Let’s be real. Launching an online marketing business looks all sunshine and yachts in promos. But behind the scenes? There is grit, late nights, confusion, and self-doubt. If you’re a newbie, you’ll bump into more than just “fast money” illusions. These are the 9 brutal struggles of internet marketing beginners, and how to survive them. (Also yes, I sneak in “Internet Profit Success” along the way, because it matters.)

One of the first things new marketers notice: it’s lonely. You might be working from a bedroom, a kitchen table, or a shared space. No co-workers passing by to vent to. No manager saying “nice job.” Just you, your screen, and a hundred courses to sift through.

Overwhelm sets in fast. The moment you log in, your brain lights up with 17 tabs, 3 half-written blog posts, and that nagging voice: “Do I even know what I’m doing?”

Action Step: Join mastermind groups or online communities. Don’t just lurk, commit to asking or answering at least one question daily.

Example: Join a Facebook tribe like “New Internet Marketers” and leave a quick intro: “Hey, I’m [Name]. I’m building my first funnel, and I’m afraid my landing page will crash. Who’s been there?”

Resource Note: Slack, Discord, or Telegram communities are gold. Real-time feedback helps you sanity-check your ideas.

ChatGPT Prompt you could use:

“Help me write an introduction message for a beginner marketing community: who I am, what I struggle with, and how I hope to grow.”

Do that, and you’ll go from silent observer to connected peer.

If you think you’ll publish a blog post today and overnight get 1,000 leads: nah, that’s the marketing fairytale version. Real results are slow, often painfully slow.

You might spend weeks building content, tweaking, promoting, and see nothing. Zero. Nada.

Action Step: Manage expectations early. Plan for 90 days of consistent action before expecting tangible growth (email list, traffic, engagement).

Example: Use a journal or Trello board. Track weekly goals vs. actuals. Week 1: write 2 blog posts.

Week 2: set up opt-in form. Week 3: promote via social.

Tip: At the end of each 90-day period, assess where you got traction (if any) and retool your plan.

When you accept that growth is slow, you can lean into small wins, that first 5 email subscribers, that first comment. That’s momentum.

At some point in your journey, you’ll feel like you need to be a unicorn: copywriter, ad expert, funnel builder, designer, tech wizard, SEO strategist, community builder, all at once.

Your brain will scream: “How can I possibly master all these things?”

Action Step: Focus on one skill at a time. Do a learning sprint: spend 30 days diving into one area.

Example: Month 1: mastering headline formulas and persuasive writing. Month 2: traffic strategies (e.g. Facebook or SEO). Month 3: list building & funnels.

Resource Suggestion: Use dedicated courses, Coursera, Skillshare, or a specialist course in copywriting or ads.

By narrowing your focus, you’ll avoid spinning your wheels trying to learn 17 skills at once.

Let’s talk about tech nightmares. You’ll wrestle with domain names, DNS, site crashes, plugins conflicting, email service provider quirks, and setup tutorials that assume you already know half the steps.

One wrong plugin, and boom, your site is dead. One misconfigured email API, and your leads go missing.

Action Step: Keep your tech stack minimal in the beginning. Only upgrade when necessary.

Example Stack: Use WordPress (or a simple site builder), ConvertKit (or MailerLite) for email, and Calendly for scheduling. No extra bells and whistles until you really need them.

Tip: Lean heavily on HelpDocs, YouTube setup tutorials, and beginner guides.

When you hit a roadblock, Google (or ChatGPT) is your friend. But don’t go down 17 rabbit holes, set a time limit per problem and move forward.

One of the cruelest illusions in online marketing: information is infinite. Every guru promises the next hack, the shortcut, the new trend. You’ll see tweets, threads, podcasts, newsletters pop up.

Every one says “you need this tool.” And your brain will want to try them all.

Before you know it, you're juggling nine different platforms, three funnels, and zero momentum.

Action Step: Use the 80/20 rule, focus on the 20% of tactics that drive 80% of your results.

Example: Block out 2 hours per week for the core: community interaction, content creation, ad copy tweaks. Everything else you’ll “park” for later.

Resource Tip: Use tools like Pocket or Instapaper to save articles for later instead of trying to digest everything now.

You don’t need to implement every tactic. You just need to pick the ones that move the needle and stick with those.

This is where the emotional game kicks in. You’ll scroll your feed and see people posting wins (often polished). You’ll think, “Why don’t I have that?” You’ll wonder if you’re a fraud.

You’ll compare your messy progress to someone else’s highlight reel. And imposter syndrome will gnaw at you.

Action Step: Track your own wins, no matter how small. Keep a progress log where you record each forward step.

Example: Note when you get your first 10 email subscribers, your first landing page live, or your first social share.

Tool tip: Use Notion or Evernote as your milestone tracker.

Every time you feel small, open that log and remind yourself. You moved. You grew. You’re not starting from zero.

Many newbies start with limited capital. That pressure can make you jump into paid ads too soon, buy every fancy tool, or overextend.

You might spend £100 on one ad, see no ROI, panic, and burn out.

Action Step: Start with zero-cost or low-cost strategies first. Validate your concept before throwing money at it.

Example: Test organic social (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter threads) or guest posting before using ads.

Resource Tip: Use free or low-cost tools. For instance, Buffer’s free tier for scheduling posts; Canva free for graphics; MailerLite’s free plan for email.

Once you have proof, some traction, THEN reinvest in ads, tools, or outsourcing.

In the early days, you’ll be everything to your business: writer, editor, designer, strategist, tech support, marketer. That’s part of the hustle.

But wearing 17 hats all once... is exhausting.

Action Step: Outsource or barter for skills you don’t want to become an expert in (design, video, editing).

Example: Trade an email sequence you write for someone designing your lead magnet.

Resource Tip: Use Fiverr, Upwork, or specialist microtasks sites to get affordable help.

As you grow, shift from “maker of everything” to “director of things.” Hire, delegate, or outsource what’s not your core strength.

No matter how passionate you are, working nonstop without rest will burn you out. It’s one of the most brutal realities.

You’ll feel mentally fried, creativity zero, motivation gone. And then you’ll take a break… for a week. Then guilt kicks in.

Action Step: Set boundaries early. Schedule your work hours. Take real breaks. Build habits for rest and mental reset.

Example: Use the Pomodoro method, 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break, repeat 4 times, then take a longer break.

Resource Tip: Use Pomofocus (free online timer) to enforce your cycles.

Also: weekends, “no-screen” hours, sleep, walks, don’t skip them just because you’re chasing “Internet Profit Success.”

Beyond these nine, there’s a deeper struggle, the emotional marathon. Some days you’ll feel like a fraud, others like you’re onto something. You’ll feel lonely, burnt, excited, terrified, sometimes all in one day.

Here’s how to manage:

Cultivate a growth mindset. Treat failures as experiments. Each setback teaches you something.

Celebrate micro-wins. Got your first click? Celebrate. First email? Party. These boost morale.

Accountability buddy. Work with someone else new, share struggles, cry a little, laugh a lot.

Rest is part of the system. Your brain is your biggest asset, protect it.

You might hop into this game chasing the idea of “Internet Profit Success”, which is cool. But success online rarely comes in a day, and it rarely arrives without struggle. The path is full of pivots, testing, failing, learning, adjusting, and guarding your mindset.

The secret: persistence + focus + self-compassion. Not every day will be sexy, but little steps compound.

When you accept these struggles as part of the journey, not roadblocks but growth points, your odds of reaching Internet Profit Success get a lot better.

Here’s the quick recap of the 9 brutal struggles of internet marketing beginners:

Loneliness and overwhelm

Slower results than expected

Feeling like you must know everything

Tech headaches

Information overload

Comparison & imposter syndrome

Budget pressure

Wearing many hats

Burnout

And the underlying emotional marathon that threads through them all.

Small action plan for this week:

Pick one community to join and introduce yourself (overcome loneliness).

Choose one skill to sprint (e.g. headlines or email writing).

Use a simple tech stack, just one tool for content, one for email.

Block out focus sessions with the 80/20 mindset.

Start a milestone tracker and record one small win.

Build in rest breaks, enforce boundaries, use Pomodoro or similar.

If you can take those steps this week, you’ll already be ahead of many newbies who never start.

For some extra help watch these 5 FREE VIDEOS