Why You Would Benefit From An Online Business

Let me ask you a question:

When is the best time to plant a tree?

It's a famous question, and you probably know the answer: 20 years ago!

It's usually followed by a second question:

When in the next best time to plant a tree?

If you didn't plant a tree 20 years ago, the answer to this question is more comforting: today!

Trees take time to mature, to grow, and sometimes take years to bear fruit - but once they're reached fruitfulness, you can depend on their productivity year after year.

Having an Internet-based business is similar, though you may be talking about 3 years to fruitfulness, not 20! But why would you invest 3 years of your life without massive initial return on your investment?

Why Invest In An Online Business

The Internet is here to stay. In the UK, we are watching the day-by-day decay of High Street retail. It won't disappear, but there will be more Coffee and Charity Shops (or Charity Shops with a Café) than any High Street needs! Retail hasn't died, though - it's shifted.

Yes, that's right, Shift Happens!

A major part of that shift is to an online consumption experience - whether that's just the purchase (as per much of Amazon's business) or the whole experience (as in Netflix.)

We have grown accustomed to looking online... first. And if you're in business, it is true for most businesses that online is where your new customers need to see you first. Even if they experience you off-line first, your online presence will act as confirmation of whatever decison they are making about you.

I recently heard that it takes 14 'touch-points' for a customer to make a buying decision. Surprisingly, it's up from the 7 'touch-points' that was often quoted - double, in fact. That's a lot of courting to get a sale! Who has the time for 14 meetings with a potential client before there's a chance of getting their business?

Like all statistics, these are generalisations, so let's just take them on principle.

An Online Business gives your customers the opportunity to get to know you, to get to like you, and to get to trust you without you or they investing vast amounts of time.

In short, an online presence is convenient - convenient for them, convenient for you. With the added convenience of video, you can have your own broadcast that will lead to a useful sense of familiarity (and if you succeed well-enough that "Hey, I know that person" experience may even lead to minor celebrity status!)

The Number One Benefit: Freedom

In truth, it's the number one, number two, number three, number four, and number five benefit!

In his excellent new book, "Sack Your Boss," Christian Rodwell talks about five freedoms. I'm going to pick up three of them today (written on this Wealthy Wednesday) but recommend you get his book and put his strategies into practice.

As customers seem to become more discerning (and perhaps less trusting), your time can drain away seeking to influence them for good. So...

The number one freedom an online business can give you is Time Freedom

Time is just about the only resource you can't get more of. If you lose all your money, it's hard but not impossible to get it back. However, once time is spent, it's gone. The good news is that you can save time so that you can invest the saved time in something else.

Investing time in taking some of your processes online is like planting a tree. Once the initial time is invested, many of the processes and products can take care of themselves. This is what we understand as an asset: a resource that produces results for you without you having to be there.

What resources can you create once and enjoy the fruit from 'forever'?

• Online publishing - your eBook and your blog
• Online broadcasting - your YouTube channel and your podcast
• Online training - your courses teaching unique attitudes, skills, and knowledge
• Online retail - and let's remember the power of a shop or sites like eBay, Etsy, and Gumtree.

Before you challenge me, saying, "Lex, this still takes up time!" I'll take your challenge and agree. My point is that it won't take up as much time! It will save you time so that you can spend it elsewhere.

Over time (did you see what I did there) you will have a growing sense of 'Time-Freedom' where you feel free. More importantly...

...you'll stop wondering where your time went, and you'll tell it where to go!

What do I mean? One of the biggest frustrations I see with employed people is a sense of being time-trapped. If they want a day off, they have to ask for it. Something within us naturally dislikes that. Their time is not their own. This comes to a head when they can't take a holiday when they want it because there isn't adequate cover.

Having your own Online Business gives you back control of your time. You may work every hour available, but it's your choice. Time-Freedom is worth every second invested to get it.

Christian Rodwell also talks about freedom of relationships. Have you ever worked for a manager who was a jerk? Most people leave jobs because of the other people they work with - not because of the work itself. With an online business, you get more choice of who you work with... and who you choose not to work with!

Then there's another key freedom I love: freedom of location! If your online business can be maintained from a laptop or a smartphone - your only geographical limitations are signal!

Add all these together and I can guarantee that you're going to feel 'pumped' by all the freedom you're enjoying. You're likely to choose an online business that matches your unique talents, gifts, and abilities, so you're going to be in 'flow'...

...and being inflow is going to lead to cashflow...

...which in turn leads to financial freedom! (A fourth example of Christian's five freedoms.)

Freedom of thought

As an aside, when I was preparing this today, I realised just how free we are in most countries. We have freedom to express out thoughts, and freedom of speech. The Internet gives us a platform to express that freedom. Life has not always been this free - so I felt a moment of profound gratitude.

Let's Get It Started

I'm a Pink Floyd fan. All their music is good. Some of it is great. My favourite pieces are outstanding. Pink Floyd took years to work out their signature style that produced "Dark Side of the Moon."

Seth Godin and Neil Gaiman both talk about how writers need to write! They need to write a lot. And they suggest that much of that writing won't necessarily be very good! We write, we write, we write... and some of it starts to be quite good (must try harder!) Then, one day, boom! If you're a fan of Philip Pullman, you'll know that he's always been a good writer (in his published works), but signature masterpieces like "The Golden Compass" have that boom! As Seth says, "Ship your art!"

It takes painting many paintings for a Painter like Picaso to find their signature style.

Can you guess where I'm leading with this? Whatever your medium is, you need to practice. I'm keen to encourage you to get into online video because seeing is believing. I'm also keen to get you podcasting because faith comes from hearing - the more your 'audience' becomes accustomed to your voice, the more they will believe in you.

Know - Like - Trust

Listen to these words, a favourite of Vanda North and Tony Buzan...

Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

[William Hutchison Murray, in “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition” published 1951.]

Go on, write that blog!

Go on, record that podcast!!

Go on, build that website!!!

Go on, shoot that video... and upload it!!!!

Go on, write that online course... and publish it!!!!!

Go on, plant that tree!!!!!!

Today