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On “Life After Death” The Notorious B.I.G. left us with some vital advice on how we should conduct ourselves as crack dealers. As the album was certified Diamond in the US alone, we need to accept that we live among potentially millions of clued-up crack dealers. Assuming that at least a few hundred of you pivoted into my world, here’s how the “10 Crack Commandments” actually apply to online business.

The online business world had been shrouded in secrecy for such a long time. The demographic of those involved has been transformed, and people are a lot more open about their involvement in it. As computer literacy is in a different state today compared to how things were 20 years back, it’s something that so many more people can get involved in.

There are so many eras of online business that I wish I was around for/old enough for/was skilled enough to participate in/had the resources to engage with. For instance, I know that I would be a millionaire off domains by now if 2013 was 1996. (I wasn’t ripe until then.) Google was stupidly simple in 2002. If I had my 2016 skillset in during the time when I was fixated with the newly renamed WWE, I would be a super affiliate on my own private island right now.

We can’t turn back the clock, but we can try to help to ensure that people moving forward stick to a fairly universal set of guidelines about how to conduct themselves as online businesspeople. Ecommerce site owners, affiliate marketers, bloggers, product flippers, app developers, domain sellers, gather around.

1. Never Let No One Know How Much Dough You Hold

It’s no one else’s business how much revenue you’re making. Experienced people can tell the difference between someone talking about a money-making endeavour they’re new to, compared to those that have been deep in it for a good while anyway. No need to inflate your pockets or showing what you’re really holding.

2. Never Let ‘em Know Your Next Move

It’s really tempting to let people around you know what you’re working on. On social media, you can be peer pressured into letting people you don’t know the same thing. Things change so much with online business that you really shouldn’t publicise until you’re in the game and you’re doing well at it.

If I’d have shared all of my business ideas over the years and how they went, no one would trust my thoughts on any of this. 

3. Never Trust Nobody

Leading on well from the last, letting people into your world can be damaging. All it takes is a little information for someone to replicate what you do and become your biggest competitor. You’ll never make the mistake of sharing too much information twice.

4. Never Get High on Your Own Supply

Avoid temptation at all costs. If you find yourself in a field where a wrong move could see you wasting your stock (imagine if your whole hustle was flipping sweets), distracting yourself from work (adult industry, I’m looking at you) or whatever else, you have to have discipline. As Pimp C said, you need to constantly remind yourself that the purse comes first.

5. Never Sell Crack Where You Rest At

While this may seem like a stretch in online business, there’s still a parallel. Find a way to separate home life from your life as a hustler at all costs. Let it take over your world and it’s only going to drag you down. Have breaks3. Have hobbies that don’t revolve around your online business. You’ll appreciate it in the long-term. 

6. Credit? Forget It

Biggie was talking about customers asking for credit, but we can flip it to talk about you starting a business using credit instead of your own cash. Make sure you can make a functional, revenue-driving business before you consider using credit to take it to the next level (if ever). As someone that went through many different methods before I settled on my favourites, I’d be so angry if I’d used up all my credit on all the non-starters.

7. Keep Your Family and Business Completely Separated

You’ve heard this thousands of times before, but for some reason everyone thinks that they know best. Just be careful.

8. Never Keep No Weight on You

I think you can ignore this one, actually. 

9. Stay Away from Police

Don’t upset those that have the ability to pull the rug from beneath you. Follow the rules of your affiliate programme, your host, your marketplace or whatever has some sort of control over what you do. Ideally, you’ll move away from any businesses that have these higher powers lingering above you. (Yes, as an Amazon seller I have to admit that I’m vulnerable.) 

10. Consignment; Strictly for Live Men

I can’t imagine too many consignments are agreed to in the online business world, but plenty of people are asking to go into business with one another. They tend to be the ones that want to leech off someone that knows what they’re doing. Do your own thing and let them find their own way. When it’s time to expand and you need outside help, you’ll go to someone that comes with you with a realistic business plan and the commitment to make it work.

Chiino
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