very reliable for either of my sites so i often waffle between showing faith and believing the money will come in by the time i need it and being resistant to hire someone out of fear it won’t. but at least i know this about myself and am working on it. would love any thoughts you may have about helping with making my income stream wider and more reliable. I have two sites one where i help people sell amusement equipment and the other where i offer coaching and sell my book. i am generally known as either mr. midway or the blind blogger. glad to see you setting such a good example for the next generation while offering some great advice to people like me who have been at it for a while. take care james. and thanks again donna, max
    Maxwell Ivey recently posted..2 Contests and 2 Chances to Win A Signed Copy of My Book Plus 1 Hour of CoachingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 9:18 pm #

      Hi Max!

      To be fair, most of my sites are niche sites that do not require any maintenance other than updating WordPress plugins and the like. Sadly, revenue is dropping on most of them and I’ll be selling and/or shutting down the majority of them because I do not have the time to build them back up.

      As far as authority sites I only run 3, and it is a lot of work but I love it. 🙂

      Anyway, I agree that those sorts of books do far more harm than good. If somebody isn’t willing to put in all the hard work necessary to succeed, I’d rather them quit right away than waste their time chasing false hopes. If they’re willing to do what it takes, great. They’ll love my stuff and I’ll love working with them because those are the types of people I want to attract.

      I would definitely recommend outsourcing work if it makes sense. It’s all about opportunity cost and what you could be doing with that extra time. If I could make more money focusing my attention on something while paying somebody to do something else, than outsourcing would be my best option. Our time is our most valuable resource.

      As far as creating a reliable income stream, it’s all about retaining your visitors. The only reason my income is consistent at all is because of my email list, as my autoresponder is sending out promotional emails to new set of people every day. That’s where my money is made, so the main goal of my blog is to get people onto the email list, and to provide additional value to those who arrive on my list from somewhere else like a squeeze page.

      People do not tend to buy the first time they meet you so it’s important to do whatever you can to keep people coming back again and again, and boosting the relationship between you two.

      Please let me know if there’s anything I can help you with!
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 03: Why Most Blogs Don’t Make Money + Keeping Control Of Your BusinessMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 30, 2015 at 10:03 am #

        Max,

        I love what you said at the end of your comment about retirement. Yes, at the end of the day, there is only one person we can rely on and it is ourselves. This is why we need to get our own business going and think of “retirement”

        Thank you James for your awesome comment to Max. You are adding so much value to my readers.
        Donna Merrill recently posted..9 Best Affiliate Programs For BloggersMy Profile

  13. Barbara Charles
    Twitter:
    March 28, 2015 at 9:18 pm #

    Hi James,

    What motivates me is a little different. As you are a young man starting out in your future being an entrepreneur, you have your whole life ahead of you. For myself, as a middle age woman my goals for blogging and entrepreneurship is to set up a future for myself and for my children.

    I’m thinking of retirement and being able to live comfortably and those items that used to be available are probably not going to be available.

    Then there is the college vs. entrepreneurship thing. Hmmm. Interesting conversation. Although the argument is that college might not be worth it in financial terms, the truth of the matter is this. Some people, with or without college, will not become entrepreneurs. Doesn’t really matter of college or no college. And the reason is that so many people *do* not have an entrepreneur mindset like you do. Doesn’t matter the age or the wisdom, without this entrepreneur mindset, they will not become successful. That is really the key. It is one of the reasons you started out so early and succeeded so early. it is the reason you are able to think like an entrepreneur and based on that you are driven toward your success.

    Anyway, just my thoughts. You’re a great young man and I can see more greatness for you and your life because you ‘think’ like an entrepreneur.

    Continued success to you.

    Nice to meet you here.

    Regards,
    Barbara
    Barbara Charles recently posted..3 Things To Do To Be A Better Blogger?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 29, 2015 at 2:42 pm #

      Hi Barbara,

      Thanks for your input on this wonderful conversation we are having here. As we both are in the same age group, it is great that we are here being entrepreneurs with our business because we can have an easier retirement.

      Even if I had a pension, in this economy it wouldn’t cut it for me. I know I need more influx of money coming in. But the fact is we too are here doing our businesses and that is awesome.

      We don’t come from the computer age, but we are up to par lol.

      James, being so young and doing his business is a great eye opener for us. The future holds more opportunity for this younger generation with online businesses. Between deciding to go to college to do a certain profession, or having a great chance with entrepreneurship, there are more choices.

      Thanks for your input,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 9:01 pm #

      Hi Barbara!

      I actually agree with you. Most people will not become entrepreneurs, as you said they don’t have the mindset to succeed or the desire to work hard enough to become successful.
      For non-entrepreneurs, I do recommend going to college, but only if they’re going to major in something that will yield them a better income overall. If they’re going to major in some worthless program that will not grant them any additional employability, than they should avoid college because they’ll be working the same minimum wage job, except they’ll have debt.

      A lot of people do not realize they were born to be entrepreneurs until later in life. For entrepreneurs like me who figured it out early on, well it really doesn’t make that much sense to go to college, because that would mean I’d be paying thousands and thousands of dollars for credentials I would never plan on using. Not to mention, I’d have to work longer to pay off that debt which means I wouldn’t have as much time to focus on my business. That just doesn’t make sense.

      Of course, the exception would be if your college education is completely funded by the government or private grants, but even then you have to determine if the time commitment is worth it.

      As far as retirement goes… I seriously fear for anybody who plans to rely on a pension, social security or any other government funded retirement programs. When you look at the U.S. Federal budget, you seriously have to question the sustainability of such programs. Obviously I’m no expert but I would not recommend anybody to take such a huge risk, because at the end of the day the only person you can rely on is yourself.

      Anyway it’s great to meet you Barbara!
      James McAllister recently posted..What To Expect From Me This Year – Courses, A Podcast, And More!My Profile

  14. Lea Bullen
    Twitter:
    March 28, 2015 at 6:16 pm #

    Hi Donna and James,

    I completely agree with what has become of the educational and career system of today’s society. It reminds me of when I was in college my professor admitted that we have it hard. He said thay when he was in school he just worked the summer and that was enough to pay for a year of college. I remember being stunned.

    I think that the misconception with a lot of jobs today is that its supposed to take over your life. I like that you point out that that isn’t what being a boss is about. That tends to discourage people from wanting more. When you’re working an obscene amount of hours you need to reevaluate things.

    Freedom fuels my desire to work for myself. Freedom in every sense of the word, not just financial but also with my time. My life tends to be pretty unpredictable and it’s nice to have that flexibility when I need it.

    ~Lea
    Lea Bullen recently posted..Comfort Zone? How Being Uneasy Will Make You HappierMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 29, 2015 at 2:28 pm #

      Hi Lea,

      Thanks for your input on this healthy conversation going on here. I’m with you, especially when you said that freedom fuels my desire to work for myself. I’ve been doing it for decades and it is quite energizing.

      The freedom of working for ourselves does gives us great flexibility with life itself. When we consider all there is to life, we can have a business where “have laptop will travel” if need be.

      There is also room for our loved ones and friends. I cannot live any other way without feeling like I’m a trapped rat lol.

      Glad you enjoyed James’ post.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 8:43 pm #

      Hi Lea!

      I’m in the same boat, I think the most important thing in our lives is happiness, and most people are a lot happier when they are free. Sadly, people have a hard time even working a normal amount of hours because they take on a ton of debt without a way to pay it off (not just student loans, but car loans, credit card debt, etc.)

      Freedom is not impossible to achieve but you’ve got to be smart with your finances. You have to have something generating enough money for you to live off of, or you’ll always be forced to live up to your employer’s demands. Many people will find jobs they love, but everybody has days they don’t want to work. Being free means we have the option to say ‘no’ if we wish to do so.

      I do work an obscene amount of hours, but that’s only because I choose to. Every sale I make is my time being paid back to me. There have been weeks at a time where I’ve chosen to work 14-18 hour days, but it’s because I want to . As they say, entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.

      Many people don’t have a choice. It’s sad, and as you say their jobs take over their life. They have no time left to enjoy which makes it very hard to be happy.

      I’m glad to know that every person that buys this book and implements the strategies within will be put on the road to freedom. It may not necessarily be through a business, but they will eventually find freedom, and the happiness that comes along with it!

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 03: Why Most Blogs Don’t Make Money + Keeping Control Of Your BusinessMy Profile

  15. Willena Flewelling
    Twitter:
    March 28, 2015 at 5:36 pm #

    James, you are both intelligent AND wise! Why go to college when you know exactly what you want, and how to get there? Not only does college cost dearly, but so many of the courses are fluff. Things are changing, and I say kudos to you for teaching a different and more profitable way to do things.
    Willena Flewelling recently posted..Week 23 – The Law of Least EffortMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 29, 2015 at 2:24 pm #

      Hi Willena,

      So good to know you have given James a big KUDOS! He sure knows his path and what he wants to do. In doing so he has build a nice business for himself.

      I do agree there is a lot of fluff when taking college courses. I do hope things change whereby they can eliminate the fluff for those who are interested in taking this path.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 29, 2015 at 7:24 pm #

      Hi Wilena!

      Yeah, the fluff was one of the biggest issues for me personally. I do not understand why half the classes we are required to take have nothing to do with our major. That’s a lot of time and a lot of money for something that will have no practical use the minute we step outside of the classroom. If I wanted to be a computer programmer, how would I benefit from taking 3 extra English classes right?

      I think more and more people are starting to realize what I have, which is great for everyone.
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 03: Why Most Blogs Don’t Make Money + Keeping Control Of Your BusinessMy Profile

  16. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    March 28, 2015 at 1:02 am #

    Hi Erika!

    I too think more and more people will start working online when possible. We’re in a global economy now and that’s really a good thing for everyone because it brings us so many more opportunities.

    College will always be important for some professions but for a lot it’s not necessary at all and is best to be avoided.

    Now people just have to be made aware of the opportunities that are there for them. The world today isn’t the same as it used to be and every one of us has the power to make money on our own if we want to.

    As Bob Dylan said… “the times they are a changin’” 🙂
    – James
    James McAllister recently posted..How To Turn Your Blog Posts Into A Kindle eBookMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 28, 2015 at 1:03 pm #

      Hi Erika,

      Thanks so much for sharing your ideas here. You are online and when your grandchildren see what you are doing, they sure will have a good decision making process weather to continue education in college or not. I can hear them saying “If my grandmother is doing it…so can I”

      Who knows? They might just start early in life becoming little entrepreneurs lol.

      Yes, James, you are on target quoting Bob Dylan because “the times they are a changin'” 🙂

      We do need to acknowledge that because of this global economy.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  17. Erika Mohssen-Beyk
    Twitter:
    March 27, 2015 at 5:02 pm #

    Hi Donna and James ,
    Thank you Donna to have James here so we learn to know him better.
    I think he did the right thing, I know a lot of young people who
    went to get degrees in university and are jobless. It may be not
    for everybody to do IM and it is certainly not easy to start, but I
    believe in the future, there will be more people starting working from home.
    This is one of the reasons I started because I see around me here are
    People who are even scared of Facebook and I have Grandkids 🙂
    Maybe I can be of help for them in the future. They have ipods but not yet
    thinking of using the internet for education or work, but I am sure it will come.
    I know young people who even emigrated to have a better job and they have
    doctor degrees washing dishes at McDonald.
    It will change in the future.
    Thank you for the Story
    Erika
    Erika Mohssen-Beyk recently posted..What Do You Really Want – Define your DreamMy Profile

  18. Chery Schmidt
    Twitter:
    March 27, 2015 at 1:49 pm #

    Hello Donna and nice to meet you here James, Your story here just warmed my heart, Started blogging at age 11, I didn’t even know how to turn on a computer until I turned 50.. It is a new generation that is for sure. My grandson is 4 and has his own mini ipad UNREAL!

    Everything you have shared here is so true, it is hard work to become a successful online entrepreneur but as you have clearly stated is possible. I love what you said, to become successful you will fail, recover, and try again.

    Thanks for sharing.. Chery :))
    Chery Schmidt recently posted..3 Root Causes Stopping You From Succeeding OnlineMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 28, 2015 at 12:41 am #

      Hi Chery!

      Isn’t it funny how quickly things have changed? Even in just my time growing up I’ve witnessed the world completely change. My first computer was a Windows 98 clunky desktop and I couldn’t do much more with it than write down documents. I remember waiting an hour for a YouTube video to load on our dial up internet connection. I remember hearing about the original iPhone and thinking that I’d never be able to afford one of those. I remember spending hours exploring the early internet, and being amazed when Yahoo and Windows Live Messenger came out. I remember seeing my first laptop and thinking how incredible it was that computers existed that you can actually carry around. Now I carry one 10x as powerful in my pocket. It’s mind blowing.

      Even more interesting to think about where technology is heading in the future. 3D printing and virtual reality are going to change everything, and that’s only scratching the surface. Whatever the future has in store for us, I am extremely excited for it. And being the entrepreneurs we are, I’m sure we’ll find some way to profit from it as well!

      Great to meet you Chery!

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Write Blog Posts Quickly And ProductivelyMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 28, 2015 at 1:09 pm #

        Hi Chery,

        Good to see you here as well as on Jame’s latest podcast. Yes, my grandkids also have Ipads. The two year old can whiz around like crazy. My three year old grandson knows how to Ichat with us every day. It is an amazing world we live in.

        Technology is growing like wildfire and even my 84 year old mom is a Facebook Stalker lol.

        I’m trying to get her to blog her memoirs. But she is using a document right now. Her stories are amazing and do need to be published with the collection of pictures for future generations.

        Here, we are discussing how wonderful it is for young people to be able to get right into the market.

        I also like to add that the older generation…especially seniors are starting to learn how to use technology. It is important for them too to have some kid of compensation to their pensions because it just doesn’t cut it in today’s economy.

        I have taught groups of “seniors” how to use the internet, even to write their own stories. These are treasures that have to be published. And hey, they may want to try making a buck or two lol.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  19. Irish Carter
    Twitter:
    March 27, 2015 at 1:29 am #

    HI James and Donna,

    Wow! What a story and you can bet I am going to be sharing this with two special young men i my life who are 22 and 27; my sons. I couldn’t agree with you more about a few things you shared.

    1: Our world today does not require us to go in financial debt with college the way our society wants to push us to believe. I did go in financial debt earning 2 degrees and was headed half way into my masters when I admitted to myself that the masters degree costing me $28,000 a year to complete was not going to advance my income because I planned to stay employed for the most part in the state job I already had. It paid me more than what I would make as a masters level social worker.

    I also am one of “those” moms who gets the look from some families because I do not pressure my children to head right into college. I believe if I did that, chances are they would change their minds once they have a degree they are indebted to anyway. I have always encouraged my kids to follow their heart and make responsible choices pertaining to learning how to support themselves as adults. Be happy is what I tell them.

    I now have a 22 year old who has a couple years of college behind him, is getting ready to leave a great job for a new one doing what he truly wants to do. He is going to work for the National Parks and see the country a bit. I told him now was the time to do it so he can find his way. The 27 year old is in his second year now of building a reputation for himself in social media in the co-angling industry and is rockin it. He told me one day, I just watched and learned from you. It was a proud mom moment. This year will be his second year of creating his online community and really getting all his gear in place for his tournaments and next year I told him would be the year I can see him really taking off. He has set goals and begun to put them in action.

    Your words are encouraging and I can’t wait to show this article to both of my sons.

    2: Financial Freedom and entrepreneurship. I have lived in poverty. I am also fortunate to say I ciimbed the ropes and worked my way to a well paying job but highly demanding and stressful job. I at one point felt like what I said was I had “golden handcuffs” on. I felt financially trapped. Then it took me taking a leave of absense to realize I needed to change my way of living and spending for a bit and build what I wanted in my heart and head. I caught the bug of owning my own business and like Carol said being accountable to feed myself from my own earnings. One business owner said to me one time, it’s just a way of life, its what we do! It stuck. They were exactly right.

    Many times it has been so tough, I thought of giving up. I believe this to be a spiritual thing but when ever I throw my hands in the air, within minutes literally I will return to my phone, computer or tablet and opportunity knocks. Money flows! It’s my way of knowing this is what I am supposed to be doing. it is who I am and what I want to do.

    Thanks for inspiring me. I think I could write a book right now. LOL

    Irish
    Irish Carter recently posted..Dedicated 2 Life’s Passionate People of 2015 Campaign Begins!  Who Gets Your Vote?My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 27, 2015 at 6:51 am #

      Hi Irish!

      I sincerely thank you for not pushing college on your kids and giving them an option. I have heard stories of people who’s parents will completely disown them if they do not attend college. I was very fortunate to have supportive parents that shared my vision. They have helped me out a lot over the years and I’m happy to know that I will be able to support them and spend time with them when they are older and unable to work.

      Not to get too off point, but you’re absolutely right when you say that we don’t need college to do well. Heck, we enjoy a very good standard of living even on minimum wage. People complain about capitalism and how “corporations and rich people are evil and are the root of all of our problems” but when you look at all of the innovation that has happened just these past 15 years, our standard of living is at its highest point ever. Not to say that everyone is perfectly honest, but vilifying successful people who create the products that improve our lives just hurts us in the long run. The truth is, the poorest people here in the United States still live better than the richest in other countries. Thank you capitalism! Thank you entrepreneurs!

      Today people like you and me can become rich creating something from the comfort of our own home, without having huge connections or a huge amount of capital. That is something special.

      I can understand 30-50 years ago why college was more important, but the world has changed. Today we have the internet and can instantly reach anyone, anywhere around the world and make money doing it. And of course, degrees have less value today than they did back then.

      I have not lived in extreme poverty but I did grow up in a poor household. Nights were cold and we’d go a week or longer at times without hot water. In a way I’m very thankful for that because it showed me that that was not the lifestyle I wanted to live in forever, and I certainly would’nt want to put any of my future children through that. My parents worked very hard but they were not financially savvy. I am trying my best to change that, and they’ve proven to me that it’s important to work both hard and work smart as well.

      I really loved reading your story and it has left me with a smile on my face. I am very glad to hear that you and your children have found happiness with your work life, because nothing is more important in life than being happy.

      If there’s anything I can ever do to help out you or your sons, feel free to send me an email!

      Thanks for adding so much to this post Irish!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 27, 2015 at 11:44 am #

        Hi Irish,

        Thank you so much for sharing your story. I love when this happens on my blog. And thank you too James for all the input you are giving here.

        Irish..I was one of those moms too! I gave my kids a choice and many people tried to give me grief HA…I never listened to them because I was making my own way with my own business at the time.

        Although the kids chose college..on their dime..not mine because I wanted them to learn responsibility. They sure did! Our children learn more from our actions than our words. Seeing me doing my own thing gave them the initiative to get out there and do the same. My daughter is now doing it and my step son….wow one of the top marketers in the U.S. He starts up companies and then sells them. Nothing he ever learned in college!

        It is a pleasure to know what your son is doing..BRAVO!

        What I’m loving about this blog post is that there are so many people sharing like an open forum. I have James to thank for that.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  20. Mark
    Twitter:
    March 26, 2015 at 2:24 pm #

    Thanks so much for featuring James Donna!

    James is such an awesome guy! And like you Donna, he only tells it like it truly is!
    The good, the bad & the ugly!

    And he doesn’t mind jumping in and sharing his real world experiences!

    I’m starting to spend more and more time on his blog! And I definitely view him as a trusted source!

    I’m so glad you decided to feature him! And thank you James for being bold enough to say, what definitely needs to be said!
    Mark recently posted..So What Can Savvy Marketers Learn From One Of The NFL’s Oldest Plays?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 3:21 pm #

      Hi Mark,

      It is good to know you are connecting with James on his blog. Oh yes, he sure is a trusted source or he wouldn’t be here!

      We can all learn from James’ experience and what I like about him most is that he really tells it like it is.

      His book inspired me so much, I had to introduce him here to my readers.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 27, 2015 at 5:54 am #

      Hey Mark!

      That’s the way I’d want to be told things, so that’s definitely my teaching style. I was told a lot of bad advice early on that wasn’t really there to help me, but to make me feel good so I’d spend more money on junk products. Well, I soaked that advice up like a sponge and it cost me a lot of time. I wouldn’t want to put other people through the same thing, because I’d much rather be told my idea sucks now, rather than two years down the road when I’ve put thousands of hours into it.

      If you like my teaching style, you’ll love my book because it’s full of straightforward, actionable advice rather than fluff like a lot of books on the same topics are. I really wanted this one to be something people could immediately put to use, and I think I’ve done a great job with it.

      If you have any questions let me know! Thanks Mark!

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 03: Why Most Blogs Don’t Make Money + Keeping Control Of Your BusinessMy Profile

  21. Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 1:49 pm #

    Hi Nanda,

    I am so happy that you found James. You have a lot of pressure around you from those who are traditional thinkers. It is difficult and kind of lonely when you are in a place like that.

    Years back, when I quit my job and became an entrepreneur, family and friends thought I was crazy. “Why are you working so hard?” But it is something inside of us that gives us that push to have our own business.

    If you try to make a point, these people will not listen to you. I would say, ignore it and keep on track because you know your passion and your journey. The naysayers will always be there, so drop the hate because that will only distract you.

    See them for what they are – fearful. And for sure, find more people to connect with online that have the same thinking like you. It is difficult to express what is on your mind to those who won’t listen.

    All the best to you!

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  22. Nanda Rahmanius
    Twitter:
    March 26, 2015 at 5:15 am #

    Hi James,

    It was great to see you at Donna’s blog. 🙂
    Your story about entrepreneurs really interesting, James. I am also someone who get out of college, I did not much benefit from it. When I was in college, I always wondered to myself “what am I doing here” LOL

    I am happy to find people who have the same vision with me. Although I have not been as successful as you, but at least this time I am still trying to achieve freedom as you say. Yes, I also want the freedom (in all aspects) 🙂

    I found a lot of my friends who work traditional and complain about it. I can only encourage them and if possible, sometimes I tell them to quit their jobs and start their own business.

    The problem is that many people are afraid to start their business. Yes, they fear the uncertainty of life they imagine if they start a business. I’m annoyed with people who have this kind of thinking.

    The hard work is nothing in vain. If they are willing to work harder than the others, I think, they will be successful. They will learn everything in the process of establishing their business.

    I have the same thoughts with you and it surprised me. You know, when I reveal all of what is in my mind about college and work, people will hate me and the pressure will come from everywhere. My life is really hard to be surrounded by people with this traditional mind. 🙁

    It’s good to talk to you, James. 🙂
    I wish for your success and see you around!

    ~Nanda
    Nanda Rahmanius recently posted..Get Paid to Write for Break StudiosMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 27, 2015 at 5:47 am #

      Hi Nanda!

      Our experiences are very similar to be honest. I too get a lot of hateful thoughts from the people around me. The truth is, people have such strong pressure to attend college and have been seriously brainwashed from the moment they enter primary school until the moment they graduate college that if they want to be successful in life, they need a college education. I agree with Donna that it really is a business, and a very effective one at that.

      Anyway, if you tell people who are following this path something different, many times they will take offense to it because they do not know any better. They are not open to different thoughts because they have been led their entire lives to believe something, and if you challenge that belief they cannot handle that. It does not matter what’s factually correct, logic will not convince somebody who’s beliefs are tied down with emotion. That’s been my experience anyway. I’ve had countless number of friends tell me how ‘rude and inconsiderate’ I was for simply telling the truth, and have actually had family members cut ties with each other due to arguments involving my ideas on college. Crazy stuff.

      I agree that every traditional worker should start some sort of business, or find some way at least to create some form of alternative income. If you never create an alternative income source, you will always be reliant on your employer. For most people, I recommend starting an extra business on the side while continuing to work your day job. If starting a business doesn’t appeal to you, than invest as much of your money in income generating assets such as stocks or bonds. It may take a while, but you can free yourself this way and retire early.

      Always great to talk to you Nanda!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 02: Dealing With Negative People, Virtual Reality and Marketing, and Using Video To Increase ConversionsMy Profile

  23. Mi Muba
    Twitter:
    March 26, 2015 at 2:21 am #

    Hi James

    It’s really great to see you here as Donna well said she rarely gets guest post and once she gets it does mean the guest author has the value and power to influence her publish his post.

    While reading this post I was just getting the echo of famous proverb; “make your dreams come true else someone will hire you to make his dreams come true”.

    I also can’t avoiding to mention here the famous words of Bill Gates when he said he was a mediocre in studies and was envious of the topper of his class but now thank God he hired that topper as top employee in his company.

    So there are two types of people one is average who can be good professionals and earn huge money by doing a job or an ordinary business. The other type is of those who know how to get the job done and take risk of doing something great by putting their hard labor and money at stake because they know without risk there is no big return.

    Thanks a lot for sharing this very daring post.
    Mi Muba recently posted..How to open an expert roundup shop for making money online?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 1:37 pm #

      Hi Mi Muba,

      I rarely have guests here and do want to invite more as time goes on. I had to have James here to introduce him to my readers that didn’t know him.

      It is so true that there are two types of people as you mentioned; the average and the risk taker.

      I love the proverb you have added here “make your dreams come true else someone will hire you to make his dreams come true” That is now etched in my mind and I thank you.

      Also you bring up Bill Gates and we all know what he did. So it is up to the individual to make decisions. And with that being said, James’ book is a great way to help in that direction. Not only for younger people, but for just about anyone too.

      He also covers finances and business. It was a book I couldn’t put down and that rarely happens!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 27, 2015 at 5:29 am #

      Hi Mi Muba!

      That is a great proverb for sure! I know not all of us are destined or even want to become entrepreneurs but we all have dreams of our own and the sad reality is that for many people, they only ever end up being that – just dreams. Many people fail to take action and strive to achieve the things they want. They will dream about it all day long, but never actually make anything out of it. Well, that doesn’t work.

      I knew that my dream was to work for myself and become financially independent while doing so. I’ve made a habit of jumping right in to things and learning as I go, because I’ve found it’s more effective to take action right away and make adjustments along the way than wait for the perfect moment to try something, because often times that moment will never come.
      We are responsible for ourselves and if we are not willing to take action than we will not see results – and that is the way it should be, because those who are willing to work hard and take risks should be the ones seeing the rewards.

      It’s great to talk to you again Mi Muba!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS03: Why Most Blogs Don’t Make Money + Keeping Control Of Your BusinessMy Profile

  24. Dita Irvine
    Twitter:
    March 25, 2015 at 4:56 pm #

    Hi James and Dona,

    What a nice story. Well, I must say James that you don’t sound like a young man and had I not read the introduction I would have thought of you as an older man. You are so amazing.

    It is incredible that you started as an 11 year old boy. Many young people should take an example from you.

    It is not surprising that you dropped out of college. I don’t know what happened to the universities, but unless you are really specializing in a certain field I find that they are more just an extension of high school. Maybe one day, you’ll be invited to join an MBA program without the four year background.

    I like the route you took for your book. And congratulations on publishing it, by the way. There are so many marketers that publish material that is full of hype and unrealistic promises. And there are so many greedy people who fall for that.

    Entrepreneurship is very hard work. Any successful business is. And the people who want something for nothing deserve nothing.

    I am so impressed by you, James. Wishing you all the best and continuous great success in your business!
    Dita Irvine recently posted..3 Simple Steps To Increase Productivity And ProfitabilityMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 26, 2015 at 12:30 am #

      Hi Dita!

      Extension of high school sounds a like a good way to sum up my brief college experience, I really couldn’t understand why I was paying so much money to attend classes that had no practical use to me (do I really need to take another 3 English classes?)

      I think online educational niche courses are going to be huge in the next few years and you bet I’m going to hop on board with that, I’d much rather learn from somebody who’s done it themself for 1/10th of the price than attend a class with some professor teaching only theory. It wouldn’t be so bad if college actually taught what you want to learn, but half your classes have little to nothing to do with your major. For expensive schools, that can be upwards of $50,000 worth of schooling that will have no practical use the minute you step out of the classroom… why would I want that when I could learn what I need to know for a cheaper price or even for free? That just doesn’t make sense.

      I know I’m not the only one who’s starting to realize this, and if tuition prices get pushed up much higher there is going to be a bubble bursting… the question now is how long?

      Time will tell. Anyway, appreciate your kind words Dita, great to meet you!
      James McAllister recently posted..Bloggers: Nothing Wrong With Charging For Your WorkMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 1:31 pm #

        Hi Dita,

        It is good to know how impressed you are with James. I am too that’s why he is here lol.

        Yes, when we look at the high price of learning in a college and compare it to lower costs of education we want and can apply in business, it is just common sense to go the route he has gone.

        I agree here with James that there will be a bubble bursting in the future of college expenses. The question is how long? But I think it will come faster than we think.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  25. lisa thomson-the great escape
    Twitter:
    March 25, 2015 at 2:07 am #

    Hi James, Your story is very impressive. It’s so cool that you started blogging at 11 years old. Wow. I will check out your site and book. Congratulations on your book being published. Your message sounds like one my children (young adults) could benefit from (I could as well, no doubt). I blog for the passion of helping other people going through divorce. My blog is in support of my book which I sell on my site and on many other venues. It keeps me going but my site isn’t a money maker at this point.

    Nice to meet you James and thanks for the inspiration. Thanks, Donna for hosting such an interesting guest.
    lisa thomson-the great escape recently posted..My Ex Is My BestieMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 25, 2015 at 3:35 am #

      Hi Lisa!

      Thank you so much for your kind words. I can’t say I’ve ever been through a divorce but I’d imagine it’s not easy to deal with, so I’m sure your site is of immense value to those going through tough times!

      As far as the book goes, even if your children aren’t planning to become entrepreneurs, there’s still a lot of personal finance advice to learn from. I always tell people that how they spend their money is equal if not more important than how much they actually make, so finance and money management is something I talk a lot about. The investing section is a great way to learn how to make your money work for you as well.

      And of course, the business chapters will certainly provide some valuable knowledge to help you not only grow your business, but make more out of each visitor as well. If you have any questions, please let me know!

      Great to meet you Lisa!
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 1:20 pm #

        Hi Lisa,

        Thanks for stopping by. As James replied this book is great for investments and money management as well. He sure has given a great way in his book to learn how to make your money work for you.

        Also his business chapters will sure give you some great inspiration. As for your kids, yes, it is a great way to teach them there are many ways to decide what they want to do. As college is being pushed on them from society, it can illustrate that there is another way.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  26. Neamat Tawadrous
    Twitter:
    March 25, 2015 at 12:22 am #

    Hi Donna and James,

    Nice to meet you here James and thanks for a wonderful guest post.

    You are absolutely right. I am a university graduate with a degree in Computer Science but never worked in the computer field.

    I like what you said: “The entrepreneurs who become successful fail, recover, and try again”.

    Failures will occur, they are bumps in the road. They may slow us down but should not stop us and I think we all have gone through them and made mistakes, but that’s how we all learn and grow.

    Your book does sound interesting and I think my kids would need to read it. I have a daughter in University, 20 years old. She is competing for the medical school. Here in Canada, Students have to study 3-4 years of an undergraduate program before they can choose what they want and the competition is really paralyzing. What I want to say, if she is to study medicine, she will spend the 4 years in the undergraduate program and then another 5-6 years in the medical school, if she made it. Look how many years are lost in the life of our children and when they graduate, they have to settle the loan. Very paralyzing indeed.

    Thanks James for a great share and I applaud you for your success and for being wise enough to take the short cut. Thanks Donna for having such an amazing guest.

    You both have a great week ahead.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat
    Neamat Tawadrous recently posted..Quitting?? No, Just Pivoting And Changing Directions In Business!!My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 25, 2015 at 3:25 am #

      Hi Neamat!

      Right, failures are part of everyone’s life, but they’re a huge part of an entrepreneur’s life because there is so much that can go wrong in business. You’ve really got to eliminate your fear of failure and turn it into a learning experience. There is always something to gain.
      The problem is that many people are afraid of failure and worry about it so much, that they avoid doing anything that has a chance at not succeeding. They are afraid to take risks. Well, if it were easy everyone would be doing it right?

      I couldn’t imagine spending an extra 10 years in school, and paying that debt off sounds horrifying. I suppose if you pursue something with good job opportunities with great pay, it’s not such a bad decision. Certainly much better than majoring in something like philosophy or liberal arts anyway!

      I appreciate your kind words Neamat and I hope to talk to you again soon!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..HSMS 02: Dealing With Negative People, Virtual Reality and Marketing, and Using Video To Increase ConversionsMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 1:11 pm #

        Hi Neamat,

        Thank you so much for sharing your views here. I am so glad you enjoyed Jame’s article.

        I am sure this book is great for your kids to read. It will give them the opportunity to see that there is another point of view out there besides what they have learned in school.

        As the economy flip flops, we need to guide our children, even if they spent years in college and did land a job, that there are many other ways of creating something for themselves.

        I sure do wish that every parent could share Jame’s views with their children so that they can make a wise decision to what they want to do.

        If they need college to become a doctor, nurse, or anything else…fine. But, if they are not sure, at least they can see there are options out there.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  27. ikechi
    Twitter:
    March 25, 2015 at 12:18 am #

    Hi James

    We think we are in business to make money, but most of us are really after what money represents – freedom.

    This statement is profound and true. What we seek isn’t really money but freedom and it is freedom that makes us try as much as possible to jump into the entrepreneur wagon.

    Now I must commend you for starting at a very young age and taking the decision to focus on business. You are 1 in 1 million who rarely decided to go against status quo and pursue the freedom which they so desire. It is paid off for you today and your achievements are impressive. Thanks for sharing your experience as it is a boost to our cause.

    Hi Donna

    You must certainly made a right decision to bring James, the entrepreneur guru to share his wisdom and passion. Thank you for allowing James to your platform. Thumbs up:)
    ikechi recently posted..3 Reasons Why You Should Never Blame Anyone In Your LifeMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 25, 2015 at 3:18 am #

      Hi Ikechi!

      Exactly, money in my opinion is really just a measure of time. If I have a steady stream of money coming in, than I can pay for other people’s time in the form of products and services.

      Every time I sell a copy of my books, get paid a commission, or get paid dividends from the stocks I own, what I really see is my time coming back to me over and over again. And that brings freedom. Being able to live life on our own terms and not somebody else’s means we can really do whatever we want in life without other people telling us ‘no.’

      I think all of us can achieve freedom, but we’ve got to want it enough to take the hard steps required to achieve it.

      Appreciate your insight Ikechi!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Turn Your Blog Posts Into A Kindle eBookMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 25, 2015 at 1:00 pm #

      Hi Ikechi,

      You put it so well in your comment about achieving freedom. Money is not the mindset, but rather focusing on our own personal journey. Plus knowing that if done well, money will follow.

      Yes, I chose James “The Entrepreneur” as a fine example to all of us that we can achieve whatever we want at whatever age. I know I do have many baby boomer followers, and if James can build a business at an early age, so can anyone at any age.

      Thanks for your great input,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  28. Kimsea Sok
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 10:59 pm #

    Thanks for sharing a wonderful blogger, Donna.

    Actually, I found his comments on many famous bloggers’ blogs. I started recognize that he is one of amazing bloggers that have build the community around his business.

    Well, I know a lot of young bloggers. You know..? My brother..! Akshay Shamma from Indian is also one of Amazing blogger. He is 16 years, he start blogging since he was 13 years old.

    However, he is different from Jame. The reason is that my brother is not going to be famous since he always sold his blog when it became better traffic.

    Oh, today I have go through Jame’s blog through comment permalink and I found that he really great articles.
    Kimsea Sok recently posted..How to Start Best Small Business With BloggingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 26, 2015 at 11:43 am #

      Hi Kimsea,

      Welcome to my blog. Glad you will be connecting with James.

      Wow your brother is 16 and an amazing blogger? That is fantastic. I love this new generation where I’m finding more and more younger people getting into blogging and marketing.

      One time I was stuck on something technical. I went to Youtube to find the answer. I found out how to fix it by a 10 year old child in 5 minutes.

      We live in such a wonderful time whereby just about anyone can come online and we all learn from each other.

      Thank you for visiting

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  29. Ryan Biddulph
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 10:40 pm #

    Hi James,

    Congrats on landing this guest post! Donna rarely allows guesties so you are blessed, really.

    Agreed with all up top; Hey, I never knew you blogged at 11. Impressive. I got an early start too, for a 70 year old LOL!. I started blogging in my early 30’s but didn’t look back. Once I’m in, I’m in, with anything I do.

    Your star is shining and I know your eBook is making an impact wherever you pop up.

    Keep shooting straight James!

    Thanks for sharing.

    Tweeting from Bali.

    Ryan

    PS, thanks Donna for sharing your stage 🙂
    Ryan Biddulph recently posted..How to Retire to a Life of Island Hopping Part 2 (New eBook)My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 25, 2015 at 2:25 am #

      Hi Ryan!

      Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised when Donna invited me to write here on her site! That was an opportunity I certainly couldn’t refuse.

      I actually went back and read a bit of my old blog a few days ago and was laughing the entire time. Very interesting to see what was on my mind at that age. I really wish I would’ve kept at that longer because it’s very fun to look back at.

      Appreciate your continual support Ryan!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..7 Things I Learned From Launching A PodcastMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 25, 2015 at 12:48 pm #

        Hi Ryan,

        Glad you came by to get to know James a little better. Yes…so impressive that he started at age 11. With all his accomplishments, I just had to have him as a guest. You are correct, I don’t do many guest posts, but will start doing a few this year.

        I had to have James because of his inspiration to my readers. James is a rising star!

        He provides us with so much incentive. When we compare his age to the plethora of knowledge he shares, especially in his book, to me, he is an old soul.

        I got my early start at 70 too he he he

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  30. Annie
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 7:36 pm #

    Hi James, this is awesome! I am so inspired by your story. I completely agree with you that personal freedom is the ultimate success that, unfortunately, we weren’t taught to aspire to. But that’s okay! We get to choose everyday to work towards personal freedom. I am so happy for you that you have already achieved that and look forward to reading your book to learn more about your methods. Thank you for sharing!
    Annie recently posted..Be Unapologetic About What You WantMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 25, 2015 at 2:20 am #

      Hi Annie!

      Exactly, we can’t really call ourselves free if we’re a slave to our employer. There are certainly multiple paths to freedom but it starts with creating something that makes money for you whether you’re working or not. This doesn’t have to be a business, some people choose to invest in income-generating assets like stocks, bonds, or real estate. I of course recommend doing both. 🙂

      And then there are people who spend, spend, and spend some more on stuff they don’t really need. It doesn’t matter how much money these people are making, they will always depend on that paycheck from their employer. I feel really bad for a lot of people that fall into this category, because let’s be honest – who knows if they will ever be able to actually retire?
      Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the book Annie!

      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..Bloggers: Nothing Wrong With Charging For Your WorkMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 25, 2015 at 11:13 am #

        Hi Annie,

        Thanks for coming by. Freedom is obtained when we start taking action out of the box. As James mentioned above, there are multiple paths to freedom. Indeed, it doesn’t have to be a “business” but other investments.

        I used to have my hands in tons of real estate investments and it’s a great thing too because, I flipped some to acquire some quick cash, others I’ve kept and have income from, and some I put on the market because it was a bit much for me to handle.

        There are so many ways to invest. I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of my life and learned quickly that having a job was choking the life out of me.

        Yes, as James also mentioned, some just spend and buy stuff they don’t really need. I’ve done that in the past, but quickly learned that that money was better put in various investments.

        I “downsized” about 2 years ago because of this. Looking around my home I had that AHA moment whereby I asked myself why do I have so many closed doors with rooms I never go into? Why am I living in a place where I had to spend so much tax dollars on this property with nothing in return? So I moved.

        Now, being a minimalist, I have enough room and live by the beach where I always loved to be, even in 4 seasons! No clutter, just the bare minimum of furniture. It also helped my mindset, not having so many possessions.

        OK…I’ll stop the novella here.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  31. Nisha Pandey
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 4:19 pm #

    Hi James,

    Its great to see you on Donna’s blog. I love your positive attitude and business sense here.

    For succeeding in any business, online or not it is highly important to be realistic and focus on every single visitors and convert them. Up-selling is a great technique too. A really helpful post.

    Thanks to you both. Have an awesome day!
    Nisha Pandey recently posted..Icegram Review and Giveaway – Engage your visitors in all wayMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 24, 2015 at 6:30 pm #

      Hi Nisha! Good to see you again.

      Yeah, you’ve really got to make sure you have a good system in place to make the most out of each visitor. Really, you could have all the visitors in the world but if you don’t have a way to retain and profit from those visitors, they don’t help you much right?

      You have a good one too Nisha!
      James McAllister recently posted..Why Are There Bad Blogs Doing Better Than You?My Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 25, 2015 at 10:55 am #

        Hi Nisha,

        I am so glad that you enjoyed this post. Yes, James surely has a positive attitude doesn’t he?

        We do have to treat every one that visits us with honor and respect. That’s the way to do it. Then, always give a good CTA to either get them on your list, or to purchase something you wish to sell.

        We have to realize that as bloggers, we are marketers too!

        Thanks for visiting.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  32. Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 1:48 pm #

    Hi Carol,

    Thanks for your lovely share on this post. Now you can get to know James much better, and if you read his book…oh boy what a delight it is.

    I see that your children went to college for specific areas and are now doing well. That’s one good thing about college..take your daughter for example; one cannot be a nurse unless having the proper education. But as long as she loves it fine!

    Most kids are going to college blindly, and for those, James’ advice is sure needed. Imagine a kid going to college, coming out with all that debt and trying to get a job, especially in today’s market?

    But that’s only the beginning. There are also other ways to invest these days that did not apply some years ago. I like to keep moving investments around myself. We cannot put our eggs in one basket and that is another topic in his book.

    Oh yes, my intro, it is right from the heart because getting to know James was great. All the things he does when you dig into his bio are amazing.

    So glad you got more acquainted here on my blog.

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  33. Carol Amato
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 12:29 pm #

    Hello, Donna and James,

    What a wonderful treat – I get to meet James (had been acquainted I think somewhere else, but not really engaged with him yet) on your blog, Donna, so thanks for being willing to share your site with another. 🙂

    Love your intro, Donna, and this phrase is gold and speaks well of your guest: ‘claimed his freedom by stepping up and taking responsibility for his own success’ <— that’s great and already puts him WELL ahead of most young entrepreneurs. Smiling from ear to ear on that one! Love it!

    Yes, you're absolutely right, James. We are all conditioned to be employees instead of employers. However, I feel extremely blessed that my husband and I have been business owners for 30+ years and have enjoyed the freedom that entrepreneurship can bring.

    Your perspective is refreshing indeed!

    My son just graduated from college with a double-degree in . . . Drum roll… Business Management and Marketing! 🙂 Guess what? We paid cash for his entire education because of my online business. What a blessing!

    Now he too is living his dream and doing what he loves because he’s been taught to do what he is passionate about, and be proactive in achieving his goals.

    So college is not always a bad thing – granted my husband and I did NOT attend college and went right into entrepreneurship with an Italian restaurant. However, all three of my children have college degrees.

    One of my daughters went to nursing school and thoroughly enjoys being an ICU nurse and only works 3 days per week. She loves what she does. She doesn’t have much interest in entrepreneurship, but my other daughter does and has several businesses with different income streams. 🙂

    In the beginning of one’s online business, there is definitely dues to pay. However, having said that, I wish I would have hired a team much earlier than I did, which was two years ago. Outsourcing frees me up to focus on growing my business and focusing on income-producing activities.

    You’re absolutely right! Many entrepreneurship books are based on hype, and it’s a gimme, gimme attitude. Thanks for sharing yours – will have to make sure to check it out.

    Appreciate what you shared, very enlightening.

    Take Care,
    – Carol 🙂
    Carol Amato recently posted..Mindset Is A Terrible Thing To WasteMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 24, 2015 at 6:10 pm #

      Hi Carol!

      Entrepreneurship certainly isn’t for everyone and I agree college can be the right choice for some people. Your children made great decisions and they are reaping the rewards of it.

      The problem is that most people aren’t as wise as you or your children are. Not all, but many of today’s college students are blindly heading in due to pressure from their parents, teachers, the media etc. without thinking about where they will be after graduation. They are led to believe college is important without thinking why it’s important – which is the financial return.

      As a result, they pick the easiest programs because they believe any college degree at all will make them successful. So many people are majoring in these fields that the graduate can’t find a job which utilizes their degree, if there were even any job opportunities in the first place.

      People are told to “pursue their passion and the money will follow”, but in all honesty that’s horrible, life-ruining advice. People will do their passions for free, so you’re not going to get somebody to pay you money for it. That’s why most people graduating with degrees in the field of art or music are working in retail stores.

      I say that unless you’re majoring in something that will yield you more money overall, than avoid college because you’ll be working the same minimum wage job anyway. Only now, you’ll actually have time to follow your passion and enjoy your life because you won’t be working extra jobs to pay back all of your debt.

      I just wish that more people would make the wise decisions your children made, because people all around me are ruining their lives by majoring in fields with no job opportunities. It’s sad. 🙁

      Anyway it’s great to talk to you Carol, hope to talk again soon!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Turn Your Blog Posts Into A Kindle eBookMy Profile

      • Carol Amato
        Twitter:
        March 24, 2015 at 6:24 pm #

        Hi, James,

        Sorry I didn’t make it clear – I definitely agree with you. 🙂

        I was just clarifying that there are definitely other more positive experiences and outcomes.

        With regards to the benefit of college eductiion – as a parent, I definitely do not believe that the only real benefit is being able to earn when you get out and have a career in your field.

        There are many benefits to attending college and just for starters, growing spiritually, mentally and emotionally, and maturing in ways that will prove critically important in future relationships.

        The intangible lessons in responsibility and communication learned in order to make it in that environment, are valuable, in my opinion. I’m mainly referring to students that dorm on campus.

        Do I think the majority of young people need to attend college in order to make it in life? No.

        Do I think that a semester or two of college would benefit all young people? Yes.

        I agree, James – most definitely, just a mother’s perspective is all. 🙂

        ˜Carol
        Carol Amato recently posted..Mindset Is A Terrible Thing To WasteMy Profile

        • James McAllister
          Twitter:
          March 24, 2015 at 6:45 pm #

          Oh I know, I didn’t mean to make it seem like we were in disagreement. Your children are just did so much better than the norm haha.

          There are certainly other benefits to college than just the financial return but they shouldn’t be the main reason you’re going. If you’re going to borrow somebody else’s money, you’re going to need a way to pay that back. Being a well-rounded person won’t make that happen, unfortunately. I think all of the things you mentioned are just part of growing up and will happen whether you’re in college or not, it’s just that college enviornment speeds that process up.

          Anyway, if people based their major on financials first and everything else second, well we wouldn’t have 1.2 trillion dollars in student loan debt, and the students would be a lot happier because they wouldn’t be working extremely hard to pay back what they owe.

          If you’re paying for it yourself and not borrowing somebody else’s money to do it, than feel free to do whatever you want. But I’d rather work a minimum wage job without debt than work a minimum wage job with debt.

          Just so we’re clear, I think people like your children who actually enter into something that society needs are smart and have made great decisions. I wish there were more people like them.

          Sorry for any confusion!
          – James
          James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

          • Carol Amato
            Twitter:
            March 24, 2015 at 6:54 pm #

            Excellent! No worries at all, James, We’re on the same page. 🙂

            Yep, college definitely speeds up the maturing process.

            When my kids were in college our home was a revolving door for college students – to hang out, eat, sleep, crash, study, you name it, and we loved every minute of it.

            Most of my kids’ friends were working their way through college on work assistance programs, and were not in debt, living like paupers, but not in debt.

            I know what you’re relaying definitely exists, but I didn’t see a lot of that, is all. You’re right, and I know the majority of students do take out loans and borrow in the universities and state schools.

            At the bare minimum, I still think every young person should at least audit some classes and observe . . .

            I agree with you wholeheartedly about debt. It’s a slave-master! LOL

            Thanks for the kind words – they are certainly much appreciated! Yeah, we instilled a lot in my kids that I did not have instilled in me, and I’m blessed beyond measure with how they turned out and what they’re doing with their lives.

            Awesome discussion, thanks!
            ˜Carol
            Carol Amato recently posted..Mindset Is A Terrible Thing To WasteMy Profile

  34. Adrienne
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 9:49 am #

    Hey Donna,

    What a great guest you have, happy to see you here James and I’m not surprised at all that Donna wanted you to share with her readers more about what you’ve been doing.

    I admire you at your age to have achieved what you have so far. I wish I would have had the opportunities with the internet age back when I was your age. I was told the only way to succeed was to attend college and I’m the only one in the family that didn’t. Guess what though! Neither one of my siblings are using their college degree so I guess I just saved my parents a bundle of money.

    I started my career because of the skills I had that had nothing to do with anything that was taught to me. It carried me a long way until I just didn’t want to do that anymore. I think you have to have a drive, determination and the passion to succeed in order to get anywhere in life doing anything. I admire that you started at such a young age and I have a feeling you’ll end up being one of those that surpasses the ordinary working guy in income.

    I have no doubt that what you share in your book can help anyone eager to get started. I think those are the best people to learn from. The ones that have been there and done that, you are definitely on that list my friend.

    Thank you Donna for having James share his knowledge with us all. I enjoyed this post and will definitely be sharing it as well.

    You two have a marvelous day.

    ~Adrienne
    Adrienne recently posted..3 Ways To Learn What WordPress Theme Is Being UsedMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:42 am #

      Hi Adrienne,

      Both of us made the decision not to go to college, but ended up “making it” anyway. We both were from the days before the internet. It was difficult back then and I too took a job, got paid well, but there was a fire inside me that couldn’t take it.

      I did mention above that my “side business” back then refurbishing antiques and selling them for a huge profit overtook my day job. That was the first entrepreneurial experience I had at the age of 19.

      Then I went on to different investments, and when the internet came along….well here we are Adrienne.

      Jame’s book is a must read for those who do not think out of the box. It shows reality and that’s why I wanted him as a guest.

      These days with our economic crisis, one has to rely on themselves. This is what James is all about and so much more.

      I read his awesome book and cheered all through it saying “yes yes yes” Now, this is an eye opener for parents to read and also younger kids before they make that decision to go into debt!

      Thanks girl and have a great week,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 24, 2015 at 5:47 pm #

      Hi Adrienne!

      I have to admit, I had a huge advantage by starting early while I still had no financial responsibilities. It took me two years before I began making any money and I sometimes wonder if I would’ve been able to stick with it if I had bills to pay and/or a family to support.

      My goal when I started out was to be making enough to not have to work a part time job in college. Now of course, I’m not going to college. Funny how things change right?

      I agree that drive, determination, and passion are all necessary if you want to succeed with entrepreneurship. If you don’t have those, it’s going to be extremely hard to push through the hard times and get to the point where you’re actually seeing results. I’ve met a lot of people who have the dream of being financially free but they do not have the drive to make it happen. They waste time and money looking for shortcuts and secrets that they could actually be using to make something. It’s too bad.

      Thanks for sharing your story here Adrienne, you have a good one too!
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

  35. Harleena Singh
    Twitter:
    March 24, 2015 at 3:29 am #

    Hi James, and welcome to Donna’s blog 🙂

    You seem to be taking the blogosphere by storm with your wonderful guest posts, as I see you all over – great going! 🙂

    That was a lovely post indeed, and you are so right in all that you wrote.

    Yes, we are conditioned to do and believe things, which don’t really bring us real happiness or even money in the real sense.

    It’s commendable how you started blogging at that young an age, but I can understand that youngsters nowadays are so enterprising as compared to our times, and that’s just so great! We have a lot of youngsters around the same age as you in our country and many on our blog forum too, who are also earning and working alongside as well.

    You know college education or graduation is something that most parents want their kids to ‘at least’ accomplish, because they feel this would get them good jobs. And most kids do just that, though how many of them really enjoy their studies or want to pursue what they are really wanting to – very few, and this leads to miserable lives later. I am glad you broke through all of that and did what you liked 🙂

    I know it’s not easy to test and tweak things, and trying to make it all work online, especially for a youngster. But there is no limit to learning I’d say, and the horizons are plenty, provided you are ready and receptive, which we all know you are.

    Failures are a part of life, and I think we ALL have gone through them or made mistakes, but that’s how we all learn, so you aren’t alone at all. Your book does sound interesting and I think I need to stop blogging and being present on my blog forum, the ABC, and take time off to read this one, and so many other pending ones of my dear blogging friends…ah…wish that day comes soon!

    Thanks for sharing all of this with us. Have a nice week ahead, both of you 🙂
    Harleena Singh recently posted..11 Powerful Blogging Tips To Help You Become A Successful BloggerMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:35 am #

      Hi Harleena,

      I always notice that there are more younger people in different countries that “get it” and they are entrepreneurs.

      Here in the U.S. I see that many parents are still pushing their kids to go to college. Between what school says and parents believe, these kids don’t stand a chance.

      They miss out on four to six years of their lives, and come out with debt and no employment. It is pretty much common sense in the state of economy we are in.

      It is a mindset that needs to be recognized and James not only points it out here, but in his book it is all explained from debt to investments.

      I wanted James here to enlighten some that have the mindset of the false reality that college = money. It is just not true.

      I just wish every parent would purchase this book for their children.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 24, 2015 at 5:36 pm #

      Hi Harleena!

      It’s incredible how much the world has changed just these past 10 years. It still blows my mind that we can instantly reach people from all around the world and make a real living doing so. It’s incredible!

      Every time I read a news story about someone making it big with an app or a course or some other digital product, I feel really happy for them because I know a lot of these people would have never bothered to create something and share it with the world if it were as difficult as it was before the internet was around.

      Unfortunately it seems like a lot of parents have not kept up with the times and still think that college is the same investment it was back when they were going through it. That’s not true at all. College is way more expensive and the value of a degree has gone down, so you really got to plan things out and think things through before you decide to attend. It can still be a great choice for some, but a lot of people that are going right now probably shouldn’t be.

      Good to talk to you Harleena, you have a great week too!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..7 Things I Learned From Launching A PodcastMy Profile

  36. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 11:58 pm #

    Hi Corina!

    See, that’s part of the problem I think – society makes it seem as if we need that degree to be valuable. Of course, you and I know that’s not true at all.

    As a result, people will go to college and major in anything just so they can say they graduated with a degree. Because they really aren’t looking at college from a financial standpoint, they end up choosing one of the easiest majors, believing any degree at all will be valuable for them.
    Of course, the easier degrees are so abundant they have no value whatsoever. The graduates are going to be working the same minimum wage jobs they would’ve gotten in the first place if they had never attended college at all. Only now, they have debt.

    I think unless you’re going to major in something that makes the debt a good investment, than it’s a stupid decision to go because you’re going to have to pay that money back one way or another.

    It sounds like you on a great path right now, and I am very happy to hear student loan repayments aren’t part of your expenses!

    Let me know if there’s ever anything I can do for you Corina!
    – James
    James McAllister recently posted..Bloggers: Nothing Wrong With Charging For Your WorkMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:28 am #

      Hi Corina,

      I used to feel that way too back in the day. Everyone I knew went to college and I felt like I was “beneath” them. But that was my own doubts of myself.

      If you look at most people who have made tons of money, you will notice that they don’t have a college degree.

      I had that feeling, even though I was making more money than my friends that went to college. Silly isn’t it?

      I agree with James that unless you are going to major in something that makes debt a good investment, then college may be the way to go.

      But in this economy? Hmmm…..makes me wonder!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  37. Corina Ramos
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 8:46 pm #

    Hi James,

    Wow you are an awesome young man. I would say dude but my sons say no one says that anymore :). I’m so glad I stopped by Donna’s blog, otherwise I would have missed out on meeting you and reading your encouraging words.

    Believe it or not but you just gave me the jolt I needed. I only graduated from high school and was almost ashamed to say that I had no college background. Even without a degree I know I kick a** but I thought I needed that piece of paper with a university seal to validate that so thank you!

    I’m lucky that my husband’s salary can cover our expenses and since I’ve managed to keep my blogging expenses to a minimum any money leftover I keep and not spend just in case the next month isn’t as good.

    I’m so glad you mentioned being realistic. My main reason for blogging was to help out my husband. As a longshoreman he works these crazy hours and we hardly get to see him. I’d like to take my business to point where he doesn’t need to work so much and I can take care of him for a while.

    It is hard work and there were some months I wanted to throw in the towel. But I think about where I was when I started and how much I’ve evolved, plus the time I’ve spent. Not to mention that I’m starting to see more revenue coming in…I’d be crazy to give up now.

    It was so great to meet you James. Thank you for writing such an motivating post. I will certainly pass this on. I’ll stopping by your blog and picking up your book!

    Hello Donna,

    Thanks so much for letting James share his words of wisdom with us here.

    Have a great week you two!

    Cori
    Corina Ramos recently posted..How To Start Your Own Home-Based Bookkeeping BusinessMy Profile

  38. Joy Healey
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 8:04 pm #

    Hi Donna and James,

    Great to see James here too. I was privileged to welcome him onto my site recently and my readers loved him. I see yours already do.

    I read James’s “student debt” book a couple of weeks back (yes, it is un-put-downable) and he is 110% right. The sooner more young people think like James the better. Here in the UK too.

    Both my sons went to uni – both of them turned to self-employment fairly fast. (It’s in the genes, you know…) Luckily they studied before student debt levels in the UK went crazy. The elder has already paid his debt off and the younger probably won’t be far behind him.

    Had student debt levels been so high when they went to uni I would have sat them down for a long talk first.

    I can’t imagine any entrepreneur who hasn’t had a few misses as well as hits. It’s all part of the growth period. But there won’t be many who have had as many “hits” as James before they’re 20.

    James is certainly a shooting star to watch out for, and so pleased to see him on your site.

    Have a good week, Joy
    Joy Healey recently posted..How To Make The Most Of Your Time Blogging?My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 23, 2015 at 11:49 pm #

      Hi Joy!

      I was glad when I found out your sons managed to keep the debt down low, and it sounds like they went on to do well so that’s great!

      My question now is how much higher are the tuition costs going to rise before people realize the degree is no longer worth the cost to acquire it? That is already the reality for many of them but people are going anyway, willing to pay whatever it takes to get that fancy piece of paper.

      The fact that there is 1.2 trillion dollars of student loan debt here in the United States alone is more than enough proof that there is a huge problem. If my book was a required read in high school, I wonder how quickly people’s financial problems would disappear LOL.

      Anyway it’s great to see you here Joy, appreciate you stopping by!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Write Blog Posts Quickly And ProductivelyMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:23 am #

        Hi Joy,

        I remember seeing James on your blog. When we talk about student debt it is crazy. It just doesn’t make any sense.

        I sure wish this book James has written was a required one for kids when they are at least 14. This way they can look at real life and make the decision what they are going to do.

        I gave all my kids the choice of college. And if they wanted to go, it would be on their dime. I wouldn’t spend a penny for their tuition. Most of them went for one thing and ended up doing something else. They all have their debt to pay, but as a parent, I deem it a good life lesson.

        Two of them wanted to party. That price is high (pardon the pun) and they still have the weight of debt on their shoulders. Sometimes you just have to let your kids live and learn.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  39. Brenda Lee
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 6:18 pm #

    Hi Donna, what a fabulous guest!

    Hello James, great to see you here! I think I stumbled upon your work on another site recently. I think it is amazing what you’ve accomplished at such a young age, but that just goes to prove that you are determined to succeed. Very admirable indeed.

    I began blogging as a hobby blogger, but quickly fell in love with building a Community of my own and networking with like-minded men and women. I’m not out to make a living by blogging online, but a little extra chaching, doesn’t hurt, right?

    I’ll have to check out your book sometime soon. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, and thank you, Donna again for a wonderful guest.

    B
    Brenda Lee recently posted..Want Error Free Content? Start Writing With Grammarly!My Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 23, 2015 at 7:11 pm #

      Hey Brenda!

      Yep, we met last week on Enstine’s site when I was featured there. It’s great to see you again!

      I too started out as a hobby blogger back at the age of 11. It wasn’t until I was 14 when I discovered that I could actually make money doing what I was already doing, which was incredible to me. Of course, back then I wasn’t blogging about anything people would care about, and it actually took me two years to figure out how to get the business side of things down and actually begin making money.

      The community aspect is definitely one of my favorite aspects of blogging. Most of my sites are niche sites which do not really have any community-building potential, and I leave most of those alone. To be honest, they’re not nearly as fun to work on because you’re doing everything by yourself. I’m actually going to sell a few of them soon because their revenue is dropping and I do not have enough time to maintain them all.

      I love blogging because you get to meet all sorts of different people and hear their ideas and their stories. It really makes you realize that there’s actually another person there interacting with you. It’s something special for sure. I don’t have quite the community Donna has, but we’re growing every month and each and every member has something unique to bring to the table. I am extremely thankful for that.

      Appreciate your comment here Brenda and I hope to see you again soon!
      – James
      James McAllister recently posted..What To Expect From Me This Year – Courses, A Podcast, And More!My Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:17 am #

        Hi Brenda,

        Glad to see you get to know James a little better here. I notice that many people who start as hobby bloggers, then go on to monetize.

        First one needs a community and that is the fun part. We get to meet so many different people in all walks of life and learn new things every day. Well, that’s how I met James, from blogging.

        I was so impressed of his knowledge and just the way he knows how to write well too. If you ever get a chance, go to his blog and look at the services he provides. It’s amazing.

        I so appreciate James taking this time because I know he is one busy guy!

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  40. Sherman Smith March 23, 2015 at 4:50 pm #

    Hey James,

    It’s great to see you here on Donna’s blog! I do have to say that you are already ahead of most people.

    Although I went to college I really didn’t want to go into the working field. the reason is I didn’t want to spend a third of my day in a place where I really didn’t want to be in. At that time I didn’t know what options I had. But you on the other hand found this out an an early age which is great.

    And speaking of college this reminded me of a YouTube video called “The College Conspiracy” where it talks about the cons of going to college. The biggest con is all the debt that’s accrued after you graduate and the fact the most people don’t get into the field they study for so they take a regular minimum wage job to pay off debt.

    Luckily I was able to pay off my school loans but the real fact of the matter is that we do not want to fall victim to debt. We want to live a life of freedom and that’s what entrepreneurism can do for us. Why work for money when money can work for us!

    Thanks for the share James and thanks for inviting him Donna!
    Sherman Smith recently posted..Thrive Leads Review: The Unprecedented List Building PluginMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 23, 2015 at 6:58 pm #

      Hey Sherman!

      I was the same way. Despite early success as an entrepreneur I was still hammered to go to college. I have worked only a few jobs in my lifetime, but that is enough to know that the employee lifestyle is not for me. As you said, entrepreneurs at heart like you and me will never be happy working 8+ hours a day for someone else.

      I haven’t seen The College Conspiracy but I will be sure to check it out as soon as I have time. You’re absolutely right that most people do not get a job in their field so what sense does it make to go to college in the first place? I’m sure you’d much rather work a minimum wage job without debt than with debt, right?

      Appreciate your comment here on Donna’s blog. Thanks Sherman!
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Write Blog Posts Quickly And ProductivelyMy Profile

      • Donna Merrill March 24, 2015 at 10:13 am #

        Hi Sherman,

        Thanks so much for your input. I have to check out the YouTube video called “The College Conspiracy”

        I always think of college being a big business. One which starts at grade school and teachers are telling young people that if they don’t go to college they will never get a job.

        I didn’t when I was younger…went straight to work and had a side business (ah that entrepreneur spirit of mine) The side business made more money than my job. That was the beginning of spreading my wings.

        Although I did go to college later on thinking I wanted to be a social worker, but after three years, came to find out, the business I was already running would make more money that that. So I quit. I did find it interesting but I didn’t have to pay a dime for it lol.

        -Donna
        Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  41. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 4:23 pm #

    Hi Donna!

    Just wanted to say thank you for having me here on your blog today. I really appreciate all you’ve done for me since we’ve met and I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I had a lot of fun writing it, and being able to work on projects that actually mean something to us is one of the great things about entrepreneurship right?

    I’m really looking forward to talking with you and your readers here in the comments and hopefully meeting some new people as well.

    Thanks again Donna!
    – James
    James McAllister recently posted..7 Things I Learned From Launching A PodcastMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 23, 2015 at 4:49 pm #

      James,

      You sure will meet many new people here. They don’t come in all at once…but all through the week. I wanted to bring you on board here so that my readers could get to know you and get some insight from you.

      Your book was so insightful and wonderful to read. It is rare that I start a book and read it all the way through, but yours…bingo! I couldn’t stop!

      I often brag about you…the 18 year old guy that has applied so much to his life than older people will ever do. I’m with you all the way about economy and staying out of debt.

      I especially love the way you look at college, especially in this particular economic times. I gave all my kids a choice. Only one ended up learning that entrepreneurship was the way to go way after 4 years of college, 2 years on Wall Street and a terrible spiral downward. Now she “gets it” but she carries that debt.

      My step son went to college to improve his photography skills. Well that worked out well because he was doing head shots in L.A. and met his wife. Now he starts up companies and does quite well. Oh yea..he still photographs his kids lol.

      Thanks for being here!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

  42. Sylviane Nuccio
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 2:41 pm #

    Hi Donna and James,

    Wow, I’ve seen you, James, around on many of my friends’ blogs and kept saying I have to check this young guy out, but thanks to my friend Donna, here it’s done.

    Congratulations on your book. My, only 18 and more mature than many people in their 40’s or 50’s, that’s not nothing, for sure.

    Having worked in the recruiting industry for 5 and half years, I am very well aware of the worth a college degree. I’ve seen people with college degrees which cost them thousands of dollars working for $10-$12 an hour. This is VERY common in this country.

    You are right, we are raised in a society that teach us to be employees, not entrepreneurs, and that’s even more interesting in the US being the capitalist country that it is.

    I will check your book, and nice to meet you here James. Thanks for having him and his wonderful post, Donna.
    Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..5 Strategies To Win More businessMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 23, 2015 at 3:15 pm #

      Hi Sylviane,

      Glad that you have now connected with James. I just had to have him on my blog because of his innovative thinking. Or should I say real?

      Yes, there are so many people with a college degree and debt on their shoulders that are only making $12 per hour. And indeed it IS common in this country because from grade school society teaches us that job mentality. Plus “you can’t get a job without a good education”

      My husband has so many masters and an M.ed. So he can teach in college…he did for a short while but couldn’t take the bureaucracy. It drove him up the wall.

      I do suggest you give his book a look at because I know you will enjoy it…I did!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 23, 2015 at 4:47 pm #

      Hi Sylviane!

      Isn’t it ridiculous? I really wonder why people do not bother to look at the job outlook for the field they plan on entering into.

      People seem to forget that the job market is driven purely by supply and demand. When there are so many more people applying for the same number of jobs, the wage goes down because there will always be someone willing to work for slightly less than you. Some degrees today are so abundant that they really do have no value, and others never had any job opportunities in the first place. In either case, the graduate usually ends up working the same minimum wage job they would’ve had if they never went to college at all, except now, they carry a ton of debt.

      How much longer will this go on? It’s hard to say.

      In any case, it’s great to talk to you Sylviane and I hope to see you again soon!
      – James
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  43. Don Purdum
    Twitter:
    March 23, 2015 at 1:29 pm #

    Hi James,

    Great read and I love your enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. I have owned 7 business in ten years out of those three failed and the others I sold or walked away from as I searched for my vision and purpose; only to discover it 8 years in.

    My son is 19 he is also an entrepreneur is not going to college due to the cost for one.

    The truth is the 75% of all millionaires don’t finish college and half of them never even attended. They hire people who went to college.

    You are a smart young man and staying out of debt is the key! I have never met a wealthy person who acquired wealth due to debt. But, they do understand money and how to use both assets and debt to their advantage but never to the point of being leveraged by it. If they can’t save or make money; they don’t do it.

    Donna, it’s good to have met James on your site. I’ve seen him around but haven’t read his content to this point. It’s been connecting with a lot of new people of late and new audiences as well.

    Have a great week!

    ~ Don Purdum
    Don Purdum recently posted..3 Ways to Separate Yourself From Those Who Sell the Same Thing You DoMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill March 23, 2015 at 1:47 pm #

      Hi Don,

      Kudos to your son! Oh yes indeed 75% of millionaires never finished college and some never even went. Indeed, they hire others to do the work for them lol.

      James points out debt and that is the key. Imagine starting off with so much debt on your back. It does hold one back doesn’t it?

      I am so happy that you have met James. I just knew you would like him. He is innovative and a very wise person.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Why You Must Make “The Shift” In MarketingMy Profile

    • James McAllister
      Twitter:
      March 23, 2015 at 4:38 pm #

      Hi Don!

      Seems like all of us who are entrepreneurs at heart eventually discover it at one point or another right? I know quite a few people who haven’t realized they were born to be leaders until after they’ve graduated with a bunch of debt and have gone through 10 years working in an office. I’m just so glad that I was able to discover my path early in life.

      The truth is, growing up I never had any idea what I wanted to do in terms of a career. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to work, but I didn’t want to do something I’d find boring or repetitive. I’m also not a fan of trading away hours for dollars, which is why I love creating products like this book. Every copy I sell is time being paid back to me. That’s the way I look at it anyway.

      On debt, absolutely. If you’re trying to get ahead and become financially independent than why get behind 50, 100, even 200 thousand dollars? I suppose if you want to be an employee and you’re majoring in something valuable like engineering than it makes sense, but I really question what’s going through the head of some of today’s graduates who’s degree do not grant them any additional employability at all. That is a stupid financial decision any way you look at it.

      You have a great week too Don, appreciate your insight!
      James McAllister recently posted..How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Ultimate GuideMy Profile

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