This may not come as a surprise if you’ve been following my work for any amount of time, but I know a lot of you are wondering how to monetize anything (or something in particular).

A combination of the following elements are what I consider to be the *secret sauce* to allow you to monetize anything (aka: sell anything):

1. PASSION

If you aren’t passionate about the thing you’re sharing about, you’re dead in the water. You’ve got to have a passion for it, even if the passion is or becomes simply that it helps you solve problems for other people. Liking something a little bit won’t take you there – you’ve gotta be excited about it, bursting to share it with others at every chance you get. You won’t monetize anything without passion.

2. SOLUTIONS

What you have passion for must solve a problem for someone, preferably a lot of people who all have the same (or a similar) problem. You also have to personally be solution-oriented in your thinking and mindset as you set out to build a business around selling something. If you constantly find barriers to success as setbacks and not opportunities for growth, you lose. You’ve got to focus on solutions, always. In what you have to offer and how you approach your work with it. You won’t monetize anything if you’re not offering solutions.

3. PATIENCE

I don’t mean sitting silently and waiting when I say patience. I mean commitment to whatever it is you’re doing that extends far beyond what you may initially expect or how long you think it *should* take. And, within that patience, commitment to the iterative process. Chances are, you won’t do things right the first time. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll do things wrong, badly, poorly… but that is exactly how you learn what to do right! And, without the patience to stay the course when things go wrong or take longer than you hoped, you won’t monetize anything.

Are these three elements all it takes to be successful and sell something?

Certainly not.

But, at the end of the day, I don’t try to sell anything I’m not passionate about. If I make something myself, generally I’m going to be super passionate about it as a given, but sometimes not, or over time, the passion can wane or vary.

I always, always, always stay solution-oriented. This means I don’t focus on the amazing bells and whistles of something I’m offering. Instead, I focus on what it will do for you once you exchange your hard-earned money for it. And, I respect your (and my own) hard-earned money, so I don’t sell or recommend something I don’t think is awesome or worthy of it.

Lastly, I pay my dues. I grind out the work. I pound the pavement (or tour the country meeting people for book signings at this stage – which is “pounding the pavement” in a different way). I meet people and connect 1:1, in real life whenever possible. And, I commit to the time and effort it will take to make things grow.

And, I’m not inherently a very patient person. I want to succeed quickly like anyone else, but I also do relish in the process. I find joy in solving small problems day-to-day. Those are mini-wins on the way to a profitable business.

Is this helpful to you? What specifically rings true for you? 

I’d love for you to comment below and tell me what’s motivating or inspiring you from this post.

I appreciate your presence here. It matters to me – you matter to me.

xo,

D

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Want to hear more from me on selling?

Check out these Build a Badass Business Podcast Episodes:

Build a Badass Business Podcast #32: Why asking for money isn’t evil

Build a Badass Business Podcast #22: Hustle is an investment in your future