Smart eCommerce entrepreneurs running a thriving business know there's always more they can do to make that business grow and to make it better.
Some of these things are easy to do while others are more difficult. Here's some smart ideas you can do to help your business today and make it bigger tomorrow.
Treat Your Freelance Business Like a Business
The easiest thing you can do to make your business a success is to treat it like a business. You must treat it as such when you first start out. Many people start out in this business by just using it as a hobby. Don't! If you treat it as a hobby your future in the business is unknown. You must treat it as a business because once you treat it as a hobby you will make mistakes, your will make mistakes, others will make mistakes, until eventually you find yourself in debt, tired, and frustrated. But don't get me wrong, as long as you treat it as a business you will succeed.
You have to approach this business with a business mind, but don't let your 'hobby' mind put you into debt or put you into a "putting things off until tomorrow" mindset. It's a matter of priorities. Treat it as a business, but your mindset must be geared toward the now. I know it feels like forever, but once you get yourself into the business your dreams will come true.
Don't Quit on Yourself
Many people quit on themselves because they lose sight of what they really want. Instead, learn to love your business. What do you really want? You want to have a successful business that you put into action. You want to have an ever growing profitable business. You want to run a business that will bring you joy and pleasure. The best way to get this is to learn to love what you are doing. You will always have mistakes, but learn from them, improve, and put them behind you. Your business will be the same way. It will always need improvement, but put these things aside and work on what you love.
Never Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
It's easy to get "carried away" and start putting all your eggs in one basket, which causes the business to fail. Think about it, do you know anyone who is doing well with their business? If they do, chances are they have more than one business. They have more than one marketing strategy. If you put all your eggs in one basket, it will be very difficult for you to diversify your income, service, and marketing efforts. You will have to lay off one of them when it's not in demand, and be without revenue. This will cause you to suffer. Instead, choose one marketing strategy, improve it, and diversify your income, service and marketing.
You can have multiple streams of income from your business, and this will be your greatest strength. It is your greatest weakness.
Get Your Family Involved
Do you have to be in the same house as the business? Maybe not. I've been doing business for 15 years, and in that time I've met many people from all over the world. I've never met anyone who has said I'm getting carried away with my business, or am putting my family into financial jeopardy. All they can afford to do is monitor, and not work too hard. But when you get to be more than just roommates, then your family may start to work harder, and sometimes you need to be more involved.
Get help from other people who understand what you're going through, people who can talk to your boss, people who can talk to the vendors you want to get involved with, and people who can provide you with support when you need it. This is what makes us feel comfortable doing business, knowing we can talk to someone else who is experiencing the same thing we are.
As you gain experience, it will be easier for you to tell if a vendor is worthy of being part of your business. Do they respond to your emails?
If you meet someone whose business interests you, and they are not already part of your family, start a website for them, set up a free blog, and introduce them to your family.
Get involved in your business and build it up to be more than just a couch to crash on while you try to build up your business. It's important that your family is aware of how you're doing, because they will be scrutinizing your progress and they will be watching your bank balance more closely than ever.
My favorite quote is "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear."
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