If you’re a happy dreamer who just wants to have their ears tickled, and be told how quick and easy everything is, then this isn’t the post for you.
This is for those willing to take some tough love to reach their online goals. It’s worth it, but you have to be willing to take it.
Recently I was asked this question from a webinar…
“Do I need to quit my job to start an online business?”
NO. No way. Don’t even think about doing it!
Whatever you do, don’t quit your job to start an online business.
First of all, you don’t need to. You can get started in your spare time. Hopefully you have some spare time.
If you work 12 hours a day every day of the week, then you might need to find someway to cut your expenses so you can drop the amount you’re working now. But that’s a totally different subject.
The very first goal for someone starting out is simply to earn their first dollar online. Make your first sale. Then move from there. The next goal should be to get a small part-time extra income, perhaps pay a car payment or your house payment.
Then push for the goal of replacing your current job income.
Once your online business consistently replaces your income, then it’s time to consider quitting that job.
And some people enjoy their jobs (don’t ask me how), so they keep it even then. The reality is then you have the option and the choice.
But this is a good first goal for an online business. It’s a much better goal than shooting for $1,000,000 income from day one….or even a $100,000 income if you currently only earn $25,000 a year (there are some mental issues to get over here in additional to building your business).
How long will it take YOU to get to this point?
I don’t know. I don’t know you well enough. I don’t know just how much committment and effort you would put into it. And I don’t know how your market will react.
So the only honest answer here is I simply don’t know.
What has been this answer for others? Again I don’t think that gives a good guide.
I personally got to that level very quickly. I’ve seen people buy a product and get there in a month, but that is NOT normal. Those are almost always unique circumstances (for example people with previous business experience reach success quicker from what I’ve seen).
Much more normal is 6 months to 2 years. Ouch. Did I just say that? Yes.
Can it be done faster? Of course…I did it faster and have seen others do it faster than me. But that seems more reasonable.
And some people don’t make it at all. Double ouch.
Wow…that’s not a pretty picture. but it is the reality.
A guaranteed income is called a job. If you work so many hours, you will get paid the agreed upon fee.
That’s NOT how business works. Business involves risk. One project may be a home run while another one fails. And still others hop along just barely worth the time.
Are you willing to do what it takes? Are you willing to put in the time? Are you willing to overcome the obstacles and frustrations which come?
Or do you want a guarantee job? Do those even exist anymore?
Here is another statement I know some people aren’t going to like.
Packaged business opportunities suck.
Notice I didn’t say business. I said “packaged business opportunities.”
A “packaged business opportunity” is when someone says, “Buy this…and here’s the kind of money you can earn without any work. No risk. Nothing left to chance.”
Every real business takes effort, application, and a little bit of creativity. You have the creativity you need already, but you have to use it.
Nothing is all packaged up…and automatic.
The closest thing to a real packaged business opportunity is a franchise. Do you realize how much a good franchise will cost you to get started?
I highly recommend you check out a few franchises sometime. Just looking into them will show you what is involved in running a business.
They don’t just hand you a manual and send you on your way…not for the fee you pay for them! They’re there to support you, help you pick the right location, and setup a real working business in your area (at least the good franchises are).
So what are these packaged business opportunities? Buy this set of websites and let money come in from them. No…no…no. People have been selling that the entire time I’ve been online. It doesn’t work.
Or buy this information product, and you’ll never need anything else. It’s the answer. No.
I’m continually educating myself and buying information products. I buy a lot of products personally even though I’ve done this for years. But I don’t buy “packaged opportunities.”
Everyone I’ve seen succeed online adds their own unique flair and twist to what they do. They get advice from others. They get feedback. They study possibilities, but they know their business success comes back to them….and the actions they take.
People for example don’t hire me as a coach to do it all for them. That would cost you way too much! What they’re hiring me for is to give them advice, point them in the right direction, and to help them overcome the obstacles that WILL COME in the way.
If it was as “easy” as some claim it is, no one would ever need to hire a coach or outside support.
That’s the reality of business. This isn’t a rah-rah cheerleading message, but it’s the message I wish I would have heard in the beginning.
Can someone make money online? Yes. Can they even do it quickly? Yes, it has happened and will happen again.
But you’re better off setting realistic goals and being willing to work toward them.
It’s similar to building a house. You had better count the cost of the ENTIRE house before you start building it. You don’t want to end up paying for a foundation and walls, and then running out of money being left with a mess.
It’s not as easy as some claim. But it’s also not my goal to make it sound too difficult.
I firmly believe if I could do it…build an online business…than almost anyone else can do it if they put in the effort and the committment.
Whether it’s easy or hard is simply based on how you look at it. I’ve done much harder things than build an online business. I’ve also done many easier things.
Feel free to leave your comment below…
