There are a multitude of challenges facing someone just starting out in Internet Marketing or trying to create a business presence on the internet. Most of the challenges revolve around time and money. Let’s take a look at a typical newbie who decided that they had to change their life and create some form of financial independence, otherwise she was going to end up on the street and her three children along with her.
- Desperation and fear
There are times in your life when you find yourself staring into the abyss and it is terrifying. Your life is a complete stuff up and deep down in your heart, you know it’s because of the choices you have made in the past. You don’t want to admit that to yourself, but if you were honest for just one minute, you would know that is the truth. And that is ok. Really it is. The power of facing the consequences of your own decisions is that you realise that you can change it. If you made bad choices before, make a better choice now.
The problem you face when trying to start a new business when you are desperate and afraid, is that you will want a quick-fix solution. Sorry, there isn’t one. You are going to have to dig yourself out of this hole yourself and it will take time.
“But I don’t have time”. Yes, you do. There may be a crisis looming right now but you will find a way to deal with it. While you are dealing with it, just remember that the steps you take from now on will determine where you will be in a year’s time.
- Overwhelming choice
There are so many different nuances to marketing businesses on the internet. Here are just a few:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Information Product creation
- Amazon affiliate marketing
- CPA
- Google Adwords
- Blogging
- Software development
- Kindle publishing
- And the list is endless
Which one do you choose? You cannot do all of them. You have to find a particular area and then FOCUS on it until you have mastered it. If you don’t make a choice and commit, you will waste your precious time bouncing from pillar to post and then wondering why it is you have not made any money.
Why don’t you get a pen and paper and make a list of everything that interests you in life. What hobbies are you passionate about? What kind of experiences give you such a rush that you cannot wait to do it again? What do you think about most of the time? What topics make your heart skip a beat? When you are talking to your friends, what do you spend most of your time discussing? What activities do you do, that make time fly past quickly?
Seriously, if you spend half an hour quietly thinking about what excites you in life you will discover a nugget in there that could perhaps be turned into a viable business.
- Time management
In most cases when you are starting out, you will probably have a full time job, a family to take care of and a million other things that take up your day. How do you crush learning a new skill into a day that already makes you feel exhausted?
This is where you will have to make a decision. How badly do you want to change your life? How deep is that abyss that you are staring into right now? If you don’t make a change now, what will the rest of your life be like?
Take a few moments and write down everything that you do in a day. Try and put an estimate to the amount of time spent doing each thing. Once you have completed that, look at what you can get rid of instantly. I know one thing that you could scratch off that list immediately and it would probably free up a few hours a day for you. Television! Turn it off.
“Aw, but I love watching TV. It’s my recreation and relaxation after a tough day.”
Yes, I know, but it is not going to make you successful. How badly do you want the month-end-sick-to-your-stomach-horror-and-panic to go away?
Next, look at how your day is structured. Is there any time where you could fit in an hour or two (not necessarily all in one go) of focused learning and implementing your new business. Even an hour a day will make a HUGE difference in your life one year from now.
Albert Einstein said that if you spend 15 minutes a day learning everything you could about a particular subject, you would be a genius within a year.
When you have identified your blocks of time, be ruthless about keeping to that time. Consider them valuable appointments with the future you.
- Lack of knowledge
After you have chosen your preferred area, now you have to spend time learning everything you can about it. This takes time. Where do you get the information from?
- Coaching courses
- Google Searches
- Read the Warrior Forum
- Buy products related to your area of interest
- Observation – this is powerful. See how other people in your market brand themselves and the process they follow when selling
- Watch webinars
- Find a person that is in the same or related business as yours that you respect and admire. Subscribe to their newsletters, read their blogs, follow their posts on the forum. Watch how they interact with people. Make notes.
- Read business books
- Talk to successful people. Listen to what they say. Ask questions. You will be blown away at how many people really love to help others, as long as they know that the person is serious about what they are doing and not just looking for a hand-out or magic solution.
- Lack of Money
This is a tough one. As it is you are already battling to survive financially. How on earth are you expected to buy tools that are critical to your business success if you don’t have any spare cash? You might notice a few people say that you are not serious about your business if you don’t invest in it. Well they are right. Except that some people have absolutely no idea what it is like to have $20 in your hand and the choice is food for your kids, or a tool or service that you need. You and I both know that the choice is obvious.
This is where you are going to have to get creative. Do you have a skill that you could perhaps sell while you are establishing your business? Do you write well? Can you design graphics? Can you write great sales copy? Can you spring clean your house and sell stuff that you are not using anymore? Can you babysit for someone? Do whatever it takes to generate a little extra cash and then use that cash to invest in your business. Don’t use it for food, unless it’s desperate. My thinking was that I did not have this money before so I have survived without it.
- Outsource it … or Do It Yourself?
There are a multitude of things that you have to get done when you are establishing a business. If finances are a challenge, then you will have to learn to do them yourself. At least until you can afford to pay someone to do it for you.
What you could also do is a barter system with someone. Let’s say you can design great websites but cannot string a coherent sentence together. Approach a fellow newbie who has writing skills and offer to create a website for them in exchange for a few articles or a report that you can use as a giveaway or sell. It’s a win-win situation for both of you. Bartering is very effective and you build up great relationships in the process.
You can do this
I truly believe that anyone can make a success of their life, regardless of how badly they failed in the past. It’s all up to you. Today, right this minute is where you can make a decision that will change your future. I cannot make the decision for you. Only you can.
What are some of the challenges you have faced or are facing now?
Diana Heuser
P.S. Seen my latest book “Online Marketing Traction: A Guidebook for Attracting Online Customers for Local Entrepreneurs“?
Diana Heuser specialises in e-Business and Publishing Resources for Authors. Connect with Diana Heuser on her business website, via Twitter @DianaHeuser or on Google+. Join our fabulous free Group “Secrets To Publishing A Book on Facebook”. You will find it interesting. Request to join here.
