|
So you have been working at
your online business for nine months, a year, or maybe two. You have
learned a lot but sometimes feel the most important thing you've learned
is how much you don't know. You are seeing some return on your efforts,
but not nearly what you expected. At times you consider leaving it all for
a "normal job," but you hang on because you value your independence so
highly.
A twist in perspective
If this describes you, perhaps you are a candidate for a twist in
perspective. Why not consider leveraging the knowledge you have gained in
your business development efforts to supplement your business income? What
exactly am I talking about? I am suggesting you look for niches where the
skills you have already learned could be marketed effectively while you
continue to grow both your knowledge and your business.
Not for everyone
What I am describing here isn't for everyone, certainly. The transition
from marketing a product to marketing yourself can be difficult or
impossible for some. But if that isn't an insurmountable hurdle to you,
consider what you know now that you didn't when you started your business.
Taking the "do it all yourself" case, you probably have skills in website
development, website maintenance, web content writing, sales page copy
writing, classified ad copy writing, autoresponder use, general e-mail
marketing techniques, search engine optimization, and more. Of course, you
shouldn't tackle website development for someone else unless you have a
really good handle on a program like FrontPage or Dreamweaver, plus some
skill in other areas like Flash.
Leave it to the experts?
But I'm not an expert in any of those areas,
I can hear you saying. I'm not suggesting you try to pass yourself off as
someone you are not. The point is, you have achieved a level of skill in
certain areas that others may be willing to pay for. Yes, there are
experts in each of the areas noted above and they offer their services,
generally at very high prices. You, on the other hand, may be in a
position to offer less-than-expert services for less-than-expert prices,
but still provide good value to your customers. There are always others
aspiring to start or expand their business, but realize they need
knowledge in some areas they haven't yet learned. If you seek out these
individuals and honestly but effectively present your capabilities, you
may find a profitable niche business that you never considered possible.
Who would want my
services?
I would suggest you look in two general areas. One is purely online
business owners that are just getting started and feel overwhelmed at all
the different areas of knowledge they need to master. The other is small
businesses (home-operated or brick and mortar) that need a website to make
that business grow.
How do I find them?
You may be surprised how many opportunities you may encounter during your
normal daily routine, once you start looking for them. To actively search
for them, here are some suggestions:
-
Advertise on your own
website
-
Advertise in ezines or other
normal advertising venues
-
Search for regional websites
and businesses. Start by going to Google.com and entering the name of your
city.
-
Look for individuals and
businesses needing help on sites such as Sologig.com and
CreativeMoonlighter.com.
-
Simply talk to everyone you
know!
Why compromise my independence?
The biggest hurdle to pursuing these kinds of projects may be your fierce
independence, which drove you to start your own business in the first place.
But consider this, you can still work from home and generally have some
flexibility in the schedule of work you do. And one thing more, you may find
some added discipline in delving into some areas that you wouldn't have on
your own. Here's where the leveraging comes in - in completing these
projects you will be getting paid not only for what you know, but for what
you are learning in the process!
Glenn Gordon
Building Success Online at
http://www.ur-in-business.com
The Ultimate Autoresponder Guide at
http://www.allaboutautoresponders.info
BusinessBuilder Newsletter at
http://www.businessbuildernewsletter.com
This article contains 662 words and may be freely reproduced as long
as the resource information above is included.
|