If I hear the words ‘double dip’ or ‘triple dip’ recession once more I think I will scream.
Look, whilst I realise the economy is not in a good way right now, it doesn’t help when every five minutes news items keep appearing with negative, depressing stories which basically make everyone feel worse about the situation.
It’s easy to believe everything that you read about in the newspapers, or hear on TV or the radio and it’s in our human nature to jump on the negative rather than the positive. That’s why once you’ve got it into your head that something is ‘difficult’, ‘beyond repair’ or you find a little obstacle in your way, it’s much harder to dig yourself out of it and see the positive side of things.
This is true too for lots of people who really want to help themselves, start a business to bring in some extra money and relieve the financial pressure they find themselves in. Have a look at these three sentences below. Do they sound familiar?
“I want to start an online business BUT I haven’t got any money to buy stock…”
“I wish I worked for myself BUT I haven’t got the money or resources to set up on my own…”
“I want to run my own business BUT haven’t got time to go to the Post Office to send out my orders…”
There’s always that big ‘BUT’ in there, like a Vicky Pollard Little Britain moment! It’s a negative within a sentence that is otherwise very positive! After all, each of those comments starts with ‘I want to’ or ‘I wish to’ which is a good starting point.
It’s just that one little word that stops so many people from actually taking action and doing what they want to do. And I think it’s such a shame that we have this capability to put the kibe-wash on our dreams BEFORE we’ve even attempted to achieve them.
So, let’s get positive, get rid of the negativity and approach these three objections with a solution!
“I want to start an online business BUT I haven’t got any money to buy stock…”
When I started my eBay business 8 years ago I did so on a tight budget of just £150. In order to raise this £150 I took half from my extremely small savings account and the other half I raised by tidying up my house!
Yes, I simply had a good old sort out, piled all my junk into a big cardboard box and then got up early on a cold Sunday morning, drove to my local Car Boot sale, slapped up my pasting table and got selling. Don’t forget that one mans junk is another mans treasure and with a couple of big boxes of ‘stuff’ it’s easy to make upwards of £50 for a morning’s work.
In fact that morning I made over £100 – all from items that I didn’t want. And if that sounds like too much hard work in the cold, it’s simple to open an eBay account and list your personal goods on the site and sell them that way. You can easily (and quickly) raise money for your first batch of stock this way.
Now that’s two solutions already! So, for anyone who really wants to start their own online business and who says they haven’t any capital I’m afraid they are simply not trying hard enough and perhaps they don’t want the dream enough – harsh, but true.
“I wish I worked for myself BUT I haven’t got the money or resources to set up on my own…”
Okay, well the money side of things I’ve already covered in the last solution so let’s move on to ‘resources’. ‘Resources’ can mean a number of things. Perhaps you feel that you need specific skills to run a business. Perhaps it’s to do with having specific equipment or a huge amount of time available and a large number of staff. Perhaps you feel that you should have a warehouse or office premises…
Well, I can confidently say that you don’t need any of these things to run your own online business.
Equipment: You only need a computer, a printer, a digital camera and a set of weighing scales. Most, if not all, are common in every household these days.
Time: The important thing is to take action. Even if you only put in an hour a day to start with, at least it’s something. Many online businesses can be run in as little as a couple of hours a day once everything is set up.
Staff: You don’t need any staff! You can do this on your own with minimal help and if you are really stuck, get the kids, husband or wife to help!
Premises: You don’t have to store your own stock in your own warehouse – you can always use a fulfilment company or drop shipper (more on this in just a moment) when you start up and you certainly don’t need an office. An email address that gives a professional image is all that’s required and you can purchase a domain name with an email address very cheaply.
You can start an online business from home – using your own personal computer, printer, camera and kitchen table and purchase your stock from the capital you have built up by selling your old personal bits and pieces… so, what’s stopping you so far?
“I want to run my own business BUT haven’t got time to go to the Post Office to send out my orders…”
I hear this one all the time. To be honest though, if you are really serious about setting up on your own then you should make time.
You could use a drop shipper (a company that holds stock, and will pack and post it for you and send it to your customers) but your profits will be much slimmer this way as you are involving a middleman.
If you work full time, then pay a trip to the Post Office either before you start work, after work or even in your lunch hour. Sacrifices have to be made if you want to succeed.
Many Post Offices open at 8am and close at 6pm and even if you can’t get there every day, it’s likely that you will be able to visit 2 or 3 times a week – even on a Saturday morning if nothing else works. There are also delivery companies that will collect from your door (even if you have large quantities of parcels).
I’ve given you these solutions to help you overcome the objections that your brain hurls in front of you when you start considering setting up on your own. Yes, it’s hard work but you must ask yourself how much you want your goals to become a reality. If you really want it, you’ll get positive, and do it.
I’ll leave you to ponder on that thought!