Working Online

 

Dreaming of working online or running a successful online business?

Think it is super EASY and IDEAL?  

Well, it might be for some!

 

But the general rule is that it takes incredible work and input to focus, stay motivated and succeed.

Just like building any other business model, role or career.

 

Whilst some say they can work from home and drink coffee all day, just by working for 3 hours, the truth for most of us is that it takes massive daily action, incredible drive and ambition.

 

Even if you have a small dedicated team involved to help each other succeed it will take massive consistent daily effort, and will undoubtedly involve many setbacks, challenges and obstacles. 

 

On top of that – it can take many hours to build every day, often more than if working in a conventional job or role. 

 

It will include you knowing your goals, applying growth strategies, having a thorough business plan and specified daily important tasks, using a quiet space to concentrate, applying self leadership and self management, having a handle on financial matters, having little distraction and of course having a huge passion.

 

Not to mention the fact that you will need to have excellent communication skills to deal with people. 

These are just some of the requirements!

Do think you can succeed online now?  

 

Don’t worry as I will help you get it right, but contrary to what some say about travelling the world with a laptop whilst doing very little – it isn’t typically a walk in the park, and it may take well over a year to really get anywhere growth wise.    

 

All business models take a lot of work, and this means self discipline, effort and hard work!

 

Certainly as a solo person (like myself) who also outsources a great deal – it takes a total management of time, commitment and attention, and requires me ignoring the constant barrage of distractions which are typical in today’s world.

Be mindful of this

If you wish to leave a great paying career, role or job, I don’t advise that you simply walk away from something right away that can sustain you, especially as you may need this when building your online business.

 

And we all have bills to pay!

 

So it will pay you to start your side hustle ‘small’ and carefully whilst keeping a good income. 

 

The biggest mistake I see (all too often) is when a person emotionally and excitedly steps away from a great career to ‘go it alone’ and then finds out that it is a struggle to make ends meet as they have no idea what they are doing.

 

That is why it is vital that the homework is done, the data is gathered and the deep research is conducted first of all – before you jump ship.

 

Even if you aim to hire a dynamic remote team of highly motivated individuals, you will still need to grow this from the ground floor up, and perhaps keep others motivated in tough economic times, whilst borrowing money, and managing yourself and others.

 

So you need to understand that it can take a special kind of person to persevere with a strong mindset. 

What will you need?

You will need to learn to master the skills that I will talk about, and this may involve adapting to change and adjusting your thinking and habits.

 

Some people are simply not cut out for this.

 

But you can learn to outsource and hire others where necessary, to help you stay focused and support you in your weaker areas. 

 

Hiring others is something worth considering as it enables you to work on what you do best.  Because spreading yourself too thin will lead to burn out and chronic stress. 

 

So sure, you can drink coffee if you wish to – but you must work your butt off also! 

 

There are course certain tools and resources you will also need, like any other craft, such as fast broadband, a good laptop, an adequate area or room, and an ability to turn off those distractions. 

 

Plus I recommend that you use a daily task list, to ensure you are in the game, focused, serious and committed. 

 

It is also recommended that you stand up and move around, eat the right foods and get fresh air, to give you sufficient energy and power to maintain the right momentum each day.

Will you be completely online?

Perhaps your online business requires physical premises elsewhere, such as a fashion store or brand, which is something a friend of mine operates very successfully, as she can manage her business from home, but also visits suppliers, partners, buyers and team members to stay on top of the business and ensure that she knows what is going on every day. 

 

You might require several locations, you may even need to travel every day, or maybe you will be able to create stuff from home and deliver it to various locations.

 

Some business models may not require external premises, and certainly my role as an example is exactly this way, as I blog, write books and phone people from my home.  I can operate fully from here, and as a solo person I find it is my best working style. 

 

This means I’m mostly working on my own, but I still connect and communicate with whomever I need to, and occasionally meet small business owners in coffee shops, restaurants and bars from time to time.     

Working at home

Perhaps you are passionate about a ‘work from home’ set up more than just being online.

 

It could even be a more traditional or bricks and mortar or mobile business model, perhaps a flower seller and arranger, a baker, a massage or tattoo studio, and if working from home, you could also run a pet sitting business, and hire staff to work for you.

 

These are possible from home, just as other models are, but you will likely still need to understand WHY an online presence is so vital these days.

 

It might be that working online for you could mean a hybrid scenario whereby there is a blend between a premises and home.  So you may have a physical business elsewhere and predominantly work and operate from home.

 

Whichever you decide to choose you still need the right environment and conditions conducive to taking your role seriously and professionally.

 

Just like any physical business model you will have to work with your business plan and strategy, and it is critical to know and manage your numbers, message, vision, ethics, metrics, mission, timing and brand.

 

It is also advised that you know your projected revenue across 3, 6 and 12 months and 3, 5 and 10 years.

 

Perhaps you will need to borrow a sum of money, so get clear on what investment may be required, and get clear on where this will come from, why, and how this will be managed.

 

And be mindful that borrowing money from family and friends holds a potential risk, because if that money used and lost, people can fall out.   I have seen it dozens of time.

 

Get to know what startup costs are needed, what revenue it would require to survive, and what income you might draw from that.

Have you heard of critical mass?

It refers to a certain size, number, or amount that would be big enough to produce a particular result, such as the amount required to start a business.  This could mean understanding what it will take from you, and what the requirements are for growing a business whilst it sustains you as a primary source of income.

 

In other words – know the specifics!

 

For example – consider this; What is the volume of work required to enable your business to operate, break even and survive?  What start up costs will you need and why?  Can you start this thing lean?  Who will you need to hire and why?  And so on.

 

With an online business model there is a particular amount of work needed to ensure growth is occurring at a rate that would allow the survival of that business, and it must be treated with strict time and effort commitment.

 

I know this myself, as I work online.

 

And whilst I would love to give you specific numbers or timescales for your business to work, every persons requirements are different, and every business is different in how it operates and what revenue is needed and generated.

 

So, it will pay you to think about these things and to organize every element, because if something is missed it will come back and bite you in the leg or another area.

 

Get help with this if you are not sure about amount of work needed in relation to the revenue generated from output to receive specific results.

 

If you don’t know what you are doing every day, and what your investment in time and money is, you will have no idea what to gauge your progress against.

An example of this

Let’s say you are an acrylic artist, it would be very nice to be painting all day and getting paid for it right?

 

Sure, but you may not sell paintings every day, and you will need to know the costs of canvases, art materials, what framing costs are.

 

And to keep revenue coming in, you will need to know price of printing copies of your original works, the cost of promotion, starting a website, the time it takes to produce pieces, and what it will cost to be featured in various places, if required.

 

You may work from home whilst also using online promotional tools, and you will need to manage yourself and your time and what your hourly rate is.

 

Could you do that?

 

Not forgetting that you will need to determine what you think the cost of your work is worth.

That is a very general example, but as I mentioned before, I work from home and I know that ‘if’ each day is not monitored and managed, I will lose track of what I spend, earn and what costs are. 

And if I was just running around trying to do my errands, going on my iPhone, watching Netflix or playing games on my Xbox it would not work.

So you will need to treat it like any other business.  

Online and offline model

A friend of mine runs a pet sitting business which is highly successful, but she also manages her team from home. 

She doesn’t have to physically go anywhere, as she can operate from home, however, just because she works at home it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know what’s going on with every other person in her team. 

She keeps in contact with every person, keeps all records, speaks to her staff daily, and keeps physical and online appointments, but also does marketing and promotion.

And she is on top of her game every day. 

A part of her role requires her to manage the website, the social media and the email marketing, and this is all achieved successfully from home. 

Her partner takes care of the financial side of things such as payroll, hiring, revenue, expenses and so on. 

This is the power of running an online business with modern technology, automation and with having the right partners and teams all working on it’s success.

Another friend of mine makes wonderful cakes and bread from home and she manages the entire operation from there, from creating the cakes to delivery and costs.  The busier she became the more she hired temporary staff to assist her.  She also started teaching students how to make sourdough bread, and this has now become a healthy growth part of her business.

Then there is a friend of mine that makes beautiful silver jewelry and sells his stuff to friends and on ETSY.  This is a bit like eBay but for crafters and artists.

He offers bespoke styles and shapes and networks successfully, as he is just sharing what he does rather than going for the hard sell.

And he has now forged a successful business with consistent streams of income as he has a variety of ways he sells. For example; he expanded his operation to travel to homes with his designs to have small bubbles parties with Prosecco and to discuss design options with current and potential customers.

Here are some examples of online business models

Some of which are completely online and others involve physical products.

eBay business = selling your goods or other peoples goods on eBay.  Start with selling stuff around the home, build a good reputation. 

Shopify ecommerce store = Selling products on an ecommerce site that you build and this may involve drop shipping.

Freelancing = this could be in graphic design, SEO, specialized area, website building, or working on sites like Fiverr or taskrabbit.

Consultancy = As a business advisor, PR, financial matters, strategic or operational, risk management, HR and many other areas.

Tutoring = maybe teaching how to make cakes, learning a language or teaching yoga, music or something else.

Writer = writing books, reports, blogs, articles and so on.  This could mean you are hired by other companies such as online magazines.

VA virtual assistant = Very popular these days to support various companies and businesses.

Data entry = entering data for companies, perhaps using excel spreadsheets or transferring information from one area to another.

Podcasting = Starting your own podcast with the right equipment and entering into a particular area or niche. 

Interior design = Most ideas these days can be shared online so this means a creative person can design and create at home.

Social media manager =  Taking care of other peoples social media, placing content, ads, acquiring followers, engagement and likes etc.

There are also areas such as translation, bookkeeping, forex trading, affiliate marketing and much more.

Your job is to find what you would enjoy doing most, as you will be doing it for many hours a day.

It might be that you wish to build your own online brand and create your own company, and this can be done in a variety of ways or even get hired to help others build their brands.

Reality of running a business – tips

I have unfortunately seen many fail from home though because they tend to treat what they do like a fun hobby, and can end up in a great deal of debt.

Some people do not put in the right amount of time, and so they are either not cut out for online business and self management, or they simply need to find what they can be more passionate about, in order to stay motivated to reach daily and weekly goals.

But we all need breaks also, so take care of yourself, and think about how your workspace enables you to be balanced, proactive and energetic to focus and get into the zone.

Ensure you have a particular set of hours that you work by, and even if you change your day from lets say 9am to 6pm to 10am to 7pm, ensure that you still put in the same amount.

Have meetings with your associates, teams and colleagues on a regular basis so all are on the ball and up to date with the latest information and news on what is required of all.  There needs to be rules and management of expectations from all involved so that things don’t slip.

I personally exercise first thing in the morning, to get energized, and I have a good healthy breakfast to give me power.     And I don’t allow outside tasks from my personal life take over or get in the way of the times I am committed to.

So create a good routine, have lists for the day and week, manage your media, social and otherwise.

I believe it is also important to get outside and get fresh air.  We all need it, so make time to walk in the park or pop to the shops and exercise outside if that helps to keep you motivated.

Working Online offers many various opportunities

You can add an online element to what you already do well.

It may be that you want to add a online shop to match your offline shop, but either way I am sure you can see the power of having an online presence today, it’s very important for maximum exposure.

In this current time – being online has distinct advantages over other businesses that simply ignore this element, and that’s because the more of the right eyes that are on your business the better. 

For me personally being in the digital marketing content niche, I have to ensure that the right eyes are on this content, and that my content can drive the right types of people to read it, as I want to share value driven information.

My set up is largely automated, and through my books, this blog, several courses and other areas I can edit, create or change whatever products I wish, if it is required and that’s the beauty of this type of business.

The reason I love this is because I get to help Micro and small business owners in my community build their businesses, and show others why an online presence is powerful to build those all important relationships with the buyer or customer.

And no matter if you have a traditional bricks and mortar shop or an online business, all of us can benefit from this presence.

Through the possibilities and opportunities presented in this day and age we can shape and sculpt unique businesses and brands that come from our deepest values and connect with a need or demand.

Working Online

Working from home in a home based business

I write blogs, books and posts, and I help local small business owners every day to grow and succeed, and it is my absolute joy and passion to see other passionate types doing what they love to do, and I also help to create and deliver value and quality plans alongside sharing information for my readers so – this is how I work and survive by doing most of the work myself. 

However, for you it might be something entirely different that you can enjoy and thrive in.

For you it might be a blend of both the online presence coupled with physical products.

But no matter what your model looks like it will only succeed if you understand people and their needs.

Whilst business today can run on automation, there still needs to be the human connection, so that your customers feel valued.

Even if you are somewhat of an introvert, and you want to hide at home, you may still need to get outdoors and speak with people, build relationships, create trust, deliver great customer service and share your awesome branding, otherwise you might miss the opportunity of being where your potential customers hang out.

Your online presence will likely involve using the right online tools, social media mastery, strategic marketing and advertising, list building, video creation, content creation, web design, SEO, and Organic and paid traffic, but these are there to support you not replace you. 

There is a great deal to learn in order to master your craft and for that to have the right exposure, but you might be able to hire experts to help you out, and this could mean for building sites for example so you hand over your weaker areas.

I can recommend hiring a WordPress expert (which this blog is) because, it is a trusted platform on Google, and it is solid, robust, and experts can edit it easily and effectively.  It has many many amazing features and benefits and I am not affiliated with WordPress, so I am not trying to persuade you at all, but they work for me.   

Working online is by far one of the most exciting ways to accumulate revenue and automated wealth with the right management.

Most of this can be automated because there are so many options to share and express our skills and talents through the online space and to place these skills into platforms, courses, videos, training etc.

But many do still fail. And the reason why is that they try so many things and don’t give one thing 100% focus.

 

Why do so many fail?  People get excited by their passion, but fail to start with a great plan and to work on that plan, but also get distracted by so many other ‘so-called’ opportunities to add extra money to their bank accounts, so fail at everything they attempt.

So is it all worth it?   It takes a certain kind of person to be able to run an online business, and one of the biggest issues is that too many people DO NOT treat it as a business.

Build a loyal following

When you start by giving value in order to gain some traction, you increase trust and begin building the rapport.

This way you can ultimately grow a successful enterprise and brand, and you can grow this loyal, trusted list of fans and followers.  In fact many of the biggest startups and companies in the world began by building a fan base and followers, through giving a service or product out in order to grow.

Once you have started increasing your loyal followers, you can start to offer more of your products/services.  And whilst you may not sell initially, you can begin to charge for certain things.  This is exactly what Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg did.

If this is an option it can be a very powerful way to build a solid foundation around your brand.

This enables your followers to learn to love you, trust you and over time invest in you, time and time again.

How can this work?

GROW THE LOYAL FANS INTO CUSTOMERS – They Know Like and Trust you and want to associate with your name.

REPEAT CUSTOMERS – They come back as they have built an emotional connection with you, thus want to connect with your brand. 

RETENTION – They will stick with you if you keep caring and delivering great value and great standards.  

REFERRALS – They will tell their friends/family etc. and this is essentially free marketing for you. 

People want AN EXPERIENCE and they are buying an experience.

For example – do you like Ferrari’s?  Imagine that you would love a nice cherry red one OK:  Now, You want to look at it, drive it and feel it. You want to smell the leather, feel the steering wheel, feel the speed, and smell the engine.

You don’t just want to stand there looking at it do you!   NO you want the full experience.  Customers want to feel good around what they buy into.

Have you ever ordered a Jacket online and you can’t wait to get it?  Sure!  You enjoyed the process of buying, and imagine wearing it, and looking a certain way.

When you walk into a bakery and it smells amazing, you wish to walk out with fresh tasty goods and maybe a coffee.

You want the business, company or industry to give you what you want and desire.

You want to feel special, appreciated and valued!

You might also want personal thank you’s, a quick delivery, care and attention and a follow up with emails thanking you.

No matter what you do or what your business does, your customers or clients need to be at the forefront of your mind.

Working Online – what are your real options?

There are many ways you can start to Work from home in a home based business or work online.

You could become a digital creator and marketer and an information publisher – but it all starts with researching the idea, having the right timing, knowing the right market conditions, and of course creating the right mindset.   

Here are a few other ways to start working online;

 

As a Web Cyber Security Expert (This is growing more and more with the need for powerful data security)

 

As an APP developer or startup founder (Apps are something we all use, so what might you create one in)

 

A course creator.  What do you know that you can share? (You will need an expert area to create content around)

 

A membership site owner. (Building a subscription model in a particular area such as dating or crafting recipes)

You name it and there is probably an online version of what is out there.

Starting on a shoestring

Start a WEBSITE or BLOG, get HOSTING, and market it.  With this you can use your laptop as a teacher, consultant, trainer, or writer, or train to become an expert in something, and you can become the brand.

Do you see yourself as a professional, expert, ‘go-to’ person in your niche or sector?

Can you effectively sell yourself?

The point I am making is that – here is one powerful way to start a micro business with very little!

A quick reminder: Ask yourself:

1. What are my core strengths and am I using them to their advantage?  = What have I been gifted with or become very good at?
2. What experiences, education, past, talents, skills might I be good at expressing? = What have I learned from life and business? 
3. What have I done in the past to help others such as family or friends in difficult situations? = When did I step up and do well?
4. Where are others complaining where I could be the ultimate solution? = What areas might have underserved gaps in the market?  
5. How might I be an ASSET where I can create VALUE in a market? = Where could I perhaps thrive and become a professional? 

Working online and making changes

The beauty of online work is that we may still be able to thrive regardless of what’s going on around us.

And we can even make a shift, change what we do, pivot, diversify or tweak our business model to stay relevant.

So it is quite an adaptable option.

Working online is great in that it is very flexible and allows us to move with the times, and make shifts in what we do and offer, and as I stated before; we can add or take away products or services if we wish to, and this is different to spending a great deal of money on physical products that may fail.  Do bear that in mind. 

Designing A Life

This is what I call designing a business and a life around you.   And this is the beauty of the opportunity with online working.  If we can see what value we can bring and we can deliver this effectively, we can eventually grow an online business from anywhere.  And we can do so to align with our lifestyle, time and work life balance.

But when others advertise to us that this is what they do, be mindful that the7 could be selling you a fake dream.

Trust your gut, use your intelligence and add your creativity, but do so carefully and thoroughly, and don’t fall for something that looks to good to be true.

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Working Online – get your business head on

My advice to you is to take notes, explore your options, and stay open minded as you discover the best fit for you. 

Whatever you are trying to accomplish you have to have a strong desire to succeed and a strong focus on your goals.

Get advice from seasoned experts, whom you might admire, and ask questions, as there is no cost to asking questions.

Read the books, listen to podcasts in the industry and study your craft, once you find what that might be.

working online

With the right tools and resources, work ethic and the right products and services for your core audience you can build your dream business.

It took me many years to define my craft, and this was not without failures and disappointments, ‘but’ I loved the failures, mistakes and challenges as they provided me with answers and solutions.

We can use everything we have learned as assets.

You don’t have to have a special of private education, be lucky or be in the right class or background, anyone can apply themselves with the right attitude and fire in the belly.   Just remember:

 NON STOP ACTION

CONTINUED LEARNING AND APPLICATION

ABILITY TO FOCUS EVERY DAY

ADAPT ADJUST AND EDIT

BE ABLE TO CHANGE WITH TIMES AND PIVOT RO DIVERSIFY

 

That is me a few years back in Barcelona, I wasn’t working there but a friend was!

 

Working online ‘is’ now becoming a way of life for many, could it work for you?

 

By 2020 there was more home workers and consultants than ever before, and digital space is now a must for most business operations, so there are plenty of opportunities now to work with other businesses, or to simply work for yourself and your own brand if you prefer.

I suggest you think strategically about your edge and how this can stand out in the marketplace or sector.

 

Tools and resources for Online Business and Working from home:

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All the very best with developing your ideas and working online.  Don’t forget to share here>  Working Online Tips - The Small Business Growth Blog Share on X

I wish you every success!

Greg

Working online