So You're Thinking About Starting An Online Business?
Many people dream of working at home in their pajamas but few
have the drive to take that dream into reality. Are you one of
the few?
If you have been thinking about starting your own online
business then here's some thoughts you can use to turn those
dreams into a real business.
1. If you don't already have an idea of what type of business
you want to do, then try listing out 5 hobbies, interests or
areas of expertise. If you want to start a new business, you'd
better choose a subject that you like and a subject where you
can show expertise. You will have more fun and you will be more
competitive.
2. Since running a business isn't all fun and games you should
think about what you are good at and what do you enjoy doing.
Make two lists - one of all the jobs you like and/or are good
at, and one of all the jobs you hate and/or really don't do very
well. Take the second list and have a look at what you might
outsource or automate. Do you really love doing those accounts
or would your time be better spent in forward planning while
your accountant does the sums? Must you personally reply to
every last enquiry or could you create a FAQ which you can post
on your website and refer people to by autoresponder? Obviously
in the early stages of your business you might find you don't
have the money to pay someone to do the jobs you hate but you've
got to think about what is best for you and your business long
term. The more routine jobs you can outsource or automate the
more time you have to plan and to market your business, and to
think about even more ways to bring in all that lovely cash -
not to mention you get to spend more of your time doing the
things you really enjoy doing.
3. Since every online business needs a website, you may need to
brush up on your web skills unless you can afford to hire
someone to do all the website work for you. Regardless, you need
to decide the outlay of your site, if it will have a shopping
cart, will you need auto responders, how often to update the
site, if you want to send out a newsletter etc... Don't forget
about the details like picking a domain name, registering it and
finding affordable hosting.
4. Be prepared for failures. Not everything you do will be
perfect - sometimes things you've tried will be a total disaster
- but it's the way you react to problems that matters. If you
curl up in a ball and give up at the first sign of failure you'd
better not be in business. "Patience and perseverance have a
magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles
vanish." - John Quincy Adams. It's all about attitude.
5. Have a plan and stick to it as far as possible but always be
prepared to be flexible and open minded. Sometimes the most
unexpected opportunities come up and you need to be ready to
seize them with both hands - as Joe Vitale says 'Money likes
speed'.
The most important thing in starting an online business is to
take action! Don't let anyone else inject self doubt - if this
is your dream don't let anyone ruin it for you!