It has happened to me. Each time I sit in front of my laptop, maybe to play the latest Grand Theft Auto or to keep up with the latest TV series, deep down I’m itching to start something that will bring money, something that will make me self-sufficient and have enough money to buy suya or the latest IPhone X.

But I was in school then, the thought always dies cos I always have the notion that earning online is an illusion for an African living on African soil.
So imagine my surprise when I found out that I can actually earn online doing things I normally do. Like; writing, posting, selling etc.



So I started researching on the most viable online business to delve into. There are many out there and I was confused for months until I started getting the hang of it.

This blog post is not about the online businesses I do. It’s about how to start one, how to get through the noise and hype and settle down with a lucrative business you can do online.



“So how can you start an online business?”

Many people ask this question. A lot.
From graduates to undergraduates, from the unemployed, to people who think their salary is not enough.
They usually ask me; How do I start? Where do I seek help? What are the steps? What do I need to learn? How much money would I need to kick off?

Well, guess what?

If you have similar questions or you’ve been thinking about these questions for sometime now and never really gotten an answer, I promise you, after reading this post, you will have all the answers you seek.

For starters, I want you to familiarize yourself with this quote.

“The best time to start, is now”

If you don’t understand this quote, you might as well stop reading this article and continue watching the latest Game of Thrones or Jenifa’s Diary.

The best time is now. Not tomorrow, not next year. But now! Whatever you delay today, will only make the situation worse, and cannot improve the situation when you are faced with the same situation later on.
When I was starting out online, I had all the ideas and dreams but I lacked the inertia to take the first step, I was clueless on where and how to start.

But since I stopped wanting and started doing, I began to make a headway towards establishing my business online.
What’s the business? You might ask. But remember, this post is not about the business I do. It’s about you getting overcoming your inertia and storming the online world with a real presence.

Starting an online business is not easy, it’s hard, especially when you are not seeing the results immediately. But like every other endeavor, succeeding online takes series of actions that you will have to execute successfully.
The first on my list to start an online business is:

BUSINESS PLAN

Do you have a Business Plan? Probably No.
To start with anything you need a plan, a blueprint, a framework. You first need to decide what type of online business you want to venture into. While choosing a particular online business you must consider your knowledge of that business.

What can you do?

Writing?
Graphic design?
Programming?
Web design?

Stick to something you know or are passionate about and then make a plan around it.
A well laid out plan gives you the holistic view of what you can do, the best way to do it and where to find people who wants you to do it for a fee.
Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be hard or follow a laid out outline. Get a pen and paper. Write down what you can do. How you are going to do it(resources) and people who are willing to pay for it.

Easy easy. Right?

But what if there’s nothing you can do?

Then develop a skill today. See also How to Master a Skill in no Time

Having a plan will give you the needed push to overcome inertia.



INTERNET MARKETING

Online business is pretty much the same with ‘offline’ businesses – If you don’t get any customers to your online shop, you’ll not be seeing sales anytime soon.

There is no other way to explain it. The more visitors you have to your online business, the more sales you’re likely to make.

So how do you get visitors to your online business?

Well, it’s time for you to stop seeing Facebook as a platform for reading what’s on people’s mind, Instagram as a place to view your friends latest photos and Twitter, a place to read a funny 145 character tweet.
It’s time for you to advertise your skills to people. Let Instagram people be wowed by the latest photo that has to talk about what you can do, same for Facebook and Twitter people. Show them what they are missing if they don’t take advantage of your skills.

People are willing to pay for what they want, but they have to be told they really want it. Now is your chance.

TAKING RISK, MONEY & TIME

‘Invest what you can afford to lose’

While the above may not be true all the time, it is important to note that it is true sometimes.

After all that you may do towards your online business, you may find out that the business is never really making a headway and you might want to throw in the towel.
When I was starting out, it wasn’t rosy. I had a lot of pitfalls, but with life, it’s either you win or you learn. Every risk you take is a learning curve and if you don’t win you will learn to earn.

Read it again.

Every risk you take is a learning curve and if you don’t win you will learn to earn.

BUSINESS LOCATION

To have an online business, you need to have a business online.
You might decide to open a website that will advertise what you do or you can choose to join an already established platform that allows you to advertise your business to thousands of people who are looking for it.
For starters, go for the latter, it’s cost effective and when you are established enough to buy your domain and host your business online you will know that you are already making a headway.
There are many websites that offers you the opportunity to sell your business on their website.

They include:

Fiverr

Upwork

Writethisproject

Iwriter

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – mini importation

Freelancer

Kindle Publishing

There are many tutorials out there on how to start with these platforms, but you can contact me to mentor you and set you on the right path if you want to earn on Fiverr and Kindle

contact me

You can also start on your own. Get a domain name for your online business and a hosting company.

My most preferred hosting companies are like Whogohost, Namecheap, HostGator, BlueHost, Hostnownow.
You can also get your domain names from these hosting companies.

CONSISTENCY

After setting up your online business, you should know that it’s a business and should be treated like one. Have a plan on how to promote your business and do it every day. Always think ahead of problems that might surface and know how to tackle such problems. Update your business every day, develop your skills even more, learn any new discovery on your particular skills, follow the news on your skill.

Learn something about your skill each day, but most of all promote your business and treat your customers well when they come knocking.

Footnote:

Start an online business today or take your offline business online. There are many people who are searching for you online you should connect with them today and make more profit.



Contact me to help you take your business online.


Source: [url]halfworks.com[/url]