Cyber Flopping!

Do you want the bad news about starting a new online business first, or the good news?  The bad news is that you have a great deal to learn.  The good news is that it’s fun and that much of the basic information can be found inexpensively or even free.  The bad news is that many of the sites that you will come across are scams (at worst) or not credible.  The good news is that you’ll be able to tell the difference sooner than you think.

One sensible way to start your e-business education is to find a reputable course with the fundamentals of starting online.    As long as you are diligent in following the lessons and applying what you learn as you go, that will get you well on your way toward distinguishing between the scams and the legitimate offers, between the metaphorical wheat and the chaff.

You will discover that the reality of starting your business will fall somewhere between the extremes of the unscrupulous types who tell you that you can work half an hour per week in your pajamas and retire in a year and the other extreme of thinking it is an impossible task, as you may be thinking now.  Yes, you’ll need to get organized.  You must structure your time efficiently, and don’t forget about life’s priorities along the way (like family, your ethical standards and enjoying what you do).

Browse related topics (those you learned about in your short, hopefully free, course) on article directories, like A1Articles.com or EzineArticles.com.  Consult blogs that you deem to be trustworthy.  Find information about keyword research, business niche selection, design of online business sites and other such related topics.

Don’t rush out to buy anything, yet.  The next step is to sit down with some paper and pencil.  From the list of things that need to be done in starting your business, decide what you find interesting and and what sounds so boring that you would rather outsource the tasks.  Don’t worry, you can learn to do anything on that list.  Simply decide whether you want to invest your available funds in learning resources or in labor to actually perform each task.

Now it’s time to spend money.  If you find yourself tempted to buy an instructional product that you find, say a course on affiliate marketing or a set of videos about search engine optimization, hit your pause button.  Instead of following your impulse to buy now, do these:  1) Add the web page to your favorites list so that you know you can find your way back to it later.  2) Put on a pair of “critic’s glasses.”  Analyze the structure of the sales page that you found so convincing.  At some point in the not too distant future, you want to become a copywriter as skilled as the one that had you reaching for your wallet.  Then, find a lot more products in the same category, so that you can later compare the alternatives.

I impose a mandatory three day waiting period before I buy something I’ve just found.  That gives me time to consider it rationally, removing myself from the emotional responses elicited by the well presented offer.  If I still think that I have found the best solution for my needs after that three day period, I use the bookmark to find the right page, buy the product and get to work absorbing the material.

Beware!  Buying can make you feel good, but your new purchase does you no good unless you use it, and using it means implementing the strategies that you learn about or the procedures for which the software was designed.  In other words, you must act!