Today, I’m going to look at three reasons people use to avoid starting an online, information-based business. If any or all of these reasons sound familiar to you, I hope to show you why this might be the time to jettison them and go ahead in spite of your earlier concerns.
1. “I don’t like business.”
I understand, and I believe you. I’ve experienced this feeling and used it as a reason to avoid getting involved in business before.
Then I discovered I was stereotyping. I was “profiling” (as in “racial profiling,” only in this case I was guilty of “activity profiling.”) The business world is not monolithic, and not only are there different types of businesses in the world; there are also different ways to think about business.
Don’t like unethical, pushy, greedy, dehumanizing, soul-draining, just plain evil businesses? Great! (Neither do I.) The good news is that it’s actually possible to be involved in an ethical, courteous, generous, empowering, soul-reinvigorating, just plain good business. Heck, you could even start one yourself.
2. “Business doesn’t like me.”
Ah, the flipside of #1. Do you worry that maybe you’re not cut out to be a businessperson, that you don’t have something worthwhile to offer, or that other people wouldn’t be willing to compensate you for what you do have to offer?
Whether you’re “cut out” to be a businessperson is really a trick question (or is it a trick worry?) There’s no one type of business, and if or when you find the really right business to be in, it will feel more like play than work, and how can you not be cut out for that?
It’s true that to be in business, it’s essential to be able to provide value to others. Many entrepreneurs are outstandingly proficient at discovering ways to create and provide value. This doesn’t come easily to everyone, but fortunately it’s a skill that can be learned and practiced. Whether or not you are in business now, the ability to see the parts of yourself that create value in the world is a crucial life skill. And once you start practicing “self value awareness,” you’ll find yourself feeling increasingly energized and motivated.
And as far as compensation goes, you don’t need everyone to compensate you. If only a tiny fraction of people finds your folding instructions for a remote-controlled origami banjo even remotely interesting…no problem! Enter the world of the internet, where you can reach (as of the last count) over a billion people. Even if it’s only a fraction of the internet world that finds your information valuable, a tiny fraction of an immense number can be a substantial number. The internet has changed all the ground rules of the information matchmaking game, and even if you didn’t think it was worth playing the game of business before, you owe it to yourself to take another look.
3. Go into business now? In this economy? That can’t make sense!
One of the key benefits of being an online information purveyor is the extremely low startup cost. You have to put in some time, and the learning curve can be daunting at first, but the initial investment is pretty small. Certainly no more than a few hundred dollars, and that includes web hosting costs, getting your first webpage designed, and paying for some online advertising to test whether there is real-world demand for what you have to offer.
Worst case, if your ebook or quickstart guide (or remote-controlled origami banjo instructional video) doesn’t work at all, you’ve had fun putting it together anyway and can move on to your next idea which may well work. Failing quickly and repeatedly is the best way to learn and get better. The key is to set your process up correctly, so you can start small, without taking unnecessary risks. I’ll have a lot more to write about this shortly. It’s a very important point, probably the critical point when going into business.
What’s next?
In coming posts, I’ll be describing the big picture, the information entrepreneur business model as seen from 35,000 feet. Then, I’ll dip down some to show the largest components of the model and how they interact with each other, and I’ll start getting into the learning curves involved with each one.
I’ll also start pointing out various landmarks to help you find your way around this new country, including key websites, tools, people, and ideas.
Thank you for reading this far. Please share your feedback in the comments. For a little more information about where I’m coming from and going to with Studio Non Troppo, you can visit the About page for this blog.
Great inaugural post — I look forward to reading subsequent articles in your blog.
By the way, is that remote-controlled origami banjo instructional video available on Blu-ray? Sign me up for a copy and tell me where to send my credit card info. [Wow! Already made a sale from one of the first 5 blog visitors! Keep up the 20% conversion rate and you’ll be golden…]
Doug, this is great! I love the design, but most of all what you say. And I find a lot of good sense in your arguments. I might not have said this a few years back. I was certainly one of those guilty of “activity profiling”–how could a banker, business person, etc. be a good or honest human being. Two things have changed my mind. The first is my own web page, which has brought me more paid work than all the other efforts I’ve made combined. The other is a recent interest in my family’s geneology. My brother and I have been researching several family strands. Many great businessmen included, and we’ve even gotten hold of material describing some of their business practices and creativity. The Ethical Culture Society and School, Beth Israel Hospital in New York, and Sanger Brothers department stores, once based in Texas, are among their enterprises. It’s clear that business involves at least as much creativity as anything else, and can be honest and worthy as well. It’s all about how you go about doing what excites you. I look forward to following future entries for this blog, and have marked it for my “favorite” list.
Scott: Thanks for your encouragement. Just post your credit card number in the comments, and we’ll all be wealthy soon. No, maybe not.
Margaret: Thank you for your thoughts and for the examples of non-zero-sum game business endeavors. They demonstrate that a pragmatic approach can have positive results, and that’s an empowering insight.
– Doug
Doug! I thoroughly enjoyed this blog post, as well as reading your About page and seeing what has inspired you to create this blog.
The information is appealing, well thought out, and user-friendly. Of great interest to me lately are the qualities of integrity, authenticity, value and user-experience in “the business world”. I believe your blog touches on this.
I look forward to your future blog posts!!