The Secret to Online Business Success Is… Being Single?

For the last 5+ years, I’ve observed that the people who are relatively successful as Internet marketers all have one thing in common.

That is, they are generally single… or… married without kids.

Please correct me if I’m wrong about this. But here is what I’ve noticed:

1. Most Internet marketers who’ve done well are single.

2. Successful Internet marketers who are married usually have no kids.

3. Only a small percentage of successful Internet marketers have kids.

4. Successful Internet marketers with more than two kids are about as rare as mythological beasts. (I can think of only one: Michel & Sylvie Fortin have four grown kids.)

5. There seems to be an inverse correlation between income and family when it comes to online business. The more family you have (wife, kids), the lower your income. And vice versa.

Obviously, if you are single or married with no kids, you’ve got a lot more uninterrupted “focus time” to work and build your business. You don’t have the distractions that having a family brings.

But the weird part is that my observation runs contrary to the world at large. Multiple studies show that married men earn more than single men… and married men with kids may earn more than married men without kids.

Which raises a couple questions:

• Why do single people and married people without kids seem to be more successful running online businesses? Is this the reality or merely an illusion?

• Is it really possible for family-oriented people (with 3+ kids at home) to have successful online businesses? What do you think?

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts. And don’t be afraid to give me an “amen” or a “Ryan, you’re off your rocker!” In the case of the latter, just make sure you tell me why. :-)

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Here’s a quick update…

Apparently, there is more to my observation than mere anecdotal evidence.

The percentage of married couples with kids under 18 living at home has been declining steadily for decades. They now represent just 20.2% of American households.

The number of non-kid households (single or married with no kids under 18 at home) now greatly exceeds those with kids. They represent 55% of all American households — more than double those who are married with kids at home.

Here’s proof:

• The Amazing Decline of the Iconic Household

Income levels aside, this automatically means that about 5 out of every 8 online business owners will be either single or married without kids.