Everyone Wants to Make a Quick Buck
Nov 12th, 2007 by jared
The other day I was checking out my blog stats, reviewing which articles were the most popular, and I came across something very interesting. My “Raising Quick Cash” post on September 3rd by far has had more views than any other post; it wasn’t even close. It had three times as many views as the second most popular post, it was linked to multiple sites, and it had the longest page-view minutes. (Damn, I wish I was serving ads!)
It really made me think about only blogging about money from now on. Certainly if I want more traffic, it would be a wise move on my part. I initially wrote the article for my entrepreneur brothers and sisters who struggle with cash flow problems. I pointed out a few good things they can do to get some money in the door quickly. 
It was hardly the most important topic I cover, but interest showed otherwise. At first glance, I figured the increased traffic to this article was just my current reader base more interested in this subject than previous ones, but the traffic far outpaced any other post, including my home page! Then it dawned on me–“Raising Quick Cash” is a pretty scandalous title. It is the type of title that would indicate a get-rich-quick scheme. If you read the article, you will notice that it is far from that.
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My article now has the 7th spot in Google when you type in “raising quick cash.” I didn’t realize when I chose that title that it could have a totally separate meaning. The reason I decided to write this post is because, quite frankly, this saddens me a bit. People are always looking for shortcuts in life. Do shortcuts exist? Yes. You can win the lottery or get an inheritance from a rich uncle who passed away, but these things DO NOT happen to you. The reason I call “you” out is because you are most likely a reader of mine who is trying to make his business happen and, like me, is trying to do things the right way. Unfortunately the “get-rich-quick” crowd probably won’t find this article in Google. I should link this post up as astrix, huh?
The quick buck will always fail. I have seen it time and time again. I have a few friends and even relatives who try to take shortcuts and I have never seen it work out for them. Think about it–if becoming successful in life was easy, then everyone would be rich. I have always thought that successful people such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and the Google guys had to have a bit of timing and luck to get to where they are. However, I believe that because of their hard work and dedication, they made timing and luck happen for them.
People looking for the quick buck don’t want to make the sacrifice. They don’t want to work hard, and they don’t want to pay their dues. Also, they are horrible at math. Think about it; I will use the lottery as an example. Your odds of becoming a millionaire in a state lottery are usually more than 100 million to 1. Your odds of getting a business off the ground are 2 to 1. Your odds of making money are 10 to 1. Your odds of becoming rich are probably more like 1 million to 1. Even at a million to one, you are a hundred times less likely to win the lotto than to become a successful business person. I consider myself a pretty smart person, but I was horrible at math in high school. I think anyone with a second grade education could correctly guess which path was better to take.
In addition, I bet if an official study was done (unlike the one I created above), your odds of making a quick buck through a get-rich-quick scheme are the same as winning the lottery. By its very nature, the quick buck is shady.
Hard work, persistence, integrity, and wisdom are the virtues that will make you successful. Also, even if you do pull off the quick buck, what foundation have you built upon? What happens when the money is gone, MC Hammer? Try recreating what you just think you pulled off; you’re back to lottery odds. If you build upon a solid foundation and have a business that is a true asset (earning you money in your sleep), then there is never a need to take a risk and the math is back in your favor. I guess if you are too stupid to realize the quick buck doesn’t exist, then you are too stupid to do the math, and it’s time you went back to grammar school.
Remember, the next time you are thinking about making a quick buck, if something is too good to be true, then it probably is.
Yes Yes Yes, I regret not to find more articles like this. We have to stop this wave of insane disbelief that “You too can make $12,938 a day”. If it were true Ferrari would be the best selling car.
You do have to pay your dues, I put together a couple of affilite sites, it took years for them to make a pretty penny, and I sold them not so long ago. I didn’t by a BMW either.
The worst of all is that the millions of failed attempts leave half dead websites, affiliate sites and blogs, that polute the web and make it worse for everyone… I call it the blogosphere white noise.
Ivan,
Good point I didn’t think about that. Google really created some great opportunities with adsense but at the same time messed things up. There is a ton of crap out there now and the net is not as relevant as it could be. Lots of fake rabbit holes that don’t lead to the rabbit.
I always get lucky in life and I still agree with this post. Luck isn’t something that you are granted for nothing, luck is a consequence of your hard work, your sharp eye (attention) at what life throws towards your way, and the ability to take it. You wouldn’t get a shortcut unless you somehow deserved it.
P.S.: The web was and will always be a giant scrap-heap because, well, it’s just a mirror of the real world we live in… Once we clear it up in our education and culture - we will be able to get everything else somewhat fixed as well. If only scientists could find the “Sin” in human’s DNA and remove it…
“A Good name is to be more desired than great riches,
Favor is better than silver and gold.”
Proverbs 22:1
What great advice! “Easy come, easy go” has always been a prevalent theme I have noticed in life- and this article stands behind it even more. It has taken you almost 9 years to build up your company, and it is now starting to grow more rapidly than ever. What would you say you put the most hard work into?
Great article Jared! its so easy to slip into the “Get Rich Quick” schemes. Working hard for something is never easy but brings life long rewards.
Great article I have tried several of the “Get Rich Quick” schemes that claims to require little to no work….ha ha ha how silly of me. I continued to search and found one that requires you to work and build and yes I see the rewards..no no no JAG or $2000 a week or the $200,000 a month but a steady monthly return of my investment.
Beatrice, alot of those programs people do make money but it is because of two reasons, the first is because they were in early and the second is because they worked their ass off. By its very nature however the reason (and please dont get offended her), why people do these programs is because they are lazy and want the quick buck. But nothing is easy and it definitely requires hard work. They try these programs out in the first place because they dont want to work hard.