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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business
Many people become solopreneurs by setting up a blog or website with the goal of eventually running their own successful online business. They want to sell products or services on their blog or website that either they created, or that were created by others and marketed via affiliate marketing. But you can’t just throw up a blog, sit back and think the orders will just start flooding in!
When first starting out, the road can be filled with dangerous curves. Around every corner a new challenge crops up that was unexpected yet must be dealt with. And because most solopreneurs, by very definition of the word, start out being one-person businesses, there isn’t anyone that can help you – you must go it alone.
Fortunately, many people before you have blazed the trail first, so through their knowledge, you can avoid making some of the same mistakes they made when they first started. Don’t worry though, there is still plenty of mistakes you can make on your own, but by avoiding these 5 mistakes below, you can make your road a little smoother!
Not Having a Plan
Many new to having their own online business jump into it without having a plan. Maybe they are just going to do it part-time to earn some extra money, so they put little thought into what the what, why and how of their new venture. This is a mistake – a plan can help you see success a lot more quickly!
The plan does not need to be a full-blown 20-page business plan like the one needed when starting a brick and mortar business and applying for business loans. But it does need to lay out in detail, your goal for the business, what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. So many people treat their blog or website as a hobby and because of it, never fulfill their expectations. If you want it to be a business, you must run it as one. If you run it as a hobby, that is all it will ever be – a hobby. And while it will make some money, it won’t anywhere near approach its full potential.
By treating your new venture as a real business, you have a plan laid out with your goal and a roadmap of how you are going to get there. Then it is just a matter of building it out according to your plan. But without a plan, you are going to waste a lot of time hitting roadblocks, going back and taking a different route.
