10 Things I wish I would have known when first starting my online business

When I began entrepreneurship journey in late 2014, I was so green!  I had been looking for ways to work from home to spend more time with my children before they began school. Those years are so precious & fly by so fast...

Me and the hubs bought into a few programs, to see what was going to work. I bought into an MLM type business. For those that do not know MLM's are Multi Level Marketing strategy type of business. You just had to get your friends and family to sign up! Inevitably, it was one big pyramid scheme! Don't come at me y'all! MLMs are just not for me.

When I was looking into this MLM to see if it was scammy/spammy, I got extremely lucky and found a great program that taught me so much! Most people in search of making money online don't get lucky like I did.

I got in on the beginning stages of this program. I'm a lifer! This means being part of the beta program, I will always have these mentors to lean on as long as I need them. I step away from the group and come back all the time. They are a great group of amazing entrepreneurs! If you are interested in the program, drop me your contact info. We'll get on a phone call!

I won't drop the name of that particular business... but don't worry I will drop the details on plenty of other things to avoid when starting out on a shoestring budget!
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1. Avoid stressing about getting an LLC set up.
2. Don't waste so much time worrying about things that aren't making you money. - I remember wasting so much time trying to make sure every single thing was perfect. When I should have been focused on building relationships and ultimately closing sales.
3. Make sure you have a clear business plan on what you are selling. I have a ton of different skill sets, but at the end of the day. I know what I'm more specialized in than other skills I have learned. 
4. Don't make business decisions, if you are emotionally upset, drained, tired, burned out. Basically, you want to make all business decisions with a level head. I made this mistake when I was juggling 2 kids stuck at home during the pandemic. 
5. Don't focus on tasks that are not paying you. Instead, focus on meeting people and building relationships. These are the people who may just become your clients.
6. I wish I would have focused on sales more! The more money you bring in the more time you have to work on things that actually pay you. Sales are hard! At least for me, they are still hard. It's uncomfortable, but you have to figure out the best way to sell your container whatever it may be. 
7. Learn who your ideal client is. If you don't know your ideal client, you don't know who to market to, which means you don't know your target audience.
8. Keep records. I run a consulting business, as well as, a promo marketing business. You have to keep up with invoices, receipts, there is so much admin. So figure out what works best for you.
9. Outsource easier more mundane tasks to a VA(Virtual Assistant). This is a game changer once you've got some income coming in you can outsource some of these tasks.
10. Time-block your schedule. When you're first starting out as an entrepreneur, you will take any client you can get. Boy oh boy! Did I make that mistake a few times? Yes I did! So, now if I don't think we are a right fit I will walk. I will refer their business to another marketer that would be a better fit with them.

Lastly, we all have or had to start somewhere. We are all going to have bumps in the road in our journey! Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart! Some days are much harder than others! 

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