Exclusive Michael Cheney Interview

I am very proud to present to you Michael Cheney, multi-gazillionaire dog owner and internet marketer. He’s been on the net for ages and being the luck boy I am, I managed to grab an exclusive interview with him! We did the interview over Skype, but as podcasting isn’t supported here yet, I’ve written out the transcript.

So Michael, it’s great to speak to you. Will you tell my readers a bit about yourself?

Okay. Well, yeah, I’ve been online for about 10 years! Which, yes, is a very long time. I first started doing website design and building websites and then gradually moved on to search engine optimization and I then again moved on to giving people advice on how to get traffic. From there, I’ve gone on to do products, information products, videos, eBooks and such. It’s been quite a long journey, but everything seems to be going in the right direction just now.

Did you ever think you’d make it as far as you have done? I mean, you’ve gone further than almost everyone else out there!

I mean, yeah, it’s weird. I know you’re kinda saying that I’ve gone further than almost everyone else, but I never really look at it like that at all. There will always be people who are more advanced than anybody online. We’re all still learning. As I’m speaking to you now, I’m at Las Vegas doing a seminar. There’s a whole bunch of people here. I mean, Joel Comm, Jeff Walker, Mike Filsaime, all these guys you’ve probably heard of. And they’re learning all the time too. I mean, they earn more than I do! That’s the good thing about the internet. It never stops moving. If you stop moving, you’ll get left behind. So yeah, it’s weird. I never really pictured me being quite so successful.

You’ve had plenty of successes along the way. Have there ever been any setbacks that have hit you?

Oh yeah! (chuckles) I’ve certainly had a lot of those! Erm… Yeah. I think you learn more from mistakes than when you get something right. I’ve made a lot of mistakes on my launches, but each kept getting better. When I brought my first product out, an eBook, I didn’t know anything about joint ventures, or anything like it! I mean, it just goes to show. With that launch, I didn’t really sell much at all. The more you learn, the better you become. The more you keep trying and the more mistakes you make, the better you get. I think!

Nice! Do you have any exclusive advice for any budding marketers or entrepreneurs out there?

Yeah! Definitely! I’ve got a few things. I suppose the biggest is not to give up. I suppose you just keep going at it. Especially when you see some of the biggest names out there, and they just seem so distant! You just have to keep going and believing. Don’t be afraid to get in touch or ask for help. A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that you have to do it all on your own. But that’s not the case. To survive on the internet, you have to rely on other people and build a network of contacts round you. Building relationships and getting help. When you realise that, this is when you can really start to move forward. They’re my two biggest things. Never give up, keep trying and get a network. Some people are ahead of you, you ask them for help. Some will be behind you, so you give them help.

You mentioned getting lots of contacts. I mean LinkedIn has made massive progress in its time online. Are there any other startups out there that you think will really take off?

I mean the startups thing. As a Web 2.0 reporter, you probably know more about that than I do! I know it’s strange, and I was speaking about this to someone yesterday. They were asking if I’d heard of this new product, and I just had to tell the truth and say, ‘No!’ – because sometimes, when you get so close to something, you don’t actually see the bigger picture, the wider landscape.

I mean it’s always difficult to say, look at YouTube, look at MySpace and all these international networking websites. I think there’s a big move towards user generated content and community. That’s always been the case. When you can give your visitors an involvement and partial ownership, you’re always going to be one step ahead of someone. Anything that does that tends to work really well. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint one particular thing, but generally, I mean, the idea of YouTube and MySpace has one common thing. Community.

Now the question I’ve been burning to ask. We all know that you make thousands upon thousands of dollars each and every week. But what did you spend your first ever big payment on?

Well it’s weird. With a big payment, the way it works, it creeps up on you. But because you learn bit by bit, brick by brick, building a wall, you don’t just suddenly wake up and have a massive wall built. You make your first sale for a dollar, then $10, then more. There wasn’t ever really a time where I got my first ever big payment. I did initially get online to make millions and get all the money. But for me, it’s not really about that anymore. It’s about helping people. When you get to this certain stage, it’s a position of responsibility. What you say can change peoples lives, help them rebuild them completely. You know, financial freedom and fulfilling people’s dreams. It’s more kinda things like that. That makes it worthwhile for me. I mean ‘I’ve quit my job. Gone on holiday. Bought a new house. Got a new car!’ That’s just so rewarding for me. That would be my answer for that one.

So you enjoy helping people. And making money, of course!

Yeah, I mean, the helping people is really the key to it. I mean, if you get that, you will really be successful online. I mean there’s a phrase, that says ‘You can get anything you want in this world if you help enough people get what they want’. And that’s what I try to do. Not focus on the money, but on helping people. I mean if you do that, then it all comes back to you. People online need help with something, give it to them and they’ll help you back in some way. They might not be able to help immediately, but maybe six months down the line. I remember you helped me, so now I’m gonna help you. It all comes back. The more you give out, the more you get back. That’s the crucial thing. Not what you get out of it, but how you can help them. You know, get over their hurdles. Focus on that, and everything else will fall back into place. It’s a fact of life really. It gets around and you get a lot in return. Weave into your strategy.

Wow! Thanks for all of that advice, sure that my readers will love it! I know that you’re really busy, so don’t let me keep you.
And that just about wraps up the interview. Ladies and gentlemen, that was the one, the only, Michael Cheney!