Isn’t it time that you considered starting an online business in 2022? During 2020 and 2021, the internet was flooded with people looking to find an alternative source of income after the pandemic hit.
As 2020 began, those hopeful for something new never dreamed of what was to come. Everyone in the world was affected by it – COVID19. People lost their jobs and everyone had to isolate at home. People were trying to figure out how to function in a virtual environment.
How could people now make something good out of something bad? What happened? Thousands of people started to look to the internet to discover the potential of starting an online business to make ends meet.
Schools went online. Businesses upgraded their websites and some built ones from scratch as a way to continue to get online sales. Many online learning portals were opened to the public free of charge.
Others made learning portals and modules available for sale. Scores of videos popped up on websites and YouTube on how to build a website from scratch using WordPress. What did I do?
MY EXPERIENCE
Like everyone else in the world trapped at home, trying to work was a learning curve that took time. And being home, not being able to go out meant having a lot of additional time on my hands. So, as most people do, the scrolling on Facebook and YouTube commenced. It was in doing this after a few days, that I realized a lot of videos, ads and articles were talking about learning new skills
I have always been one for learning, having done several degrees in mathematics, computer science and leadership in formal studies. I have also learned hobbies on the side including gardening, playing the piano, cooking, graphic design, etc. So, I was all for seeing what new thing I could learn online while we were stuck at home. Starting an online business started my mind thinking of many new opportunities that may be possible now.
that annoying youtube video ad
During a YouTube video, one of those annoying ads popped up on the screen. Normally, I would wait 5 seconds and then skip the ad. However, this time, something was different. It was during the first 5 seconds, that a guy on the screen starting sharing his experience about being frustrated with his job, commuting, working the 9-5 and had been looking for something different.
Having worked for almost 30 years, this captured my attention and I continued to listen. For most people, I think, despite having a job and working hard, there is always some desire to want a more fulfilling career and lifestyle.
That desire to wake up when you want, and work when you want. Go on vacation when you want and spend time with your family when you want. I had been talking about this for a few years now and now a gentleman named James Hancox was sharing his experience.
He had been working hard at a job that was not fulfilling, making a salary that was not sufficient. He shared how he came across an advertisement himself with another guy named Valeri who had ventured into the world of online marketing.
He was now making a living working for himself and enjoying the freedom and lifestyle that he had always wanted. He noted that by following a series of steps and engaging himself in learning aspects of marketing, he was able to do the same.
I NEEDED TO TAKE ACTION
I entered by name and email address to receive FREE VIDEOS that I could watch. I would be able to decide for myself whether this was something that I thought I could benefit from. There were no strings attached and no obligation. This was perfect.
I spent the next week getting an email every few days from James that featured videos from an entrepreneur named Stuart Ross. Stuart founded the company and started applying marketing and online strategies that yielded him an income that he was able to scale. He shared valuable aspects of marketing online in order to make a living and if I wanted, I could very well follow a proven system, put it in the effort and I could do the same.
I was not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, and this was definitely not one of these. There were skills to learn, websites to build, tips to master, Facebook systems to install and learn, landing pages to build, email autoresponders to configure and loads of things that seems very interesting.
I knew that with consistent effort and the skills that I had learned up to this point, I could do this. I also knew I would learn a lot of online business secrets and strategies along the way if I stuck with it. I gave it a try, made some decisions, and started on my journey. I was at home locked down for what seemed to be months. What did I have to lose? You could even join with a FREE account if you wanted to.
JOINING SFM
I made a decision that I was going to do something different in order to get different results. The path I was on was ok, but if I wanted to see different results and venture down a road of a lifestyle change, then I needed to take some action. And so the journey began into the word of Six Figure Mentors.
From the beginning, I was impressed with how everything was organized. The web-portal that I had access to was filled with training and all of the resources I would need as I went on this journey. I got access to what seemed like an infinite number of modules and training courses that would give me step by step in the online marking world. I was also given access to any Linked-In Learning course I wanted free of charge.
I immediately was contacted by email and phone by my mentor and was provided with whatever resources and mentorship I needed. I was also allocated to a Consultant who also called me from the UK to ensure that I was on my way and offered assistance As I started, I was excited to go through countless videos prepared by Stuart Ross as he outlined step by step how to build an online business and how to learn how to become an affiliate marketer.
BUILDING MY WEBSITE
In college, I had some experience building websites, but this was in the days of Dreamweaver and Frontpage. Surely, desining a website today was much easier than those interfaces back then. One of the tools in the SFM toolkit was an easy to set up website in WordPress.
My domain name was chosen, and the framework and structure of the website was set up with a few clicks. Now I had to use some creativity and a little skill to know how to fill in the details.
This is where YouTube became my best friend.
I did as much searching as possible for WordPress and WordPress tutorials as possible. Thankfully, there were endless videos on how to design a WordPress website step-by-step. My most recommended videos are those made by Ferdy Korpershoek and Dale McManus from Create A Pro Website.
I also loved the Page Builder that comes as a plug with WordPress called ELEMENTOR. This is undoubtedly the best page builder for WordPress on the market. There are others like Divi and Gutenburg but I maintain Elementor is best.
The way that Ferdy and Dale layout their videos as they take you step by step from the installation, setting up plugins, themes, menus, headers footers are so well done. They are master teachers and I think anyone can have a website up and running in a few hours with their help. They have what seems to be hundreds of videos on how to design WordPress websites and themes. I realized that starting an online business, and building a website was not as hard as I thought.
I have since checked out many web hosting companies online and found that Green Geeks is one of the fastest, affordable web hosting companies that has 24/7 service and support with a 30 day money back guarantee. They are eco-friendly and have 3 hosting packages including single website hosting at $2.95 per month, unlimited sites hosting from $5.95 per month and Premium at $8.95 per month (when you sign up for 36 months).
BUILDING landing pages
Having a website was very empowering. If it was this easy to build a website, why weren’t more people doing it? Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?
In order to share the SFM experience with others, I decided to design a landing page so that other people could receive the FREE Video Workshop Series that I did by entering their name and email address.
Built into the toolbox in SFM was the tool called Simple Lead Capture. Templates have already been designed for you to tweak, customize and use with your own site. This lead capture page allows those interested in online marketing to receive the free videos.
setting up an autoresponder
When interested online marketers enter their names and email addresses, it is best to have them stored in an automated email list system. There are many that exist including MailChimp, Aweber, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, etc. Once this services is set up, you can write a series of emails that interested persons will receive automatically. Part of starting an online business means ensuring you have an autoresponder so that you can build a list.
WRITING BLOG POSTS
Part of starting an online business and creating a website, is having a blog. This is an opportunity for you to share your expertise, create content and give value to those on the internet searching for something that you have information or skills about. Every one of us has something to say and to share that can help someone else. You have skills and knowledge in some area that someone else can benefit from.
Once consistent content is written in blog posts, and they are optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), they will start to get ranked with Google and will appear higher in rankings when people search for that keyword or phrase. With a little bit of training, optimizing blog posts for google with search engine optimization strategies, will enable websites and blogposts to be found better in Google.
Many blog posts also bring about opportunities for the online marketer to embed affiliate links to other sites where you can make a commission. There are many companies that will allow you to apply to promote their products or services by being an affiliate for them. Once approved, you embed their link into the blog post and when visitors click, and they purchase something, you get a commission.
the journey continues
Now 20 months in, the journey continues. The learning that has taken place during this time has resulted in something that you cannot put a price tag to. The level of knowledge and skills now that I have in WordPress, graphics, layout and design, marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing, online products, writing copy, editing, and the list goes on was worth the investment of time and money.
The question is, how long will you take before you realize that time will continue to march on – what is holding you back from starting an online business in 2022? How about now?
