Today while cruising through another favorite haunt of ours, Entrecard, I came across “Blog Tips Blogging Brainiac Series” and Mark’s post of March 11, 2008. Mark details how in one day he personally pulled in $100. Yes, and the title of this post is true… Mark is just 13 years old.

how-the-13-year-old-made-100-at-the-dp-forums

I don’t want to say, “What the heck…” but I guess I just did. Our goal here at Online Internet Marketing Strategies is to bring you up-to-date ways to make money online. Strategies for successfully navigating both the internet marketing and social media marketing arenas.

Then, every now and then, Scott and I sit back and wonder if anyone reads, picks up the ball, and runs with it?

Yet here’s a 13 year old most likely running circles around a good many online marketers.

What has Mark got that other’s are missing? Here’s just a few guesses:

1. A dream
2. A mission statement of sorts
3. A detailed how-to succeed plan
4. Short, medium, and long-term goals
5. The where-with-all to go the long haul.

If you read his post, you’ll notice he was busy a good percentage of the day. Maybe not out there digging ditches, but working all the same. It’s evident that he has put into place strategic ways to pull income in – and he has not put all his eggs into one basket (as we see too many “grown ups” do).

Multiple ways to produce income.

Another point to watch as you read is Mark did not go into hock to start making money. He didn’t overcharge his credit card, mortgage his house, or bring himself to the brink of bankruptcy.

What he does do is get up every morning and work his businesses.

Too often, with so many programs out there shouting this, adults actually believe the ludicrous claims like “no calling, no selling, no …” you fill in the blank.

Do you really believe that after forking over X amount of dollars you can just sit back and do nothing…??

Let’s all take a page out of Mark’s book and learn a valuable lesson. Have a plan, develop your strategy, and get to work.

This is not your typical recommendation that will be going in this category, but it is sound advice, worth printing out and telling a friend, so here goes (and yes we’ve had to do this ourselves – the actions listed below… sigh):

ATTORNEY’S ADVICE – NO CHARGE

If you dislike attorneys… You will love them for these tips. Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company. (We personally have had to go through this when Diane’s husband’s wallet was stolen, what a nightmare… so be sure to also do the following to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know):

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘ PHOTO ID REQUIRED.’

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won’t have access to it.

3. Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a P.O. Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a P.O. Box, use your work address. Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

5. Suggestion carry a photocopy of your passport when you travel either here or abroad.

6. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

7. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one but don’t hold your breath, even the local police here said “yeah right”).

8. IMMEDIATELY call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number.
The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. This, often, stops thieves dead in their tracks since your cards are now useless.

Here are quick links and phone numbers to contact if you’re wallet has been stolen. We were told you only have to contact one credit reporting bureau and that they, by law, must informed the others. The Social Security is a definite must do yourself:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289

Social Security Administration (fraud hotline): 1-800-269-0271

And last, but not least, tell a friend about this post please.