When I started building an online business I couldn’t be certain whether it would be successful. After all so many people I’d spoken to had been trying for years to make money with no success. Other bloggers and many network marketers had put in the time, but had failed to achieve any kind of success.
I think what was different for me was I didn’t just follow a route that I’d learned about from some so called guru. I didn’t immediately determine a specific model that I was going to follow, instead I went on a journey of discovery acquiring a lot of knowledge through trial and error.
What I have discovered is incredibly obvious when you’ve actually done it. It’s such a pity that most people don’t get the opportunity to see the answers for themselves.
If you look at the way people used to do business. They found a market they had an interest and knowledge in. They would then find suppliers who could provide them with products that suited their niche. They would then open a retail shop and try to get people through their door. To do this last part they’d use a variety of marketing methods.
The centre of my financial earnings comes from ecommerce. In a nutshell I have a few online stores that sell specific products within my particular niche. These are my own websites. Building an online shop can be a time consuming task, at times it is frustrating and yes requires hard work, but once done it can be incredibly rewarding. To build a truly successful online business and particularly through an ecommerce shop you have to offer great products so building relationships with suppliers or manufacturers is an absolute priority. Build key partner relationships where you have your skills and talents to offer and they have their products, together you can exploit online opportunities.
We supplement our income using an existing online marketplace namely Amazon. To build a successful business here you have to show your professionalism and not resort to a ‘we’ll be the cheapest’ philosophy. Again there is a lot of work entailed if you want to make thousands, not hundreds, but again hard work here does pay off.
Then the power house in my mind of our entire online business is our blogs. I would say that because I assure you I still see myself as a blogger, and certainly not a shopkeeper. I love writing, and am passionate about the subjects which I write about. To me this is the heart of our entire business. Free quality content, providing solutions to problems is at the the heart of what a business needs to offer.
I see there being nothing better than building a successful online business where I share my passions and try to make the difference.
It certainly took time, patience and hard work to build my blog, and generate the type of traffic I receive nowadays, but the effort has certainly been worth it.
We frequently have people offering to buy advertising banner ads and text link ads, but this isn’t something we would do unless the company was somebody that we would personally recommend to a best friend. We avoid affiliate adverts like the plaque, its simply not our thing. As my business partner Neil would say, while do we work so hard to bring traffic to our site, and then allow someone to offer us a few pennies to take them away to their site.
Together with my blog and ecommerce shop I am fortunate to also being able to offer both coaching and consulting so helping other people achieve the success they so desire.
Keep the basics in mind when building an online business, you’ll have a far better chance of success than most who have tried before.
