So many people are turning to the Internet now as a way of making money, I think we forget to ask ourselves if it’s the right thing to do. Not everyone is successful at trying to work from home over the Internet. (That’s a big understatement, right?)
We need to consider the Pros and Cons of Online Business.
I have been re-considering my own decision to do business online and these thoughts come out of that evaluation, so I am sharing it here to help others avoid some of the mistakes I and others have made. I am still going forward with my business, but with a stronger focus.
Pros of Online Business
I think it goes without saying that there are many wonderful benefits from working online. As you can see by looking at many of my other articles. Here are just a few:
Control Over Your Own Schedule
You can set your own schedule when you are working an online business. This means you can sleep in if you want. You can do your work at night, if you are a night owl. You can take your birthday off without having to ask anyone for permission. Or the summer, or the whole month of December. Whatever you want.
Not that it’s always a good idea, but it is your decision if you work online.
More Time For What You Love
This was what really got me into it. I have a lot of hobbies and interests.
I found myself unable to get to many of them because of the obligations of working a full-time job.
Going along with this, you can also get out of doing work that you hate.
If you have a job that you hate, an online business is something you will be very motivated to work on.
If you have a family, or pets, you can spend as much time as you want with them, and not have to rush off all the time.
Travel as Much or as Little as You Want
I was also motivated by this. I had to spend 1 hour each day just traveling to and from the job, and I really didn’t like it.
Many people are motivated by being able to travel. I thought about that a lot, and while I certainly want to travel more, I also enjoy just staying home. It’s okay – you can do either!
Staying home can be a great thing if the traffic is bad, or you have terrible weather, for example when it’s snowing in colder climates.
Cons of Online Business
Yes, unfortunately, there are some bad things about it. I think I can reduce them all down to two. I’m not including the fact that you will find shady people because that could happen in any type of venture. Just be careful!
Unreliable Income
Especially when you are starting out, you will not see much, if any, income from it. You need to be prepared for this.
You need to understand that it may take months, or years in some cases, before your income replaces that income you depend upon from a job.
My advice is to avoid doing what I did: Don’t quit your job prematurely. You may assume you’ll be able to earn more income online more quickly by having the time. But it is a sad lesson I had to learn the hard way.
Your activities expand to fill the time available. If you don’t have a solid plan for how you will spend your time, then having more of it will not help. It will not guarantee that you earn a better income. You might just end up with no income at all.
If you do quit your job early, or have already done so, make sure you are working on productive activities every day too. By which I mean, activities that you can expect will lead to generating online income.
Related to this: Even if you have a lot of money saved up, don’t spend it all! It’s a bad habit and not one that is easy to break. If you spend without earning, eventually you will run out of money to spend and be in a desperate place.
It Takes Discipline and Hard Work: You Need to Be Your Own Boss
You don’t get out of having a boss by working online. Be super sure you can handle the lack of structure and stay focused on the work you need to do. If you’re not sure you can do this, I recommend looking into online JOBS instead. I will be writing an article about this soon and link to it here.
Also, be careful about what type of business you go into. Do your research, and don’t be in a hurry to jump into something just because it’s popular. I think this advice is especially needed in the area of Internet Marketing / Make Money Online, where there are many products that are just not very helpful or valuable. And also scammers, watch out for them too.
It takes work, but that’s a good thing. Working for what we need is good for us. Better than being dependent on others for our survival, anyway. Better than helplessness, is what I’m trying to say.
I believe in anything that empowers you to take more control over your life. So go get it!
Stay Positive, Act Positive
It is important to have a good mindset, filled with positive thoughts. You CAN achieve anything you want to accomplish, within the realms of physical laws, but remember your positive thoughts are only a foundation, a place to build on.
Your actions are how you build. No amount of positive thoughts take the place of needing to take CONSISTENT and DAILY action.
Leave Time for Meditation and Thought
I sometimes find I do my best thinking when I’m in bed, trying to sleep. Does anyone identify with that?
That’s what happened to me this morning. I was considering many things, my mind racing, when I meant to be sleeping. It was in this process that I had the idea to write this blog article and discuss this topic. It is also helping to make some other important decisions that I need to move forward into a better place in my life.
What ways or practices do you find helpful in stimulating thoughtfulness in yourself?
Move Forward
Whatever you decide, whatever you are considering, it’s important to make the decision and move forward. Don’t linger longer than you need to. I am moving ahead by publishing this. What will you do today to become better at your business, or just a better person?
I look forward to seeing your comments and discussion below. Also, let me know if there is a topic you would like me to discuss.
