5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started an Online Business

Many people feel like they have a sleeping entrepreneur inside them, but there still remains some false ideas of what it takes to run an online business. You’ll never have to put up with other people that you don’t like, and although in the early days there will be more working hours than in your regular office job you’ll love every second of it if it aligns with your passion.

But putting ideas into action need effective plans.You have a clear picture of it but, in reality, you can be so focused on the big picture that smaller, less attractive aspects can be easily overlooked or not taken in enough consideration.

Here are some tips on what to expect and where to focus your time when running an online business:

• Set boundaries for when you’re not working: Having free time is also vital and in this game you’re fully responsible for it. Finish tasks before the weekend or whenever your self-prescribed down time begins, get into the habit of making some days extra productive; especially if you know a new project is coming. Absolutely smash the days you are supposed to be working, then take some days off. Otherwise, the outcome will be affected and no one likes to work for (or live with) a grumpy person.
• Management is key: Be organized with not only your time but your contacts. How did the clients found you; did Google send them to your website?. Was it via social media or a referral? Take advantage of your strongest channels.
  And don’t forget being on top of your accounting! The more control you have the fewer surprises you’ll get; especially at times when you have an important task at hand and can’t pay attention to anything else.Keep track of the point where you are at, do lists or use folders to know where everything is. You can never be too organized when starting a new business! Your future self will thank you.
• Start a retirement plan early: Owning your own online business makes some people forget they are still in the workforce and need to treat themselves like they would if they were an employee. Part of this treatment is ensuring you are saving for retirement and setting yourself up with some sort of self-employed retirement plan. The options for the self-employed vary depending on your goals, so talk to a financial planner as soon as possible to make sure you are not working forever.
• Acquire new skills: Improve your writing and communication to deal with clients and be fast in conflict resolutions, learn social media management, try to adapt your work to special circumstances if needed in order to build and maintain a solid relationship with a client you’re interested in. Work on your weakest points and lead by example
• Outsource menial tasks whenever possible: At first you may have to do all of the admin and boring grunt work will take you away from high-level work that you want to work on. Be smart with your time as you are with your money, if you see an opportunity to employ someone else to do the jobs you hate – play around with numbers and time to see whether it’s worth it.
•  Never Stop Growing: Take note on successful cases in the sector. Find also allies. Building relationships that will be useful to both parties at some point is an intelligent thing to do.And remember everything takes time, focus and, at times, new disciplines. Not every progress is a fast one. Don’t compare yourself with someone who started years before.
  You’re thinking about big results while you should take smaller, effective action steps. Be patient and just keep at it!