Source - http://7pillarsofsellingonline.com/start-a-internet-busienss/
Time to Start a Business
The Story…
This one is a personal story.
I yearned to start a business. A business offered the freedom and the fulfillment that I was looking for.
Before starting the business, I decided to leave my job working at one of the Big 4 Accounting firms and enter sales to help me gain the skills I’d need to own a business someday.
Well…the heartache, frustration, and worry were almost unbearable.
Our neighborhood Boy Scout troop came by for their fundraiser that year. We had contributed regularly in years past, but we took their little donation form, and thanked them, but didn’t donate.
The embarrassment was almost too much for me.
I wasn’t making hardly enough with the sales job…we now had just pennies in the bank.
I took the leap of faith and started a business.
The business that we (my wife and I) started was selling physical products on the Internet. It helped me pick myself back up, feel accomplishment again…and…importantly, provide for my family.
There was just one problem…the country was entering one of the worst recessions in living memory while I was just getting the business going.
How could an Internet business survive during such unstable times?
Isn’t it a mistake to get involved in a business when things are so uncertain in the world?
Maybe…or maybe not…
Having built my Internet business in and through a very difficult economic period, and earning more than I ever had at my previous corporate job, I can tell you that a great business can be started at any time.
You may be reading this when times are great, but economies move in cycles…
There are advantages to starting a business in hard times, but whether in hard or good times, now is always a good time to start.
Here’s why (reasons during bad and good times):
1. Suppliers and Manufacturers are hungry for Business
In tough times, suppliers and manufactures are hurting. They need business and welcome business even if it’s from the small one-person company.
Businesses that would have turned up their noses at the “small guys” welcome every order they can get.
Manufacturers from overseas are willing to sell smaller quantities making it easier for you to buy their products with a smaller investment. You can then sell that inventory and reinvest the profits in your own business.
When times turn good again, you’ll have the advantage of an existing relationship with the suppliers, and they’ll continue to do business with you.
2. Folks are Thinking about Surviving not Building a Thriving Business…Reducing your Competition
When things are great, lots of people are willing to jump on the business bandwagon.
But when things turn south, folks tend to hunker down, cut their spending and just try to get by.
They’re not thinking about the opportunities out there.
That’s a plus for you because it creates less competition.
3. You’ll be set for Great Gains when the Economy Turns Around
By making a business work during tough economic times, you’ll be set for the turn around when things start hopping again.
You’ll already have the business built up, the systems in place, and the engine running. It’ll be time to outpace the competition who will just barely be thinking about getting started and ramping up.
It doesn’t mean that your gains will have to wait until things turn around. Our business has allowed us to travel the world even during a tough economy.
You’ll also have the wisdom that comes from having lived through difficult times and will avoid the mistakes that overzealous business owners make when the economy heats up.
4. It’s Never Been Easier to Get Started
Think about it: you can register a business online in under an hour.
The US registration and most state registrations can be done online. Finish the registration, and BOOM, you’re in business.
The Internet has changed the way we transact. You can now start a business without leaving your home.
The psychological barrier of “starting a business” keeps many from doing so, but now it’s so easy to get going there’s almost no reason not to.
5. More Tools that Give You an Advantage
In the past, if you wanted to sell real-world products online, you either needed to store your products in your garage or rent expensive warehouse space.
Now-a-days with programs like Fulfillment by Amazon, it’s a streamlined process where you don’t have to worry about warehouse space or shipping one order a time.
If you want build a blog following in your product niche, it’s never been easier to setup a blog with free tools like WordPress.
There are also dozens of options for setting up your own retail website where the major work has been done for you such as the Amazon WebStore and other eCommerce solutions that are very inexpensive compared to a few short years ago.
Other tools such as QuickBooks and TurboTax make it easy to keep your records in order.
The Internet itself is a huge boon to small business owners, because as a business owner if you have a question, you can search for an answer posted online from someone who’s been through what you’re going through.
In other words, you don’t need to know everything before getting started. There are plenty of tools and information to help you along the way.
6. Christmas is Just Around the Corner…
Even if you’re reading this in January, Christmas and the Holiday Shopping Season will come up faster than you think.
Selling online, whether from your own website or on Amazon or eBay, you’ll find that during the holidays, sales can jump to 5 times the normal number in a given week.
If you’re selling summer water toys, your holiday sales jump won’t be as big, but you’ll still be surprised what happens during the holidays.
It’s something to think about and plan for when starting a business selling physical products online.
The marketplaces like Amazon.com will give you a huge jump in sales if you’re doing things right.
So even if it’s January, look forward to the time you have to test and get products ready for the holidays.
Products need some time in the marketplaces to gain traction, so the sooner you can get your products there, the better.
7. The Future is Determined by What You do Today
Tomorrow turns into today in less than 24 hours. Are you prepared?
Okay, a little dramatic there, but really, if you want something in the future, you need to start on the path to get it today.
You might want a debt free home, freedom to set your own schedule, means to travel the world…
Whatever it is that you yearn for, it’s not just going to happen by itself.
Action is necessary–Action taken today.
8. Opportunities don’t Last Forever
Have you ever had an idea, not done something about it, and a few years later seen the product you envisioned being used by someone?
It’s frustrating, and it’s a reminder that opportunities don’t last forever. Opportunity means “favorable time”…and that favorable time doesn’t mean time stands still.
That’s why getting started soon is so important.
9. Advantages of Starting Early
The early bird gets the worm.
Some opportunities are available to a select few. Others are available to all of us.
In either case, getting started early can give you a big advantage. You’ll have more experience and know-how to face the challenges that the late-comers have never seen.
It’s like looking back at the stock market and saying, “Why didn’t I buy Apple stock when it was only $8.59? I could have made a fortune!”
There’s an advantage to taking action sooner rather than later.
10. Think of What You’re Missing if You Wait too Long
Dreams.
Not the type where a velociraptor is chasing you down the halls of your middle school…no…we’re talking real dreams…the ones where you see yourself in the home you’ve wanted, the car you’ve wanted, the feeling of the sand between your toes on a warm weekday at the beach without having to worry about a job.
Have you ever had the thought, “I should have done this years ago”?
Maybe it was when you decided to leave that dead-end job or when you finally took that vacation you’ve always wanted.
Don’t let those dreams die.
Work towards them by discovering the engine that will take you there.
The vehicle to help me get on the path to realizing dream after dream was starting a business.
For you, it might be the same, or it could be something totally different.
The point is, find what will help get you there; seize the opportunities today.
Starting a Business isn’t for Everyone
Better put, running a business isn’t for everyone. It takes guts…a step into the unknown…
But other than an inheritance or the lottery (neither are very good plans)…where is there reward without a challenge?
Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re among those who can and will succeed because you value learning, you want to do it right, and there’s no good reason in the world not to.
If you’ve wanted to start a business selling physical products online, or have a business and want to turbo-charge your sales, sign up for the free newsletter where you’ll learn the secrets to running a successful business online.
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