So all you have to do is have something to sell, put up a website, and the money will come flowing in!?
There are all those benefits to starting a business online, why wouldn't you join the ranks of people succeeding online?
Right?
Well...hold on...now I have to rain on your little parade:
97% of online businesses fail.
Sorry.
According to Joe Stewart’s blog entry, Internet Network Marketing, most people who try to make money online will not make any money at all, aka, they will fail. In light of this, the first step in starting a successful online business is recognizing the fact that you may not succeed on your first attempt, or maybe at all, but that’s no reason not to try. Instead, you should just be more certain that you are starting out right—and not with the unrealistic expectations that many online sites and pictures propagate!
Joe explains that the problem of online business failure is a result of people expecting to get a high return for minimal work…but that’s not the case at all. Running an online business takes a lot of hard work and dedication—and you won’t make a name for yourself overnight. In fact, you may not see the results of your work for 6 months or even a year…it takes time to get noticed on the massive world of the Internet.
Joe also says that starting an online business because you NEED the money is a bad idea—
"One of the worst things you can be, when you start an internet network marketing business, is desperate. If you need that first sale as soon as possible because you need the money, it'll never come. The people that make all the sales are the ones who don't care if they get the sale or not (because they make so much money anyway)."
This is why Joe says having both a steady income (day job) and time to commit to your online selling every day is essential to online success.
In his article, The Best Internet Home Business Tip You Will Ever Discover, another online business aficionado, Michael Tasker, further emphasizes the continual work that online selling requires:
"The need to test, adjust, trial, create and continually market are challenges that need constant attention. You have to put in the effort, work hard and keep at it. Accepting this will result in a solid plan to create, build and profit from your information marketing business."
Those interested in starting online businesses need to have an understanding of the work that is involved in starting an online business and the means to accomplish the necessary work. Starting an online business should be handled like any like any other “real” entrepreneurial venture, just as if you were starting a “real” business.
With that in mind, what does it take to be an entrepreneur?
Scott Walker’s article on Entrepreneur Corner outlines three main characteristics:
1. Guts--The entrepreneur world is not for the timid. You have to have the guts to pull the trigger, to do what it takes to succeed. Most people just talk; few execute.
2. Desire--Great entrepreneurs make their venture the number one priority in their life; in short, they become obsessed.
3. Passion--Great entrepreneurs really love what they’re doing and believe they have found their calling.
Still think you have what it takes to succeed as an online seller? If you haven’t been deterred, stay tuned to hear about the ways you can start up your very own online businesses!
I love how causally you talk about a topic that can, in all honesty, seem very dry and uninteresting. Your conversational tone transformed the topic into one that I was interested in knowing more about, where as normally I would just think to myself “well I’M not starting a business online ever…so?” SO that was just delightful.
ReplyDeleteYour style provides you with a kind of credibility. If someone is able to talk nonchalant about entrepreneurialism and even make it fun, that shows a level of expertise you can’t find in any ‘ole guy on the street.
The only thing I would say is there was a little bit of inconsistency in that comfortable tone. When you provide Joe Stewart’s thoughts on new online business owner, it jumps from your upbeat confrontation to online entrepreneurs to a more length one. If there is any way to break up that, keep it in touch with how you sound that would just top it all off lovely!
Very interesting topic, I liked how you brought the reader in by starting off with a question, very intriguing, made me want to continue reading. I also thought that your writing flowed nicely and that your incorporated the links to the articles well within the blog. The picture also seemed to fit well and wasn’t too distracting.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest referencing authors by their last name after the first reference, just a journalism trait I picked up, I think it also is a more professional way of referencing someone rather than just saying Joe said. Something to keep in mind for future posts.
I really like where you are going with this blog and can’t wait to keep reading it.
Some suggestions for future blog topics that I can think of include are as follows:
A post about Ebay and other online structured businesses. My dad has worked solely off Ebay for the past 6 years.
Also a post on creating your own websites to promote a product or a skill such as being a freelance writer would be another interesting topic to consider.
Keep up the good work!
This is a very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I remember reading in Wired about the Dot-co burst was that very few of the businesses succeeded, and that was because they didn't have a business plan. I think that would be something you should address in a future article - now I've got my online business up, what am I going to do with it?
Also is the list at the bottom of your post directly from the linked site? if it is, You should just use the three things he talks about, and let the link say the rest.
Does running a business from another retailer - selling "used" on Amazon, for example, count for this? It would be interesting to see how selling for a big retailer would change things, if if would at all.
This is really great and very interesting post.The blogs are explain how we get failure in internet marketing and also how to get increase our business.I like this is great discussion.
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