4:54 PM
The ‘Contact Me’ feature that was added recently has been rather useful.
In my recent conversations, I ‘ve been asked the ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions on Jeny’s Closet. How I got started, how much capital was involved, where do I get my supplies, time management so on and so forth.
Ask me anything. If I can’t reply to you personally, I shall attempt to address them in a series of posts under the ‘Entrepreneurship’ category. So subscribe and stay tune as I explore more ‘how tos’.
I know nothing about business. But I have a healthy appetite for continuous learning. In a recent consultation with a Fengshui Master, he has adamantly states “ Fact is ah You and business no good. No harmony”. Well, I haven’t been listening well, have I? In a recent entry to my journal I have described myself as,
“I probably make the most mistakes among my peers and family. I was never afraid of trying and taking chances.”
So try I have and perhaps Fengshui Master has been right about the harmony bit. So why would you listen to me?
I make the mistakes so you don't have to.
I make the mistakes so you don't have to.
Tip #1: Decide
Decide if an online business is the way to go for you. You may like the idea of running a business at the comfort of your own home (or Hawaii), earning extra cash on the side but the truth is an online business is just like any other ‘brick and mortar’ business out there. Whatever you decide on, an online business requires just as much time, energy, dedication and commitment. You won’t get rich overnight and if anyone else tells you otherwise, they are lying.
I stayed up till 3am every night to reply to my customers on their enquiries and orders. I conference with my supplier every morning. I delivered the dresses to my customers personally every weekend and squeeze time to write a blog.
Tip #2: Act
This could be the most important thing in any endeavour. Start! Start! Start! In the beginning, just get started. Don’t get in the habit of analysing to the point of paralysis. Analysing too much will overwhelm you. How do babies learn how to walk? Crawl, Stand, Tumble, Stand, Teeny Tiny Steps, Tumble, Crawl. Repeat over and over.
Don’t get too caught up in details that don’t matter. Dealing with the paperwork, business cards, and other ancillaries isn’t absolutely necessary.
I started Jeny’s Closet with Facebook. I have a supplier but I have no customers so I started tagging my friends with images of my dresses and asked them to spread the word around. Then I started a group, then a blog to market those dresses and then finally BraStick…it was a series of actions one after another that became bigger than what I had initially planned.
Other paperwork a lot of people get caught up in is registering a corporation or other business entity. That will be important eventually. But you can (in Singapore) start a proprietorship in your own name with very minimal paperwork and cost.
For now, just get in the habit of doing.
Tip #3: Learn
I learn from the best in the industry. The internet has tons of resources and with Twitter, emulating a person you admire is a lot easier than you think. When I first got my Twitter account, the first person I followed was Oprah Winfrey and I soon added people who had achieved success aligned with what I wanted to achieve for myself. I call them my eMentors. I will write about them and the importance of mentoring in another post.
Whatever business you want to start, be it blogging, eBay sales, information product selling, affiliate marketing, or any one of the countless other ways to make money online, there are hords of people who have done it before you.
Sometimes those people will have written about what they did to succeed. In those cases, if their business aligns with what you want to do, don’t be afraid to invest money into their products.
Tip #3: Ask For Help
“Ask and you shall be given”
I am not afraid to ask, I am known to be rather thick skinned. I started with my friends and ask if they like to purchase my dresses. I ask if they can spread the word out on their wall. I ask for their testimonials. I put up on status updates on my wall consistently to tell people I am in business. I believe as long as you don’t hog the ‘news feed’ with your constant stream of overly personal details, people are generally more willing to hear what you have to say instead of clicking the ‘hide’ function. You may be one of the shy ones but I implore you, feel the fear and do it anyway. It will get easier.
You will deal with rejection. Many people won’t respond to your e-mails or tweets.
But you know what? It doesn’t matter.
Starting a business isn’t supposed to be easy.
If you talk to enough people, you will get the help you need. The ultra successful people are more open to help then the ones who are ultra successful only in their heads.
Tip #4: Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Yes, we all have the ultimate dream of quitting our jobs. Live in Bali year after year and not worry about money. Ever again.
Don’t jump the gun.
At the time of this post, I am still working a ‘9 to 5’ job in a real estate investment firm doing marketing.
People who failed furiously because they didn’t have an income to support themselves in the lean business startup phase don’t usually write about it. And because they don’t write about their failures, you never hear about them.
Do share with me your experiences when pursuing an online career yourself. I am no expert but you may be.
Good Luck!
Earn your first dollar online here.
Jeny's Closet Opening Soon!
Posted in: Entrepreneurship
