We recently had a question from a follower on our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/yoursiteworks/ or @YourSiteWorks), which essentially asked, ‘Is being an online entrepreneur right for everyone?’. For us, the short answer to that question is simply, ‘No’. But the short answer doesn’t make for a very good blog post, nor does it really answer the question that I think is really being asked here, which is: ‘Is being an online entrepreneur right for ME?’. This question is a lot more fun to answer, because the truthful response is: ‘It depends.’.
But what does it depend on?
There are core values that we all have in our life. Answering this main question truthfully will force us to examine who we are as people. We’ve put together 3 aspects of doing business online that should help you start answering that question for yourself
The Journey
Starting a business online can be challenging, and there is no one-size-fits all roadmap toward success. Rather, there are people who just decide one day that they’re going to make a go of figuring it all out for themselves. The unknown nature of an online venture itself requires a person who is willing to accept that the process will be a journey through the wilderness, not a well-beaten path. You will need to make decisions, sign up for accounts, make professional contacts, interact with your customers, handle reviews or returns, and many more things before the journey is complete. So, the first thing to ask yourself is: ‘Am I willing to go my own way?’.
The Risk
Not every online business is cheap to start either. Depending on what you want to be doing, you may need to carry an inventory, or invest in costly custom development. There are lots of options out there such as drop shipping and web-based commerce platforms that may help you minimize the overhead costs. But at the least, you’ll be looking at the daunting task of getting traffic to your website which can be done by paying for marketing, or investing a lot of time and sweat equity until you start gaining traffic organically. You’ll also be confronted with the reality that your site may not make any money for quite some time, which is a risk that traditional 9-5ers with a salary necessarily have to worry about. Therefor, the second thing we recommend you ask yourself, is: ‘Can I handle the risk?’.
The Goal
This last one is trickier to define than the first two. Many people want different things out of an online business. Some want financial independence, some want to be able to travel the world and the ability to do their work on-the-go, others might want to work from home while raising a family. For the most part, the idea that does seem to prevail no matter what the specific end goal, is a sense of freedom over your own life. This can be a very rewarding goal once obtained, but it is important to remember that it will take a lot of hard work in order to get there, and even if you’re sitting on a beach doing some work on your computer, you are still doing WORK at the end of the day, albeit in a beautiful setting. The concept of ‘get rich quick’ in order to spend hours upon hours leisurely sipping cocktails should not be your main goal. The truth is that the freedom you can achieve will only come after years and countless hours where only YOU can hold yourself accountable. There is no supervisor that will be dropping off a list tasks for you at the beginning of each day. You’ll be on your own to figure that out. The people that are truly successful online are driven by curiosity and internally motivated to reach some goal in the distant future. Ask yourself, ‘Is my goal to get rich quick?’. If the answer is yes, then you’re likely already moving in the wrong direction. It could happen, sure, but a better question may be to ask yourself: ‘Am I willing to hold myself accountable until I reach my goal, and then keep going?’.
In a Nutshell
Doing business online isn’t for everyone. You’ll need to understand your ability to make your own plan and overcome challenges, weigh the risks versus the potential rewards, and keep yourself accountable every day in pursuit of your goal. The three questions to ask yourself are listed again below:
- Am I willing to go my own way?
- Can I handle the risk (financially and/or personally)?
- Am I willing to hold myself accountable until I reach my goal, and then keep going?
We feel that the most important thing, as always, is to just keep going. Do some work every day until it piles up into something truly great. If you are looking for more tips and advice to keep you going through the hard times until you reach the good ones, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and also SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER BELOW!
