So, You’ve Launched An Online Business – How Do You Tell Everyone?

June 26, 2011 by Daniel Sharkov|

Following article is a guest post by Steven Papas. Steven shares a few tips and tricks that’ll help you get rid of the skepticism from friends and family on your online business…

The economy is in the toilet right now and many people are overcoming the slump by starting an online business. Online entrepreneurship is a new thing that is made possible by and through the Internet. Once you’ve got your online business going, you get a great sense of achievement and self – esteem, especially when those first sales and commissions start rolling in. But unfortunately, those close to us are often the least supportive.

Speaking from my experience as a full-time blogger myself now, when I first launched my Software Reviews and Coupons blog, my friends, who are totally illiterate and ignorant in terms of business, were skeptical and they were looking down on me. They were lacking knowledge of the vast potential of the web, as their only experience of the internet was e-mail, Facebook and Youtube. To be honest I felt belittled by them when they would tell me to “go and find a real job”, especially when I wasn’t still seeing tangible results from my blog by that time ($$$). I hold a degree in finance and traditionally I was supposed to be working in a company as a “yes sir” employee and become one of them. Well, I‘ve done that before. I’ve been there so I am not going back.

A whole year had to pass before they started appreciating what I was doing, not only because they started realizing the power of the net but because they saw results in my life style. Now, this negative feedback from your own people might sound familiar to you and have got your all over. How do you tell them about your business?

Understand The Fear

First of all, it’s important to understand why friends and family are unsupportive. The main reason is simply fear of the unknown. “How on earth can you get money out of the Internet? Internet can’t give you money; working for a company will. You’re wasting your time”. This is a common approach to online business by many people. It is a new way of making a living and many people aren’t ready for it yet. If you understand this, you can easily deal with it by teaching them about it. Focus your efforts on creating an understanding.

Show Them The Research

Doing business online is risky. It’s something that most people don’t know about. But you’re convinced that it will work for you because you’ve done your research. Take this research, and all of your facts and figures and show this to them. Let them see what convinced you that this was a lucrative way to go. This may or may not convince them, but at least they’ll see that you’ve given it a thorough thinking-over. They’ll know that you understand the risks involved.

Enthusiasm Is Contagious

When you’ve just started your online business, you wake up every morning raving to go. You can’t contain your enthusiasm no matter how hard you try. Take this enthusiasm and let it infect those around you. It’s contagious! Let them see how excited you are each day and this will help them get positive about it.

There’s Money In It!

You’ve gotten into online business because you know that the pie is huge and there’s money to be made. There is high demand for online products and services and more people are shelling out the cash for them every year. Why not show your detractors how profitable the internet is? Most people have no idea how you can get one penny from the Web. Teach them some of these methods and show them articles that show the growing number of people buying online.

Tell Success Stories

Research some of the most popular online businesses and entrepreneurs and find out how they made it. Take these success stories and show them to the disbelievers. If they scoff at the idea of you becoming a Web millionaire, remind them that you’re just trying to make a living with it (for now!). You’ll settle for just a yearly six figure income.

Taking Care Of Business

Remind everybody that working online is now your job. Take it seriously and let them see how you treat your business. If your don’t seem serious and dedicated to your job, they will never believe in what you do and will never support you. Lots of people don’t understand that a person can work at home and they imagine that “working at home” means watching TV and eating potato chips in your pajamas. If you’re disciplined about your working schedule, this will show people that you’re for real. Establish set working hours and don’t let anything distract you (you’ll also get more done this way!).

Make A Presentation

Why not make a presentation to friends and family about what you do? Remember that it’s just ignorance that makes them doubt. So, put together a show and teach them exactly what you’re doing. Put all of your research, success stories and business methods into it. Leave no question unanswered.

“Show Them The Money”

Finally, when you get those first big sales, show them the money. It’s impossible to deny that you can make money on the internet when you’ve got it right there on your bank balance!

Be Patient

Remember that your friends and family don’t mean to be unsupportive. They’re just worried about you and they have no idea how to make money online. Be patient and keep showing them everything you can so that they can relax and accept your unusual career path. Remember that you’ve chosen an unusual path which is not easy, especially in the beginning, and your psychological well-being is important to your daily activity and effectiveness. Inevitably, our close people have big influence on us and their positive attitude will help us do our job better. It’s for our own good to have them on our side and let them know our goals and dreams.

Post Written by Steven Papas

Steven Papas is the owner of the VeryBestSoftware.net where he gives blogging tips, software reviews and discount coupons like the Norton Antivirus coupon code and the latest Acronis coupons.

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