7 Steps to quickly & easily start your very own home-based internet marketing business!
Congratulations, you’re finally taking action to create your very own internet marketing business! Finally, you will have the freedom and flexibility of working when you want, where you want, and whenever you want; while having the ability to make as much or as little money as you want, the possibilities are endless. These are all extremely exciting possibilities while starting your very own home-based internet marketing business!
However, now that you’ve decided to start your own internet marketing business, you might be wondering “How do I get started in building this business?” As a result, I’ve put together 7 easy steps to help you get your internet marketing business on the right track:
1.) Set up a separate working space in your home. It doesn’t matter if this is in your personal bedroom, in the your spare bedroom, or in the corner of your living room. The important thing is to have some space that you can designate as your own working area, where you will not be disturbed while working. This will give you the space and room you need to craft your dream and to create an ongoing home based income, online. I used to have an home office for this purpose, since, I’ve worked from home my entire 15 year career, however, due to the fact that my wife and I are about to have a baby, I had to move my office into my bedroom. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but I’ve been able to split my time between the bedroom office & the living room couch. It’s working great for now, but we’ll see how it goes once the baby is born. I might be camping out at the library or the Starbucks once he is here! 
2.) Stock you’re working space with materials. This sounds basic, perhaps, but one underlying element of success is that you have easy access to the tools, materials, and other resources you need. Gathering everything close by also keeps you from wasting time searching for it, so this step can be considered a time management strategy, too.I highly recommend that you take the time to get thoroughly organized for all of your stuff in your office, garage, computer, car, or anything else that you might use during your business building efforts. I can’t tell you how much time I have saved by simply getting organized. I learned this trick from my mother who is a secretary, and boy has her teachings really paid off for me during my career! Thanks Mom!
3.) Speaking of time management, your third step is to define the parameters of your business. What days and hours will you work? When & how will you market you’re business? When will you provide services or products to your clients? How will you keep all of this straight? (Note: There will be more to come on this in a later post )
4.) Balance action with planning. One of the most common pitfalls to newer entrepreneurs is getting too caught up in learning and not taking enough action; so be sure to “Plan your work, & Work your Plan!”. Stated another way, this means that you confuse “being busy” with “working on important projects.” The best approach is to plan your next couple of goals and then work backwards to create a step by step action plan to reach them. Once you have a plan, then it’s time to take action! In order to achieve this, I highly recommend that you purchase and use the Franklin Covey Planner to properly plan your days with, it is an extremely value tool, and something that I use each and every day to insure that I get things done in a timely manner.
5.) Network like crazy. One of the fastest ways to grow any business is to make connections with other people. Be sure to share your passion and enthusiasm with others at every opportunity. Let people know who you are and what you’re all about. Remember, people can’t buy if they don’t know you’re selling anything. (This is the salesman in me talking )
For example: Since I started my quest to build an internet marketing business, I’ve taken several classes both online & off, gone to meetup.com group meetings, attended WordCamp seminars, taken classes at the University of San Francisco, and have even purchased a couple of courses on “How to Start an Internet Business”. As a result, I have started to build up a network of people that I can go to for advice, recommendations, and even council on whatever problem or issue I might be dealing with. It has truly paid off! I have come a long way since I began this journey, and I give most of the credit to Jason Van Orden & Jeremy Frandsen at the Internet Business Mastery Academy… a highly recommended course!
6.) Present a professional image! If you want to be treated professionally, you have to create a professional image. Set up a corporation for your business at Legal Zoom & a separate business bank account. Install a separate phone and fax line (I would use Google Voice for the phone & eFax for the fax number). Create professional looking marketing materials that is consistent throughout all marketing mediums (I would hire a Professional Graphic Designer for this, and I recommend Shannon Smith at Appetite for Design, she is marvelous!). Be courteous and pleasant in all of your customer interactions (This goes without saying, you have to be polite, professional, and responsive on your follow up). Basically, be someone that people want to do business with. This is crucial in branding your business, and building the trust and credibility with your prospects and customers. I mean think about it, you wouldn’t want to do business with someone who doesn’t call you back, doesn’t do good work for you, or is a pain in the arse to deal with… I wouldn’t!
7.) Automate your business as much as possible. Granted, you are just one person (right now) and might have a lot of extra time to take care of all the details. This might work for now, but won’t work in the future as you get busier and busier. It’s best to set up automatic systems and processes right from the start to free up your time to concentrate on the most profitable activities. Now, I realize this might sound harder than it actually is, when I first got started, I was extremely confident in my abilities to learn & do it all myself… boy was I WRONG! The truth is that it took me forever to try and learn each new skillset, and I lost my focus on the original tasks.
In essence, I was spinning my wheels, and getting nowhere!
Finally, I decided to hire a few virtual assistants that I found on www.VAnetworking.com that specialized in various tasks such as graphic design, WordPress design, general VA duties, and finally ghost writing. Yep, I even hired a ghost writer, and I’ve learned so much from dealing with each of them, that I find myself needing them less & less, however, I still leverage them on an as needed basis, so that I can use my time to keep moving the business forward. The bottom line is this; you need to gauge what your time is worth, what your budget is, and how much time you want to spend in building your internet marketing business! I believe that if you put the numbers together, you’d find that it’s a much smarter business decision, to outsource wherever possible.
I’ll leave you with two quotes:
1.) Know your strengths & weaknesses; leverage your strengths, & outsource your weaknesses!
2.) Work Smarter, Not Harder!
These simple tips should help you get your internet marketing business off to a smooth start (and growing) in the right direction!
Resources mentioned in this blog post:
P.S. Please feel free to forward this blog post to your friends!
To Your Success Online,
Tony Websmith
Internet Marketing Professional, Coach, & Consultant
Websmith Marketing, Inc.
“Teaching you how to start a profitable internet marketing business!”
http://www.websmithmarketing.com
GOT A QUESTION, COMMENT, OR SUGGESTION?
Call me at 424-254-9893 or shoot me an email on my “Contact Us” page
Sign up for our free e-newsletter & you’ll receive our free e-book “Stop Chasing the Carrot!”
Simply click here to be taken to our newsletter sign up page!
Don’t forget to:
Follow us on Twitter! | Like us on Facebook! | Watch us on YouTube! | Pin us on Pinterest!
Disclaimer: Please note, that I may or may not be compensated a small affiliate commission, if you were to use the links mentioned on this website. I would greatly appreciate it if you did use these links; however, you are under no obligation…
