This week’s ‘I Love Internet Marketing’ podcast features an exclusive audio interview with The Challenge founder and 30DC, Inc. CEO, Ed Dale.

Ed Dale is one of the true thought leaders of Internet marketing. Five years ago Ed began the free Internet marketing training program The Challenge (then known as the 30 Day Challenge) which has since enlisted over 150,000 participants. Back then, Ed also started buying and selling web businesses… years before it was trendy.

Success and failure are part and parcel of building a business. You win some, you lose some.

Since, as an entrepreneur, you’re inherently forging a new path through unknown territory, it’s inevitable that you’ll sometimes make decisions that lead you further towards your goal… and others that lead to dead-ends. So too, it’s your ability to quickly turn around, try another way, and keep persisting until you reach your goal that will determine whether or not you succeed.

In other words, the better able you are to deal with failure – to learn from your mistakes and make better decisions – the better your chances of actually succeeding.

But dealing with failure isn’t always easy… so how should you do it?

As an entrepreneur and an Internet marketer you probably find yourself automatically thinking about how other businesses run and how they do their marketing.

Whether you’re visiting someone’s website or visiting the hairdresser, you’ll instinctively think about what they’re doing right, what they’re doing wrong and how you’d do things if you were in charge.

Think about any sport in the Olympics and it’s safe to say that no athlete gets to LAST place – whether in the 100m sprint or the marathon – without aiming to be in FIRST place.

You just won’t make it all the way to the Olympics without having the mindset and training of someone who’s aiming to be the best. And that’s just to get into the finals, let alone win a medal, let alone the gold medal.

All those aiming to be ‘okay’ at running, or swimming, or weightlifting or whatever their sport is, don’t stand a chance of ever making it to the Olympics.

Well, like it or not, the same principle applies to business.

When you’re starting out in Internet marketing it only makes sense to learn as much as you can from people who’ve ‘been there, done that’.

The good news is that there are lots of Internet marketing teachers around, ready to teach you what they know.

The bad news is that a lot of these self-proclaimed gurus are totally unqualified to teach! What’s more, even among the legitimate teachers, it’s all too easy to get yourself into ‘guru overload’. So here are a few tips for how to avoid both problems…

So you’ve bought a book, invested in a home study course, or purchased some kind of a system for building an online business. It’s a good product, backed by people you can trust, and the system itself is very logical. And yet, after following all the steps… the money is NOT rolling in.

In fact, you’re not making anywhere near the kind of money you were told you could be making if you followed the system. Maybe you’re not making ANY money at all.

So did the people behind the course or system lie to you… are they dodgy after all… or is there some other reason for why the system just isn’t working?

So you sign up to an Internet marketer’s email list… perhaps on the promise of a free video, report or email course… or maybe because you bought something from them… and lo-and-behold they start emailing you marketing offer after marketing offer. Emails asking you to buy this and buy that. Sent to you every few days. Maybe even once or a few times in ONE day.

So, is sending all these email offers to you perfectly okay… or have they crossed some kind of line?

So you’ve started an Internet business and you’re working around the clock trying to make a buck. It’s hard. Progress is slow. And everyone seems to think you’re crazy for leaving (or planning to leave) that safe job in order to be an entrepreneur. (Sometimes even you think you’re crazy…) Well, for all those reasons and more… it’s time to celebrate.

That’s right: celebrate. I don’t necessarily mean you throw a party or take a vacation. Especially if money is tight. You might, instead, celebrate by treating yourself to a movie with a loved one. Or by getting a massage. Or by going out for dinner. Or just by taking an afternoon off and going for a walk.

Whatever you do, just do something for yourself – something YOU enjoy – in recognition of your entrepreneurial efforts.

Think you know what business you’re in? Think again. According to marketing gurus such as Dan Kennedy and Australia’s Mal Emery, an accountant is not in the accounting business and a life coach is not in the coaching business. They – and, in fact, all of us – are in the marketing business. Or, at least, we should be.

This reminds me of one of my first jobs. Back in the late 90s I joined the graduate marketing program at Uncle Ben’s of Australia. Uncle Ben’s is now known as Mars Australia and is part of the Mars, Incorporated group of companies. Among other things, Mars sold – and continues to sell – the leading pet food brands in Australia, including Pedigree, Whiskas, Chum and Dine.

Once you’ve established your Internet business and achieved even modest success you can expect all kinds of people to start contacting you. This includes freebie seekers.

I define ‘freebie seekers’ as people who want something of value from you for free. This could be one of your products or, as often is the case, your time. Freebie seekers may email you, call you, or come up to you at conferences. In each case, they tend to want more from you than they’re willing to pay for, whether it’s payment in money or in kind.

In other words, freebie seekers want something for nothing.