Starting an online business is not hard, but there are two sets of challenges that the new online marketer faces.

1)  Knowing what to do to move forward quickly as far as systems and technology go.

2)  Having the right mindset and a plan.

Perhaps the right mindset and plan should be listed first since your plan will determine what systems you will need to implement and what technology you will need.  Why is mindset so important?

Entrepreneur vs Employee

1)  Will this be just a hobby or do you plan to build a real business?

2)  If you are or were employed, someone else told you when to come to work, when to take lunch, and when to stop working.  Whether you’ll be transitioning from a full-time job while you build your online business, or you’re going full-force into your online business, you will now make those decisions.  You will be your own boss.

3)  Closely tied in to #2) are self-discipline and self-motivation.  These have to come from within, but positive groups of people in forums, Facebook and LinkedIn Groups, as well as a Mentor can contribute to your success in these to areas.

4)  You may be like me when I first started.  I knew it was possible to make money online and I knew I wanted to share my message with more people when I started my online business, but did not know exactly how I should go about it and what the most effective methods were.  I learned those as I continued to grow.

The same may be true of you.  You may have an idea of where you want to focus, but you do not yet know if that will be your main niche or market, or even if you should niche it down even more…be more specific in your target market and your marketing message.

Basic Plan

At the very least you should have a basic plan with a goal of what you want to achieve.  This is why I recommend that before you actually set up your first website, you spend some time doing research to see what others in your intended market are doing , and if there is an area that’s not covered, how can you fill that gap?

In my next post on this topic, I’ll discuss some of the systems and technology you need to get started.  What challenges did you experience in getting started with your online business? Please share in the comments.

“Success is just around the next corner…

You may have heard that statement many times, and if you’re a new online business owner you may have doubts about ever seeing that success because there seems to be so much to do.  And yes, it can be confusing and daunting unless you have someone to guide you.

I remember when I first started online, in one of the first classes I took we were told we could model the trainer’s optin page, which was great as it would have reduced a lot of planning and designing.  However, I had no idea how to get that site from my computer to the Internet.  I’d never heard of FTP and wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Have you faced any situation like that in your business to date?

It’s important to believe that you can experience success in your online business.  Adopting the following five “attitudes” for success can play a significant role in  finding your success around the corner regardless of how deep the corner is:

Have a Positive Attitude:  It’s important to cultivate a positive attitude in how you approach your online business and in your life in general.  ‘Cultivate’ means that this attitude may not come naturally; you may have to work very hard to achieve it.  You may have to change your mindset and learn positive thinking, then nourish it as it grows.

Develop a Business Mentality:  While there are some internet marketers who had successful offline business and are now transferring those skills online, the majority of persons who start an online business had no previous business training.  Research indicates that people who succeed are people who approach their online business with a business mentality instead of treating it as if it were a hobby.  Allocate time to work in your business at the outset so eventually you can work on your business.  Identify what you need to do on a regular basis and set a schedule of when to do it.

Have Fun With Your Business:  This may sound like a contradiction to the previous point, but is not.  When you enjoy doing what you need to do, it will not feel like work.  Take time to find the fun in your business so you’ll enjoy doing the things that make for success.  Be excited about taking action to move forward.

Expect Success:  There is thin line between success and failure.  Persons the world over have sabotaged their success by thinking they could never achieve success like So and So.  Invariably we compare ourselves with someone who is doing very well forgetting that they likely were at the point new business owners are at right now.  Their success was as a result of identifying what to do, how to do it, getting help from a Mentor or a coach to provide guidance.

Be Realistic:  While success may be just around the corner, it does not come overnight.  You must be realistic about how quickly your business will grow.  There are no shortcuts and any thoughts of getting rich on the Internet in a short time will only lead to disappointment. Work is required and sticking to one thing and getting good at it before moving to the next thing will lay a foundation for success.

Starting an online business can be challenging, but working with someone who has been where you are and is willing to hold your hand and guide you forward can help to give you the momentum to move your business forward in 2012.  Celene Harrelson will do that in her new membership program as she covers more than 12 steps to increase your momentum and take you to profit.  Check out Celene’s program at http://yoursuccessbiz.com/celenepm.  By adopting these 5 attitudes for success, coupled with the training Celene provides, the new online business owner can experience success just around the corner.

Most people will readily admit that they are not where they want to be in life.  Perhaps spiritually, financially, in their relationships, academically, etc.  Recognizing that there are deficiencies is one thing; willingness to do something about it is another.  Unfortunately statistics show that although a large percentage of the population is unhappy with their status, they are content to live with the status quo and are unwilling to take action to achieve fulfillment.

Change is never easy because we become comfortable with the way things are, but change is the one thing you need to take hold of to alter the course of your life and in taking this step it is important to lay the foundation for growth, progress and success by setting goals.  You may have to work on changing your mindset in order to accept the need to implement setting goals. Goals are essential because they give you a clear focus or path to follow. Without specific goals your efforts can be derailed quite easily by the negative influences that are likely to come along the path.

The key to setting your goals is to keep them simple, realistic and attainable, but will move you forward out of your comfort zone.  Because goal-setting is new to some persons, it is recommended that you create and follow a step-by-step approach.  We recommend that your goals be put in writing, on your computer, wherever you need to so that they are visible.  From my own experience I firmly believe that a goal is just a dream if you fail to write it down.  At the same time it is important that you take the time to memorize the goal and steps to achieving the goal so that it is impressed on your subconscious and becomes a part of you.

“You can eat an elephant one bit at a time” is a quote I’ve adopted as one of my own because it says it all. For example, if you are severely in debt and your goal is to be debt-free in 1-3 years, you will attain that goal only by having a step-by-step plan that includes a goal sheet where you write down your current income, your current liabilities, and your monthly expenditures.  Then you would need to go through every line and see where you can reduce expenses and channel the money saved to increase payment on a particular debt.  The point is you can achieve your goals by taking action step-by-step, but you may first need to change your mindset to accomplish this.

The key to achieving your goals is to be able to review your goals and measure your progress.  Click to learn more about Goals on Track , an easy to use, web 2.0 style goal setting, goal tracking, task and time management software that helps you accomplish any goals in life.

In a previous post published on January 28, 2010 my topic was, “Starting and Maintaining an Online Business Requires the Correct Mindset.” In that article I focused on the need to treat your online business as a business and the need to develop a mindset as a business owner.  The focus of this post is that how you perceive yourself affects your success in your online business.

There is a cliche that says: Your attitude determines your altitude.  This is true in all aspects of life including starting a successful online business.  Unfortunately it has been acknowledged by those who study behavior patterns that children who did not experience positive reinforcement and were surrounded by a “You will not succeed” rather than a “You can do anything you set your mind to do” attitude are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem.  These children grow into adulthood and without a second thought fall into a pattern of thinking that other people will succeed, but if they attempt to do the same thing they will fail.  This type of thinking is self-destructive because it prevents growth – personal  or business.  How was your thinking shaped or molded?

I am not a psychologist; however, for several years I worked in Human Resources for a large organization and I would see the pattern demonstrated over and over in people who came to my office.  Adults who could not see anything positive in their lives and acted as if they were trapped in a tiny box from which there was no escape.   Also one of my businesses is in Direct Sales and over the years I’ve had the privilege of building teams and have seen the difference in those who have success in their business as opposed to those who give up, sometimes even before challenges arise, because they do not believe they could succeed, and at times did not even think they have the ability or right to improve their circumstances.

If you can relate to any of the foregoing, I would encourage you to really look inside yourself and work at eliminating all the negative, distorted things that were said to you that cause you to have a low self-esteem or feel inadequate.  Then be open to recognize the valuable person that you truly are.  Following are some positive actions you can take:

1)  Many of us are our worse critics and there is some good to that, but if we constantly judge ourselves and feed our minds on negative self-talk, that will undermine the benefits we may gain from self-examination.  Learn to treat yourself as you treat others – with respect and compassion.
2)  Acknowledge your feelings and needs and attend to them.  There is no honor in punishing yourself needlessly.
3)  Give attention to your body: eat well, get enough sleep, get enough exercise, invest in something that makes you feel good and look good.
4)  Learn to create balance in your life.  Acknowledge the need for work, recreation, creative and spiritual time and balance the time you spend on each activity.
5)  This may be a good time to learn to use the word ‘cancel.’  Every time a negative thought comes into your mind, say ‘cancel’ and endeavor to replace it with a positive thought.

To cultivate is defined as – to foster the growth of; to bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns.  All of these indicate that time is needed. It may take time and patience to cultivate the right mindset for starting a business online.  But…it can be done; you can do it.