Mistakes I Made in Starting My Online Business

Starting My Online Business was Fraught with Mistakes

In the fall of 2005 I decided to leave my life as a classroom teacher and real estate appraiser behind and start a new life. I had been learning about entrepreneurship on the internet for the good part of a year and the timing felt right for me. My primary concern was that I had no background or experience as an entrepreneur and didn’t even know anyone who had started a business online. Starting my online business changed everything about how I thought I could achieve.

Instead of allowing this to hold me back, I moved boldly forward in an effort to make up for what I lacked as a businesswoman with my infectious enthusiasm. This worked to some extent, until I hit the wall thirty days in and realized I was over my head as an new online entrepreneur.

I did recover from the early mistakes I made and went on to replace my previous income of about 150K a year working as a teacher and in real estate part-time within 18 months. But this was only possible because I was aware of some serious mistakes and missteps and turned it all around so that I could achieve the level of success I was dreaming of by working online.

The World of Online Marketing Leads to Entrepreneurship

When I discovered the world of online marketing I was excited at the possibilities. The idea of working from home on my desktop computer, or from anywhere in the world from a laptop was simply too wonderful to be ignored. The thought of being an entrepreneur was exciting and just what I needed at that time to change and reinvent my life. In retrospect I know that I made three distinct mistakes in starting my online business. I’m going to share these with you here so that your experience and road to success will be faster, easier, and certainly more profitable in record time. Let’s get started.

Starting My Online Business Forced Me to Focus on Something I Loved 

The first mistake I made was in not realizing the value and importance of becoming a writer. I was someone who had wanted to be a serious writer since I was in elementary school. I dreamed of sharing my stories with others in written form. Yet I did little or no writing over the years unless it was required for a class I was in or for a job I had been hired to do. Even during my twenty years as a classroom teacher, where I was teaching writing to students from Kindergarten through high school, editing their writing, and encouraging them to write daily I’m embarrassed to admit did not write very often.

When I arrived online in the spring of 2006 I it was evident right away that writing was going to be crucial to my success. I began by writing two hundred fifty word blog posts, publishing them first to my blog and then to the articles directories that were prevalent at the time. It wasn’t easy, but I kept going. Then I challenged myself to write one hundred articles in one hundred days. I didn’t do that… I wrote all one hundred articles in only 78 days!

Once I got myself into the habit of daily writing there was no stopping me. I expanded the length of my articles, first to three hundred and then to five hundred words. I put together short reports based on my blog posts and articles. Soon I was selling these and my income increased. And just a short time later I published my first full length book, based on fifty of my blog posts around the topic of relationship marketing.

Outsourcing Paved the Way for My Success

Secondly, I made the mistake of thinking I could do everything by myself. When someone early on suggested I hire a virtual assistant I explained that I didn’t have money to pay anyone else to help me. I did not understand the value of having people help me get my business up and running and I certainly didn’t value my time. Many days I would spend more hours than I had as a classroom teacher engaged in tasks and activities that were clerical and technical in nature.

One day the bright light shined on me and I figured out that I could lots more money by only doing the four things I loved and was good at doing, and paying others to do the rest. I asked people I knew for recommendation. Also, I was meeting people at live events where I was speaking or attending and many outsourcers of all types were there as well. Soon I had put together a small team and my business was growing exponentially.

The World of Online Marketing Begins with Relationship Marketing

The third mistake I made could have been a fatal one, had I not caught it in time and made some changes. I’m an introvert and prefer to be alone more than in the company of others. I assumed that I could work at home, alone in front of my computer and build a profitable business. It wasn’t working. Instead of resisting I began reaching out to others and connecting with people on the internet.

These days I count these people as some of my best friends and colleagues and could not imagine my world without them as a part of it. Doing business is easier, more fun, and definitely more profitable when you do it with and alongside of other like-minded individuals.

So these are the three mistakes that held me back, as well as the actions I took, obstacles I overcame, and strategies I embraced to make sure I could build and grow a business that would be both lucrative and satisfying. 2006 was a long time ago, yet it seems like just yesterday when I was starting my online business.

Starting My Online Business Changed My Life – You Can Do This as Well

The world of online marketing is one in which you are able to work from home, or from wherever in the world you happen to be. Starting my online business changed my life in a way I previously could not have imagined. Once I identified and got past my mistakes around how I thought about writing, outsourcing, and networking my world expanded and I truly became a successful online entrepreneur. I’d love to help you to do the same. Let’s connect and see how we may work together so that you may achieve your dreams and goals.

I’m bestselling author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.