A Simple Guide to Building an Online Business Post COVID-19
The world has changed forever, and so have the rules
Source: https://medium.com/better-marketing/a-simple-guide-to-building-an-online-business-post-covid-19-7fe436029fd7

The world has changed forever. And there is no going back. Pandora’s box has opened. We need to create as much income as possible through online businesses. But how do you do it? How do you get started? This post will take you step-by-step through the process and show you how to create your own online business.

Step 1: Build a Solid Foundation
You really have to know yourself and play to your individual strengths. There are always going to be opportunities to make money online. But if you find the wrong fit, it is going to be awkward and you’re going to hate it. So it is a really good idea to figure out your real strengths. And one of my favorite tools in the world for this is the Enneagram. If you haven’t heard of it, the Enneagram is basically a personality test on steroids, I highly recommend you take it. It’s also a good idea to take the Myers-Briggs test. The cool thing is the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs overlap too. Taking these two tests will help you learn a lot about yourself, think of your past where you’ve really thrived, and what comes naturally to you.

Step 2: Relieve the Pain
Think of an exterminator. No matter what the economy is like, if you’ve got a problem with pests, you’re going to call an exterminator. If you’ve got a water leak, you’re calling a plumber. There is a clear, obvious pain point involved. And the end-user is aware of the problem. They cannot ignore the problem.

You want your online business to solve clear, known problems. You don’t want to sell vitamins. That’s a bad business model. Sure, vitamins and supplements are often good for you, but there isn’t any pain relief involved. But if you’re selling aspirin, you’re relieving the pain for a known problem. When the pain goes away, the customer knows that your product or service works. It brings results.
A problem that the end-user doesn’t know about is a lot like screaming into an empty theatre. While you are getting your message out there, no one is listening. We’re all busy, right? So why would anyone listen to something that doesn’t affect us? It’s like selling cookies to someone who has a gluten-free diet or trying to sell steaks to someone who is a vegetarian. It’s disrespectful to keep trying over and over to sell meat, no matter how great it is, to someone who doesn’t eat meat. That’s when your marketing becomes spam.

Step 3: Putting the Pieces Together
Take inventory of the first two steps. What did you figure out? What can you do that solves a problem and relieves pain quickly? It must be clear. Really, really clear. Otherwise, you are not going to have any customers.

Why do people buy something? It gives some form of clear value. It solves a problem. Think about some of the things you’ve bought over the last few months yourself. What are some great experiences that you’ve had? What can you learn from those? Keep narrowing things down and playing to your strengths. You’re a lot closer than you think you are to opening your online shop, trust me.
Come up with a product or service that you are selling. Let’s say you want to offer podcast editing. The most common complaint you’ll hear from podcasters is that editing takes too long. So you’re relieving that pain. You’ll have people send you their podcast, and then you professionally edit it. And you could easily make this something you offer in a course as well too, right? There is definitely a lot of potential there.
Next, figure out your pricing. How do you do that? Just figure out how much you want to make per hour and go from there. You’ll adjust that more over time. Right now it’s more about getting started and getting paid for your services.

Step 4: Now, Test Your Offer
Once you have something you want to offer, now is the time to validate it. What does that mean? Getting some customers! Reach out to ten people you know and see if they are interested. If no sales, you need to go back and tweak your offer. Only sales count now. Not responses like, “Yeah, that’s a great idea.” Those don’t count. Use something simple like Paypal or even cash to accept payments.

Step 5: Leverage the Network You Already Have
When people start an online business, it is tempting to start posting like crazy on social media. Maybe to start thinking about branding on social media. This is a common mistake, as social media is most often a time sink. Directly contacting people with a podcast is almost always a better approach than spending a lot of time on social media. And even just asking people you know if they are thinking about having a podcast is another way to find customers too. Join some podcast groups on Facebook or on Reddit.

Step 6: Next, Establish Your Web Presence
Now, you need a website for your business. But the good news is you can always make it a simple one. A service called Carrd.co can help you make a great looking website in just a few minutes for a super low price. So what goes on your website? A summary of how it is you help people. Make it clear. Really really clear. Let’s look at an example. Tim Grahl has a website called Booklaunch.com. He helps authors launch books. Notice how the URL is super clear? It’s not cute or trying to be hip. Here’s a look at Tim’s website.

This is the main thing on the homepage for Booklaunch.com. He wants you to give your email and then he will send you information. That’s it. There’s not much else on the page unless you click on his “about page,” you see more detail there.
Tim’s about page is really simple and clean. And because of this approach, I’m sure it looks great on mobile devices too. A website is just a gateway to getting people to work with you.


The Takeaway: Start Now
Most people put off starting an online business because it feels daunting. Or maybe you have several ideas and you just don’t know which one is the right one. The truth is, you just have to pick an idea and start. There rarely is a perfect idea that is just right for you. You need to experiment a little.
It’s not a failure if you’re experimenting and learning, is it? You’re growing. And creating an online business is not something where you can just copy and paste what someone else is doing and then you go do it and you’re immediately successful. It takes hard work. It takes time. But the great news is if you start now and keep things as simple as possible, there is no doubt that you can do it. Start now.