Where is the Online Success Easy Button?!

I am perplexed as to why the assumption that succeeding online should be easy. I guess folks have bought into the hypey sales pitchy advertising of providers, consultants, developers and TV commercials whose only purpose is to get into their pocketbooks.

What dismays me even more is how often potential business owners throw their hard earned dollars at these programs (even though afterward they admit it sounded too good to be true)! I then hear the sob stories about all the problems that then ensued, the disappointments, the amount of additional work/expense/time that ended up being required when the “easy button” didn’t materialize on their desktop.

There are three basic reasons why one’s online business would produce failure or disappointment:

1. Lack of a solid work ethic. Ask any established online business owner who has produced a livable income online and you will find that in reality hard work is what got them where they are today. It is not uncommon for successful online business owners to work 10-12 hour days and weekends too. I still do after over 14 years in business! If you are starting part-time and have a day job; plan on working at least 5-6 hours after dinner and weekends, at least, to build a business that you can then be confident will support you full time.
2. Inability to embrace a perpetual learning curve. No way around this one folks. I still learn something new every day. If you are not open and willing to learn, and accept the frustration that will go with that, you shouldn’t open an online business. You’ll have to learn your server control panel, your e-commerce application, basic HTML and CSS won’t hurt, as well as other numerous and sundry applications, software and processes that will be initially foreign to you. Your mastering of all these elements will be crucial to your success.
3. No realistic budgeting effort or business viability due diligence. I’ve yet to run into a single client who had detailed budget. I’ve lost count of those thinking they can open a new unremarkable business where there are already millions of others established and doing the same.

   The most common responses I receive when I inquire about a budget: “I don’t have a budget…” or “I don’t have allot of money so…”. So, you probably shouldn’t start an online business until you have reviewed and determined your costs and expenses.

   You’ll have consultant/developer fees, server fees, advertising and PPC fees, application fees, merchant account fees, gateway fees, business cards, shipping/packaging materials, inventory, accounting software and/or fees, legal fees (Sole Prop, LLC, Inc.?) and the list goes on.

Another key to your eventual success is choosing your online partners wisely by not making your decisions based on the lowest price, effort, investment you can find. Just as with anything on or off-line you get what you pay for. And when it comes to the online business environment, you will get out of it proportionality what you put into it in time, effort and investment.

If you are being told/sold anything contrary to what I describe here, know it is hypey sales pitchy hooey.

Whether you are starting a brand new online enterprise or running an established business that isn’t meeting your expectations, there won’t be any “easy button” appearing on your desktop. But, if you plan wisely and make your decisions judiciously, while having a positive attitude based in reality — in a year or two you may discover success wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be.

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