"Hoppy Could've
Made It Big On The Internet."
By Thomas Benton
I'm about to date myself here, but when I was
a small child Roy Rogers was the Saturday Matinee hero. So, naturally,
I had the Roy Rogers gun and holster set and all the trimmings.
When I played, in my mind I WAS Roy Rogers. (Some of you remember
those days.)
There was another cowboy hero who came along
before Roy that I practically ignored. He was *Hoppy*, Hopalong
Cassidy. For some reason he never caught my fancy.
That is, until a few days ago when I happened
to watch a documentary on the Western Channel entitled, *Hopalong
Cassidy, Public Hero Number One*.
What does all this have to do with Internet marketing?
Please hang in here with me and I'll explain.
The documentary was about the actor, William
Boyd, who portrayed Hoppy. Boyd started out as a Hollywood leading
man in the 1930's. He was a "party animal" who consumed
a lot of alcohol and had the failed marriages to go with it. Something
happened though that changed his life.
A stage actor with the same name, got involved
in a scandal and the newspapers mistakenly identified him as the
other William Boyd. Boyd's movie contract was terminated.
A couple of years later, after the scandal had
passed, he was given the opportunity to star as Hopalong Cassidy.
But then, after he starred in a number of movies, the studio decided
to cancel the series.
Turns out, the role of Hopalong became Boyd's
passion. He sold everything he owned, borrowed money, and bought
the rights to the movies. He formed his own company, Hopalong
Cassidy Productions, Inc. and began producing movies, TV episodes,
etc.
He also did numerous personal appearance tours
and endorsed many products. (He refused to endorse chewing gum
because he didn't chew gum!) He became a model hero for kids all
over the world. And, even though he made a fortune, he continued
to live in a modest home.
Pay attention - this is how the story relates
to the Internet. Boyd had a true *passion* for his character.
He was offered other roles, but turned them down. He risked everything
when he bought the rights to the Hopalong Cassidy movies. What
could drive him to take such a risk? Simple. He was passionate
about the Hopalong Cassidy role. He was Hopalong Cassidy!
Hopalong was Boyd's *niche*. Thousands upon thousands
of Hopalong Cassidy fans, both kids and parents, became his niche
market. His motivation wasn't to *get rich quick*. No, he was
totally motivated by his passion.
If you want to become a successful Internet marketer,
start by finding your passion. Do it because you love it! Let
THAT be your motivation. It will push you forward through the
long hours of hard work. (Remember, making a lot of money isn't
the *only* definition of success.):-)
Define your niche market; those who share your
passion. Market products and services that you use yourself and
can honestly recommend (including products you create). The Internet
marketing experts all agree. Persevere and the profits will eventually
follow.
Watching this William Boyd documentary helped
me to understand the power behind my passion. I was advised against
initiating an Internet business with this theme because of the
enormous competition. But, sink or swim, I MUST pursue that about
which I'm passionate.
That passion is do-it-yourself web site design
and internet marketing. I've been *dabbling* in it for over three
years... more as a hobby than anything else. I've learned a lot.
I'm no guru, but I sincerely like to help people by sharing what
I've learned from experience.
My goal is to build one of the best web design
and internet marketing resource websites on the web. Besides teaching
simple web design, it will also be an Internet marketing *vortal*.
From WebDesignWisdom.com, you'll be able to *jump* to the web-
sites of internet marketing's recognized experts, and find the
tools, help, training, and information you need to succeed.
After several hundred hours of preparation, WebDesignWisdom.com
just launched in September 2001, with over 400 pages of web design
and internet marketing information and resources.
If this wasn't my passion, I would've given up
months ago. The experts are right. Passion WILL keep you plowing
forward toward your goals and dreams long after the desire to
make money fails.
Find your passion. Pursue your dream. Relentlessly! |
