My first job was as an SEO specialist for an online marketing agency who worked with US and UK gaming clients. And by gaming I mean gambling.

The year was 2001. I’d just studied for three years at Uni (QUT) in a course that was ultra new and focused on new media design – namely, designing communication for the internet.

So I go for my job interview – very excited to be interviewing with an online agency considering the .com bubble had just burst and I’d spent the last 5 months looking for a job. Happily – I landed the job as an SEO specialist.

Of course, at the time I didn’t have a clue what an SEO was but I had the web development and project management skills from Uni and it got me through.

Learning SEO

For three and a half years I worked on strategies to drive free targeted traffic from search engines to our client’s casino and poker sites. Google was the new kid on the block and WebmasterWorld was my new best friend.

I got thrown in the deep end (with a budget of $0) and I learned to swim.

I became pretty good at this SEO thing and pretty over the idea that I was helping people lose their money/savings/retirement funds on gambling from home in their PJ’s.

So I left and got another job.

Trying to earn money doing something I didn’t like

Even though I had some problems with promoting gambling as my full time job I’ve always been into leveraging and find making money a bit of a game (hobby/experiment dare I say passion.)

I thought – hey, I should set up some casino affiliate sites, write about Texas Holdem and Bingo, SEO it up and earn myself some money.

I bought a few domains, started writing my content and I got bored. I was enticed by the idea of cashing in on my SEO experience, casino content writing ability but I was absolutely, 100% over it.

Which brings me to my point and where I am now.

You have to do what you love

I’ve just steered my blog in the direction of “Good Business Online”.

Since I decided to start my own business I’ve discovered a passion for launching online businesses that make me feel good and help me to live my life according to what’s important to me.

I can tell you now – writing about that is SO MUCH EASIER and getting up and seeing what comes back from what I’ve put out there thrills me to bits.

If you start doing what you love and turning it into content – on this low barrier to entry, don’t need a dollar to setup platform that is the internet – I bet you’ll be happier and in a better position to diversify your income with a bit of online revenue (if you’re not doing it full time).

You spend too much time in your life working to NOT spend time thinking about what’s important to you – then going after it. Online business is one way to get there.

Related posts:

1. Link Love Friday

Filed under: Do good business online, Inspiration