Its quite normal to feel a bit anxious when thinking of delving into the world of online businesses but there\u2019s really no magic to it. A lot of businesses these days have an internet side, at least the lock-downs opened the eyes of many to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless you\u2019re building a Platform As A Service (PAAS) or Software As A Service (SAAS), all you\u2019re really doing is pushing your offline business to more markets online; nothing strange about trying to get more customers is there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can assure you that its not going to be all green lights down the road of entrepreneurship so waiting for everything to be \u2018right\u2019 means you\u2019ll never start. Your tools depend on the nature of business but ensure to setup your work space first. Let\u2019s look at a few things to help get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless you take out time to acquire a reasonable level of skill, all you\u2019ll be doing is advertising your incompetence. You don\u2019t have to be a guru to start, a solid foundation would do. Take an online course or serve as an intern \/ apprentice if you have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider doing a few free jobs to boost your confidence and skills because all the books and videos in the world are of little use without hands-on experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I find the idea of \u2018doing what you don\u2019t like so that you can have the money to do what you like\u2019 quite reasonable in the real world; I have my reservations though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think its important you like or enjoy what you do to a healthy extent. You\u2019re bound to encounter obstacles, droughts and valleys on this journey, a passion is one of those resources that help you weather the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should however mention that all the passion in the world won\u2019t help you unless you somehow convert it into skills; whether yours or someone you bring onboard. Skill and passion are
inseparable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I agree that a bad workman blames his tools, I think you need good tools nonetheless. They don\u2019t have to be top of the shelf , just good enough to get you going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One blocker is the price tag of tools you\u2019ll need to \u2018begin\u2019. A way around that is to start smaller than you always dreamed \/ imagined ; its way more practical. Start off with fewer products \/ services then scale with income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think carefully before taking a loan to start your business. Starting out is when you\u2019re most prone to making rookie mistakes, and it’s just better that you do that with your savings than a loan, unless you\u2019re cool with being embarrassed or hassled by your creditors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think you should also be wary of chasing investors early in your business. Chances are that you\u2019ll be under immense pressure to deliver. You probably don\u2019t want this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reputation and branding really help set your business apart. Get a good logo and color scheme; nothing fancy but very easy to remember and associate with your brand. You should also create a business profile on Google My Business then business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube or LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to keep the profile handle and names consistent across platforms. Focus on a few platforms so you don\u2019t spread your promotional efforts too thin. A website is another form of branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll come across business ideas that are touted as not needing a website of your own. Even platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok etc. give you the impression that you don\u2019t need a website of your own to run your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its an idea you should entertain with caution. You don\u2019t really own or control these platforms; you\u2019re just borrowing them. Your account can get banned or throttled any day. While I\u2019m in support of your presence on these platforms, you should also have and introduce your customers to your website; which you own and control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your website is your real estate on the internet and should be your base which all other platforms you use, drive traffic to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Branded items are an effective way to spread the word about your business. Think of them as a Trojan Horse. They not only advertise your business but also remind the receiver about you. Consider daily items which your target market tend to use frequently, nothing too expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its important you focus on quality over quantity. Since the idea is to give them a lasting reminder, the reminder itself needs to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting a business can be quite exhilarating; you feel like your idea will be the next best thing since sliced bread. It’s often not the case because the odds and statistics are stacked against you. Try to be level-headed and save all the excitement energy for the long road ahead. Experiment and see early successes\/failures as part of the process. Neither means as much at the beginning as years down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re unrestricted, then structure your business for a global audience. You should have several payment options (both outgoing and incoming) in case you have trouble with any platform you use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An online business can be very lucrative and provide revenue even when offline businesses are restricted due to unrest or public holidays. It should, however, be branded and treated like a serious business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Its quite normal to feel a bit anxious when thinking of delving into the world of online businesses but there\u2019s really no magic to it. A lot of businesses these days have an internet side, at least the lock-downs opened the eyes of many to this. Unless you\u2019re building a Platform As A Service (PAAS) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigma.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}