Edition #116
It’s been almost two weeks since I wrote the last edition of Eric’s Tips. I’ve been feeling lately that it’s time for something different, so I decided to stop writing altogether until I came up with something inspirational.
Last week I found the inspiration that I was looking for.
I want to tell you about a young woman who has overcome some extreme obstacles on her brief but challenging journey to internet marketing success.
Her name is Ladan Lashkari, and when I say she’s a young woman, that’s an understatement. At just 20 years old, she has a youthful look that defies the maturity she’s developed in such a short time.
Ladan Lashkari
I suppose in the online world, youthful success is not entirely unusual (I met a couple of 21-year-old internet millionaires last month in New York), but this story hasn’t even begun yet.
The fact that she’s a girl making money on the internet becomes much more significant when you realize where she comes from.
She lives in Iran.
When I came across that tidbit of information on one of her sites I was like, “are you serious?”
Make no mistake! like most Americans I’m ignorant in many ways! but I have heard a few things about Iran and its culture.
I know just barely enough to understand that a girl becoming a successful internet marketer in Iran is about the same as the Denver Nuggets winning the Superbowl! and yeah I know those are two different sports.
So I had to find out if it was true.
After several email exchanges, and some online investigation on my part, it became apparent that she is indeed the real deal. As I’ve gotten to know her a little bit over the past week, an incredible story has unraveled that needs to be told.
Maybe you’ll watch her life story in a movie some day, or see her on the front cover of Time magazine! either way just remember that you saw it on Eric’s Tips first 😉
Ladan was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and lives there to this day.
There are political, economical, and religious obstacles that make it difficult for anyone to be a successful internet marketer in Iran, and in most cases even more difficult for a woman to do so.
With respect for Ladan, I’m not going to get into the details of the specific political and religious barriers that many women face in Iran, but just be aware that this story runs even deeper than I’m able to write about.
If internet marketing was a wrestling match, she’s starting the competition with one hand tied behind her back simply because of the place she was born into the world.
Next obstacle: the language barrier.
Although you wouldn’t know it from her articles and sales letters, Ladan was not born into an English-speaking family. She started learning the language at eight years of age, and devoured every English book she could get her hands on.
Even at such a young age, she began to realize that her fluency in English would open up more doors of opportunity throughout her life. Throughout her teen years, this fervor grew as she tackled the language head-on.
A true entrepreneur, she decided that she wanted to become independent and produce her own income. When her family bought a computer, she quickly began experimenting with ways she could turn it into an income stream. She tried all kinds of business; teaching Windows, graphic designing with PhotoShop, website design, and even learned C++ programming.
Even though she was able to make money through those avenues, she knew that there was a bigger opportunity out there.
At sixteen years of age, she discovered the world of internet marketing through the late Cory Rudl’s website. She bought and studied his internet marketing course, along with other ebooks and resources.
She knew right away that THIS was the business she wanted to be in.
Her friends and family tried to convince her that becoming a successful internet marketer in Iran would be IMPOSSIBLE, and that she shouldn’t continue to waste her money. If you’ve ever faced the negative energy of friends and family, you’ll understand that it’s a powerful force that can quench your enthusiasm and ultimately abort the launch of a new business.
Fortunately, her father believed in her, and the resistance of others made her more determined than ever to find success.
After about a year of learning and studying the business, she launched her first website, and the rest–as they say–is history. But that history has not been without its fair share of bumps and valleys.
Jumping into business forced her to take her English proficiency to a new level. For a long time it was difficult to read and comprehend the many technically-oriented ebooks that she acquired.
And if reading comprehension was a challenge, writing was an even bigger issue.
It would take her six hours to write and proofread an article, but her determination paid off. Today if you search for her name on a search engine, you’ll find a slew of her articles indexed all over the internet.
And as if writing weren’t enough, she wanted to write her own sales copy. Anyone who’s ever successfully written a sales letter will concur that being a good writer doesn’t make someone a good copywriter.
I’m amazed to say that Ladan is a good copywriter. Being a copywriter myself, I wouldn’t say that if it weren’t true. She applied the same vigor to learning the craft, as she applied to learning the language itself.
She studied articles and courses from the top copywriters, and practiced until she had developed her own style. While there is obviously some innate talent at work here, I’d say that she is also a testament that copywriting CAN be learned.
Starting her business was the beginning of a long uphill battle.
Because of the US embargo on Iran, she faces obstacles that most of us wouldn’t imagine. As I mentioned, her culture has already tied one hand behind her back. The language barrier effectively tied the other one. And the following problems essentially tied her feet!a situation that would cripple most marketers and paralyze them from moving forward in business.
Most people wouldn’t jump into a new business with their hands and feet tied. It’s impossible, right? Just don’t use the word “impossible” around Ladan!
To start with, she couldn’t get a credit card. That makes it pretty tough to buy anything online, wouldn’t you say?
My business relies on my credit cards for many things. Not a day goes by without several business-related charges to my credit card.
As I think about it, many of the products and services that I use come from sites that ONLY accept credit cards.
She can’t open a PayPal account. Again, this limits her ability to make online purchases. It also rules her out of participating in a large number of affiliate programs that only pay commissions via PayPal.
Of course probably the biggest disadvantage of not having a PayPal account is not being able to accept PayPal payments. She estimates that this one issue is costing her many thousands of dollars in lost sales.
She can’t get a merchant account, so it becomes very difficult to sell anything online.
She can’t have a bank account in US dollars. So that rules out another possibility of making or receiving payments.
To make matters worse, she can’t have any bank account that accepts wire transfers. This cripples her ability to receive payments from affiliate programs to her bank account, or from merchant services for her own products. So even if she can find a way to sell a product online, getting that money into her own hands is a huge obstacle.
She can’t cash any USD checks. That rules out most of the other affiliate programs.
She can’t travel. It’s almost impossible for her to get a visa to travel outside of Iran. This means that she has not been able to go abroad to attempt to open up accounts, and she can not attend any internet marketing seminars.
Those are just some of the barriers created by the embargo. There are many more limitations imposed by the Iranian government.
On top of these physical barriers, she also faces another kind of discrimination that continues to this day.
In a business built upon online image and perceived trust, she has been severely disadvantaged by the way much of the world views Iranians.
As she puts it, “the reactions are not very pleasant.”
She thinks it’s mainly due to the way the media has portrayed Iran and Islam. This has made it difficult to be open and build relationships online, as she has found that even her own subscribers, customers, and business associates look at her differently when they discover she is from Iran.
She says, “some people even act like I am a terrorist”.
She has received “hate” emails through her websites and also on forums.
“I know who I am and where I stand,” says Ladan, “but what the media shows the world and what my country’s government does has nothing to do with me. So I just wish people in the west – especially the United States – would understand this difference.”
Let me ask you a few questions!
Do you have a credit card?
Do you have a PayPal account?
Can you open a US bank account?
Can you receive US checks?
Do you have the freedom to travel?
Could you go to an internet marketing seminar?
Maybe you didn’t answer “Yes” to ALL of those questions, but for EACH question you answered “yes” to, you are starting one step ahead of Ladan.
Let me ask you a couple more questions!
Are you fluent in English?
If you said “Yes”, take two more steps ahead.
Do people view you as a terrorist?
No? Take three more steps ahead.
If this girl can do it, so can YOU. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are!it doesn’t matter where you live in the world! it doesn’t matter what other internal and external factors are trying to hold you down.
You CAN succeed.
In spite of all her challenges, Ladan views internet marketing as an easy opportunity to take advantage of, and she encourages others to do as she has done!
“I think there’s nothing hard about it. It’s the perfect kind of business for people who want to be independent and work for themselves in a business that there’s no limit to your success.”
If you’re just getting started, she has more advice,
“When you are just getting started, you should know it might take some time to make the amount of money you expect, and you should keep on and don’t give up – no matter how people around you try to disappoint you. I think this is the most important and difficult part… it’s where most people give up.”
In the three short years that she’s been in business, she’s worked hard and implemented many strategies that she’s learned by studying other successful marketers.
Out of everything she’s tried, she deems list-building as the most important component of her business,
“Nothing is more powerful than building a targeted responsive list and building a relationship with that list.”
While her income may not yet be on par with the internet marketing superstars, she’s earning a living online that would impress even those of us living in a more generous economy (she recently earned $6300 USD in a month).
The thing that must be kept in mind is that she is making more money than about 95% of the people in her country, and bringing home more income than her countrymen who have 30+ years of experience in their careers.
I’d love to see what she’d be capable of achieving outside the restraints of her county, and so would she, which is one reason she is considering a move to a locale more conducive of her business–such as Canada or Australia.
She says the biggest key to success is, “Believing in yourself, and promising yourself that you WILL reach your goals and won’t let anything or anyone stop you.”
When I asked her what makes her different from those who fail, she said that her success is derived from her persistence in facing and overcoming challenges and obstacles.
She points out one of her favorite quotes from Ross Perot,
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”
When she’s not working on her business, she enjoys reading self-improvement books (who would have guessed?), dancing, watching movies, spending time in nature, and going out with friends.
In other words, she’s just a normal girl with big plans and an indomitable positive attitude.
Today she has more than 20 websites, and she hopes to expand her business by 400% while continuing to help others find their own success.
You can learn more about Ladan and her business at these sites:
Ladan’s blog
Newsletter templates
Product ideas
List profit club
As Ladan says,
“If a young girl who got started when she was only 16 years old, with no previous business experience, with English being her second language, with less than $30 to her name, in a country where you can’t have a credit card or PayPal account and is under a strict embargo from United States, and so much more limitations…
If such a girl can succeed, how is it possible that YOU can’t succeed – while you may not even have one of these limitations?”
Ladan will never give up.
I hope you don’t either.
As always, you can leave your comments here in the blog.
Have a great day!
=====
Update: This article was published 03/10/2007. In the years since then, Ladan moved to Malaysia, and continues to succeed in her business ventures.
I have gone through this site its good and excellent to know the information about a girl can do succeed (do well ) and i found many interesting things to read by viewing this site ,here i am linking you another relevant site to u for more details.
lost cash, find cash
Ladan,
Joel Comm is writing a book about internet marketing success stories, and is looking for people with a story to tell. I thought yours was a slam dunk for his book so I sent him the link to this blog so he can read your story and contact you. You may have already heard about it and for all I know you’re already in contact with Joel, but I thought I’d try to help anyway….Hope it’s OK with you and I think your story would fit his book perfectly!
For anyone with a IM success story to tell, here is the email address where you can reach Joel and possibly get your story published in his new book! Give a brief overview of your story and use the following subject line: “My Story”
email to Joel at:
I hope this isnt spam, if it is I appologize. Just trying to help. I do not benefit from this nor am I financially affiliated with Joel Comm in any way. I got this info from his email newsletter. Feel free to edit this post if it is inappropriate. =:9
Best regards, Brian
=================
Note from Eric: Ladan- I am partners with Joel so if you’re interested just email me and I’ll put you in touch with him.
I have to say that this young lady is as inspiring as any “Guru” on the net. I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago.
Eric – I have just read all the posts on on your blog, this is something I have never ever done before on anyone’s blog. Why, because the story about Ladan at such a young age, and her personal circumstances, achieving success on the internet is so emotive.
We’ve all had knockdowns in our lives, some of the stories that we hear of individual circumstances, make you want to weep – and you realise that in this world there are many people worse of than yourself. I am still trying to get something going on the web and Ladan’s story is an encouragement to everybody who still hasn’t made it yet!
Ladan – I applaude you and wish you every success.
Eric – You never cease to amaze me with the different ways you go on your blog to bring
your own interpretation of how things really are on the web – keep it up
regards
Graham in the U.K.
I am truly inspired by Ladan’s success story, if Ladan can do, I CAN DO IT TOO.
Though my country is not allowed to enjoy most of good things we see on the internet because of the “few bad eggs amongst us”, this is really an inspiring story and everyone I know will also hear about the success of Ladan.
You have done a great job, thanks.
Emu Peter.
kreativewriter.blogspot.com
Thanks Brian for letting me know. I appreciate it.
I contacted Eric and we’ll see how things will go.
Best wishes,
Ladan
Very inspiring–but Steven Lucas, you’ll need to learn Farsi, not Arabic .
Ladan, my question for you: what exactly is the source of your revenue–how do you collect your payments without Paypal or a merchant account? I went to one of your product websites and it offers all those choices, so clearly you’ve figured out a way to get someone else to collect for you. I didn’t see that addressed in the article, and I also didn’t see it on your blog.
BTW, one very easy thing you might want to do on your blog is put up a sidebar with biographical information and links to your other sites.
Oh, and Ladan, I’d like to send you, as a gift, the e-book edition of my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First–it shows how to build a successful and profitable business based on high standards of ethics, building relationships, and more service than the customer expects. Eric, I’ll send you one as well. Just use the contact form at http://www.frugalmarketing.com/contactform.shtml to tell me where to send it. And congrats on all you’ve already accomplished.
This was a very inspiring article. If a girl like Ladan Lashkari can make it big in the internet business, I feel I should also be emboldened enough to give a try. I do have a credit card and am fluent in written English, but there ends the matter.As far as internet/computer skills are concerned, I am a big zero. I barely manage to type and take print out of letters in my office PC since it is an official requirement.So, I have miles and miles to go……
Shel,
Thank you for your suggestion about my blog. Good Idea. I’ll do that shortly.
As for your question, my main sources of income right now are selling my own products, marketing consulting, and Google AdSense.
Until 9 months ago, the only way for me to get my income was to have them send it to my uncle’s bank account in UK, and then my uncle would pay me the money every 6 months – yes, that long!
But after 2 years of trying every possible bank, I could finally open an account in Dresdner Bank in Germany. Now I get my income through my bank account there… and I no longer have to wait for 6 months. 🙂
Also thanks for offering your ebook as a gift.
Best wishes,
Ladan
Great posts, and a great inspirational story!
But one thing I think we all need to realize is that Ladan is the kind of person that would have succeeded whether she was in Iran or on Mars.
There was a debate about “talent and intelligence” between Ladan and and Dan and I think they both have valid points. I think you have to have some degree of talent and intelligence to succeed in anything in life….but it’s not the deciding factor. I think you also have to have some degree of ability, but the main key is your DESIRE!
I don’t think it would have mattered if Ladan was shackled to an anvil on the moon, she would have found a way to succeed because of her desire.
Ladan is seemingly one of the 5% ers, or on other words she ‘s probably going to be one of the 5 percent of the people that controls 95% of the money, but only if that is her strong desire.
It has been said that there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. It appears that Ladans time has come.
Pingback: Menuju Kebebasan Finansial
PEOPLE around the world love Movie Story
SIMILARITY
I HAVE NO Click Bank account
I have no Pay Pall account
I have no Credit Card
English is not my origin language
I have no Us bank account
DIFFERENCES
I am older
i come from other country
It is not possible to make some comparasions
The main thing is What Person i am and what
i want
What is my thinking
I don’t like such “measures”
What is the most beautiful is Success
/i will look at the whole Story/
All the best to Ladan
Slavica Todorovic
Serbia
http;//rima66.0catch.com/HELPCHILDREN.html.mht
Dear Mr. Eric,
Yes , I have gone through complete report of Ladan Lashkari. I want following clarrification from you .
# Do I require my own website to sell product.
# We have to actually sell the products or this Hot selling products book.
Mr. Eric , please try to understand my view point . Earlier also contacted you regarding online business. I want your help to start my home based business or job. Even i can work as your assistant , if i am getting good payment.
Hope to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Deepak Parmar – India
Well now I’ve got to jump in here.
I love to argue.
First, if you can’t see the power of this story, you might want to consider giving up on IM all together.
Second, how you jump from inspiration to politics is beyond me.
Finally, I’ve read over 700 books about business and “chicken soup”, “feel good books”, and yet the story of this young lady made me get off my “but”.
So get off your “buts”! But if only…. But what if I fail.. But I’m too old, young, tired, sick…. But…..
Love ya,
Paul
I drove through the beautiful country of Iran in 1977 on my way to india. I stayed in Meshad and found the kindest most loving people. Im glad to hear that success is yours. So many people confuse the Western countries with the present political agendas, as so many people confuse the Eastern countries with the radical elements. Its all they see. Bless this person who is an inspiration to us all.
To Ladan on “German Bank Accounts” >>
I am glad to hear that, however in india getting paypal account is accessible.
On that note, i have few queries below,
How are you cashing your bank account deposits ?
Also, i came across a site on getting us bank account via e-trade
The site is : usaccountsetup [dot] com
is that one possible ?
I am very anxious to know them…..Hope you do give a reply 🙂
Dear Mr. Eric
I am a Pakistani national living in Saudi Arabia. I’m very interested to start an online business like this. I don’t have credit/debit card to start right a way. Please help me to find ways and ideas on starting a home based business. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards
Muhammed Jamali
Eric, thanks for sharing Ladan success story. It gives an inspiration to us to continue and persevere with our efforts especially to the newbies like me. Now when you feel down and about to give up remember Ladan story. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
I’ve met Ladan months ago when I was just starting.
I found one site with her cute little face and I said, “this girl will go places!”
She’s so young, pretty, and has her goals in life.
And I see that she got focus on what she wants to achieve…
More power, Ladan! 😉
Ian del Carmen
http://FireballOnlineMarketing.com/preview/backdoor.html
I am Iranian an now I live in Dubai. I have seen Ladan’s name in Warrior forum and her site and products. I accept that for a 20 year old girl in Iran it it a true success to earn money through internet marketing. I also accept there are many barriers to earn money when you live in this part of the world.
But I must suggest to some of friends here and especially Eric that it is better to disscuss a matter when you have atleast some knowledge about it. One wants to learn Arabic!!!
Eric says “her culture has already tied one hand behind her back”. Eric, do you know what are talking about? When there was no America and when West was called “wild west”, (I have seen movie new york gangs), most of Iranians were educated and we had the best universities with students from all over the word (of course not from America and Europe – see my previous sentence for the reason).
Iran enjoys a rich 2500 years of culture and history (how many years is your history?).
Today, education rate in schools and universities in Iran for girls is higher than boys, and avrage education rate in Iran is much higher than neighboring countries and Asia. Almost 98% of Iranians are educated.
There is nothing wrong with our culture and history and all Iranians are proud of their culture and history and I am sure Ladan agrees with me.
I will be happy to help Ladan in any way I can, as we are neighbor 🙂 although paypal does not support dubai.
Regards,
Behzad
Brian,
I do not want to discuss politics here, and I do not like Ahmadi Nejad due to his policies. Again, first gain knowledge and then express yourself.
Iran has NEVER EVER stated Iran is the enemy of west and wants to destroy the west with nuclear weapons. For last 500 years, Iran has never started any war with any country. In 1980, it was Iraq that started war against Iran as stated by United Nation with support of ALL western countries, which killed about 1 million Iranians. There was no single weapon (including chemical weapons) used by Saddam, unless manufactured and delivered to Saddam by Western countries and America.
These are some historical facts for your information.
Regards,
Behzad
Hi Eric,
Thanks for pointing Plimus out.
I’m in the same situation of not being able to use Paypal due to where I live.
I think I’m gonna give it a try anytime soon.
Anyway, I’m still wondering did Ladan make it to go to ClickBank?
Any workaround for this, like Plimus on Paypal issue?
Very inspirational story!
– ray –
Thank you for the uplifting story. It is helpful to hear other people’s stories of success. Keeps the rest of us going strong.
Behzad,
I agree with some parts of your comment but not with some other parts…
You said: “When there was no America and when West was called “wild westâ€, (I have seen movie new york gangs), most of Iranians were educated and we had the best universities. Iran enjoys a rich 2500 years of culture and history (how many years is your history?).”
Yes, I know Iran has a rich historical culture. And I do know Iran used to be one of the (if not THE) most modern and rich-cultered nations in the whole world hundreds of years ago.
But let’s accept this fact that Iranians culture have changed… quite a lot.
I’m not going to get into this much further that “why” I think a big part of it has been because of entering a wrong version of “Islam” into our culture, and so on…
Even though I’m proud of our rich historcal culture, but I certainly don’t agree or like this so called “religious” changes that have covered our rich REAL Iranian culture in many aspects.
Also as for your comment about comparing the “years of culture” between Iran and the US, I don’t agree with this comparison. It’s like someone tells me: “You’ve been on this earth for only 20 years so you are less than me because I’ve been walking on this earth for 80 years.”
Quality counts Behzad, not quantity.
I have many friends in United States, Canada, and many other western countries, and I deeply respect them because they are open-minded and kind-hearted people. So I really don’t like us to offend them by saying something like they don’t have much culture, because they ceryainly do.
Also when someone says something in mistake about Iran (like thinking we speak Arabic), it doesn’t make me angry. Because I understand he wasn’t simply aware of this.
That’s OK. No big deal. He didn’t want to insult us, you know. (Side Note to other readers: As I guess you know now, Iranians hate to be mistaken for Arabs :))
And some final words in Farsi (not Arabic ;)):
“mamnoon az commentetoon aghaye Behzad. man eghre melliye shoma ro tahsin mikonam. hameye in chizayi ke goftam ham kamelan doostane bood.
faghat mikhastam begam ke age ma iraniha vaghean bekhaim farhange asile khodemoon ro be gharb neshoon bedim, be nazaretoon kodoon ravesh ta’siresh bishtare: hojoom be farhango hoviyateshoon ya rooshan kardane zehneshoon ba narmesh va siyasat?
movaffagho pirooz bashin,”
Best wishes,
Ladan
P.S. Eric, now this is the controversy you liked to see on your blog. 😉
P.P.S. Tonight is the New Year holiday in Iran – called Eid Norooz. So Happy Norooz to all Iranians all around the world!
Ray,
Yes, I could find a workaround for ClickBank too. I got an office address in Canada and I have ClickBank send my checks there.
Best,
Ladan
Thanks Eric,
This is truly insipiring!
Best wishes to Ladan 🙂
RB
Hi Eric
I am new to your blog, and Landan has a great success story. But an even bigger success story for everyone to understand that people like Ladan are bringing down the barriers of international borders, and all the problems that goes with the separation of us from one another.
More and more good people are meeting a vast number of others like themselves thanks to the Internet. People are realizing that greedy politicians and religious leaders that want to control our very thoughts, words and deeds (helped by the mindless dominions) are causing the real problems in the world – not the people themselves.
Daily we have our senses bombarded by the controlled media about how wonderful/evil this country/religion is. And the mindless dominions blanketly lump anyone with any association with the lies du jour as also being as wonderful or evil.
Wars and hatred leading to wars are born and backed out of ignorance, ignorant people choosing to be lead by those so willing to think for them.
A very good example of this rest with the internet also – think of the number of emails you get that have been forwarded on to you as being the “truth”, and in checking on them with the likes of snopes.com they’re found to be urban legends/rumors, or out and out lies, but yet the mindless continue to circulate them.
When we use the Internet to communicate, and deal honestly with one another at home and in different lands we usurp these self-righteous egocentric out of control religious and government leaders. The biggest fear they have is that we will see that the emperor is naked.
People like Landan in all countries are the true modern revolutionaries, thinking and bettering themselves, and helping others to do the same. They don’t stand around waving banners (well maybe one or two on their sites;-) shouting hateful slogans, or praising some wrath producing deity, no they just get on with life as normal loving helpful humans wanting the best for themselves and others.
Jerry
That reply from Ms.Ladan is testimony enough to the reason for her success in IM. I can understand Behzad’s pride and love for her country and its rich cultural past and immense heritage. What I really appreciate about Ladan is that she has at such a young age, through her own perseverance and self education managed to break free from the fetters of petty cultural divides and perceived differences between peoples and matured to the sublime level of seeing the world as one large global community. This truly is one of the biggest reasons for her success as I see it.
Now, Behzad, I am from India. You will say that Iran never made war with any country in the last 500 years and I will tell you that India never invaded any country in the last 10,000 years and both of us are right :). But as Ladan so rightly pointed out such arguments are of little or no personal or spiritual value and every religion or good culture teaches us to love and respect everyone as our own brothers and sisters wherever they may be.
I very much appreciate my sister Ladan’s farsightedness and wisdom at such a young age. I wish her all success and the grace of The Almighty in all her business and other ventures and pray that whatever obstacles she faces now are quickly resolved.
Sasikumar R Nair
India
Ladan,
Great to hear your wonderful and inspirational story. You have to cross so many hurdles, omg.
On that note, one of the main was getting paid. Talking about bank accounts, i have a query if don’t mind 🙂
Did you hear about getting a bank account in US through etrade ?
I came across a website usaccountsetup [dot] com, which assures that the account can be opened indirectly.
It’s not my website and im not an affiliate in anyway, but the information do have some merits and benefits are great for someone living in a third world like us.
Awaiting to hear you on this ……
You are fantastic!! I applaude your perseverence and tenacity against what most people would consider insurmountable odds! I am amazed that you were able to see what you wanted and kept working towards it at such a young age. I am over twice your age and have obstacles a fraction of what you’ve worked through, and yet have not yet achieved a fraction of your success (yet). Please realize that there are numerous people in America who applaud you and think only glowing thoughts about you!! Sad to say, there are ignorant fools everywhere who don’t think before they open their mouths (or type on a keyboard). I hope you are blessed with even wilder success!!
Wow,that is quite a story. Where there is a will, there is a way….Ladan is a true role model.
It will be a while before I complain again 🙂
Ladan, congratulations on achieving your goals. I am in Toronto, Canada. and if I can help you in anyway please let me know.
Ladan,
Thanks for your comments. What I do not like is the mistake that Eric has made like many many people in west.
They think “new religious rules imposed by hardline government” is our culture. No, that is not our culture. Eric should make correction on his statement and say “new religious rules after Iran revolution tied one hand behind her back”. Although I am not 100% agree with this, but it is much better than comparing these rules with our culture.
There are many examples of successful women in Iran that they have made a remarkable job in many scientific fields after Islamic revolution.
I feel bad, when I see they put a picture of an Iranian woman with traditional Islamic dress (chador) to show that this is the situation of Iranian women and how one of their hand tied behind their back!
When they make such statement about us I answered the same way, I did not mean to say if history of America is only about 200 years, we are better than them, culture and history is a relative matter and there is no good and bad, they have their own and we have our own culture. We should respect each other, I do not like to be offended as well.
With the Arabic matter, I wanted to show that how, many of them have little knowledge and information about Iran and Iranian people, but they simply allow themselves to talk about Iran and criticize it because they are heavily bombarded with anti Iran news and information by west media.
Behzad
This is an inspiring story. I can’t imagine living in conditions like this and yet being able to prosper. Just goes to show that a will can’t be stopped!
Hi Ladan,
I have been scouring the net for almost a year now and have never joined in one of those internet marketing gimmicks. I was afraid that each one will just take advantage of my money. But your story is something different and utterly believable. Truly inspiring and incredible feat. You are amazing. We share some common problems Ladan. I come from a country where paypal only allows to send money and not receive payment from abroad. I dying to know how you were able to set up a merchant account in your country. Pls give me a response about how you did it. It will greatly solve my dilemma on how to do business online without a merchant account. Here’s my email. ashkelon05@yahoo.com. By the way, i just joined your club and am looking forward to a properous time with you here. Take care!
Ladan summed it up so succinctly: Believe in yourself. Never, ever give up.
With just those two things, all of us have the power to succeed. I am amazed at her tenacity and her bravery as well as her hard work to become whatever she wants to, in spite of all the obstacles, the animosity, the greed and bitterness that abound in the world. Ladan knows in her heart that all people are good, and she believes in that goodness. It isn’t always an easy stance, but it’s one of the answers to world peace.
Kudos, Ladan! And Eric, thanks always for sharing readable and inspiring posts with us.
Eric,
Great of you to post this…
She seems like one heck of a girl!
-Eric
Hi Ladan,
I am almost new to internet marketing and recently started to promote my website , I was seriously surprised as well as shocked when I read about your comments because I am also from Pakistan and I am also facing similar problems that I cannot accept payment from Paypal and as well as through Click bank too.
Please Ladan if you can guide me how did you manage to receive the payment through Paypal and Click bank because I have lost many opportunities because of these barriers that Pakistan is not included on their website.
I have also signed to your List club because I know how important it is to build a targeted list, Ladan you have really proved that what ever barriers may be one can succeed if he or she is determined to follow the right path.
Thanks Ladan and Eric as well you have provided the best platform for inspirational comments.
Great post Eric….and I’m glad I learned about Ladan from you. I will definitely check out her blog and get more familiar with her story. Very inspiring especially for us from the “West’ who in a sense have it easy. Not everyone….but I’ve been around the world and myself live in a foreign country (Japan) and have seen what America has that most of the world doesn’t. Its a shame more people dont appreciate what they already have and stop complaining about their so-called “lacking needs”.
In my opinion, if you can make even $1.00 on the Internet, you’ve achieved a kind of success most will never see. In the Philippines, the men sometimes work for 16 hours to earn about $.50!!! (my girlfriend is from there, which is why I mention it)…
Great job for Ladan. What an amazing story under her circumstances. And I’m sure the current situation with the British sailors in Iran is not making matters any better for what the “West” or other countries think of that region. Our media has a huge “social information war” deliberately designed to paint certain countries or people in the way they need people to think.
about some of the difficulties Ladan has faced….I wonder if Neteller would be able to help. I know since they banned online poker in the US, alot of people went to Neteller to be able to deposit and receive money. worth a look I guess..
Thank you for the post, Eric. So many of us forget the “luxuries” we take for granted every day are not available to everyone. Ladan is a remarkable woman who leads by example. Let’s all follow Ladan’s lead and extend our virtual hands through the borderless cyberspace to show our support for each other.
Well this Internet Marketing stuff would be easy for me if I just…….Oh, never mind, I see I have no excuses anymore.
Good Luck to you in the future, and Thanks for the inspiration.
Kevin
You’ve made a big difference Eric, one person at a time! Another great example how a fellow blogger/internet marketer helping another, in a win-win relationship.
From Pajamanation Malaysia, part of a fresh global team to net-WORK people of all backgrounds, genders, ages, skills, academic achievements, countries, languages and cultures in a single agenda: MICROPRENEURSHIP, we commend you both for bringing worlds together, in this case specifically the peoples of Iran and the USA which respective leaders are in constant arguments against each today.
And guess what, Ladan has found her newfound “celebrity” status in Malaysia (#1 — she’s more popular here than in Iran (#2, at least according to Alexa!) and Singapore. Many youngsters, especially young girls and students will definitely see a positive aspiration from what your ala rags-to-riches tale (except that’s it’s a real story, and it’s only the beginning).
You are right I have know more excuses.
Dear Eric & Ladan,
Before i met this article,i just bought 2 barbie dolls and would like to start selling the barbie doll through internet,because i knew one of my friend sell barbie doll through the net & get around usd5,000 income per month,but i realize we need to sell our own unique & niche product so that can get higher income.but i have no idea on what product should i sell,and im not so good in english,but i will improve & will read “the best selling product idea” by ladan.
by the way,ladan said infoproduct is now very important,do u mean ebooks?we have to read “best selling product idea” before read “one day ebook” right?because we have to find out what topic we want to write before we learn how to write it right?
26years old- Suki
from Malaysia
Jerry Wennerstrom Says:
March 20th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
“……. But an even bigger success story for everyone to understand that people like Ladan are bringing down the barriers of international borders, and all the problems that goes with the separation of us from one another. ……”
“…..People like Landan in all countries are the true modern revolutionaries, thinking and bettering themselves, and helping others to do the same. They don’t stand around waving banners (well maybe one or two on their sites;-) shouting hateful slogans, or praising some wrath producing deity, no they just get on with life as normal loving helpful humans wanting the best for themselves and others…….”
I just did read the articel and the hole thread of comments,all the way down,and going throu the posts my comment was already forming in my head,until i came to Jerrys post. He did formulate my thoughts already ! Dont judge people by their government ,dont judge them by the acts from their government or missleading religious leaders.Judge them by them self if so,but get your facts right and dont let the 4th branch wash your brain,THINK FOR YOURSELF ! This goes for everybody,west like east.And as for me,this is the true point what makes internet so great .It´s not to gain millions in IM,it´s not to download xxx until your line starts smoking.Its the power of getting people togheter,to communicate,to overcome hate and prejudices and to realize that EVERYBODY deserves a live in a peace and respectfull manner,for them and their loved ones.
So gonna stop now,sorry for this a lille bit offtopic rant,i just had to let it out 😉
Eric,thxs for comming up with such geat story,was my first time around here,but not my last 🙂
Ladan ,اØترام من شما عميق, خوب براي آينده‌ى شما
(hope this sounds correct,online translation ftw ! 🙂
greets from spain,
lomax
This is indeed very inspiring. I couldn’t think of another reason for a delay. Ladan must be very happy to have so many gurus introducing her to their list. I received news about Ladan from few other respectable Internet Marketing gurus as well. How Lucky! 😉
Thanks for this great article, very inspirational. As Landan I just started on the Internet about 6 months ago, I’m in Costa Rica, Central America. I can identify myself with many of the obstacle she has overcome. But I feel passion for Internet Marketing, and I’m sure I will succeed too. This story is a great example for people around the world.
Great story! It resonates with the indomitable spirit that resides in all of us, and helps us to recognize and appreciate where we are in relation to Ladan, in our quest for Internet success.
You are my new hero! You are my new Rock Star! I thought that I had troubles from lack of family support and what not, but my issues pale in comparison. I don’t think I’ll ever complain again. You have many people all over the world that are very proud of you. Great job!
Great article about great girl !