There’s one born every minute… someone who hates their job, their boss doesn’t appreciate them and they know that their time is worth so much more! One night in a haze of online surfing they come upon a website promising them a fancy car and a house if they start an online business. But it’s just a scam… or is it? So many people now realise that the dream of earning money online, away from the morning and afternoon commutes, away from the boss and the office politics is not just a dream but also a reality for many people around the globe. However, many people make any one or all three of the following mistakes when they attempt to earn money online! Below are the three biggest mistakes you could be making in regards to earning money online and how to avoid them.
Mistake No.1 – Quitting Your Day Job Too Soon
Too many people make the mistake of immediately quitting their job after the euphoria of living their dream takes hold of them. Without building a solid foundation online it will most certainly lead you to a lot of wasted time, money and effort. The best thing you can do is to start doing your online venture in your spare time, preferably part time after you finish your day job. Many people want to feel the rush of having their backs against the wall and having no other way than to be a success. However, doing so will lead you to make desperate decisions and ultimately foolish mistakes. Use the next 6 -12 months as a learning phase to really figure out this whole ‘earning money online thing’. If it’s really a passion, if it’s really your dream, you will want to do it right and you will want to build it correctly.
Mistake No.2 – Venturing Into The Unknown
Starting a business online is already an unknown venture why make it doubly hard for yourself by starting in an area you know nothing about or worse you actually have no interest in! Many people make the deadly mistake of starting a business online because they’ve heard from someone that a particular thing such as Forex trading is where the money is. However they’ve never looked at a dividend statement much less traded any stock. Sure you could learn but why give yourself the hassle? The truth of the matter is that you probably have skills, and expertise in areas that would make you very valuable in the online marketplace. What if you’re a whiz at fixing computers? Well why not create a website where you answer people’s problems and fix their machines for them? You could also have complementary software and antivirus to sell as well. You can sell products much better, when you actually care about them and are knowledgeable in them.
Mistake No.3 – You Don’t Leverage Your Expertise
The amazing thing about the Internet is that it creates an almost equal footing between small entrepreneurs and big businesses. Everyone starts off as an equal, more or less, online. However in order to be successful online it’s a mistake to not leverage your current expertise. In the earlier example of being a computer whizz it’s a good idea to start building a good reputation with your past and current customers. Let them spread the word! You can start doing this by connecting with your customers in the places that they ‘hang out’ Look on Facebook, online discussion boards and forums where your customers are frequently visiting. Register online and start the process of letting yourself become known as an able and competent expert in your field by answering queries intelligently.
To successfully earn money online you need to ensure you don’t accidentally make one of these mistakes. Don’t quit your day job just yet and instead dedicate some real time over the next couple of weeks and months to learn the basic concepts and language of your online market. Don’t venture completely into the dark with your online business as you already have enough to worry about and learn. You probably have an interest, hobby or expertise you can leverage. And when you get online, leverage your expertise rather than staying silent on all the good you can do. Actively go out and create connections with past and future customers in the places they hang out and by giving them great service you will create raving fans that will do more for you than any expensive marketing package.