the way business is done, and in some ways it has -
1. Faster market research
2. Easier to target niches with more profit potential
3. Wider audience for your offerings...
and more.
But I've noticed a trend lately of more guru marketers moving offline. Wonder why that is? Here's my opinion (then you knew I had one, right?)
Because no matter how many affiliate networks, ebooks, webinars and so forth there are, people do not spend their lives online. Unless they had no life to begin with or their idea of living is playing games.
Here's where I'm going with this: Really rethink the business you're in long term. If you are spending 90% of your time trying to get people interested in what you're selling, being a whore to the search engines for traffic or stressing over trying to keep up with every affiliate "new shiny box" - you are working a job, no matter what you call it for less than someone will pay.
I'll admit when I first started out, every guru or wannabe had me on their list. In fact I spent more money trying to make money than actually making any, which is a bad business decision in anyone's book.
This past few weeks while deciding to overhaul The Solo Gazette, I went to visit some of the local businesses in my area. Guess what I found?
1. Most didn't have a website and could care less about getting one.
2. There were many that have been in business 10+ years or longer and didn't fire, layoff or reduce any staff. Yes, they all have fewer than 20 employees but the fact is they haven't missed a payroll.
3. The internet is for entertainment maybe a couple hours at night, or on weekends but none feel they are at starvation's door because they have no "web presence".
All knew I "do something" on the internet and a couple had even visited a site or two of mine. Know what the one thing they all wanted to know. I'm embarrassed by this but here's the question: How stable is your income from it.
See we forget that marketing our services or products on the internet may be fun, but if it's the only revenue stream you have then you are in the same position as someone with a job.
At anytime the search engines, affiliate networks, or payment processor can change the rules to suit them and your business will be affected. Period.
I'm not telling you to jump on the "offline marketing" band wagon, far from it. What I am telling you is to consider diversifying your business. You may think network marketing is a pyramid scheme (which tells me you have never been in the job market) or that affiliate marketing is here to stay (Hydra just dropped 15,000 affiliates who aren't going to be happy this morning). As a solo entrepreneur, you might want to start thinking: What if?
That's it for today and I leave you with this -
Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but
that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative
thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not
financial science; it's about trading: buying and selling~ Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
