You want to succeed online.
You hear the success stories.
Kids making full-time incomes while still in high school. Stay-at-home moms who turn a skill into a full-fledged business. How about the hobby blogs bringing in six-figure incomes?
Whatever the case, working from home with an online business is certainly alluring.
But do you have what it takes?
I spent years, and thousands of hours (plus money) working online before I actually started making a consistent income. Even my husband was amazed at my tenacity. I’m not saying it’ll take you that long for success, but odds are it’ll take a lot longer than you anticipate.
I view online success as a dynamic, constantly changing target as we get better and achieve more. In other words, you may consider yourself successful making $1,000 per month at the end of your first year, but as you get further into your business, you’ll want to challenge yourself to do more.
How about you?
Answer the questions below to see if you’re up for the often rocky (but hugely exciting) road to making money through an online business.
Online Success QUIZ – Answer Yes or No
- Do you welcome challenges?
- Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone?
- Are you good at following through on tasks?
- Can you stay focused?
- Are you willing to fail, pick yourself up, and try again?
- Can you tune out the naysayers?
- Do you think it’s OK to sell?
- Are you teachable?
- Will you sacrifice your time and money to make this work?
- Are you a person of your word?
- Can you stick with something for an extended period of time without seeing rewards?
- Do you stay up at night thinking about your dream?
- Can you take criticism without scrambling to defend yourself?
- Do you have another source of income while you grow your online biz?
You’re not doomed if you answer “no” to a couple of these questions, but they’re all pretty important if you want to make money online.
Let’s Take a Look at#5
It’s practically a given you’re going to “fail” along the way. If you’re not “failing” then you’re not pushing yourself enough. Playing it safe ensures small rewards. Don’t be afraid to mess up and learn from your mistakes.
How About #4, Lack of Focus
Personally, this is one of my downfalls. Hey, maybe that’s why it took me so long to succeed! If you are good at staying on point, you’ll move much more quickly towards your goals than someone like me who struggles with focus.
You Might Find #10 a Little Odd
What does integrity have to do with success? I’m a firm believer that you reap what you sow. In the past, a person could be less than honest and probably get by with it for a little while. Today, unscrupulous people and businesses can go viral on YouTube or social media in a matter of hours. There is no place to hide, which is actually good news for folks like us who run their business with integrity.
You will rightfully earn trust.
For example, I paid a blogger (who I’d never met) $250 for 45 minutes of his time. Why? Because I trusted him through his online reputation. You won’t be surprised to discover that he exceeded my expectations and his advice was worth every penny.
Conclusion.
The point of the quiz is not about right or wrong answers. It’s to encourage you to consider if this is the right business model for you and if it is, to forge ahead when the going gets rough. If a business online was as easy as those “Get Rich Quick” websites would have you believe, everyone would be successful.
If you found yourself nodding your head “yes” to most of the questions, then I say hop on and enjoy the ride. Prepare for a rocky, exhilarating, potentially crazy profitable, liberating new career.
So tell me …
Are you currently building a business online? What is your greatest challenge?
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Darlene Bauer works from home in the Texas Hill Country. She created BlogBoldly.com as a platform to help struggling bloggers take their Blog to Profit for freedom, fun & money. If you dream of blogging but haven’t taken the leap yet, she’ll even show you how to set up a blog.
Oh, and Julie, I highly applaud your post! It is ALL about adjusting and working to make customers happy! I love how you label it, “pivoting.”
Thank you Kaitlin! :-)
Darlene, this is fantastic. I had three failed business endeavors before I discovered my “perfect fit,” so it’s a given that this road is going to bring challenges. I’ve faced a thousand fears, mainly with convincing others that my current business is the real deal. It takes a LOT of refining to cultivate your gifts, and the main focus is to NOT give UP and to keep trying! Since I am a freelance writer, I decided to create my own health blog. Little did I know that it would actually be successful and that I would end up as an Emerald fitness coach, which is something that I NEVER thought I could accomplish. You never know where God is going to take you in business, so be prepared for a lot of organizing and “refining” to create the best opportunity for you!
Kaitlin.. thank you for the kind words! :)
“the main focus is to NOT give UP” you are SO right.
darlene :)
Great post Darlene! Everyone should take this quiz before starting an online biz. I love #11 Can you stick with something for an extended period of time without seeing rewards?
I found that during the “start up” phase, there is a lot of “pivoting” going on while listening to my clients needs and adjusting my products and services accordingly. So you need to stay strong while finding your place in the online world.
Thanks Julie!
I love this: “So you need to stay strong while finding your place in the online world.”