So many of us have lost jobs in 2020 and have realized that we need a backup plan, we need to get something else going so that we do not have to depend on being employed in order to provide for our families.
Some may be looking ahead towards retirement and thinking it would be nice to have passive income during those years and be able to manage it from home or while they’re traveling.
Parents may want to be able to work from home to avoid child care costs and spend more time with their families.
Many want to establish a business that they can pass on to their children as an inheritance.
I think I can ✔️ All of the above.
In the last year I have learned how to create an online business. If some of the motivating factors above sound like you, keep reading!
Where Do I Start?
Step 1: Choose a subject to build your business around.
When you find something that helps you through a hard problem in your life whether that is financial, spiritual, health related or relationship issues it’s very likely that you will feel motivated to share what has helped you with others that may be going through the same or similar situations in their lives.
You may feel like you are not qualified to help others but often times what really helps us is finding someone we can relate to and learning about what has helped them to cope or overcome the very same challenges we are facing in life.
This was the very motivation that led me to create My Anti-Anxiety Toolbox.
As I have shared in my About Me and throughout my articles, I have suffered so many different types of anxiety due to a variety of causes but I have also found relief and I am motivated to share how.
I have helped others cope with extreme anxiety and it is the best feeling to be able to help in that way.
Think about things that you love or a problem that you have found help for. You could start a blog writing about your experiences or teaching others how to play an instrument, how to make jewlery or how to plan for their financial future.
You can sell something that you make whether it is a physical product or a digital product. Some have a knack for finding rare books that others are searching for and some share their love for music or photography.
The possibilities are endless!!
Calling all Introverts! Blogging is great if you are introverted or shy. You may not feel up to starting a YouTube channel just yet but writing articles on your website could be something you would really enjoy. And it boosts your confidence!
Step 2: Build a Website
In order to start a blog and start sharing the valuable knowledge in your head with others, you need to build a website. I always thought I would need to hire someone to do that and I have hired someone in the past for my service business.
About 2 years ago I decided to learn how to do it for myself. I took an online class about how to use WordPress to build a website and I really enjoyed the class. I thought I was ready. As I started out building my own website I had so many questions and I hit so many roadblocks.
- What things should I consider before choosing my domain name?
- How will anyone ever find my website and read my articles?
- What kind of paid advertising should I use?
- Should I use social media to advertise my business and if so how?
- How long should my articles be?
- What if I feel like giving up?
- How long will it take before I start making real money?
- Someone left a nasty comment on my article… is there anyone who has had the same experience?
That is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. I had about a million other questions! I really needed support and encouragement too after dealing with a ton of self-doubt!
That should read more like: HELP!!!!!!!!
I barely even remember how I found Wealthy Affiliate (WA). It was through an e-mail of someone that I had subscribed to but I don’t even remember the product. I do know who that person is because he is on WA with me but I have never asked him.
Anyway, that was a bit of a side trip down memory lane so back on track now.
Help From Wealthy Affiliate
This is the really exciting part! Once I looked at the education and support Wealthy Affiliate offers I was all in. Now, this wasn’t a hasty decision, remember I had already taken classes and started building my site. My decision was based on the knowledge that I needed support, much more education and NO one else was offering me a free trial so I could see if I liked the program before I paid a dime. That was huge for me.
I felt sincerity in the reviews I read and I felt the confidence the WA founders had in themselves that allowed them to offer a free 7 day trial period.
It felt different than the other gimmicky sales pages I had visited that always promised the world but required a large mystery amount of money before I could really find out what the program was all about.
In my research I learned that Wealthy Affiliate ONLY uses white hat SEO techniques, no grey or black SEO tactics that can end up getting you in trouble with the search engines. That appealed to me. I did not want to take any shortcuts in order to make money faster, only to be shut down eventually.
The point of all this background information is WA can teach ANYONE how to … not only build a website but host that website, offer technical support for that website, offer a community of hundreds of thousands of members who “pay it forward” by helping each other with any and every question you can imagine and just offer support when things aren’t going great in your business or personal life.
I could not believe how fast things started coming together!
Do you think you would know after that whether the program is legit? Would you know if you like the training? Would you be able to see if this is something you can do?
Absolutely! And you haven’t paid a dime, you haven’t even given your credit card number so there is no obligation or even a need to cancel.
And for me … I loved it. I saw how I could share what I had suffered and what I had learned and how I could help others. Yay!
When I say, “And More”? As the name suggests, Wealthy Affiliate is an affiliate marketing training however, members share what they know about social media and even create trainings, what they know about search engines, buying and selling domain names, writing books and e-books, the list goes on and on.
In the end… it is your website and whether you end up doing affiliate marketing or not, it doesn’t make a bit of difference. You can teach music or art lessons if you want. You can create an e-commerce store, you can sell your own products. No one gains or loses anything based on what you do with your website.
Step 3: Keep Going
The biggest way to see the dream of owning your own online business come true is to just keep going. Keep learning. Keep writing. Keep applying what you learn. Ask a lot of questions and Have Fun!
The encouragement I keep getting is just don’t give up. Those are the ones that are successful, they just don’t quit! With that mindset and determination, you cannot fail. My confidence has grown so much with the support I have received. Members tell how they started out exactly like me and just kept at it. One woman has over 100 websites!! No joke!
Think about creating something beautiful, helpful, and valuable. Something you could pass on to your children as an asset.
I have met people from all over the world! Someone is always available. Members range from teens to… well I don’t know the exact ages of the older ones … but older ones in their 70’s for sure.
Click Here to read a very short but amazing success story posted on Jan 21, 2021.
The best way to start your Free trial at Wealthy Affiliate is to Click on the banner below, enter your e-mail address to create your account, complete your profile, and then get started on the training right away so you can make the best use of your time. Say hello and ask questions!
I will be there to greet you!
Best to all of you in your lives and in your business endeavors!!
Alison
Please ask me questions in the comments section below.
P.S. – After 7 days you can choose to remain as a free member, you will not have access to all of the training and features or you can upgrade to Premium membership. Premium is $19 for the first month… so you get a whole 30 days more to continue training and building your website and after that, it is $49/month. Click HERE to see the difference between the free and Premium membership features.
Hi there: thank you for this post. I like how clean your site is. Now, creating an online business is definitely what a lot of people want to do, but it does take time. It’s like building a foundation first and slowly building up from that foundation and then turn it into something that is substantial and profitable. WA is definitely a great place to start if you are looking into building a successful online business. Being a member here myself, WA offers rich resources and trainings to help someone with zero online business experience to become successful.
Thank you for your comment Walt! I completely agree with you and WA members always say it takes time. That is one reason I felt it was genuine and not an empty promise of overnight success. I wish you all the best in your endeavors and I will look for you at WA.
Alison
I am excited about how to create a business that has it’s front door online. I already know around what I would like to create this business. But I am not a tech savy guy so I’ll need lots of help building the site. I do have a lot of will power for pushing through the difficult stages.
Hi Paolo, That will power is going to serve you well as you create an online business. It does take some self-discipline but is so rewarding and Wealthy Affiliate can definitely give you the help you need.
I wish you the best in your business!
Alison
Hello there, there is so much to gain from an online business and that is why there have been a really high rate of people who have been getting involved in it. So far I am glad that there have been articles to help people understand the concept of online business better and that is what matters the most. Its been a pleasure visiting your site. Thank you
Thank you for your kind comment Sean. It is very rewarding to be able to share information with others online and create a business around something you are passionate about.
All the best to you,
Alison
Reading though this post opened my eyes to a lot of things which I never thought of, thanks a lot for this enlighten post. When the pandemic started I was unable to go to my daily job anymore and I discovered that I need to switch into online business, but the only issue now is how to host my site, can you help with that?
Hello Williams, Absolutely. If you go to Wealthy Affiliate and sign up with your e-mail address, there will be absolutely no charge for the first 7 days and you can find out all about their hosting services. There is a ton of training and support on the platform in addition to the hosting.
All my best wishes to you,
Alison
Hi there! Such an amazing article! Thank you for taking time to share this detailed and informative piece about creating an online business, well done, I booked marked this already for reference purposes in future, I must say I learnt alot.i have always wanted to create my online business,but the issue was were do I start from! Well my questions have been answered. thanks again
Thanks for your comment Virtue. I’m glad you enjoyed the article and I wish you the best in creating your online business.
Alison