How To Start An Online Business IN The Next 13 Minutes
Sometimes back, December last year, I visited one of my friends. We grew up together and his dream had always been to become a journalist.
Now he is a radio reporter but the reality, I suspect had set in for him, he doesn’t sound as if he loves his job. More so, money doesn’t come as much as everyone thought journalists should have, so he was considering doing something else.
Since he knows me to be an entrepreneur, he wanted my advice to which I generously gave by showing him how he could start an online business the same day we met.
Unfortunately, he didn’t follow my advice, and I’m sure 99% of the people who will read this article will do nothing about it, but 1% is worth working for anyway, so let’s continue with this article as I show you how you can start an online business right now.
*Use the internet to teach others what you know*
I love business. I started my first major business at age 15. Nothing has made me high as much as creating and selling things, concept or an idea. Business is my life. But I also teach business and make money doing so.
If today I’m a medical doctor, guess what I will be doing? I will be on social media especially YouTube giving people medical advice.
If today I’m a soldier, imagine what I will be doing? I will be on YouTube, teaching people about personal security and maybe warfare if the army policies allow me.
If today I’m a musician, I will be here teaching people how to compose songs, perform on stage etc.
What if I’m a teacher? Well, I know a lot of people on social media especially YouTube making money by teaching people English, Economics, Geography, etc.
What if the only thing I know is how to draw? Well, search YouTube for DP Art drawing. What the lady does is to draw for you to see. As at the time of writing this article, she has 533,000 subscribers.
Think about that for a minute.
I don’t know any law in the world which says it’s a crime to teach others what you know. What I know instead is that, if truly you know something, you will love talking about it and you might even like teaching other people and what is as sweet as making money helping others while you do what you love?
I mean, it is a win-win situation.
My business articles have been shared all over social media and have been read by many Kenyans (both in Kenya and diaspora) and many other Africans all over African countries.
Yes, most of these people will just read and move on, but a good percentage of them change their lives just because I share my thoughts with them. How else can anyone contribute in a little way to the world? Yet, you can make money doing so, and you can even start in the next 5 minutes.
It only takes about 30 seconds to open a YouTube channel, about one or two minutes to open other social media channels, and that’s it.
*Understand how the internet works so that you can promote your products and services there*
More than half of the world’s population uses the internet every day, but a very tiny percentage of these people have an understanding of how the internet works. When you don’t understand something, how can you make good use of it?
My life changed in the year 2009 when I understood that I could use a software to know what people are searching for on the internet. To even make me crazy, this software is for free.
So I started thinking, if I can understand what people are searching for in my country, I can know what products or services to create and market to them. This singular information changed my life.
There are thousands of other things you need to understand about the internet. For example, if you create a blog or website for your business or company, you can track the people who visit the blog or website and remarket to them anywhere they go on the internet. Facebook and Google will help you do that.
There are tons of other things that can change your business or life about the internet, social media and YouTube, but you have to search, learn and learn.
I challenge you to lock yourself indoors
for a week and spend all your time on Google learning how the internet works and how people use the internet to promote their businesses and make money.
You can create something, a free blog, a social media or YouTube account immediately after reading this article and then start learning how the internet works. Your life can change with a single piece of information.
*Stop waiting till you figure everything out*
The journey of life is like a spiritual journey. You will never get to a period of time when you will understand everything about God, never.
If you want to wait till you know everything about God before you believe he exists, then you will become an Atheist and so many people in our world today are like the atheists. They never start pursuing their dreams, just because they have no perfect understanding.
Well, I have some bad news for you; you will never have a perfect understanding of anything.
I remember my first attempt using social media to promote my idea. It was so stupid that I can’t even get my head to tell you about it, very shameful.
I remember my first website or even my first two or three attempts on YouTube. They were all stupid, and I wish it weren’t me so that I can shame the person who did all that. But it was me, and it’s just normal for anyone to make mistakes. You just have to start something immediately and keep moving.
*Be willing to sacrifice several months or a few years*
I met a guy a few weeks ago who told me about his attempts on the internet. This guy posted like two or three videos on YouTube, and because nobody watched them, he stopped posting.
When I started blogging in the year 2009, I had to sacrifice a year before I started making money, reasonable money, I mean.
Today I see a lot of people who get discouraged simply because they have tried one or two things on the internet and failed. If success is as easy as ask-and-get, why are there only a few people who get it?
If everyone who tries something can get a result in three months, why won’t everyone become successful?
But I know what is going on here. Most people are products of school and in school, you were never taught how to fight. You were only taught how to get grades and get jobs then get paid forever.
Nothing in school teaches you how to work for free for a long time and that’s why some people will tell me that they started a business six months ago and because they have not been making a lot of money or any money they want to give up.
*Finally,*
By far, the greatest things that have ever happened to me, happened after I started. Start and decide never to look back. Yes, you will make some silly mistakes, but they won’t matter after you have succeeded.
By
Timothy Angwenyi
Business Consultant
Justine Nyachieo
Business Man & Mentor
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