Why You Should Start a Business Rather than Have a Job

 

For most of us, there are two ways in which we can earn a living. We can either take up a job at some company where we get paid a regular salary with perks and incentives, or we can start a business of our own and earn the profits of whatever we sell. The former option is considered to be the more stable option, the more traditional one. That is why when most people think about what they would want to do in their lives, they think of nice cushy jobs that could pay them a large amount of money.

 

However, you should not completely denounce the second option either—starting a business of your own. Today, most of the people who are highly successful are those who have control over their lives in a professional manner of speaking. And this is only possible if you have a business. If you have your own company, however small, then you are your own boss. That even gives you more satisfaction from what you do.

 

It might have been true that businesses were difficult to start and manage once upon a time, but that is definitely not applicable in today’s world. Today, a lot of people are carrying out their business pursuits from the comforts of their home. The Internet has made it possible for all of us to be able to pursue our profession from our home itself—several people are managing entire virtual offices with dozens of employees from all over the world, just through their laptops.

 

But, the benefits of even these Internet based businesses are the same. You still get to be your own boss, you control your life, you have the option to work as much or as little as you want, which means you can decide on the size of the paycheck you get.

 

There is actually no point being in a job if you don’t want to. Why would you work for someone else when you could work for yourself so easily? If you have entrepreneurial skills, then it is certainly not a good idea to get into a job and work for mere wages.

 

So, plan your professional life well. Maybe you could consider a job if you are sure of growth and if the job is really good and from a very well-established company that pays handsomely, but if that is not the case, then a business is also not out of the realms of possibility either.

The Digital Marketing Lifestyle: The Benefits (Infographic)

The Digital Marketing Lifestyle: Staying Productive (Infographic)

The Digital Marketing Lifestyle: Deprogramming Your Old Lifestyle (Infographic)

The Digital Marketing Lifestyle: Programming The Digital Lifestyle (Infographic)

Use Low-Ticket Offers to Boost Your Profits

A low-ticket offer, as a general guideline, is a product with a price tag of $50 or less. These low-cost items are usually digital products, like an eBook, video course, or resource guide. A low-ticket offer, if chosen wisely, is a powerful way to qualify leads and drive sales. 

 

As your prospects progress through your sales funnel, various offers direct them towards the ultimate destination: your core offer, a higher-priced item at the end of the funnel. 

 

By presenting prospects with a low-ticket item up top, you can gauge whether they have true customer potential or if they’re just freebie seekers. If they purchase your inexpensive offer, you can start building a relationship with them and priming them for purchase. 

 

Why Use Low-Ticket Offers?

 

There are several benefits to pitching low-ticket offers. 

 

Low-ticket offers provide you with another way to earn income. They are usually digital products, so they cost very little to produce and have no delivery or storage fees. It’s just an electronic file, so your margin is high, even if you’re only charging few dollars. Although the primary focus is your core offer, these small products can generate some money and offset any expenses associated with your higher-ticket items. 

 

The reason low-ticket offers work well near the beginning of a sales funnel is that they help to qualify leads. Many people who sign up for your lead magnet are only after the freebies. They’ll consume your content in exchange for their email address, but they have no intention of paying even a few dollars for a premium product. A low-ticket offer helps you identify these people right away. 

 

Low-ticket offers also help build relationships with new leads. By providing your target audience with an instant solution at a reasonable price, you establish trust and these customers will want to learn more. 

 

This inexpensive offer also provides an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise. Use your low-ticket offer to showcase your knowledge and the results you can deliver, and your customers will be more likely to purchase future offers with higher price tags. 

 

Low-ticket offers move prospects closer to your core offer and weed out those who won’t buy. It’s a low-risk and valuable lead qualification tool that costs very little to produce and distribute. 

 

The Key to Success: Know Your Audience

 

How do you maximize the effectiveness of your low-ticket offer? Get to know your audience. If you understand the issues they face, you can develop a low-ticket offer that will solve a particular problem for them and increase the likelihood of future purchases.

 

The best way to get a clear picture of your audience is to create an ideal customer profile. This process involves imagining your target audience as an individual – the one person who would most benefit from your core offer. Get to know their likes and dislikes, problems, and passions. This description will be a valuable tool when developing all of the offers in your funnel. 

 

One low-ticket offer isn’t going to completely transform the customer’s life, but it should offer a “quick win” and a concrete improvement, no matter how small. 

 

Creating Your Low-Ticket Offer Content

 

It’s not necessary to invest a lot of money into the production of a low-ticket offer. But what it can cost you is time and energy. Content creation can easily become a burden and a drain on your resources. 

 

Since the key to generating income with a low-priced product is to cut overhead, look for shortcuts to content creation. A few ideas include:

 

• Creating a smaller version of a bigger product. Extract a section of your core offer and transform it into a low-ticket item. 

• Offering a bundle of products. You can take several small pieces of existing content and put them together into a high-value bundle.

• Providing more content to help with your lead magnet. Make a resource guide, template, or tool that the customer can use to get more out of the free lead magnet they received from you.

• Repurposing existing content. Take content you’ve already created and alter it in some way, so it offers unique value.

 

The Right Timing for Your Low-Ticket Offer

 

The standard practice is to present prospects with a low-ticket offer at the beginning of the sales funnel, so you can start qualifying leads right away. But sometimes, it may be beneficial to engage with the prospect a bit more before pitching paid products. Think about your ideal customer and what they would prefer. For some people, and particular types of products, a low-ticket offer may be more appropriate later in the funnel. 

 

Or, conversely, you can offer a low-ticket item as a lead magnet, at the front of your funnel. To do this, you would create a dedicated landing page and drive traffic to it. Once they purchase it, customers are added to your email list, where you can then start communicating with them. 

 

There is no perfect place or time to present your low-ticket offer. Map out the customer journey through your sales funnel and experiment to see what works best for your target audience. 

 

Monitor Your Results and Make It Perfect

 

Track your results, check conversions, and then make the necessary adjustments. It will take some trial and error to perfect your low-ticket offer strategy, but once you do, it will be worth the effort. 

 

Are you ready to learn, step-by-step, how to create a low-ticket offer that will earn you more and qualify prospects for your core offer?

 

Digital Marketing Lifestyle Resource Sheet

Want to be a digital marketer and lead the lifestyle that you’ve always dreamed of? Then you need to change the way you approach it. It’s time to stop thinking about making money fast and instead, time to think about having fun making money. And also enjoying the money when you have it.

 

There are several resources that can help you to achieve that, so to continue your education, seek out these books!

 

The E-Myth Revisited

Book

 

The problem with many entrepreneurs is that they start their businesses with a completely false notion of what life will be like once they do. They set out thinking they will live the ‘American Dream’ and start making lots of money from a single idea.

Reality doesn’t quite work that way. And if you really want to be successful, then you need to realize this going in. This book will help you to understand rules that apply to any small business.

 

The Four Hour Workweek

Book

 

This book by Tim Ferriss is one of the absolute classics when it comes to working online and managing your work-life balance. This is one of the books I recommend to anyone starting out online and it’s an incredible wake-up call for many who have ended up stuck in jobs they don’t love. It’s about lifestyle design: about working to live and not living to work. It also contains tons of practical tips.

 

The Personal MBA

Book

 

This book by Josh Kaufman aims to teach an entire MBA course in a single volume. Okay, so that’s a pretty ambitious concept but the end result is undoubtedly impressive and it’s something that everyone should take a look at.

 

How to Save An Hour Every Day

Book

 

This book was written with a single goal: to help entrepreneurs and other folk to save more time. Saving time is crucial for a digital marketer as it will give you more time to work toward your goals and more time to enjoy outside of work.

 

Smart Passive Income

https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

 

Smart Passive Income is a website from Pat Flynn that tells people how to make businesses that will be self-sustaining and provide passive income. Pat is a very friendly and likeable guy and the site provides real-world tips and candid insights into his own business. Highly recommended.

 

Headspace

App

 

If you’re someone who struggles with stress and managing your work/life balance, then getting an app like Headspace is highly recommended. This is a meditation app that will teach you the basics of mindfulness and help you to find moments of calm and to practice mental discipline. It’s game changing.

 

Warrior Forum

www.warriorforum.com

 

This is a forum for digital marketers to discuss their business. It’s a great place to find business partners, writing and web design services and more. What’s more is that it’s a great place to just chat with likeminded individuals and make genuine connections.

 

Nomadlist

https://nomadlist.com/chat/all_channels

For those that work on the move Nomad List is a fantastic place to meet people and find business partners. 

 

Why You Should be a Content Creator and Not a Marketer

Labels are important. Most important are the ones that we give ourselves. How you define yourself will color the way you see yourself, and this in turn is going to influence the way that you interact with others, your happiness, your confidence and much more about you.

 

This is particularly true for people like internet marketers. If you’re someone who works online, then you will work a job that isn’t easily defined and that many people won’t really understand. What is it you do again? How do you make money without leaving the house??

 

And it also changes the way you feel about the work you do and the work that you will end up pursuing. I recommend considering shifting the way you describe yourself from ‘internet marketer’ to ‘content creator’. And here is why…

 

The Same Thing Really…

 

You might be wondering how you can just go ahead and change your label if you’re still doing the same job. Isn’t a content creator something entirely different from a digital marketer?

 

Well, not really!

 

These days, content marketing is the most effective option for any brand wanting to increase its visibility and status online. Content marketing is necessary for SEO (because SEO is predicated on having content for Google to crawl) and it is synonymous with social media marketing (because one of the most important aspects of social media marketing is sharing content through your various channels). 

 

And if you’re a content marketer who creates articles and videos for a blog, then chances are that you have the precise same goals as the marketers: getting your content seen.

 

The only difference is that a content marketer is someone who puts the ends first, whereas the content creator puts the quality content first. They put the value first. The content creator builds a brand and then promotes that brand with great multimedia content. The marketer on the other hand looks at the market and asks how they can make money…

 

Why the Content Creator is the Better Outlook

 

But the content creator – ironically – actually often makes more money. That’s because they have a brand they believe in and they are putting more work into their content. 

Both these things are not lost on readers who will end up wanting to spend more money as a result. And thanks to Google’s more recent changes, they’re not lost on the search algorithms either…

 

Then there’s the fact that content creators are happier. Why? Because they are working on something they love. Success doesn’t come online quite as quickly as some marketers will have you believe. It takes a lot of time and even more work. If you’re going to avoid letting this crush you and make you miserable, then you better ensure that you are doing it for the love and not because you have to!

 

Think about all the most wealthy and famous people online. How did they get there? From pedalling ‘make money’ ebooks? Or by creating an amazing YouTube channel and sharing a vibrant personality and talent for writing and production?

 

3 Effective Ways to Earn Money From Home

When most people hear about earning money from home, they automatically put up their defenses and assume it’s a scam. They are not interested and completely shut down the conversation because they don’t want to hear it. However, the truth is, it is possible to make decent money working from home- and the shift in people working from home proves it. 

 

Of course, these are not going to bring you riches overnight. You will need to invest the time and energy in making them work, but it is possible. 

 

In this article, we are going to explore 3 effective ways to earn money from home. 

 

Freelancer 

 

You might be interested in becoming a freelancer. Find sites such as Upwork, Guru, Fiverr, and many others to showcase your talent. As a freelancer, you can dabble in several different areas, from creating articles and blog posts, to videos, to editing resumes, and so much more. Simply think about what you are really good at and then apply for those projects. On most platforms, you can also set up a “shop” of your own where you offer specific “packages” for your services that clients can choose from. Freelancing is a great way to get some cash flow. 

 

Podcasts & YouTube 

 

The truth is, there are many people out there who would love nothing more than to pick up a good book and kick back to read it. Unfortunately, too many of them simply don’t have the time to do it. Therefore, they’ve turned to visual and audio content. This way, they can listen while they’re on the go. Therefore, it’s a great time to get setup on doing a podcast or set up a YouTube channel. You can offer some free content to get them hooked- and then offer a subscription package for premium content- or even charge per audio/video clip.

 

Digital Storefront 

 

Another popular option for earing money from home is setting up a digital storefront. If you are crafty and enjoy making things, you might want to consider a site like Etsy to sell your wares. On the other hand, if you’re not really all that crafty, there are plenty of sites that you can set up on to “dropship” items such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. Simply create logos (or use one of the designs in their library) and create items to sell. You might be surprised at how much you can earn with these options. 

 

While you may be skeptical when someone mentions earning money from home, there’s no need to be. Sure, there are many scams out there offering to make you rich if you’ll just follow their formula. However, the truth is, in order to effectively earn money from home, you’ll need to put in the time and effort. 

 

3 Tips for Finding the Perfect Side Hustle

A side hustle is something that you do in addition to your full-time job. It’s not something that you must do- but it can be beneficial, especially if the income from your current 9 to 5 is not enough. 

 

In some cases, a side hustle can become a full-time job, if done right. On the other hand, if not done right, you could fail. You must find what works for you. In this article, we will discuss the three tips for finding the perfect side hustle. 

 

Do You Enjoy It? 

 

You should never force yourself into something that you are not passionate about- that will be the perfect formula for failure. Keep in mind that a side hustle is optional, so if you choose something that you truly enjoy, it can help you relax after a long day at your regular job- and bring you income at the same time. Don’t choose a side hustle simply because you know someone else that did it and was successful. You may not get the same results. 

 

Are You Good at It? 

 

Think about your skills. Is there something that you are really good at that could help bring you money? Don’t choose a side hustle unless you already have the skills needed to work it because not everyone has the time to learn a new skill set. You will have an increased chance of being successful if you already know how to do something. 

 

Is the Opportunity Flexible? 

 

Before you take on a side hustle, you need to make sure that you have time for it. Is it something that you can work around your regular schedule? Plus, you’ll want to make sure that you can still balance your personal life as well. Your perfect side hustle should not be too demanding or draining on you physically, mentally, or emotionally. 

 

The truth is, not everyone is cut out for side hustles, so don’t feel like you have to do it just because everyone else you know is. If you do choose to start one, you can use these tips to help you find one that is perfect for you. Always remember that just because someone else is able to earn a decent income with something doesn’t mean that you will have the same results. There are many side hustles out there. You must do the research and figure out which one you enjoy, have the skills for, and fits into your life without stretching you too thin. 

 

5 Signs You’ll Succeed With an Online Job

In the past few years, there’s been a major shift to remote working- or working online from home. This is mostly because of all the benefits if offers: from not having to punch a time clock and having the flexibility to work when you want and take off when you want to being in more control of your earnings- if you need some extra money one month, you have the ability to earn it. 

 

However, not everyone is successful with an online job. There are some things that you need to have in your life in order to ensure your success. In this article, we will discuss five signs that you will succeed with an online job. 

 

You Don’t Procrastinate 

 

The battle cry of the unsuccessful person is: “I’ll just do it tomorrow.” Why not go ahead and do it today? That way, you have your schedule open to take care of something new tomorrow. Instead of procrastinating, you take the time to think about your goals and start taking steps to achieve them.

 

You Take Responsibility 

 

So many people simply refuse to take personal responsibility. They believe that they are a victim of their circumstances. This keeps them stuck. However, the successful person knows that their choices are what put them in those situations. You are able to learn lessons from your mistakes and move on. You might make mistakes along the way- but you learn from them and keep moving towards your goals. 

 

You Lean into Growth 

 

Fear is one of the things that keeps people stuck. When they fear a situation, they freeze up. They don’t challenge themselves and therefore are unable to move up in the world and be successful. On the other hand, you know that when you feel fear, it means that you’re about to experience growth and you take steps that bring you closer to success. 

 

You Learn From Others 

 

Unfortunately, though our world of technology allows us to reach out to anyone at any time, many people still prefer to work alone. This keeps them stuck right where they are because they are limited to their own brain processes. However, the successful person is open to input from others. You talk to people who have reached the goals that you have set for yourself.

 

You Have an Accountability Partner

 

Many people will set goals to make themselves look good on paper- but when it comes right down to it, they don’t really take steps to work on them. They get frustrated and give up instead of maintaining their motivation. The successful person though, keeps their focus on the long-term and has an accountability partner in their life that can keep them on track if they do get de-railed. 

 

If you see these five signs in your life, you can be sure that you have increased your chances of being successful with an online job. 

 

5 Websites to Find an Online Side Hustle

You want to start a side hustle, but you know it’s going to be a lot of work. It takes time and effort to build a side hustle from the ground up. However, there are several websites that can help you build your side hustle. You still have to put in the work to make it successful, but at least you’ll have some help getting started. In this article, we’ll take a look at five websites that can help you find your perfect online side hustle. 

 

Care.com 

 

If you offer services such as childcare, cleaning, in-home elderly care, or dog sitting, care.com is a great place to start. Of course, you don’t have to sign up for care.com to market these services, but it does make it much easier to find clients. If you’re just starting out, you might want to start here and then, as you build your client base, you can start your own website. 

 

Fiverr 

 

If you are a freelancer, Fiverr.com is a good place to get started with selling your services. Since the base price must be $5, this may not seem like a very profitable option. However, you can charge more for premium services and add-ons. Plus, again, once you build a client base, you can move off of this platform and start your own website or agency. 

 

Assistant Match 

 

The field of virtual assistants is growing every day. There are many small business owners that don’t have the time to take care of administrative tasks such as data entry, responding to emails, scheduling meetings, etc. This is where VA services would come in. The website AssistantMatch.com helps those who are interested in breaking into the field of virtual assisting. 

 

Etsy.com 

 

If you are a crafter living in a small town, it can be quite difficult to build your customer base. However, Etsy.com can help. You create your store and start listing your products for a small fee.

 

FlexJobs.com 

 

This website is one of the top websites for finding an online job. You can find jobs ranging from entry level all the way up to executive. Additionally, you can find jobs that you can do as a freelancer or as a full-time worker. In addition to finding an online job, there are some additional resources that can help you find the right online side hustle for you.

 

The search for an online side hustle can be quite overwhelming- but you can visit these five websites to make it easier. 

 

Follow this Side Hustle Method to Keep Yourself Motivated

A “side hustle” is something that allows you to earn money by pursuing your passion. In some cases, this may be in addition to your regular 9 to 5 and in other cases, you may be trying to replace your 9 to 5 with your side hustle.

 

While it’s true that a “side hustle” does offer benefits such as an increase in overall income and independence- it is still possible to get burnt out and lose motivation. However, there are a few things that you can do to keep yourself motivated in your side hustle. In this article, we’ll look at three of the most common ones. 

 

Do Something You Enjoy 

 

First and foremost, you must find something that you enjoy doing. After all, if you don’t enjoy doing it, then it’s definitely not worth it. So, take some time to think about what you enjoy and go from there. When you’re like what you’re doing, it’s easy to maintain your drive. 

 

Make Your Schedule Work for You 

 

When you’re working a regular 9 to 5, you’re stuck working someone else’s schedule- but when you have your own hustle, you can create your schedule. You can make time to handle personal business matters, family obligations, and more. If you plan to keep your regular 9 to 5 while you’re just getting started, it’s critical that you give yourself time to adjust and don’t book yourself to do too much. When you do this, it leads to a lack of motivation. 

 

Remind Yourself of the Benefits 

 

There are reasons why you decided to start a “side hustle’ in the first place- so remind yourself of those when you start losing motivation. If you’re looking to replace your regular 9 to 5 with your side hustle, remind yourself that this “gig” means that you have the flexibility to take kids to the doctor when needed or go on class field trips or whatever it is that is important to you. When you’ work a regular 9 to 5, it’s much harder to take care of those things. Also, if you’re needing some extra cash flow, you have the ability to increase your earnings, which isn’t always the case with a regular 9 to 5 job. 

 

Keep in mind that a “side hustle” is a great way to increase your earnings- and maybe even begin a new career path. However, it can be exhausting and easy to lose motivation, but by following these three tips, you can maintain your drive and continue on your path to freedom. 

 

How to Budget Your Side Hustle Earnings

If you’re just getting started with your side hustle, you’re going to enjoy having that extra income every month. However, you are going to have to learn how to handle this extra cash. If you’re not sure what you’re doing yet- don’t panic. In this article, we’re going to look at four tips to help you budget your side hustle earnings. This will help you reach those financial goals you have been striving for much quicker than you ever thought possible. 

 

Keep Track of Your Earnings

 

First and foremost, you must keep track of the money that you are earning. If you don’t, you won’t be able to appreciate the extra income your side hustle is bringing in. In addition to being able to know what your side hustle is doing for your finances, it will help you keep track of the taxes that you owe on the money that you are earning. As an employee in a regular 9 to 5, your employer takes care of that- but as a side hustler, you are your employer and therefore, obligated to pay taxes. 

 

Watch Your Budgeting

 

There are some side hustles that have some inconsistency in earnings. You may earn $800 one month and only $500 the next. Therefore, you must learn to not depend on those good months. Instead, set your budget based on the leaner months so that you don’t end up running out of money with bills that still need to be paid. 

 

Keep Side Hustle Earnings Separate

 

One of the best ways to budget your side hustle earnings is to keep them separate from the rest of your earnings. If it’s not readily accessible, you’re less likely to spend it. Plus, if you have a savings account, you can keep your earnings in this savings account, and then earn interest on it the longer it sits. 

 

Be Careful with Debt 

 

If you can possibly start a side hustle without taking on debt, this is ideal- whether you get started by investing your savings or with no money down. If you want to turn your side hustle into a full-time gig, only take on debt if you don’t have any other options. 

 

Bottom Line 

 

A side hustle is a great way to earn some extra money- but it’s also a great way to get off track with your budget. You start seeing the money roll in and you get excited and it can cause you to go a little crazy with spending. However, if you’ll keep these four tips in mind, you can learn to budget your side hustle earnings with ease. 

 

Planning Your Week with an Online Side Hustle

You’ve decided to start a side hustle, but you’re wondering how you’re going to fit it into your schedule with your full-time job, social and personal obligations, and anything else that fills your calendar. Believe it or not, it is possible to fit a side hustle into an already busy schedule. You just need a little bit of help planning your week with an online side hustle. 

 

What Hours are You Planning to Work? 

 

The very first thing you must do is determine what your working hours will be for your side hustle. You can ask these questions: 

 

1. How many hours will I dedicate per week? 
2. Am I working before or after my regular job? 

 

Answering these questions is a big step in scheduling your work week with your side hustle. 

 

If you are working with clients, you’ll also need to consider what their deadlines are and schedule accordingly. 

 

Give Yourself a Buffer 

 

When you are scheduling, make sure that you give yourself a buffer. That is, consider setting your deadline a day or two earlier on your calendar so that you can be sure that you are able to meet it. 

 

Plus, if you do meet the earlier deadline, it reflects well on you with your clients and if something happens, that keeps you from meeting the deadline, you have a little bit of wiggle room. 

 

Structure Your Day/Week 

 

Once you know how much time you’re going to invest and when you’re going to do it, as well as client deadlines, you can start to build your day and week. There are 3 things to keep in mind here: 

 

1. Time blocking: block out time that you will be working on your side hustle. You can set it up in blocks of 60 minutes or whatever works for you. This way, you remember to take breaks and don’t get too wrapped up in work. 
2. Batching: this refers to working on same or similar tasks within your blocks of time so that you don’t have to redirect your focus. This will help you increase your productivity. 
3. Scheduling: this is where you take those deadlines and input them into your calendar. This way, you can look at it and see what deadlines are coming up. You might also want to input a checklist so that you can check things off as you get them completed. 

 

When you decide that you want to take on a side hustle, you have to determine how you are going to fit it in with your regular obligations and responsibilities. These tips can help you plan your week with an online side hustle.