STARTING AN ONLINE BUSINESS: 5 MYTHS DEBUNKED
I’VE HEARD FRIENDS, CLIENTS, AND ACQUAINTANCES TELL ME SO MANY REASONS BEHIND WHY THEY DON’T THINK THEY CAN START AN ONLINE BUSINESS.
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- It’s too hard. It’s not easy.
- I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t have a degree/certification in marketing or business.
- I don’t have the money.
- I don’t have the time.
- I’m scared… I’m not __________ enough. (“Enough,” that elusive word.)
It’s time to debunk those myths and tell yourself You Can Do It and start an online business.
Thank to our online world, anyone can start an online business selling something they love to make, teaching people how to improve their lives, or even just writing about their life tips, home projects, or products they love that have helped them.
READY TO GET STARTED AND START YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS? READ ON AND KICK THOSE MYTHS OUT!
MYTH #1: I DON’T HAVE THE MONEY.
So, you’re wondering how you can start an online business without the capital to get started?
Ok, we’re going to nix this one from the get-go. These days, you do not need a lot of money to start an online business. If you’re planning on opening a brick-and-mortar storefront or you have an entire business plan (think Shark Tank!) for a complicated product you need an entire supply chain to produce, well then, you’ll need investors.
But if you’re starting an online business, meaning, the sale happens online, the work is found online, the transactions happen online, then you do not need a lot of money to get started.
Your website, blog, landing page, or even simply social channel will be your virtual “home.”
Yes, eventually you’ll want to open a virtual mailbox, set up a domain for an email address or site, pay for some tools/subscriptions, and outsource… but you can get started right here, right now.
If you want/need a website, blog, or portfolio (or all three!), there are free options and really low-cost options. If you want to simply utilize a social channel, well then, you probably already have it created.
So, do not let this get in your way. There are ways to get started, and build from there. Getting started right away–even if it’s not in the way you’d imagine at first–is the most important!
You’ll learn as you go, and develop your brand, offerings, services, processes, all the things… as you’re creating! It makes it all a lot more clear.
Then, you can utilize the money you’re making from your business later, to start investing in more of the things you want to be doing.
My suggestion to you? Make a list of your investment dreams and big ideas, and then tuck it away somewhere for safekeeping.
MYTH #2: I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING WELL ENOUGH TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS.
So, you feel like you’re starting an online business with no experience?
Ok, I want you to think back to the days of library research or encyclopedias. (I’m a millennial, but it was required to learn how to research at a library, and set up notecards and citations for a term paper when I was in school.)
If you’re not my millennial age, then please simply imagine a long number or book title, and wandering through rows and rows of books to find the right one, only then to find the right page, to find the right fact…. you get the point.
I love and respect libraries. I also love and respect the internet. With the internet, everyone and anyone can learn anything and everything. And the library typically provides you access to it if needed and available to you.
If there is anything you do not know how to do, you can trust that there is a video, blog post, or TikTok even about it if you’re short on time.
You can look to others or join Facebook Groups or local business events to learn more.
As you develop, you can invest in courses or workshops as needed to help you start your online business.
The point is…You. Can. Learn. It.
You’ll find most things are quick instructions or steps that you’ll Google, and execute away on. And the amazing thing about this, is the more you do, the more you’re working that muscle. For me at least, the more I learn about doing something (anything) and the more ways I learn how to do it, the less dark that room feels, and the more I can feel out the space and how to move in it even better.
And the more content you start to consume, the more you’ll be served that content in your day-to-day on your digital devices. This will also help you.
MYTH #3: I DON’T HAVE THE TIME.
Maybe you’re starting an online business while working full time.
Here’s an interesting one. You see a lot of people starting their businesses as side hustles, next to their full-time jobs right? You also see a lot of moms, starting businesses on maternity leave or once their kids are already grown. (If you’re a mama and you haven’t heard of Emily Norris; please go watch this video about how she got started. She’s an influencer vs. a specific business provider, but there are SO many mamas out there and she’s just one of them.)
And here’s the kicker: you will do what you need to do to get the results that you want in the time that you have.
When you have a kid’s birthday coming up, sometimes you’re striving to the last minute to get some fun things done. Or, you’re jamming on the last day to get the gift bags made and snacks prepped because you couldn’t do it a week early, right?
And you find the time. You make it happen.
You prioritize, and you do what you need to do to get the results you want.
And I’m going to be super honest here… you may not start out seeing the results you want to see in the time that you have, especially if you’re limited on time.
But every single thing you do toward growing that business is a stepping stone. You are learning something. You are stretching that muscle, and you are practicing this new process in this new space. You’re building out new ways of doing things.
So I want you to do this. I want you to look at your calendar, and look at any space you may have. Even just 10 minutes of space.
If it’s only after the kids go to bed, then that’s fine. Block that in, write it down. Give yourself a visual reminder that you wanted to spend that time on starting your online business.
SOME QUICK IDEAS TO GET STARTED BUILDING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE TIME:
- Record yourself chatting about ideas on the way to school pickup.
- Listen to podcasts or how-to YouTube videos while washing dishes, driving, or cleaning the house.
- Carry a notebook or use your notes app to jot down ideas and thoughts, so you can execute later and forget about spending time recalling.
And if you only have 5 minutes here or there? That’s fine. Give yourself that brain space to think in those five minutes. You’ll find it’s very rare that we use our spare time to think, plan, ideate vs. doing, and that time is JUST as important.
MYTH #4: I’M SCARED. I’M NOT _____ ENOUGH.
Oh that word, enough. If successful people didn’t think they were enough to start their online business at the get-go, they wouldn’t be where they are today.
You don’t need to already have the beautiful office, live in a certain place, look a certain way, have a certain lifestyle, or have a certain degree… etc. to do anything.
And that fear–once you realize that you are enough and however you find success in whatever time, you will confidence.
Your confidence will outshine your fear.
Because if you are confident in what you are doing, you’ll see that there is absolutely NO reason to not try… what do you lose? You’ll lose a little time, sure, but you were learning, creating, trying.
Everything in life takes time and effort. If it’s worth the time in the first place to you, then go for it.
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
— Mark Twain
MYTH #5: IT’S TOO HARD TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS. IT’S NOT EASY TO START AN ONLINE BUSINESS.
Of course it’s hard–isn’t everything worth it in life. On the same topic of time… it’s all a balancing scale of how worth it it is to you. If it’s worth it enough, it’ll be okay that it’s hard.
You’ll get inspired to trudge on when you hit a roadblock or tap into your passion and original why when you’re feeling a bit low about it (because you will have those days).
Here’s my suggestion to you:
Write down your why. And remember it. Put it in a post-it note, or schedule reminders in your calendar to have the words pop up if it’s helpful.
And also write down your achievements as you go. This will help you remember, “hey, I did that hard thing on X day… and now, I can do this, too.”
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT! GET GOING AND GET STARTED. STEP BY STEP, YOU’LL SEE THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT. AND IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, YOU KNOW HOW TO REACH ME.
