Technology has come a long way. I can remember when I bought my first computer. I do not remember what kind it was, but I do remember that it took me days of programming and entering code to see the result that amazed both my friends and I – a Square face, with two dots for eyes and one box for a mouth. The mouth moved and it actually made strange sounds that was supposed to be speaking. That seems funny today, but back then, it was AWESOME.
Ever since the dawn of the World Wide Web, people have been able to connect in a way like never before. Back in 1997 (when I started college), for every 100 people (in the developed world), there were 11 people on the internet. 10 Years later, that increased from 11% to 62%. This has allowed people to be able to connect in ways like never before.
One great benefit of the internet is that information is readily and freely available. Google has now become a word that's listed in the dictionary. If you're looking for an answer to a question, you can just “Google it”.
Leslie in Germany
In 2004 and 2005, I spent the summers in Germany doing research for my Master's degree. This was a great experience. I met people from all over the world, got to do some traveling, made friends and even learned a little bit of German. I'm not fluent, but I can have basic conversations, order just about anything to eat, and find my way to the restroom anywhere in Germany. Everything was great the first summer. I had a decent place to stay, I was fully funded by a research grant and I basically had nothing to worry about.
The second summer was not as great. The research grant had run out and I had no money. I was supposed to stay by a “friend” over there, but when I arrived in Germany, it turned out that their plans had changed and I was somewhat homeless. I stayed with my professor for 2 weeks while looking for a place, and eventually ended up staying in a Fraternity House for $80 per month, which is another LONG story in and of itself. Stay with me . . . this is going somewhere.
Leslie – The Web Designer
Since I wasn't getting paid anymore, I had to find a way to make some money. I had taken a Computer Tools class back in 1997 or 1998 and since then had dabbled in some website design for fun. At my point of desperation, I decided to become a “professional website designer”. Now, remember . . . I had only designed personal websites up to this point. However, I was desperate and needed to do something, because I was starting to go without food, which was NOT a good thing.
So before I left to Germany, I started my web design company called The CWeb Alternative. I put together a website, put it online and got going. The news started to spread to some of my friends, who then spread it to some of their friends and within a short period of time, I had a few clients.
There was something that was almost inevitable in this process. EVERY SINGLE CLIENT had things they wanted done that I had NEVER done before. In every meeting, they would shoot out a bunch of ideas and at the end the question was always the same: “Can you do that?” My answer was always the same: “But of course. If you want it, I'll make it happen”
What then followed was ours of research. I went to www.google.com and found out exactly how to do everything that needed to be done, and NEVER let on that I didn't know how to do something and my clients were always very pleased.
The Online Entrepreneurs
As on online entrepreneur (or wanna be entrepreneur), you have a tremendous tool at your disposal – Google. It contains the answer to just about every question. When trying to figure out something, or learn something new, it's easy to say that you don't know how to do something. Yes, it is easy, but in my opinion, this doesn't lead ANYWHERE.
If you need to learn HOW to do something, search for it in Google. If you can't figure out how to put video on a web page, Google it. If you need to find out how to insert a contact form on your site, Google it. As an Online entrepreneurs, you have a tool that enables you to do just about everything. If you want to find an excuse as to why you aren't doing something, you can probably Google that too 🙂
So no more excuses, take your success into your own hands. If you don't know how . . . You guessed it . . . GOOGLE IT!