Bloggers And Entrepreneurs
The learning curve of starting a small business has been a steep and steady incline. The age-old adage one step forward, two steps back swirls around in my head. Whether it has been learning new social sharing applications like Pinterest or trying to articulate business goals while writing a business plan. You don’t know, what you don’t know until you know it.
Research. I love to do research on any topic that I am tackling because it provides a firmer grasp on any issues I may encounter. The only problem with research, there’s so much advice given on blogs, YouTube videos, and podcasts that being a first-time small business owner can be overwhelming.
I wanted to share tips I have learned so far with blogging and entrepreneurship.
Time. Time. Time.
It takes time to build an audience and to learn new software. Initially, I believed that I could set up my online business within three months. Imagine my shock when I met with a Small Business Administration mentor and he told me to do six months of research before I moved forward to determine the profitability of my concept. Avoid the belief that you will be making $10,000 within your first three months. The recent requirements in the YouTube Partnership Program is a lesson for everyone, one thing that’s constant for any successful business is change.
Day-To-Day Tasks
Picking a blogging platform to host my blog was an easy decision. Learning how to add backlinks, SEO, Marketing, writing effective Headlines and Sub-headings and structuring content has been an uphill climb. Fact: You need all of these tools if you want to have a successful blog or startup, but you don’t need to understand everything 100% to get started.
Everyone Loves A Winner
The term overnight success has been used time and time again. Why, because the life of a struggling writer, director, actor/actress, etc. doesn’t sellout movie theaters. Don’t expect professionals or organizations to jump on the bandwagon when you’re in the early startup stages. They receive dozens of request every day, and their time is also precious.
Mentors
While I do believe that having a mentor is necessary for moral support and tapping into monetary resources, don’t be afraid to have more than one. I have learned that one mentor may be great at writing a business plan and another mentor may be great at connecting you with angel investors. Diversifying your mentors ensures that you will get the best advice without overusing your mentor’s capabilities.
Like Minded People
Surrounding yourself with like-minded people equates to cheerleaders cheering in a packed stadium. It’s nothing worse than explaining your concept to an individual, and the person is negative or discouraging about your future plans. Getting advice from other bloggers/entrepreneurs will always resonate.
Free Resources
Canva
Their slogan states “Collaborate, & Create Graphic Designs for Free. This graphic design tool website is very easy to use and is great for creating social media posts, blogs & ebook covers, marketing material and advertisements. I used to it create my Media Kit and I am happy with the easy of instructions and being able to get started with a simple drag and drop method.
Foodiesfeed
If you’re a food blogger who wants to use mouthwatering pictures than you have your choice of hundreds of food photos to choose. Additionally, if you like to cook your own recipes consider the website a great place to share your photos and network with a community who are actively searching for food pictures.
Pixabay
A website that can be accessed anywhere in the world gives you access to thousands of free images and photos. *Tip – Try to use photos that are not commonly used because there’s nothing like posting your latest blog posts and scrolling through your timeline and seeing the same image someone else is using for their latest blog posts.
CoSchedule
A headline analyzer, their slogan states: “Write headlines that drive traffic, share, and search results.” Whether you consider this an additional step, to the other rules you already follow when creating a headline (35 to 60-word count, long tail keywords, etc.) it’s a great tool to gauge your headline’s effectiveness.
If you want more information about starting a small business check out my post:
Do you have a blog or startup business and received great advice? Leave a comment and let me know.
