4 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Online Business.
This is a great read. This is very much in line with what we hear from some of our new customers on a regular basis when they first come to us.
Jennifer Trask:
They say experience is the best teacher and indeed it is. But sometimes you can learn a few things from those who came before you. Reflecting back, here 'What I wish I knew when I started my business:
1. Learn How To Get Quality Leads Quickly (Hint: You Will Need A Website)
I spent a lot of time learning a lot of skills that would help me, but I failed to really understand lead generation and turning leads into clients. That is a skill that I really wish I had taken more seriously. Looking back, I was learning some of it, but I wasn't putting it fully into action. So, learn how to get leads in your business and then take massive action on it. A website is crucial to generate leads. It will be your single most important marketing tool if done right so don't leave this part of your business to a friends or somebody who does it for cheap. A business is not a business without customers or a website, which is effectively your virtual store/business front.
2. Your Email List Size Does Matter - Build It Now
I think I've heard almost every internet marketer say this and I have to admit, I'm in the category here as well: I wish that I had taken list building more seriously in the earlier years.
Your email list is critical to your long term success. Even more important than social media. So start building it now, and get really, really good at it because the size of your list and the relationship you have with it will determine the success of your online business.
If you are selling something to 50 ideal clients, you are going to sell more to 500 ideal clients by sheer statistics. Get the numbers working in your favour by learning how to build your list and Newsletter subscribers now.
3. Knowing When To Say No Is Just As Important As Knowing When To Say Yes
Your time is the most precious resource you have as you don't get any of it back as it passes. Therefore, knowing how to spend it is an invaluable skill. Being able to be super clear about what you want, where you are going and the fastest path to get you there is an incredible asset.
This means knowing what to say yes to and what to say no to. It also means knowing when to quit something. Often times, as the typical over-achiever in most entrepreneurs, we try to grind something out until the very end, even though it continues to not work for us.
I've learned the hard way that knowing when to let go of something (like a relationship that is good on paper but not in reality), is a skill that you want to learn ASAP because you can then move on to spending time on something that will get you closer to where you want to go.
4. Don't Forget To Have Fun
When you are focused day after day trying to build your business, it can get a little too serious. Don't forget to have fun. It's easy to get lost and let weeks go by without much social interaction from hiding behind your computer screen. But the journey of building a business is just that, a journey. Don't miss it by always staying home behind the screen. Make time for the people you care about, network and be with other entrepreneurs and maybe even go to a co-working space a couple of times/week. Enjoy the process of building your business because if it isn't fun, it isn't worth spending all of your time doing.
Starting your own business can be a lonely and challenging process. We are here to help. At Suite Apps we provide general business consulting, logo and website design, marketing collateral, online CRM and list building solutions.
