Starting an online business can be terrifying.
I know, I’ve been there and I remember it like it was yesterday – the fluctuations between excitement and absolute certainty to painful indecision and frustration – sound familiar? Starting an online business can be a strange and sometimes lonely process if it’s a new project and you haven’t found the right support.
There are some Golden Rules that you can take into account when looking at starting an online business. These are the rules that I have learned along the way and the information below should save you weeks, if not months, of heartache and frustration – happy reading!
Golden Rule No 1 – There are going to be many frustrations that you will be faced with.
I have put this as the first rule of starting an online business because many people are new to the concept of how far the internet has developed over the last 2-5 years even with the advent of social media, blogs, attraction marketing, email marketing, PPC, Search Engine Optimisation etc. It really is enough to make your head spin and each subject could take you months to study to even begin to comprehend – the amount of information out there is staggering. One of the most common pitfalls is for people to think they can just pop up a blog with average content, write a few articles and sign up for sites like Twitter or Facebook and all of a sudden they will be inundated with leads. It’s not quite that simple! Don’t get me wrong, it is absolutely possible to attract a never ending flow of leads and build up a great customer and prospect base, but you do need to understand that along the way there will be frustrations. The point I am making here is that you should always keep your eyes facing forward.
Just keep going and you will see success!
Golden Rule No 2 – BUILDING YOUR BRAND is the key to your business.
At the risk of repeating myself over and over – YOU are the best reason anyone would want to work with you. Network marketing is simply networking with people, building a brand and helping people duplicate what you personally do. It’s a business for people joining together in the spirit of co-operative working, towards a goal (in many cases a financial goal!). Like any brand, you will need to decide who you are, what your message is and where your strengths lie. If you’re new to networking then focus on one particular area and learn everything you can about that.
You need to decide what skill sets you already have, keep educating yourself and make sure that everything you do have YOUR unique voice and YOUR unique message. Everyone has an idea of how they’d like to see themselves – do you want to be a specialist in a particular area, blogs for example? Or are you mnore drawn to social media or copywriting? Do you want to be a mentor or infopreneur? Don’t worry if you haven’t developed a specific ’skill’ or feel like an expert yet – do you think other leaders like Ann Sieg or Mike Dillard were experts in their field? (I’ve included links to their free report pages – some really useful info there!). Both of them have talked about the continued need for education and learning, even when you reach ‘expert’ status.
Golden Rule No. 4 – Find the right Mentor
In the rapidly developing world of online and internet marketing it’s so important to feel that you are being guided through the process by someone that knows the ropes, preferably you can still connect with on a personal level. Many internet entrepreneurs sell their services as coaches. My take on that is that it’s abslutely brilliant in order to bring in upfront cash flow that you can then plow straight into your business.
What do I do?
I’d rather give away all my knowledge for free just now because I know how it felt when I first started and just wanted to talk to someone. Paid coaching is great and there are some good ones out there, I just prefer to connect with people myself initially. Contact me to arrange for a non obligation 20 minute to get your questions answered!
So, there are my Golden Rules for success – GOOD LUCK with starting an online business you can be proud of!
And don’t forget to comment if you’ve got things to say about my posts – I always love hearing from you!
