What does it really take to get started building an online business? In this transcript from Episode 076, Mark flips the script and lets listener Dave Stokley from NicheVirgin.com interview him about niche marketing, getting started, mindset, mentorship, and the honest realities of making money online.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- How Mark got started in internet marketing while holding a demanding day job
- The biggest mistakes beginners make and how to avoid them
- Why mindset and limiting beliefs are the real barriers to success
- How to build relationships with mentors in the online business space
- Practical advice for getting your first site off the ground
Mark's Internet Marketing Journey
Mark has been working on internet marketing since 2007 while holding a 50 to 60 hour per week day job. He started after seeing a Today Show segment about a retired handyman making 11,000 dollars per month in AdSense from an ugly website documenting everything he knew about fixing houses.
His early challenge was not fear of starting but the steep learning curve: not knowing the terminology, not knowing who to trust, and not being able to distinguish fact from fiction in the internet marketing space. He found his footing through podcasts and by following people like Gary Conn, Josh Spaulding, Andrew Hansen, and Jeremy and Jason at Internet Business Mastery.
What Mark has built: Sites that generate between 5 and 500 dollars per month without much effort, including the Corn Sheller demo site. He has also had days where a single email generated 4,000 to 5,000 dollars. He describes himself as roughly 10 percent of what Pat Flynn generates, noting that Pat works full-time on his business while Mark maintains a demanding day job.
The Biggest Mistakes Beginners Make
Keep your wallet in your pocket. The number one mistake Mark sees is buying course after course without finishing any of them. People spend money on products, get partway through, see something shiny, and jump to the next thing. Pick one approach, follow one trustworthy person, and stick with it until it is profitable before moving on.
Bright shiny object syndrome will kill you. Spending 10,000 dollars on courses is far less important than identifying something proven and working it through to profitability.
Mindset and Limiting Beliefs
Mark believes everyone, even optimists, carries limiting beliefs. Some common ones: “Who cares what I have to say?” Fear of failure. Fear of success. Conflicted feelings about money, such as believing that only bad people have money or that you do not deserve financial success.
Mark's philosophy on money: the more money you have, the more people you can help. It is a simple framework that removes guilt from the equation.
For people who feel stuck, Mark recommends sitting down in a quiet place and asking why. “Is it that I feel overwhelmed?” Then break things down into small tasks. “Is it that I'm worried I might fail?” In this business, failure is what we call learning.
Building Relationships with Mentors
Mark references Zig Ziglar's principle: you can get everything in life that you want by helping other people get what they want. The same applies to building relationships with established people in your industry.
If you approach people with your hand out looking for something, you get one kind of response. If you legitimately try to contribute to what they are doing, you create reciprocity. Pat Flynn's big break came from genuinely participating in Yaro Starak's community, not from asking for anything. The shoutout he received helped launch what became Smart Passive Income.
Mark's key relationships were built through commenting on blogs, buying products, and being active community members. He became friends with Jeremy and Jason at Internet Business Mastery by being a charter member of their first membership product.
Advice for Getting Started
Pick something you are interested in. Mark's first site was about Elvis memorabilia. Strategically, the approach of starting with a topic you care about remains sound. Tactically, he would use different techniques today for building the site, evaluating profitability, choosing monetization, and driving traffic.
Affiliate marketing is a great starting point. It lets you attack problems from both the keyword standpoint (“my foot hurts”) and the product standpoint (“Bob's Foot Massage Cream”), giving you many avenues to explore. You can always add AdSense as supplementary income.
Do something on your business every day. Even a few minutes keeps it top of mind and maintains momentum. Days without action turn into weeks, then months of no progress. A little bit every day, integrated over months and years, produces remarkable results.
Key Takeaways
- Stop buying courses and start finishing one
- Identify your limiting beliefs and address them directly
- Build mentor relationships by contributing value, not asking for handouts
- Start with affiliate marketing in a niche you genuinely care about
- Work on your business every single day, even if only for a few minutes
- The more money you make, the more people you can help
What's Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this in June 2014. The fundamentals of getting started remain remarkably consistent.
The barrier to entry has dropped further. WordPress site setup, hosting, and basic SEO tools have all become more accessible and affordable. AI writing assistants can help with content creation, though human expertise and authenticity remain the differentiators.
The importance of E-E-A-T has grown. Google's emphasis on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness means that Mark's advice to pick a niche you care about is more important than ever. Sites built by people with genuine interest and knowledge outperform thin sites built purely for monetization.
Mentorship and community have scaled. In 2014, finding a mentor often meant commenting on blogs and buying products. In 2026, communities on platforms like Discord, Circle, and paid membership groups provide structured access to mentors and peers. The principle of contributing value first still applies.
Resources Mentioned
- Smart Passive Income — Pat Flynn
- LNIM Podcast
Related Episodes
If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:
- LNIM079 Transcript — Affiliate Marketing Example
- LNIM081 Transcript — Next Level Business with Cliff Ravenscraft
- Getting Started With Your Project Again
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.
