Six months ago, I was asked by the moderator of a discussion
group with a large membership to share some words of wisdom on
how I got started online. She wanted me to share them with the
group's eZine with 20,000 subscribers.
It gave me a chance to reflect on my experience in developing and
starting my own Internet Business and Web Site. It took me almost
7 months of study and research to formulate my business plan and
implement the business model so I have a lot to share.I thought
it would be appropriate to share it in this eZine. After all, it
is dedicated to helping beginner Internet entrepreneurs get
started with an online business - and sooner or later, be their
own boss!
I asked myself: "If I can boil down what I've learned in the last
7 months, what lessons have I learned as keys to starting my own
Internet venture?" Here's are the 5 KEY ANSWERS I came up with.
1. Discover and Seek Your PASSION
I found that this is the first and most important key. Your
passion is the wellspring from which your energy and enthu-
siasm comes from. If you love what you do and do what you
love then you're doing what I call "pure joy of work". It's
not even "work" anymore, it becomes a way of life - it's what
the author and speaker Jim Rohn calls "The Art ofLiving".
Some of you might have heard or even read the book "Do what
you Love.The Money will Follow". I agree with that statement.
You have to be passionate about what you do.People will notice
your passion (or lack of it) in your business or chosen
endeavor. Once people discern this passion, they will
follow you and they will buy your ideas, goods and services.
I've known for a while that I'm passionate about being my own
boss, being self-employed.I have been an employee, an employer
and self-employed. Nothing beats self-employment, in my own
opinion. It hits you like a "bug" when you "catch" it - the
BYOB (Be Your Own Boss) Bug. I am also passionate about know-
ledge and learning especially with the Internet making it even
easier to access any information anywhere in the world.
Having discovered this early on, I started a web site devoted
to helping people learn how to become their own boss using
the most powerful means of communication known to humanity
The Internet.
Thus, http://www.SuccessAccess.com "The Newbie Netpreneur's
FIRST ACCESS to Net Success" was born.
2. Gain KNOWLEDGE and Be a STUDENT of the Net
In any trade or profession, you must gain the knowledge to
achieve a certain level of competence. To become an expert in
your chosen profession, more knowledge and experience are
required.Treat your Internet Business as a Professional Career
whether you're doing it part-time or full-time. For you to
become a professional, you have to be a student of your chosen
profession first.
Learn everything you can about your product & services, your
target market and the Internet as a whole. Be a perpetual
student who continually learns and incessantly applies what
you have learned along the way. I call it "kinesthetic
learning" - Learning by Doing. Keep acquiring, keep applying
and keep testing your knowledge. Turn knowledge into informa-
tion....then turn information into communication.
The best place to do this is the Internet.
3. Find Mentors- Get H.O.P.E.(Help from Other People's Expertise)
Have you ever heard of the saying "don't re-invent the wheel"?
Sure you have. Somehow, somewhere someone has already
figured out a way to succeed in the venture you're getting
into. Why not follow his/her proven recipe for success and
apply it to your own situation.
The shortcut to success is through Mentorship. In the area of
Internet Marketing, there are already those who have found
ways to be successful....even though the Net is still new
and there's still a lot to learn. Find these successful Online
Marketers and model their formula for success. Seek out these
Webmasters. You'd be surprised to find out how generous they
are with their advice.
It' easy to follow their footsteps. Check their web sites, read
their books and study their courses. Most of these experts
publish FREE newsletters where you can learn tons of golden
nuggets of information every week. I even found a few of them
who offer e-mail and phone consultation when you obtain their
books and courses. I will reveal who these Masters are & what
I learned from them in a future article. If you can't wait,
send mailto:WebMaster@SuccessAccess.com'subjectMentorsWPN
4. Share Your EXPERTISE
Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective
People", wrote that the best way to learn principles is to
teach others.
Teach others and you'll be better at it each time you do it.
The more you SHARE and teach, the more of an expert you become.
The more you become an expert, the more you improve your
credibility. When you share your expertise (what you're
PASSIONATE about), you will not only build your credibility.
It will also help you develop your knowledge and skills and
help your business grow. Thus, it will help your earnings.
It's a positive feedback loop:
LEARN SHARE
/
EARN
5. Get Started NOW!
A sense of urgency is the mark of a successful person. There is
no better time to START than NOW TODAY!
Most failures think that there are 8 days in a week
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday &
SOMEDAY...
"Someday, I'll start my own business."
"Someday, I'll get to it." "Someday, I'll.."
Well, "Someday" never comes.
All winners think of one day TODAY! Think of today & everyday
as the beginning of the rest of your life. Whatever Internet
business you want to start, START NOW. Whatever task you need to
do to get started, DO IT TODAY. Be it learning Internet
Marketing, studying search engine positioning, email marketing
or creating a web site.. whatever it is, it doesn't matter.
Just Get Started!
My advice to beginners: List the 5-10 things you love to share or
do. Narrow it down to the one or two you're most passionate or
most motivated about. Then start learning more about it, find
mentors to help you and finally, share it to the world. The best
place to do it is on the Internet.
If it's true that SUCCESS is the progressive realization of a
worthy ideal, then when you start today, you already are a
SUCCESS.
I wish you the best of success!
About the Author
Joel Christopher, is the Publisher of "Access-2-Success eZine",
a weekly eZine dedicated to provide Beginner Internet
Entrepreneurs a step-by-step guide on how to start, grow
and expand your own online business venture.
http://www.SuccessAccess.com
mailto:WebMaster@SuccessAccess.com?Subjectsubscribe-WPN