Getting started is easier than you think! We tend to put off starting our businesses because we think we don’t have a perfect business plan or a single, revolutionary idea or a professional website. None of that matters as much as you think it does. To get started as an online entrepreneur, there are just four basic things that you’ll need:
1) An Idea
If you want to have an online business, the fist thing you’ll need is an idea. It doesn’t have to be a life-changing idea or an original idea; it just has to be an idea that you think could work. An idea that will translate into revenue not long after you start presenting it to the world. It can be as simple as an editing service, or a babysitter referral service, or a graphic design service. If you have a hard time choosing an idea, try more than one, and see which one sticks, or which you enjoy the most. Don’t be afraid of the risks involved. Taking risks to try out ideas is part of what it means to be an entrepreneur.
2) A Facebook Fan Page
Personally, I had set up two or three fan pages before I settled on making one idea work, and when I did that, I made a brand-new Facebook page instead or wasting time trying to figure out how to reuse an old one. When you’re just starting out, having a Facebook page is just as good as having a website: potential clients can search your business on the internet, you can post plenty of information there, and you can engage your fan base with private messages, pictures, and status updates. Building a website is something you’ll have to look into eventually, but a Facebook page will serve you well in the meantime.
3) A Simple Plan of Action
Your plan of action can be a preliminary version of your business plan. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to keep you on track. You may not even do everything you write out in your plan, or you might change the order in which you do everything. The point is to outline what you believe needs to be done in order for you to get started and get results.
That’s everything you need to get started! What are you waiting for?!
