5 Steps to Get You Working from Home on Your Own Business

I consider myself unemployable.

It would have to be a life changing offer for me to be willing to work for someone else. It’s part of the reason why I give employees so much freedom. People work better when incorporated into a system in which they have the freedom to make decisions.

Do you crave freedom? Are you sick of having someone look over your shoulder telling you what to do with your creative energy?

Of course you are.

My generation is flooded with brilliant young people who are stuck with student loans and are being forced to work average paying jobs. The pay is one thing, but the most painful aspect of this type of lifestyle is the lack of freedom.

We all have ideas that we would love to put into fruition. We want to roam and be free and see the world before we die. I could not imagine living my entire life as a worker drone.

You wish to be set free? I will help you. My system is not the only method, but it has worked for me and it will work for you.

Step One – Find Your Passion

Shout out to Gary Vaynerchuk.

If you are not familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk, you should be. He built an online empire by creating low budget videos of him taste testing and discussing wine.

That’s right… wine.

How on earth does a low budget, niche marketing campaign turn into a multi-million dollar company? It is simple. Vaynerchuk’s passion oozes through his videos.

If you plan to go out on your own, you absolutely must be passionate about your subject matter. It’s not all fun and games. Running your own business is hard work. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will fail because you will quit.

However, if you love what you do it won’t even feel like work. You will be making money doing what you love. That is the definition of the American Dream.

It has got to be something that you’re passionate about because otherwise you won’t have the perseverance to see it through.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to Steve Jobs.

Step 2 – Build A Website

Even if you want to run a brick and mortar business, you need to build a website.

You should build a website that is capable of generating content, and lots of it. Your website is going to be your portal to the world.

“How will a website help me create a business?” you ask. Keep reading, we will get there.

The problem with websites is that most people still aren’t very tech savvy. HTML, CSS, Java, FTP, SEO and countless other acronyms and buzzwords leave many people rolling their eyeballs.

The easiest way to create a simple, yet elegant site is through the StudioPress Theme of the Month – Darling Pro Theme. If you are ready to take the dive then spend the $100 it costs to get a Genesis theme live on the web. Click the banner below to get started.

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If you still don’t feel comfortable with doing it yourself, then please contact me and I will help you.

Step 3 – Build An Audience

Most people do this backwards.

Most people have a great idea for a product or a service, so they build the product and then try to sell it. This is a great way to spend lots of money.

Take your time.

My personal recommendation is to keep your day job for the first few months. You are going to have to work your ass off, but it is important to get this right.

Every free moment you can, you should be creating content on your site. Articles, videos, podcasts, whatever your preference. Creating helpful, informative content is the best way to build an audience.

There are lots of articles out there to teach you about social media, SEO, and other fancy marketing tools. In the beginning, your best bet is to collect email address. If someone signs into an opt in email form, they are generally interested in what you have to say. Email is still the best form of online marketing.

Once you have worked your butt off to establish an audience, then you can sell to them.

Step 4 – Listen To Your Audience and Monetize Your Business

Listen to your audience. Speak to them. Email with them and chat with them on Facebook. Learn what it is they are seeking and why they are interested in your passion.

Once you have built an audience and have developed a product or service with value, selling is the easy part.

Granted, lack of sales is the number one reason why business’s go under, so don’t ever take your eye off the bottom line. The point is that selling valuable products to a genuinely interested audience is way easier than cold calling people for a product they may or may not like.

Perhaps you aren’t the best sales person? The act of selling is an uncomfortable process for some. So how exactly do you turn your website into money?

By creating content!

“It can’t be that easy” you say. Consider this, I am doing it right now.

By taking the time to create this helpful article, I guarantee I will get at least one lead from someone who is ready to take the leap. Someone will read this and say to themselves “this guy Tim knows what he is talking about. He can help me build my website.”

That’s the beautiful thing about content marketing. It is transparent. I am literally practicing the same methods I am giving you. This is a system that works. If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t be writing this.

Step 5 – Work On The Business

Seems like common sense right?

No.

Most people get stuck working in the business. The purpose of any business is to make a profit. The best way to do that is by hiring people to work IN the business while you continue to work ON the business.

You don’t want to be the guy who washes the dishes in the diner he owns, or the woman who still packages the orders for her jewelry business. If your goal is to grow (and that may not be everyone’s goal – which is perfectly okay) then you need to get out from underneath.

This is important because most people dream of starting their own business to achieve freedom, and end up being bogged down by the day to day tasks.

Read The E-Myth. Michael Gerber outlines exactly how to work on your business in his groundbreaking book.

What’s Holding You Back??

Fear.

The most terrifying aspect of being a business owner is that failure is a very real possibility. As I said, for this reason I am an advocate for having a day job while building your audience. Also, maybe you love your job and have a passion that can make you some extra money on the side. I am all for it!

But if you want to be completely independent, you have to decide for yourself what you are more afraid of. Are you afraid of failing? Or are you afraid of looking back at your life with a bunch of what ifs?

My absolute biggest fear in life is that when I look back I will feel like I could have done more.

We all get one shot at this gig. We all live and die just one time. So while we are here, why not give it a shot? Failure is the absolute worst case scenario.