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In the past, people’s lives followed a traditional path: Graduate college, get an entry level job, work for the same company 30+ years and then hope to retire on the beach sipping cocktails all day.
Those days are gone. Very few manage to make this a reality.
Thanks to the ever evolving world of technology you can create a website in minutes, start blogging, share videos on YouTube that are seen by hundreds of thousands of people. With less than a $100, you can start your business and have access to more customers than you could ever need.
You can start almost any kind of business. You can help people:
The nice part about the online business world is that you can automate most of it. Your online business can keep working even when you’re not. You can earn money while you sleep.
Before we can get o building that online business of your’s you need to understand the following.
Today, 2.5 billion people log onto the internet. This is good in the sense of the opportunity income, but negative in the sense that an online business has become a modern day gold rush.
Everywhere you look a new “guru’ pops up with a “seven figures” in one year headline. Facebook can be depressing with all the over hyped ads. Choosing what mentors to work with can be hard.
In 2010 when I entered the Digital World I suffered a bad case of information overload. You don't know what to or where to start. Each and every guru believes he has the ultimate strategy.
Before you launch into anything online you 1st need to do the research. You might think your idea is the next Facebook, but believe me. The market for your idea might not even be there.
Now let’s say you did he market research and you found that there is a market for your idea.
There are 5 simple steps you need to follow.
Focus
Focus means figuring out who you want to serve and how you will deliver value to that group. There is a mountain of information available online. Just be careful not to go into an information overload state. This will numb your progress. Turn off your constant learning and focus on core tasks you need to do to move forward.
Audience
This is where many get it wrong. Have you ever heard of the saying “The Money is In The List”? This is very true. You need a following. You need to constantly work on growing your following. Let’s call it your master database. If you have no following you will have no money. There are many ways to grow your following which we are not going to go into now.
Monetize
As your following grows it becomes time to implement a plan to generate income. No business can exist without it. Your website/blog will need a content strategy that aligns with what you offer. You need to plan what products and services you will be offering your customers.
Test and Refine
You need to do the math. This way you will know what works and what does not. Keep the good and do away with the not so good. Try different offers, bundle various products and services. Once you have an offering that takes of, run with it. Always be testing. What works today, might not work tomorrow.
Launch and Scale
If you start from the bottom. Focus on getting those 1st 1000 true fans. Always focus on offering valuable content. People will keep on coming back. At this stage you are ready to scale the business. Launch with a bang when your promotions hit at the end of each month or quarter.
Affiliate partners
Joint partnerships through webinars
Launch bonuses ect.
Each launch should produce serious revenue and momentum for your business. From there on, it’s a matter of reinvesting and scaling.
Have patience! Starting and growing an online business is not easy. It will take time and tremendous focus. There is a lot of competition out there. Try to be unique. This will give you the edge over your competitors.
There will be self-limiting beliefs and haters. The nice part about it your haters will start liking you and you will have to look for some more haters.
It’s hard, but the lifestyle of true freedom it creates is priceless.
Stay in the Loop and Join me on my Journey as I Venture into the World of Online Business.
About Shaun Douglas
Hi, I'm the Editor of the Digital Tools Blog. The Blog is all about Digital Tools you can use to Grow Your Business and Ultimately Your Money Online. My entrepreneurial journey started in 2003. I have been involved in many projects. Some good and some not so good. In 2010 I ventured into the Digital Space and have been involved ever since. I specialize in Digital Marketing. I help companies develop and promote their digital assets.
