How to Be a Top 100 Online Marketer in 2009 – 8 Lessons in Personal Branding
December 19, 2008 - Written by Gyutae Park
Do you have what it takes to be a top Internet marketer in 2009? Yesterday I discovered a list of the most influential online marketers of 2008 and what I find interesting about the list is that it’s essentially a popularity contest. All of the included marketers have strong personal brands and it really doesn’t matter what industries they’re involved with or how much money they’re making. They’re ranked on the list by how well they’re known by the masses.
I know for a fact that some of the individuals on the list should to be ranked lower than a few others based on actual credentials and earnings – the real factors that matter in determining success. However, they’re ranked higher only because they’re more connected, know how to sell themselves, and give off a higher perceived value. In other words, in reality they are actually less successful at marketing but a strong personal brand gives them a big boost in being known as top experts.
So how can you be a top 100 Internet marketer in 2009? Sure you need to have success selling, building exposure, and making money but the more important part is to build up a strong personal brand for yourself and make people believe that you’re worthy – even more so than you really are.
Image is everything in this business. You just have to be able to back it all up when it comes to it.
So here’s a lesson in personal branding. If your reputation is a large part of your business (e.g. consulting, blogging, or authoritative figure in your industry) then you absolutely need to follow these 8 tips.
1. Get the right credentials first
Before you go on thinking that you can be a top 100 marketer with your new blog of 10 subscribers, I have to burst your bubble a bit and tell you that you first need credentials to back yourself up. If you’ve only been in the game for a couple months or haven’t performed any successful marketing campaigns, there’s no way you’re going to be a top 100 online marketer any time soon.
Think of it this way. Say that there are a bunch of aspiring college students trying to get into Harvard University, one of the most prestigious colleges in the US. Is anyone with a C average going to get in? Probably not. Everyone who applies usually has stellar grades and high qualifications. However, there’s only a limited number of spots available so it takes a little extra something to push prospective students over the top. As a marketer, that little something for you is personal branding. But like the Harvard applicants, you first need to at least put yourself in a position to be considered with the right credentials and qualifications.
2. Find a specialty and stick to it – be known for something
It’s a lot easier to be known for something than to be known for everything. For example, Aaron Wall and Rand Fishkin are associated with SEO, John Chow and Shoemoney have their popular blogs, Michael Arrington is all things tech, and Guy Kawasaki is a venture capitalist / social media geek. Would these guys have been able to attain the same status if they didn’t focus on one smaller niche? Probably not. Instead of being a jack-of-all-trades, be a specialist. It’s a lot easier to be known for it and gain traction in the industry.
To take this point one step further, why not tell your personal story as a selling point? If you have something unique about how you got to the position you’re in, don’t be afraid to share it. People love to relate to others and they’ll remember you for who you really are.
3. Be confident – fake it ’til you make it
I don’t get it. I often see “Internet marketers” label themselves as newbies and beginners and then expect people to follow their advice and tips on blogs. Why would anyone do that? As an aspiring top Internet marketer, it’s important to brand yourself as an expert thought leader and make people consider you as an authoritative figure in the field. Don’t lie or anything like that, but just give off a good impression so that people take you seriously and listen to what you have to say. Rebecca Kelley wrote an excellent article about how you can fake it and make it by being confident. Perception is everything.
4. Associate with successful people
Want to see success as an Internet marketer? Then surround yourself with the right crowd – successful people who can push you and make you better. Neil Patel (#32 on the list) is just 23 years old and yet he has managed to start multiple online businesses and make millions of dollars. How does he do it? He is well networked with hundreds of successful people, many of whom are double his age. Read more on why Neil is successful, and you are not.
5. Help people out – make friends and build relationships
As the saying goes, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. In many cases, this statement proves to be true. By building relationships and friendships in the industry, you instantly gain an advantage because people naturally give preference to those they know and are familiar with. Learn how to build influential relationships and suck up if you have to. The point is that you need other people to help you gain more exposure as a top Internet marketer. Be willing to help others out (it’ll come back around to you) – even the little guys.
6. Think and act like the person you want to be
If you haven’t read Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill (free on the public domain), you need to stop and read it now. Hill teaches that in order for you to see success, you need to change your mindset and start thinking like a rich person. In the same way, you need to start thinking like a top marketer if you’re ever going to reach that status. This in itself will improve your confidence, help you to create valuable relationships, and make good decisions. Eventually your mindset will be manifested to reality as a self-fulfilling prophecy (not to get all voodoo on you or anything). Ironic, ain’t it?
7. Put yourself everywhere
You can be a top marketer based on knowledge and skill set, but if no one knows about you, it won’t matter. Build exposure and put yourself everywhere on the web. Build a Wikipedia page for yourself, be active on social media sites and forums using the same profile name and avatar, speak at conferences, post up your videos on YouTube and pictures on Flickr, write frequently on your blog, and put out a few press releases. Do everything and anything to get your personal brand out in front of your audience. The more people see you, the more likely it is that they’ll remember you and associate you as a top marketer.
8. Be humble
Last but not least, be humble. Once you become a top Internet marketer, there’s more responsibility for you to represent the industry and do it well. Not only that, but you’ll have a lot of people looking up to you for advice and guidance in their own journeys. Don’t be a jerk and blow them off. Remember your own struggle to the top and help them out. Besides, there will always be someone else ahead of you and room to move up. Don’t stop learning and keep reaching.
What do you think? Are you worthy of improving your personal brand and being a top online marketer in 2009? I guess we’ll find out on next year’s list. 
If you like this post, subscribe to the RSS feed. Get the latest updates delivered straight to your email or news reader.
Great list of advice for folks. Nice job.
Thanks Todd, I’m glad that you find the list of tips useful, especially since you’re such a highly regarded Internet marketer in the industry.
I love number 2 the best! I see so many people changing their “Speciality” every could of months. They need to stick to one thing and get excellent at it.
Totally agree with you Tom. Sometimes people don’t want to specialize because they think it’ll limit their potential, but ironically it has the opposite effect. Being too general means you dilute your focus and lose out on that branding effect.
Excellent article with some real stand out advice. I thought particularly that the advice of picking a market and sticking with it is very important. Too many people flit from one niche to the next and have no time to establish any stability or reputation at all.
Cheers,
Good point Ric. A downside of personal blogs, for example, is that they go from one topic to another without focusing on one specific niche. If you plan on developing a strong personal brand, even your personal blog needs to stay on topic.
Probably one of the most counter intuitive comments, yet one of the most important is “fake it til you make it”. Many people have bad associations with the word fake, but you could also phrase it like this. “Visualize yourself having the results you want until it is so real for you that you have trouble distinguishing reality from your dream”. This deals also with the Law of Attraction and will do so much for you that you will not believe it!
“Fake” probably isn’t the best word to use, you’re right. Yours is a lot more positive and warm but “fake it til you make it” has a nice ring to it too.
Thanks for the alternative phrasing.
How important would “Quality” be?
Quality is very important and is a prerequisite to any of the lessons laid out in this article. Like I said, if you don’t have the right credentials, nothing you do will matter.
To become part of the list, you need to be successful. All else will follow.
Well yeah, that’s obvious. But it depends on how you define success. If you want to be low-key and make millions of dollars in your living room, that’s fine. This article deals with the folks who want to be famous by taking advantage of personal branding.
Excellent ideas here!
All good points. I would add that employers with staffers who effectively build their personal brand benefit should embrace it rather than fear it. People like Christopher Penn who effectively build their personal brand benefit themselves and their employer. It’s a proverbial win-win. Man, I love the social web!
@berniebay
That’s a great point, but I don’t blame employers for the way they feel. People who effectively build up their personal brands are worth more – and a lot of times companies are unable to compensate for it. Sure, employers might benefit from having well-known people on board, but these people are more likely to leave for greener pastures – and take ideas, clients, etc with them.
I certainly would like to occupy that rarefied atmosphere. I keep trying and this post certainly helps me along the way. Thank you.
Glad I could help, Nicole! Keep at it. Of course, the list in itself shouldn’t be your end goal but success comes with a lot of perks that you can ultimately control.
Gyutae – this is really just a great list of advice for anyone wanting to market authentically – one additional piece of advice I would offer is to commit to increasing your credibility by learning new things, embracing new technology and finding new ways to approach real problems.
Thanks for the feedback, John. You can never stop learning, adapting, and changing. I think that’s essential if anyone wants to stay on top of their game – especially in the fast-paced Internet marketing world.
I got your website link through David Meerman Scott(My Mentor) in Facebook. Just click and I can’t stop myself to read excitedly what have you said. I have bookmarked in Laptop. Thanks, Park
Thanks Zahari, I appreciate that. I’m glad that this piece is spreading and helping people with their personal branding.
Wow, it is very cool article. Thanks. I hope I will be marketer of the yers 2009
Thanks a lot. You have to do more than hope if you want to be a top Internet marketer in 2009. Good luck!
Good post. Building relationships is key to building not only a strong online marketing business, but any business. There is a fine line between building relationships and sucking up. If all you are is a suck up and a yes man no one will care. You need to be authentic and state your own personal views and opinions.
It’s annoying to see people sucking up to get what they want, but stroking egos does work. The important thing is to be subtle and be genuine. Don’t praise anyone for their work unless you really mean it!
Yes, branding is important because the competition in the Internet marketing niche is so powerful
Competition is fierce in almost any worthwhile market. It will be harder and harder to compete as time goes by because brands will be solidified and barriers to entry will be higher. It’s better to get in early before the Wal-Marts and McDonalds of the Internet are established.
Hi – thanks for the post! its definitely very interesting. I would have to say that my favorite from the list is # 2 – I recently submitter a similar article to my blog revolving around # 2 on your list and becoming an expert in one aspect of your niche – you cant be a jack of all trades and you hit it on the nail!
thanks for the post..
-Ruben Ricart
Thanks Ruben! Good to know we think alike.
Like you said, being a specialist makes the road to fame a lot easier. It’s better to be known for something niche than try to cover everything at once. You spread yourself too thin and in the end no one will notice.
Branding is not an easy task, but the rewards are great if you can get creative and get some word of mouth marketing. Great article. Thanks.
Branding isn’t easy, but I think it’s becoming necessary in order to compete online these days. There are so many sites screaming for limited attention and brand names will win out because people trust them.
Great post there and very well said…
Though its tough to do them all.
Thanks! Good luck, they’re tough but worth it if you want to get ahead.
Great post, Really alot of usefull information that can be used for any marketer. Thanks.
Thanks Karl!
Very well done, i love your post! it’s my first time to check your blog and i just subscribed to your rss!
Thanks,
Firas
Thanks Firas! I really appreciate that you subscribed to the RSS. I’m glad you like the post and hope you find future articles just as useful. Cheers!
Great advice. We’d all love to be on that list, and in time and with enough hard work and dedication, it very well could be possible. Congrats though to all that did make the list.
Yep, hard work and dedication is crucial but that’s a given. There are only 100 spots on that list so you need to be extraordinarily unique and creative to get ahead. Same goes for business online.
Hmmm, I’d like to add one thing that is the most important thing in my opinion: read.
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are both avid readers and as Eben Pagan puts it (I’m paraphrasing) “For $20 you can get someones entire life experiences”.
And, by the way, I don’t mean read blogs. Blogs are great, but they don’t teach you the fundamental stuff people have been discovering for hundreds of years. Learn about sales, direct mail advertising, generating referral business, branding…all that good stuff.
Now, you may say “But I don’t sell anything!”, well you probably do sell advertising, but even still you need to sell yourself. Many of the traditional marketing/sell principles etc can easily be adapted to the internet, and it’s why information product marketers often make so much more than bloggers because their mentors are people like John Carlton and Dan Kennedy (people who were marketing long before the internet).
Hmmm…I went on for a bit of a rant there.
That’s great advice. Thanks David! I totally agree with you that reading comes with so many benefits. We only have one lifetime here so incorporating other people’s ideas and experiences into our own mindset is very advantageous. We can never read enough..
That said, I have a habit of reading blogs and online articles too much. I should definitely visit the book store and pick up more books. There are a lot out there that I want to read. Any suggestions?
I would also add to the list, skill, hard work and luck,
I guess one thing that I forgot to mention is luck. Hard work and skills are necessary of course but sometimes you need to be at the right place at the right time to see success.
I have never understood the mindset of specailizing. Will it assist your exposure and potential to be a top marketer in that particular niche? Yes, but as business practices goes wouldn’t being versitile save you money in the long run?
Hey Jesse, thanks for your feedback. Specializing at one thing and outsourcing other tasks is advantageous because you can get everything done faster and with higher quality. Sure you might be versatile enough to do everything on your own, but it’s the opposite of what you said – specializing and outsourcing will save you money in the long run and increase productivity.
The same applies for personal branding. You’re more likely to be noticed for something than a mix of everything.
Fabulous content especially about specializing. As one of my mentors once said “If you can’t be excellent at everything be an expert about one thing”
Very true. Given that it’s impossible to be excellent at everything, might as well strive to be an expert at one thing from the start. Thanks Mo.
Points 2 & 6 stick out the most for me because it was these 2 that were the hardest to learn. When you have so many diverse interests, it can be quite difficult to limit yourself to a tight niche. However, I’ve come to learn the hard way that those who do are often those who make the most money. Of course, the flip side is that, if their industry dries up, well… let’s hope there’s a plan B.
#6 Can be taken many different ways. I’d rather not be somebody’s fanboy or clone, but I don’t think that’s what is meant here. There is an old say that states, “If you want what we have to offer, do what we did.” While a bit out of context here, the same principles applies.
This is a good summary. While I don’t think it takes all factors into consideration, it’s definitely a good starting point. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the feedback – a lot of good points you bring up. As for your comments on point #6, I didn’t mean for you to emulate someone and be a fanboy/clone. What I meant was to adopt the mentality of the type of person you’re striving to be. For example, if you want to be a millionaire, think and act like one (without spending tons of money), and you’re halfway there.
Great tips, point number 6 maybe similar to “the science of getting rich” and “the secret”, I have read both, and, for me the conclusion is a one question, what do you really really want? the result is always based on how bad do you want it and how hard your efforts toward it, but reaching something to what you want doesn’t mean you will always like the processes, sometimes you will get bored, sometimes you find yourself very energetic and enthusiast, and the question is how long can you stick to your goal?, and yes like a self-fulfilling prophecy. About the diverse interests, I just have to focus on one or two thing I can handle at some period of time, flip-flop, for me the key is a strict discipline not to broaden your interests while doing 2 of them, and there is an old say that a magnifier glass and the sun won’t fire the wood if it is not focused
Hey Wandoko,
The magnifying glass analogy is a great one. Without focus we can’t really accomplish anything.
I totally understand what you’re saying. A lot of times my interests broaden and I have to force myself to stick to my current goals without veering off into new projects. Great points.
Number 11 ? Shoe. I would think you would have been in the top 10. These are great tips. Fake it till you make it is so true. I started my first business when I was 18 painting houses and only knew the basics. I faked it for the 1st few years as I learned. I got most of my work by sounding authoritative and showing customers my previous work. Funny thing about the trades is simply calling people back and answering the phone gets you more work than the competition. Same thing with SEM. Post lots and be authoritative. Answer questions and if you don’t know how to do something point the users where they can get the information.
Good stuff. Being authoritative works in any business, not just in the online world. I like how you said that you would point people in the right direction if you didn’t know an answer to one of their questions. Making stuff up doesn’t fly. Thanks for sharing!
There’s a lot to learn from this post,Gyutae. Looking to see my name in the next list. Oh, didn’t I just break the 8th tip?
Haha, nice! Well, I don’t think you broke the 8th tip.. you’re just following tip #6.
Absolutely agreed, #8 in particular. As social networking continues to grow, being accessible and human becomes paramount. Demolish the pedestal.
Totally agree with you as well Casey. I think social media tools like Twitter and blogs make companies more accessible and human. Some of the big companies that “get it” are already utilizing them to communicate with their customers.
Nice list here. I’d stress #8… “don’t be a jerk!”
; )
Thanks for flagging this for me.
@marketingprofs
Thanks Ann! It’s always refreshing to see people who are not affected by fame and fortune.
Great advice and content as always!
http://www.marketingwithpaul.com
Thank you very much!
If you want to become the Marketer of 2009, you need to have a product that addresses the trends of these days:
- concern about the environment
- concern about making money in the current economy
Here is a suggestion for all money-driven marketers with a green heart:
http://www.ethospowered.com/ethosfreurope
Hm, not necessarily true at all. Sure those markets might be hot right now, but that doesn’t mean you need to be in them to be a top marketer or make a lot of money. There’s tons of opportunities in almost every industry. You just have to be creative and find new ideas.
Hi Gyutae,
Thanks for a brilliant post.
It was just what I needed, as I’ve only just started to establish myself online and I was looking for some good pointers.
Regards,
Eoin
Thanks Eoin! Best of luck with your personal branding efforts online. Let me know if you need anything.
If you cannot properly brand yourself how on earth can you brand others? But it is true, self promotion can often times get you pretty far.
Hm, good point. This is the reason why “famous” marketers are hired for big consulting jobs. They’re able to brand themselves and build exposure for themselves, so it shows they’re more than capable of doing the same for other companies and products.
I don’t think I saw Seth Godin in the list and criteria for the rankings didn’t seem apparent to me.
Linkbait and random.
Hey Andrew,
I agree with you on that one. Seth Godin deserves to be on the list for sure, but I think the list was more focused on Internet marketing realm than the mainstream marketing realm Seth is more a part of.
The list was actually compiled based on recommendations from others on the list so rankings are bound to be a bit random and biased.
Great article which I am definatley going to add to my blog for my readers to check out. Keep it coming!
http://www.zestformarketing.com
Looking forward to it. Thanks Michael!
great list, thanks
No problem, glad you liked it.
2009 is going to be the year where there will be TONS of new bloggers, but who will succeed? Everyone is pretty much blogging about the same thing now, so it’ll be hard to tell.
Blogging is certainly becoming more mainstream – which is good for us early-starters. A lot of bloggers may be blogging about the same topic, but I think everyone has a chance because they have their own unique style and experiences. That’s what makes blogging so great.
Definitely glad I checked back up on the blog here Gyutae. This was my favorite article of the day… Some amazing ideas with the links to back them up. I’m reading Neil Patel’s success story right now.
Thanks Yung. Glad to have you back! Neil is an Internet marketing phenom and a great example to follow if you’re looking to establish yourself as a top young marketer. He’s only 23!
Great advice … advice that I will have to heed.
I have been trying to do some of this already — even sub-consciously. But, it is nice to see it all laid out in an easy to read and understand list.
Thanks a bunch
Joshua Collins
Thanks Josh! A lot of this is common sense – stuff we know we have to do if we want to establish ourselves online. But a list like this makes it more concrete and give you a kick in the butt to get started.
Very useful tips..Thanks..
Great post GP , once of the best I ve read in recent times..
Great advice. It’s the personality that people identify with and the fact that these people are accessible. People don’t want to follow someone that is out of reach.
The same applies with the music industry nowadays. The bands and artists that are breaking through are the ones that respond to their fans and have direct communication.
People want to feel a part of something and have involvement instead of being sold to.
Great points, Dave. It’s the social media revolution. The Internet is connecting everyone together and making communication extremely easy. Businesses that leverage that to build relationships with their customers will win out in the end.
Fake it til you make it is directly related to acting like who you want to be….so now that I think about it, you’re not actually faking at all you’re making yourself over.
That’s a good way of looking at it. Thanks for pointing that out. It’s not really a matter of being “fake”, it’s more a matter of changing your perspective and altering your mindset to be the type of person you want to be. It really does work.
Thanks, this post really encouraging me to be a succesful blogger and marketer at the same time, and i would like to say thank you for all the pro blogger who had share their stuff which i myself found it hard to get but they share it for free, really great advice.
Part of establishing a personal brand is being authoritative – which means giving away a lot of valuable information for free. Take advantage of this! Learn from the pros and model yourself after those you like and admire.
Thanks for sharing the 8 tips.
I liked the point number 7. (Put yourself everywhere).
I am working on this point right now, and building a branding campaign.
I started this already, but now I am outsourcing to rich a butterfly effect.
As for this point, “students trying to get into Harvard University, one of the most prestigious colleges in the US. Is anyone with a C average going to get in?”
I don’t think this can be applied to Internet marketing.
Thanks for a great article.
Franck.
Thanks for the comment, Franck! What do you mean by branding campaign? Are you spending money for advertising your name?
Also, why don’t you think the Harvard example applies to personal branding and Internet marketing? Would love for you to elaborate on these points. Thanks!
I agree that branding is very important. I am working on Tip 4 and learning my way around.
Great! Commenting on blogs is a great way of networking and associating with successful people. You’re on the right track.
Great post. You hit the nail on the head with everyone of the points. As a matter of fact this post was so on point with the changes I am making with our businesses in 09 and the post that you linked to by Neil is wonderful. Have a Merry Christmas.
Thanks Ken! Hope you have a happy holidays as well.
Good luck with your businesses in 09. What type of changes are you making that relate to personal branding?
Who cares about being on the top 100 marketers list I want to be in the top 100 online earners I’d take cash over fame anytime
Fair enough. You can certainly make a fortune online without being “famous” for it. There are plenty of being out there making a killing online – people that we’ll never know about because that’s not what they care for.
Thank you for the excellent strategies. As I move my business more and more into the online space I am blown away at how much there is for me to learn. I am having a great time and it’s folks like you who add value to the lessons.
Best for 2009
Great article. This article really encouraging me.
I read your article 2 times , every time i read it I learn something new. Excellent article
Nice job.
Dawid Ryba
Gyutae,
Very practical information here. I have been doing most of these with more energy in the last several months with great success so I can attest to their effectiveness.
Thanks to many of the above strategies, I’ve networked and connected with a lot of interesting people, signed on new contracts, and sharpened my skills in the process.
Because of the momentum I’ve gained with the above, 2009 is already shaping up to be a phenomenal year and it’s just started!
Thanks for sharing this – I hope others make the most of this info as well! I’ll be sure to stumble, tweet, sphinn and email this post on!
Great advice…In a crowded Internet marketplace,image is truly a critical factor, and personal branding is an excellent path to gain a well-crafted image.
Great post to start the year. The first week of 2009 just ended with dismal news on Wall Street. Your post validates the great opportunities available on the web if marketing is done skillfully and with great forethought. Have a great 2009!
Great post. It is definitely true that some people really do not know how to sell themselves. Thanks for the insight
These are great tips and Im sure if we follow these we will get great results. I agree about the confidence part, even if you don’t know everything you should be confident on your ideas and people will trust you better
This is a great list, I agree with sticking to a specialty, if you don’t stick with one thing, you won’t be known for that one thing and you won’t be an “expert” in that field .
Excellent tips! Thanks a lot for sharing this one!
Good post. I live and work in Chicago as well. Actually just started with a SEO IM company downtown selling the services. First time here and I will be back for more posts and share comments.
Best,
Brad
Great post-one of the best I have seen on personal branding!
Great post
There’s another one I like too, it’s called “expert by association” which you associate yourself with the experts and people then associate you as a expert.
Terrance Charles
http://www.twitter.com/TerranceCharles
Great post!
I have always believed in the “Marrying up” strategy. When you associate yourself with smart people you tend to learn more. Life is about learning and never stopping. I have to agree that admitting you are a rookie could be bad and I haven’t thought about what kind of image that would present.
This the post everyone should read when starting online marketing. Thank you for the info.
Personal branding is hard to do so thanks for sharing
Do you want to earn between $1000-$5000
http://5fc9f9dqfo-r3u1-cf4i4jpkww.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=KW
Personal branding is something that you have to work at especially when you are promoting affiliate products and programs and you want people to follow you. I am always new affiliate programs to promote and updating my information to provide to others who are also looking for new programs to promote. Thank you for this information.
I think it is quite hard to get your brand going especially in such a competative market now. For the online markets who started before the real Internet boom, they had already established themselves and their brand was built on age…noweverdays everyone wants go get a brand/USP but it pretty hard because what more people are doing are the same
First of all let me tell you that certainly this is your one of the best post.
I believe in these terms -
# Honesty (No substitute for this)
# Help People – (People who got the solution from you they will spread your message to others)
# Have patience – Yes this is vital point not for successful blogger but for every kind of business, profession and life as well.
There are many others as well and those factors also play an important role … but these are vital ones from my view.
somehow i keep reading this post everyday
This is a great post. Just read it for the 1st time and picked up some really good pointers. Thank you!
Raphael
Sound good tips! It’s important to display or promote your brand. But before promoting you should analyze that site, how far it will be benefit to you. Otherwise you will waste your time. As top marketer time is more important.
Thanks for sharing fellas. You are soo cool. i learnt a lot from you. keep sharing.
Very motivating article. I really need some of these. I started online marketing or internet marketing from last six months and have not had any real success apart from just few dollars here and there. the moral of this article is work on your strengthness rather than to improve your weakness.