Are you acting prepubescent in your online business? There are some similarities between teenagers and struggling internet marketers. Recently, I was talking to a 15-year-old teenager. He didn’t seem to have any interests outside of school and his grades were not good. I asked him “Why don’t you do any extracurricular activities?” I almost feel out of my chair when he answered, “That would take effort.”

After our conversation, I began to think about some of the similar problems of struggling teenagers and those of struggling information marketing entrepreneurs.

There are two things I believe are stopping some people from having the successful online business they want to create in their life:

1. Lack of Results-Oriented Effort

Teenager – Many teenagers live with an entitlement attitude. They believe simply because they exist or did a minimum amount of effort, they deserve things they have not earned.

Struggling Entrepreneur – Same thing with many internet marketers. There is a world of difference between planning the actions you will take and actually taking the action once you’ve made your plans and getting things done. Many people delude themselves into thinking that planning things in their head is enough and never get into the small, daily, consistent, unsexy actions that would yield results.

Solution: Stop looking for the magic pill. It does not exist. And even seemingly “magic pills” have unwanted side effects. Effort and energy is required to be a success in anything. Creating the habit of sustained effort and action-taking starts with planning but does not end there. Make sure you follow through on those plans until you’ve developed a huge action-taking muscle in your online business. On a regular basis, look back and evaluate the results you’re getting from those actions.

2. Lack of Personal Experience

 Teenager – Teenagers have little or no experience in many of life’s obstacles and gaining that firsthand experience is what turns them into productive, healthy, well rounded adults.

Struggling Entrepreneur – In the same way, many people who want to start an information marketing business want to teach subjects they have absolutely no experience or success in! You simply cannot teach abundance and prosperity if you are living paycheck to paycheck. You cannot teach inner peace if you send angry, reactive emails and can’t control your temper with your family.

Solution: Teach only what you truly know. Do not attempt to teach what you do not have experience in. You cannot help people and you will not be successful. Gain the experience necessary to become a great teacher by finding a coach or mentor who has been successful in that area. Then, you got it…!  Make the sustained effort to gain the experience necessary to be a teacher in that subject.

Stop and be honest with yourself, are you guilty of acting like a teenager in your business?