Focus On What You Do Well
Juggling every aspect of your online business can be a recipe for disaster. At the start, it is definitely possible to get your feet off the ground with free hosting, free web platforms and free sidebar content, but when it's time to break into bigger things, you just aren't going to be able to manage all of it at once. Think about this. A successful small business has vibrant content, a consistent social marketing campaign, a careful SEO design, an eye-catching logo, a sleek e-commerce solution, an e-book, business cards, online advertising banners, interactive widgets, customer service up the wazoo... Do I need to continue on with this list? Once your business starts to pick up some serious traffic, it might be time to outsource or hire dependable help. At that point, it's decision time. What do you do best? Are you a marketing god? Or a writing prodigy? Is your web design impeccable?
Stick to what you do best and let the freelancers do the rest. Maybe you're excellent at simply managing your business. Knowing all of the ins and outs of your niche is critical to a successful home startup and with all of the virtual office options, online customer service, web designers and content writers, there's no limit to where you can take it with a little savvy and determination.
Be Prepared To Be Patient
There are millions of people looking for the same thing you are, and many of them are equally as capable. It's going to be tenacity and endurance that set you apart from the pack. Most "professional bloggers" give up after a few short months. Most small businesses fail. Why would yours be any different? That's exactly why so many people are afraid to take the leap, fear and a lack of follow through.
The reason there are so many flops is that so many people fail to understand that it really doesn't happen overnight. On top of that, your first experience with a small online business may be a flop. That's fine. It's called a chance to make mistakes and learn from them. Think about what went wrong. What your chosen niche flooded with competition? Did you suffer from poor content or poor advertising? Were you preaching to the wrong crowd?
With that in mind, here comes the "be prepared" part. Now armed with the understanding that building a trusting, returning flow of visitors is going to be a slow, painstaking process with the full possibility of total failure... are you ready to leave your day job? I can't stress this enough. Make sure you have a backup plan! Is your health insurance covered while you're waiting to make your big break? Do you have a way to pay rent? Online entrepreneurs require a fast internet connection and capable computer system. Do you have a way to pay for those in the meantime? Maintaining a solid emergency fund is critical to any self-employed entrepreneur. Recently, I wrote about Dealing With Irregular Income because I had a terrible time keeping my hair from turning grey at first.
These golden rules are only the beginning of your journey to blissful self-employment. It isn't a matter of being afraid. It's a matter of being smacked in the face with the truth. The more you're willing to face it and make terms with it, the quicker you'll rocket to the stars on your freelance magic carpet. Good luck to you all.
