If you are going to make money online, you need to treat your efforts like a business.  Before starting your online business, there are some serious questions you need to ask yourself to see if it’s really for you…

1. “Why do I want my own Internet Marketing Business?”

Before deciding to start a business, think about the qualities you possess, what makes you tick, and how that might help you be a more successful business owner.  Think about the time you have available for your business.

2.  “What interests, talents, skills and strengths do I have?”

Inventory the abilities you already possess. Then think about all the ways you can use them to grow your business and help others grow their business, and also working with partners that lack your abilities.

3.  “What are my strengths and weaknesses?”

The ability to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses is invaluable for the business owner. Recognizing what you’re good at and what you’re not will help you decide how to use your time and when to outsource to the experts or outside professionals for help.

4.  “What skills do I need to learn or brush up?”

Recognize which skills you need to develop in order to run your business most effectively. Identify the ones that are worth investing time into learning, and which ones you might be better off finding outside sources to perform.  This is an area where I will help you.

5.  “Do I enjoy challenges?”

Businesses provide constant challenges. If you enjoy a good challenge, it will energize you. If you don’t, you may end up feeling as though you’re engaged in a constant uphill battle.

6.  “Will I be doing work that is meaningful and really interests
and excites me?”

When you’re engaged in doing something rewarding it helps to motivate you to keep going even when things get tough. Start by getting back in touch with your values and see if there is a synergy between them and the things you will be doing in your business. If not, see how you can spin things so that there is.

7.  “Do I really have a money-making idea?”

Not all great ideas make money. A good business idea addresses a problem, need or pain that a particular group of people or companies face. The problem must be significant enough to warrant spending money to solve or alleviate. Before bringing a new product or service to market, test your ideas and make sure they’re profitable.  (If you do not want to develop your own products, there are 1000’s available for you to sell.  I would recommend selling pre-made products before you create your own.)

8.  “Who are my ideal target customers?”

Every business needs customers. Successful businesses know exactly how to describe who their best customers are, what “pain” they’re feeling and what they need, want, desire and are willing to pay for.   This is another area where I will help you.

9.  “Who is my competition?”

Learn everything you can about the others in your field who provide similar products or services to the same ideal customer – direct and indirect competition.  You can learn from your competition.  Keep a record of splash pages, emails or any other advertising that catches your attention.  You can use these ideas to attract customers like yourself.  These are the best type of customers you can have because you can relate.

10. “What do I offer that the competition doesn’t?”

What makes your services or product unique above my competitors?  This is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) – what you’ll use to make to your prospective customers buy your product or service instead of buying from your competition. Why should your customer make you their Marketer of Choice?  Your relationship with your customers is very important for this.

11. “Have I established business goals?”

Setting goals is an important part of any business plan. But setting a goal is only part of the picture. Achieving goals is even more important. Systematically work towards them by breaking them down into small steps, establishing timelines, identifying resources needed, and benchmarks for success. For example, you might have a goal to make $100/month.  Great goal but there are many smaller goals to achieve that goal.

12. “Am I a self-starter?”

When you have your own business, there’s no boss or manager to tell you what to do and when to do it. To get your business off and running, you’ll have to motivate yourself to get things started!

In our next lesson we’ll be taking a look at HOW you should be thinking as a successful marketer! Stay tuned!