What Is The First Step For Starting A Successful Online Business?
Written by George Manty · January 29, 2008
What is the first step you should take when starting an online business?
Many of us (myself included) start our quest to make money online by reading about it. You will read about SEO, Internet marketing, making money on eBay, making money with affiliate marketing, and anything else you can find to help you make money online. You might buy one or more info products about making money online. Then after learning how to make money online for a while you will either:
- Purchase a web domain and start setting up the website to make money using the knowledge you have gained.
- Continue to read and read about Internet marketing and never take any action on your knowledge.
- Make a sound business plan and then take action on that plan to build a successful online business.
- Make a sound business plan and then NEVER take action on that plan.
Which of these paths do you think is the best way to get started online?
The answer, of course, is number 3.
3. Make a sound business plan and then take action on that plan to build a successful online business.
If you start trying to make money online without a plan then you will never know where you are trying to go. You might get there on accident, but it is better to have that defined up front. In other words, choice number 1 is not ideal, but it is MUCH better than choices 2 and 4.
With choice number 2 you gain knowledge but never use it. With choice number 4 you make a plan and never act on it. Neither choice 2 or 4 result in an actual online business being created. You would be surprised how many people follow paths 2 and 4.
YOU WILL NEVER MAKE MONEY ONLINE IF YOU DON’T TAKE ACTION!
If you are just starting out trying to make money with an online business, then the first thing you need to do is make a plan for success. Not just any plan, but a good solid plan based on YOUR strenghts, skills, needs, and desires.
In the next post in this series we will delve deeper into planning the online business of your dreams.
Yes, that’s really true! I’ve been reading different materials on “making money online” for over 2 years, and it helped me a lot in gathering the knowledge every online money-maker should know. Now I’m ready to start blogging and I have a real plan on how I will bring traffic to my blog. There is no success without a plan!
Its so true that you have to take action to make anything happen. Too many people think that it will just magically happen to their site and they’ll be making a boat load of cash overnight.
@MandS,
Great, now is the time to take action on your knowledge! All the best…
@Interwebhunt
Yep, so true.
I have found that procrastination really slowed my potential success down tremendously. Taking action NOW is the key to success. Working online is alot different from a regular job. You dont get paid a hourly wage but your efforts do pay off in the long run. The initial set up is the hardest.
Kree,
> Working online is alot different from a regular job. You dont get paid a hourly wage but your efforts do pay off in the long run. The initial set up is the hardest.
Very good points, that is why it is harder for people to stick with it. You don’t usually see an immediate payoff.
I always advocate that you start with education first and then jump in and try a few things that interest you to get the feel of things and to help you decide if that is really something you want to pursue further.
If you learn too much without doing or acting on the info, it’s wasted knowledge.
Get the knowledge, jump on it, start small
It reminds me the first time I searched regarding “residual income” in the internet almost 4 years ago. Honestly I didn’t took any action on it. It’s a regret on my part because I believe if I only took action I could be one among those enjoying residual income online this time. But last year I made a right decision taking it into action.
I’m happy to see that you have this kind of site helping newbies to have or start making money online.
Very solid pin point guide for beginners to start up the online business. Honestly, I also drowning in point 2 and 4. I don’t know why it is so easy to trap on that area. After read a lot from other success stories, the desire that we plan is should be a “MUST” to do. Then we can act on it.
Actually it is a very good site you have here. I have for three years searched on matters like this to aid me take the right descission, but I have found the answer to my quest. Making the right and solid business plan, and taking immediate action at once is the right descission, because you cannot move forward with only making a business plan, rather taking immediate action on it is the main point.
I can relate to 1, 2,and 4 of the steps. A long time ago I had great ideas and even created a website. I did some advertising through ads, or classifieds, but only had a few people that were interested in the product that I offered. I read and read until I couldn’t read anymore and gained so much knowledge, but had no real plan. And very little action. I was going space by space on the net seeing what I could do to no avail.
Today is a new start and I plan to plan out my business and act upon it this time without going space to space.
This article speaks the truth!. We need more of this on the web.
I just started my own blog to try and answer some of these questions and add clarity for everyone. I have book marked this site to help with my learning ( a never ending process).