How NOT to Start an Online Business

Bella Christina
Dec 21, 2017
4 min read

Doing an online biz is not for everyone.

Being an entrepreneur is so much different from having a 9-5 job.

You have to learn how to be your own boss, how to juggle the oh-so-diverse aspects of running a biz, and it's not bad to have some like-minded friends along the way.

What mistakes can you make when starting an online business? Here's a list.

1. You are impatient

If you expect quick results, you can easily become disappointed. Perseverance and consistency can be a key to success having a small business.

So many bloggers and small biz owners give up after a few months because they aren't patient enough, thinking it's too much work to run a biz.

Growing slowly with a committed audience is better than reaching many people with a shallow interest in you.

Give yourself at least a couple of months or even a year to get results. Prior to the tipping point, there's usually a setback when you feel it's not worth, it's too hard, and want to give up. Don't quit.

2. You don't have a plan

If you don't know where you're going, you're not going anywhere. You should have at least a vague plan, which you re-evaluate from time to time.

Start planning your online presence considering your ideal audience & your strategy. This is essential to create systems in your biz and have a marketing plan.

I recommend having a blog - it seems quite a lot of work to post new content regularly, but blogging is an excellent way to establish your expertise, get closer to your people and help your biz grow.

Think about promoting your biz too. How and where are you going to find your audience How are you going to regularly promote to them? Getting visitors to your website is crucial in the first few months.

"If you don't know where you're going, you're not going anywhere."

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3. You expect easy money which you spend right away

Let's be clear: the money you get in your biz is not yours.

You have to pay taxes and there are other regular costs to be considered. So make sure you don't spend your income at the moment you find it on your bank account.

Create reserves. If you have a 9-5 job, that's the first thing to do - way earlier than quitting your job.

To become a businesswoman, you have to learn to economize, invest and save.

Don't forget to invest in yourself too, by learning all the useful info you need to become a successful fempreneur.

You also need money to build your systems - consider these costs (eg. your email marketing software subscription) as spending on assets (your email list is one!).

4. You consider it a hobby

Being passionate about what you do is going to help you in the first harder period and your audience will feel your enthusiasm for the cause.

However, doing a biz can't be treated as your hobby. There will be times when you simply won't feel like doing it - and you'll have to be disciplined and do it anyway.

Self-recognition matters so much - learn how you can motivate yourself and how to be productive. (There's no shame in experimenting at the beginning.)

You have to deal with your time wisely, especially if you have a family too, and learn how to be your own boss, think strategically and overcome your insecurity.

5. You undervalue yourself

This is one of the most common mistakes: you don't really believe in yourself and you set your prices accordingly.

Working for pennies won't get you there.

If you start a biz, I assume you have the experience and the skills to get paid. So please, set your prices accordingly. You also need to consider your costs.

Imposter syndrome can be a serious disease among creatives, freelancers, and fempreneurs. Don't let it steer your biz. Learn to evaluate yourself and your small successes.

Besides many other things, you're doing your biz for the money, right?

Don't be afraid to promote yourself. If you're an introvert, you might feel this is hard, but it's worth overcoming your fears.

7 mistakes to avoid when starting an online biz to get the success you desire and deserve

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6. You're not willing to learn and connect

Being an online entrepreneur means living with an open mindset. There are so many changes to follow, so many new things to learn - you have to accept this ever-changing environment.

There will be new skills, new platforms, new rules, new trends along the way.

Don't be afraid to ask for help and invest in getting to know the new. You'll always feel you don't know enough - it's normal.

Become a member of groups with like-minded entrepreneurs. Find biz BFFs - you can even have a mastermind group, in which you share your experience, motivate and learn from each other.

You can find friends on social media too and form an invisible alliance by supporting each other and sharing each other's links and promos. (I love how this works - as SM is totally different in my country, I had to adapt to this.)