Mike Hunder: So, Why Haven’t You Started Your Online Business?

Have you ever planned to start your online business but you keep pushing it forward each time? And then start giving excuses for not doing it?

Feeling apprehensive about taking the plunge to start a new business may be justified. But coming up with excuses not to start is not justified; it will actually keep you from living the life you have always dreamed about.

Here are 6 excuses you should give up, if you want to start your online business:

“I don’t have enough time”

“If you work where I work, you’ll always get home late and tired. There’s barely time to take a bite of food and catch some TV. I don’t have enough time to do all that”

Sure, you need to invest time to be successful in the online business. But what you require is a better use of your time. If you are the type that listens to the radio for newspaper reviews while driving or watches Africa Magic Channel after work, you could make better use of that same time by listening to CDs that teach about starting online courses. That way, you will be ahead before the year runs out – without any stress or strain!

“There’s too much competition”

Offering a valuable service may have some competition. But this should not keep you from starting your own online business. I read a line that says everything is competitive: real estate is competitive, being a farmer is competitive, being a writer is competitive, even being in paid employment is competitive! So, waiting around for a business to be non-competitive is waiting for eternity.

The best thing to do instead is to create the kind of experience that your audience seeks. By this, you will get more business and referrals. Another thing is, the online market actually has room for many winners – so you and your competition can both be successful.

“Scared of ‘techy stuff’”

“You have to be techy to own an online business”

“The online business is for young people”!

Myths like these are being spread around to discourage people from the online space. This is why, for example, instead of customized business email addresses, many entrepreneurs and professional firms still use the traditional public email addresses like Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, and so on as their business email addresses. You are probably using the same.

On leaving corporate Nigeria, I built an online school – helping entrepreneurs to build service quality into the business services they offer. I mentioned this to a friend as I was starting out. He was surprised and not quite sure he heard me right: “did you say you now own an online school?”

See, the myths being spread around are not true! Basic techy skills are now easy to learn and designs are now more user-friendly than ever, so you don’t have to be ‘young’ to know all these things.

“I hate sales”

Perhaps you’ve said these words to yourself, your friends, or family members when asked about what type of jobs you’re interested in:

“I’m not a salesperson”

“I don’t like pushing people to do things they don’t want to do”

“I’d rather be on the creative side than on the sales side”

Don’t be so quick to judge! You don’t have to be an expert at sales to successfully sell online. Stories abound of people who were poor at sales but turned out to be successful online business owners. To be sure, many online sales techniques are readily available to help you sell online.

“The economy is bad”

Another excuse I have often heard these days is that, with the way the Nigerian economy has changed, people are anxious about their future. “Why take a risk, starting an online business at this time?” Sure, the economy does have an effect on the Nigerian market, but things are different in the online market. It operates across national boundaries, so there is an infinite amount of customers and clients you can reach. The key to making sure your online business does well in the economy is to think more about quality, about identifying your ideal clients, their needs and pain points, and choosing a business idea that addresses those needs.

“I am waiting for the right time”

Lots of business opportunities are being lost as you wait for everything to be right before you start. The thing is, nothing will ever be perfect – no matter how much you try. So you don’t have to wait for things to be perfect before you start. You can start now and keep improving to become big.

Can you think of other excuses that you might be giving? Truth is that you will have to give up some of these excuses in order to start your first online business. And I challenge you to do that! You can visit my website www.mikehunder.com for additional resources.