Many online business owners have a lot of trouble getting off the ground or keeping their business afloat. What makes one business thrive while another flounders? What makes two people who are running the same business so vastly different? The truth is, if you have a good idea, there is no reason why you cannot be successful. You simply need to know what the traits of a successful small business owner are, and then develop them within yourself.
* They Don’t Listen to Naysayers – There is always going to be people in your life who will tell you that your ideas suck. They’ll put road blocks in your way. They’ll make comments like “how are you going to do that and take care of the kids?” or, “How are you going to do that and work at your 8 to 6 job?” You have to ignore them and move along with the knowledge that you know how to research and do your due diligence before you act.
* They Offer Something Consumers Want – It’s much easier to offer your audience what they already want than to create something that you have to convince them that they need. To do this you have to know who your audience is, what their pain points are, and how to solve at least one of those pain points.
* They Conduct Research – Stop guessing about who your audience is and what they want. Know. You can know by conducting proper research into your audience. Then once you know what their pain points are, you can also know how to solve them. You’ll also know how to talk to them best to get them to want your solution.
* They Use Technology – There is a lot of online technology that you need to implement to ensure success. Autoresponders, automated bookkeeping, project management and more all exist now at reasonable prices to help your small online business work just like a big business with numerous employees.
* They Build Their Lists – To be successful online long term, the best thing you can do is focus on list building. When you build a list full of your targeted audience, you don’t have to worry as much about social networks going under, websites crashing, or algorithms changing. Instead, you can market directly to your audience whenever you want to.
* They Use Mixed Media Marketing – You need to use a mixture of types and forms of content. Use video, podcasts, articles, white papers, blog posts, infographics, memes, webinars, teleseminars and so forth to inform, engage, and teach your audience about your niche and your offerings.
* They Provide Value – One of the things you must do for your audience, customers and even the public in general is to provide value to them. A lot of what you provide may be free to everyone who can access it. But, then you will also have a call to action to ensure that they get more of what you’re offering.
* They Keep Learning – Because technology changes so quickly, it’s imperative that if you want a successful online business then you need to keep learning about the things that may change everything. There is killer technology right on the horizon that could finish off your business. But, if you learn about it you can prevent it by taking action on what you learn.
* They Get Help – No one is truly successful on their own. Everyone who is truly successful has surrounded themselves with smart business people who can help them with the things they are weak on or simply do not want to do. You can find contractors and even employees who will work virtually within your networks and on sites like Upwork.com.
* They Work Every Day – Well, maybe not every single day, but every work day, and during the time they’ve set aside to work on their business they do actions that make money. You have to do money-making actions every work day to ensure that you make money. Surfing the net is not a money-making activity.
If you want to be successful in online business, you need to learn to develop these skills. Identify what you’re missing and focus on making that one of your good features. If you’re a procrastinator, learn why and do something to stop it. If you have a good idea, conduct research before you launch and you won’t regret it.