| They say that inspiration, and 'ah-ha' moments, | | | | begun. And that's a sure fire way to shoot |
| strike in the strangest circumstances sometimes. I | | | | yourself in the foot. |
| never would have guessed that it would be whilst | | | | So, the first thing you really need to do is find out |
| watching Australian Idol, however. Nonetheless, I | | | | what you need for the journey. For an online |
| found some very good examples in the | | | | home business, the foundation is a website, |
| contestants that represented what it takes to | | | | irrespective of whether you are going to create |
| get over the line in a home business. And in some | | | | your own information products, sell hard goods, |
| contestants - what still needs to be overcome if | | | | other people's products, or make money from |
| you want to set up a successful business online, | | | | advertising. |
| or take it to the next level. | | | | With your own website, you have a way to build |
| Australian Idol this year moved away from just | | | | credibility with your visitors through great content. |
| plucking contestants out of their suburban living | | | | You can collect email addresses to market to |
| rooms with nothing but a dream. Sure, they were | | | | later. You can offer courses, and use it as a |
| still after contestants with dreams. But they | | | | platform to sell products (and of course, host |
| wanted people to have some musical experience, | | | | advertising). The website is the means through |
| and preferably, some industry experience. Whilst | | | | which you can garner traffic, and pre-sell that |
| the internet is not so structured, with a panel of | | | | traffic. It means that even if you sell other |
| judges deciding whether you will make it to the | | | | people's products, you still have a business - |
| next round, in many ways this still reflects the | | | | you're not just a 'salesperson'. And that capacity |
| fact that the competition has gotten stronger | | | | to build a relationship with your visitors through |
| online. | | | | content make content driven websites a lot |
| There are millions and millions of websites, all | | | | easier to start with than mini-sites, which require a |
| competing for similar keywords. The level of | | | | more specialized marketing knowledge to make |
| search engine optimization has changed, becoming | | | | successful. |
| more sophisticated. Generally, results from organic | | | | A website is not the only thing you need |
| search take longer to trickle through - and in | | | | however. But it is an essential beginning. |
| some cases, unless significant link building work is | | | | Once you've got your website, commitment and |
| done, all that remains is a trickle. | | | | expectations become more important to manage. |
| In short, it's not as easy as it was to build a | | | | The internet still offers a way to become |
| successful work from home business online. Does | | | | profitable more quickly than a regular, offline |
| that mean it's impossible? Absolutely not! In fact, I | | | | business - especially for the inexperienced person |
| would go so far as to say it still represents a | | | | starting from home. Yet, because of all the |
| relatively easy mountain to hike. | | | | advertising, and our own natural impatience, we |
| That may seem like a contradiction, but it's | | | | tend to want results fast. We even forget that |
| actually not. What brings the equation from | | | | we are actually still learning, and this is a business |
| 'impossible' to 'relatively easy' is knowledge and | | | | environment like any other. The same rules apply. |
| commitment. And expectations. When you're | | | | And if we don't know those rules, then how can |
| looking at the mountain, and you've never been | | | | we realistically expect the same results that the |
| hiking before - or even driving through that neck | | | | online equivalent of a Fortune 500 company has. |
| of the woods - it's going to seem harder than it | | | | By managing our expectations, identifying what |
| is. Not only do you have no idea of the way to | | | | needs to be learnt to take the next step (and not |
| proceed, you don't even know what you're really | | | | the next 8th step, which at this stage would be |
| going to expect on the trail. That can lead to | | | | irrelevant), and by making a commitment to |
| projecting all sorts of your own limitations and | | | | follow through on what needs to be done, we can |
| fears onto the journey before you've even | | | | turn that 'impossible' into 'easy' in no time. |