If you are a new business owner or entrepreneur looking for a way to get started with your new business idea, this post may help you. We all have to start somewhere and building a business takes time. Also, it’s important to note that one solution won’t necessarily work for everyone in the same way.
You can read about lots of different methods to start a business from various sources but you really just have to find the method that works best for you. Your web site is about more than design and should be thought of as your central command center of your brand that is going to keep your adoring public informed about what you are doing. It is also the way you will obtain leads and acquire new customers.
Here are seven steps to get started with a website or online business if you simply don’t know where to start.
Do What You Love
There is a book that is considered a “how-to” classic now entitled, Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow. This book was written around twenty years ago but it is timeless in the way it applies facts to the business world. The book basically states that if you do what you love you will be successful and you will make money. This principle, though simple in the extreme, is true.
If you do something you love, you are going to be good at it. Even if you are not good at it in the beginning, chances are you will get better at it as you go because you like it.
Wisdom from Those Who Have Gone on Before Us
Quoting one of our favorite entrepreneurs again, Steve Jobs, “You better love what you do because being an entrepreneur is so hard that if you don’t love it, you’d have to be crazy.” He was speaking to entrepreneurs in a live video conference when he said that and he’s very accurate on this statement.
Being a business owner requires a huge amount of dedication, perseverance, and strength. You have to be able to get past the rough times as well as the good ones. So choose something you love to build your business around. The money will follow.
Find a Need and Fill It
In addition to choosing something you love, you should also make sure it is something the market will bear. You may have a great idea for a business, but you must be able to fill a need. It’s often helpful to start with your local area and see what the need is there first.
If you have not yet taken your idea online, perhaps you could do an online survey to see what kinds of things are needed. Think about what kind of product or service you could provide to the world and fill a need that people have said they want.
From Idea to Product to Business
A famous entrepreneur also once said, “There is a huge leap from an idea to a marketable product.” This wise saying also reminds us that it’s not enough to have an idea. It’s great to brainstorm and think of all of the things you could do to set the world on fire. But which idea will really work in the real world?
You need to think about how you are going to move your idea from concept to market in a series of orderly steps. This can be achieved by having a business plan that includes a means and method to get to where you need to be in a timeline that will work for you.
Pool Your Resources
Some of this timeline and planning will depend on the time you have to devote to your business as well as your current status. Most people are still in their full-time job when they start a business. Others are pushed out of a job abruptly and this starts them to thinking about starting their own business. Whatever the case, take stop of your resources before you begin and be realistic about what you can do.
Resources include money but they also include your time, the people who can help you put it into action, and the factors that help you organize your business. Think about what you will need to pull it all together and keep a record of what you do as you go.
Starting your Website
Once you have in mind what you will sell, offer, or promote, you need to have a website. You should focus on how this will look from the beginning and plan how you will get your brand through your website, blog, and other online properties.
It’s important to think of your brand online as more than just your website. You should think of your website as your main base but everything else should connect to this from other locations. Examples of extension platforms include: your blog, social media platforms, YouTube channels, and online ads, to name a few.
Set Up Your eCommerce Solution
Last, but not least, you need to set up an online payment solution. You can’t make money if you don’t have a payment solution set up. The first step in this is to go to Paypal.com or whatever payment system you plan to use and set up your account. This is not difficult but is a necessary step in getting your website ready to make you money.
When Starting an Online Business, Plan Out Your Ultimate Goals
Creating a passive income, having a customer acquisition plan to generate leads and subscribers, and creating a sales funnel from your social media, YouTube, and blog to your landing or sales page are at the heart of creating an online business.
Your website is really nothing more than a tool or a platform to allow you to achieve this. The ultimate goal is to create a passive and consistent income that will keep producing for you over the years.
Adding affiliate marketing and Google Ads to your entourage are good goals but try not to do too much too soon.
The key to surviving and succeeding as an entrepreneur is just to get in the boat and start paddling toward your goal. Don’t overextend or expand until you can afford to. Don’t quit your day job until you have succeeded in making at least half of your income that you make in your job. Then you may feel secure enough to launch out on your own.
Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. But there was never a day that Rome was not being built. Good luck on your voyage! And remember us when you come into your kingdom!